Hey, thanks to Midako. I assure you I did not mean for the fighter to have a picture of a mars bar on his sleeve. And it isn't cruel! I hate typos and I'd rather you let me know than just ignore. (Not to mention I know that some one is actually reading this!) And so Vielen dank.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.

Kaoru's POV

The past few days have been very stressful for all of us I think. I have not gotten a full night's sleep since I was attacked two days ago and even Sano has been more somber than usual. Of course, that's relative.

Anyway, in an effort to relieve some tension, I decided to treat everyone to a dinner out at the Akabeko. I was even nice enough to let Yahiko have a little break this afternoon, not that he appreciated it.

We started towards town a few hours before sunset. Everything seemed blissfully normal for the first time in a long while. Yahiko called me inappropriate names and I attempted to beat some sense into him while Kenshin made a valiant, but fruitless effort to keep the peace. Sano occasionally butted in with an asinine comment.

Dinner also went by uneventfully for which I was even more thankful. I wished that things could continue this smoothly, but I knew this was only temporary, a small lull in the violence I knew was coming.

We left the Akabeko just as the sun began to set. The sky was bright orange and the clouds appeared almost purple. Unfortunately, the peaceful evening came to an end, sooner than I had imagined it would.

Kenshin paused just outside the small restaurant's door. "I'm sorry Miss Kaoru, but I have some things I'd like to see to while I'm in town, that I do. You three go home and I'll see you later."

Sometimes I wish Kenshin would just say what he really meant. I knew, of course, that by 'things' he meant that crazy band of fighters and by 'see to' he most likely meant confront. Violently. Unfortunately, I had given up all control over this situation and it could not be regained. This was all Sano's fault, I thought irrationally.

"You want any company?" Sano asked casually.

Kenshin hesitated a moment, glancing at Yahiko and I. Oh, don't worry about us now, I thought, almost angrily. We'll be just fine. I pursed my lips and folded my arms in annoyance. "Ok," Kenshin said in that infuriatingly calm tone of his.

Ok!? He was going to leave us alone, just like that! I thought as he and Sano turned the opposite way of home and started walking.

"Good night, Miss Kaoru, Yahiko," Kenshin said softly, looking back with a small wave. As we turned to head back home, Yahiko seemed more than a bit miffed as well, although I suspected that was because he did not like to miss seeing Kenshin fight.

I briefly considered following Kenshin but I was dressed for dinner not action. Kimonos designed for street fighting. Going home was really the only option.

As we walked, my irritation faded and was now easily recognizable for what it had been all along: worry. I was almost physically sick with worry. Part of me laughed at that. Kenshin was more than capable of taking care of himself. But the rest of me knew that something about these guys got to Kenshin, and I doubted even he knew exactly why that was.

Sano's POV

We walked in silence for a while. Kenshin was a step or two ahead, leading the way, so I could not see his face. He was walking confidently and without any sign of a limp. I did not think the cut on his foot was particularly serious, but sometimes it only took one small annoying wound to change the tide of a fight.

"So what's the plan?" I asked once I realized I didn't even know where we were going. "Do you know where to find these guys?"

"No," he answered without looking back. "They will probably find us first."

"Oh." I cracked my knuckles almost happily. These guys were really starting to get on my nerves and I was anxious to do some annoying of my own.

Kenshin was right. After only a few more moments, I noticed we were being followed. I did not say anything to Kenshin; he had probably known well before I did. He kept on walking though, and I was sure he would not make the first move.

It was twilight now and the streets were empty. The dockside is not the friendliest neighborhood and the only people out now were people able to take care of themselves, thieves, and idiots. I wondered briefly if we fit into the first or last category.

As we rounded a street corner, we saw a single man standing in the center of the street. His fists were resting on his hips and he had an arrogant grin plastered on his face. I noticed a very small insignia of a black snake on the arm of his tunic. There was a sword at his waist.

Kenshin did not even pause but continued walking till he was almost past the man. Then, just as Kenshin past him completely, the man's arm shot out in a rapid movement. I just barely saw the flash of metal as Kenshin's sword sliced downward and toward the other man.

I exhaled slowly. I had not even seen him draw his sword. Kenshin's sheer speed and amazing reflexes never ceased to amaze me. The blade and part of the hilt of the other man's dagger hit the street with a metallic clang.

It had a long, thin blade, useful only for assassinations not combat. The other man dropped back and drew his sword as Kenshin turned to face the man head on. "Coward," Kenshin growled.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck go on end. Kenshin does not growl. But he had, and it was a terrible sound.

The red-haired rurouni lunged forward with a yell. His opponent dodged nimbly to the side and holding his sword down, deflected the attack. The man was nearly as fast as Kenshin and that was the only reason he had been able to evade the attack.

Kenshin turned and rounded on the man again. The next attack, Kenshin would not hold back any of his speed, and his opponent knew it. I could just barely make out the amber irises of his eyes by the dim evening light. Stay in control, Kenshin, I thought fervently.

This time, the other swordsman went on the offensive, probably hoping to catch Kenshin off guard. He moved forward fluidly with an undercut movement. This was block easily by Kenshin's sword. With a heave, the nameless fighter was pushed backward. He fell on the street. Kenshin took the step forward and raised his sword again. A killing blow.

"Kenshin, no!" I yelled as soon as I saw this. Then everything in the world seemed to move in slow motion as several things happened at once. Kenshin looked at me as if coming out of a trace. His eyes went wide as he looked at something beyond me. On a reflex, I turned swiftly as I felt something stab me through the back.

I grunted in surprise as I saw a small man dressed all in black holding a short sword. I felt the strangest sensation as I began to fell lightheaded. Without thinking, I pulled my fist back and punched the man in the jaw with all the strength I had, which seemed significantly less than normal.

The man flew backwards and landed in a heap several yards away. Suddenly everything around me seemed to spin uncontrollably. The next thing I saw was Kenshin's face. He seemed to be saying something but there was a loud rushing in my ears and I couldn't hear him. Hm, I thought just before blackness claimed me, his eyes are lilac again.

A/N: Once again, I must apologize for the sucky nature of my fight scenes. But hey! At least there is some action, huh? I'm sorry this chapter took me so long. And it's probably not even going to be posted until tomorrow. You see, the phone company thought that it would be cheap to use above ground cables, under ground. Now if that all that technical mumbo-gumbo means that they did a very stupid thing. So now, if the ground is too wet, I can't get online because there is too much interference. Smart, right? Anyway, it's raining right now; all part of monsoon season in Pennsylvania I guess. Thanks for the reviews, honestly I think I not have written this chapter at all today except I got two more reviews, and guilt got the better of me.