Author's Note: In this chapter we learn that Shousha may or may not be completely insane. Hope you find it as entertaining as I did writing it.

Also, I had to watch episode one of T&B again to get a feel for Kenshin and as I'm sitting there I almost feel like I'm betraying the series and all of its political seriousness with this fic. (I'm crap with politics and like, any serious man...stuff.) So, uh. Sorry, T&B. I love you.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the official Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X characters. I do reserve the rights to all OCs

Fine Lines

Chapter 06

There were many parts of the day that Shousha looked forward to. Breakfast was one such time. Breakfast was the one hour that she was guaranteed to have alone with her brother. They were often alone in the home; very rarely did he invite anyone over, but their morning meal was a time that he put aside his work and focused on spending time with the only family he had.

"I have a present for you," he told her one day, smiling softly as her eyes lit up.

"A present?" she asked, unable to contain her excited grin. He brought her gifts often and each time she received one she treasured it.

He nodded. "You'll have to suffer through a little bit of business, I'm afraid, but it will be worth the wait."

Shousha leaned forward, hopeful. "What is it?"

Katsura shook his head as he swallowed the food he had just put in his mouth. "It's a surprise."

Putting on a fake pout, she hid her face behind her bowl and slumped her shoulders. She could see him smiling and shaking his head affectionately while she tried to pull information from him by her silence. It didn't work.

Three quarters of an hour later, they were walking down the streets of Kyoto, headed for an unknown destination. Their walk was quiet and comfortable, and Shousha clung to his arm the entire time. It wasn't out of fear, but out of love and joy that he was able to take more than one hour from the day to be with her.

Senses ever alert, Katsura scanned the entire street with each step that he took. It was a busy day, which meant that enemies had the crowd to use to their advantage. But then again, so did he.

The people parted then and Katsura snapped his eyes upwards and into focus. Quickly, he dashed into an alley, pulling Shousha in with him, and pressing her close to his chest so she wouldn't be seen. Blue haori and daisho paraded by and he scanned the ranks, mentally taking note of who was present on patrol this morning.

Saitou, Kanryuusai, Okita, Hiromu...

The list went on in his brain, all the names and faces he had acquired. He could feel his sister's heart racing against his ribs and along with his attendance tally, he calculated the likelihood of each passing man that they would spare her should they notice him.

It didn't look good.

"It's alright," he whispered into her hair, hoping to calm her, "they're almost gone."

But Shousha wasn't as afraid for her life as he was. Her only fear was simply being discovered in his presence. It was selfish, but she was finally finding happiness. She couldn't let it be destroyed so soon.

They continued on their way for some time, using winding back roads and secret cut-throughs of various buildings. When they finally entered an inn, Shousha was exhausted. The landlady greeted Katsura warmly, offering the both of them water and fresh dumplings. Shousha opened her mouth to accept both of these, but Katsura cut her off.

"If you would," he told the middle aged woman, "please have them sent upstairs with some tea. We will be there shortly."

"Of course," she told him, disappearing back into the kitchen.

Shousha desperately hoped she was included in that 'we'.

A man came to the entrance then, a man of average build, slightly shorter than Katsura, but with beady eyes and a patchy mustache. His hair was tied at the nape of his neck and there was a strange way that his mouth curved up into a knowing smile.

"Good morning, Katsura-san," he said, his voice slick. Shousha averted her eyes.

Katsura greeted him in return, but his tone was that of boredom as he addressed him. Iizuka.

"Will you send Himura upstairs? I'd like to meet with him."

Iizuka nodded, giving Shousha a less-than-discreet once over, before heading back the way he came.

"I've got a meeting this morning," Katsura told his sister, steering her by her lower back towards the staircase, "I'd like to keep it under an hour, but in the even that it isn't, I think you'll find yourself in good company."

He slid open the door to an empty room, a living area, and ushered her inside.

"You can stay here," he said gently, "your snacks will be up shortly."

"And my company?" she teased, "I hope it wasn't that man downstairs."

Katsura let out a short bark of laughter. "As if I'd ever let Iizuka alone with a cherished woman."

She smiled and lowered her voice, "He wasn't handsome at all."

No, he wasn't, Katsura silently agreed.

"Katsura-san?"

Turning, the Choshu leader met the eyes of his newest recruit, his most prized fighter. The Battousai.

"Ah," he said straightening, "Himura, please come in."

Himura Kenshin stepped into the room, eyes flicking to every corner before finally resting on Shousha. He looked at her with mild curiosity, wondering what connection she had with his employer. His question was short lived.

"I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Shousha."

Himura bowed. "Shousha-dono."

Katsura turned to her, "Shousha, this is Himura Kenshin. I trust the two of you will enjoy each other's presence in my absence."

When her brother shut the door silently behind him, Shousha examined the man, no, the boy standing uncomfortably before her. He was a small thing, probably not any bigger than Okita, and the dark red hair that hung down his back was the most unusual shade she had ever seen. His eyes were wide and curious, a soft violet flecked with the smallest hint of amber.

The tea and dumplings arrived before there was a chance for any heavy awkwardness to set in, and when they sat down to eat, Shousha struck conversation.

"So," she started, pouring the tea haphazardly, a reflex in defiance for all the times she had been punished for doing it wrong. "are you from the city?"

"No," he replied quietly, staring into his cup, "I arrived in Kyoto three weeks ago."

"Oh," she said, "I haven't been here long either."

Himura looked up as she sighed, shoving her chin into her hands. "I like it here though," she went on, "there's so much to do."

He didn't agree with her. While there were many things to see and do in this city, his role was clear and he did not have the time to go about sightseeing. More than anything, he found Kyoto to be overwhelming, overbearing, and too much of, well, everything.

There was no peace here, no place that was completely silent, ever. He knew that he had come here with a purpose and he would never deny that purpose. Even still, there were times, especially in recent nights, these first four nights after his first kill, that he longed to be back in the mountains with his master. There, surrounded by the stillness of the wild Earth, there was certainty and clarity.

Kyoto, and the path he walked in it, was filled with anxiety and unpredictability. He could afford neither of the two, yet they surrounded him, begging to let them consume him. He shuddered at the thought.

"Are you alright?"

Shousha's voice broke through his musings and he offered her a ghost of a smile. "My apologies. I was lost in thought."

For a minute, Shousha sat still, allowing him to finish whatever it was he was clearly desperate to hold onto. She didn't have a clue as to why Kogoro had chose this person to entertain her. He certainly wasn't a man of many words. She didn't suspect he was about to jump up and start dancing for her.

Downstairs, Katsura met up with several other men and while they began to head to the courtyard, several of the men began polite conversation while Iizuka sidled up to him.

"That girl with you was quite pretty," he said, giving Katsura a grin.

"Yes," he agreed, "she is."

"Unusual though. She isn't foreign is she? Chinese?"

Katsura frowned, looking over at the examiner. "No."

"Well still," Iizuka continued thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, "a gem like that must be worth quite a bit. Where did you find her?"

"She is my sister," Katsura replied simply, lengthening his stride and leaving the other man stuck with his foot in his mouth.

xxxx

It had been over an hour since Shousha had been left alone with Himura Kenshin, but she hardly noticed. He didn't talk much aside from his polite responses or three worded commentary, so she took the opportunity to explain to him in vivid detail as to why her Kogoro was the best, most upstanding brother in the world. He was, as it was told by her, by far the greatest man to ever walk the Earth, a true paragon.

Himura absorbed all of this information, even though he was only listening to half of it, staring straight ahead with glossy eyes and heavy lids-her constant sudden and sporadic movements the only thing keeping him from falling asleep.

It wasn't that he didn't find the tales of his leader rescuing pet kittens and giving horseback riding lessons entertaining, but Shousha told them with so much emotion and fervor, simply watching her was steadily draining him of whatever energy he had.

"...and then when I was seventeen-" Shousha paused abruptly and Himura straightened. Would she be offended that she hadn't captured his full attention?

"Do you hear that?" she asked, not even having been paying attention to his attentiveness.

Hand on the hilt of his katana, Himura readied himself, focusing on the sounds around him. Having a decidedly less keen sense of her surroundings, Shousha padded over to the round window and, with her back pressed to the wall, nudged it open a bit.

"Kogoro!" she cried in a whisper, shaking her two small fists excitedly before motioning the redhead to join her.

"Can you hear what they're talking about?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

Standing in a similar position on the other side of the window, Himura focused his ears again to the outside.

"Katsura-san is asking about a-"

A loud crash from downstairs shattered his concentration, not yet fully honed, and he let out a defeated sigh.

"Kneel there," Shousha instructed, pointing to the spot directly in front of the window. He did as she told him, but before he could question her, she pushed his shoulders down and hopped up onto his back.

"Shousha-dono!" he hissed, just catching his balance with his palms and wincing slightly as the balls of her tiny feet dug into his spine. Certainly this was not a position Katsura had intended to put him in.

"Shh!" she commanded, using his back for support as she leaned out the window as far as she could without being seen or falling out.

"Evesdropping is impolite," he ground out, shifting his weight, but careful not to drop her.

"We're still not sure where he came from," came the voice of a man unfamiliar to her. "but his loyalty is unquestionable. He has been raised with people after all, it seems."

"Hmm," Shousha recognized the hum of her brother's thinking. "You are certain he has no temper?"

"Not at all," said another strange voice, "as wild as he looks, he is thoroughly tame, I assure you."

The first man spoke again, "Do you think it would be a good match?"

"For Shousha?" Katsura asked, "yes, I do think this arrangement would work out very well. She needs protection when I am not around."

Another man laughed. "He's young too! A healthy fella like that will be around for a long time."

The voices drifted off and Shousha staggered down from Himura's back, chest heaving.

"That bastard!" she hissed.

Himura stood, rubbing his spine, but uttering no complaint. He watched her face evolve from shock to anger and marveled at how different brother and sister were. Katsura, from what he had seen, was always calm and rational, never displaying more emotion than necessary to get his point across. His sister on the other hand, expressed in excess.

"I'll kill him!" she screeched, clenching and unclenching her hands, pacing the room.

"Shousha-dono, perhaps you should calm down," Himura suggested, a headache beginning to form. He hadn't heard much of the conversation below; he hadn't tried. If they had wanted him to be informed of their plans, he would have been called to that meeting. As a lowly hitokiri, a young samurai with no real title, he rather doubted it was his place to know.

Shousha crossed her arms, staring him down. "Do you want to get married?"

This caught the young warrior off guard and he turned to her, eyes wide, and long hair whipping his face as he did so.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You'd think he would have learned the first time!" she growled, not giving Himura any clarification on the subject. "you'd think he'd have learned."

Deciding he was only wasting his breath attempting to understand what this hurricane of a woman was talking about, he stayed silent and allowed her to continue with her furious tirade.

"Well I'll show him," she said, stamping her foot. "I'll show him that I am perfectly fine on my own. I'll show him like this."

Grabbing the front of Himura's gi with her left arm, she pulled back her right. "I'll show him the way he taught me!"

Before she could let her fist fly towards his face, he gripped her wrist, keeping her still. At the same moment, the door slid open, and both Shousha and Himura turned their faces to the shocked expression of Katsura's.

Himura released his hold on Shousha immediately, sitting back and praying that he hadn't appeared to be hurting her. He hadn't been holding her tightly, had he?

Shousha, forgetting whatever it was that she was angry about, stood, smiling, and her eyes lit up.

"Kogoro!" she greeted him happily.

"Gods," he breathed in response, giving Himura a once over, "she didn't actually hit you, did she?"

Himura shook his head and Katsura rubbed his face with a sigh.

"Shousha, I would like to speak with Himura for a moment. Please wait for me downstairs."

Coming up to him, she pointed a threatening finger in his face. "I know what you're trying to do Kogoro, and I won't have any part in it."

When she left, he sighed again. "I believe I owe you an apology, Himura. I didn't expect for her to feel threatened by you."

Surprised, the hitokiri let his mouth fall open a bit. Should he tell Katsura the truth? That she had been demonstrating the pain she wanted to inflict on him, using Himura as a test subject? No, that fact was trivial. There was no sense in dragging out the matter.

"She is nice," he responded instead.

Katsura let out a low laugh. "Do not be kind on my account. I know how difficult she can be." he paused, looking out the window towards the distance. "I suppose I made her that way."

"Sir?"

"I raised her," he replied, giving his young assassin a gentle smile, "With only six years between us, perhaps I wasn't the best father for her."

"She is happy," Himura replied carefully, before lowering his voice to just above a whisper, "if I had a sister, that is all I would wish for."

Katsura regarded this with reverence, remembering his first encounter with the him. Himura Kenshin desired to wield his sword not to destroy, but to save. It was a backwards sort of thinking, contradictory in every way, but it wasn't unlike the way he felt. The only difference between the two was that Katsura had put down his sword; Himura was just beginning to taste the feel of its power.

"I should fetch her then, shouldn't I?" Katsura mused, giving Himura another smile.

"Someone might be unconscious," Himura warned, allowing himself the humorous quip, but immediately closing his mouth, gauging the other man's reaction. He had not known him long and did not want to assume he could speak so freely.

But Katsura only rubbed his chin. "Perhaps then I will take a medical kit on my search."

Himura nodded, acknowledging the acceptance of his joke, but not offering anything further. Katsura excused himself, and when he arrived downstairs, was relieved to see that Shousha was not standing over a pile of lifeless men, but seated before yet another pile of dumplings, shoveling the treat into her mouth with little regard for anyone around her. Not that it mattered, really. She was Katsura's family. There wasn't a soul in that inn that would speak out against her.

"Would you like your gift now?" he asked, coming up behind her and teasing her with the last dumpling.

She reached for it, but he popped it into his mouth, watching her hopeful expression turn to that of a petulant scowl as her food was stolen from her.

"No," she said forcefully, but her denial was quickly replaced by curiosity when he shrugged and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she cried, scrambling up, "wait for me!"

He smiled down at her, shaking his head.

"You know," she started immediately, not wanting to give him the chance to soften her anger any more than he already had, "you are a sneaky devil."

"A devil?" he questioned, leading her out into the courtyard, "why am I so evil?"

"He's a kid, Kogoro!" she replied, crossing her arms. "Is he any older than fifteen?"

"Himura?" he asked with a raised brow, "he is young, but he is a valuable asset to my cause. I thought you were opposed to my affairs."

"I'm not talking about your precious affairs, Kogoro," she said testily. "I absolutely refuse to marry a child."

He stopped walking and she turned to look at him, eyes flashing in the afternoon sunlight. "I'm sorry," she went on, "but I am through with arranged marriages. If you don't want me in your house any longer, just say so."

For a moment, all he could do was stare. He didn't know how or why, but somehow in the past hour and a half, she had fallen under the impression that he intended for her to marry Himura Kenshin. A more ridiculous assumption he had never heard.

The corners of his lips turned up slightly, and when she crossed her arms again and lifted her chin with a "hmph!", he lost himself. Bursting out into laughter, he used his fist to cover the sounds of his humor and had to look away from his sister, because the angrier she became, the funnier he found the entire situation.

"No," she was saying, shaking her head, "No, this is not funny."

When he had regained his composure, he took a deep breath and rightened, draping his arm around her shoulder as they began to walk again. A few lower raking samurai noticed this and began to whisper curiously, never having seen their leader act so casually towards another person.

"My dearest little sister," he sighed, "where do you come up with these notions?"

She tried to escape his hold, but his arm was strong and her anger was fading into a slight aggravation.

"You said it yourself. You said it would be a good match and that I need protecting. Well I don't need protecting and an adolescent boy certainly wouldn't be able to give me the level of security I would need even if I did."

"Ah, clearly you have never seen Himura draw his sword."

"That's not the point, Kogoro," she argued.

"You were evesdropping."

Shousha sputtered out a couple incoherent syllables, reclaiming her speech with a huff. "I happened to hear a conversation pass under the window."

"You happened to be hanging out of the window, desperate for any information you could grasp." At her stunned expression, Katsura looked down at her kindly. "I raised you. I know your every move."

Not every move, she thought with satisfaction, remembering the troop of Shinsengumi parading through the market that morning. She had managed to catch a glimpse of Okita's cheery face, despite the other men who towered over her small friend.

"Well," he said, stopping before a storage shed, "are you ready for your surprise?"

Shousha looked around. "Is it a shovel?"

With two hands on her shoulders, he nudged her around the corner of the small building and into a small grassy patch of earth where, tied to a wooden post, was the biggest dog Shousha had ever seen.

Screaming, she threw up her hands and hid behind her brother, clutching the fabric of his clothing.

"What is that?" she asked, peeking around to look at it, but burying her face with a squeal when it turned its giant head to look her way.

"Ah now I thought you said you weren't afraid of wolves," Katsura teased.

"Yeah, the human kind," she said, her voice muffled.

"He's yours," he said, his voice suddenly soft as he rotated slowly to look down at her. "If you want him, he is yours."

Shousha eyed the beast, sitting calmly by its post, enormous grey tail flicking up and down. His tongue poked out from his massive fangs, but somehow, he appeared to be smiling. With a soft whine, he pawed the ground.

"He's tame?"

"Quite."

Timidly, she came around his body, inching towards the dog, her hand outstretched. She had no reason to doubt her brother, but also knew that wild animals weren't simply tamed. Sure enough, however, when she was within his reach, he gave her hand a sniff. It was a small sniff, just a curious as she was afraid, but then his tail began to thump against the ground furiously and he nuzzled his head under her hand, an invitation for her to pet him.

"Oh Kogoro!" she said, laughing as the wolf's big wet tongue slid over her cheek, "this is wonderful!"

For some time, he watched her play, simply enjoying the sound of her laughter. He hadn't heard it since they were children and now, as he made men spread death and destruction throughout the city in the name of the innocent, he was reminded of why he did so.

He had grown and changed so much, hardened by his beliefs, and lost to the choices that his beliefs caused him to make. He was an adult, a grown man, who knew the world as it was, saw what it could be, and accepted the consequences of both.

She had not grown so much, he realized. She had changed, that much was certain. She had adopted a cynical attitude about certain subjects, but she still viewed the world through the eyes of a child. She may have argued that she was a grown woman, and far too old to be wed to the likes of Himura, but Katsura knew that wasn't so. He would never suggest the match of course; he would never assume that she would take kindly to the marriage of a warrior, but there was one thing that she shared with Himura that Katsura found himself envying.

Innocence.

Despite what either of them may have seen, done, or lived through, deep down inside was a child, a child that though hidden by the horrors of the world, would never be forced to grow, or to change.

xxxx

Author's Note: Enter Ta-chan! His only purpose in this fic, I'm pretty sure, is this chapter. Sibling bonding *squee*