Disclaimer: Once again, Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me....

A/N: Well...... as usual, tooooo much work to be done.... sooooooo little time........ but I did mannage to update.... nevermind the OOCness (remember.... its a fanfiction..... ) so.... enjoy x

Thanks a lot for your reviews!!! Dianinha, I told you I'd go back to writting.......... took a while but I diiiiiiid!!!! Thanx so much for encouraging me!

Chapter 6

Indeed, Sano was feeling rather bad for all the trouble he had caused Katsumi. She was up all night, and probably arrived late at work this morning......................... not to mention that she's probably very tired. Oh man, I can't just show up ampty handed......................... he thought to himself as he walked up to the restaurant.

And amazingly enough, he didn't show up empty handed! Using the little money he had gathered from his gambling nights, Sano brought her a nice blue ribon, 'just something to keep her hair off her eyes' he had told her awkwardly.

"This was very thoughtfull of you, Sano. Thanks."

"Well............ I couldn't just ignore what you did............" he said.

"Tell me: wouldn't you have done the same for your friend, Kenshin?" she asked him. He blinked at that but answered straight away.

"Of course I would!"

"Then that's all I need to know." She said, smilling.

The truth is that after that day, Sano and Katsumi had become good friends. He found out that she could be very different from most girls he's known. That is, even though he had seen her as a rather interesting girl at first, now it felt more as if she was just another good friend.............. almost 'one of the guys'.

Surely, she was very quiet, always careful and a bit like Kenshin, but she was really easy going and, unlike the others who made fun of him, Katsumi actually laughed of his jokes and silly comments.

The best part of it was that Kenshin realized that and it actually pleased him that his sister was finnally able to have fun, even though he never really saw her smile like she did the night she gave him his mother's silver chain. Also, it was very clear that they were just friends, which put his mind at ease.........

Kaoru was also quite pleased with the whole situation. With Sano carrying Katsumi up and down, the girl didn't have much time left to spend with Kenshin.

In fact, the only one who wasn't too keen about Katsumi's and Sano's friendship was Tae........ for the simple fact that he was showing up at the Akabeko a lot more, which meant a whole lot of meals left unpaid for.............

The only thing Kenshin did not know, and indeed he would flip if he found out, was that Sano loved it when Katsumi went with him to his gambling nights. She seemed to have a rather good sixth sense and helped him a lot. He found it rather strange though, that for such a petit girl, with a pretty fragile look, (despite the sword she carried around) she seemed to feel almost 'at home' on those places they went........ with men drinking and gambling and cursing loudly. None of it seemed to impress her at all, as if she was used to that kind of environment.

One evening, Kenshin thought he should go check on Katsumi, just to make sure that she wasn't needing anything......... or maybe it was really just to see her, he couldn't really tell. He left the Dojo right after dinner, a time in which the restaurant wasn't closed yet but usually empty.

As he walked into the restaurant, he saw Tsubame collecting plates and Tae cleaning the tables, but no sign of Katsumi. She's probably in the kitchen he thought.

"Good evening Mrs. Tae, Tsubame!" Both of them looked up and greeted Kenshin.

"How's Kaoru and Yahiko?" Tae asked.

"Fine, they're great.......... ummm Mrs Tae, is Katsumi in the kitchen? I'd really like to see her." He asked, trying not to sound awkward.

"Aw, I'm sorry Kenshin. Katsumi left earlier today."

"Is she alright??" he asked, concern written all over his face.

"Oh yes....... Sano came here to pic her up, as usual." She answered as she collected some cups from the last table.

"'as usual'? You mean... he comes here to take her somewhere....... often?" he asked, concern turning into annoyance. He knew exactly where Sano was likely to go every night and that really did not please him.

"Well, yes.... I don't really know where they go, but he comes day in day out.............................................. Kenshin?

Kenshin was long gone, he had stormed out of the restaurant before Tae had even finnished her frase. He couldn't believe it. The image of drunken men, stumbling over his little sister and checking her out, and her listening to their outrageous language was intoxicating his mind! How could you Sano!!! She's a child for crying out loud! Or so he thought she was.... either way, that was the last straw!

Bingo! There they were. Sano looked up and saw the expression on Kenshin's face, he knew he was in trouble. Still, the fact that Kenshin's nature was peacefull guaranteed Sano that at least he wouldn't KILL him. But he had to admit he had never really seen his friend like that...

Kenshin stomped inside and took Sano by his Jacket's colar, dragging him outside, looking rather out of control. Katsumi was slightly alarmed by that and followed them outside, stumbling over broken glasses and bottles.

Kenshin pushed Sano against the wall of a nearby restaurant, still holding on to him.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH YOU!! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???" he screamed.

"Woah! Pall... what's wrong with me??? Have you looked in the mirror?" Sano asked nervously.

"YOU BRING A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL TO A PLACE LIKE THIS??? WITH MEN LIKE THIS??? AND GAMBLING! AND DRINKING???"

But as Sano was being yelled at, Katsumi seemed to be concentrated on something else: she was watching a man with a black hood, sitting right outside the restaurant where all the action was taking place. She wasn't looking straight at him, making sure that he didn't realize that she had seen him. She seemed tottaly oblivious to Kenshin and Sano.

"Dude, relaaax! She wasn't even drinking! We were just having a good time! Its bad enough to be stuck on the Akabeko the whole day!" came Sano's voice.

"IT – MAKES – NO – DIFFERENCE!!! THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR A WOMAN! LET ALONE A YOUNG GIRL SUCH AS HERSELF!!!" yelled Kenshin.

"Since when is she your responsability, Kenshin? You're acting very strange buddy..." he said, in a small voice, for his own sake.

At that, the black hooded man made a sudden movement, enough to trigger Katsumi's 'attack'. In one quick, swift movement, she had thrown aside all of the benches and chairs out of the way with her sword, pushed people asside and had the man on the grownd, her foot on his chest and the tip of her sword an inch from his neck.

All of that activity drew Kenshin's and Sano's attaintion to her. Both of them staring, not only because of her speed and sudden burst of violence towards the man, but because her's was a japanese sword, an assassin's sword...............................

Sano walked up to her slowly and cautiously, touching her arm and pulling it slightly.

"Come on Kitty, come with me..." he said in almost a wisper. But Katsumi turned her gaze briskly at him, causing him to let go of her almost immediately. Her eyes, not a different colour like Kenshin's usually go, but so fierce and penetrating that it felt as if it sent a bolt of electricity right throwgh his brain. He saw hate, anger... and, if he wasn't mistaken, a slight fear in them.

Katsumi turned back to the man, bending down, increasing the pressure on the man's chest, her sword firmly in place.

"Where are the rest of them? WHERE ARE THEY!!!" she asked him, over and over again, but the man wouldn't speak, he'd stutter and stumble on his words, but nothing would come out.

A moment later, they heard the police comming their way. Kenshin pushed her sword away from the man with his own, gently, and shook his head at her as she stared up at him.

"Don't let the police catch you here like this... with that." He said, refferring to her sword. Katsumi sheathed her sword and closed her eyes, her head hanging down. She turned on her heels and began to walk away. Kenshin and Sano followed behind her, all of them in silence.

When they were within a good distance from where it had all happened, they stopped and Kenshin turned to Katsumi, his eyes full of concern.

"Maybe I should hold on to that for a while..." he said as he reached for her sword. She stepped back, out of his reach.

"I don't think so." She said, looking straight into his eyes.

"Katsumi... thats a very dangerous sword you have... its a deadly weapon, and against the law to be carried around..." he pointed out, very carefully.

Katsumi looked down at it and smiled vaguely and looked back up at him. "Kenshin, this blade never touches anyone." She said. Kenshin sighed, looking at her.

"I believe you, and aproove of such attitude... but what happened back there prooves that you are skilled with a sword... and I wouldn't be surprised if, in a desperate situation, your use of that weapon took someone's life..." he said, rememberring his own experience with Tomoe. The pain of the memory could be heard in his voice.

Katsumi, looking back at him, tightened her grip on the sheath of her sword, looking slightly annoyed at his words.

"This blade is destined for one person only, and I shall die before it touches anyone else." She said through clenched teeth. "And don't you dare go there Kenshin, it is not your place... what right do you have to 'aproove' anything from me? I am not yours to keep." And at that, she turned around and walked away.

Kenshin and Sano, lost on her last words, could do nothing else but watch her go........... in silence.

A/N: there you go..... pleeeease be nice and leave a review ;; thank you