-Ronin's pov-
Leigh was fast asleep, head on my shoulder, red hair falling messily in her face. I was a little worn out myself, but I didn't want to stop and rest.
I guess I finally realized how precious the time was. I felt guilty and ashamed about letting my thoughts drift so far away from saving Toklata over the past few days. And to add to that, I was suddenly sensing my late (my very late) mentor's scent—like one big horrid guilt trip. And, adding to the weight of the world that was resting upon my shoulders was Leigh's weight. Taking all this "time off" from searching for Toklata, what I really should have been doing was resting my wounds, not hitting on women.
The sun would be rising within a few hours, which would again leave me helpless and in hiding, while I tried to sleep in between Leigh's pointless questioning of me (pointless because I never gave her any direct answers).
I realized that the trail I was following was getting nearer and nearer to the main roads; not so much in the woods anymore. I didn't think that Konosuke would actually be right in town, but he obviously wasn't deep in the forest either. So confusing. I hated Konosuke even more for this.
I was positive he hadn't killed Toklata; because he still had good use for her. Besides, she was likable enough. Cute, energetic and naïve were the best ways to describe her, and it seemed that even a man like Konosuke couldn't help but see her as some sort of surrogate daughter at times. She wasn't someone who was easily hated, so I had to stop for a moment and wonder why Toklata was so lonely; why her mother pushed her away. It was kind of sad, actually, and I wondered what would become of her after I rescued her and sent her home. Part of me hoped that Leigh would offer to adopt her, but I definitely couldn't ask her to; she would have to do it without any hints from me, or I would feel guilty the rest of my life.
The only way I thought I could ever be truly content was if I took Toklata with me, but that was a reckless, stupid idea. There was no way I could do that to her.
A bit later, I followed the mixed scent of Toklata's and Jaden's blood completely onto a well-used road (this one was actually paved) with several dark houses dotting it on either side. I got an ominous feeling that told me I was getting so close, and another unwanted emotion crept into my stomach. It was a sickening feeling, like I'd just swallowed a huge chunk of ice, and it had gotten stuck between my chest and my stomach. I guessed that was what most people referred to as "nervousness." Intestines doing flips and what not (but for me, it was the chunk of ice, okay?).
--
-Leigh's pov-
I woke up that night to find myself unbelievably sore, which was the result of having fallen asleep while draped across Ronin's shoulder blade. He knew I was awake before I even bothered to open my eyes.
"We're really close," he said in a sort of strangled voice. It was at this point which I pulled both green eyes open. Was the Great Ronin Takoda nervous, or was that just my mind playing tricks on me? His hand moved to the air just above his sheath, searching for the handle of the sword that should have been there, and he shuddered at the remembrance of its absence.
I'd say that that was definitely anxiousness. But still, Ronin, nervous? I didn't think such a thing was possible at the time. I looked in the sky to make sure pigs weren't flying as well. Nope, none there. There were a few sparrows, though.
I guessed that he might've been afraid for his legs and the awful, battered shape they were in. They weren't a pretty sight. I decided I should probably stop pressing my weight onto them too.
"Put me down, Ronin! Do I look handicapped to you!"
"No, but you are ugly." With that comment, he unhooked his arms from around my knees and lowered himself enough so that I could touch the ground and land safely on my feet. Even after his wisecrack, he didn't have that awful grin on his face, which couldn't be good.
"What time is it?" I asked him, suddenly noticing how much taller he was than me. After riding on his back for so long, and being preoccupied at the shop, I just hadn't noticed his amazing height before. He was at least six and a quarter feet tall!
"I don't know," he sighed, a hint of irritation showing in his voice now as well. "I'm pretty sure the sun is coming up within a few hours, though. We'd better get moving. If you insist on walking yourself, you had better keep up, got it?"
I gave him a look that was (hopefully) very snobby and started to carry myself regally down the road.
"Leigh, we're going the other way," Ronin pointed out in a falsely sweet voice. I turned on my heel and strutted past him with my nose up in the air and eyes closed, but I could feel him smiling a sarcastic smile at my back. I'm sure it grew even wider when I tripped over my own feet several times and landed on my hands and knees, the pavement scraping my skin pretty badly. Ronin didn't offer to help me up as I examined my stinging palms (my knees didn't get scraped because my capri's came to just below them), but when I glanced up at him, he wasn't grinning wickedly anymore.
"Let me see your hands," he commanded, seeming very sure of himself. It was such a demanding tone that I didn't even think before extending my left hand to him. He crouched down beside me and grabbed my wrist, turning it slightly so that my palm was facing upward…and he…he…licked it!
I tried to draw back, but his grip was too tight. "Let me go, Ronin! What do you think you're doing!"
"Look at it," Ronin snapped, still in that absolutely frozen tone. I was about to scream at him, but I spared a glance at my hand and all of my protests died in my throat. The scrape had closed up completely, no raw skin, no fresh blood; only several light, wide scars across my palm.
"H-how did—What do—Why is—" I couldn't seem to get the right question out, so I went on stumbling through two-word sentences until I found something, anything that I could say. And the only words my lips could form happened to be: "WHAT ARE YOU!"
During my frantic spluttering, he had taken my right hand and done the same thing to it, and then looked ready to maybe bite my neck (no joke was intended there, seriously). But after I said those three simple words, he blinked at me several times and then narrowed his wolf-like eyes, as if trying to read something written in very small lettering across my face.
"Ah…sorry, Ronin!" I sang in a high-pitched voice (one I use out of, of course, nervousness). "I don't know what came over me! It's silly!"
He nodded his head slowly, his cloudy expression clearing up a bit. "Come on! You're wasting time, Leigh! Get up, let's go!"
So, by now the stupid jerk had succeeded only in making us both uneasy.
--
-Third Person pov, Konosuke's House-
Sleep was slow-coming that night, like it always was on Christmas Eve (and well into Christmas morning). This wasn't to say that she wasn't tired. In fact, her head was going fuzzy with all sorts of ridiculous ideas from her drowsiness, but on this particular night, Toklata Samson was a nine-year-old insomniac.
She was both bored and anxious as she lay in the darkness, worrying over Ronin and Konosuke both. In her mind, neither one really needed to die; not her newfound friend, nor her kidnapper. Throughout the past however-many days, she had seen first-hand that the two men weren't what they made each other out to be. Ronin wasn't a foul, soulless leech; while Konosuke wasn't a coldhearted, child-beating (at least not most of the time) demon. But how to make the two of them see that…well, she'd been up all night trying to figure that one out between her skittishness and sleepiness.
She sat up in her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, watching how the moon illuminated the ground, before a sudden cloud would throw the world into a deeper darkness for a few minutes. Just like how Konosuke was casting a dark shadow over Ronin's life. Then again…what life? Ronin hadn't cared for much before this incident. Was it possible that some trauma could be good for him?
Toklata brushed away those heavy thoughts, turning to lighter matters, like what to make for lunch if ever asked to again (something with fruit was her automatic decision).
Konosuke too was having a completely sleepless night. After having woken up to Toklata's light footsteps several hours before, sleep was an impossible and irresponsible choice. The vampire would most likely be showing up sometime soon, and drowsiness could very well mean death. He made a decision to only sleep during the day from that point on
With this in mind, he wandered the house and yard to keep himself awake, finally finding his way to Toklata's room to check up on her.
Toklata could hear his footsteps from behind the door. Closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, she feigned sleep, not in the mood for his questions when she had so many of her own to ask. Unfortunately, her amateur act didn't fool the hunter in the slightest, and he snapped at her.
"Nice try, but I'm not stupid." She closed her eyes even tighter. "Hey, I know you're awake, girlie, so drop the act." Konosuke flipped the light on and Toklata's arm rushed up to her face in order to give her eyes a bit more cover.
"What?" she groaned, flipping her body over and shoving her head into a pillow. "What do you want?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to point out that you should never become an actress. So why aren't you asleep?"
She pressed her face deeper into the fluffy yellow pillow. "Because," came her muffled reply, "you're standing there in the doorway talking to me."
"Don't be a smart-ass. You know what I mean."
She sighed and lifted her head off of the pillow. "I don't know, I just can't sleep! I'm so worried about Ronin! Why are you up, huh?"
Konosuke ignored her question and went back to the statement she made before it, sitting at the edge of her bed and taking on a defiant, overly protective tone. "That sure is sweet, but you can't mean it. I've heard of young girls having crushes on movie stars and things like that, but never a vampire. What's wrong with you?"
"A-a crush?" she stammered, feeling her face redden slightly. "On Ronin? Th-that's so stupid; you're so stupid!"
Konosuke grinned. "That's why your face is so flushed, then, riiight? Because you're embarrassed by my stupidity, riiight?"
"Right," she confirmed with a quick nod of her head. Konosuke gave a dark, skeptical laugh and stood up, leaving Toklata to try to hide her red face and deny facts for as long as she wished. He took a final look at her un-amused face and switched off the lights.
--
-Ronin's pov-
I stared at the house in front of me. No, no way. I had to be some kind of trick. But still…this was where the trail of blood had led me. And why would Konosuke want to hinder me even more? How long did he want to have to take care of Toklata?
"Um…I…I think it's a very cute house," Leigh suggested. Then, "You're sure you have the right place? The guy who shot you and kidnapped the girl?"
"Well, it certainly has his stench on it," I observed, picking out his odd scent between Toklata's and Jaden's blood. "So what, do we just burst in?"
"Maybe we should think up a plan, genius." I didn't really like the sarcasm in her tone, and decided I'd have to get her back for it later. "Or can you only think with your…ah… lower half?"
"Here's an idea," I snapped. "Why don't you go knock and ask politely if this is the home of the president of the 'I Hate Ronin Takoda' club? You think that'd work? Maybe we should see if he would kidnap you too? Except I certainly wouldn't be coming to save you."
She folded her arms over her chest and gave me this exasperated look, as if warning me to shut up before she decided to call, "Hey, Mr. Konosuke, look who I've brought! Your buddy Ronin Takoda!"
"Why don't we wait until the daylight? I can pretend to be selling something, and you can hide in the forest or, like, whatever. Just to double check?"
"Go for it, Leigh," I yawned, guiltily happy to know that this plan would give me a good day's sleep. "I'll go find a tree now. Luck!"
"Moron! I'll be with you until the sun rises!"
I groaned.
--
A/N: I tried to write this one faster and better than the last chapter, and longer too. Hope it worked.