A/N : This is a short story initially created for a Ruroken Secret Santa event, and it turned out to be longer than I excepted... The scene I am referring to at the beginning of this story comes from the first chapters of the new Hokkaido arc!

~°~ Santa works in mysterious ways ~°~

December of the 16th year of Meiji era, Tokyo district, somewhere near the Sumida shores...

His hands were beginning to turn to a bluish colour, gently frozen by the air of winter, but he did not care. While the very first flakes of the season were lining the landscape with a soft and icy film, for once the former Ishin Shishi was not tormented by the languor inevitably accompanying the arrival of the snow, whose cold perfume still evoked that of the white plum and plunged him into a sad nostalgia. No, his mind was momentarily cornered by way more concrete considerations...

...Kneeling since dawn in the alleys of leafless trees leaning nonchalantly above the water, Kenshin Himura was carefully replaying a scene that had taken place not far from here, a few months ago...

["So... How was this one's strength?" Unlike his friendly smile, the samurai was feeling some anxiety. The assistant instructor of the Kamiya dojo was standing in front of him, honorable loser of a challenge that had the undeclared aim of testing his strength.

"Well ..." Yahiko massaged his still sore fingers, taking the time to ponder his sentence. He knew that the last disciple of Hiten Mitsurugi was a master in the art of analyzing his adversary, and that he would read on his face or in his very words what he would choose to keep silent. "Like Kaoru said, I think your stamina is down, but ..." He gave him his most confident grim. "... your upper limit of strength is still the same!"

"Kaoru-dono said that ... why?" Kenshin paused for a moment, the unintentional insinuation behind the phrase hitting him right when the following words escaped his lips. "I can't tell how she would know it, this one has never crossed swords with her."]

Even if the conversation had been rather comical at this point, a much less innocent thought had been born in him that day. Of course, they had never broached the sulfurous topic again, but the uncomfortable idea remained ever since stubbornly stuck in a corner of his mind, growing with the length of winter's night.

Like Kaoru said, I think your stamina is down

It is true that his joints were often crying of the intensive use he had made of them during his tumultuous teenage years, that his scars were burning every day with the fire of old wounds, that his body too many times pushed to its last entrenchments was struggling to provide as much energy as before, and that he was feeling much more tired overall. It is also true that the passionate evenings between newlyweds had been gradually replaced by long hours cradling their little boy, that since his birth Shinta was relentlessly soliciting the affection of his parents, that between the chores at home for him and the teachings at the dojo for her, they did not have much time to be alone in each other's arms, but...

Am I... not enough for her?

The cruellest doubt for a man's pride, at least what little he still held, had then slowly crept into his tormented brain. His only experience in this area came down to his previous wife, married at an age when his body was at the peak of its form and hormones were in full swing, so he wasn't sure what to think of himself on such disturbing subject. Considering his life so far had been a bitter mixture of struggling for his own survival, learning kenjutsu in order to lead a hopeless fight for justice, itself resulting in a decision to sacrifice his body and sword for a redemption quest, he had never granted any interest in those hands-on questions. Worse, he was even relatively helpless on the matters of this kind, having known neither the education of a father in his childhood nor close friends to share trivia during his adolescence, and having afterwards lived the majority of his adult life by roaming alone on the ungrateful paths of Japan, observing the other living souls from a chosen distance...

...Is she unhappy about this situation?

Knowing the generosity of his wife, it was quite possible that she had not wished to raise said intimate and thorny issue with him, preferring to keep secret her regrets to avoid hurting him with an evil that possessed nor culprit nor remedy. Yet the mere thought that his beloved could be dissatisfied because of him was simply unbearable. As uncomfortable as this problem was for Kenshin Himura, he had to find a solution.

Who could I ask for such a thing?

Broaching the topic with his master was out of the question, for he already knew enough shameful anecdotes about his disciple to feed heated conversations for a lifetime, and he had no doubt he would not fail to use this one wisely. Yahiko was way too young and inexperienced. Saito... well Saito was not an option. Just thinking about a conversation of this nature between them was odd, not to mention that besides not being really friends there was still a remnant of unsettled Bakumatsu's rivalry between the two men. After careful consideration, the only available option was thus...

...His best friend, bar mate, street brawler and high-flying client of the red lantern districts...

Sanosuke Sagara.

Please, let him be discrete...

"...You need WHAT?"

Clearly, prayers wouldn't save him. Sanosuke had almost yelled in the dull Izakaya, spitting half of his sake on the table. The redhead subsequently lowered his voice, almost whispering this time.

"Advice. Just a piece of advice."

This moment was too good to let him get away with it so easily. A sex-talk with Kenshin was more than the brawler had ever asked for Christmas. Not that he wanted to learn anything about the private parts of his friend's life, but the mere idea of teasing the so-discreet wanderer about this was just as fun as imagining the damn wolf dressed up like a bunny girl.

"Whaddya mean a bit of advice? It doesn't work down there?"

He took down another drink and let his gaze suggestively trail upon the samurai's lower abdomen.

"What?!" Panic rushed through him instantly. "No, it's not that!"

Sano let out a sigh, part of him relieved. The willingly bold question had been half serious. Knowing all the injuries the former Ishin Shishi had endured, he could very well have received a misplaced stab that would have disabled him here... and Megumi would certainly not have broached such problem with his friends.

"Then what it is it?" he grinned again.

Of course, he was making it harder than it already was. Kenshin inhaled deeply.

"This one is... not sure that he is..." Another heavy breathing, and a glass promptly emptied. "...well, gives her satisfaction."

Sanosuke stared at him, dumbfounded. He had expected about anything but that. Judging by the incredible ways his gifted friend could move during fights and how his delicate features could sometimes make him look as attractive as a dolled up geisha -even a man could admit it-, he had always figured the samurai would be a kind of "sex God". Guess life can prove you wrong.

For all he could do, Sanosuke burst out into laughter.

"So, d'ya wanna me to teach you some moves?" He accented the last word with his hands.

Could he actually learn the legendary assassin anything about motion techniques? Truth be told, he had probably more experience concerning women with his saucy way of life than his reclusive mate.

"Sano..."

Kenshin's only answer was to stare at the ground. With his head down and long ocher locks hiding his eyes, his mouth closed in a thin line, he looked almost downhearted. The former Sekihotai handed him another cup of rice alcohol, feeling compassionate.

He's really brooding about this...

"Yeah yeah I get it, buddy. Girls can be so complicated..." He hastily refilled his own glass, already empty. "Sometimes they let ya believe it was good even when it's not. Ya never know when they're really pleased..."

"Wait, you mean that..."

Things were getting from bad to worse, as a new depressing idea was crossing the wanderer's mind. He had never thought about this eventuality. In a relationship, especially as far as love was concerned, Kenshin Himura was nothing but sheer honesty.

Could Kaoru-dono... be also faking enjoyment? He swallowed his saké in one gulp. He was such an idiot. How could he have not figured that before? Maybe even she's faking it since the beginning. And he believed he was good at mind-reading... He wanted to slam his head straight against the wall right now. A hundred of scenarios, each one worse than the last, were playing in his brain.

From the other end of the wooden table, the redhead seemed so lost that a different but no less alarming doubt seized Sanosuke.

"Hang on a minute, don't tell me ya dunno how to do... Kenji DOES come from ya, right?"

Hell, the little redhead was the spitting image of his father and there weren't two guys looking like Battosai around Tokyo or the whole country. He had even confused them when he had met the brat for the first time.

*sigh*

Kenshin finally lifted his head from his hands, looking exasperated.

"Please, Sano... This one needs help."

Sanosuke grinned anew. One more teasing couldn't hurt...

"Ya mean help with Jou-chan? Geez the missy's body's grown more adult since her baby and all, sure I could provide ya som-"

"-Stop that. Now." he snapped dryly.

"But..."

"Cut it out."

The icy tone and the suddenly squinted eyes of the samurai finished choking the phrase in his throat. Apparently, he didn't appreciate humour on the subject. Not even a hint.

"WOW wow wow dude I was just jokin'..."

Sanosuke immediately held his hands up in surrender. Although he did like the fighting, Kenshin was certainly not someone he wanted to mess with anew - even for a joke -, furthermore when his friend seemed particularly sullen in addition to being slightly drunk. The former Sekihotai took over a straight face.

Enough fun, he's really nervous 'bout it...

For Kenshin to come and ask him personally, he was requesting serious advice.

"Look, if ya really wanna know..." He motioned the keeper to bring another bottle and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders. "To be sure to spend a crazy night with yar sweetheart, there's only one solution..."

The samurai was staring at him intently.

"...Have a couple of drinks, and let it out."

Why did he ever ask Sanosuke?

Kenshin emptied another cup without a second glance.

"Are you sure about that?"

"No more inhibitions. No more problems. Believe me."

"...I'm not inhibited." he went on, irritation replacing doubt anew.

"Trust me, I said. I know my way around women..."

A few other glasses plus a wink of his best friend, and Kenshin Himura was up for the suggested plan. Serious matters did sometimes need unhealthy solutions.

This was a failure.

More specifically, it was the most embarrassing failure of his life. Even thought his face showed nothing, deep down he was mortified.

"Don't worry, it's all right..." the young kendoka tried to reassure him, seeing the sweat drops that had gathered on his temples.

"I -This one is sorry, Kaoru-dono" was all he could manage to stammer. If lightning could strike him here and now, he would gladly welcome it. He was anything but a proud man, and he thought he had already known the lowest shame possible when he was training with his master -including nonetheless having suffered from nocturnal urinary accidents until he was eleven years old, and getting intoxicated with hallucinogenic mushrooms-, but apparently - thank God - he was wrong.

This was far worst.

Kaoru, who seemed to feel his anxiety, was giving her best on her side to appease the desperate husband while touching his arm soothingly. This was certainly not a situation she had expected.

"I told you not to be sorry, these things happen to many other men too-" She swallowed loudly, realizing at the same time how suspicious her sentence sounded right now and that she, in fact, had no idea about it. She did only have intercourse with her husband, and it was the first time he couldn't maintain his strength enough to reach his own end. "...Well at least, I'm sure it does"

He didn't answer, still at loss of words as for what to say. His eyebrows had creased hard, a sure sign that he would soon be lost in harsh brooding.

"...maybe there is something that upsets you? ...anything?"

If she kept on talking this way, his brows would definitely end up forming a single line on his forehead.

"Listen Kenshin, I don't care. It doesn't matter."

Recognizing the fidget in his wife's voice, he tried his best to gather a smile but stayed frozen in his frowning position, naked body still half-uncovered.

"Ha-hai. Thank you."

His muscles were uncomfortably tense, and if it was not for his very minimalist outfit, you'd think he had just come out of a clash. Clearly, he did care more than enough about the situation and no matter what she could say he wouldn't take that burden off himself. She tried another approach to get him to confide.

"...Is it because you don't like my body?" She feigned hesitation, suddenly clutching the sheets over her slender breasts. "I know it has changed since the pregnancy."

"...Huh?"

He lifted his red hair, taken aback.

"...Oh." He hadn't thought she could see things like that either. Sanosuke was right about women being complicated. "Of course not. Not at all." He hurried to answer, knowing this was not appropriate. Better that than letting his wife believe that she was not the holy treasure she meant to him. Kaoru was his life. The very reason why he was still mingling to other human beings after the Rakuninmura incident.

"Okay then..."

At least it's not that... but something's definitely bothering him.

The young kendoka could guess that the apparent "failure" did actually hide something else by the closed expression on her husband's face. Just below, the atrocious bite that had taken away a piece of his flesh and left an irregular distortion that went up along his neck. She let her eyes wander in the light of the paper lantern. Almost no part of his body was spared from the aftermath of his fighting. Those were as many times he had close calls with death...

"...Don't overthink it too much, you're probably just tired. We'll try again another day."

Kaoru stroke with fingertips the cruciform scar that was burrowing his cheek. As soon as her skin made contact with his, the face of the wanderer softened and he returned to the present moment. She was such a loving wife. What she could find in a despicable man -or so he thought- like him, he would never know. And here she was, comforting her husband after he had miserably failed...

Then it struck him.

I could at least do that for her.

There was no way his beloved wouldn't be satisfied.

"Do you want me to..." He put his hand tenderly over her neck while his deep amethyst gaze was lingering on her body. "...take care of you?"

He whispered the last part of his sentence in the hollow of her ear, rubbing it with his lips. The sight of the finely chiselled muscles of the torso leaning towards her and the firm contact of his clever fingers was enough for Kaoru to feel the flame of desire rekindling in her. Kenshin had always been totally devoted to her and the proposal was far from unpleasant, but ...

"It's ok for me. Have some rest, anata."

... in the light of the ever-too-large dark circles that were digging the top of his cheeks, and of the slightly shifted position of his body on the futon indicating that he was leaning on his joints as little as possible -probably because of the pain that it was no doubt provoking- she decided otherwise.

He's exhausted, that's for sure...

She knew that her husband was usually a light-sleeper, moreover when he had something in his mind. If she could not help him fall into the arm of Morpheus with endorphins, she did not want to delay his sleep any more simply for her own desire, and thus decided to let him have a decent night rest. With that, Kaoru kissed her husband on the forehead and went back to bed, unaware that her answer had only strengthened his doubts...

Himura was walking down the snowy streets of early winter, heading for the Oguni clinic. He had left as soon as the sun had shown its pinkish rays, making sure he would be the first patient there. The surrounding houses were radiating shimmering golden, red and green colors, adorned with unusual long snakes of paper as well as strangely decorated balls of glass. Since the opening of the country to foreigners, their influence was gradually increasing in the international showcase that the new capital stood for -renamed Tokyo after the Bakumatsu-, especially during winter.

I don't get why these short-cut fir tops are so popular... he mused distractedly. Although he couldn't care less about it, he still did not understand the attraction of his compatriots for Western traditions any more than the fashions of the new Meiji era.

Whatever.

His mind was far from such cosmetic considerations. Ever since last night, he was sure there was a problem with his body. This had never happened before. How was he even supposed to solve it? He could treat cut injuries -it had saved his own life countless times-, had experience with herbal remedies for minor diseases -thanks to his cover as a pharmacist during Bakumatsu-, but a matter of this kind... And what if it wasn't working anymore now? It could be the logical outcome of his numerous injuries, judging by how quickly his body had been deteriorating these last years. Worse, his wife had actually refused to let him take care of her pleasure -probably because she thought he wasn't healthy enough for it... or maybe was it because he just wasn't good?-, whereas at this point he almost needed to do at least that for her.

...Is it me or fate has decided to go against anything I do these days ?

Even if Kaoru would be gentle enough to accept a crippled man like him, he wouldn't accept his beloved to be deprived of such a basic need. She was young, beautiful and... well... alluring. Kaoru Kamiya deserved better than the half-man, ex-assassin and unemployed husband he considered himself as. And the more he was thinking about that problem the more he feared it would happen again. This whole story was beginning to upset him to no end.

He needed professional advice this time.

Kenshin knocked on the doors of the little clinic with more strength than he intended to. This morning, his irritation made it difficult to carry the innocent wanderer's mask he usually wore.

"Ken-san, it's been a long time!"

The graceful features of Dr Takani immediately lit up at the redhead's entrance into the hospice. Since her return from Aizu, with the arrival of countless patients who had followed her growing reputation, she had had too little opportunities to go back and check her old friends.

"Ohayo, Megumi-dono."

He forced a smile on his face.

"What brings you here? Is everyone doing well? Is Kenji growing up properly?"

Megumi instinctively began to collect the stuff of her first aid kit, a reflex she had acquired at the mere sight of a visitor from Kamiya dojo which had often proved providential.

"Hai, please do not worry. Everyone is fine, that they are."

"Oooh you've come to catch up with me then?"

Her smile grew bigger. Kenshin Himura, coming only to chat with her? That would be a first.

"No -yes! ...I mean, not only?" he stammered.

Yeah, I'd have bet. She could smell health problems a mile away.

"So...?"

The wanderer drew an imperceptible shaky breath. In front of the unusual silence that followed his answer, the doctor quickly dropped her inro to undertake a methodical interrogation instead. Kenshin could be as impenetrable as a fortress, and one can make no diagnosis without proper anamnesis.

"...Is it a personal problem then?"

"Hum... Well, that is..." Another sigh. This. Is. So. Embarrassing. "...Yes."

Megumi immediately felt her heart squeeze. The samurai had suffered so many severe wounds that she now feared for his life whenever he needed her contribution.

I had warned Kaoru that he could not stand many other hitches...

"What is it?" She continued, scanning his body at once. Far too underweighted for a doctor's taste.

"This one is having trouble with..."

Tell her.

Oh, God, he was so uncomfortable. The words just wouldn't come out of his mouth no matter how hard he was trying, he had to refrain from anxiously grinding his hands and he was beginning to sweat in his back. Things were starting out pretty bad.

"You can entrust me with anything, Ken-san."

Feeling his hesitation, Megumi put a hand on his arm. His reaction was just making her all the more worried. What was happening that he couldn't even bring himself to tell her, after everything they had been through?

"Listen, Ken-san, you must tell me. Especially if it concerns your health"

"..."

The doctor gazed at him straight in the eye, looking decidedly serious. He released a heavy sigh. To hell with pride or bashfulness, she was a medic and he needed treatment.

Speak, Himura.

"...This one is having trouble with... hum..." he couldn't help the blush on his cheeks "...physical relationships, that he is."

Physic- whaat?

Megumi instantly hid her surprise behind her well-honed doctor's routine, putting both her hands on the exam table.

...Am I hearing right?!

"You mean, intercourse?"

He nodded, sweeping imperceptibly the crimson locks concealing his eyes. The doctor merely acquiesced while making sure to maintain a perfectly professional attitude.

"I see." After all, it was not the first time she was facing this type of request, and friend or not, Kenshin remained a patient first and foremost. He deserved to be treated the same way as any other. "It's a good thing that you have come to see me instead of Sanosuke."

Who knows what twisted advice that stupid rooster-head could give him.

Himura cringed inwardly. There was no point in telling her his unfortunate experience of the day before. This definitely wouldn't help with the diagnosis.

"Anyway I'm glad that you're trusting me on such matters," she added, proud of that small victory. Kaoru had a husband, Sanosuke had a best friend, and she... well, had a whole body to treat for herself.

She grabbed a box of powdered gloves. "Do you want me to examine you?"

Early prostatic troubles could begin around his age and disrupt the performance of the organs surrounding it.

Himura swallowed. Even if she had already seen him basically nude while treating him after Shishio or Enishi's onslaught, this was a whole different context.

"I-I don't think it would be necessary."

The doctor crossed her arms on her chest. "Then you'll have to explain to me a little more. Did any of your abdominal scars reopen, are your pelvic joints painful, swollen or hot?"

"No. It just... doesn't work." He thrust his hands into his sleeves, clearly upset.

"Mmhm."

Since the beginning of this conversation, Megumi was practically undressing him with her eyes. The redhead had still not looked up, and seemed as uncomfortable as the first time she had to wash his entire body during the long convalescence that had followed the confrontation against his alter ego in Kyoto. Kenshin Himura was, as often, an enigma. But it was rare for him to show so much of his feelings.

If all this was related to the after effects of his wounds, the first signs would have appeared much earlier ...

"Has it been like this for a long time?"

"No." he quickly answered, tripping over the words "At least, not this much... This one doesn't really know."

He seemed sincerely helpless, and not eager to confide in more. Unfortunately, for a doctor familiar with the pranks of human psychology, it said a lot.

I think I'm starting to understand what's wrong with him...

"This one does not know what to do." he continued, breaking the awkward silence that had stretched between them. She answered with a huge smile.

If it's simply what I believe it is, then I've got the remedy he needs...

"Actually, I have something that should help."

Kenshin's gaze lit up with a glimmer of hope. The said vixen-woman coquettishly hid her laughter behind long hands.

Although I wish I could help you personally with that, Ken-san...

"Oro? Did you say something, Megumi-dono?"

...Himura and his sixth sense

"Nothing. Here, take this. These are medicinal herbs from the West."

She handed him a jar containing a brown powder strewn with orange-colored dashes of pleasant odor, from which she had extracted a small sachet of the equivalent of a nut.

"Just boil over the water around 70 degrees and wait for ten minutes after putting the herbs inside. If you respect the instructions I've given you, the effect should be felt within an hour."

Himura thanked her friend by bowing low, but as he was about to leave, the doctor held him by one arm at the doorway.

"Oh, and wait, Ken-san..."

"What?"

"...Just don't pour too much inside, it's pretty strong."

This is concrete medicine.

He placed the bag of grass in the boiling water. The surface immediately took on an orange hue, before releasing a delicate smell of citrus and sugar.

This is doctor's advice.

He counted for ten minutes exactly before removing it and pouring the liquid into a large cup, closely following the recommendations from Oguni Clinic.

This should work.

His mind, too busy anticipating tonight's trial, missed out on the unusual good taste of this medical preparation. There was no doubt that his friend, the famous Dr Takani, whose talent and pugnacity had always managed to pull him out of the worst situations caused by his tough samurai life, had the skills to overcome such a simple problem. This had to work.

And hell it did.

"WOW. That was..." Kaoru straightened savagely loose hair on her sodden forehead. "Just... Wow!"

Both were literally boneless, laying side by side on their futon. Himura, who was still catching his breath, couldn't help but smile dumbly. Contrary to his best friend's advice, that treatment had worked miracles.

"How did you come up with such ideas? It's a wonder we haven't woken up Kenji so far..."

Her cheeks, still flushed by the effort, became redder yet when she thought about how loud she had kept her voice back then. They were lucky their only child lying in the room aside was a heavy sleeper.

"Compared to last night it was completely different. You were... way more relaxed?"

He chuckled lightly. The agility and speed of a body trained in fighting seemed to bring more benefits in everyday life than he would have thought. Had he ever been told that the incredible techniques of Hiten Mitsurugi could be used for anything other than blindly taking away lives, he would have looked at his master from a different perspective.

"I mean, you looked so worried yesterday...?" she continued, not giving up her implied question.

"Ah... huh." Himura would never lie to his wife, but expressing himself on intimate subject had never been his speciality, even in front of the mother of his son. His current state of endorphin overload made a lot to help him talk. "To be honest... this one had doubts about being able to satisfy you..."

"What?! Where does that come from?" She was astonished, to say the least. The master of Kamiya Kasshin mentally cursed herself for not having guessed that sooner.

Now that he was admitting it to her so bluntly, the whole thing seemed ridiculous. The samurai told her in a few words about his training session with Yahiko months ago, and how two apparently innocent sentences had led him to a nerve-wracking conclusion.

It was Kaoru's turn to laugh.

"Didn't you hear what he said at the end of his phrase? Your upper limit of strength hasn't fallen a bit" she accented the last words to drive them into that thick skull of his, looking at her husband straight in the eyes. "And that means exactly what you think it means, baka."

"Oro?" He blushed slightly. The implication in her words gave him an odd feeling.

"...you make me a very happy wife"

She ended her sentence with a kiss, not giving him any time to answer. Himura instinctively placed his arms around her.

Kami-sama, this woman...

He still ignored what he had done to deserve her, but as long as she was near him, he could forget about the hardness of his life in the sweet perfume of her embrace. And here he was, surrounded by the scent of jasmine, their two naked bodies still tenderly intertwined, the warmth of her skin slipping on his... and he almost felt ready for another round, just like during his youth.

"...wait..."

His lips were already on her neck, trailing wet kisses all along.

"...Now I understand why you were so sullen, but what happened today for showing such a change?"

His wife was not the type of women who would drop the piece so easily. The redhead raised his head for a moment, pausing on his passionate journey. After what they had just been through, modesty was no longer suitable.

"Honestly, this one wasn't so sure of himself after what happened last time... so this one went to the clinic for advice."

She blinked once.

"You've been to Megumi?! But... what did she do?!"

At this point, Kaoru was more afraid than anything. If this vixen had touched so much as a hair of her husband in this regard... Seeing the panic in her eyes, he chuckled anew before quickly replying.

"There's nothing to worry about, Kaoru-dono. She simply gave this one a remedy, that she did."

"What?! You're ill?!" concern rushed through her veins, and she instantly checked his head for fever. This man could wait to be half dead before complaining about being sick. Last time he came down with the flu Yahiko had found him lying next to the laundry tub with a head hotter than boiling miso, preferring to faint from disease rather than telling anyone he wasn't feeling right.

"Oh Kami-sama, your forehead is hot!" He was sweaty, warmer than the temperature of her hand, and...

"I'm afraid that is not a fever."

Another chuckle -she had rarely heard him laugh so much, not to mention wholeheartedly. And this time, the look in his eyes had nothing innocent. Kenshin grabbed her hand and began kissing each of her fingers. In the depths, his cerulean gaze was still hungry.

"...Oh. You are playing with me, silly." Kaoru decided that she loved seeing him in this state more than anything, and that, indeed, physical relationships could do miracles no word could.

Fortunately, there was still time tonight to put her theory to the test.

Two days later, back at the Oguni clinic...

"Hey fox-lady... What did you give him?"

"Why, are you interested?"

The young doctor gave him that grin that made his heart twist each time.

"No! I mean..." Sanosuke stuck his hands in his pockets, suddenly staring blindly at the ceiling. "...was just bein' curious, ya know."

"Nothing." she cut.

"Huh?"

"I gave him nothing." She rummaged through her dresser and pulled out a beige bag, tied with a red-striped golden ribbon, glowing of an exuberant reflection.

"C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S tea." She read the foreign roman letters with cautious. "...Merely green sencha leaves added with splits of tangerine, vanilla, clove, cinnamon and a bit of ginger. Nothing that could be efficient other than by placebo effect. There is no actual remedy for that, medically speaking."

Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. Megumi had a gift to shut him down.

"But then what...?"

"Didn't you know? Just like for women, most of it's all in the mind..."

She mischievously winked at him before disappearing into her office. Sanosuke stayed a moment on the spot, still contemplating the empty door.

This doctor was such a vixen...

This was my 2018's Christmas gift, I hope you enjoyed it!