- A/N:
Disclaimer:
Rurouni Kenshin and all related characters are property of their respective owners, not me. If you sue, all you'll get is my Samurai X shirt and one blue flip-flop ('cause that's all I own.)Chapter One
"Sixes and threes. You lose again, Sano!"
"What?!" Sagara Sanosuke shouted, slamming his hands down on the floor in frustration. His dark eyes stared at the dice in front of him, damning them for betraying him once again. He was down thirty yen, and it was only five o'clock.
Ginme, one of the men that ran the illegal gambling house, grinned in his crooked-toothed way. "Looks like you're having a streak of bad luck, Sano. Are you done for the evening or do you care to try again?"
Continuing to glare at the offending cubes, Sanosuke ran his hand through his thick brown hair and gritted his teeth. "A couple more times, Ginme. I gotta at least try to win some of that money back."
Fifteen minutes later, Sanosuke was down another ten yen.
"One more time!" Sanosuke said, leaning forward eagerly.
Ginme threw the dice and clapped the cup down on top of them. He chuckled and looked at Sanosuke expectantly.
Sanosuke opened his mouth to place his bet, but hesitated when he heard a sound outside the door. The scuff of shoes on dirt, lots of shoes. A shout reached his ears, and he recognized it as the commanding tone of a police officer.
Everyone in the small building froze. Had they been found out? The last thing they needed was a raid. All was still as Sanosuke concentrated on the rich golden light of the setting sun that filtered in through the shoji screen. He held his breath, waiting to see if one of the many shifting shadows would tear down the door.
No one did, and the officers passed the gambling house without so much as a pause.
There was a visible relaxation in the room as the men settled back to finish their game.
"Come on, Sano, what's your bet?" Ginme asked, his voice a touch quieter than it had been.
"Evens. Twos and fours."
With a shrug, Ginme lifted the cup. Before Sanosuke could get a look at what the dice showed, all hell broke loose.
Something large and heavy was thrown through the shoji door, ripping paper and splintering wood. The gamblers flew to their feet and scattered. The mass landed in a heap right on top of the dice mat, revealing it to be a rather paunchy man in a blue uniform. A police officer. His arm was twisted beneath him, obviously broken, and blood poured from his nose and mouth.
Sanosuke gaped, wide-eyed, past the wall wreckage at the scene unfolding in the street.
A group of six officers were surrounding someone, shouting orders and threats. The criminal couldn't be seen; he was either short or on the ground. One of the men raised his club menacingly and advanced on the perpetrator.
Most people wouldn't have been able to distinctly see the slippered foot that connected squarely with the policeman's hand, sending the club flipping straight up into the air. Sanosuke was used to watching unusually fast-paced fights, but he had only seen one person in his whole life move that fast.
He was jerked from his thoughts when another officer went down, blood flying from his mouth. Through the gap that created, he could see the fighter crouched low like a feral cat.
She was small, barely over five feet and lithe. Raven hair was braided and coiled into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her youthful face was harsh and drawn, and her dark eyes held a cold, pain-filled viciousness that made Sanosuke think she was a bit older than she looked. She wore a dark green Mandarin style tunic tied with a black sash and black Kung fu pants. A brown leather bag was slung across her shoulders, but it didn't appear to weigh her down any.
Sanosuke had been ready to jump into the fight to break it up, but now he hesitated at the sight of the woman. He didn't like fighting women; it didn't seem fair. This girl, though, looked more than able to handle herself, and whatever she had done, the police badly wanted to arrest her.
Stepping out into the street, Sanosuke slipped between two policemen who didn't act too eager to join their comrades on the ground.
"What's going on?" Sanosuke asked the men.
"That girl stole money from the market and when we tried to stop her, she attacked us," one replied.
Sanosuke shook his head slightly. He had to stop her before she seriously hurt someone. Sauntering forward, he looked down at the girl.
"Hey China doll, why don't you return the money you stole and go with the police quietly?" He said nonchalantly. "I'd hate to have to beat up a girl for them."
She didn't reply. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she lowered her body into a fighting stance. She balanced nearly all her weight on her back leg, and her front leg was bent at the knee so that only the ball of her foot touched the ground. One arm was stretched nearly parallel to her front leg, the fingers on that hand curled into a claw. Her left hand was held in a fist an inch or two below her face.
Sanosuke considered her for a moment. She obviously knew what she was doing, but so did he. He didn't think he'd have too much trouble with her; he didn't intend to hurt her anyway, just disable her so the police could handle it.
"Fine. We can do this your way. I'm kinda in the mood for a good fight." He lunged forward, a fist flying for her unprotected face.
Her hand shot up to easily knock Sanosuke's fist away and she took a sliding step to the right. Sanosuke's momentum kept him going even after the punch was blocked, and he barely managed to defend himself when her leg came up to round kick his midsection. He grabbed her knee and shoved it downward, causing her to lose her balance. She recovered more quickly than he anticipated, step-spinning to the right and slinging her hand in a flat arc to deliver a rock-solid knife hand to his temple.
White stars exploded in Sanosuke's vision. He stumbled, clutching his head. He heard shouting, probably the police and his friends, but he couldn't see anything. A few seconds went by before his eyesight returned, and he barely caught view of the girl disappearing around the corner.
Growling, Sanosuke yelled to the police who were already pursuing her. "Leave her to me!"
He took off at a dead run, skidding around the corner and catching sight of her again. Thanks to his long legs, he easily closed the distance between them.
The girl glanced over her shoulder and her eyes flashed with anger. She ducked down a narrow alleyway, and when Sanosuke rounded the building, she was gone.
"Huh?" He stopped, blinking in surprise. The alley was a dead end, and there was no where to hide. Where had she gone?
There was a barely audible creak from above. Sanosuke looked up and saw the shadowy outline of a lean figure poised precariously on the peak of a roof. She realized she'd been spotted and quickly slid off the other side.
Sanosuke hurried to catch up and found her fleeing down a wider street toward the edge of town. The road was a bit crowded and several times he almost lost her in the midst of the taller people.
When he saw her clearly once again, it was just in time to watch her look behind her and crash into an unsuspecting citizen. The two of them went tumbling to the dirt. The girl immediately scrambled to her feet and raced away.
He almost followed until he saw exactly whom she had knocked over.
The man wasn't much taller than the girl herself with blood red hair tied back in a low ponytail. His large eyes were soft violet and a dark, cross-shaped scar slashed his cheek. A sheathed sword hung in his white sash over magenta and white hakama.
"Kenshin!" Sanosuke slid to a stop beside his friend. "Are you okay?"
Himura Kenshin pushed to his feet and dusted himself off. "I am fine, that I am." He glanced over to where another group of policemen had backed the girl into a corner. She looked very much like a trapped animal, ready to defend herself. "What's going on, Sano?"
"She got caught stealing, hurt a couple of officers. I tried to help catch her. She's a lot tougher than she looks," Sanosuke answered.
Kenshin nodded slightly, his expression thoughtful. "We should stop this before someone gets injured."
The rurouni started toward the display, his stride easy and unconcerned. He wasn't worried, and as far as Sanosuke knew he had no reason to be. There were very few people in Japan who could match Kenshin's fighting skill. The girl was good, but not that good.
"Excuse me," Kenshin said politely to one of the officers. "Perhaps I can talk to her."
A skeptical expression crossed the man's face until he recognized Kenshin. "Himura-san!" Turning to the others, he motioned them back. "Step back, give Himura-san space."
When the police complied, Kenshin stepped toward the girl, keeping his hands in plain sight. His face held an open smile, completely unthreatening.
The girl retreated a few paces; her back nearly pressed against the wall of a shop.
"I do not intend to hurt you miss, that I do not," Kenshin told her gently. "But it seems you've been giving these men a lot of trouble. If you returned what you stole, this would go a lot easier."
She continued to stare at him, not moving.
"Maybe she doesn't understand Japanese," Sanosuke said, coming to stand just behind Kenshin. "She is dressed in Chinese clothes, after all. And she hasn't said a word since the chase started."
Her eyes swiveled to settle on Sanosuke and she reached behind her to the leather pack. Drawing out a money purse, she tossed it to the dirt at Kenshin's feet.
Kenshin stooped to pick up the bag and handed it to the nearest policemen. Looking back at the girl, he said, "You do understand, don't you?"
She nodded slightly, wariness evident on her face.
Something about her suddenly caught Kenshin's attention: three faded white scars that adorned her throat and disappeared beneath the collar of her shirt. He took another step toward her, his head tilted curiously. "What's your name, miss?"
Without answer, she pivoted on her heel and broke into a run back down the street.
In an attempt to stop her, one of the officers threw his club at her head. Fortunately for her, his aim was terrible. Unfortunately for her, the rod clipped the back of her knee and she staggered before dropping to the ground on her side, hugging her leg to her chest.
Sanosuke and Kenshin were at her side in an instant.
"Miss! Are you hurt badly?" Kenshin asked, kneeling by her.
Her face was twisted in pain and she nodded frantically. She kept her leg bent and cradled against her, hands clutching her knee.
"We should get her to the clinic, Kenshin," Sanosuke said. He glanced up at the police that had gathered around them. "She's hurt. Let us take her to a doctor."
"She is a criminal. We must arrest her," an officer protested.
"She is a simple thief," Kenshin said, standing. "Please allow us to get her help." Looking back down at her, he continued. "Also, I would ask you if I might keep an eye on her. I promise to keep her out of trouble, and if she steals again I will bring her to you, that I will."
The girl, the policemen, and Sanosuke gaped at Kenshin in shock.
After a moment, the officer answered, "I trust you, Himura-san, to do what is right. We'll leave the girl in your custody. Now get her to a doctor; she looks as if she's in great pain."
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Next chapter: Megumi manages to get a few answers about the mysterious girl. How will Kaoru react when she finds out she's taken on another boarder, and that particular boarder doesn't seem to like her at all?