Looks like Yahiko's well, all right... The following morning, after being treated by Doctor Genzai with Megumi's prescription, Yahiko is alive and well again. Megumi had made cakes for everyone to eat, excluding Sanosuke, who was not present. As Kaoru and Yahiko pig out on them, Megumi goes off to make some tea outside of the dojo. That's where Sano encounters her with evidence that she is the killer of his friend. Megumi admits that she made the opium, but Kenshin walks in, asking the strange woman if her father was named Takani Ryusei. Shocked that Kenshin knows her father, Megumi reveals her past.

The Lone Takani The Takani name has been associated with medicine in Aizu for a while. In the war between Aizu and the Allied Powers, Megumi was separated from her father and family. Megumi had arrived in Tokyo five years ago and worked as an assistant in the doctor's office. However, the doctor was a creator and distributor of opium for Kanryu. When he and Kanryu had a disagreement, the doctor wound up dead and Megumi was forcefully put on the spot as a replacement. Now, Kanryu wants Megumi to make a newer, cheaper opium. If she distributed it, the results would be tragic, so that is why she's on the run from the dirty Kanryu. After hearing this, Sano leaves in a disgusted mood. Kaoru sympathizes with Megumi, so she allows her to stay at the Kamiya Dojo for as long as she wants.

Hannya smells out a rat. Megumi is dragged away from the Kamiya Dojo the following day by Hannya, the man that had saved Hyottoko and Beshimi the night before. Sano, who just happened to be visiting the area, follows and listens as Kanryu and Megumi converse. Kanryu demands that Megumi come back with him, but she refuses. Because of her stubbornness, Kanryu threatens to burn the Kamiya Dojo down. With that said, he leaves. Aoshi questions Kanryu's decision, a bit hesitant to have the Battousai involved. Kanryu answers confidently that the Battousai doesn't matter.

Sano vs. Shikijou, who'll win in the battle of brawns? A note was left behind at the Kamiya Dojo from Megumi, saying she's left and gone back to Aizu. Kenshin knows better and can see right through the note. At the gates of Kanryu's mansion, Megumi encounters Sano, who tries to convince her to keep living to atone for her crimes. Sanosuke cannot get his message through completely, as he is interrupted by a badly scarred man wielding a ball and chain. The man who introduces himself as Shikijou loses his weapon when Sano breaks his chain. No matter, Shikijou simply removes his shirt and deals with Sano in physical combat.

"Take that you scarred freak!" Fists fly from both men until Sano is smashed up against the gates of the mansion and is headbutted. Shikijou is so confident that his headbutt would knock Sanosuke unconscious, but due to his superhuman strength, Sano continues to fight and even knocks out Shikijou. Before Sano can celebrate victory, Beshimi leaps down from the walls of the mansion and in a blur, takes Megumi and heads back the same way he came. Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko all meet up with Sano just in time to learn of Megumi's kidnapping. There's nothing left to do but save her.