Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they all belong the Watsuki.

Author's Note: This is the second half of "Going Home" telling Sano's side of the story. I wasn't planning on writing this but my wonderful reviewers asked for more Sano/Megumi stories from me and who was I to argue? This is for all you people that read my stories and give me reviews and criticism. Thanks! Flashbacks are again written in italics.

On the way home

The tall lanky figure stepped onto the dock and paused to take a deep breath of the salt tinted air.

Sagara Sanosuke was home. After six long years he was finally standing in Tokyo harbor again.

He had traveled through the world and he had grown and changed to fit into it, but would he still fit into the world he had left behind?

Had he really changed that much? Sure he had grown up and matured but he was still the same old Sano, right? So he wasn't so eager to get into fights anymore and just because he had gotten a job from one of the other passengers on the boat, he still believed in most of the same things he used to.

Sano shook his head tiredly and readjusted the pack he had slung over his shoulder.

He just needed to get back into town and tell his friends he was back.

As he walked he thought about the people he had left behind.

Had Kenshin and Kaoru gotten married and did they have any kids?

How was Yahiko? By Sano's count the kid was nearly twenty-one.

And how was Megumi?

Sano shook his head again when Megumi surfaced in his mind. The foxy doctor had never been far from his thoughts all the time he had been gone, but over the past few days she was appearing more often.

'I don't know you've been thinking about her so much. For all you know she's married with a couple of kids, she's engaged to a nice man or...she's dead.' Sano frowned at the thought and his pace instinctively quickened.

Sano was not known to have an overactive imagine but Megumi was the one exception to that rule.

'She probably doesn't even like you, if her attitude the last time you saw her is still as chilly now. Yeah she kissed you once but maybe you were just reading too much into it. You haven't always been the closest of friends.' He reminded himself as a scene from his past began to play through his mind.

Sano paused outside of the locked door and listened to the terrified breathing coming from inside.

With a well aimed punch, he broke the lock and pushed the door open revealing a young woman trying to kill herself.

Sano froze; it was her, the drug maker. The one who killed his friend.

'Let her slice her throat, it serves her right. If she hadn't made that opium he might still be alive,' the callous thoughts were drowned out by a more merciful voice, 'It wasn't her. She didn't force him to buy the drugs; he did it because he wanted to. She didn't even want to make it.'

"What are you doing, you crazy woman?" Sano demanded without thinking.

The woman turned and looked at him with sad eyes, "There isn't any other way. I'm not worthy to live," she almost whispered the words as she turned her back on him and brought the knife closer to her throat.

Before he could think, Sano crossed the room and grabbed the blade of the knife, wrestling it away from her and threw it across the room.

Sano was broken from his thoughts when he ran into a smaller man.

As he began to apologize and step around the man a childish voice interrupted him, "Touchan, somebody just ran into you."

The man began to turn around, "I know Kenji-chan."

Apology forgotten, Sano grinned, "Hey Kenshin!"

Kenshin tilted his head up to look at Sano, "Sano! When did you get back?"

"I just got off the boat," Sano looked at Kenji, "Who's the kid?"

Kenshin's smile grew slightly, "This is my son, Kenji."

"Your…son," Sano knew this kid was Kenshin's but actually hearing it from Kenshin's mouth was different.

Before they could say anything else a woman came out of a nearby shop and Kenji's smile grew bigger, "Kaachan!"

Sano tried not to stare but Kaoru looked so…different.

She had her hair pulled back into a neat bun and she looked happy and complete.

She smiled when she saw Sano, "Sano! I didn't know you were back! How've you been?"

"Slow down Jou-chan." Sano laughed and answered her question, "I'm fine. As soon as I got Kenshin's letter I took the first ship I could get back."

"Why don't you come over to the dojo? We're just getting ready to make lunch." Kaoru suggested.

Sano rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, "I'd like to but I need to stop by my place first and see what Yahiko's done to it. Don't worry, I'll stop by soon."

They talked for a few more minutes before going their separate ways and Sano soon found himself turning onto Ruffin's Row.

As he waited for a slow cart to move out of his way, Sano found himself standing on a corner where one of his worst memories took place.

Just thinking about what might have happened still made his blood run cold.

She should never have been there. Ruffin's Row was a place only men and desperate women went but never proper girls. It was simply too dangerous.

And the danger was increased if you were an attractive woman.

Megumi gulped and looked at the two men in front of her, "Leave me alone," she ordered, adopting the most commanding tone she could but the men just laughed.

"What's a nice girl like you doing on Ruffin Row?" one of them drunkenly inquired.

Megumi wouldn't answer them but the truth was she had come to see a sick man who couldn't make it to the clinic. Though it was her day off, she couldn't ignore the pleading in the granddaughter's voice.

The other man reached out and grabbed her arm, "Maybe we should walk you home," he leered.

Megumi could smell the sake on his breath and her pulse quickened, "Let go of my arm. I'm a doctor and I'm visiting a sick man."

The first man cocked his head to one side, "Say…you're that doctor who works at the clinic with that old guy. The one they say can cure anything."

Megumi pulled back from the man who was holding her arm but he only pulled her closer, "I've been feeling pretty strange lately. Maybe you should make sure I'm healthy."

Megumi wasn't sure what happened, only that the man who had been gripping her arm was suddenly pulled off her and thrown into the opposite wall and slumped down it, unconscious.

The first drunk's face got pale as Sano grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him off his feet, "Where you bothering the doctor?" he demanded and the man frantically shook his head, "No San. We were just seeing if she needed help."

Sano's eyes narrowed, "It didn't look like that to me," he dropped the man on the ground and knelt next to him to be on eye level, "Understand that if I ever see you bothering this woman or any other I won't be nearly as easy on you. Take this as a warning."

The man scrambled to his feet and ran away down the alley, thankful he was still alive and Sano looked at Megumi, "Did those men hurt you Kitsune?" he demanded.

Megumi shook her head, suddenly aware of the fact that her kimono sleeve was torn and revealing part of her upper arm.

Embarrassed, she pulled it up, "Thank you for saving me from those men. I'm not sure what might have happened if you hadn't been there," she murmured, feeling relief and tears begin to fill her.

Without warning she began to cry and Sano protectively wrapped his arms around her, "It's all right. Those men are gone and I'm here," he whispered into her hair.

At that moment he was aware of something strange; he wasn't angry at her anymore for what she had done. Feeling her shake from the sobs that tore from her throat, he was instead overcome with a fierce wave of protectiveness, "Don't worry Kitsune. No mater what happens I'll always take care of you," he promised her, meaning every word.

He had broken that promise, he hadn't always been there. Sure he was always thinking about her and if he could have he would have never stopped protecting her but he had had to leave.

He opened the door to his house, his head still bowed under the weight of his thoughts.

"Sano!"

Sano looked at the young man who had grabbed him in a tight hug, "Yahiko, you're cutting off my air," he gasped and Yahiko loosened his grip, "Sorry! I'm just glad you're here."

Sano stepped back from Yahiko and looked at him, 'Dang, the little punk has grown up,' he realized, the image of the little boy laughing as he called Kaoru "busu" being replaced by the older Yahiko.

Yahiko had grown at least another foot, his black hair looking even wilder then he remembered.

"Sano, what's wrong?" Yahiko asked concern plain on his face.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"A lot has changed around here since you left. Kenshin and Kaoru got married and they had a kid, Tsubame said she'd marry me, and Doctor Gensia hired another doctor at the clinic so he could retire…"

Sano was walking through the house, making note of the changes Yahiko had made and the things he had repaired as the younger man continued to talk.

There was one person Sano didn't hear about though so he finally asked, "How's Megumi? Is she still working at the clinic?"

Yahiko's face fell just a little, "Didn't you know?"

Sano's blood began to run a little colder, "Know what?" he demanded.

"She moved right after you left. She went back to Aizu and she only writes once in a while so I don't know how's she's been."

Sano was opening the door before Yahiko had finished talking, "Sano, where are you going?"

"To Aizu," he said simply as he walked down the street, intent on getting there as quickly as possible.

8888

The next morning found Sano in Aizu. He had used a small part of his saved money to buy a train ticket there, his need to see Megumi outweighing his dislike and fear of trains.

He looked around the unfamiliar town and considered asking directions to the clinic she worked at but that would be too obvious.

Instead he decided he'd just find and follow her.

But before he could find her he had one very important visit to make.

8888

A cold wind blew across Sano as he stood in front of the grave, his hands clenched in front of him.

"Takina-san, I feel like a real idiot talking to you like this but I want to explain things to you before I even see your daughter again," Sano began nervously, hoping no one was watching and hoping Megumi wouldn't suddenly show up to visit her father's grave.

Content he was alone he continued, "I love your daughter and I want to ask her to marry me. I know I'm not rich and she deserves someone better but there's no harm in trying, right?"

Silence greeted his question and he began to talk again, "I'd be good to her. I'd love her and I'd never hurt her or allow anyone to hurt our family. I'd take care of her. All that stuff you've probably heard about me being a freeloader, forget it. I got a job this morning repairing boats and I'd support her."

He looked up from the ground he'd been staring at to look at the stone like it was a real person, "I've traveled some and I've known a lot of women. Ones that liked me, ones that hated me and some that were determined to marry me but I've only felt like this for your daughter. She's been on my mind every day but you probably already knew that."

He took a deep breath and plunged into the end, "I'm going to ask her to marry me when I find her and I'm asking for your blessing. And if I ever do anything to harm her you can come back from the afterlife or wherever you are and you can do whatever you want too to me."

Sano waited for a few minutes but nothing else happened and he finally turned to go when an almost inaudible voice drifted over to him, "Good luck."

Sano began to grin. Maybe Megumi would agree to marry him.

8888

As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, Sano watched Megumi walk through the town to the clinic.

He had found her earlier in the day and had been following her, waiting for the right time to talk to her.

All the care he was putting into his observation reminded him of an event that had happened not long before he had had to leave.

Sano lounged against the wall, content to watch Megumi walk through the market place, her medicine kit firmly in her hand when he became aware of a couple of men talking near him.

"I wouldn't mind taking that little doctor for myself; I think she'd suit me."

"Her? The Fox? She'd never go for you. Besides I was thinking of dong that."

"Look, she's going into that side street. Why don't you go talk to her right know?"

As the man moved to get up Sano stepped in front of him.

He sneered, "Can I help you Sano?"

"I couldn't help overhearing that you were going to talk to the Lady Doctor and I can tell you right now that if you try to take her you'll be the next person she's treating in the clinic. If you live that long."

"What does it matter to you? Isn't it her business who she associates with?"

"Yeah it is except that you had no interest in asking her. You were just going to attack her. And I can't allow that."

The man snorted and brushed past Sano who quietly followed him.

The man turned down the street Megumi had taken and paused as he spotted her coming out a doorway, bidding good-bye to the people inside.

Before he could take a step forward a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and Sano leaned over to whisper in his ear, "If you touch one hair on her head, you'll be finding yourself in a hospital."

The man tired to pull out of Sano's grasp and Sano cracked his fist into the side of the man's head and stunned him before dropping him into an alley, "I told you," Sano shrugged as he walked back onto the main street, unobserved by Megumi.

It became a habit of his, to follow her on her routes and keep an eye out for danger, stopping only when she was safely back at Doctor Gensia's house for the night.

And she never knew.

Megumi finally went back to the clinic and went inside.

Sano sat down on the far edge of the porch and rubbed his forehead, how was he going to propose?

He could get onto one knee but that was too mushy, besides there was always the danger he'd not be able to stand back up and then he'd not only look like an idiot, he'd be stuck too.

Possibilities played through his mind as he fell into a light doze.

With a start he woke up and bolted onto his feet, what if Megumi had already left?

He walked to the front of the clinic and tried the door, and found to his relief it was unlocked.

He opened it gently and stepped inside, his worn boots sounding entirely too loud in the silent building.

He heard a noise in one of the other rooms and tried to move quietly, fearful of waking any patients that might be asleep.

He reached the door and eased it open, sticking his head in.

There she was with her back turned to the door, "Kitsune!"

Megumi jumped, screamed, and dropped the knife she had been holding, "Sano!" she gasped.

In a moment he had crossed the room and grabbed her in a tight hug, "I told you I'd come back."

And he had.

And in a few minutes he'd be putting his heart on the line by finally proposing to her.

'Here goes nothing,' his mind thought wirily.

Fin.

Author's Note 2: For those who are reading "No Turning Back" this story sets up the relationship Sano and Megumi share in that story. Thanks for reading and review if you like. I accept unsigned ones! Thanks!