Half a House Chapter 3
TITLE: Half a House
WORD COUNT: 955
CHAPTER: 3/?
FANDOM: Rurouni Kenshin
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG-13 (K+)
SUMMARY: By will, Megumi is heir to her grandfather's fortune, on one condition: she must share the house with Sano for four months or everything goes to charity. But can two people who can't stand each other live under the same roof?
Chapter 3
The drive from the airport to the house was long and quiet. For Megumi, the silence was not unwelcome. It had been more than six years since she had last come home to Aizu. The city had changed a lot (as cities were wont to do) but the countryside, she found, remained essentially the same. Those were the same rice paddies, drifting lazily past them, she had seen in childhood, the same distant rolling hills.
“The house hasn’t changed much either.” Sanosuke’s voice drifted towards her, strangely quiet.
She turned to look at his profile. He had changed. Not just in looks. There was a stillness in him that she had never seen before. Was it grief? Or just years of growing up? She wasn’t sure.
“Your grandfather,” he continued, “he insisted on keeping everythin’ as they were. The previous spring, repairs had to be done 'coz of the frost. Some of the thatch rotted off and things had to be replaced, but the old man wanted ya to know this was still your home. So he tried to keep everythin' look the same.”
After some length, Megumi asked, “Were you with him when he went away?” She’d only been home one day for the funeral and then she had to get back to work. During that time, there wasn’t really time to talk and Sano had, for his own reasons, kept away.
“…yeah.”
“How…” She started but had to swallow the sudden lump in her throat, “how did he go?”
“It was…a good death. I mean he looked happy, y'know?”
Happy. Was he? She’d asked herself that, too. She hoped to God he was. Or how could she forgive herself? “Thank you,” she said softly.
Sanosuke took his eyes from the road for a moment to glance at her. “For what?”
“For staying with him.”
“Y’know he was like a father to me, right?”
“Even so, I thank you.”
Sanosuke gazed ahead, mute. And then: “You’re welcome.”
They lapsed into silence. It was not unusual. Except for the bond they shared with Dr. Genzai, she and Sanosuke had nothing in common and had even less to talk about now that the same man was gone. But they had to talk, thought Megumi restlessly. If not this moment, then soon.
The condition of the will was for Megumi to spend four months living with a man she could not stand in order to inherit a fortune. The money she did not need but the hospital was everything to her. She could not give it up without betraying her grandfather and everything that he stood for. That the old man chose to play a joke on her by asking her to do this, knowing that she had virtually no choice, was beside the point. What she was worried about was Sagara Sanosuke. She simply was not sure of him. Was he in it for the money or his genuine affection for the man who was, as he said, ‘like a father to him?’ If it was the former, it would be easier. She could offer to buy him out. But if it was the latter, then she was going to have to find a way to live with him. Or around him. She looked at him again and quietly assured herself that it was a big enough house. It just had to be.
“Are you by any chance thinkin’ ‘bout how to make my life miserable for the next four months?” Sanosuke casually asked. He must have noticed her staring at him and found it amusing.
Glad for the unexpected opener, Megumi smirked. “And if I was?”
“I’m way ahead of ya, kitsune.”
“We’ll see.”
He laughed. “Eight years livin’ in Tokyo? You’re a city girl now. Believe me, you’re in for some homecoming.”
“So eager to start the game, are we?”
“What game?” He looked confused.
Megumi was about to make a biting a retort but seeing his expression, she glanced away instead. “Never mind.” Well, it looked like there was something she was sure about Sagara Sanosuke: he was incapable of scheming. He was too simple for that. Not stupid maybe. Just…simple.
The drive went uneventfully for several minutes after that. They lapsed into another not uncomfortable silence. The road disappeared into a bend. However, before Sanosuke could make the turn, the sound of sirens caught his attention. A quick look in the rearview mirror revealed the source.
“Goddamnit,” he cursed, starting to pull over to the shoulder of the road.
"What is it?" Megumi asked.
"Cops."
"Are we in trouble?"
Sanosuke did not answer. The uniformed police officer appeared and ordered them both to get down. He was lean-faced and amber-eyed and he seemed completely without a sense of humor. Sanosuke greeted him like they knew each other. Saitou Hajime did not return the greeting. “License and registration, please.”
“I got my license right here but listen, Saitou,” Sanosuke started but the officer interrupted him.
“You don’t have the registration.”
“See, that’s what I’m tryin’ to say. My car broke down and I had to pick up Megumi here. She’s old Genzai’s granddaughter. And well, y’know the airport’s a long way off from the farm…”
“…so you had to use the tractor,” Saitou finished for him.
“Yeah.”
Saitou stared hard at Sanosuke for several seconds without saying a word. And then, he glanced over at Megumi. “Is that true, Miss?”
Megumi, who had never even run a traffic light, nodded nervously.
Saitou sighed. “All right.”
“All right?” Sanosuke looked relieved. “So you’re lettin’ us off the hook this time?”
“No, you imbecile,” Saitou said pointedly, his face not betraying the smirk in his eyes. “You’re both coming with me to precinct.”
~ TBC
WORD COUNT: 955
CHAPTER: 3/?
FANDOM: Rurouni Kenshin
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG-13 (K+)
SUMMARY: By will, Megumi is heir to her grandfather's fortune, on one condition: she must share the house with Sano for four months or everything goes to charity. But can two people who can't stand each other live under the same roof?
Chapter 3
The drive from the airport to the house was long and quiet. For Megumi, the silence was not unwelcome. It had been more than six years since she had last come home to Aizu. The city had changed a lot (as cities were wont to do) but the countryside, she found, remained essentially the same. Those were the same rice paddies, drifting lazily past them, she had seen in childhood, the same distant rolling hills.
“The house hasn’t changed much either.” Sanosuke’s voice drifted towards her, strangely quiet.
She turned to look at his profile. He had changed. Not just in looks. There was a stillness in him that she had never seen before. Was it grief? Or just years of growing up? She wasn’t sure.
“Your grandfather,” he continued, “he insisted on keeping everythin’ as they were. The previous spring, repairs had to be done 'coz of the frost. Some of the thatch rotted off and things had to be replaced, but the old man wanted ya to know this was still your home. So he tried to keep everythin' look the same.”
After some length, Megumi asked, “Were you with him when he went away?” She’d only been home one day for the funeral and then she had to get back to work. During that time, there wasn’t really time to talk and Sano had, for his own reasons, kept away.
“…yeah.”
“How…” She started but had to swallow the sudden lump in her throat, “how did he go?”
“It was…a good death. I mean he looked happy, y'know?”
Happy. Was he? She’d asked herself that, too. She hoped to God he was. Or how could she forgive herself? “Thank you,” she said softly.
Sanosuke took his eyes from the road for a moment to glance at her. “For what?”
“For staying with him.”
“Y’know he was like a father to me, right?”
“Even so, I thank you.”
Sanosuke gazed ahead, mute. And then: “You’re welcome.”
They lapsed into silence. It was not unusual. Except for the bond they shared with Dr. Genzai, she and Sanosuke had nothing in common and had even less to talk about now that the same man was gone. But they had to talk, thought Megumi restlessly. If not this moment, then soon.
The condition of the will was for Megumi to spend four months living with a man she could not stand in order to inherit a fortune. The money she did not need but the hospital was everything to her. She could not give it up without betraying her grandfather and everything that he stood for. That the old man chose to play a joke on her by asking her to do this, knowing that she had virtually no choice, was beside the point. What she was worried about was Sagara Sanosuke. She simply was not sure of him. Was he in it for the money or his genuine affection for the man who was, as he said, ‘like a father to him?’ If it was the former, it would be easier. She could offer to buy him out. But if it was the latter, then she was going to have to find a way to live with him. Or around him. She looked at him again and quietly assured herself that it was a big enough house. It just had to be.
“Are you by any chance thinkin’ ‘bout how to make my life miserable for the next four months?” Sanosuke casually asked. He must have noticed her staring at him and found it amusing.
Glad for the unexpected opener, Megumi smirked. “And if I was?”
“I’m way ahead of ya, kitsune.”
“We’ll see.”
He laughed. “Eight years livin’ in Tokyo? You’re a city girl now. Believe me, you’re in for some homecoming.”
“So eager to start the game, are we?”
“What game?” He looked confused.
Megumi was about to make a biting a retort but seeing his expression, she glanced away instead. “Never mind.” Well, it looked like there was something she was sure about Sagara Sanosuke: he was incapable of scheming. He was too simple for that. Not stupid maybe. Just…simple.
The drive went uneventfully for several minutes after that. They lapsed into another not uncomfortable silence. The road disappeared into a bend. However, before Sanosuke could make the turn, the sound of sirens caught his attention. A quick look in the rearview mirror revealed the source.
“Goddamnit,” he cursed, starting to pull over to the shoulder of the road.
"What is it?" Megumi asked.
"Cops."
"Are we in trouble?"
Sanosuke did not answer. The uniformed police officer appeared and ordered them both to get down. He was lean-faced and amber-eyed and he seemed completely without a sense of humor. Sanosuke greeted him like they knew each other. Saitou Hajime did not return the greeting. “License and registration, please.”
“I got my license right here but listen, Saitou,” Sanosuke started but the officer interrupted him.
“You don’t have the registration.”
“See, that’s what I’m tryin’ to say. My car broke down and I had to pick up Megumi here. She’s old Genzai’s granddaughter. And well, y’know the airport’s a long way off from the farm…”
“…so you had to use the tractor,” Saitou finished for him.
“Yeah.”
Saitou stared hard at Sanosuke for several seconds without saying a word. And then, he glanced over at Megumi. “Is that true, Miss?”
Megumi, who had never even run a traffic light, nodded nervously.
Saitou sighed. “All right.”
“All right?” Sanosuke looked relieved. “So you’re lettin’ us off the hook this time?”
“No, you imbecile,” Saitou said pointedly, his face not betraying the smirk in his eyes. “You’re both coming with me to precinct.”
~ TBC