Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ As Time Goes By ❯ The Ties That Bind Part Three ( Chapter 9 )

Let's see...this chapter is rated PG-13 for language (blame Sanosuke), mental rambling of a decidedly sexist and sexual nature (blame Edward) and some unapologetic political discussion (blame me). Chapter nine ended up being over thirty pages long....so for the sake of you wonderful readers..(and my rapidly diminishing sanity) I decided to post it in two parts....The first being what you are about to read. The second part (which is nearly finished....I promise) will be posted next Monday.

Chapter Nine (Parts A and B) have been the most difficult to write thus far, because they are very transitional, cover a lot of material...and contain some very pivotal moments between Mara and Sanosuke. I hope that you will overlook any roughness in the writing and understand that some chapters are inherently going to be less interesting than others.

This chapter has been brought to you by the Letter W, the Number 4, and the help of Dark Agent, Firuze, and Nemo (all of whom patiently encouraged me to keep trying to make these chapters a little bit better...and a lot less contrived.)

AS TIME GOES BY

CHAPTER 9-A

THE TIES THAT BIND PART 3

Ten Blocks Away From Home

"No..no...dammit." Sano sighed patiently and tried again. "The guy wasn't a Spaniard, he just dressed like one. He was from Egypt...I think." He rubbed his stubbly chin and tried to remember.

Yahiko's head hurt. "So what in the hell was he doing in Scotland?"

"I have no idea." Sano shrugged. "I guess he was just up there giving lessons to some pissy Scotsman."

Kenshin rubbed his tired eyes. What was his technique?"

"That's the funny part." Sano stopped in the middle of the street. "The man was obsessed with trying to teach me how to lob off people's heads...honestly, that's all he ever talked about."

"Liar." Yahiko huffed under his breath.

"Hey now..I'm serious!" Sano protested. "The guy had the damn nicest katana I've ever laid eyes on."

"Wait just a damn second." Kenshin actually swore. "You expect us to believe that an Egyptian, dressed as a Spaniard, living in Scotland carried a Japanese sword ?"

"I swear to the Gods." Sano held his hand up piously.

"Liar." Kenshin and Yahiko said in unison, then walked away shaking their heads.

(I don't understand...) Sano crinkled his nose against the cold. (Mara couldn't get enough of that story...) He had been pleasantly surprised when the normally restrained doctor had burst into laughter and spent the rest of the evening humming strange melodies written by a queen. (At least she believed me...) Sighing against the injustice of the moment, he picked up his pace and in no time was once again walking alongside the two shorter men.

"Hey." Sano said casually. I was thinking..."

"Will miracles never cease?"

Without missing a step, Sanosuke sent the wise cracking youth headfirst into a snow covered mulberry bush, then turned his attention back to Kenshin (who was doing his level best to be the wise, non-giggling neutral party). "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted...." He glowered at Yahiko for a moment, then continued. "I was thinking that it's been a damnably long time since we've done any thing like this."

Kenshin pulled his patched up coat around his deceptively fragile shoulders and nodded. "You're right...it has been a while." He looked up at the half hidden moon, slightly ashamed that such a tragedy had been the catalyst for such meaningful interaction between himself and his friends. "I'm glad I had the chance to spend time with the two of you again....though I wish it had been under far less somber circumstances."

"No shit." Sano nodded gloomily. "Tell you two what...the next time we want to shoot the breeze...let's just go to the Akabedo." He frowned as his empty stomach seconded the motion.

"At least there we wouldn't have to shout over the sounds of people screaming." Yahiko said quietly, still shaken at seeing such mindless suffering.

Kenshin nodded slightly, aware that the boy was still ashamed of his reaction to seeing a field amputation for the fist time. (I'd best change the subject....) He thought for a moment...then turned to Sanosuke, determined to steer the conversation towards far less macabre matters.

"That reminds me....you never finished telling me that story from the other day."

"The one about the Egyptian?" Sanosuke said curiously. (Now...where in the hell did this come from?)

"No...the one where you were lost in the cornfield." Kenshin quickly corrected, eager to avoid that particular tall tale all together.

"Cornfields?" Yahiko wondered.

"It's a crop they grow over in the States." Sano held up his hand over his head. "Gets about this high..and has the damn tastiest stuff growing on it." He winced as his stomach grumbled again. "Anyway, there I was wandering through this stupid field...hopelessly lost..."

"Now, there's a big surprise." Yahiko muttered under his breath.

"Kiss my ass." Sano muttered. "Like I was saying before the kid interrupted me for the second time this evening....I was in this field, wandering around looking for a way out, when I stumbled out into a clearing." His hands silently created hills and gentle sloping valleys while he attempted to describe a riotously green country littered by small what memorial markers and weeping willows covered with hanging moss.

"I'm telling you...in all my wandering, I've never seen such a beautiful spot of land...(Or such a sad one...) Sano dropped his hands to his side as he remembered the mixture of awe and horror that had filled him when he'd realized that the stones covering the verdant landscape marked where the bodies of a dead soldiers rested in the fertile dark soil.

"What was the name of the place?" Kenshin asked curiously.

"Arlington....I think. From what I understood, it used to belong to some guy who fought for the southern rebels." Sano folded his arms tightly against his chest in an attempt to keep out the chill. "The government took his farm and land and started burying dead soldiers in the guy's wife's rose garden." He shook his head darkly. "Now that was a fight I'm glad I missed out on."

"I find that hard to believe." Yahiko said dubiously.

"Believe it pal." Sano rubbed a hand over his stubbled chin. "I like a clean fight as much as the next man...but that...that was just slaughter...plain and simple. Grimacing against the chill, he shook his head.. "I saw some of the weapons that they used in that war...and lemme tell you kid, they were nothing that you'd even want to mess with. Those guys used bayonet rifles, Gatling guns, cannons...hell, they even had iron boats that swam like fish."

"Katsura mentioned the incredible advances in military technology." Kenshin said quietly, remembering half whispered conversations and ideas from two decades before. "The government brought officers over from America to help modernize the Japanese Army."

"Yeah...that doesn't surprise me a bit." Sanosuke spat, his face darkening with anger. "Only this government would be so half assed as to want to bring in the worst parts of another country, and completely ignore the best. They should have tried importing some of the ideas that are floating around over there..instead of new ways to kill people."

"Ideas can be far more dangerous than bullets." A small bitter smile stole across Kenshin's thin face. "Remember Sanosuke...that it was ideas that were the catalysts behind both the Bakamatsu and the American war...simple, harmless thought patterns." He nimbly hopped over an icy skiff of snow and picked up his pace, suddenly eager for the warmth of home and the quiet conversation of his wife. " Those in power...fear human thought more than any invading army."

"But it's not all bad!" Sano protested loudly, miffed that Kenshin (as usual) was managing to see the dark aspects of everything new and exciting. "C'mon...there's good shit out there...like freedom of the press...and being able to vote some crooked bastard out of office without worrying about getting your ass thrown into the clinker...or worse." The tall fighter shoved his cold, chapped hands deep into his threadbare pockets. "I saw it Kenshin....I watched ordinary people...like you and me change laws and make things better." He grinned slightly and winked at Yahiko. "Hell, in some of the western territories they even let their women vote and hold office. "

Yahiko cackled and chucked a snowball at his imaginative friend. "And here I was thinking that nothing could top that tall tale about the fighting Spaniard." He looked over at Kenshin and rolled his eyes. (Honestly...the idea of women being political....)

"Narrow minded brat." Sano sniffed. "And for the last time...He only dressed like a Spaniard!"

"Whatever." Yahiko muttered as he tried to mimic Kenshin's ability to hop over ice sheets and nearly fell on his butt. "You keep this up and everybody's going to think you had one too many swigs of the sake bottle."

"You don't believe me?" Sano shouted, as he began forming what could only be described as the snowball from hell. "Ask Mara...she'll back me up!" He tossed the icy missile at the teenager, then swore when Yahiko dodged behind Kenshin in a last ditch attempt at human preservation, condemning the diminutive redhead to a mouthful of slushy snow. (Oh shit...)

"Hey man....you all right ?" Sano bent down and gingerly brushed the worse of the snow clumps out of his dazed friend's hair. "I was aiming for old yellow belly." He shot a nasty look of reproach at Yahiko.

"Kiss....my.....frozen...ass." Yahiko snarled through chattering teeth as he tried to wipe the snow from his eyes.

"I thought that was Tsubame's job." Sano crooned wickedly.

Kenshin closed his eyes and started counting. (One......two......)

"Why you rooster headed, moronic whore son of a diseased water buffalo!" Yahiko's black eyes shot sparks as he leaped at the guffawing ex-gangster. (Three.....)

Slightly North of the South Tokyo Train Terminal

(Just you wait old man....) Edward Thornton thought as he caught a passing glimpse of a white haired farmer standing in a snow covered field, his amusement growing as he watched the wizened figure shake his fists angrily at the steam locomotive as it thundered by, indignant that such a mechanical monstrosity had been unleashed on the peaceful Japanese countryside. (The best is yet to come....)

Pale blue eyes roved possessively over the white, snowy landscape, his mind transforming the tranquil farms and forests into teeming cities filled with silk factories and shipping warehouses....industrialized Meccas that would one day rival the soot clogged cities of his native Britain. (I will be at the helm of this transformation....) Edward's smile was triumphant as he contemplated his rosy future. (.....And bask in the harvest of my labors....)

"Next stop.....South Tokyo Train Terminal!" The conductor called out, his announcement causing the first class passenger cabin to buzz with activity. Edward simply nodded, then returned his attention to the panorama that was rushing past his window, his thoughts once again straying back to towards acquisitions and mergers and the inevitable wealth that followed such transactions. One possible transaction had lately filled his thoughts, a particularly tricky venture that was fraught with risk....and intoxicating with its proffered reward.

(It would be a challenge of the highest caliber, a true test of my skills) The predatory side of the Englishman's personality relished the upcoming conflicts and mandatory maneuvering that such an action necessitated, while his other half decried even the thought of such a thing, reminding him with surprising sharpness that the reward in question was not a piece of fertile farmland.....but an honorable woman, that his competition was not a rival company......but a good man who considered him a close friend and trusted confidant. Edward's tranquil smile evaporated as he considered the likely ramifications of failure....not only would he lose the respect of two people he genuinely was fond of, but would also be the likely recipient of a severe beating....if he was lucky.

(Oh, but think of what I'd gain if I succeeded......The woman I'd possess.....) His groin tightened with anticipation as he imagined Mara Mogensen at his side, richly clothed in the latest Parisian fashions....and in his bed, her supple body providing him with endless pleasure. (Bloody hell.....I've not wanted something this badly for ages.....) Desire danced through his veins, banishing any lingering doubt with the delicious numbing agent of justification. Edward casually pulled on his bleached, white gloves and reached for his leather attache case. (In time she will see that it's for the best.....that I can give her everything she could possibly desire....) He waited patiently for the train to come to a complete stop, then fluidly rose and made his way down the aisle, suddenly eager to see whether the tall doctor was waiting for him as he'd requested in the letter he'd sent her two weeks prior.

She wasn't. Edward scowled, his features darkening with disappointment as he scanned the busy terminal, his excitement rapidly giving way as he realized that the only person who seemed the least bit interested in him was a greying station attendant shivering from the bitter cold.

"Well, don't just stand there man!" He snapped irritably. "If you have business with me, I suggest you make it known or get out of my sight."

(Gods...what an asshole....) The old man smiled brightly and tipped his cap. "I have a letter addressed to a Mr. Edward Thornton. May I assume that you are that individual?"

"You may." Edward snatched the letter from the older man's hand without a word of thanks and walked back towards the baggage compartment.

"Take care with that trunk!" He shouted as he sprinted towards two men struggling to lift down a large, padlocked traveling case. "If there is so much as a dent on my luggage, I will personally see to it that you both are terminated from your employment!" (I really should hire a man servant....I hate having to deal with such tedious matters when I travel....) Edward thought as he carefully watched the rest of his luggage unloaded from the train, careful to keep his expression severe lest the baggage handlers get the impression he was going to give them a tip for such clumsy work. After a seeming eternity of badgering, he and his belongings were safe and secure in a carriage and on their way back to his hotel suite. (And that is where I shall be headed once I figure out who sent this blasted letter....)

Glancing down at the nondescript envelope, he snorted in annoyance. (First I had to endure the indignity of sharing a seat with a fat woman and her disgusting bulldog....then was forced to wait for nearly an entire day because of an annoying train derailment...) He rolled his eyes, almost wishing that the backwater Orient could instantly modernize itself...and spare him the discomfort of having to do it all himself...(I never knew that being a progressive man was so taxing on the system....) His ruddy lips curled downwards into a pout when he opened the letter and quickly scanned the contents, finding to increasing displeasure that small, precise paragraph was from the woman he'd been thinking of.

Dear Edward,

I'm sorry that I couldn't meet you at the station...but I'm up to my eyeballs in bandages.

Talk to you soon...and welcome back to Tokyo.

Your friend, Mara.

Edward carefully folded the letter and placed it in his breast pocket. (How utterly typical...I should have known that some trifle of an emergency would take precedence over the reasonable request of a dear friend.....) While he was willing to overlook many of Mara Mogensen's flaws...her insistence on putting her career before all other matters was simply intolerable. (The first order of business will be to properly train her regarding her place in society....)

Pulling his fur lined coat around him, he sighed deeply, thankful for his limitless patience when it came to his future spouse's idiosyncrasies. (She'll need a firm hand to guide her back into proper domesticity....) He smiled with feral ease, anticipating the taming of such a wild, headstrong creature. (Naturally, I'll remove her from this place...and the unwanted elements who only encourage her irrational independence....) It went without saying that a certain dark eyed man would be the first to be parted from her company.

(I'll consider allowing her lovely oriental friend to still associate with her....considering how fond Mara is of the woman's child....) He reached into his lapel and pulled out a imported cigarette. (But not that little read headed fellow....) For some reason, his attempts at charming Kaoru's slightly built husband had met with repeated failure. (From what Sanosuke says...the man is quite an accomplished swordsman....) Doubt blossomed in his mind as he recalled how fond the man was of performing menial duties....(Laundry no less!)....and dismissed the statement as a product of Sano's rich imagination. (No....I consider myself an excellent judge of character....and am quite sure that no respectable soldier would ever stoop so low...)

Lighting one end of the slender cigarette, Edward inhaled the complex blend of imported tobacco, enjoying the warmth that filled his lungs and made his heartbeat quicken despite the bitter cold. (I wonder what possessed Miss Mogensen to board with such an unorthodox family....) He'd asked her about it once, pointing out that there were many hotels and even several boarding houses that catered to respectable Europeans. (She simply replied that they were her friends...and that she'd made a promise to protect them....)

Taking in another lung full, he shook his head fondly...amused that such a sweet,

intelligent woman could be so silly. (Woman are...and always will be the weaker sex...in need of protection and guidance...) Edward closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, filling the small cabin with lazily circling smoke. (...They have neither the sternness of mind, nor the strength of character to endure the rigors of battle or the sight of spilt blood...) He took another drag of the nearly depleted cigarette, sincerely hoping that the black haired woman wouldn't suffer the indignity of fainting while she applied bandages to the accident victims. (As soon as I set things straight between us, she'll be able to properly focus on the things that every woman longs for....children to fawn over.... a home and staff to manage....) He flicked the smoldering butt out the window...then leaned back against the richly upholstered carriage wall. (...and a husband to serve...)

Five Blocks Away From Home

"..I don't know about this...." The policeman peered suspiciously over at the snow

covered men standing beneath a half lit lamppost. "I'd be more than happy to let you three scamps cool your heels off in a cell for a couple of days." He bristled his mustache imperiously at the tallest of the three ruffians, hoping for a chance to wield his new and improved wooden stick.

(I'd like to see you try you knock kneed excuse for a cop...) Sano thought nastily as he slowly extended his middle finger the way Mara had taught him. (I'd like nothing more than to shove that piddly excuse for a billy club so far up your ass you'll be picking splinters outta your tongue for a week...)

"What's that supposed to mean?" The policeman pointed to Sano's defiant middle finger.

"That you're number one." Sanosuke said in a deadpan voice.

Yahiko (who was more than familiar with Mara's favorite obscene gesture) tried not to giggle...and failed...miserably.

Kenshin fought against the urge to bang his head against the lamppost. (I really must have a talk with Dr. Mogensen about teaching these two those strange foreign hand signals....) "Once again, I apologize for slight disruption. We were just on our way home and got a little distracted." He glanced over at Sanosuke and allowed the faintest hint of amber to bleed into his calm violet gaze. "Isn't that right?"

Sano snorted. "Yeah...I s'pose."

Yahiko assumed his most innocent expression. "We didn't mean to make so much noise."

Kenshin nodded sorrowfully. "It was a regrettable incident that does not bear repeating."

Sano shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say ? Shit happens."

(Why did I ever let my mother convince me to become a policeman....) The henpecked officer sighed bitterly...wondering what sinful act in a previous life had condemned him to a career of dealing with mentally deficient citizens who insisted on having snowball fights in the middle of the night.

"All right...I'm going to let you off with a warning." He stuck out his caved in chest hoping that it made him look far more impressive than he felt. "But if I so much hear that you startled a stray cat there will be severe repercussions." He glared up at the brown haired man. "Do I make my self clear?"

"Yes sir." Kenshin grabbed Yahiko by the scruff of his gi and started walking.

"Okay." Yahiko smiled brightly, thankful that jail time had been averted.

Sano took the time to let the officer know that once again...he was number one, then turned and followed his friends down the street.

"I still say we should have let that cop take Sano to jail." Yahiko grumbled as he gingerly touched the bruise that was forming along his jawbone. "After all...he was the one who started it."

"Quit being such a boob." Sano rubbed his sore nose, thankful it was no longer bleeding. "The only reason we attracted that cop was because you were too scared to face me like a man."

"Now...now..." Kenshin tried to calm the bickering men. "Let's just let bygones be bygones and call it a night."

"Oh...don't act all innocent." Sano cuffed Kenshin on the shoulder. "Who was the one who was using the top of the post office as a launching pad for those damn painful ice balls?"

A wicked twinkle could be detected in the smaller man's eye. "I can hardly be blamed for finding the best possible strategic position in which to defend myself." Kenshin said sweetly, enjoying the happy memory of nailing his loud friend right in the middle of the forehead. "Still, the officer was right...we were acting irresponsibly."

Yahiko nodded. "Yeah...can you even imagine what Kaoru and Tsubame would have done to us if they found out we'd ended up in jail?"

Kenshin's nodded somberly. "It would have been...." He inwardly winced as he imagined how his beloved spouse would react to his unfortunate incarceration. "...unpleasant."

Sano threw back his head and laughed. "Oh...you two are something else!" He chuckled mirthfully, ignoring the dark looks from his friends. "If this is what happens to men when they get all domestic and shit, then I thank the Gods that I am unattached."

Yahiko shot Sano a look that could have sent Shishio Mokoto running for cover. "You say that now...but I'll bet you twenty yen that once you finally settle down you won't be in such a big hurry to make a damn fool of yourself either."

Sanosuke's jaw hardened into a tight line. "Look pal, I already told you that I'm not planning on settling down with anybody...and even if I did....I wouldn't let a woman boss me around and tell me what I could or couldn't do with my time..."

(That's what he thinks) Kenshin smiled and continued to hop over ice skiffs with deceptive ease.

(What a moron...he'd kiss a sea snake on the mouth if Mara asked him to....) "You sure don't know a lot about women."Yahiko walked smugly alongside Kenshin.

"You wouldn't know what to do with a woman if she sat on your face." Sano snipped peevishly, wishing that the line of conversation wasn't quite so domestic.

"Yes I would!" Yahiko snapped as he frantically tried to figure out what the more experienced man was talking about.

"That's enough of that." Kenshin said firmly, determined to end this particular discussion before it began. (Gods....next time there's a train wreck...I'm taking Kenji with me...heaven knows he'd be better behaved....) "Now...let's hurry home before everyone starts to worry."

Several minutes later, Yahiko turned to Kenshin with a strange...almost expectant expression. "Do...do you think..that...they'll be waiting up for us?" (Do you think that SHE'LL be waiting up for ME?) He glanced down apprehensively at his vomit and blood stained clothing.

Kenshin nodded slightly, seeing in the young man the unspoken worry . "Of course....they always wait for us to return safely home." He ignored Sano's sarcastic sigh and continued to walk. "Don't worry about the state of your clothing...Tsubame won't even notice the blood stains."

"It's not the blood stains that I'm worried about." Yahiko muttered under his breath, still mortified that he'd vomited when the boy's bloody stump of a leg had fallen to the floor. He winced inwardly, expecting at best a pithy jab from Sanosuke...or at worse...a look of disappointment or pity from Kenshin. "I don't want anybody to think...to think...that I...."

"It's all right." Kenshin whispered as he placed his small hand on the boy's shoulder. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Yahiko...nothing at all."

"Easy for you to say. You didn't barf all over Mara's skirt." Yahiko muttered, his face going red with pent up embarrassment. "I thought I could handle seeing that stuff...I thought I was strong." His voice was a study in self reproach.

"Listen dummy, cause I'm only going to say this once." Sano gently grumbled as he stepped over a icy puddle, taking care not to slip. "There's more than one way to be strong." He glanced down at his bandaged wrist and tried to explain. "I know that hanging around and taking care of everybody is about as fun as a smooching a toothless hooker. But that doesn't mean that it isn't important...and it sure as hell isn't easy. Lemme tell you, I tried to watch that crazy kid for an afternoon and he damn near kicked my ass!"

"Quit exaggerating." Yahiko rolled his eyes, amazed that the cocky fighter wasn't teasing him. "He's not that bad."

"I'll try and remember that the next time I step into one of those twisted little tiger traps that he keeps digging." Sanosuke groused. "My point is...that you're as tough as you need to be. Now, for the love of my frozen butt...let's get home. I'm starving."

Kenshin shivered and tried to keep his teeth from chattering. "You're always starving." He nimbly dodged a friendly right hook, once again enjoying the rare chance at interacting with his two best friends. "It's a miracle you didn't wither away during your travels."

"You have no idea." Sano sighed and patted his taunt stomach.

Kenshin rolled his eyes and nimbly hopped over a frozen skiff of snow. "Gods, you really are a piece of work."

"I know...I really am." Sanosuke said smugly.

"Hey rooster, you really didn't mean it when you said that you never wanted to settle down right? " Yahiko asked as he rubbed his icy hands together in an attempt to stay warm. "I mean...you're finally home...and well...I thought....that..you....and....well....Mara might...." He faltered when he saw an unhappy look on the older man's face that sent a filament of worry into the teenager's heart. "You are gonna stay here...right?"

"I don't know...for the time being I guess." Sanosuke rubbed the back of his head and pretended to be entranced with a remarkably boring snow drift. He glanced over at Yahiko and sighed, knowing that his answer wasn't what the younger man wanted to hear. (He's worried that he's going to be ditched all over again....Can't say that I blame him....He knows its only a matter of time before the damn government whisks Kenshin off on another errand and he's left alone to take care of Kaoru and Kenji...)

An afterthought brought him up short.(...At least Mara's here now to help Kaoru...hell, she loves Kenji like he was her own kid...) For some reason, his mind suddenly conjured up an image of his stern friend laughing and playing with a passel of brown eyed, curly haired children, a mental picture that was at once incredibly enticing....and scarier than being on Saitou Hajime's shit list. (Okay...where in the hell did that come from ?...) Sano nervously shook his head, dispelling the domestic vison. (Sagara Sanosuke is an ass kicker....not a diaper changer...... Period!...)

"You can't be serious!" Yahiko said incredulously. "C'mon...don't give me that. You're not going anywhere again...now that you've met Mara..." His jaw dropped when Sanosuke gave him a sour look and muttered something about not being nosy. "Oh, my hell...you are!" Turning towards his stubborn friend, he tried to be the voice of mature reason (which was a challenge, considering his pants were spattered with barf and sopping wet from landing in a puddle). "Gods, Sano....you've got everything going for you!"

Sanosuke sighed and flicked off a lonely snowflake that had settled on his cold nose. (That's easy for you to say....you've got a job and a decent reputation.....) "Look kid, not everybody is meant to settle down..okay?" He looked over at Kenshin and hoped that his pal would back him up on this one. "There are just some people who aren't cut out for that sorta thing...and I'm one of em."

"You could be...if you wanted to." Yahiko said grumpily, disheartened that his friend could so causally think of abandoning them all so easily. (Is that what it means to grow up....to be willing to leave behind the ones that love you ?) His mood took a turn for the worse when he recalled the care he'd seen in Mara's face as she'd bandaged Sano's hand...as well as the numerous times he's watched Kaoru bid Kenshin farewell, then quickly retreat to her bedroom where her tears could flow freely. (Well...I'm not going to be that way...I don't care what anyone thinks....) A steely resolve settled on his weary heart as he listened to Kenshin and Sanosuke discuss where the fighter had been...and still had a desire to travel to. (...I will become strong....just in my own way...and I'll be damned if I ever leave my family like these two morons seem hellbent on doing !)

"You know...you're probably right." Yahiko's voice was as hard as ice and colder than the wind whistling around them. "Mara's had enough trouble dealing with selfish bastards to last a lifetime."

"Keep it up kid, and you're going to find yourself head first in another snow drift." Sano growled menacingly. "I'm not in the mood to listen to lectures from a boy who's never set foot outside of Japan."

"When have I ever had the time to go anywhere?" Yahiko shouted, eyes blazing. "I've always had to take care of the people you two leave behind!" He glared over at the two shocked men, too cold, angry and downright exhausted to think about what he was saying....too upset about the government letter that he and Mara had burned three days earlier to hold back his emotions. (Sooner or later Kenshin's going to find out that they want him to go to China....) The thought made him sick. (Look what happened the last time I was left to take care of things....Kaoru nearly died!) "It's not fair for you to just up and leave when you have people who you promised to protect!"

"True enough." Kenshin said softly, trying to dispel the anger circling around the three men. "And believe it or not, we don't relish leaving those people we love." A wistful, sad smile settled on his face. "At times, sacrifices must be made to protect the ideals we treasure and the people that we hold dear." With infinite care, he reached over and clasped Yahiko on the shoulder. "You willingly stayed here and cared for our family in my absence. For that...and many other things I will always be indebted to you." His eyes welled up as he considered the slender young man he had long considered to be an adopted son. "Please know that I would never willingly leave Kaoru or Kenji....or you...unless I knew that it was absolutely necessary."

Yahiko bent his head, suddenly ashamed of his outburst. "I....I'm sorry." He whispered.

"I had no right to say such things to you."

"You had every right." Kenshin whispered raggedly. "You have given up so much to protect my wife and son. You declined both a military commission and Yutarou's repeated invitations to attend college in Germany." His hand tightened on the boy's shoulder. "I hope that I can make it up to you some day."

"There's nothing to make up." Yahiko mumbled. "Just try to stick around for a while...at least until Kenji isn't such a pain in the ass."

"I think that won't be a problem." Kenshin said in his most reassuring tone. "Unless I am very much mistaken, the government no longer has need of my services. Would you believe that I haven't been contacted by them for nearly a year now?" He smiled, hoping that this would negate Yahiko's concerns. "Now, why don't we hurry home and see what Kaoru fixed for dinner. If I remember correctly, Tsubame mentioned something about helping her fix your favorite meal."

"Yeah...that...sounds like a good idea." Yahiko said flatly, not daring to look Kenshin in the eye. (Gods....when he finds out that Mara and I have been lying to the government about his ability to travel...) A deep shudder ran through his chilled body, one that had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures. (I'm afraid that he'll never forgive me....)

(Shit...I wonder if I was ever this moody when I was his age ?) Sano thought as he watched Yahiko turn away from Kenshin and walk dejectedly down the street. (Probably not....I was too much of an asshole to care about anybody but myself.....) "Hey..kid." He called out, determined to improve his friend's unusually somber mood. "Cheer the hell up...or I'll kick your butt!"

"I'd like to see you try." Yahiko muttered .

(I wonder what's troubling Yahiko so terribly...) Kenshin thought as he effortlessly wove between ice covered cobblestones and treacherous puddles. (Perhaps I should ask Kaoru if she is aware of any difficulties...) While he wasn't normally one to pry...he could tell that the younger man was deeply distressed about something. Kenshin pursed his lips together for a moment....then sighed and pushed open the rusty gate to his home. (...She always knows just what to do to make things right....)

The Tokyo Rose Imperial Hotel (Room 25)

The faint hiss of silk bed sheets against his bare back roused Edward from sleep.

Resisting the urge to groan, he grudgingly rolled over and covered his eyes with an expensive imported pillow...his head pounding from a hangover that he knew from experience would only get worse as the night progressed. (It's that bloody sake...that's what did it...) Edward inhaled deeply, enjoying the residual trace of musky female perfume that lingered in the richly brocaded fabric. (Still...I shouldn't complain....not after the night I had....)

Not long after arriving back to his lavishly decorated suite, he had sent for a pleasure woman....one that was untouched. (I like them better that way....it makes the experience of taking them that much more enjoyable...) His fancy for bedding virgins of was a pricey one...yet one he willingly paid. (After all...one can't be too careful in these climes...)

Lifting the pillow from his face, Edward glanced over at the spot where the young girl had been lying only a few hours before, unsure whether to be angry that her maiden's blood had stained the silky sheets...or proud that he had been the one to shatter the thin barrier between innocence and carnal knowledge.

(She was a delightful girl....well trained in the arts of pleasing a man...and willing to let me do whatever I wanted with her...) Laying back against the numerous cushions, he sighed and tried to find some spark of enthusiasm within his jaded mind. (Still....she wasn't enough to truly satisfy me...) Lately, he had found that these couplings, while enjoyable were no longer providing him the intense pleasure that he craved. (I need a woman who is my equal...both in race and intelligence...a woman worthy of bearing my name and my offspring...)

A tremor of desire ran through his body at the thought. (Who would have thought that I'd find such a creature in this Godless land ?) He had been wary when Sanosuke had told him of foreign doctor...a woman with eyes the shade of stormy London skies. (I thought him guilty of overstating her value...when in reality, the fool underestimated her worth by miles...) Smiling at the memory of his first meeting with Mara, Edward rose from his bed and wrapped himself in a silk robe, enjoying the flawless texture of the blood red fabric. She had been just as Sano had described...a tall patrician princess, her creamy skin and pale coloring offset by a glorious mane of curly black hair that begged to be unbound by eager male hands. (She is just the woman I need to secure my place in the highest echelons of proper society...I have the wealth...she has the bearing...and with a little work... the appearance of being of the highest breeding...)

Edward gazed proudly at his lavishly decorated bedroom chamber, determined now that he was well on his way to amassing a fortune in trading he could now begin to shift his attention to garnering the familial security he had craved from childhood. (My father lacked the foresight to see where his actions would take him....a flaw that left him mad and my poor mother in a debtor's prison condemned to rot along with my brothers and sisters...) A hard glint settled in his English blue eyes...a hardness that was the legacy of living in squalor and filth , condemned to watch his own father fall victim to syphilis after a lifetime of infidelity. It had nearly undone him, seeing the brilliant and ruthless panhandler reduced to a mad shadow of a man, unable to maintain the barest hint of propriety. (I'll be damned if I make the same error...and allow my carnal appetites to destroy what I have fought to attain...)

Squaring his shoulders, he walked quickly over to the liquor cabinet and procured a lead crystal decanter filled with premium Kentucky bourbon. (Nor can I allow the ties of friendship...or the bounds of my Christian upbringing to impede my progress...) He poured himself a glass of the amber hued liquor and drank it quickly, relishing the savage burning sensation in the back of his throat.

(Besides...even If I wanted to....which I don't...It's far too late for that...) Edward slung back another shot of Bourbon, then rambled unsteadily over to the large padlocked traveling case he'd brought back from Yokohama. His manicured fingers ran covetously over the dark leather exterior, while he imagined the sleek American rifles and revolvers within...a treasure of contraband weapons that would establish him as the pre-eminent arms dealer in Japan, a position left strangely vacant after the sudden disappearance of a white haired triad boss several years before. (I heard the man was a genius...what a pity I never had the chance to test my mettle against him...)

Not knowing how lucky he was that the white hard man was no longer a competitor, he sighed restlessly and mentally went over the plans he had painstakingly made to not only to acquire the woman he deserved and a top position among the western businessmen, but a foolproof plan that would prevent him from not only being imprisoned for the rest of his life in a substandard Japanese prison, but also being beaten within an inch of his life by only true friend he'd ever had.

With a world weary sigh, Edward glanced over at a small framed picture that had been taken nearly three years before in Paris in front of the barely finished statue of a giant woman that had been created as a gift to the people of the United States. It was of two men...one of whom looked distinctively uncomfortable at being caught in a photograph. (He was convinced that such things were not to be trusted...) A strange sensation that a more honest man would have recognized as guilt began to whisper in his heart that the untrustworthy item wasn't the newfangled camera...but the blond figure standing beside the Japanese man.

Standing before the stern toga clad statue, Edward had calculated shipping costs, bills of laden and the delightful amount of publicity for the sculptor...Sanosuke had spent a good half hour carefully copying a mindless little poem about huddles masses yearning to be free. (Even then the man was hopelessly naive...) A faint echo of a memory danced around the dusk dampened room as he remembered listening to the street hardened man wax poetic about the ideals that the verse blandly spit out...surprised that a penniless Oriental even knew what inalienable rights were. (With a little more discipline...and a slightly less lax attitude towards aggressive capitalism he could have risen above his pitiable station in life....)

Before bidding Sanosuke adieu in Prague, Edward had uncharacteristically offered his tall friend the chance to join him in his business ventures. He had been shocked...and rather offended when the ex-gangster had not only refused the offer to become a gun runner, but had angrily denounced the clandestine trade, warning Edward not to ever bring so much as a delicate derringer to Japan unless he was in the mood to have his ass kicked. (It was the first of many poor choices on his part...) Stretching languidly he sighed, then walked over to the double french door and pushed them open slightly, allowing a thin stream of cold air to slither into the oppressively hot bedroom. (But certainly not the last....)

While he could almost comprehend Sanosuke's fanciful ideas about a gun free Japan, the fighter's insistence on keeping his relationship on a platonic level with the beautiful foreign doctor was beyond reason...a strange lesson in self denial that was perplexing to say the least. (The bloody fool adores that woman more than his own life....and yet insists on keeping her at bay in the hopes that the distance he places between them will bolster up her already damaged reputation...) Taking in a deep breath of ice chilled air, he gazed down at the slush covered streets, forcing down another irrational wave of regret at the thought of betraying a man who had spared his life on more than once occasion without any thought of monetary reward or future leverage.

(He doesn't understand that it's already too late....the gossip mongers are already wagging their forked tongues and weaving their deceptions in the lower social circles. ) Intentionally forgetting the fact that he too had taken part in many of the self righteous tirades regarding the unwelcome mingling of the races, the thirty-two year old merchant ran his hand along the frost etched window pane and almost wished that his tall friend had never returned back to his native land, thus sparing him from the inevitable pangs that such a deception necessitated. (Once things settle down.....I can help him find a more suitable companion...perhaps even secure the good favor of that sharp tongued Oriental woman he once rather fancied...)

Edward smiled brightly, swelling with pride at his thoughtfulness. (Yes, that's it...I'm sure that Sanosuke would prefer to stay within his own native sphere rather than face the indignities that both he and Miss Mogensen would be subjected to were they to rashly form a more intimate understanding...) Riding high with backhanded good intentions, he gazed out one final time at the darkening street...then turned and went back into his room, content to pursue his plans in earnest.

Inside Mara's Bedroom

(Damn it's cold in here....) Sano thought as he tried to pick up the overturned medical texts that littered the worn wooded floor of Mara's bedroom. (I wonder why Mara just doesn't sleep in the main part of the house until it gets a little warmer...) He knelt down and carefully picked up an unusually battered book, careful not to crack the water damaged spine. (Knowing her...she's leery of getting in the way...)

Rolling his eyes at the absurd thought he stood up and absent mindedly began flipping through the barely discernable pages. ( Kaoru and Kenji consider her closer than kin...and Kenshin is finally warming up to her...especially after working with her at the damn awful hospital...) He turned another page...then paused...and carefully pulled out a strange photograph that was carefully tucked between the yellowed pages.

(I'll be damned....) Sanosuke walked quickly over to the oil lamp and held the oddly shaped picture under the strident light. (It's in color...I didn't know they had cameras that could do that....) It was a picture of Mara standing along side what had to be one of the tallest (and most forbidding) men that Sano had ever seen. (I'll bet that's her old man...Gods, he looks about as friendly as a mal-tempered yak) Pale grey eyes met Sano's deep brown orbs in a stare that was piercing despite being overlaid on a faded piece of paper. There was no softness in the man's gaze...only a steely resolution that faintly reminded the ex-gangster of a certain chain smoking cop.

Taking care to place the photo exactly where he found it...Sano carefully turned several more pages...then gasped with delight as he found another exotically colored picture, this time of Mara as a child standing in a vegetable garden. (Awww....she was cute....) He grinned as he drank in the details of the little girl...delighting in the skinned spindly knees, a half tied hair bow , the uncharacteristic smudges of dirt on the child's pale face and the familiar crooked hint of a smile that the mature woman occasionally graced him with. (I'll bet myself a bowl of Sake that she was a hell raiser just like me....)

More pages were turned, revealing yet another photo of his friend...a more formal pose of a young woman on the brink of adulthood. Sanosuke cocked his head to the side, trying to imagine what occasion had prompted her to wear black robes and a strange square hat with a yellow tassel on one side. (Perhaps this was what she wore to school....) He could see pride in the young woman's pretty eyes...and a sense of easy confidence that had long since evaporated, leaving a more quiet and cautious adult where there had once been untried teenager.

He found two more pictures in the antiquated book....and unlike the previous three, these brought him no enjoyment. (So this was her husband....) Fighting against an irrational twinge of jealousy, Sanosuke looked down at the image of the man Mara had chosen above all others. Knotting his eyebrows in concentration, Sano looked carefully at the smiling blond, blue eyed figure...then to the radiantly beautiful bride in his arms. (I've never seen Mara look so happy....) There was no trace of sadness in her smile, only palpable joy and the unmistakable glow of a woman deeply in love. (What I wouldn't give to see her smile like that....to know that I could make her as happy as he did...) He silently put the happy image back dow, feeling suddenly like an unwelcome interloper.

Sano frowned and held the last battered picture up so he could discern the individual

expression of each person. (These must have been the people she worked with...) There were two men...one of whom was a lanky Japanese man that looked eerily familiar despite sporting bright blue hair...the other man was stick thin and grinning like a fool while eating some odd bright orange finger food. It was the women though that caught and held his attention. He looked for a moment at a large dark skinned woman who even on paper radiated intelligence and warmth. She had one ample arm draped casually around the fourth woman...one whose pale face was set in a sad, weary expression that set his own heart aching.

"Oh Mara...what the hell happened ?" Sano whispered to the photo, wishing that the worn paper would reveal the source of her obvious unhappiness. (Was this after he died.....or before?) He cautiously ran a finger over the thin, somber figure, too absorbed in trying to decipher her silent sorrow to notice Kenshin stepping into the bedroom with a steaming bowl of food.

"Sano?" Kenshin's quiet voice was unnaturally loud in the lamp lit room. "I thought you might like some food."

"Oh...thanks." Sanosuke muttered without looking up at his friend as he set the photographs down on the rumpled futon.

"Are you feeling all right?" Kenshin walked over and sat beside the tall man. "It's not like you to miss a meal...or a bowl of warmed sake."

"I just wanted to give you some time to spend with your wife and kid." Sano took the bowl and began to eat, forcing himself not to think about how empty he suddenly felt after looking at those damn pictures. "So...I thought I'd hang out in here and tidy up a bit." He winced at he bit down on a burnt grain of rice. "You know how Mara is...she keeps the clinic as neat as a temple..and let's her room get like this." He gestured to the pile of books, discarded skirts and haphazardly constructed shelves that were filled to the breaking point with glass beakers, bottles and several unknown scientific instruments.

(Who would think I'd ever catch Sagara Sanosuke cleaning....) He reached over and picked up the discarded photographs. "They're in color." Kenshin ran his finger over the brightly hued images, trying to figure out what type of ink had been used.

"Weird...isn't it." Sano managed in between bites.

"Very." The older man replied as he looked carefully at each of the photographs. "So...this must be her late husband." He frowned and held the picture up to the light, still curious. "They made a striking couple." His sharp eyes took in other details as well that he didn't comment on. (The cut of her dress...and the depth of the color in the photograph are unlike anything I've ever seen...) He turned the picture over and slowly spelled out the word "KODAK" in his mind. (So strange...perhaps that's why Dr. Mogensen hid the photos in this book...she didn't want to arouse any more suspicions than she already has...)

Sano ignored that comment entirely and continued to wolf down his dinner. (Striking my ass...they look perfect together....) "He seems like he was a decent enough guy."

"I suppose he does." Kenshin said blandly as he looked at the group picture with a knowing eye. (But looks can be deceiving....) His thoughts were confirmed as the gazed down at the pale woman with a haunted expression. (She suffered terribly at the hand of someone she loved...) A whisper of anger filtered through his heart as he took in the finer details that Sanosuke had overlooked. There was the faintest hint of a bruise along Mara's white cheek, and a tense...frightened cast to her eyes that told more than the nervous way she fingered her prominent wedding bad. (And unless I'm sadly mistaken...it was her husband who betrayed his marital vows and mistreated the woman he should have protected....)

He looked once again the group photo, taking in the strange writing on the white coats the doctors wore...as well as the rather startling fact that both women were wearing trousers and seemed at ease in such mannish attire. His violet eyes narrowed fractionally as he tried to figure out just where he'd seem someone who reminded him on the strange Japanese man with the unnaturally colored hair and an hauntingly familiar smirk.

"I can't figure out why she stuffed these in this damn book." Sano put the empty bowl down and flipped through the dilapidated text one last time...half hoping for and half dreading another visual clue to Mara's past. "Hell, regular photographs are damn expensive...these things must have cost a fortune."

(Perhaps this isn't the best time...I've not slept for two days....and drank more sake at dinner than I am accustomed to.....)Kenshin sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wondering if he should broach such a delicate subject with his friend. (Still, he needs to understand what he's up against..)

"She is still in mourning Sanosuke, and struggling to come to term with the loss of her husband. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if even seeing his image on paper is still incredibly painful for her. "(In more ways than one....) He looked over at the younger man, knowing that his words were unwelcome at best. "Of all the wounds that a heart can suffer...the loss of one's mate can be the most severe."

"But she'll get over it won't she?" Sano hated the desperation he heard in his voice but continued anyway. "I mean...other people have." He glanced over at the redhead, remembering the day Kenshin had confessed that he too had once been married. "You...managed." Sanosuke fisted his hands tightly in his weather worn pants. "Didn't you?"

"Oh Sano...you never get over losing someone that you love." Kenshin chided softly. "Can you honestly tell me that even now...you still don't mourn the loss of Captain Sagara?" His tone softened when the other man froze like he'd been cut...then slowly shook his head. "When Tomoe died...so did a part of my heart." He pressed his small hand against his chest to compensate for the sudden stab of pain that the memory of her death prompted. "For ten years...I mourned her loss and damned myself for causing it."

His voice became unusually husky as he struggled to continue. "There are times when I'll catch the hint of white plums in the summer breeze...or see a woman wearing lavender and find myself missing her terribly." He covered his face with his hands and tried to gain control over his sleep deprived emotions.

"What about Kaoru ?" Sanosuke voice was laced with unspoken concern. "I thought that you loved her...."

"I do!" Kenshin jerked his head up, his eyes dark and intense. "Never doubt that my feelings for Kaoru are less than they should be." He caught Sanosuke by the arm. "She is not a replacement for Tomoe....nor would I want her to be one!"

"But you said..." Sano winced as Kenshin's hold on his arm became painful.

"I said that I miss Tomoe...and still love and honor her memory." Kenshin shook his head. "But that doesn't mean that I can't love Kaoru just was well. She means everything to me...she and Kenji are my life and my best reason to continue making things right!" He looked Sanosuke straight in the eye. "If you ever doubt the depth of my love for that woman...consider what happened when I thought she'd been taken from me in a twisted act of revenge."

(It broke him....) Sanosuke swallowed hard at the horrible memory of watching Kenshin rot away in Rakinumura. "I'm sorry man." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and tried to apologize for the misunderstanding.

"There's nothing to apologize for." Kenshin said simply. "When it comes to matters of love...there are never any simple answers...nor are there any guarantees that we can give those we adore the happiness that they so richly deserve." He smoothed some wrinkles in his hamaka, then sighed. "That is the danger and the enticement of loving a woman Sanosuke....they willingly place their bodies, lives and hearts into our care. And when we fail them in that trust...." Kenshin dropped his head sadly. "And fail them we will.....there is no greater shame or sorrow that a man can endure."

A tight painful sensation gripped Sano's heart as the image of Megumi half naked and weeping lanced through his weary mind. "I failed a woman once...and I'll be damned if I ever do it again."

"The risk of failure is a part of every relationship." Kenshin stood slowly, wincing as an arthritic ankle protested the subtle action. "As is the responsibility of trying to make things right with them when we cause them grief."

"At least you had the chance to make things right with Kaoru." Sano said earnestly.

"You don't know how close I came to losing that chance." Kenshin closed his eyes. "If it hadn't been for Dr. Mogensen I would have lost my wife as a result of my neglect and selfishness."

"C'mon man...you were doing what you thought was right." Sano jumped to his feet, unwilling to let Kenshin dwell on such an unhappy time. "Besides...it's like you said. The damned government finally stopped sending you out on those fucked up assignments that they were too cowardly to take care of themselves." His tired eyes brightened as an idea began to form. "You're going to have the time to take care of your Little Miss...and that looney hellcat you two insist on calling a son." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the well creased prayer scarf. "You're a good man...and if the Gods have any sense of fair play...they'll give you the time that you need to work things out."

Kenshin looked down at the length of bleached linen that Sanosuke gave him. "What is this?"

"Something that might help you when things get rough." Sano rubbed his toe nervously against a rough spot on the floor. "Some holy men made it for you in Tibet. It's supposed to help heal your soul." He frowned furiously, praying that his friend wouldn't think he was an idiot. "I thought...well...that it was worth a shot."

"Thank you." Kenshin whispered as he gathered up the white fabric between his fingers. "I will treasure this always." He blinked rapidly, trying to keep his eyes dry.

"Mara kinda patched it up." Sano pointed to the nearly imperceptible stitches that wove through the freshly laundered fabric. "Ya know...you really ought to think about what she told you." He knelt down and picked up several more books. "You'd make one hell of a doctor Kenshin...and that would be one hell of a way to get straightened out without you having to leave home again." (There....I said it....the rest is up to him...)

Kenshin looked down at the pale linen and despite a lifetime of skepticism found himself hoping that the humble strip of cloth might have some unseen power to help him undo the damage he'd caused to those he loved best. (If it were only that easy....) Glancing down at Sano, he was nearly overcome with gratitude for being blessed not only with a beautiful wife and son...but also a good reliable friend who would carry such a thoughtful gift over endless seas in the hopes of easing his troubled heart and mind. (It's people like him...that have made my life bearable....)

"Are you going to come in and warm up?" Kenshin asked softly, aware that Sano was

feeling a little uncomfortable . (He's not the only one...I haven't opened up like this for a very, very long time...)

"I..um...I thought that I'd just hang out here until Mara gets back." Sano hoped he sounded more calm than he felt. (If she doesn't show up in the next hour or so...I'm going to go find her) He felt the tips of his ears turning red as Kenshin looked carefully right through his forced causal words and deep into his heart. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay...you know...just in case that poor kid didn't make it."

(He's grown so thoughtful....and kind....) Kenshin nodded, aware that he too had been thinking about the likely fate of the brown eyed child. "She's very lucky to have you for a friend." (And so am I....)

Sanosuke picked up the two discarded pictures from the futon and looked first at the enigmatic group photo...then back to the happier wedding picture that almost taunted him. (She deserves far better than I'll ever be able to give her....) He glanced one last time at Mara's husband, seeing in his perfect clothing, polished smile and assured bearing a reminder of just how inadequate he was in comparison....then sadly put them back between their rightful pages, closed up the old book and carefully set it on what he assumed was a table make from shipping crates. "I just want....aw hell, I just wish I could do more for her." Sano's deep voice was laced with regret. He bent down and gingerly picked up one of Mara's skirts...unsure how...or even if he was supposed to try and fold the voluminous mass of fabric.

"You've given her more than you'll ever know." Ignoring the blatant look of disbelief in Sano's cynical eyes, Kenshin went on as he tried to adjust his snow soaked tabi. "Like my Kaoru, Dr. Mogensen judges a man not by his social class or financial security...but by the strength of his character...and the desires of his heart." He turned and walked towards the cold dojo entrance, eager to return to the warmth of his wife's welcome embrace and give his friend the time and privacy he needed to contemplate the statement he was about to make. "She has found in you a dear friend...a trusted protector....and unless I am very much mistaken....a man that she can safely love...and be loved by."

Sano was only able to manage the barest nod as his friend thanked him again for the prayer scarf and stammer out a strangled sounding farewell as the diminutive man lightly stepped out into the bitterly cold night. (Gods Kenshin.....I hope you're right....) For several seconds, he simply stood there...trying to calm the irrational spark of hope in his heart....then finally gave up and proceeded to try and figure out the mysterious art of folding women's clothing.

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Author's Rambling :

For those of you who didn't catch the Highlander reference at the beginning of the story...I apologize. My dear (and very patient) husband begged for it...and who am I to refuse a the requests of a handsome guy? *winks*

The land that Sanosuke stumbled on was in fact Arlington National Cemetery (and formerly the plantation of General Robert E. Lee

Wyoming was the first state in the Union to give women the right to vote...and was the first territory as well (1869) Utah was the second (1870).

Construction of the Statue of Liberty began in 1875 and was sculpted by Auguste Bartholdi. It stood in Paris until it was dismantled in early 1885 and was shipped to the US. For those who are interested...here is the poem that Sanosuke copied down.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch whose flame
Is imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands your storied pomp!" cries she with silent lips.

"Give me your tired your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)

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Coming up in the next chapter....

(I don't care if she's done with work or not....) Sano flung his well worn cloak over his broad shoulders and stormed out of the dojo. (She's coming home with me come hell or high water...) He swore under his breath as he quickly made his way out of the courtyard and down the street, finding to his dismay that the winter weather had grown impossibly worse....and the temperatures unbelievably cold. (Gods....I sure hope she stayed at the hospital and didn't try to walk home in this shitty weather....) His mouth tightened into a worried line as he looked up and down the snow littered street for any sign of movement. (Who am I kidding?....That damn woman is as stubborn as I am....)

He covered his mouth with his cloak, knowing that it would help him retain his body heat and prevent the bitterly cold air from burning his lungs. (She's too thin to be able to stand more than a few minutes of this...) Panic began to burrow into his stomach as he turned the corner unto one of the main streets. (...and too tired to be able take proper care of herself...) Picking up his pace, he quickly wove through the treacherous landscape of blasting wind, snow covered cobblestones and knee deep puddles filled with black, icy water. (I swear....if she's gone and done anything stupid....I'm gonna....)

Sano froze, and peered carefully at a tall stone wall across the street. (I thought I saw something ...) His brown eyes narrowed first in disbelief.....then widened with heartsick realization when he realized that the snowy form was in fact the woman he's been desperately searching for. She was huddled against the bottom of the stone wall and terribly still. (Oh Gods....NO!.....)

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I never owned Kenshin..... *sniff*....... and I never will. *wails*

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Individual Responses to my AWESOME Reviewers (THANKS A MILLION!!!!!)

Iram - Thanks for being so supportive...and no, Kenshin doesn't know about what happened between Megumi and Sano.

Midori - I appreciate the review....especially considering you wrote it while on vacation.

Nemo - *Hugs* Thanks for all your help. Mara is a composite of two real doctors and my younger sister, Rebecca.

Le-Chan - Yes...Sano and Mara will. ( IN THE NEXT CHAPTER) *____* Kenshin will also eventually get to learn about why Tomoe gave Kenji the top.

Somebody - I am honored. Thanks for your support.

Kka - From now on, I'll send you an email.

Oryo - I appreciate you taking the time to read my story...it means the world to me. *hugs*

Luna - I too am enamored of the fuzzy orange dust bunny. Thanks for reviewing.

Imbrium - What can I say....THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! (I hope everything is well and that your summer is a good one)

Conspirator - The time warp will be touched upon in Chapter 10. But you won't know what will happens to Mara until the end of the story.

Ooshatielf - They won't "hook up" for a while...though in the next chapter, there will be a wee bit of smooching (I just haven't decided where....any input would be greatly appreciated)

Vesca - Yes...Mara was shot while trying to protect her husband. Thanks for the review.

Aerogirl401 - Don't worry....Sano and Mara will be all right. Though I warn you right now...that they are in for a rough road in the next few chapters....Please bear with me as we go through them and remember that no matter what...I am an eternal optimist.

Mad Melma - There shall be hook ups...I promise.

And for those who reviewed on Media Miner.....

Miss D - Thanks for the Review

Lere - Sorry for the delay in posting.

Firuze - I'm thankful for all your help...and your friendship.

Fujifunmum - Thanks...yes, life is rarely all sunshine. Thanks for reading.

Nightrain - I am thinking about an O.F.....I just don't have much time to work on it. I hope that the flashback helped give you more info on Mara.

Modernmikp - I promise to write more...if you promise to read it.

S-Midnight - Thanks for reviewing. I hope you'll continue to enjoy it.

Rinuu - Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Lillithan - Please keep reading...I appreciate your insight.