Slam Dunk Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Filling The Spaces Between ❯ Three Old Men and a Lady, er Two Old Men and a Man and the Missus ( Chapter 5 )

Characters from Rurouni Kenshin and Slam Dunk do NOT belong to me.

Chapter 5

Megumi awoke with a start. One moment sound asleep, the second one wide awake, with no half - states in between. A habit ingrained into her by her medical training: emergencies happened and nobody needed a doctor half - asleep on the job. It had also proven useful during that time, she recalled with a shiver.

Shaking her head to banish such thoughts, she yawned and - "Blech! I forgot to brush my teeth!" She made a face as she smelled her breath. That should teach me to brush immediately after dinner, she thought to herself ruefully.

She bent her head over in order to rinse out her mouth, her thoughts on the work she had left undone and unmindful of the delicate chain around her neck. It was only when she was wiping her face in front of the mirror that she became aware of the spreading dampness on her shirtfront. Touching the moist cloth, her fingers came in contact with the source of the wetness, a small clammy metal circle attached to the necklace…her wedding ring.

Picking it up off her neck, she gazed at it thoughtfully as she dried it. She'd taken it off a while back for fear of it getting lost and it was pretty uncomfortable wearing it with surgical gloves. At first it had felt strange, wearing it around her neck, but it had felt even more strange not wearing it. Now…it seemed like it was just force of habit that kept her wearing it and not some sentimental feeling.

Megumi unclasped the necklace and placed it on the dresser. Silently gazing at it while she changed her clothing, debating silently with herself whether or not to stop wearing it. Wasn't it past the time to take it off entirely? She bit her lip and slipped the chain on around her neck. Then shook her head and made as if to take it off once more. Heaving a sigh, she let go of the necklace, tucking it back into her shirt as she fluffed her hair, and left the room.

***

The muted sounds of conversation reached Aoshi's ears as he made his way to the kitchen. Someone had already started cooking breakfast, most probably Megumi as the children did not seem to be awake yet, and there was a steaming cup of tea on the table. Padding on silent feet towards the other door, half-open and leading to the entrance hall, and peering through, he satisfied his curiosity that it was indeed Megumi who was the other person awake and she was currently speaking, no, arguing with some other person, a co-worker perhaps, on the telephone. He then returned to the kitchen and engaged himself in finishing the half-completed meal preparations.

While waiting for the food to be ready, Aoshi settled down on a chair with some tea and the newspaper. He was answering the daily crossword when his attention was caught as the distant one-sided conversation steadily increased in volume.

"How many times must I tell you?! That isn't the way to go about this. He is MY son, not yours… Oh, what would I know-I only gave birth to him and raised him for thirteen years after all." Megumi's tone was dangerously sweet, a sure sign of her annoyance, as it wafted from the partly closed entryway to the hall. Apparently it wasn't a co-worker. There could only be one person she would be quarreling with about the welfare of their children. He stood up and hurried towards the hall, reaching Megumi just in time to hear-

"I don't think that's any of your concern. And how DARE you imply tha-WHAT?! YES, we haven't told him yet. And YES, he WILL know soon." He could see her knuckles whitening as she gripped the phone. "You could have a little more faith in-Fine, if not me then Aos-AUGH!" As if sensing his presence, she whirled around, her eyes flashing as she snarled, " I honestly don't know why you haven't killed him yet!" After throwing the handset at him, she stalked off towards the kitchen, muttering curses under her breath all the while.

Aoshi caught the receiver mechanically and raised it to his ear.

***

"-resent that, Megumi. I'm in the prime of my life! And what do you mean 'hasn't killed me yet'? As if he could! I taught that boy everything he knows but not everything I know. This old dog has more tricks up his sleeve than you have hairs on your pretty head!" The man said in mock indignation.

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of my skills, Okina. And that you apparently think I'm pretty. Thank you. Really."

"Eheheh…AHEM! Aoshi, what do you think you're doing butting in on a private conversation between Megumi and me? I thought you'd have better manners than that! Heaven help us all if Kaede and Kaname grow up to be like you."

Okina could almost see the younger man raising his eyebrow. "Is there a point to this?"

"Hmph, I suppose the matter concerns you as well and that you can guess what we were discussing…" His expression changed from teasing to serious. "Simply put, what are we to do about your son? Is he ready, Aoshi?"

"…You can decide for yourself when you see him."

"When will THAT be, I wonder, seeing how you haven't told him he must come here, hmmm?" Getting no reaction at his little dig, Okina sighed and said, "Oh, go and give the phone to Megumi. She's so much more fun to tease. You only make me feel old."

"…You ARE old, Okina."

"Bah! That's exactly what I mean! You could stop trying to make me feel the weight of my yea-"

"And help you live in denial?" Amusement at his expense colored Aoshi's tone.

Okina growled softly. "Just put Megumi back on the line, Aoshi!"

"She's…not pleased with you right now."

"Oh, angry is she? I wish I could see her. Women are more beautiful when they're angry, you know. Their cheeks flushed with passion, eyes gleaming with righteous indignation," His own eyes were shining at the vision his mind conjured. "Bosoms heaving-"

"If that is all then goodbye, Okina." He grinned at the sudden flatness of the younger man's voice. Shinomori Aoshi wasn't as impassive as he appeared to be. One merely had to push the right buttons. In Okina's case, that meant exaggerating his penchant for gazing at beautiful women and complaining about his age. And his habit of trying to get a rise from Aoshi. Speaking of which…

"So Aoshi, are you and Megumi, ahem, 'getting along'? Or should I say, 'getting it on'?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows. "Shall I tell the others here and have a celebration?"

"Goodbye." Click.

The white-haired man sighed while massaging his neck, "I guess I pushed him a little too far." He started to put down the phone but changed his mind and dialed another number instead.

"Hello. Yes, I've talked to them. You'd best prepare two rooms."

"Hmm, only two?" The voice at the other end answered.

"It seems she's not coming along. Such a shame, really. All our hard work getting those two together and now…they're kaput. Oh, where did we go wrong?"

"Spare me the dramatics, Jiya. What happens is what is meant to happen. What about Misao?"

"You're as bad as Aoshi. Tell her the matter of Kaede comes first. We can talk after that. She did say she wanted a vacation."

"Alright then. And for the record, I'm not as bad as Aoshi."

"Hai, hai. Keep telling yourself that. He's infected you all! You, Okon, even Shiro and Kuro! I'm only glad Misao handles the other branch-she can't catch the disease that makes you all want to put an end to my fun!"

***

"Konnichiwa!" Kaname bounded into the room, only to see her parents looking disgruntled. Well, her mother, anyway. Her father was just sitting there with his dark hair falling over his eyes. Looking curiously at them, she asked, "is something wrong?"

Megumi's eyes briefly focused on her before turning back to glare at the wall. Aoshi, meanwhile, lifted his gaze from the space in front of him and met hers. "…Jiya called."

"Oh! Ohh…I…see," taking a seat at the table, she continued, "is he well?"

"Better than I would like," Megumi groused. "Better than he should be."

"When do we eat? Can we start without Onii-chan?" Her stomach grumbled in agreement.

"He's already here," commented Aoshi as Kaede came into view.

"So, Kaede-nii, are you up for our study session?" Kaname asked in between bites of food.

He merely stared at her with a confused expression. "Sheesh, you know the reason why I'm here is to help you study. So, are you all set? We're going to tackle biology and math today. I've seen your grades, they're-"

"…I'm going to start practicing after breakfast. How can you help me anyway? You're still in junior high."

"Hey! We've covered this stuff in cram school. And I did pretty well in the exams!"

"It doesn't matter. I've got to practice."

"But…you might get kicked out or something! Aren't you worried?"

"Kaede, you can practice for two hours after breakfast. And another three hours in the afternoon. The rest of the day will be spent on your lessons." Their mother suddenly spoke up. "And Kaname, you will devote some of your time towards your own schoolwork. The only reason you were allowed to take a break from school was if you kept up with the rest of the class."

"Hai." The two adolescents chorused. They would all have gone back to their meal had the ringing of the telephone not interrupted them.

Megumi and Aoshi immediately thought it would be Okina who was calling. As Kaname stood up to answer the phone, they forestalled her with "Let it ring!" and "Let the machine pick it up."

"But what if it's important?" she inquired.

"A healthy start to the day is more important" from Megumi was followed up by "How can you do what you must if you lack the energy to do so" from Aoshi.

"Umm…hai," she sat down again as the phone gave one last ring before they heard the machine.

"Rukawa" came Kaede's voice in a monotone, followed by the beep a few seconds later. "My wife wants you to come over for lunch… And change the damn message!" Saitou's voice spat out before he hung up.

***

"Come in! My, Kana-chan, you've grown a lot from two years ago! Kaede-kun, you haven't visited since last month," the attractive woman smiled as she ushered them into the house. "Megumi-san, how is the hospital? Oh, and Aoshi-san, I understand the Aoiya's outdone its record from last year. You must be truly pleased."

"Pleased? Aoshi? You've got to be imagining things," interjected her husband. "What took you people so long?"

"Anata, they took public transportation," Tokio rebuked mildly. "Now why don't you go check on the food while I try to catch up on the news?" she smiled at him though there was a hint of steel in her eyes.

"Hn." But he did head towards the kitchen. Directing her gaze back to the other family, she saw them bowing at the small family shrine and turn towards her. "I heard from my husband how your trip went, Aoshi-san, but what about yours, Megumi-san? How was your trip?"

"It was uneventful," the younger woman replied. "Boring, even."

"VERY boring," Kaname, who was looking at the pictures framed on the walls, interrupted. "Ah, is that really Ojisan?" Pointing to one picture where Saitou was with a baby looking dumbfounded.

"Which one? Oh, yes. With Shuichiro, our eldest. Isn't he so cute?" Tokio giggled. "Can you imagine? He didn't even know how to change a diaper or to prepare the baby's formula!"

"To be fair, Tokio-san, not every male knows how to do such things," Megumi snickered.

"Oh, but Aoshi-san knew how to do them," retorted Tokio with a playful smile directed at him.

Aoshi shrugged. "I was married to a doctor. She left baby books all around the house," he said, wryly glancing at Megumi who smiled back.

"So, you prepared in advance, eh Megumi-san? Why didn't I think of that? It would have spared me Hajime's endless questions," the striking middle-aged woman said ruefully then paused. "Although he actually listened to the answers and I never had to explain anything twice," she confessed. "How about you, Kaede-kun? Will your future wife be lucky enough to have a husband who's ready to handle children?" she asked the only person in the room who hadn't spoken. He appeared to be dozing against the wall.

The boy gave a start. "Huh?"

Just then, Hajime made his entrance. "The food's ready."

Everybody turned and stared at him. Wearing a frilly pink apron.

Tokio cleared her throat and said, "Ummm…why are you wearing my apron, Hajime?"

"Because if I didn't wear one, you'd scold me," he scowled.

"But that's MY apron. Yours is hanging by the refrigerator."

"Well, I couldn't find it!"

"Each and every time, you come up with that excuse. And your apron is always in the same place! Maybe we should trade?" she asked him archly, then laughed as he growled. She then took her husband's arm and led the way to the dining room.

Behind them, she could hear Kaname remark, "We should take a picture of Ojisan right now!"

"Oh, don't worry, Kaname-chan. We already have one in the family album. Would you like a copy? It's great for blackmail!"

***

He could see the grown-ups settling down to talk with tea and in Ojisan's case, cigarettes. They were probably going to take a long time just discussing his near suspension. How uninteresting could adults get? He found his way to the backyard and gazed at the ocean below.

"Onii-chan! Hey, wait up!" his sister called from behind him.

His head swiveled around to find her clutching several notebooks. "…What are you doing with those?"

"It's time for you to study!"

"Kaasan said I had three hours after lunch in which to practice." The words 'so leave me alone' hung in the air.

"How can you practice without a ball? Anyway, you shouldn't subject yourself to strenuous exercise so soon after eating. You could get sick." He seemed to be unconvinced in spite of her solemn tone. "C'mon, at least for an hour! Then I won't bother you until we reach home, please?"

"…Fine."

Ojisan wandered out towards them some time later, smoking a cigarette. "Busy studying, eh? Why don't you take a break?"

"But, Ojisan! Do you know how hard it is to get him to study?!" Kaname whined.

"It won't do him any harm, girl."

"…But your cigarette will," Kaede's eyes lifted to meet his godfather's levelly. "Secondhand smoke is more dangerous to non-smokers than it is to smokers."

The older man raised an eyebrow, "what would you know about that?"

"My mother's a doctor. And I'm studying biology right now."

"So something's finally made an impression on you that doesn't involve an orange ball and a team of five sweaty boys out to stop you from scoring."

"Ojisan, I don't know why but that sounded sort of disgusting," Kaname stared at the older man.

He blinked. "Why, isn't that what goes on in these basketball games of yours, Kaede?"

"…Aa."

They all stared at the sea for a while.

"I hear your appointment with the guidance counselor is tomorrow."

"…Aa."

"And Kaname, you're ready for the final year in junior high?"

"…Hai."

Ojisan rolled his eyes. "And your father's influence shows itself," he said mockingly. "Well, I've finished my cigarette so I'm going inside." He headed back towards the house.

"He's only stopping at one?" Kaede remarked in disbelief as they watched Tokio-basan meet the older man at the door.

"Here you both are!" she called out cheerfully and tugged her husband back towards the children. "What have been doing all this time?"

"Studying, Tokio. They've been studying. And it seems Kaname's had more of a success in teaching her brother than his teacher has."

"Why, that's excellent! Maybe you should stay with your brother from now on, Kana-chan."

"Maybe I should! I could ask Kaasan and Tousan. Where are they anyway?"

"Oh, they're not here right now. They went out for a walk." Obasan smiled pleasantly.

"They're out on a date." Ojisan smirked.

The two teens glanced at each other and back towards the older couple and then shrugged. "Whatever."

***

"You are sure about this, Megumi-san, Aoshi-san?" The rotund man in glasses asked of the couple seated before him. "Rukawa-kun's skills will not lessen if he does not train with the team however, he will not improve as much as he could. He will also miss the bonding experience with the rest of the team."

"It is…necessary that Kaede do this, Anzai-sensei."

"I'm not arguing with that, Megumi-san. However, this tournament means much to Rukawa-kun and to the rest of the team. They need each other in order to win."

"He will need to…resolve this matter first."

Anzai-sensei could read the conflicted emotions in their eyes and decided to try another tactic. "Did you know Rukawa-kun approached me to ask for my approval to his leaving for America?" He saw the surprise flare in their eyes. "It seems that he wished to test his prowess against the strongest opponents the game has to offer."

Megumi shot a glance towards the pokerfaced man beside her. "No, Anzai-sensei. We did not know this. I take it you dissuaded him from such an action?"

"Hai. I told him it would be better for him to become the No. 1 player here in his own country first before seeking to be the best in a foreign land."

"Thank you for telling us, Anzai-sensei." Rukawa-kun's father broke his silence. "We appreciate what you have done for our son. We know how dedicated Kaede is to achieving his dream but did not think it would extend to moving to another country."

"Iie, it was nothing but good advice. Very well then, I shall inform Akagi-kun and the rest tomorrow of Rukawa-kun's circumstances."

"Arigato."

"Arigato."

They all got up and bowed to each other. As he accompanied them to the door, he turned towards Megumi and asked, "I have no wish to be offensive, Megumi-san, but this urgent matter…is it in any way connected to something that happened seventeen or eighteen years ago?"

They both turned towards him. Megumi's eyes were wide but she answered calmly enough. "Hai, Anzai-sensei."

"Ah."

"How did you guess?" demanded Aoshi, staring at the older man intently.

"I thought the name Takani was familiar, Aoshi-san, and questioned my wife as to why it was," he replied quietly, "and she answered me. I wouldn't really worry though. The police did a good job keeping that case confidential after the arrest. And there is the fact that your family, Megumi-san, particularly your grandfather, was a great influence in Japanese medicine."

She smiled weakly and nodded. "Thank you."

Anzai-sensei smiled back reassuringly in response.

***

Saitou Hajime was on his fifth cigarette. Technically his third as far as his wife was concerned; he didn't think she knew about the two he'd smoked while she was showing Kaede and Kaname around the neighborhood. As if those kids hadn't been here before.

He savored the smoke as he inhaled. Ah yes, life was good. A man could do far worse than a full stomach and a pack of cigarettes. Even though he was supposedly only allowed eight sticks a day while he was at home and a pack at work.

"Yes, this is a nice neighborhood. And I've made friends with the neighbors through the years. But it was such a pleasure for me to finally meet some of Hajime's friends when your parents moved to Kanagawa! You were so cute then, Kaede-kun, following your parents around like a lost puppy. And Kana-chan was just a baby. Time does fly by so fast," Tokio was saying as she came up the driveway with the children in tow. Upon seeing him, she said, "Ano, anata, Aoshi-san and Megumi-san aren't back yet?"

"Do you see them around? No, they aren't here yet. Maybe they decided to leave those two behind."

"That's mean, Ojisan." Kaname glared at him then stuck her tongue out.

"Brat."

The other two, reduced to bystanders, only rolled their eyes.

"You look like you're having fun," commented Megumi as she and Aoshi came into view.

"How was your 'walk'?" asked Tokio.

"It was…fine," responded Aoshi. "We should be going home now."

"About time. I don't appreciate having to babysit your kids, Aoshi."

"Thank you, Tokio-san."

"It was a pleasure having you over for lunch!"

"Bye, Ojisan, Obasan!"

"…Goodbye."

***

They were on their way to the bus stop when Kaname observed that 'Onii-chan's coach lives somewhere around here'.

"We know."

At the uncharacteristic expressionless tone her mother had adopted, Kaname threw her a fleeting look.

"We just came from there."

"Nani?"

All four of them stopped walking as she and Kaede turned towards their parents, who only stared at them in silence.

"…Why?"

"You need to go to Kyoto."

"I have a tournament to win."

"We assured him you were going to attend the tournament and that you weren't going to slack off training."

"You can't convince the school to let me take a break."

"You'd be surprised at the power the words 'family emergency' can invoke."

"It's the same excuse we gave my school."

"… It is the truth, after all."

"One way or another, Kaede, you're going to Kyoto."

***

Anata - you, 'dear' if used by a loved one (?)

AN: Whew! Long chapter to make up for a very long break here. I'm sorry if you got bored reading through this! …It's just that I had a lot of distractions. Thank or blame my French grade: it frustrated me enough to finish this chapter. And I've been re-reading the previous chapters and I'm losing the will to go on with this story. I know what happens until they get to Kyoto but after that, I have no idea. Can anyone help me? And I think my writing's crappy. And my pre-reader just gave up on me. And I think Tokio's a little too giddy….Anyway, comment on the things that you like or don't like, please! Again, I'm really sorry. (Is anyone still reading this?)

Thanks to all of you who've read, reviewed and/or supported me so far! I love you guys!

Special thanks to my long-suffering pre-reader whose ideas I keep shooting down. I don't know how you put up with me…no, wait, I do! =P

Next chapter will see the return of everybody's favorite basketball team and Rukawa's session with the guidance counselor! Will he (Rukawa or the Counselor, your choice) survive it? Coming out whenever and IF ever I get around to writing it. I think I still have to revise the earlier chapters. And I have several story ideas in my head. And that darn prequel needs to be started.