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...

"Hey," the woman replied.

Sano lowered Suzume downed and the girl quickly stepped up to the woman and said, "Hey."

Ayame followed. "Hey."

The woman found this amusing and laughed.

Sano smiled. He liked her laugh. It was a pleasant laugh. No pretensions, whatsoever. It was a woman laughing because the situation was funny. Sano placed his hands inside his coat pockets and said casually, "You know I never got your name."

The woman blushed a little. She took a step back and leaned her back against the trunk of a tree. "And I never got yours," she retorted, grinning, a little of her flirtatious nature slowly coming out.

Sano was enchanted and his grin grew wider. "Sagara Sanosuke. Friends call me 'Sano'," he said, holding out his right hand.

She turned her face away but her lips still held that teasing look. She studied him, noticing for the first time that he was rather good-looking. He was younger than her, of course, but he was tall for his age. And his eyes held a maturity that was beyong his actual years. Sagara Sanosuke was hiding some secrets...painful ones...secrets from his past. Right then, she felt she found in him a kindred soul. She took his hand then and said simply, "Takani Megumi."

"Megumi," Sano repeated, letting the name roll in his tongue. He smiled at her but after a while, a thoughtful frown crossed his features. "Megumi-san, why were those men after you?"

The smile on Megumi's face faded. I was having such a nice time just being with him. Why did he have to ruin it by asking that question? How could she tell him? The guilt was hers and she would carry it with her to the grave. There was no reason to involve him...

"Megumi?"

Sano's deep voice halted her thoughts so that she was forced to raise her head but she did not look at him. "What?" She said distractedly, taking a step back. When she finally met his eyes, hers were empty. "I don't know why they were after me. I just met them today and suddenly they followed me...I-I...I just don't want to talk about it now," she finished, turning her back to him.

Concerned that he had somehow stepped beyond the bounds of propriety -- this was a first for him --, Sano approached Megumi's turned back. He raised one hand to touch her shoulder but then changed his mind as he said, "I'm sorry. That was inconsiderate of me."

Megumi shook her head, her back still turned. "No, please. Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong," she said, finally turning to face him. "And besides," she added with a faint smile, "I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life today."

This time, it was Sano's turn to get embarassed. He touched the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. "Oh that! Well, I couldn't just stand there and let you take that rat guy's weapon. And I barely felt anything." At this, he removed his coat to reveal the shoulder that had been hit.

Megumi gasped when she saw the wound.