The characters of Rurouni Kenshin do not be belong to me. They are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, Sony, Media Blasters....yada yada, you know the drill =D

Chapter 2:  Companions Along the Way

A couple of days later, Soujirou walked into Kasume’s room and found the young girl tossing random things into a traveling bag. Her motions were hurried and agitated under the rurouni's silent scrutiny, as if she were plunging headlong into something but couldn’t stand the wait. During the week, Soujirou had gradually become more accustomed to Kasume's odd little quirks, realizing that she could be a giant bundle of contradictions. More often than not, her tone proved calm and incredibly sarcastic, reminding him a bit of Yumi-san when she was angry. But despite her sharp comments, he couldn’t deny the sparkle of humor that lingered in her bright violet eyes. Slinging the bag over her shoulder and slipping her sword into the saya at her side, Kasume spun around and found herself staring at a pair of dark eyes and a sunny smile.

“Where are you going?” asked Soujirou curiously.

Kasume turned a cool gaze upon the young man’s cheerful smile. “I’m going to Tokyo.”

“I see. Do you mind if I join you on your journey?”

Crossing her arms across her chest, Kasume’s icy stare didn’t waver. Instead of a kimono she wore a white hakama and navy blue gi made of sturdy but simple material. The dark hair had been swept back into a high ponytail, bouncing with the slightest movement of her head. “I’m sure there are much more interesting things you could do that would make accompanying me to Tokyo pale in comparison,” she replied.

The ever-present grin grew even wider, much to Kasume’s dismay. “Actually, I doubt that,” came the cheerful reply.

With an exasperated sigh, the young girl shook her head with a toss of her hair. “It’s a free road, and I don’t suppose I’d be able to convince you not to follow me. And it would be nice to have someone to talk to, even if he is a freak who smiles all the time.”

Soujirou shrugged. “Smiling is useful at times. You should try it once in a while, it might do you some good. You’re much too serious and distracted.”

“You overwhelm me with all your pretty compliments.” Rolling her eyes, Kasume brushed past a dazed Soujirou. “Hurry up and get your stuff. I plan to reach the nearest city by tomorrow and I won’t wait if you can’t keep up.”

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The sun hovered brightly in the sky as the two wanderers set out on their journey. The road through the woods was extremely peaceful, and the only sound was the chirping of an occasional bird and crunching of grass beneath their sandals. Sunlight filtered through the trees, warming the still air. The two companions walked in silence, both enjoying the sights and sounds around them. Suddenly Kasume stopped in her tracks, placing her hand on Soujirou’s arm, a silent signal for him to be quiet. She pulled her sword out of its sheath just as a group of men emerged from behind the trees to block their way.

“So you’ve finally stumbled into our trap, little rabbit. And I see you have a friend with you this time.” A lanky man grinned wickedly as he advanced towards her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. His movements were slow and predatory, reminding Soujirou of a hunter who had just cornered his long-awaited pray. Instinctively, Soujirou's right hand slipped surreptitiously to the sword at his side in a movement that went unnoticed by their would-be attackers, whose attentions were focused on the girl beside him.

“Don’t you ever give up?” Kasume questioned on a sigh. “Well come on, let’s get this over with quickly. I don’t have all day.” She knelt down in a battle stance, placing one foot behind the other and bending at the knee while she slowly slid her katana back into its saya. Soujirou looked on with fascination, her fighting style triggering something in his memory that he still couldn’t quite remember. Before he had time to dwell on the thought further, however, the man charged and Kasume flew into the air. Her katana was out of its sheath with lightening speed and came crashing down upon her opponent’s hand, causing him to howl in pain. She landed gracefully on her feet and turned to the remaining attackers.

“So who’s next?” she asked with a flourish, her insolent tone dripping with controlled annoyance.

The men all rushed towards her at the same time, but suddenly a blur of movement flashed past them. Blinking, Kasume stared at the group of men now lying injured on the ground before her and turned slowly to stare at Soujirou, who was looking at them and shaking his head regretfully.

“I’m sorry that I had to hurt you, but it’s wrong to attack women who are weaker than you. Maybe next time you’ll know better.” Then he shrugged nonchalantly and a smile crossed his face as placed his sword back into its saya.

“What did you call me?” Kasume's voice rose a whole octave as she glared at her would-be savior, causing him to back away and lift his hands in a silent apology.  However, the smile never slipped from his face as she continued her tirade. “I may be a woman, but I’m not weak and I certainly don’t need your help. I could’ve taken those guys myself!”

Soujirou continued to smile as he answered, “There were too many so I thought I’d lend a hand. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, you’re impossible! Doesn’t anything upset you?”

The young man shook his head in reply and watched violet eyes turn an even darker shade of color. Soujirou’s breath caught as he stared into those lilac orbs, detecting a faint trace of gold hidden among the purple depths. After a few seconds of fuming silently, Kasume finally threw up her hands in frustration and stomped down the road, muttering words like “freak” and “psycho” under her breath.

A few hours later darkness descended, finding Kasume and Soujirou on the outskirts of a thick forest where they sat facing each other across a small fire, each of them roasting some game they had caught in the woods earlier that afternoon. The night breeze was cool, causing Soujirou to wrap his traveling cloak closer around his shoulders. Looking up, he found Kasumi staring at him strangely from across the flames of their hastily-made campfire.

“Is something wrong Kasumi-san?” he asked her.

Shaking her head, her eyes continued with their piercing examination of the rurouni’s features. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you. How do you manage to keep smiling all the time?”

Soujirou looked thoughtfully into the fire, absently poking at the burning wood with a stick. “Maybe because I’ve always done it, ever since I was a little boy. Old habits die hard I suppose. Anyway, you don’t smile very often so I figure I could smile for the both of us.”

Kasume scowled, unknowingly proving the young man right. “I smile a lot! It’s just that you annoy me. And it just seems so unnatural for someone to always be so happy.”

“Smiling doesn’t necessarily indicate happiness,” replied Soujirou quietly, pausing to watch Kasume consider his words before continuing. “Besides, it’s even more unnatural for a small girl to be wandering around Japan with a bunch of thugs after her. Where did you learn how to use a sword?”

Kasume shrugged. “My uncle taught me when I was younger. He figured it might be a useful thing to know.”

“Does he know that you’re out here wandering on your own?”

“Well I’m not alone now am I? I’ve got you to harass me the entire way to Tokyo. Besides, uncle knows what I’m doing. He also knows that I can take care of myself.” She glared at him pointedly.

Soujirou smiled and easily shrugged off her veiled insult. “Why were those guys after you anyway?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Dark eyes clashed with bright violet and after a moment’s hesitation, Soujirou shook his head in apology. “I’m sorry for being too nosy.”

Kasume nodded with an expansive wave of her hand. “And I’m sorry for having snapped at you, but some things, Soujirou, are better left unsaid. Don’t you agree?” The young man nodded slowly, unwilling to pry further into Kasume's past without her permission.

With a wry grin, Kasume attempted to lighten the somber mood by changing the subject. “Where did you learn how to fight like that? I’ve never seen anyone move quite so fast…you’re even faster than…well never mind that.”

Soujirou shook his head in a vague gesture. “It seems to come naturally for some reason.” The shuttered look in his eyes warned Kasume to drop the subject despite his cheerful smile.

“Well never mind. You’re entitled to your secrets, and I’m entitled to mine, Soujirou-san. At least I know you can defend yourself instead of waiting for me to come and bail you out of trouble on our way to Tokyo.”

A sudden thought struck Soujirou and he looked up at the girl in front of him with a twinkle brightening his dark eyes. “Why do they call you “little rabbit” anyway?”

“It’s an old nickname of mine. My uncle used to call me that, so everyone started doing that too until it stuck. I suppose it’s because when I was younger, I frightened easily and was always jumpy.” She reached back to tug on her thick ponytail with a sigh. “Well it’s getting late. You’d better get some rest because we’ve got at least a few more days of traveling ahead of us. I’m going to bed.”

With those words and a flip of her hair Kasume stood up and made her way towards the nearest tree. Leaning back against the hard wood and pulling her knees up to her chest in a position that gave her a deceptively childish air, the young girl promptly fell asleep with one arm entwined around the katana propped up against her side. Soujirou continued to stare at the fire silently for a long while, trying to figure out why his companion seemed so familiar. Unable to pinpoint exactly what it was about her that triggered his memory, he finally gave in to weariness and fell asleep also.

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One week later, Soujirou and Kasume reached the outskirts of a bustling city. People walked back and forth as peddlers attempted to sell their wares. The scent of cooking food from a nearby restaurant was carried along on the gentle breeze, causing Kasume to breathe in deeply with a delighted sigh.

“Ahhh….Tokyo. I haven’t been here in ages.” She lifted her arms up to the sky and twirled around with a happy grin on her face. Soujirou watched on and began to laugh.

“You look like a little kid doing that,” he informed her.

Kasume turned to glare at him, an angry scowl replacing the grin. “Do you have a problem with that?” she asked advancing on him with her hand resting on the hilt of her katana.

Soujirou lifted up his hands in a gesture of surrender and backed up a few steps. Though Kasume could seem perfectly innocent, he knew better than to ignite her fiery temper unnecessarily. More often than not, he’d been subject to Kasume’s sharp words and acidic sarcasm while journeying to Tokyo. “I’m sorry, it’s just I’ve never seen you so happy. Is it because you’re glad to be home?”

“Tokyo isn’t my home. However, I do like the city a lot.” Kasume gave Soujirou another glare for good measure and turned to continue down the road. “Well I guess this ends our little escapade, Soujirou-san. Thank you again for helping me that night and maybe I’ll see you again some time.”

“Where are you going?” asked Soujirou, who easily ran to catch up with her.

Kasume finally stopped walking and turned around. “I have some business to take care of, and I don’t want you involved. Good luck on your journey, rurouni. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Soujirou’s eyes continued to follow Kasume’s gradually retreating form as she made her way down the streets, which were just beginning to fill with people in the early morning hours. So I’m alone again, he thought to himself, wondering why that bothered him so much after five years of solitary wandering. He wished he could take Kasume’s words to heart, but how did one begin a search when one didn’t even know exactly what to look for? With a shake of his head he smiled once again, turning around and heading in the opposite direction.