Megumi set a bowl of rice on the table next to the grilled catfish. Sozo loved catfish as much as Sanosuke had, and she still could get a small feeling of pleasure in cooking for someone. "Is that everything?"

"You forgot the daikon radish."

"I did, didn't I?" Megumi went to the kitchen and got the container of daikon radish pickles. "There. Now supper's ready." She picked Mariko up-the baby was fed and dry and almost asleep, but it was comforting to hold her close. Sano had almost never put the child down….Megumi sighed. Everything seemed to remind her of him.

The shoji door slid open and she looked up to see Kaoru and Yahiko. The last time they had come to see her together was to help her through the news of Sano's death. Nothing would ever be so bad again and she managed a small calm smile. "What brings you two?"

They came into the room and Yahiko bent down. "Let me take the baby, Megumi."

Megumi felt a pang-how often had Sano said that? She handed the child over and Kaoru sat next to her and took her hand, nodding at the door. Megumi turned her eyes in the same direction and saw Kenshin. Sanosuke was standing next to him.

Sozo was the first to react, hurling himself at his father. "Daddy!"

Sano staggered as the little boy leaped at him, clutching him tightly. He looked wordlessly at Megumi and she stood up and took a hesitant step forward, then another and another until she was locked in Sanosuke's arms. The tears finally came and they both wept.

Kenshin and Kaoru and Yahiko retired, leaving them alone for those first moments until their emotions were spent and they sat down, holding each other's hands tightly. Megumi gazed at Sanosuke with wonder-he was very pale, and had lost so much weight that his face was gaunt. He gazed back, taking in every detail of her expression, the way her long black hair swept around her, the trembling lips that seemed to be holding back a thousand questions. And they each saw the haunted look in the other's eyes.

Their friends returned softly to the room and Sano reached for Mariko. Yahiko handed the baby to him and went to sit next to Kaoru. Kenshin sat across from them all.

Megumi clutched Sanosuke's free hand. "Saito told me you were dead."

"I know," he said tiredly. "Kenshin filled me in on the way over."

She turned to the redhead. "It was Saito's idea to fake Sano's death," Kenshin began. He saw the look of fury on Megumi's face and held up a hand. "It was terrible, but he thought it was the only way of flushing out Kanryuu."

Megumi shook her head in confusion. "Kanryuu's dead."

"He faked his death to frame Sanosuke," said Kenshin. "We caught him this afternoon and he confessed the whole thing-how he came to Tokyo intending to kill you, Miss Megumi, but when he saw you and Sano at the Akobeko and learned you were married, he thought he would enjoy sending Sano to prison more. Only he didn't plan it very well-the evidence was so weak it would never have held up in court."

"Wait a minute," said Megumi. "Somebody was shot and left in Kanryuu's room-who was it?"

Sanosuke took up the story. "Just some bum he picked up off the street-he invited the guy in for a meal and shot him. Saito knew there weren't even really grounds to arrest me, but he had me picked up and put in protective custody. He told me it would be safer for you and the children if Kanryuu thought his plan was working, but I didn't know he was going to tell everybody I was dead." His hand tightened almost painfully on Megumi's. "If I had known, I would have come home weeks ago-I would never have let you and the children go through that." He looked around at Kenshin and Kaoru and Yahiko. "I would never have let any of you go through that."

A silence fell over the room, then Kenshin resumed speaking. "Saito didn't even tell me he thought Kanryuu was alive. The body was burned, but there was something about it….height, or weight…." He shook his head. "For whatever reason, when Saito saw it he didn't believe it was Kanryuu, but he played it very close. He said that Kanryuu's killer was the one really responsible for Sano's death and asked me to help catch him."

"That's why he was out all hours of the day and night," said Kaoru softly to Megumi. "He was setting himself up as a target for the killer."

"I wish you hadn't done that." Sanosuke's deep brown eyes were reproachful as he gazed at his friend. "You could have gotten yourself killed, Kenshin."

The redhead smiled. "No, Chief Uramura took the precaution of having all of us under surveillance and Saito was always close by whenever I left the dojo. I was safe enough. You've put yourself in danger for me, Sano-I wanted to get justice for you. And I really believe Saito was trying to protect you, Miss Megumi. He knew that Kanryuu would never touch you if Sano was dead-he would enjoy your suffering too much. And he couldn't tell the rest of us-he knew we would never keep silent if we knew the truth. He let us all think you were dead, Sanosuke…." Kenshin's voice faltered.

"So where's Kanryuu?" Megumi shivered at the thought of her implacable enemy. "Is he going back to prison?"

"He's dead," said Kenshin. "Really dead this time."

"What happened to him?" asked Megumi.

Kanryuu cowered back after his confession, so terrified of Saito and Kenshin that he didn't even notice the redhead didn't have a sword.

The police officer regarded him with an eerie calm. "So you murdered an innocent man to frame Sagara, to make his wife suffer for her refusal to make drugs for you. I was interested in finding out who your supplier was, but I think I'll go about it a different way."

Kenshin felt rather than saw Saito draw his sword. He was fast enough to stop him but for one second he hesitated, torn between his vow not to kill and his need for Kanryuu never to be a threat again to the people precious to him. That second was more than enough.

Kanryuu lay face down in the dirt and Saito wiped off his blade and sheathed it. His eyes met Kenshin's. "Aku Soku Zan."

Kenshin put the memory in the back of his mind and said quietly, "He was killed trying to escape."

"And Saito? Where is he?"

"He went home to Kyoto."

Megumi leaned forward, her eyes intense. "Did he kill Kanryuu on purpose?"

Kenshin shook his head. "No." He knew they would never believe him.