I know guys. I have two unfinished stories already out… and unfinished. Hahaha. But I really enjoy writing this one. Hopefully my muses will start working on the others. =[

Enjoy. No Beta for this story, as usual. Sorry for all the mistakes

Warnings: mostly violence in this chapter. Gonna get worse later. LOL

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. But original characters are. =]

Rainbow Veins

The echo of a bullet's ricochet behind had her crouching slightly while running; she fired a few rounds of her own gun at the figure scrambling across the dead grass. The traffic roaring above was amplified by the concrete pillars of the freeway underpass.

Rusting cars and odd car parts grouped together in random piles comprised the maze the two opposing sides fought through. She leaped over a discarded bumper and fired her weapon before her target dove out of sight. A pained grunt sounded like she had at least clipped him with her last shot.

Adrenalin pumping, not much thought was put into her next action as she rounded the corner. The pursued man had been waiting for her and his shot caught her in the shoulder. Not from the pain but the force of the shot had her falling backward. She fired two shots before hitting the ground. The man gave a shout of pain and she saw that both of her shots had imbedded into his right leg. Rolling back around the corner she flattened herself on the wall of debris as shots were fired.

She hissed and clutched her shoulder while she assessed the damage. The clicking of the man's gun had her clutching her firearm. He cursed and attempted to stand on his injured leg. Glaring at the man from a shattered car window, she took a breath to block out the pain from her shoulder and slowly stood up from her crouch. A large hand gripped her arm and jerked her back. Crying out in surprise and pain, she dropped her gun and clutched the arm that grabbed her injured side.

"Damn it Kaoru, I told you to wait."

The swat team in black flooded the man she was casing after.

"Ugh, Sano let go of my arm."

"Ah, shit you're shot. Is that it? Any vital areas hit?"

Kaoru glared and batted his hands away. She blamed the pain for her lack of a comeback.

Sano straightened to his full height of six three and stared at the wall where behind the scuffle was taking place.

"I'll kill him."

The man in question came around the corner in cuffs; two men in black, half carried half dragged him to the awaiting ambulance.

The man caught sight of Kaoru and dragged his weight to slow his progress.

"You're dead bitch!"

"Shut up."

One of the men gripping his arm threw him against the back of the ambulance causing him to cry out and grip his leg with his joined hands. The other man banged on the double doors, they opened and three people clothed in white uniforms came out with red plastic boxes.

The two men roughly settled the injured convict on to the edge of the vehicle to be treated. A paramedic worked on the wounds on the man's leg and pulled out tweezers to extract the bullets lodged in his muscle and bone. The two swat members stood watching; holding their M4A1 carbine at their sides in quiet threat.

"C'mon, let's get you treated."

He raised a hand to call over a medic but Kaoru yanked it back down to his side.

"I'm fine; I'll take care of this myself."

He raised his eye brows and started to argue.

"I'll go to Megumi."

She added quickly.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know the chief is not going to like this, damn it Kaoru,"

Sano followed her across the grass as she headed toward her car. She grabbed a tourniquet out of a supply box while the paramedic wasn't looking. Holding on to one end of the string with her teeth, she started tightly wrapping above the gunshot. Exasperated by her tactics, Sano continued.

"You know my ass is on the line every time this happens."

He easily strode ahead of her in two strides and blocked her path.

Sighing in annoyance, she released the tourniquet from her mouth.

"Look Sano, if I get treated here, the good captain is going to hear the report and he's going to be on my ass faster than you can say 'fuck off'. Now, move out of my way, I'm bleeding."

"C'mon Jou-chan, I don't need those images in my head of the captain on you're ass…"

He grinned crookedly but trailed off at the look on her face.

"Alright, alright. You can go to Megumi's but I'm driving."

He grabbed the keys out of her hands and flattened a hand on the driver's side window; denying her entry.

Entry into her car; she scowled up at him.

"Sano.."

She growled dangerously. Today was not a good day; she had sprinted a good half mile, was shot at, was shot, and now her partner was giving her grief about something she thought was quite simple to understand.

"Hey like you said Jou-chan. You're bleeding."

Huffing, she circled the car to the passenger seat. His free had dove into his pocket and pressed the button three on speed dial. Turning his head away from the car he pretended to talk to someone on scene. He prepared himself and placed the phone to his ear.

"Hey Chief, it's Sagara."

He paused.

"Yeah. We're heading to Megumi's."

He blanched a little at what the other said over the receiver.

"Yes sir."

The line died.

He flapped the phone against his forehead a few times and slid into the car. He started the engine and pulled into the main street. He knew Kaoru was going to kill him for calling the chief but at least her execution of his death would be swift, like a blow to the head with her favorite skillet, something quick. With the chief on the other hand, it would be anything but painless.

"Sometimes I hate my job."

He groaned running a hand down his face.

"You're telling me."

Kaoru complained next to him adding pressure to the open wound with a clean towel she found in the back seat.

He tried to grin but grimaced instead and cleared his throat. She was going to hate it a little bit more when she sees what was waiting for her at Megumi's clinic.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I assure you chief that I am perfectly alright."

The wound didn't hurt more than any other gunshot wound she had obtained in the past. It did throb; the pain medication Megumi had given her was already waning. Considering murder on her Chief was an appealing idea as he continued to take residency on her desk.

Mind you, whipping out her gun and shooting off a few rounds at the man's face sounded like a wonderful stress reliever but at least fifty other officers and personnel were convened for work today.

He'd probably dodge my bullets anyway. She thought bitterly. Not to mention Shinamori-san would charge her for any damages.

Kaoru swiveled away from her inquirer to the other side of her desk to set aside the report she had just finished on the events of that afternoon. Out of reach and tucked into the corner so that even the Chief with his swift movements couldn't snatch it without being intercepted

"At least come with me to the hospital to visit the others. We'll get coffee." The last part was added as an afterthought.

"I've already been treated by Megumi-san, as you very well know. Because you were there, remember, thanks to Sagara-san's concern."

She said the last part loud enough for Sano scribbling at his desk to hear. Sano seemed not to hear here and continued to sit at his desk, his long frame almost too big for the desk. Her expression turned dark when she heard the chief laugh lightly.

Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, the time brought happier thoughts; she still had time to go back home for a decent nap before coming back here for the conference on the events of this morning. Her only problem was escaping the department head that was still leaning on her desk.

Himura Kenshin was well known even during her Academy days. Chief of The Department of Narcotics, he participated in operations and undercover projects that other administrative persons would not have bothered themselves over, never mind being physically involved. The rumors were that he entered the academy at the age of eighteen; finished the one year course in six months and quickly climbed the ranks. Himura is the first to be appointed Chief under the age of forty and is also supposed to have a crazy high IQ.

Kaoru entered the profession after a life of watching family and friends loose themselves to drugs and the lengths they would go to obtain them. The hardest blow had been her mother's overdose on heroin, or what was said to be heroin. Her father fell under depression which he remedied with alcohol. Kaoru by then was adopted by her only decent relatives, Aunt Tae and Aunt Sae, who owned a restaurant and lived above it in a two story apartment. The two wonderful women were the reason Kaoru graduated college a sane and level headed human being.

"Himura-san, I'm really tired and just want to go home before the conference."

If she was quick, she could personally hand her report to Shinamori-san and then hustle to her car. Plan in mind, she picked up her bag off from the floor when she couldn't find her car keys anywhere on her desk.

"I'll drop you off at home."

"I drove my car." She shook her bag hoping for the sound of keys but frowned when it was only the sound of loose change.

"You shouldn't you be driving injured."

Everything about him was orders today.

"Right handed." She wiggled her fingers.

Giving up looking for her keys, she looked for her locator that corresponded with the loud beeper on the key chain but came away from her desk and purse without any luck. A bit baffled she couldn't find either one of the items she resorted to her back up.

"Hey Sano."

"Yeah?" So he could hear her from where he was sitting. She made a side note to throw something at his chicken head later.

"Let me borrow your car."

Kenshin turned his gaze to Sano's back.

"I brought my bike today."

"Then let me borrow your bike."

"Uhhmm-"

"I'd be more than happy to give you a ride Kaoru. It's on the way." Kenshin Himura interrupted.

Turning back to her chief she glared at his crossed arms and continued up the dress shirt buttons to the suit covered shoulders where wisps of red strands that refused to stay tied rested.

Red hair framed a defined jaw. Lips sporting a disapproving frown and continued past his straight nose. Preparing herself mentally she made sure her glare was still intact; hopefully she still looked displeased.

She knew his eyes analyzed and catalogue every facial twitch and pitch change in her voice. Like a fish to a shiny object, she marveled at his color changing eyes. Amethyst was the dominant color with flecks of dark blues and topazes spreading from the black pupil. She considered the ring of amber around his irises and wondered if they had always been there.

Working where she worked, she didn't think she would be interacting with men like him, attractive men that would be seen in movie studios even business buildings rather than police stations.

With her luck, the man would be working for the law enforcement, at the department of her choice, badgering and catechizing away on her desk.

Exhaling a long breath from her nose, she shook her head mentally and continued with her search for her escalating lost keys

"That is quite alright Himura-san. I am capable of taking care of myself."

She opened a drawer and rifled through the pieces of paper.

"What are you looking for?" He bent over the rest of the desk to peer into the drawer.

"My keys." She snapped the drawer closed and quirked an eye brow at his close proximity.

Suppressing a smirk, he smiled cordially instead and returned to his previous position. He didn't want to push her more than necessary, for now. He had a plan, a whole planner actually for Ms. Kamiya that she was completely unaware of.

He was insistent on taking her home after he had learned she lived in a part of town he did not particularly like. A fact that was high on his list of things-to-do: move her out from that part the neighborhood. If he was seen with her at the apartment building, the various contacts he knew that also lived in the same area would know to keep watch of his detective.

It was a month after she had been promoted to detective he personally met Kamiya Kaoru. His department was large but he liked to keep tabs on his field agents. It wasn't unusual that personnel undergo a background check but for an administrative to take interest in the lower ranking was uncommon.

"Oh."

She looked up from her search and narrowed eyes at his face.

"Why, you wouldn't know where they've gone to, would you?"

"I do not." He answered with a passive expression.

Rolling her eyes she bent at the waist to search the floor and under her desk.

He smirked then. Her keys were in his desk, and the beeper was in two after he had smashed it a few times against the large fax machine.

Kaoru muffled her gasp of pain when she straightened from under the desk. Her right hand hovered over her wound. She bit her lip and frowned at the pencil holder on her desk waiting for the pain to recede. She must have ripped a stitch when she was maneuvering back up. Brushing a finger tip on the area of her blouse right above the wound, she felt a little moisture and brought her finger back to see it slightly tainted red.

Damn it, she had bled through her bandages. Praying the chief did notice but already knowing the answer; she glanced up to see that indeed Kenshin had noticed.

His lip thinned at the sight of her blood.

"Kamiya-san. You are going to accompany me to the hospital and spend a night-"

"I said I was fine." Kaoru started to argue but he continued as if he was not interrupted.

"Unless you find it more comfortable to come to my apartment seeing that I do have the necessary supplies to treat your wound."

An unnatural quiet settled over their side of the large station, as the people listening held their breath for her answer.

Her eyes were wide at his forward proposition. Finding no way around his unrelenting stare, she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

"Are those the only options, sir?" She addressed coldly, she was not fond of being bullied.

"I'm afraid they are."

"Let me just get my stuff and I'll be grateful if you dropped me off at the hospital."

"Wonderful. I'm ready."

Cheerful now that he had gotten his way, he motioned to help her with her bag, which she ignored and snatched the folder with the report and stepped around her desk. Passing Sano's rigid form, she didn't forget to give him a good smack on the back of his head with her good hand. "Ow!" Kenshin followed beside her as they headed towards the double doors. He followed when she entered the Lieutenant's office.

"Shinamori-san, the report of today's shooting that you asked for." She held out the report.

He took it with an expressionless nod.

They exited the building and entered the parking lot. He unlocked the doors to his four door BMW X6 series. He opened the passenger side for her and waited until she was settled. She stared at the various people entering and exiting the station wishing it had been anyone other than Himura that cared, lack of a better word for her predicament.

"Does coffee still sound good?" The engine purred as he reversed.

He's paying anyway.

"Okay."

"Okay." He agreed and gave her a charming smile.

She angrily jerked her seat belt into its slot. She looked out the window crossly; while they were at the hospital maybe he could check himself in as well with the case of the bipolar disease.

AN: Alright, I really don't know much about the police ranking. But if anyone is knows the correct ranking system, I would love that information. But I had a lot of fun researching all the guns, weapons and cars that are going to be in this story.

Until next time.