"Why do you boys always want to go eat at Akabeka?" Kaoru asked as they trudged down the street. Yahiko and Sanosuke looked to one another not wanting to have anything thrown at their head for their answer.
Kenshin merely smiled, "Perhaps they haven't yet grown accustomed to home cooked meals Miss Kaoru." He looked back at the other two who were nodding and thanking him silently. "Besides, I'm sure Tae doesn't mind all the good business, that I am sure of."
"At least now someone pays for Sanosuke when he eats," Yahiko laughed. The retired gang fighter grabbed him by the back of the neck lifting him to his eye level. "Just kidding of course."
"Right kid," Sanosuke growled lowering him.
"I'm not a kid!" he snapped back. The two started arguing as they reached the doors of the Akabeka until someone caught their attention.
A staff gently prodded the ground before bare feet marking the way around any walls or obstacles. One of the feet had a bandage wrapped around it leading all the way up the thin leg, although none could see that as it was covered by lose fitting black pants that obviously did not belong to the owner but fit nonetheless.
Most people along the street moved past, only a few stopped to stare at the girl with a thick black bandage over her eyes. She walked tall, proud, smiling at younger children who looked up to her. A large black kimono hung draping from her arms, bandages wrapped around pigtailed hair covering all strands, and a confident air followed in her wake. She reached a small quartet of people and stopped looking up.
"Excuse me, but would on of you happen to be Kenshin Himura?" she asked politely.
Sanosuke stared at the girl in curiosity, she looked right at him, even though she was asking for Kenshin. Then again, these days no one looks for Kenshin without wanting him dead or in a fight. Kenshin stepped forward to the girl, "I am Kenshin Himura."
"Ah good," the girl smiled. She tilted her head looking away, bandages continuously shielding her eyes. "I have been searching for you for quite some time. I wish to learn something from you." Sanosuke was getting very suspicious of this girl, she was being too nice and he knew it would end badly. "But seeing as how I don't think it right if it were given with nothing in return. So I challenge you Kenshin, fight me: I win, you tell me what I want, you win, and I go my way." I knew it, it was too easy!
He stepped in front of Kenshin balling his fists, "No way. You want at Kenshin you don't go anywhere unless you go through me."
"This is not necessary," Kenshin warned putting a hand on his shoulder, "that it is not." He shrugged off the hand bringing up his hands defensively. "I thank you for your kindness Sanosuke, go ahead, but do not hurt her."
"Fine then, I will go through you to Kenshin if need be," the girl growled not happy about the situation. "Let us not fight here, children and other innocents might be in harm's way." Sanosuke nodded, then blushed and agreed verbally.
"I know a spot, it'll do the trick." He described to her the place where he and Kenshin first fought and his zanbatou was broken. She sighed memorizing all the places he described and nodded turning away. "So that's it?" he laughed. "You think you can walk all the way there?"
She scoffed back over her shoulder, "I will manage. Meet me there as soon as you can."
"The fool following the blind," Kaoru chuckled to herself as they traveled towards the meeting site where the strange girl was soon to battle Sanosuke Sagara.