It was a night much like their first date, the air crisp and the stars bright, the skies having been cleared by the earlier shower. After saying goodbye to Kenshin, the couple went to dinner and in mutual consent, kept from talking about the recent events. Afterward, they drove to a lovely park on the outskirts of Nagoya.

Megumi was warm and cozy in her white coat, her right hand held in Sano's larger one, both comfortably tucked in his left coat pocket. Their breath formed little puffs of steam as they exhaled into the chilly winter air. The couple eventually settled on a park bench on an incline overlooking the city where Megumi immediately snuggled against Sano's side, her head fitting perfectly under his chin. She had found that she quite liked being held by Sano like this. She liked it a lot.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Sano asked, breaking the companionable silence.

Megumi hummed against his neck. "I like this. I like us like this. At peace." Here, with him, away from responsibilities, it was easy to forget the shadow cast by the breach and Nakamura's death.

Sano chuckled, the sound buzzing against Megumi's ear where she leant against his chest.

"You don't think we'll ever get into arguments?"

Megumi sat up to be able to look Sano in the eye. "You and me never argue?" She shook her head, "I somehow doubt it." She smiled and tweaked his ear. "We're too stubborn, too strong-minded to live quietly." She tugged Sano's arm where it was laying across the back of the bench and twined her fingers with his and leaned back into him. "No, we will, but I think—I think we'll be able to make up after, ne?" She peered up at him, eyes twinkling.

Sano brushed his lips tenderly against hers. "Hai—I like the idea of the making up part." Megumi laughed and swiped at his hands which were trying to tickle her.

"Since when have you been so wonderful?" She breathed happily and closed her eyes, completely at peace.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Hmmm?" Megumi looked at him curiously. She hadn't been expecting an answer.

"I wasn't always—" he hesitated. "this way." He glanced sideways at her. "There was a reason you didn't jump at the idea of marriage when it first came up a few weeks ago. I was a knucklehead in high school after all." He laughed in sell-depreciation. "I've told you how I've been in love with you since we were little and how I had come to hate it."

Sano hadn't exactly been the gentleman he was today back in high school and Megumi suddenly remembered Kenshin alluding to it. Now she would hear it directly from Sano.

"Do you remember that time when we attended Kiyosato's big kick-off party?"

"The summer before our last year of high school?"

"Yeah."

"Not especially—No."

Sano nodded. "Good. I'd rather you didn't. I said some messed up and hurtful things that night."

Megumi drew a sharp breath. She did remember. They had had a fight and she cried herself to sleep. Soon after she had gone oversees to complete high school when school started in the fall and that incident with Sagara Sanosuke became a distant memory—until tonight.

Sano went on, seeing remembrance in her eyes.

"I got pretty wild with a group of friends at the party and I yelled at you to leave me alone when you came to tell me that our ride had arrived to take us home." Megumi recalled that despite all their petty quarrels and snipes at each other throughout childhood, that was the first time she had been really and truly angry at Sano.

"I still left the party with you and we had a big fight in the car." Megumi could remember the yelling, the angry words. "I said you were a spoilsport, a miss-know-it-all, among other well-chosen words. You gave as good as you got and accused me of being all brawn and no brains, not being a gentleman, and that no one could love me the way I am."

"Sano." Megumi took his hand in hers.

"You were dropped off first and I sat back in the car, furious at you and your words—but that night, I couldn't go to sleep. Your words kept coming back to me. I was so angry." Sano chuckled. "The rest of the week I was a walking thunderstorm, ready to bite anyone's head off for looking at me sideways."

"Then?" Megumi prompted. Sano squeezed her shoulder.

"Once I'd cooled down enough to use whatever brains cells I hadn't toasted with my hotheadedness, I realized that you deserved someone who not only thought you were perfect, but who could love and treat you in the way that you deserved. And looking at myself, I could see that that person wasn't me. I couldn't sleep that night with the terrible feeling that thought gave me."

Sano looked at Megumi for a long time then dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"The following day, I had decided that I wanted to be someone worthy of love. And not just anyone's, but yours. I wanted you and I knew that you wouldn't love me the way I was then, getting into fights, not taking school seriously—" he glanced at her. "Did you know that I hardly studied through high school? I just happened to be really good with retaining information and I listened well during lectures so I got by. I had no interest in the family business and my parents were despairing for the future of the company if I didn't shape up."

"I didn't know…" There were so many things she had overlooked about him. Her heart constricted painfully.

"Anyway, I decided to change. It wasn't that easy. I got into fights whenever I was out with my friends so I slowly started spending less and less time with them. It was during that time that I met Kenshin. He had recently transferred to my school."

Megumi tried to imagine a younger Kenshin and Sano in high school and smiled at the mental picture.

"On his first day, he was being harassed by the school bully. He didn't say anything, didn't stand up for himself, simply took it all then walked away once the verbal abuse and the shoving were over. I thought he was such a wimp."

Sano let his head fall back against the back of the bench, eyes gazing at the heavens.

"The next day, they were doing it to another kid, when Kenshin stepped in and knocked the five guys down. I was surprised by how well he fought especially in light of how he showed none of his skills the day before. I wanted that for myself. We eventually became friends after that—but he kicked my punk ass first."

Sano laughed at the memory and Megumi smiled at his mirth.

"He helped me see that it was possible to still be strong and yet be gentle. I wanted those qualities and he helped me keep at my goal. I wouldn't have gotten very far without Kenshin."

"I must thank him when I see him then." Megumi said softly. She tugged her hand out of his and tapped his nose. "You're wrong, you know." Sano looked at her quizzically. "I'm not perfect—but I'm glad you love me anyway." Megumi said with a smile that reached her eyes. She kissed him gently. "Also, I believe that you would have succeeded regardless of whether you were helped or not. You're stronger than you give yourself credit, Sagara."

He winced slightly as she placed cold hands on either side of his face and shook him gently—as one would when scolding a beloved puppy. "It may have been harder, but I believe you aren't giving yourself enough credit." Sano studied her face then he nodded and enfolded her in an embrace.

"Are you ever sorry you had to change?" Megumi hesitated but had to ask.

"No." His answer was quick, definite. "Even if it was in vain and you never looked at me again or even loved me back, I'd still be glad having done it. I'm a better man because of you, Kitsune." Tears blurred Megumi's eyes and she sniffed against the prickling in her nose.

"If I had been more of a friend to you, if I had been kinder—" Sano might not have had to go through so much trouble, such lengths if he had her as a friend by his side.

Sano wiped her tears away. "That's all in the past and look where we are now. This is worth anything and everything I went through. I'll go through my angst-ridded teen years and pining for you just to have this today."

Sano hugged her and Megumi returned his embrace fiercely. He was hers and she was his. He wasn't perfect and neither was she but it was what made their love real—seeing beyond the flaws to the beauty that was inside.

Sorry, super cheesiness abounds. LoL It's been a while, dear readers. I've missed writing about these two but I've run into a dry spell and couldn't put my thoughts into words. Hopefully it's all better now and I do have the next chapter already lined up.

Anyone seen Jurassic World yet? Who else thought the lead actor and actress were very Sano and Megumi? I'd love to do a fanfic of the movie but with Sano and Megumi in the lead roles. I can dream…