I'm back again, here to torture you with my third chapter! Mwahahaha! This chapter is, unfortunately, rather short. However, it puts some vital points out there for you guys, which is exactly what I wanted it to do. So, here is my short third chapter.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki, and since I have yet to set eyes on the man, it's unlikely that I will ever own the great series that is Rurouni Kenshin.

"IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T EAT IT!"

Kazue yelped and ducked under a flying bowl as it sailed passed, barely missing her. Sano, who the bowl had been thrown at, did the same.

"It's not my fault your cooking sucks." He commented, narrowly dodging a flying clay jug.

"YOU COULD KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT ABOUT IT!" Kaoru yelled back, continuing to throw various household objects.

Kazue looked between them, her eyebrows raised in surprise. Cautiously, she leaned over and muttered to Yahiko, who was sitting beside her, "Does this happen a lot?"

The ten-year-old chewed his rice, swallowed, and nodded curtly. "Pretty much," he said as he shoveled more food into his mouth.

"I see…"

Kazue slowly went back to eating her rice, thinking about the day's events. After her little bout of rage against Sanosuke (and Kenshin somewhat as well) she'd become quiet and subdued again, not speaking or doing much. She'd noticed that Sano had been keeping a closer eye on her, as if finally truly noticing that she was there. His stare seemed to bore a hole in her though, and she didn't like it.

As she turned this thought over in her mind, something grabbed onto her shoulders, and before she could turn to see what it was, a porcelain jar smacked her upside the head. Her eyes crossed and her bowl slipped from her hands as a large bump formed on the place of impact. She blinked and shook her head to uncross her eyes, then looked forward at Kaoru. The girl had stopped in mid-motion, another breakable object in her hand, ready to throw. A large sweatdrop was already taking shape on her head.

Kazue's eyes narrowed, but the look wasn't directed at Kaoru. She brought her arm forward, and in one quick motion, pulled it back and elbowed Sano- who had used her as a shield- in the forehead. Though the man did not budge, nor show any sign that the hit had hurt him (which it had not), Kazue still seemed satisfied.

"Kamiya-san's cooking isn't that bad." Kazue said, shaking Sano's hands off her shoulders and retrieving her bowl from the floor. At this comment, she received several raised eyebrows (Not to mention surprised looks from Yahiko and Kaoru, who had only heard her give her name). Kazue, sensing the looks she was getting, shut her eyes to them.

"Sometime, I'll cook." She stated, "Then you'll appreciate Kamiya-san's cooking a lot more. Trust me."

"And you said her name was…?"

"She only told us her first name. It's Kazue."

"Hm. I don't like her."

After dinner had finished, the group had split, headed for their respective places; Kaoru to her room, Yahiko to his, Kazue to…. wherever she went. Kenshin and Sano, meanwhile, were just outside the door of the dojo, having a few more words before Sano headed back to the row houses.

Kenshin blinked, a little startled by his friend's blunt declaration. "Oro? Why is that?"

"She just strikes me as suspicious is all." Said Sano, looking up at the moon, which was hardly more than a half. "Doesn't talk much. Plus, she didn't give you her whole name. Ain't that a little suspicious?"

"You're relying on instinct aren't you?"

Sano paused for a moment, deciding not to answer right away. He leaned against one of the supports, starring off into the night sky. Unlike the night before, small wisps of clouds could be seen glowing under the moon's light, obscuring the bright specks that were stars.

"Yes." He finally replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And I've got great instincts. I'm not saying to get rid of her or anything. I'm just saying to watch your back. She may look innocent, but I don't think she is." With this last word, he began to make his way toward the gate. However, before he could take more than a step, a deep sign rang through the air.

"I'm sorry…that you think of me that way."

Then, much to Kenshin's surprise (more than Sano's) Kazue appeared, hanging upside down, seemingly out of nowhere. Upon closer inspection however, both Sano and Kenshin saw that she was merely hanging upside down from the dojo roof. How she got up there…well, that was another matter.

She looked directly at Sano, for, thanks to her lack of height, their eyes were on the same level. "What have I done…" she said slowly, "to make you not want to trust me?"

Sano stared back at her, not saying a word. It was true that she'd only been there a day, and had hardly had enough time to do anything untrustworthy, but still…It was almost as if he'd seen her somewhere before, and hadn't liked what he'd seen. Then again, he was sure he'd never met her, so it couldn't be that.

Then, suddenly, Kazue's eyes grew wide. "Himura-sama?" she said, not looking down.

"Hai?"

"You may want to move."

"Naz-?"

Before Kenshin could finish however, Kazue lost her grip on the roof and was sent tumbling to the ground with a yelp and a crash. Luckily, Kenshin had that inhuman speed of his, and was out of the way just in time. Sanosuke sweatdropped as the girl sat up with a groan, rubbing her head.

"Gomen Himura-sama." She said nervously, standing and brushing herself off. Then, she turned back to Sano.

"Please don't hate me." She said, her voice a mix of apathy and sincerity. Her eyes held a sad expression, but not the kind of sad you would expect. She wasn't on the brink of tears, nor was she completely listless. It was somewhere in between, where it was as if she weren't sad at all, yet somehow obviously was. "I don't want you to hate me…I just met you. I'm not a bad person, if that's what you're thinking." Sano unintentionally twitched.

She bowed to both of them, though more Kenshin than Sano. "Gomen again Himura-sama." She said. Kenshin waved his hand and smiled warmly.

"Do not worry." He said reassuringly. "This one is fine. No harm done." Kazue paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"And thank you for letting me stay…" she said, seeming to shrink into herself as she spoke. "It really means a lot to me." Again, Kenshin nodded.

"You really should be thanking Kaoru-dono. It is her dojo after all."

"Hai." She responded before standing up straight. "I'll do that." She turned away from the two, waving over her shoulder. "Oyasuminasai Himura-sama, Sagara-sama."

Sano felt a cold chill go up his spine to the base of his neck. It was rather creepy hearing someone call him "Sagara-sama". It didn't fit him at all.

"Night Kenshin." Said Sano, again turning and heading toward the gate. Kenshin watched the man go, listening to the quiet bang of the gate closing behind him. Then, the rurouni too made his way into the dojo.

Kazue slowly walked down the hall, seeing only the darkness of the night all around her. Kaoru and Yahiko were already asleep and had extinguished all the lanterns. The girl tightly gripped her shoulders as she walked into the spare room that Kaoru was letting her stay in. She kneeled down on the futon, placing her hands on her knees and hanging her head. She mentally scolded herself for the impression she had made. Sano already thought badly of her, and who knows what the others thought.

"I'm not a bad person," she said to herself, just as she had said to Sano only minutes earlier. Slowly, she pulled back her futon, revealing a small metal object. She had placed it there earlier when none of the other residents were watching. She couldn't see it well in the dark, but feeling that it was there assured her. The others hadn't found it; that was good. Beside it lay five bullets, all of which Kazue herself had taken out. It wouldn't bode well if she tripped the trigger by lying on it.

"I'm not a bad person." She repeated, trying her best to reassure herself that it was true. Slowly, she covered the object with the futon again. "I'm not."

A/N: Well, I hope that was enough to satisfy you guys for a few days. Like I said, I know it's short, but please bear with me on that. Also, I know it's kind of strange, but I'm sort of proud of myself for saying this is short, because this use to be what I considered the happy medium. Anyway, please R&R.

Oh, and if any of you are fans of Inuyasha as well, might I request that you read "Fate Can Be a Good Thing"? It's under my screen name, but it's written by a friend of mine named Em. Sorry for the shameless advertising!!