Summary: Kurogane's thoughts on his first meeting with his new traveling companions.

Disclaimer: TRC and all its characters belong to CLAMP. The themes belong to darknessversuslight on DeviantArt.

Warnings: A few swears. It's Kurogane, after all =]

A/N: The first theme is up~! (Way to state the obvious, eh? xD) My friends are joking about taking bets on if I'll finish all 104 themes or not. At least I think they're just joking. I have weird friends....

Oh, the theme list is on my profile if any of ya wanna take a look.

Edit: Omygosh I can't believe I got Tomoyo's name wrong -_-U Thanks guys for pointing it out ^^ It's fixed now =]

I. Introduction

I've never been much of a people person. Friends are weaknesses after all. That's why I was pretty surprised when I felt a kinship with the kid the minute I laid eyes on him.

Perhaps it was the feel about him. He wasn't your average kid. And the way he held his princess with such ease. The complete lack of fear at the sight of a new world. Even the position he knelt in. This kid had the feel of a fighter. Not necessarily one as strong (or ruthless) as me, but a fighter nonetheless.

Maybe it was the look in his eyes. A look of an unwavering will to protect. We both have people we want to protect. And they both happen to be our princesses. I could tell by looking at him he'd do anything – give up his life even – for his princess. The same is for me and Tomoyo.

Don't get me wrong. I don't love Tomoya in the same way the kid loves his princess. Tomoyo is more like... my sister, I guess. Not like I'd ever tell her that. I'd never hear the end of it. Anyways, my point is, I liked the kid automatically.

The white manju and the mage were another story altogether.

That stupid white manju was too damn happy. I found out later it also thinks so highly of itself just because it can do some fancy tricks. The damn thing.... I could tell it was too innocent from the start. Really annoying little manju. I knew it (she?) and I wouldn't get along. Not at first, at least. There was still a possibility that it (he?) and I would form some sort of companionship. A slight one, but one nonetheless. The thing was (and still is) damn annoying, though with all its weird noises....

But even if the manju had some sort of chance of receiving "civil" treatment from me, that mage wouldn't. Not ever.

The second I laid eyes on him I knew he and I would never get along. I'd never respect him, and it felt like he'd do the same towards me. This mage could never be my "companion" for lack of a better term. (I don't do friends. Only companions, and even those are kinda rare.) He was hiding something behind that carefree smile of his.

At first I thought it was just me being paranoid, or maybe my instinct being a bit too sensitive, but he proved me wrong when that weird tattoo was taken from him. As that witch took it away and he thought no one was looking, his eyes turned to ice. It was just for a moment, but I saw it. So did that witch, I think, but she didn't mention it. I didn't either. Even if we did have to travel together, I wasn't about to get chummy with some lying mage.

If these three – well, four if you count the talking manju – were supposed to be my traveling companions, it was just another reason for me to hurry up home. Even if I liked the kid, my hatred for the mage and white manju outweighed it completely. I was not looking forward to my travels with these guys.

"Was" being the keyword.