**Pechan presents the first chapter she was working on in this story!! Everything else, she had to write around it, and she can tell ya, it is HARD working on the middle and out!! In future, she'll just stick to writing form beginning to end. Plus, she doesn't own any Rurouni Kenshin characters.

~ The Kiss~

Ryu opened he door, and dropped the laundry.

He found that Kenji kissing his sister. Worse, she had her fingers digging into his hair, and her other hand clutched his clothes feverishly. Ryu gasped, then shouted, "MINA!!"

Mina opened her eyes, and Kenji 's eyes popped open.

Kenji pulled away, gasping, "Ryu!!"

Ryu lunged at him, "hrrAAAHH!!" and tackled Kenji.

Mina jumped back, still in shock. "Oh, knock it off Yyu! Nothing was going on!"

Ryu held Kenji in a head lock, and glared at his twin, "Nothing was going on-NOTHING WAS GOING ON?!! YOU'RE PRACTICALLY BEARING HIS CHILD!!"

"Hey!! Kissing means nothing!!"

Kenji broke away from Ryu's grip, and backed off, hands in surrender, "Whoa whoa, look, I see this is a bad idea and all but uhh, why are you so steamed?"

"Because you are a vile dog not worthy of my sister!!" shouted Ryu, brandishing a kendo stick.

Mina crossed her arms, "Oh, shut up Ryu!! Just cause I'm getting some before you doesn't mean you gotta get all psycho!"

Ryu growled at her, "Shut up Mina, you're lucky Father didn't find you!!"

Mina opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't think of anything to say back. Kenji opened the door to run, but bumped into her dad. She gasped.

Goro smiled faintly, looking at them. "There's a lot of shouting going on in here, for a futon closet. Is there a problem?"

Mina fixed her hair, "Dad, Ryu got hit in the head pretty hard, so before you believe anything he says-"

"KENJI WAS GROPING MINA!!"

Goro's eyes narrowed to the point of wolf eyes. He slowly glared down at Kenji. "........... is this true?"

Kenji could feel he was going to need a new pair of pants soon, "Uhhh.. w- well, you see, ummmmm......"

Mina jumped up, "HEY!! WAIT!! Don't get mad at him!! I KISSED HIM FIRST!!"

Saito's eyes glowed with anger. Kenji screamed, and Mina grabbed her Dad's arm, as he began dragging Kenji.

"OH DAD!! PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM PLEASE DON'T-"

"QUIET, Mina. I won't kill him," Goro said sternly, tight with anger.

Kenji flailed his arms, "Please, sir!! I didn't mean any harm!! I swear!!

Goro dragged the panicked Kenji, whole Mina tried her hardest to keep her dad from hurting him. All through out the house. In the end, Goro tossed him out the gates, and locked them.

Mina pounded on the gates, calling, "So sorry!! Call me!!"

Goro said over his shoulder, "If he comes over to the house, I'll kill him."

Mina sighed, leaning against the door, her lip trembling.

Ryu watched her, then turned away. This was for the better...

KABAAMMM!!!

Ryu fell to the ground, after Mina whacked his head with her broken hilt. Ryu snarled, "HEY!!'

"YOU BIG JERK!!! WHAT THE HELL DID HE EVER DO TOYOU?!!"

"Mina, he was a lowlife!! He's poor, he's got nothing on him!!"

"He's the kindest boy I ever met!!"

"He's a parasite!! He just wants our money-"

KTAK!!

Mina tried to whacked him again, but he blocked with his sword.

Mina growled, "Don't you DARE call Kenji a parasite!! He's got a samurai spirit!!"

Ryu scoffed, "Oh, so now every kind bum is a samurai in rags?"

"More spirit than you'll ever have, you spineless jerk!!"

Ryu grit his teeth. "Mina-"

"I hate you, don't EVER TALK TO ME AGAIN!!!"

Mina stomped off, flinging her hilt away. It sunk into a pile of dirt, and Mina slammed the house doors so hard, the whole house rattled.

Ryu sighed, "Ah, dammit..."

"Leave her be."

He looked at his father. Goro had his back to him, arms crossed. "She'l grow out of it. Like everything else."

Ryu nodded, and got up. "She'll come to her senses."

Goro looked down at the ground. Dammit, of all the boys that she met... it had to be the Battousai's......

~~In Mina's room~~

"Mina, honey!! I was hearing some shouting when I...."

Tokio's words died, as she saw her daughter crying on her futon. She had her blankets around her face, and was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh baby, what's wrong?"

Mina whimpered, "D-D-D-D-D-Daddy threw K-Kenji out!!"

Tokio sighed, "Aw, honey!! There's nothing wrong with throwing out a student! Daddy does it all the time!"

Mina sobbed, "But it was Kenji!!!!"

"So?"

Mina snorted, then squealed, "IT WAS KEEENNNNJIIIIIIIIIIII!!"

Tokio replied, her mouth a perfect, small circle, "Ooooooooh..... OH!! I see!" she patted her daughter's back, "Ohh, honey, I'm sure Kenji will find someone nice for him!!"

Mina screamed, "I DON'T WANT HIM TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE!! I WANT HIM TO STAY WITH ME!!!"

Tokio rubbed her back in circles, "There there there, it's just a crush, baby! You'll get over him!"

"I DON'T WANNA!!"

"Oh yes you do. Otherwise, you'll just sit around the dojo all day getting fat, eating because you're so depressed."

"FINE!! I HOPE I DIE!! THEN THAT JERK FATHER OF MINE AND IDIOTIC BROTHER WILL FEEL SO BAD, THEY'LL KILL THMESLEVES!!"

Tokio scratched her head, smiling, "I don't think that's enough reason to kill themselves, hon."

Mina bawled, "HE THREW OUT KENJI!! AND HE SAID HE'D KILL HIM!!!"

Tokio sighed, "Oh, did Daddy say that?"

"AND RYU!!!"

"Ryu? Now, that's surprising."

Suddenly, the door slid open. Tokio looked up, to find her husband. Goro looked at his daughter, then looked away, a bit embarrassed, "Tokio, it's almost dinner time. I suggest you start making it now."

Tokio frowned, "Goro, did you say you're going to kill Kenji?"

Goro sighed, "Is that what she's crying about?"

Mina sobbed, "I KNOW YOU WILL!!'

Goro crossed his arms, sighing exasperatedly, "FINE fine... I won't kill him," he sighed, and added under his breath, "I'll just neuter him."

"DAAAAAAAAAAADDDDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" whined Mina, before she cried again.

Goro grit his teeth, "Errghh, like listening to cats in heat-HEY!!"

Tokio had thrown her slipper at him, "YOU BIG JERK!! Get out of here before I aim for your manhood!!"

"Oh Tokio, this is childish. If you two don't stop now, how are Ryu and I supposed to eat?"

Goro sidestepped out of the way of Mina's flying futon. Unfortunately for Ryu, who happened to be walking by, was smacked by it.

Both women screamed, "GET OUT!!'

Goro gulped, and closed the door. Ryu threw the mattress off him, "hey!! What gives?"

Goro walked away, "Ryu, I think you should leave your mother and sister alone for quite some time."

Ryu wiped his pants, "Father, What's her problem anyways? The boy was a bum!! He could offer her nothing!"

Goro walked back to the dojo, "Don't ask me, I can never fully understand them."

Ryu held out his hands, "Well, you married Mother. How did her father go with it?"

Goro looked at him, then smiled, "I'm sorry, her father had passed away before I courted her."

He nodded, "Ah, I see." Ryu sighed, rubbing his arm, "I just................. I just want what's best for her. Not to settle for the first boy she can get her hands on."

"Understandable. But....." Goro slid open the door, and looked at his son. "Why are you so protective of her, Ryu?"

"Well, she's my sister."

Goro continued to walk, "Siblings fight all the time. Normally, they'd appreciate a good distance. But you are always around her. Is there a reason why?"

Ryu entered the dojo, as Goro lit a candle for some light. He put the candle in a paper lantern, making the light a little less harsh. Goro turned to his son, "Well?"

Ryu pulled out his kendo stick, looking at it, ".... A few months ago, when I decided to give up on the sword, Mother put it right back into my hands. She told me.... After you and she are.... uh, gone."

Goro watched him swing the stick a few times. Ryu sighed, "she told me all me and Mina will have left is each other. So I should protect her."

Ryu made a lunge, and then took another stance. He went through a basic routine exercise. Goro stood, crossing his arms, "Well, that's true to some extent. But, I'm pretty sure Mina can take care of herself."

Ryu sighed, looking at him, "father, that's not the point!! One day at the town, I saw these..........." Ryu felt uncomfortable about this, "I saw a girl in an alley being....... well.... confronted by men."

"Really?" he asked casually.

"Anyways, I jumped in, and got her out of there, just knocking the boys out. But......." Ryu looked away, embarrassed, "But her eyes weren't............. she didn't even say thanks. When I let go of her, she just sat down on the ground, wrapping her arms around herself. She was still crying."

"Most women are prone to crying when in shock," stated Goro, looking at the shrine in the dojo.

"But father, she was .. she was broken. And she knew it!! Even though I saved her, I ........ she still lost the . well, one of the most important things a girl can have."

Ryu struggled for words, when Goro simply put, "her innocence, you mean."

Ryu blushed, "Well, yeah."

"And you're afraid Mina will be put through the same pain, someday? Unless your there?"

Ryu sighed, "Father, I know she won't get raped. The point is, after I saved that girl's life, she was useless. She committed suicide a few weeks later, I heard. And I don't want Mina to........ break herself. You know? Get her... heart and spirit broken."

Goro nodded slowly, closing his eyes. "I see. I'm grateful you care so much for her, Ryu. It'll take more off my back as I die. Knowing you'll be there."

Ryu nodded, "but.. oh, she is so difficult. Even though I tell her it's for the best!!"

Goro pressed his forehead on the ground, in front of the shrine, and then he stood. "Ryu, do you know what women desire most?"

Ryu looked at him, "Ummmmmmmmmm..... love?"

"No."

"Money?"

"No."

".... A friend?"

Goro got up, and began to walk out of the room, "A woman most desires...... anything she wants. And trying to give them something they don't want only makes them madder. So, just lay off Mina for a week. Maybe she'll get tired of this little obsession."

Ryu sighed, blowing out the candle, "I hope you're right, father."