I'll give you one guess on who I'm introducing in this chapter. Also, one of my reviewers mentioned getting a beta reader. How would I get one of those?

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Chapter 9.

Kaoru shuddered fitfully in Shinta's arms as her eyes began to flutter open. She had passed out after leaving the warehouse. Whether from emotional exhaustion or mental exertion, Shinta had no idea. For a moment, Kaoru looked at Shinta blankly before recognition sparked in her eyes. Suddenly, she began to sob, burying her face in Shinta's shirt. Startled, he nearly lost his grip before tightening his arms around her.

"Hey, it's all right. He's not going to hurt you any more. Calm down." She nodded and sniffed a little. Looking up, she saw Shinta smile warmly. "It's over."

Kaoru nodded and grabbed his shirt tightly. "You scared me," she whispered softly. Shinta started, and then nodded. "I scare a lot of people, Kaoru-dono. I believe I will continue to do so. Your past is something that will never leave you, no matter what you do." He stared ahead bitterly. "You can't un-hurt someone, you can't un-say something, and you can't un-kill anyone. No matter if other people forgive you, no matter if you try and forget, your past is not something you can simply abandon."

"You were going to kill him," Kaoru said slowly. Shinta nodded, not meeting her eyes. "Yes, yes I was." He grinned widely. "But thankfully, you were there. Your voice was like a hard slap to the face."

Kaoru arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Was that an insult or a compliment?"

Shinta chuckled. "Treat it in the way it best suits you."

Kaoru smiled and leaned her head against Shinta's chest. She watched as the streetlights came and went, bathing them occasionally in their yellow glow. Trees stood like shadowy sentinels along the edge of the road, their dark leaves leaving a jagged edge along the lighter background of the sky. The weather was balmy and a warm breeze made the treetops danced gracefully. Shinta's steady heartbeat was slow and rhythmic, lulling her. It was so peaceful and quiet. Not even the usually noisy nocturnal animals called to each other in the night. Kaoru yawned and snuggled farther into Shinta's arms.

---

Kaoru opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Her mind floated between sleep and consciousness, as if deciding which one would be better. Sighing, she stretched before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She smiled, feeling content. Lifting the corners of her sheet, she noticed she had slept in her day clothes. She never slept in her day clothes. She must have fallen asleep in Shinta's arms as they were walking home, she noted dully. "He was so warm and soothing," she thought. Suddenly she blushed before pushing herself out of bed, trying to force the thoughts to the back of her mind.

A glitter of blue caught her eye. Glancing down at her bedside table, she noticed the ring she had given Shinta earlier. It lay on top of a note. Cold fear grabbed her. "Did he leave?" she thought fearfully as she reached for the note.

Kaoru-dono,

Sano and I went to the city for a bit. There is some miso soup and tea on the stove for you. Yahiko left a while ago to go work at a restaurant, so no need to worry about him. You're on your own for today, I guess. See you this evening.

-Shinta

P.S. No, I'm not leaving. Here's your ring back.

Kaoru sighed, before rereading Shinta's graceful handwriting. Grinning, she went to go get her breakfast.

---

Shinta groaned as he watched a small ball go around and around on a spinning disk. Sano watched it eagerly, a few dollars clutched in his hand.

"Sano, why did you drag me here? I don't gamble." Sano glanced at him briefly before looking back down at roulette. "Yer my good luck charm."

"What is that supposed to mean? Buy yourself a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe." The ball finally stopped in a small space. Sano whooped loudly and someone handed him a few bills. "See what I mean. You practically ooze luck, my friend. I intend to take advantage of that."

"Sano…" Shinta began before the doors to the gambling hall was thrown open violently. A beautiful young lady stopped in the door way glancing around wildly. She was thin, tall, and had perfect, black hair. Spotting Shinta, she looked at hissword before wildly throwing herself at his chest, hugging him tightly.

"Oro?"

Sano grumbled something about needing luck like Shinta's as the young women brought her bright red lips to Shinta's ear. "Help me, please."

Shinta nodded and pulled the roulette to cover her head. Three small, needled darts struck the wooden disk a second later. Pulling out his sword, he blocked two more darts while grasping the woman tightly. He swung his blade powerfully, slicing one of the ceiling's metal panels. A small man with two belts around his torso fell to the ground. The crowd of gamblers gasped and began to back away from the fight. The belts sported hundreds of small darts, two thin throwing knives, and a slim dagger used in hand-to-hand melee. The small man popped to his feet before pulling out the dagger.

Shinta shoved the woman into Sano's arms. "Here, hold this," he said swiftly. The small man suddenly grinned and lunged at Shinta. Sidestepping, Shinta allowed the man to pass harmlessly by before striking him a stinging blow on the back with the flat of his blade. He fell to the floor, hard. The little man rolled away suddenly and popped to his feet again, before pointing to the woman in Sano's arms. "Kanryuu will come for you again, Megumi. He will continue to come. You should have never left." With that, he threw a small pellet at the ground. Using the resulting smoke cloud, the little assassin disappeared.

The woman, whom the small man had called Megumi, pulled away from Sano's grasp. Pulling herself up slowly, she faced Shinta. Seductively, she slinked her way to his side, where she grabbed his elbow and looped her arm through his. Once again bringing her mouth to his ear, she smiled regally. "That was amazing," she cooed. "Thank you very much." She kissed his cheek lightly before pulling away.

Shinta didn't seem affected by the intimate gesture. "Who was that? Who is Kanryuu?"

Megumi pouted a little. "I managed to escape my…benefactor. He's obviously wants me back." She looked at the door, as if expecting more attackers to burst through. "I best be going. He'll find out about you and send people to kill you if I stay around to long." She glanced back at Shinta, who was staring at her firmly.

"You shall do no such thing. You should stay with me for a while if you are in danger. I can take care of myself." Megumi looked surprised. "But you don't even know me. Are you some sort of lecher?"

Sano chuckled roughly. "Shinta? A lecher? Heh, I can't even imagine him doing that. Nah, I'm a lecher." Megumi stared at him haughtily. "Thank you for the warning." She turned to Shinta, smiling brightly. "I guess I do need a place to stay."

Shinta grinned. "Fine, then it's settled. I just know you and Kaoru will get along famously."

---

"Shinta, who is she?" Kaoru asked huffily as Shinta walked in to the yard with Megumi clinging to his arm. Before Shinta could speak, Megumi put a hand to her mouth and laughed arrogantly. "So, you are Shin-san's employer? From his descriptions, I supposed you would be a woman." She paused, as if thinking. "Well, I guess, technically, tomboys are girls. You should probably get out of those sweaty rags if you want to even look half-way decent."

Kaoru looked down at her clothes. She had been training with Yahiko since he had returned from the restaurant. She was practically dripping sweat. She looked at Megumi sourly. "I'll have you know that I'm a very sought-after girl. At least I'm not flouncing around, hugging people's arms like I'm starving for attention."

Suddenly, the two girls began screaming vehemently at each other, each trying to match the other's tone and insult. Sano watched with a bemused expression on his face. "'They'll get along famously' you said. 'Kaoru will finally have another girl to talk to' you said." He snickered. "You're really bad at judging personality compatibility."

Shinta stood watching the exchange, horrified. "Sano, we have to stop them." Sano squinted. "Fine, spoil my fun." The two men stepped up and grabbed a woman each. Kaoru struggled against Shinta while Megumi stared angrily at Sano for stopping her fight. After calming to the two irate girls, they went inside.

Kaoru dragged Shinta into her room and turned on him angrily. "All right, you have quite a bit of explaining to do." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot expectantly. "Start talking."

Shinta nervously explained Megumi's plight quickly, hoping fervently that Kaoru would stay calm. Kaoru sighed softly before slouching and looking at the ground.

"Fine, she can stay. But she has to tell us everything. I won't be kept in the dark about anything." She glanced at Shinta. "That includes you. Don't even think about keeping stuff from me."

Shinta smiled and held up a hand, as if swearing. "No, I'm not keeping anything from you." "Liar." He almost touched his scarred cheek, but didn't. Kaoru grinned, satisfied. "Let's go downstairs. The little wench has a story to weave."

---

Megumi stared at the expectant faces nervously. "S-so, to stay here, I have to tell you everything?" Everyone seemed to nod simultaneously.

Kaoru held up a finger. "I don't want to get attacked in my sleep because you wanted to keep your deep, dark secrets to yourself."

"Yeah, spit it out, Kitsune. I'm not getting any younger." Sano leaned back, sucking on some Pocky. Yahiko couldn't have cared less as he helped himself to whatever food Kaoru had put on the table.

The old, antique clock ticked away in the living room, counting out seconds. Megumi's eyes darted around before she closed them. Sighing, she pulled out a rectangular, curved metal pad from her pocket. "Do you know what this is?"

Kaoru grabbed it. "It's a mod patch. Doctor's use them to help stabilize a person's DNA after mod surgery."

Shinta nodded. "So, that would make you a mod doctor? There is nothing wrong with that."

Sano suddenly grabbed the patch. "Hold on, this isn't right." He turned it over, examining it. "There's no company insignia. Those are required by law." He stopped and glanced up at Megumi, who was staring at the table, hard. "That means its custom made." He held it between his fingers, with a look of horror finding its way across his face. "This isn't a mod patch. This is a mod within itself. That's incredibly dangerous."

Kaoru twisted her face. "Why would that be dangerous?"

Shinta took the patch from Sano. "Custom patches restructure a person's DNA in a set way, regardless of the person's age, weight, height, metabolism, or the million other things that have to be taken into consideration. Many people die from customs because it overdoes the restructuring, their metabolisms are too slow to handle the patches' built in anesthetics, or because the patch builder has an ill intention in mind." Shinta stared at the patch, as if waiting for it to do something. "Megumi, what does this custom do?"

Megumi seemed to be sobbing. "Euphoria, ph-physical, an-and instinct p-procedures," was all she managed to choke out.

Sano and Shinta seemed shocked. Kaoru glanced around, bewildered. "What's that mean?"

Shinta let out a shaky breath. "Megumi, you must be a very talented mod doctor. How did you manage to fit all of that on one patch?"

"Hey," yelled Kaoru. "Answer me." Shinta nodded. "Euphoria, physical, and instinct procedures refer to a highly complex DNA restructuring. Physical attributes are changed, basic and animalistic instinct is forced over logical reasoning, and euphoria keeps the subject in a state of agitation caused by hallucinations. You basically reduce a person to a near animal state and give them drugs." At this Megumi sobbed and began to cry.

Shinta continued. "The person grows more powerful, reflexes and senses are heightened, their teeth and fingernails elongate and sharpen, and they lose control. The process is incredibly painful. And because the restructuring is so complex, it is also very unstable. As soon as the patch is removed, the subject could die easily due to cells rupturing." He turned to Megumi, who was sobbing uncontrollably. "Am I right?"

She nodded. "I-I w-was for-forced to cre-create them. K-K-Kanryuu thr-threatened the child-ren." Shinta put a comforting hand on her shoulders, rubbing her back. "Sano, put Megumi-dono in the spare bedroom. Keep an eye on her, for now."

Sano led Megumi to the room, her stifled hiccups sounding out occasionally. Kaoru sighed and pulled away from the table. She glanced at Shinta, who was staring at his empty tea cup intensely. "Shinta, what are you thinking about?"

He lifted his head, brushing carelessly at his red bangs. "I believe we should keep her here until this entire thing blows over." He put his cup down gently. "In the mean time, I think we should find her a legal job."

Kaoru nodded slowly, as if considering every angle of the proposition. She cleared her throat and held up a cautionary finger. "Just as long as she doesn't hang on you all the time."

"Does that bother you? Why do you mind?"

Kaoru's eyes widened as if startled by what she had said. Mentally, she kicked herself. Yahiko grinned. "So, hag, how does your foot taste?" He began to laugh at his own joke before Kaoru brought her fist down violently. Shinta simply smiled.

"Well, it certainly has been an eventful week as far. Is there any laundry to be done, Kaoru-dono?" He cocked his head, grinning like an idiot. Kaoru couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, there is a small pile. The washing machine doesn't work again, so use the tub." Shinta nodded, bowed, and walked from the room.

Kaoru sighed and let herself fall onto a small couch. Yahiko rolled his eyes and left the room to see what was on television. Kaoru dropped her face into her hands and growled. "Why in all the worlds did I say that? Does it really bother me that much?"

A rough chuckle startled her. Sano stood in the door way, hands in his pockets. "Let me guess. You're in love with immortal boy, eh? Well, if he could die, I guess it would make a good match." He flopped down next to her. "Little-Missy, let me tell you something important and don't you go and forget it." He pulled a metal toothpick from his pocket and stuck it between his teeth. "If you don't stand up for what you want, you'll never get it."

Kaoru glared at him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sano grunted and shifted in his seat. "If you really want to love someone, and you want to make things work, you have to stand up for yourself and get it assertively." He grinned. "Life ain't gonna throw you roses all the time. If you want something to happened, you have to work on it. Don't expect Mister Happy-Go-Lucky to do anything. I have a feeling that he's hiding something about his past and doesn't want to tell us." He put a finger to his cheek and tapped it. "Like how he got that funny looking scar. That was caused by one thing only. A dagger. But how did a dagger get close enough to him to even touch him if he had a sword?"

Kaoru looked at him baffled. "It could have been caused in his child-hood, couldn't it?"

Sano shook his head. "No, from what I gathered, he's been yielding a blade since he was a tot. Also, it looks too fresh to be from that long ago." He grinned happily, proud of his shrewd analysis. "Another thing, when he thinks people aren't looking, he touches it, as if remembering something big. He gets that real far away look, like he's staring through the walls."

Kaoru shrugged. "So, his past doesn't concern us. That's his business."

Sano poked her head lightly. "Kaoru, think. If he opens up to you, you'll make headway. Then, steal his heart. Make him want you like you want him." He rolled his teeth over the toothpick, making a slight clacking sound. "Then see what happens."

"But he's immortal. He's never going to die. He'll stay young and I'll leave him alone in the world."

Sano shrugged. "Love makes people do things they normally couldn't. If you want it to happen, with all your heart, then it will happen." He stood up and stretched. "Well, that's about all the advice I have."

Kaoru watched him leave and groaned. "I'm so pathetic; I'm taking love advice from a former street-fighter."

---

Yep, yep, Megumi is a doctor, but she's more cosmetic than illness oriented. Mod patches are cool. I just decided to make them up. A bit of a background, people will buy mod patches for different reasons. Mainly, they will buy them illegally for the drug like effect they induce. Also, custom patches can splice the DNA (as was explained), making for the ultimate disguise, fashion statement, or whatever other reason. Even though they are incredibly dangerous, they're hard to track, especially custom patches. The government can't put tracking devices on them because people expect that and destroy the trackers. And the animalistic people could have used a legal surgery or a custom pad. Again, no way to track them.

Megumi's pretty much the same, along with Shinta, Yahiko, and Kaoru. But, I did tweak Sano's character a little. In the show, he acts sort of stupid at times. I got rid of that. He may be irresponsible, but he has wisdom to rival Aoshi. Alrighty then, I take my leave.