Megumi saw their friends out, then returned to Sanosuke. He was still sitting by the little table where she had set out supper, Mariko in his arms. Sozo had crawled into Sano's lap and gone to sleep while the adults talked, not caring what was said as long as he could be close to his father.

She knelt next to her husband. "Let's put them to bed."

He handed her the baby and stood up with Sozo in his arms and they went softly into the children's rooms and laid them down to sleep, then returned to the main room. Megumi gazed at Sanosuke, her heart in her eyes at the sight of his worn face. "You look like you haven't been eating very well."

He smiled a little. "Don't tell Kaoru, but prison food is even worse than her cooking."

"I have catfish," she offered. "I can heat it up, and there's rice and daikon radish pickles…."

Sanosuke shook his head. "I'm not hungry. Kaoru insisted on feeding me as soon as Kenshin brought me back from the prison and I didn't have the heart to tell her no." His smile widened and the merest spark lit his eyes. "But if you want to get up early and serve me breakfast in bed, I won't object."

"Oh, Sano!" Megumi bit her lip, tears starting to her eyes.

He was startled. "What is it, Meg-chan?"

She took his hand and led him to the back room and he stood in the door and stared disbelievingly at the small futon where their big one used to be.

"After Saito told me you were gone, I couldn't bear being in our bed without you," she said haltingly, "so I had Kenshin and Yahiko take it down to the river and burn it."

Sanosuke put his arms around his wife. "It's all right. We can get another futon tomorrow."

Megumi buried her face in his chest. "What about tonight? That little one's barely big enough for both of us and you always like to stretch out."

He put his hand under her chin and turned her face up. "I don't care how I sleep tonight, Megumi, as long as I wake up next to you."