Half a House Chapter 1
TITLE: Half a House
WORD COUNT: 714
CHAPTER: 1/?
FANDOM: Rurouni Kenshin
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG-13 (K+)
SUMMARY: By will, Megumi is heir to her grandfather's fortune, on one condition: she must share the house with Sano for four months or everything goes to charity. But can two people who can't stand each other live under the same roof?
Chapter 1
Eight hundred fifty-six million yen. That was the total liquid assets left by the late Dr. Oguni Genzai. On top of that, his Last Will and Testament also mentioned controlling stocks in Chouju Hospital, some real estate and a rather large house in Aizu. The lawyer next narrated the taxes and fees to be deducted from the gross estate and Takani Megumi bore through the dry, legalese, all the while wishing for a cigarette. She quit only four days ago. Four days, thirteen hours and twenty-eight minutes, to be exact. She had never wanted a cigarette more than at that moment.
Dr. Oguni Genzai was the only family that Megumi had ever known. She had lost both her parents at an early age but the good doctor had practically raised her as his own daughter and later inspired her love of medicine through his own work. It had been a dream they shared to someday work together at Chouju Hospital, which had always been run by their family for generations back, but that dream was shattered when Megumi received the call three weeks ago, telling her that her grandfather had passed away. She had been involved in a six-hour surgical procedure then and could not leave; her grief had to be postponed until she made it home.
Now, she had recovered from the emotional shock of losing the last living member of her family but she had not stopped grieving and never would. This whole business about dividing her grandfather’s estate was distasteful to her. She never would have come if the lawyer had not said that her grandfather had been most emphatic about it. Megumi was his last surviving heir. He wanted everything he had to pass on to her.
Megumi gave a sigh and tried to focus her attention back to the attorney. Something he said caught her fancy. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that, Aburakoji-san?”
The lawyer paused, then went over the document again. “‘To my granddaughter, Takani Megumi, I leave the rest of my assets, including all my stocks in the Chouju Hospital....’”
“No, I mean the last one.”
“‘…. The house in Aizu I leave to Takani Megumi and Sagara Sanosuke, share and share alike.’”
“What?” Megumi was confused.
“Sagara-san was the one who took care of your grandfather when he was very ill,” the lawyer explained.
“Yes, I know that,” Megumi admitted, not without guilt. She knew Sagara Sanosuke, of course. The ex-juvenile delinquent whom her grandfather had taken under his wing and allowed to live under his roof. He and she never got along well, even though she knew that Dr. Genzai had favored him. Now she was ashamed to find out that the boy she had figured for a money-grubbing punk who preyed on the affections of an old man was the last person to be with her grandfather before he died. “Why do I have to share the house with him? I mean, I think that, with everything that Sagara-san has done for my grandfather, it’s only right that he should receive the entire thing.”
The lawyer was wearing a pinched look on his face. “Please, Takani-sensei, may I finish?”
Despite her misgivings, Megumi nodded and bit the inside of her lip.
“‘…. The house in Aizu I leave to Takani Megumi and Sagara Sanosuke, share and share alike on the condition --” Here, the lawyer paused and sent a significant look in Megumi’s direction “ -- that three days from the first reading of this Last Will and Testament, Sanosuke and Megumi will move into my house in Aizu to live and stay there for a period of four months, neither one spending more than two nights in succession under another roof. After the lapse of the four-month period, their respective shares in the estate shall revert to them, without diminution.’”
“‘In case of renunciation or failure to comply with this condition within the four-month period, the said assets, including my stocks in the Chouju Hospital, shall be sold in public auction and the proceeds donated to the Enichiji Temple.’”
For a whole minute, Megumi could only stare, dumbfounded with shock.
Aburakoji took this opportunity to straighten his papers. He was halfway finished when Megumi uttered the first coherent words that entered her mind:
“That old bastard!”
~ TBC
WORD COUNT: 714
CHAPTER: 1/?
FANDOM: Rurouni Kenshin
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG-13 (K+)
SUMMARY: By will, Megumi is heir to her grandfather's fortune, on one condition: she must share the house with Sano for four months or everything goes to charity. But can two people who can't stand each other live under the same roof?
Chapter 1
Eight hundred fifty-six million yen. That was the total liquid assets left by the late Dr. Oguni Genzai. On top of that, his Last Will and Testament also mentioned controlling stocks in Chouju Hospital, some real estate and a rather large house in Aizu. The lawyer next narrated the taxes and fees to be deducted from the gross estate and Takani Megumi bore through the dry, legalese, all the while wishing for a cigarette. She quit only four days ago. Four days, thirteen hours and twenty-eight minutes, to be exact. She had never wanted a cigarette more than at that moment.
Dr. Oguni Genzai was the only family that Megumi had ever known. She had lost both her parents at an early age but the good doctor had practically raised her as his own daughter and later inspired her love of medicine through his own work. It had been a dream they shared to someday work together at Chouju Hospital, which had always been run by their family for generations back, but that dream was shattered when Megumi received the call three weeks ago, telling her that her grandfather had passed away. She had been involved in a six-hour surgical procedure then and could not leave; her grief had to be postponed until she made it home.
Now, she had recovered from the emotional shock of losing the last living member of her family but she had not stopped grieving and never would. This whole business about dividing her grandfather’s estate was distasteful to her. She never would have come if the lawyer had not said that her grandfather had been most emphatic about it. Megumi was his last surviving heir. He wanted everything he had to pass on to her.
Megumi gave a sigh and tried to focus her attention back to the attorney. Something he said caught her fancy. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that, Aburakoji-san?”
The lawyer paused, then went over the document again. “‘To my granddaughter, Takani Megumi, I leave the rest of my assets, including all my stocks in the Chouju Hospital....’”
“No, I mean the last one.”
“‘…. The house in Aizu I leave to Takani Megumi and Sagara Sanosuke, share and share alike.’”
“What?” Megumi was confused.
“Sagara-san was the one who took care of your grandfather when he was very ill,” the lawyer explained.
“Yes, I know that,” Megumi admitted, not without guilt. She knew Sagara Sanosuke, of course. The ex-juvenile delinquent whom her grandfather had taken under his wing and allowed to live under his roof. He and she never got along well, even though she knew that Dr. Genzai had favored him. Now she was ashamed to find out that the boy she had figured for a money-grubbing punk who preyed on the affections of an old man was the last person to be with her grandfather before he died. “Why do I have to share the house with him? I mean, I think that, with everything that Sagara-san has done for my grandfather, it’s only right that he should receive the entire thing.”
The lawyer was wearing a pinched look on his face. “Please, Takani-sensei, may I finish?”
Despite her misgivings, Megumi nodded and bit the inside of her lip.
“‘…. The house in Aizu I leave to Takani Megumi and Sagara Sanosuke, share and share alike on the condition --” Here, the lawyer paused and sent a significant look in Megumi’s direction “ -- that three days from the first reading of this Last Will and Testament, Sanosuke and Megumi will move into my house in Aizu to live and stay there for a period of four months, neither one spending more than two nights in succession under another roof. After the lapse of the four-month period, their respective shares in the estate shall revert to them, without diminution.’”
“‘In case of renunciation or failure to comply with this condition within the four-month period, the said assets, including my stocks in the Chouju Hospital, shall be sold in public auction and the proceeds donated to the Enichiji Temple.’”
For a whole minute, Megumi could only stare, dumbfounded with shock.
Aburakoji took this opportunity to straighten his papers. He was halfway finished when Megumi uttered the first coherent words that entered her mind:
“That old bastard!”
~ TBC