A/N: Wheee! ^_^ Time for some good ol' non-angsty (by my standards) fun-filled SxM! Yeah...I'm skipping the chapter sequence whatever whatever. But you know you want it. ^~ This chapter is dedicated for Digibaka! I mean, I've never really talked to her or anything but I suppose this is a thank you for being the first person-besides a close friend-that has reviewed most of what I've done. So..XD Thank you! *bow* And yes, the lyrics in this piece are out of order. I know this.
Customary Reviewer Shout-outs:

Sakuranbo-Yeah, I still like the Aoshi x Misao one best. XD Though I might be biased, ne?

Digibaka-THEN I HAVE SUCCEEDED IN WRITING WAFF!! I'm glad that you're reading this even though you're not that much of an angst fan. ^^; I have trouble writing humor (which is a big surprise, seeing as how everyone says I should be a commedienne). I like alternate pairings, though! XD A little uniqueness is always fun.

Nine Fires-Thank you so much for giving me your opinion! I always love criticism (as long as it's not too harsh. ^^;)! In the Kenshin x Kaoru limey type chapter, I guess I was trying to show that since Kaoru couldn't really express how she felt in words, she wanted to express it otherwise. I was also trying to get a feel for some other genres. Angst is fun, but you can only go so far before you're just...angsted out. ^^;

Circles-Sanosuke x Megumi

There are two of us talking in circles
And one of us who wants to leave
In a world created for only us
An empty cage that has no key

"Shut your beak, tori-atama! I can smell your sake breath from here," Megumi hissed scathingly, garnet eyes narrowed in irritation.

"You're just mad because you know I'm right, kitsune," Sanosuke slurred back, slamming his sake dish onto the wooden table before him, liquor dribbling over his fingers.

"You're just DRUNK."

"And you're a COLD BITCH."

"Go to hell, bastard!"

"Not before you! Maybe the flames there will melt your FREEZING HEART!!"

The two were standing now, each on either side of an oak table, garnet clashing against chocolate, fingers digging into the wood. Formerly occupied pillows were turned over at their feet, forgotten in their rage. Finally, after what must have been minutes of exchanging hardcore death glares, Megumi pivoted on her heel. Her black hair flying haughtily behind her as she turned, she stormed toward the door huffily, teeth gritted.

"That's right, go! No wonder why Kenshin chose Kaoru over you!"

At that, the doctor paused, fists balled at her sides. Immediately, Sanosuke's glare softened as he realized that he had actually hit a nerve.

"...Megumi, I didn't mean--"

"You meant every word."

With that, she left the room, shutting the shoji behind her with a sharp snap.

Don't you know we're working with flesh and blood
Carving out of jealousy?
Crawling into each other, it's smothering
Every little part of me.

The ex-fighter for hire hung his head, running an uncoordinated hand through his spiky brown tresses. This had not been what he was planning when he returned to Japan, heading straight to Aizu with one thought in mind. To speak to Megumi. In truth, he wasn't sure what exactly he had expected, but he knew what he wanted. The speech he had prepared before spun around in his head, mocking his cowardice and his inability not to become rip-roaring drunk. And jealous.

I know too many people unhappy
In a life from which they'd love to flee
Watching others get everything offered
They're wanton for discovery.

Envy for Kenshin followed Sanosuke wherever he went. Whether it be his envy for his best friend's wonderful life (deserved though it may be) or his envy for his ability to keep Megumi's heart even after he married, it stalked him more persistently than his own shadow.

Megumi stared at the sliding door, back leaned against the cool wooden wall of the hallway. The waning candlelight sent flickering patterns through the thin paper, splaying across the dark floor. Ever since Sanosuke had arrived, everything turned upside down. The doctor's careful daily schedule-the one she had created to make her so busy that she scarcely had time to think- became jumbled and sloppy. Even the patients had begun to notice that something was on her mind, try as she might to conceal her inner turmoil. The only question was WHAT was on her mind.

A few months ago, she would've said it was Kenshin. The rurouni had married her friend, and though she was happy for them, she couldn't help but feel.... Megumi shook her head, biting her lower lip, refusing to even mutter the word in her mind. Many ridiculed the fox for her pride (namely Sanosuke), but even so it was the one thing that she had always been able to count on. That is, until she had discovered her friends.

Suddenly, the familiar image of Sanosuke flashed by in her mind's eye, plaguing her reveries. No, the bumbling rurouni wasn't the object of her contemplation anymore, now it was...the annoying cock.

'Rooster. Cock. Same thing. Whatever.' (A/N: Yes..XD; I know they're in Japan and this play on words probably wouldn't exist there but...I couldn't help it.)

Having Sanosuke around proved to be more distracting than anything else. She had to constantly cook up worthy retorts out of the blue, constantly keep on her toes lest he might spring up on her out of nowhere. But, for some unfathomable reason, she found herself enjoying their verbal spars and battles of wits. And of course, she found herself enjoying the fact that he still wore very little clothes.

Megumi nearly choked on that thought.

What kind of love is this that keeps me hanging on
Despite everything it's doing to me?
What is this love that keeps me coming back for more
When it will only end in misery?

A soft coughing roused Sanosuke from his sake-induced stupor. Feminine coughing. He rose clumsily, snuffing the candle as he did so. The light was too much at the moment for his blood-shot eyes.

"Megumi?"

The tell-tale shuffling and dissipation of light confirmed her suspicions. Sanosuke was awake and on the prowl. Probably aiming to shoot another offending insult at her in his drunken state. She immediately began sneaking off as quietly as she could manage in her kimono, which suddenly seemed too damn noisy in the silence. Weren't there usually crickets around this time of night?

A warm hand closed around her arm, stopping her progression in its strong grip. A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it, another one accompanying it when the hand turned her around and crushed her into a broad chest. An all-too familiar masculine scent-one that was mixed with sake- enveloped her along with a pair of arms.

"S-sano, what are you doing? You're drunk...."

"Alcohol reveals a person's true nature. Haven't you heard that?"

"No."

She fought vainly to keep her voice strong and annoyed, even though her knees were turning to jelly and the crickets she had been listening for earlier were hopping in her stomach. His words were smooth and measured, not at all like the sake-slurred speech he had made before during their argument. His voice warmed her like a smooth liquor, sliding down her throat and into her stomach. In a daring attempt to seem more confident than she really felt, she glared up at him. A big mistake.

If it were medically possible, she would've been sure that her heart skipped a beat. If it were scientifically possible, then she would've been sure that the world stopped. Megumi's lithic glare softened as he stared back at her, his brown eyes glinting in the dim moonlight. His handsome, dark features were illuminated in such a fashion to make them...completely breath-taking.

"Tori-atama...Sano...let me go," she demanded weakly, giving a half-hearted struggle. He did not let go.

"I'm sorry, Megitsune," Sanosuke whispered hoarsely, "What I said in there was wrong...I shouldn't have mentioned him...after all, you're still in love with him, aren't you?"

She dropped her wine-dark gaze to his bare chest.

"I guess I can see why. I shouldn't have come here. I don't know what I was expecting--"

Can't you see that it's you in the window
Shining with intensity?

"You're an idiot."

"What?"

Megumi lifted her dark eyes to meet his, raising a hand to cup his cheek. The skin there was surprisingly soft, in sharp contrast to the calloused hands that grasped her arms. Slightly taken aback, he glanced askance at her ivory fingers before reaching up to cover them with his own.

"It's not about him anymore."

"Who's about then?"

What kind of love is this that keeps me hanging on
Despite everything it's doing to me?
What is this love that keeps me coming back for more
When it will only end in misery?

"Stop asking stupid questions, tori-atama."

He responded simply by lowering his head, allowing his lips to brush hers as he spoke.

"I always have to have the last word, kitsune."

"Not this time."

Sliding the hand on his cheek back to the nape of his neck, she pushed his head down, capturing his lips with hers. Just as he began to respond, she pulled back to glare at his questioning eyes.

"You're going to wake up tomorrow and not remember a single thing."

"That might be true...unless I wake up next to you."

A slow, lazy smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he abruptly picked her up, cradling her in his strong arms.

She had no choice but to give him the last word.

~*OWARI*~

A/N: Yes, another horny one, I know. ^__^ I can't help it though, this couple is really sexy. I know this probably isn't very sweet or what not...because..well..Sanosuke's drunk or whatever. But still, it appeals to me. I like my writing in this one. o.o You'll never guess what I got inspiration from... Britney Spears. I was listening to Britney Spears when I wrote this. In The Zone is really good. .; XD Oh...and who of all you people out there reviewing my fic (meaning maybe like...4 people) would like to see me write a Hellsing fic? Anyone?