Opium Dreams

A mysterious woman arrives in Tokyo . She has the face of an innocent, but behind her peaceful amber eyes lie dark secrets she alone knew...

\"You mean opium?\" Sano asked, his tone devoid of any emotion.

Megumi did not answer.

\"Well?\" Sano persisted, staring at her profile etched by the light coming in from the window.

She sighed and said, \"Both came from the same plant but it\'s not opium.\"

It was as though he did not hear her as he remembered the rage, the desolation. A life wasted because of some powdered substance that was supposed to give bliss...Some bliss...Yoita...

A cold hand touched his fists he didn\'t realize were clenched. \"Look,\" Megumi said, \"I know how you feel about opium, Sanosuke-san.\" She paused before adding, \"A friend of yours died, yes?\"

Sano closed his eyes and swallowed. \"You heard me talk in my sleep?\"

\"It was delirium. You were dreaming,\" she replied.

Her emotionless tone infuriated him and his eyes snapped open. He said harshly, \"Want to know what else I dreamed about?\"

Megumi turned away from his heated gaze. \"You don\'t need to. I was here the whole time and heard...everything.\"

Somehow, this riled Sano even more. Perhaps it was the lingering effects of the poison. Perhaps it was the opium in his bloodstream. God knows how many of those little packets she fed him already. And add to that the fact that he wanted her...this cold, distant beauty.

Sano was known for his short temper and that temper was showing itself now. He glared at Megumi\'s averted face. He was so angry he couldn\'t think anymore. He lashed out at her. \"Well, I\'ll tell you anyway,\" he said. \"I dreamed that I was with a witch...a witch with pale....\" His voice trailed off when he caught sight of the dark red bruise on Megumi\'s neck. He remembered the dream. His lips on her skin. It was so real. He could still taste her. And he remembered making that mark.

In the silence that followed, Megumi\'s short, rapid breath could be heard. She turned to Sano to find his eye fastened on the mark he made on her neck. Her hand flew up to cover the spot as Sano slowly lifted his gaze, his eyes like broken mirrors.

\"It wasn\'t a dream, was it?\" He asked quietly.

Takada glanced at the young woman in between his sheets. She was sleeping, mouth slightly open. He smirked. In the end, her feeble protests were her undoing for it fired him up even more. She was forced to respond...again...and again...

\"Takada-san.\" It was the masked ninja, Hannya standing in the doorway. \"Aoshi-sama desires your presence.\"

Takada\'s eyes narrowed when he heard how the ninja phrased his words. He made it sound like Kanryu Takada was nothing more than a lowly servant at Aoshi\'s beck and call. He bit back a derisive comment for he knew where Hannya\'s loyalty lies. Instead, he nodded and with one last glance at the dark-haired woman, he left with the ninja following not far behind.

\"Where the heck is he?\" Yahiko cried loudly.

\"Stop yelling!\" Kaoru shouted.

\"You stop yelling first!\" Yahiko retorted.

\"This is my dojo. I can yell whenever I want,\" Kaoru said. \"And besides,\" she added, \"I\'m your sensei. You should treat me with respect.\"

\"Yeah right,\" the kid mumbled as he picked up the dishes. It was supposed to be Sano\'s turn today but since bird brain decided to disappear, the responsibility was passed on to Yahiko. He continued to grumble, something about \"raccoon\" and \"stupid wooden sticks.\"

\"What did you say?\" Kaoru asked, her brows meeting.

\"Nothing.\"

\"Hmph,\" the girl said. Beside her sat Dr. Genzai and Kino who were enjoying a bowl of sake after lunch. Kenshin later joined them, a thoughtful expression on his face.

\"He wasn\'t at the restaurant,\" he informed the group. As soon as he finished with the chores that Kaoru left him, Kenshin had left the dojo to look for Sanosuke. However, it seems that his search was fruitless and the group was now a little worried.

\"What about the place where he\'s staying?\" Kaoru asked.

\"This one spoke with the landlady. She said Sano didn\'t come home last night.\"

\"Any news on the girl?\" Kino butted in.

Kenshin shook his head. \"Those men who were after her....They were members of a crime syndicate --\" He broke off and suddenly drew his sword and swung.

Surprised, Kaoru cried, \"Kenshin!\"

Two darts clattered on the floor. Looking at it, Kino realized that these darts were identical to the ones used on him yesterday. He looked up to see Kenshin already outside but the dark figure that was spying on them was several meters away by then. The red-haired swordsman returned and picked up the darts. And for just the briefest of seconds, his eyes flashed yellow...

** TO BE CONTINUED **