Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin isn't mine.
Chapter Two
Two young gypsies walked through the crowd in the capital city of Gaira. One, a girl with long black wavy hair that spilled over her back. Her blue eyes shone with freedom and joy. Her companion a young man, with shaggy dark hair. His dark brown eyes were more dangerous and guarded than that of his companion. A scimitar hung from his low belt. Both were dressed in baggy loose clothes, in hoop earrings and bandanas. People stopped to stare at them as they walked through the streets. It wasn't that they never saw gypsies in the city before. It was because the pair were surrounded by a feeling of mystery and freedom. For upon both of their faces was a smile.
"OOF!" A spiky haired boy about 10 years old ran banged straight into Kaoru knocking her off balance, only to be caught by Soujiro.
"Watch your step Kaoru," Soujiro teased his constant smile on his face.
"WHY THAT LITTLE PUNK!" A stream of profanities streamed from her mouth, she fumbled among her clothes. "He stole my purse!!" With a scream she took off after him. Behind her, Soujiro sighed. Here we go again he thought. Being Kaoru's best friend had its short comings. With another sigh, he began to chase after them, but not before noticing Kaoru's money purse on the ground. Kaoru could be thickheaded at times. It must have fallen out when the boy knocked into her. oh boy he thought. We're gonna have quite a mess on our hands if Kaoru gets her hands on him. With that thought in mind, he raced off after them, in an attempt to get to his friend in time to prevent trouble. His smile played on his face.
~
But it was too late. Kaoru had caught the spiky haired culprit.
"HAH! GOTCHA!" Kaoru cried triumphantly as she pounced on the boy, arms wrapped firmly around his ankles causing him to trip. "Give me back my purse you little punk!" The crowds parted to watch as the two began to fight.
"Get off of me you hag! I don't have you stupid purse," without even looking at her, he began to kick at her arms. Still holding onto his ankles, Kaoru was shocked. He called her a hag. HER! A HAG!
"AUUGH!!" a roar erupted from her throat. "I'll get you for that!!" She got up, hand on the boy's collar, raising him into the air, he continued to squirm and kick as she did so. "Ow! Ow!"
"Get offa me hag!" He kicked at her while in the air. "They're gonna catch me now!" In the distance he saw soldiers calling out his name, searching for him. ARGH! This stupid hag! Fine.. let's do it another way.
Kaoru blinked in surprise as the little boy stopped kicking her and began to cry. "Er? Are you okay little boy?" Her grip on the boy loosened. Sensing her hold on him relax, the boy immediately kicked her hard and scrambled out of her grip.
"HAH! You ugly old hag! That'll teach you to mess with Yahiko!" He turned around to run only to run head on into Soujiro, who was smiling down at him pleasantly.
"Kaoru, I believe you owe this little boy an apology." Soujiro smiled at his friend. He blinked in surprise as the two of them exploded at him.
"APOLOGIZE? TO HIM? DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID TO ME? SOU-CHAN?!?!?"
"I'M NOT A LITTLE BOY!!! I'M PRINCE YAHIKO OF THE KINGDOM OF GAIRA!! HOW DARE YOU!!! AUGH! I'LL GET YOU!!"
Soujiro proceeded in getting beat up by Kaoru and Yahiko. The crowd around them oohed at Yahiko's declaration of royalty and aahed at the fight. In a matter of minutes the three of them were exhausted and just lay sprawled out on the floor. Kaoru and Yahiko exchanging occasional insults. And a dazed smile on Soujiro's face as stars swirled above his head.
"Hag."
"Obnoxious."
"Ugly."
"little Boy."
Soon the crowd grew tired of this and went back to their work. And as they lay there exhausted from their efforts, Kaoru suddenly saw a shadow fall across her face. She sighed contentedly at the shade. But when she opened her eyes she was far from happy. A cold hard face was staring down at them. Behind him she saw a troop of royal soldiers. Oh boy she thought. She turned towards her companions and saw that Soujiro had taken a defensive fighting stance against the newcomers and that Yahiko was glaring defiantly at the leader of the soldiers. Suddenly feeling stupid, she too jumped up and took a stance next to Soujiro.
"Captain Enishi," she heard Yahiko snarl.
"Your highness," was the cold reply. So the little punk wasn't bluffing Kaoru thought in wonder. He really is a prince... Wow... who would've thought? Back to the present, she realized Enishi had turned his cold eyes to her and Soujiro.
"We'll take it from here. Thank you for detaining Yahiko. Now get out here before I change my mind and charge you for the kidnapping of our young prince here."
Soujiro looked at Kaoru and smiled questioningly. She looked at him and then at Yahiko. She was shocked at what she saw there. Beneath his defiant obnoxious face, she saw tears of defeat and frustration. He seemed lonely and trapped. She nudged Soujiro to show him what she saw. He smiled in acknowledgement before turning back to Captain Enishi and stating simply. "We'd like to accompany Prince Yahiko back to the castle."
Yahiko looked up at them in surprise. Kaoru smiled at him reassuringly. Captain Enishi exploded with anger. "YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING. You will leave right now, either that or accompany the prince back in chains." He gave the two his most menacing glare.
But Soujiro and Kaoru simply smiled pleasantly back at him. Yahiko suddenly interrupted. "No Captain. You will do no such thing. I am a prince of Gaira, and I say you will do no such thing. You will allow these two to accompany me back to the castle. They will be my responsibility."
With that Enishi stalked off, "As you say sire." He motioned for 4 soldiers to walk with 3 back to the castle while he walked off into crowd with the rest of his troops. As soon as he walked off, Kaoru burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OMG. THAT is just about the FUNNIEST thing I have ever heard. AHAHAHAHA!" Soujiro looked at Kaoru a faint hint of amusement on his smiling face. They continued to walk between the four soldiers escorting them back to the castle.
"What?" Yahiko demanded of her. "What are you laughing at?" But Kaoru just ignored him and fell into another fit of laughter. "UGLY OLD HAG!! What are you laughing at?" With that Kaoru stopped laughing to glare at him.
"Don't call me ugly. Don't call me old. And don't call me hag." She glared seriously at him, then burst out laughing again. "It's just that- 'I am the prince of Gaira. You will do no such thing. You will do no such thing. I will take responsibility for them..'" Soujiro chuckled and Yahiko fumed at her very good imitation of Yahiko. "HAHAHAHA! Responsibility and authority. YOU!! AHAHAHAH!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Yahiko turned red as he yelled. "I should have let him throw you two in jail. In fact," his eyes gleamed wickedly. "I still can." He turned to look at their reaction to that. And he was shocked at what he saw. For the first time he saw Kaoru and Soujiro for who they were. Before he had been too busy bickering with Kaoru to notice anything about her, and Soujiro was too quiet for him to notice him with the noisy Kaoru around. But as he turned around, expecting them to be frightened at his threat, he saw the free magnificence of their gypsy lives. He Yahiko had known they were gypsies, and he looked down on them for that. But now, when he saw them, he admired them. They were beautiful, and dangerous.... how he wished he could be like them.. but it was impossible. He was trapped by his father, by his position, by his home... he knew his brother felt the same way. Trapped and lonely. Oh how he wished he could be like them... free..
"Yahiko? Little highness? I think he's fainted Soujiro.." Yahiko suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.
"I HAVE NOT!! AND I'M NOT LITTLE!"
"Ok ok.. no need to scream... little highness.." Kaoru grinned slyly. She was beginning to like this little boy. Soujiro smiled at his friends antics. Suddenly he spun around with incredible speed, scimitar drawn, senses alert. Someone was watching them.. he smiled.
Author's Notes: Wow.. this seems like its a long chapter... seems. Well R & R! Sano's coming next chapter. I love Yahiko!