Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Return of the Rooster ❯ A Play and Dinner Afterward ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The local shingeki theater...

After getting advice (and money) from Kenshin, Sano went to the clinic where Megumi was staying and picked her up to take her to the evening play at the shingeki theater. They paid for their tickets and entered the audience area.

They sat down, the lights were dimmed and the first round of actors came on stage. The first part was funny with the characters pretending to fight and throw things at each other. Privately Megumi thought they reminded her of Sano and Yahiko.

When Sano got hungry, he pulled out a few riceballs that he'd swiped from the Himuras' well-stocked pantry and surreptitiously offered one to Megumi.

"What are you doing? Food's not allowed in here," she whispered.

"Well if they don't want people to sneak in food, they oughta give us some when we go in. Now you want one or not?" said Sano unceremoniously as he held one out.

Megumi shot him a death glare, then grabbed the riceball and quickly popped it into her mouth, hoping they wouldn't be caught.

A battle scene started. Two swordsmen danced and clashed blades on the stage. Sano, having seen so many great sword fights, thought the one on stage was so fake it was hilarious.

"Heh heh heh! Who the hell do they think they're foolin'. What a buncha hacks," laughed the Rooster.

Megumi clapped her hand over his mouth.

"Quiet moron! Do you want to get us thrown out?" she hissed.

"They're amateurs. The kabuki actors did the sword fights better. These guys are beggin' to be laughed at doin' that shit. Kenshin'd laugh if he saw 'em," protested Sano.

"Well I'm here, not Kenshin. I'd like to be able to see the rest of the play without being thrown out of the theater," said Megumi indignantly.

"Sorry Medicine Box. Guess my mouth ran ahead of my brain again," said Sano with a sheepish grin.

"So what else is new?" muttered Megumi.

After the battle scene, the play downshifted into a more dramatic mode. Megumi was captured and spellbound by it. Sano was... asleep, leaning on the shoulder of the man sitting next to them. The man pushed Sano off and he tilted over and leaned against Megumi's shoulder. She pushed him off and he tilted back over to the man's shoulder. Things kept up like this for the rest of the play.

When the lights came back up, Megumi elbowed Sano in the ribs to wake him up.

"Huh? Wha?" said the Rooster, rubbing his eyes and looking about him in confusion.

"The play's over, Sanosuke," said Megumi.

"Already? That was fast," said Sano.

'Yeah because you slept through most of it,' thought Megumi. Oh well, she'd enjoyed herself at any rate.

"Where now?" asked Megumi as they exited the theater.

Sano grabbed Megumi by the arm and pulled her toward a restaurant not far from the theater.

---
Once they were seated, Megumi ordered sushi and sake and Sano ordered tempura and sake. He cleaned his plate neither once nor twice, but thrice.

Megumi ate in a ladylike way while Sano did little more than hold the plate to his mouth and shovel it all in with his chopsticks, taking a gulp of sake now and then to wash it all down. When he got to his bowl of rice, nature called.

"Gotta piss," he said and unceremoniously left his chopsticks upright in the ricebowl as he got up and went for the outhouse.

Megumi removed the chopsticks from the bowl to avoid rude stares, some of which had already been flung their way. When Sano came back, he chowed down at that bowl of rice followed by two others.

'Where does he put it all?' thought the astounded Megumi. Sanosuke would make a fascinating experimentation subject!

When they were done and the check was delivered, Sano counted out the money Kenshin had lent him but came up a few yen short. He grinned sheepishly at Megumi, who sighed, pulled out her purse and covered the difference.

---
As they walked home in the pleasantly warm summer breeze, they gazed up at the clear night sky. It was so dark and the stars so bright, they seemed to go on forever. Sano and Megumi were reminded of the legend of the two lovers who could only see each other once a year because of the king's prohibition on their relationship. Sano was glad he could have a second chance with Megumi.

"So didja have fun tonight, Megumi?" he asked her, chewing on his usual fishbone.

"It was very... interesting," said Megumi. Sano's behavior had been quite embarassing and juvenile. Yet despite that, there was something so charming and winsome about him, she couldn't help but smile when she thought of his antics. He was like an overgrown child who would never mature; burdensome at times, but fun and lighthearted at others.

"That's good. I had shitloads of fun. Maybe tomorrow I could take you on a picnic or something?" asked Sano.

"Oh, I can't tomorrow. I promised Oguni-sensei I'd help him in the clinic. I won't be done till quite late," said Megumi regretfully. "Perhaps the day after?"

"Sounds good," said Sano as they came to the door of the clinic.

"Well good night, Sano," said Megumi.

"Night, Megumi," said Sano.

The two started to pull away, but then stopped dead. It was so quick, one could almost say it didn't happen. They very quickly kissed each other on the lips, then pulled apart, each retreating in the opposite direction.

---
When Sano returned to the Dojo, he found Kenshin sitting in the dining area drinking a cup of tea and reading a book. Had the redhead been waiting up on him?

"How did it go?" Kenshin asked, looking up from his book.

"It went good. I love spendin' time with Megumi. Didn't like the play too much though. Shingeki sucks compared to kabuki. The sword fight was so fake," said Sano, proceding to do a silly pantomime of what he'd seen on stage.

Kenshin laughed and shook his head.

"I have to agree with you there. The kabuki players went more for realism," he said. "Did you two eat out?"

"Need you ask?" said Sano.

"Foolish question," admitted Kenshin, who could only pray that Sano's manners hadn't been too lacking.

"Well thanks for lendin' me the money buddy. I'll pay ya back when I can," said Sano, rising to his feet.

"Of course," said Kenshin aloud. 'When Hell freezes over, right?'

"Night, buddy," said Sano.

"Good night, Sano," said Kenshin.