This fic is actually coming to an end. I can't bring myself to accept that fact. I've grown attached to this story!

Oh well. I can't leave you in suspense. And, yeah, sorry for the long wait. It's some writer's block or something. I KNEW the beginning, the middle parts, and the ending, but the before-the-ending-part I JUST COULDN'T write... until now.

I added a little fun surprise twist, but it doesn't directly concern Sano and Meg. Well, maybe a couple of their friends. Tell me what you think, 'kay?

Here goes nothing.

Disclaimer: You know and I know that Rurouni Kenshin isn't mine. The only thing I own is that pest Shintaro. (He's a pest, to say the least.)

Chapter 7- The end of one romance, the start of another

There Shintaro was, down on his knee in a new purple yukata, with his auburn hair neatly combed back. Megumi was sitting in front of him, wearing her lavender plum blossom kimono, on a large boulder, as beautiful as ever. But she look very surprised, and was not moving.

What caught Sanosuke's eye most was the little velvety box Shintaro was holding up to Megumi. It contained a beautiful diamond ring that sparkled and flashed like a star.

Which only meant one thing.

"Megumi Takani, will you marry me?" Shintaro finally asked.

When Sanosuke heard those words, he felt like the whole world tumbled down on him. He felt like somebody ripped his heart out of his chest and squeezed all the blood and flesh out of it. He popped his head back behind the wall and stared at the ground, his eyes full of pain.

'Of course she'll say yes! She'll marry him! Why haven't I thought of this before? Megumi loves Shintaro so much. So much that she glows with the love she has for him. And I've been a stupid fool, an idiot. I let myself fall for her, knowing she loves somebody else. She may have feelings for me, but... I know it's nothing compared to her love for Shintaro.'

His heart was all worn out from all the pain, but curiosity got the better side of him. He popped his head back to look. 'I have to know everything,' he thought, 'even if it breaks my heart.'

Meanwhile, Megumi still couldn't speak.

It was supposed to be the most memorable moment in her life, the moment when a man she loved will tell her that he loved her too, and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. It was supposed to be the moment she was waiting for in all her twenty-two years. But suddenly, she didn't feel excited, glad, overflowing with joy, or anything that she was supposed to feel. She just felt shocked.

"Megumi?" Shintaro asked, snapping Megumi out of her shock.

The doctor stammered. "I-uh-well-um..."

Shintaro chuckled softly.

"I... I don't know what to say," Megumi finally said.

Shintaro sat beside her and took her hands in his. "I know, I took you by surprise. But you know very well that I love you very much, with all of my heart and my soul and my mind. I've been waiting for this moment for seven years. And now that I can see, hear and touch you again, I want you even more. I want to spend my life with you. Isn't that enough to explain why I want to marry you?" He faced her, leaned closer and captured Megumi's lips in a passionate kiss.

Back behind the wall, Sanosuke was gritting his teeth. 'You demon, you stupid freak, I hate you! You are all talk!'

Megumi relished the taste of his lips, but as soon as her mind came back to earth she broke the kiss.

"I know what you feel, Shintaro, but I'm not sure about how I feel. I don't think I'm ready for marriage yet."

Shintaro answered it with another kiss. This time he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned lower. Megumi pushed him away from her gently.

"Shintaro, I'm serious."

"I am, too. Why not just say yes? If you do, first thing tomorrow morning we'll get on a train back to Aizu and get married."

"Tomorrow? Back to Aizu? I thought you were meeting with... a certain Mr. Niijima!" Megumi exclaimed.

Shintaro grinned. "No. There is no Mr. Niijima. And there is no business meeting. That was just a little excuse to get here."

Still watching, Sanosuke clenched his fists. 'You liar! First you get Megumi excited, then you lie to her and try to manipulate her. Man, I want to smash you to bits. I want to see you burn in hell!'

Angry, Sanosuke stood up and decided to stomp over to Tsunan's house, but first he wrote a little note and stuck it in his room. He needed someone to talk to. He wanted to cry, but the tears just wouldn't fall. He was jealous, hurt, and angry with himself for falling in love with Megumi. He wished he hadn't, but it was too late now.

Megumi was silent. Things were going too fast. Shintaro started planting kisses down her neck. 'And Shintaro is getting too aggressive, too,' Megumi thought, pushing Shintaro away and standing up.

"Alright, Shintaro. I'll tell you my answer tomorrow morning."

"If that's what you want, alright. But I simply can't wait, you know."

"Wait for what?"

"For us to be together... but without that thug hanging around," Shintaro said.

Megumi frowned. "Sanosuke is not a thug."

"Then what do you call him? A good guy?" Shintaro laughed as Megumi walked away to her room.

Megumi sighed as she reached her room. She crept in and shut the door behind her.

Shintaro was asking her to marry her. She still couldn't believe it.

'I love Shintaro, I really do. But do I love him enough to make a commitment to share the rest of my life with him, bear his children and grow old with him? Is Shintaro really the one for me?' she thought. Shintaro always said he loved her, and always showed it by kissing her and hugging her. But all of it seemed superficial.

Then it hit Megumi with a pang. 'It does seem so superficial. Is Shintaro just playing with my heart? Does he just want me for his pleasure?' Megumi was in denial. "No, he's not like that. I love him, he loves me, and that's all that matters." But the love that he had for him was like the love for a friend, for a friend who protects her and lifts up her spirits; it wasn't the kind of love that Shintaro had for her.

But then she thought of Sanosuke. Maybe she had known him only for a short time compared to the time she had known Shintaro, but he was special to her, too. She cared for him; only she was not yet sure how much.

Megumi removed her kimono and slipped into a dark red yukata. She tied a white bandana around her head to keep her hair out of her face. There was still a long day ahead of her.

The doctor went out of her room to water the plants and scrub the floor. She passed Sanosuke's room on the way, and she couldn't help but take a peek.

Her fingers nervously slid the door open only a couple of inches. Her midnight-blue eyes sparkled like pearls as she eyed the dark room.

The dark empty room.

'Where could he have gone? And why would he leave without telling me? He's still badly injured and it's not good for him to be out!' she thought, her heart starting to worry. Then she spotted a note on the table. She went into the room and looked at it. It was written in Sanosuke's bad handwriting and said:

'I'll be out. Don't worry, and don't look for me either. I'll be back before dark.'

Megumi put down the note. Don't worry? How could he tell her not to worry? He was still in bad condition. Anything could happen to him. And knowing Sanosuke, he'll get into a fight whenever he steps on the street. If he does...

"Oh, how could you do this? How could you to it to yourself... and to me?" Megumi asked, almost to herself.

"Hey, Tsunan! It's me! Open up!" Sanosuke yelled as he reached the alley where his friend lived. He put his hands on his pockets and waited. After a few seconds, when no one answered, he rapped on the door again.

"Tsukioka! I know you're in there! So, please, will you let me in?"

Still no answer.

Sanosuke sighed heavily. "Okay. You don't wanna open up, huh? Then I'M gonna let myself in," he muttered, and slid the door open.

And got shocked for the second time in that morning.

Tsunan and (this is what surprised Sanosuke most of all) Tae were in, er, a romantic position.

For once, Tae wasn't wearing the Akabeko uniform. She was wearing a forest green kimono that complimented the color of her eyes. Tsunan was wearing a dark green bandana, and a new blue gi. They were seated facing each other, and Tsunan was leaning over to Tae. His hands were on either side of Tae's face and their lips together were in a passionate (and, as Sano guessed, their first) kiss.

Sanosuke cleared his throat loudly. The couple realized what was happening and quickly pulled away from each other, blushing furiously.

"Well, looks like I've interrupted two people who are passionately and deeply in love. Sorry, but you weren't opening up," Sanosuke teased.

Tsunan managed a light laugh. "Well, looks like WE can't keep it a secret," he joked, smiling at Tae, who smiled back.

"So, are you living together or something?"

"Man, Sanosuke, of course not! We were just having our FIRST kiss in our FIRST date on our FIRST day as a couple."

Sanosuke let himself in, shut the door behind him, and sat down. "Well, sorry for ruining everything. Wait, does this mean the Akabeko is closed?"

"Just today," Tae said, smiling.

"Hey! We're straying away from the REAL issue. What brought you here, Sanosuke? You usually come here at night for a bottle of sake, not in the morning," Tsunan said.

"We-ell..." Sanosuke started, staring at the floor. "It's kind of like this. Someone is asking me for advice but as you know I'm not really an advice person. But, okay. I have a friend- it's my friend, okay, NOT me- and he has a woman friend- let's call her Mai- who is getting married."

"Oh," Tsunan and Tae said at the same time, nodding their heads knowingly. "Go on, go on."

Sanosuke blabbed on. "Well, this friend of mine isn't really sure he's happy about it. I mean, at first they were kind of just friends, but as the time went by, my friend-"

"-fell in love with the woman?" Tsunan interrupted. His eyes twinkled.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Well, it happened to me."

"Right. But my friend was really confused at first about how he felt for her. 'Cause for sometime he also thought she had feelings for her, and they were, well, becoming closer and sweeter to each other. But this guy- let's call him Ryo- came. Ryo was Mai's childhood sweetheart, and Mai obviously was still in love with Ryo. And Ryo turned out to be this possessive guy who was obsessed about Mai. So I- I mean my friend kind of freaked out 'cause everything was going well between him and Mai then suddenly Ryo walks in. You get the story?"

The couple listening nodded.

"Now, my friend accidentally sees Ryo proposing to Meg- I mean, Mai. Then he goes all heartbroken. He knows that Mai still loves Ryo and Ryo loves Mai, and Mai will most probably accept Ryo's proposal. Now he seeks advice from me. So... what should I, um, tell him?"

Tae spoke up. "I think I know how Mai feels. I'm sure she's pretty confused on whom to choose- Ryo or your friend. If your friend and Mai have bonded and grown sweeter to each other, I'm pretty sure Mai cares a lot for your friend too."

"She's right. And tell your friend not to lose hope. Who knows, Mai might have stronger feelings for your friend than for Ryo," Tsunan advised.

Tae nodded in agreement. "And if your friend really loves Mai, he should tell Mai what he saw and what he really feels... before it's too late. If Mai knows that your friend loves her, she just might not accept Ryo's proposal."

Sanosuke stood up. "Thanks. Thanks for all the help."

"No problem. We're glad to help."

"I should get going. See you!" Sanosuke waved and was out the door.

Once again, the room was silent. Tae turned to Tsunan. "I do hope Sanosuke does the right thing."

"So you knew that, too?"

"Of course. It's an old disguise. A person says that his "friend" has a problem and asks for advice, but actually it's him who has a problem and needs help."

"Yeah. Me too. I sensed it right from the very beginning. It's strange, though. I've never known Sanosuke to have loved someone... well, other than Sayo Amakusa."

Tsunan wrapped his arm around Tae and Tae leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Let's hope everything goes well."

Sanosuke found himself walking through the busy town streets again. It was hot, dusty, and noisy- it was kind of like the state his mind was in. Rumbled up in his thoughts were his love for Megumi, his doubts and fears, and all that Tsunan and Tae had said.

'Man, what am I going to do? Maybe I can follow Tae's advice. But how am I gonna tell Megumi? I might say something wrong and it will be all screwed up. And I can't afford to screw up this time,' Sanosuke thought.

He was crossing the bridge when suddenly he stopped walking. He noticed the change of surroundings. From the noisy, dusty, bustling town streets, he was now standing over a calm, peaceful river. On the riverbank, the grass was lush and green. There were a few wildflowers growing along the pathway. He smelled the air. It was sweet and gentle.

This was the very same river where he and Doctor Gensai's daughters had been a few days ago.

'Well,' Sanosuke thought, 'I might as well practice what I'm going to say. And this place is perfect.' He went over to the other side and lay down on the green grass. It really was the perfect place for him at this time- no noisy people, no dusty roads, and most of all no Shintaro Fukushima to disturb his thoughts.

"Ah, this is the life," he murmured, putting his hands behind his head. "Now it would be just better if I knew how to tell Megumi. Should I say it like this?" He got up on one knee and said, "Oh, Megumi, I love you. You are my sun, my moon and my stars. The thought of you fills my heart and dwells in my mind. To be near you is already ravishing, but to touch you is heavenly." Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, that won't work! It's too dramatic... corny."

"How about this... hey Megumi, I love you, okay? I care about you a lot and I don't want you to get married to that snooty demon. Get him off your hands, will you?" Sanosuke shook his head and groaned. "I sound like I'm telling her what to do. It stinks."

That was how things went for Sanosuke for the whole morning. Soon, lunchtime came, and he still didn't know how to tell Megumi.

"I'm in big trouble," Sanosuke muttered. "If I don't get this right, Megumi will surely marry that freak and..." He couldn't come to think of what would happen to him next.

Then his stomach rumbled loudly. He patted his stomach. "Hmm. I'm getting hungry. Maybe a meal or two will help." He stood up and brushed the grass off his clothes. Suddenly he remembered that he had no money, and the Akabeko was closed that day. There was no other place where he could get free food.

"Oh, just great. Just freakin' great. Now what?" Sanosuke asked himself. Then he spotted an apple tree nearby. It was heavy with juicy-looking, red- as-ruby fruit. A smile spread on his face as he walked over to the tree. 'Oh well,' he thought, snatching an apple from a branch and biting into it, 'at least it's not Kaoru's awful meals.'

He sat under the shade of the apple tree, finishing apple after apple. While eating, he thought of how to tell Megumi that he loved her. It seemed so hard. He never, ever thought he had to admit it and say it face to face, but if he wanted Megumi to stay, he had to do it.

He thought so much about it and after eating a dozen apples, his mind grew tired of thinking. Tossing the core of the last apple, Sanosuke closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he was fast asleep.

Megumi had gone to the market to buy some food. Now she was on her way home. She went through the busy roads on the way there, so she didn't hesitate to take the scenic, peaceful route on the way home.

And it was just so that part of the scenic route was crossing the bridge over the river where Sanosuke was.

She was at the middle of the bridge when she saw Sanosuke, sleeping soundly under the apple tree. 'Is this where he has been all along?'

"Hey! Sanosuke!" she called from the bridge. "What have you been doing here?"

The sound of Megumi's sweet voice woke Sanosuke up with a start. His eyes flew open. Then he saw, right there on the bridge, the love of his life. Then he remembered what he had to say. His heart started to pound nervously.

"Huh? Oh, Megumi! Uh, hi! I was just... um, enjoying the scenery," he stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just bought some food for dinner. It's going to get dark soon, you know," Megumi said.

"Dark? What do you mean? It's just-"Sanosuke was cut off. He had been sleeping for hours and now it was just before sunset. He thought it was just two o'clock in the afternoon.

His heart thumped louder. 'Oh, great. She's here now. I can't escape. I should tell her now 'cause later I won't have a chance... what am I going to do?' he thought, standing up and brushing the grass from his clothes. Then he sighed. 'Oh well. I'll think of something... here goes nothing.'

He walked over to Megumi. By this time, his heart was pounding so loudly that he was sure everybody could hear it.

It was the moment he had been dreading all day, but there he was now, standing face-to-face with Megumi in the middle of the bridge. There was nothing he could do about it. Megumi looked at him with her beautiful eyes.

"Sanosuke? What is it?"

The nervous teenager felt a hot blush creeping up his neck. "I, uh, have something to, um, tell you."

Megumi's heart started pounding, too. 'Is this it?' she thought. "And what is that?"

"I..."

"Yes?"

"Uh, it's like this. I just want to tell you something. You might get surprised, but I hope you don't get mad. You see, it's just a little thing- "

"Sanosuke! Stop going in circles! What do you want to tell me?" Megumi cried. It was just torture for her. She needed to know.

Sanosuke drew his breath and squeezed his eyes shut. 'Here goes,' he thought.

"I don't want you to marry that Fukushima guy! I don't want you to go back to Aizu! That's 'cause I love you, Megumi!" Sanosuke cried out, and slowly he opened his eyes.

Megumi stared at him. "What did you say?" she asked, almost afraid she heard it wrong.

"I- I love you Megumi," Sanosuke repeated. "I had feelings for you the day you burst into that room, crying for help, desperate to escape from the grasp of Takeda's men. I never realized how much I really cared for you, even though we fight and argue a lot. I love you, Megumi, and I can't hide that anymore. I can't afford to lose you... I can't afford to lose my love again."

It was a wonderful picture. They were standing face-to-face, inches away from each other. And the sun was setting. The scene was just beautiful.

Megumi's doubts and tension slowly crawled away from her. She never thought she'd live to hear Sanosuke admit his feelings. She never thought he'd open up. She never even thought that there would be someone who would love her the way Sanosuke did. That was it for her. Her decision was made. Her mind relaxed. No more thinking for her.

She knew what her answer would be to Shintaro's proposal.

Megumi went closer to Sanosuke and leaned her forehead on his chest.

"Gomennasai, Sano," she said in a soft voice. "For forgetting you," she added in a whisper.

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked straight into Sanosuke's chocolate eyes.

Sanosuke was suddenly filled with fear. Was this goodbye?

But all Megumi said was, "Let's go. It's getting dark." Then she walked away, in the direction of the Kamiya dojo.

Sanosuke watched as the wind blew and Megumi's hair rippled in the wind. At last, the heavy load was taken off him. He said what he needed to say. Megumi heard what she needed to hear.

But there was still some uncertainty in his heart. What did Megumi mean?

Early the next morning, Megumi woke up.

'Today is the day,' she thought, 'that I will break the heart of someone dear to me.'

She got up, fixed her beddings, and slipped on her yukata.

'It's going to be very hard on both of us, but I have to do it.' She walked out of her door and went to Shintaro's room.

With shaking hands, Megumi knocked on the door. "Shintaro?"

The door was immediately opened. "Megumi dear!" Shintaro greeted brightly, a wide smile on his face. "Come in, come in."

Megumi entered the room and sat down, and Shintaro closed the door behind them.

"Well?" he asked.

"I've come to tell you my answer, Shintaro."

"And?"

"Let me tell you this first. I loved you very much, and I love you still. But it's not in the way that you love me. I love you like a friend than a lover. Yes, I do like to kiss you but..." Megumi blushed at this, "I'm sorry, but I cannot marry you."

Shintaro's smile faded and the color from his face drained away. "Why, my love? What's wrong with me? What is it about me that you don't like?"

"Shintaro," Megumi replied, touching Shintaro's cheek with her hand, "there is nothing wrong with you. It's not your fault. It's what I feel for you that's wrong. I cannot marry someone I love as a brother. It can't be, it's just... I'm sorry."

Shintaro suddenly became enraged. "Well then, who do you love more than me?... Oh, now I know. It's that Sanosuke, isn't it? Isn't he the one you love more?" he roared, and Megumi embraced him, crying.

"Shintaro... don't get angry at Sano... please." Megumi squeezed Shintaro harder. 'Oh, please. I know I'm hurting him. But I have to do this. Or else he'll get more hurt.'

Shintaro pushed Megumi away from him. "Answer me. Do you love Sanosuke? Do you?"

There was no way out for Megumi. She had to tell the truth.

"Yes, I love him."

Shintaro stood up. "Oh, I'll smash that thug to-"

"Please! No! Don't touch him! Don't hurt him," Megumi pleaded, and she wrapped herself around Shintaro. "Please, Shintaro. Try to understand. I may love him, but I also love you... in a different way. I love you as a special friend, one who has protected me and lifted my spirits up when I was down. I look up to you like a brother. Please, try to understand."

Shintaro's heart softened at this. "Well... if that's what you feel, then thank you. It is a great honor for me to be loved by you." He faced Megumi and put his hand on her shoulder. "I must leave now, but I have one last request."

Megumi managed to smile. "Yes. Anything you want."

"Can... you kiss me one last time?"

Megumi put her hands on both sides of his face and pressed her lips to his. It was their last kiss as sweethearts. For sweethearts they will no longer be.

Shintaro was the one who broke the kiss. He got his bags and said, "I should be going now. Goodbye, Megumi."

"No, we'll take you to the station. It's not goodbye forever, anyway. It's just goodbye for now... and you're still my friend."

Shintaro chuckled. "I don't think I can face Sanosuke again, not after I lost to him," he joked.

Megumi laughed. "I don't think he'll believe it, though. Now wait here. I'll just call him."

The train started to move.

"Goodbye, Megumi... and to you, mister," Shintaro called from the window. He was seated on the train already.

Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. "'Bye."

Megumi waved. With a cloud of smoke and loud noises, the train chugged away until it was out of sight.

"Let's go back now," Megumi said, turning around. "We've still got a lot of work to do." She pulled on Sanosuke's arm. Sanosuke followed quietly.

The two passed a lane where sakura trees were in full bloom. The wind blew and the pink petals of the cherry blossom fell like snow. It was a beautiful sight.

"Uh, Megumi?" Sanosuke started a little hesitantly. He was overjoyed that Megumi didn't accept Shintaro's proposal, but he was also surprised. What made Megumi stay?

"Yes?"

"I have one question. Why didn't you marry Shintaro? Why did you decide to stay here?"

Megumi stopped walking and turned around to face him. She stared straight into the eyes of Sanosuke, the eyes of her true love. Then she smiled.

"Sanosuke, I have been searching for love... for a love that is different from that of what I feel for Shintaro. Now I have found that love, here in Tokyo, and I cannot afford to lose it. I know that there is only one man for me, and that man is the only one I can marry."

Tears came to Sanosuke's eyes. He understood.

Waah. It's all finished, my friends. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. There you have it. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed, you all know who you are. You are the best guys ever. gives everyone a hug

P.S. to Me: Thanks for the advice on action scenes. It's my first, so please forgive my mistakes. I've decided not to change what I've written, but what you said was a great help. Thanks again.