A/N: Thanks so much to Aikida for beta-ing this chapter for me!

Chapter 3 - A New Master

Neko was taken to the man's house. "Listen Neko you are to do as your told. Don't think about running away because I'll send the dogs after you and they will bring you back in pieces." Neko's mouth quivered. Was this man serious? He called out two names and two men came running up and bowed their heads. "Hold her."

The two men did as they were told. One sat Neko down and hugged her pinning her arms to her side. The other pulled up Neko's kimono slightly exposing the bottom part of her legs before pushing down on her ankles to the floor. Her new Master pulled a dagger out of one of his pockets and looked over carefully. Neko could feel her heart beating faster and faster as the man started to move closer to her. Nervous tears rolled down Neko's cheeks and she was breathing so heavily it was if she had just run a whole mile. Her Master smiled as he place the cold steel on Neko's leg and traced a very straight line down her leg.

Neko cried out in pain. Her scream echoed throughout the house as her own blood dripped down her leg. She tried to trash and get away from the pain but the two men held her tighter as her Master ran the blade horizontally on top of the first cut making a T shape. Hot tears rolled down Neko's face running into her mouth. "No!" She screamed over and over as the branding continued. From the each of the two corners of the T her Master drew two shorter lines. The final result looked like an arrow pointing up Neko's leg with a line going across the top.

"Clean her up." Her Master said casually as he produced a white rag from his pocket and wiped Neko's blood from his dagger. "I'm going to bed." He turned his back on the screaming girl, bleeding on his floor.

One of the two men picked Neko off the floor and took her through a couple rooms until they reached an empty room. Inside was a tall table which they sat Neko on before leaving. Neko wasn't sure what to do as she sat on the tabled, her leg throbbing. Shortly a younger woman entered carrying a bucket of warm water. "Hello there." She had short black hair that fell to about her chin. She had ice blue eyes and seemed to only be in her twenties. She took a rag from the bucket and blotted it against Neko's right leg. Neko winced in pain as the women worked. "My name is Akina." She said as she looked at Neko's leg. "What's yours?"

"Ne..ko." She answered through sobs.

"Well don't worry Neko. You're leg is going to be just fine." She said wrapping a white bandage around the cuts. When the bandages were secure Akina picked Neko up and carried her to the sleeping area. She helped Neko make her bed and wished her goodnight.

Neko was running, running from the screaming voices coming from behind her. She was running down an endless alleyway. She started to run faster as a crackling laughter joined with the piercing screams. "Some… one… help… me." She said running out of air. Ahead in the darkness of the alley two glowing amber eyes shone threw. A smile was instantly on her face. "My angel!" She said happily. "Wait for me!" She ran faster and she could almost see him. Just a little closer.

"Wake up." Neko rolled away from the hand that was gently shaking her. "Neko, you have to get up now." Neko opened one eye just a crack just to see who was talking to her. She almost expected to see her mother's sweet smiling face but when she saw it was only Akina she groaned and pulled her blanket over her head. "Come on time to get up." Akina said a bit playfully as she pulled the blanket completely off Neko. Neko grumbled as she sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes. "Come on, if you don't hurry you'll miss breakfast."

Neko yawned and went to stand but a pain shot up her leg. She stopped where she was, half standing, afraid of the pain that would come from fully standing. A soft touch on her shoulder made her look up. Akina smiled sadly down at Neko then helped her stand. With Akina's help Neko was able to make her way to breakfast.

Akina helped Neko with her choirs until she was able to walk without pain. Neko was glad Akina was here but she wished she had never come. This new Master was frightening. Nearly every night he would return drunk and strike his slaves randomly. Being as small as she was Neko had been able to avoid his wrath except when he called for her. Then she would be the one to do his biddings. Sometimes he struck out at her but it was rare when he called for her.

The longer Neko stayed there the more things she noticed. Almost all of her Master's slaves where women, young women. He did have a couple men but not many. Some nights when he came home he would ask for a certain girl and when she came to bed later that night she would crawl into bed sobbing. Neko had only been living her for a couple months when he started calling for her.

"Neko come in here." He called to her in his drunken voice one night as she passed the room he was in.

"Yes sir."

"Shut the door." Neko did as she was told. "Come here."

Neko took a few more steps towards him and held her head down. "Is there something I can do for you sir?" She asked nervously. Something didn't feel right.

"Don't talk." He said as he staggered towards her. Neko remembered the night they had first met. She could feel his eyes looking her over. Neko tensed when she saw him raise his hand but instead of striking her he rubbed her cheek. Neko stood stunned as he gently moved to her hair and began to brush it with his fingers. "You were pretty." He said slurring his words.

Neko stood at let him brush her hair but she grew alarmed when he moved to her shoulders. Neko didn't know what he was doing except that it had to be wrong when his hands started to try to work their way into the openings of her kimono. "Stop, I have to stop him." Her brain screamed at her. Without thinking she opened her mouth and let it drop. A scream echoed threw the household as Neko's teeth bit into her Master's hand.

"Why you little…" He ripped his hand out of Neko's mouth and struck her across the cheek. Neko flew to the other side of the room. She laid their and spat out the blood inside her mouth which was a mixture of her own and her Masters. "How dare you!" He yelled at her kicking her in the ribs. Neko curled into a tight ball trying to protect her head and chest from the rain of blows that came from above.

As the beating continued Neko shut her eyes. In the inky darkness behind her eyelids Neko saw him. His amber eyes glowing like a beacon for her. "Please Angel. Please, come and save me." She begged the man behind her closed eyes. "Please, please help me." This became a mantra as the blows continued to fall. After awhile her Master began to tire so he left her. Neko couldn't believe it when the blows stopped but she still didn't dare to move or even open her eyes. Every inch of her body ached as she laid there trembling. "Angel, where are you?" She whimpered. That's where Akina found her the next morning. Neko was still curled up in a ball and was still trembling.

"Neko!" She yelled when she saw her. She placed a gentle hand on Neko's shoulders and Neko flinched. "It's alright." she said soothingly as she cradled Neko in her arms. Neko turned and sobbed into Akina's arm.

"He kept me safe." She cried. "Master beat me but, but that was it. He beat me but that was it."

"What are you talking about?"

"The angel. He told me to bite. So Master hit me, but that was it." She stopped crying and let out a happy sigh. "My angel."

This happened more and more. Master would call for her and she would bite his hand. The beating hurt but she knew they were better then Master's gentle hands. She tried to avoid him even when he called for her but the beating where even worse when he found her. Neko hardened herself she wasn't going to let him do this forever.

She was running, running in a grassy field. She was running so fast and she was so happy. She got tired and had to stop. She fell down and let the sun shin down on her face, catching her breath. She closed her eyes a moment against the blinding sun and when she opened them again he was standing there. He looked down at her with those eyes of his and extended his hand. "Run. Run or he'll get you." Neko took his hand and was completely regenerated. She jumped up She laughed as she ran with him. "Keep running." He told her. "Don't tire, be strong." She nodded as she ran with him laughing.

Neko opened her eyes to the darkness. She sat up in her bed and thought about her dream. She was always running. Running for some reason and just when she couldn't run anymore her angel would come and give her strength to run some more. She sat there in her bed, she had to run away. Away from her Master and to her angel. She rose from her bed towards the door. "Neko, what are you doing?" Akina's frightened voice whispered.

"I'm running away."

"The Master's dog will kill you!" Neko stopped. "Come back to bed." The Master had beat her close to death before but would he go as far as killing her? She didn't doubt it. With a heavy heat and a sigh she climbed back into bed.

So Neko stayed but she dreamed of running away. She would practice every minute she could spare. She wanted to make her legs stronger so she could run faster. She hated living with her Master and everyday she would look for the chance to run away. One day it came.

"Come Neko, we're going to market." Her Master called to her. Obediently she followed behind him. The two walked through the busy market of Kyoto. Her Master went from shop to shop buying things and giving them to Neko to carry. "Wait here." He told her as he went ahead and started to speak with a stand owner. They began to argue over something.

Watching as her Master's face grew red Neko's heart was lifted. Slowly she began to back up. She took one step at a time, no one was paying any attention to her. Finally unable to contain her excitement of possibly getting away she dropped what she was holding and ran.

The clattering of the dropped items grabbed the attention of her Master. He turned his head and saw Neko running. "Stop her!" He bellowed into the crowd. "Stop her!" He forgot about what he had been arguing over with the shop owner and took flight after Neko.

"Let me get away!" She pleaded as she ran. "Please Angel help me get away." Neko ran, her legs pumping beneath her. All her practice was coming in handy her Master wasn't catching up. She was going to make it. She was going to run away and find her angel but then a hand reached out and grabbed her.

An onlooker had grabbed the back of her kimono. The stop had come so suddenly Neko half choked on her clothing. Whoever had grabbed her pulled her back and Neko fell to the ground. Her head hit the hard earth and for a second Neko saw stars, when her vision cleared the red face, huffing figure of her Master stood over her. "No, please no." Tears streamed from her eyes falling in the dirt. "Angel come and take my hand. Come like in my dreams." But he didn't come., a hand did come but it was balled in a fist and it struck Neko's stomach. Neko curled into a ball and closed her eyes. Silent tears fell from her eyes as the beating began.

"Are you listening Himura?" Reizo asked when the teenaged boy walking beside him didn't even look at him.

Himura, Kenshin the Hitokiri Battòsai was never in a talkative mood. Hadn't Reizo figured that out yet. Kenshin nodded slightly although he really hadn't been. He walked briskly through the town his scarlet hair blowing softly in the afternoon breeze. He had his eyes closed as he walked. Now he opened them and gave a glance over towards Reizo who stopped talking and fell back away from Kenshin when he saw that those amber eyes were on him. Reizo was a man of about 23. He had dark brown hair and was whole head taller then Kenshin. He had his hair tied up in a topknot. The two walked in silence for a few minutes which Kenshin fully enjoyed when Reizo noticed a small crowd. "I wonder what's going on?" He thought out loud, stopping to look at the gathered crowd.

Kenshin opened his eyes and looked the scene over. It seem that there was a man beating someone openly on the street. The man had a very threatening ki but it didn't seem to be a swordsman ki. Kenshin's eyes wandered looking to see what this man was beating on. It turned out to be a young girl. Kenshin looked at the girl closely she seemed familiar. Wait, he did know that girl. He could feel his angry rising, he was going to give that Innkeeper a piece of his mind but for now there were more important things to do.

"Hey where are you going?" Reizo asked as he walked off.

"How dare you run away!" Neko's Master yelled as he went to throw another punch but he found his hand wouldn't move.

"That's enough." Came an icy and angry voice from behind him. Neko's Master turned to yell at the man that had grabbed his wrist but froze dead still when he saw.

The man who had stopped him had blood red hair, a cross shaped scar, and eyes the glowed with hatred. "Are you… the Battòsai?"

Kenshin didn't answer but the crowd gasped and took a step back. Some even ran away. "What are you doing?" Kenshin asked but he had a feeling he already knew this man wasn't this girls uncle.

"She's mine and she tried to run away." He pointed to Neko's leg where the scar that had formed was partly exposed. "See that mark. That means she's mine."

Kenshin didn't replay but he let the man's wrist go and knelt down beside Neko. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder.

Neko flinched expecting the touch to hurt but it didn't. She trembled a bit but finally built up the resolve to open her eyes. Slowly she opened her eyes and there, kneeling beside her was her angel. Her breath stopped. Was this a dream? Could this really be her angel coming to save her?

Kenshin looked into Neko's cat like eyes and knew that it was the girl he had helped all those nights ago. He gently picked Neko up. "She doesn't belong to you anymore." Neko clung to Kenshin's gi.

"What are you saying boy!" Neko's Master yelled forgetting who he was talking to. "I paid for her, she's mine! I'm not going to let you just take my property." Neko's grasp on Kenshin's gi tightened as her Master yelled at him.

Kenshin glared at the man and he shut up. "If you want her you can fight me right now for her." The man didn't move. Who would be foolish enough to fight the Battòsai? "People aren't property. Get use to it because when the revolution comes there will be no more slaves." With that Kenshin turned his back on the man and walked away. "You'll be alright now." He said to the shivering girl in his arms.

Neko rubbed her head against his chest. He was real. He was really real and he was saving her. She knew he would come and now he was here. She would never have to go back to that Master again.

Kenshin stopped at Reizo who stood with his jaw partly opened. "I'll be back at the Inn later." He told the stunned man as he walked off carrying Neko. He would take care of her first then he would take care of that innkeeper.