"Megumi would you slow down a minute!" Sanosuke yelled as he picked up his pace to catch up with the fox. In reality he didn't mind walking behind her, he could watch her hair move against her body as she walked. If he listened hard enough he could hear her breathing, soft and light against the air, "If I'm really going to die by exerting myself shouldn't you hold back a bit?"

"What are you, stupid? I was joking earlier. I love how worried you were considering you waited until now to mention it," Megumi rebutted and Sano swore he saw those fox ears and the accompanying sly smile come up.

Both walked together, Megumi stopping and picking different herbs that can be used for healing. Like a child, Sanosuke asked what every single one was for, his questions annoying the hell out of her. As they came upon the town Sanosuke tensed a little. He hadn't been home for nine years, to either one of his homes. Last time he had seen his family only his father knew who he was, but not the extent of his growth as a man.

"What's going on, Sano?" Megumi asked. Before them the town was littered with people buzzing about.

"I haven't actually lived in this place since I was nine, how am I supposed to know?" Sano received a swift smack to the back of the head for his retort as they both looked at the hoard of people in front of them. Whispers of a marriage were all around, one of the local girls finally getting married after always caring for only her family. Winding through the streets they only heard pieces of conversation, all of them about how excited they were that she was finally settling down and how nervous the father was. Megumi and Sano walked just east out of the town and onto a farm. Radishes were blooming out of the ground, almost ready for harvesting. It looked as if the farm was thriving again.

"Look Sanosuke, is that the house were heading for?" Megumi pointed to a small scrap of land with two or three buildings. Everything was decorated in sashes made of the finest silk and with paper origami and lanterns hanging from them. Megumi looked up at Sanosuke and swore that she could see him gulp.

"NO! The flowers need to go in jugs for tomorrow. We need to keep them out of the sun and out of the heat s they don't wilt. Did you get the teacups for dinner tonight? We need those teacups." Yelled a young woman as she moved from person to person bestowing directions on everything and anything she could.

"Fore-half?!" Sanosuke ran forward until he stood in front of the woman. The woman turned and stared at him. She was tall for a woman, and well built with strong arms. Her face was light and her eyes a deep chocolate brown. Megumi couldn't help but notice that there were so many similarities between Sano and this woman, starting with the shapes of their bodies and ending with the deepness of their eyes.

"You're that…that guy from, what, nine years ago?! Who the hell do you think you are showing up out of the blue?!" the women Sanosuke called Fore-half yelled at him, pushing him with one of her hands. "Dad! DAD! Where are you?!"

Outside of one of the buildings came an older, unshaven man with a wooden pipe hanging out of his mouth. Fore-half ran to him and he put her arms around her, asking her something in her ear. Her face looked exasperated as she ground her teeth and her forehead bunched up. Megumi couldn't help but notice that she really did only have half of a forehead, and that it was extremely noticeable when she was angry. The father and daughter had a silent argument; multiple times they both looked over at where Megumi, Sanosuke, and the horse stood. They pointed and argued, then argued and pointed again until the girl stomped over and crossed her arms and began to speak very formally, but with attitude searing from her eyes, "Welcome to the home of Kamishimoemon Higashidani. My name is Uki and I welcome you. To you, Mr. Sanosuke Sagara I welcome you back and thank you because it is you who allowed us to remain in our home. To you, Madame, I welcome you as a guest of Mr. Sagara." Uki bowed toward Megumi then stood and stuck out her tongue to Sanosuke. Walking up to him she whispered in his ear, though loud enough that Megumi could hear, "And you, Sagara, if you do one thing to ruin my wedding or get my dad into another fight I will make sure that you will not survive your visit here."

With that, Uki went along and began to boss everyone else around about the decorations and everything else she could, new vigor in her steps from the confrontation. Kamishimoemon walked over to Sanosuke and Megumi and placed his hands on top of Sano's shoulders, "She still doesn't know that you are really her brother. Now that you are back I believe it may be time for you to tell her yourself." Sano nodded at the older man's words as Kamishimoemon turned towards Megumi and spoke, "You are welcome as a guest of my son, and you may both call mi Kamishi for short. I would like to see both of you in the eating area for a private dinner tonight with my future family in law. It is good to see my idiot son with such a beautiful woman." Kamishi grinned at Megumi than turned a wary eye on Sanosuke, "She's not pregnant is she?"

Sanosuke's face went blue as he sunk to the ground in shock of the question. Megumi, on the other hand, grew redder and redder until she exploded, "That is disgusting!!!" before stalking off and offering to help Uki with anything she needed. Sano stood and attempted to balance himself while Kamishimoemon tried to wipe the look of pure terror from his face. "She acts just like your mother when she is angry," the old man shoot his head and walked away, leaving Sanosuke staring at both Uki and Megumi as they told a poor young boy the correct way to hang silk ribbons from the ceiling.

"Hello Mr. Sagara, I'm sure you don't remember me." A young man said as he came and stood next to Sano. He looked exactly the same as Sanosuke had just nine years ago, his hair was cut a bit differently though, shorter and much flatter.

"Hey Apple-cheeks," Ota, his little brother that wasn't even born when he left home, "You've grown up…" Sanosuke was going to continue but heard a familiar yelling.

IIIII

*****

IIIII

"Ota Higashidani! Ota!" Yahiko Myojin screamed and waved as he began to walk more swiftly. Kenshin and Kaoru were looking around at the scenery and trying to keep up with Yahiko. As they were walking earlier, Yahiko remembered that the town the old man had directed them to was actually home to one of his students in Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, which worked out for them very well. Ota ran out to meet the group halfway, leaving the presence of a taller man.

"Yahiko-sensei! I'm surprised that you are here. You mentioned that you wouldn't be giving lessons while Kaoru-sensei was in Kyoto. Today is a blessed day; it's bringing so many different friends." Ota's excited voice made Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko smile in what was probably the first smile they had formed in a few days. Ota bowed to his sensei's and gave Kenshin a small nod. "Come, you have to meet my guest that just got here!" Ota turned and led the three of them closer to where the tall man stood.

"Sanosuke!?" Kaoru screamed as loud as she could when the figure before them came into focus. He had changed, mostly the look of his scruffy face and his long mane of hair, but everything else about the way he was standing was exactly the same, "Sanosuke!" She yelled again and then took off; flying into the arms of a man she had put up with, put down, and lived with for what was one of the best years of her life.

"Missy, what are you doing here?" Sanosuke grabbed tightly to Kaoru, lifting her up in the air. Once he put her down he looked forward and saw Yahiko, "Yahiko! You don't look like a little kid anymore. How old are you now, twelve?"

"I'm nineteen you idiot!" Yahiko corrected harshly, but there was a large smile on his face as he was grabbed by the neck and given a knuckle to the head. Yahiko grumbled and pulled away, making Sanosuke laugh heartily.

"This One has not heard such a deep and familiar laugh in over nine years. It is a gift to hear it now after so much has happened." Kenshin Himura stepped in front of Sanosuke, his clear eyes and smile was so peaceful and refreshing.

"Hiten Mitsurugi must be a fountain of youth, you still look like a fifteen year old." Sanosuke tried to joke but there was too much emotion welling inside of him. After nine years he had seen his family again, he had been able to hold Megumi in his arms again, and now he was seeing the man that he looked up to more than anyone else in his life. The man who taught him so many things about the world and about what people ought to do with their lives, "Kenshin, it's good to see you," Sanosuke whispered and embraced his comrade and his friend.

Kaoru smiled at Sanosuke and her husband, knowing that this show of friendship and love had been postponed for nine years since the battle with Enishi.

"Kaoru! Sir Ken! Yahiko!" Another sultry voice yelled from over by the building.

"Miss Megumi!" Kaoru grinned as Megumi hiked up her skirts and ran to the greeting party. She exchanged embraces with all of them then moved over to Sanosuke and grabbed his arm without knowing it. Kaoru exchanged glanced with Yahiko and both burst into laughter. Sanosuke broke from Megumi's grasp and they both moved further apart from one another, turning their backs towards each other and crossing their arms. Fits of laughter rose up from the group.

"Don't tell me that you all know each other?" Uki came up to the laughing group and looked from face to face, seeing such incredible joy in each one. She knew her answer, she knew that this whole group that happened to be at the same place by sheer chance was family, "Ota, we should go tell father that these new guests have arrived and that they have connections to Mr. Sagara. You all are welcome to stay for my wedding tomorrow. It would be my pleasure to have you stay," Uki smiled at everyone, her grin lingering on the man who had saved her family's livelihood nine years ago. She began to walk away when a very kind and gentle voice called her back.

"Miss Uki, thank you for your offer. I am sorry that we are taking your guests away from you; it's just that we have not seen Megumi for a few months and we have not seen Sanosuke for over nine years. This is an extraordinary event." Kaoru bowed towards Uki.

Everyone just looked at one another for a few moments. The silence was the only thing that could keep every single one of them from exploding in a fit of joy. Uki memorized the faces of each one of her visitors, knowing that this happiness was something she longed for herself and her family since the day that her brother left those nineteen years ago…and she was so glad to have found it in these people.

"Uki, Uki! My father is looking for us; he will be over here any moment we…Mr. Kenshin Himura?" A young man said as he ran up to Uki's side and took her around the waist. Kenshin looked over at the man and his eyes widened in surprise as he remembered an incident in his first travel to Kyoto to battle with Shishio. He remembered saving a boy and fighting a tyrant named Senkaku in a small village.

"Eiji Mishima? That little boy from the village?" Kenshin shook his head then went up to Eiji and shook his hand.

"Do you know this kid Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked.

"Yes, we do know one another. Almost ten years ago Mr. Himura saved me from death in a village near Kyoto when one of Shishio Makoto's tyrants killed my family. I have been living with my adopted parents since then. Without Kenshin Himura I would not be able to have the change to marry this beautiful woman." Eiji pulled Uki closer to him and nuzzled his nose into her cheek.

"Well, I guess I owe you a 'thanks' even though we just met. Without you, Mr. Himura, it seems that I would never have the chance to become the Mrs. Eiji Mishima Hajime." Uki grinned at everyone until she saw that they were all staring at both of them.

"This One thought that Saito Hajime was going to find another family for you to live with. At least that was his plan." Kenshin spoke, surprise dripping from his words.

"No, his wife ended up begging him to adopt me as their own. It took quite a bit of pummeling on her part but, here I am. Oh look, here father comes!" Eiji pointed down the road a little ways where an older man in a police uniform and resembling a wolf was walking, smoke from a cigarette floating up into the air. Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Megumi, and Sanosuke looked from one to another in complete and utter shock.

Saito Hajime walked towards them and stopped in front of them, feeling that every eye was grinding into him as hard as it could. Saito glared back through the slits of his eyes and puffed on his cigarette. Clearly everyone was waiting for him to say something, that they were surprised and slightly happy to see him. Honestly, he didn't really care what they thought and he didn't really care that they were there so he began walking through them, "Damn family reunions. I'd rather be burned alive." He grunted with complete cynicism. Eiji shook his head while everyone else turned to one another and laughed. Kenshin grabbed Kaoru's hand and smiled at her, reassuring her that they would find Kenji and everything would feel as normal as it did in this very moment.

IIIII

A/N – So, this is the tenth chapter…I'm not sure how long it is going to be. The poll for lullaby is still up, I've also been thinking of changing the name of my story. I really hope that this chappie wasn't too boring or out of character. I figure that they are all nine years older so they do need to be a tiny bit more mature. I also needed a good plot idea to bring everyone together, and this just fit together really well. I was also seriously unsatisfied that Sanosuke doesn't tell his sister who he is, and that he didn't make a promise to come back…so I'm making him come back. I also needed a way to get Saito into the story and that's when I remembered Eiji and everything kind of fell into place. Thanks guys for reading. Please Please Please review!!! I'd really really really appreciate and lit it if you did!!!

P.S. – This chapter is loosely based off of one of my new favorite song (I say loosely for a reason) called I'm Still Here by Vertical Horizon. If you wanna listen I suggest you check it out. Loves and Hugs!!! Cya in the next Chappie!!!