The Heavens Are Not Blind

Part2-Chapter5

            The chocolate caught at Megumi’s throat when she inhaled too sharply and blocked her airway. Her hands tore at her neck and her eyes bugged out of their sockets as she gagged and tried to struggle for breath. Sakura ran at her in panic when she noticed Megumi slowly turning into an ugly shade of blue and thumped her on the back with as much force as she could muster.

            “Megumi, you have to spit that damn thing out!” Sakura yelled.

            Megumi tried to say, “Oh, do I look like I’m enjoying this?” but realized that it was very impossible at the moment. So she instead just nodded her head at Sakura and coughed several times.

            Then it was out. The chocolate flew in a wide circle and landed some five feet away from Megumi and Sakura on the floor. They both stared at it for an entire minute, Megumi clenching her throat as though she couldn’t believe that a chunk of chocolate almost throttled her to death.

            They then stared at each other in an almost amused disbelief and began to laugh their heads off. They laughed so hard that their eyes started to water and their stomachs started to hurt.

            “Megumi, you’re—hahahahaha!—so stupid! Hahahahaha!”

            “I know, I know,” Megumi nodded, wiping her tears of mirth with the sleeve of her kimono, “that was so funny—hahahaha!”

            “You should’ve seen your face—HAHAHAHA!” Sakura said, stomping her foot on the floor.

            Laughter.                                        

            More laughter.

            “Guess I was a bit of an idiot,” said Megumi, as she and Sakura began to settle down, their breaths hitching up with the residues of their amusement.

            “You always have been, you know,” Sakura joked, “I’ve missed you so much.”

            Megumi grabbed Sakura and locked her in a bear tight hug, almost squeezing the air out of her, “I missed you too so much, Sakura. You don’t know how hard it’d been all for me. I miss you. I miss Sano. I was such an idiot for giving up on him, I know, I know. If you wanna punch me for hurting your brother, go on. I wouldn’t even fight or hit you back. I know I deserve it. Sakura, I missed you so so so much and I am very very sorry!”

            “Now, now,” Sakura smiled, patting Megumi’s hair gently, “Are you trying to break my bones, Megumi?”

            Megumi gasped, quickly let go of her and chuckled apologetically, “I am sorry. It’s just that . . . Oh, Sakura! I am just so glad to see you.”

            “Looks like it,” Sakura replied, still grinning.

            “How are you, Sakura?” Megumi thrilled, “You’ve grown into such a beautiful young lady!”

            “Why, thank you, Megumi,” Sakura curtsied and grinned wider, “I see the years have been kind to you too.”

            Megumi looked away sadly, “Really? I . . . I don’t think so.”

            “What do you mean?”

            Megumi bit her lip, “Your brother. Sanosuke . . . Sakura, I . . . I can still feel the hurt even after all these years. I love him still.”

            “Yes, yes,” Sakura agreed with a grim expression, “It was all very sad, Meg. But . . . what really happened back then, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve never seen Sanosuke nii-chan so . . . hurt.”

            Megumi knew very well what Sakura was talking about so she stood up and closed the door of her work office, thankful that the day was already drawing to a close and no patients sat outside waiting for her anymore. She sighed and went to sit beside Sakura again, “Believe me, Sakura. I loved your brother. And I still do ‘till now. Very much.”

            Sakura bobbed her head in agreement, “I very well know that. But I wanna know how everything between you and my brother fell apart, Megumi.”

            Megumi nodded and began to explain; to explain how Sano asked her to marry him; how her father frightened her into breaking up with Sanosuke; how, on the very next day, she was forced to go to America while Sano ran after her carriage and screamed for her to come back to him; how his father used Kori and made Megumi believe that Sano had died while she was away from Japan; how she fought for their child and raised Yui in her very best ways, “. . . and yesterday . . .” Megumi said, “Yui ran off, really scared me to death. I was so worried sick. I mean, Yui’s the only one I’ve got left; the only reminder of our love. But the boy didn’t come home until some hours later. He told me he was fine and that he was escorted back home by this man called Shin Sagara. I went to meet my son’s hero, to thank him for his kindness and all but . . .” Megumi’s heart raced with undeterred determination, “I was shocked almost past the borders of sanity for there, outside our house, stood your brother, grinning his rakish grin at me, without his signature white jacket and red bandana. He had an auburn stubble on his chin and he was taller and broader than I remembered, all right, but it was Sano. I couldn’t be wrong. I know it’s really him, Sakura.

“But he kept on saying that he wasn’t and that he didn’t even know the name and that he was Shin Sagara and then he . . . left,” Megumi breathed hard and looked straight into Sakura’s eyes, “Tell me, Sakura, was that man, Shin Sagara, is he . . . Sanosuke?”

It took a while for Sakura to answer as a heavy silence hung over the two.

Then Sakura slowly nodded her head.