-Ronin's pov-

After that speech, I couldn't imagine Toklata refusing to come along with me, but there was a lot more I wanted her to understand before she went skipping off, announcing to the world that she was a half-vampire.

We all walked silently back to Leigh's home, through the dark woods. I could tell that she was obsessing over something inside her pretty little head; probably what she was going to tell Kam's poor babysitter when the three of us showed up tired and bloody.

Toklata kept a completely unreadable face the whole way, as if she was sleepwalking…or maybe she was just really, really tired. One of those.

"Do you want me to carry you?" I asked. She nodded weakly, not making a sound, so I lifted her up and put her on my shoulders, and she fell asleep within minutes.

"So you've gotta take care of her from now on?" Leigh asked quietly, snapping out of her daze.

"It would be wrong to abandon her—she is my responsibility now." I sighed. "I told myself that I would never have an assistant. Vampirism isn't a pretty thing, and, unfortunately, she'll have to learn that eventually."

"Will she be okay? She's not…I mean, she doesn't seem like a very vampish sort of person."

"With a good mentor guiding her, she should be fine."

"That's you, then?" she asked, yawning slightly. "You're gonna be that 'good mentor' and keep her alive, right?"

"Not only that, I'll make her into a regular swords-genius! A…heavenly sword-bearing goddess! The rose of kenjutsu, they'll call her!"

Leigh gave a little smirk, trying to discreetly hide it behind her hand. I admit, I actually felt a prick of excitement at my own words—I was a mentor now, time to shape up and pass on elegant sword techniques to the next generation. And to this girl! I was already making plans in my head—her sword skills would rely on speed rather than power, judging by her delicate frame, and instead of a katana, she would use something shorter so she could focus more on defense, because she wouldn't be one for killing.

I would have company every day, too. And someone I could actually trust…this girl. Loyalty would be her strongest value, of course.

"Okay, here we are," Leigh said tiredly, breaking me from my musings as she pulled a key from her battered shop uniform. I hadn't even realized we were back in the small town yet, let alone right outside the door of Leigh's business/home. It's a wonder I didn't walk into a tree or something.

"Get yourself and Toklata into a room somewhere; I'll take care of the sitter."

I did as she asked after she opened the door, stealthily climbing the stairs and darting into an empty room, while she took her time and found her way to her own room, where Kam and his sitter were sleeping.

I heard their voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying between the awoken Kam's cries, and so easily ignored them, turning back to my own thoughts.

I didn't have any reason to feel proud now. But someday I would. Someday, Toklata would be a respected vampire, both intellectually and for her amazing sword skills. That's what I told myself (sure, it didn't really work out that way, but I had good intentions).

She stirred lightly and I took her off my shoulders, laying her on a nearby green bedspread, realizing that it was the room I had stayed in before.

What a tiring event we had all gone through. Leigh was lucky—her adventure was over. Toklata and I, however, had a long road ahead of us.

--

I had drifted off, and was awoken by several rather annoying beams of sunlight sifting through the blinds of the window, and the smell of breakfast. Toklata was gone, and so I grudgingly stood up, stretched (sleeping upright on the wooden floor hadn't done a thing for me), and tried to find where the wafting scent was coming from.

Down the hall was a small kitchen, where Leigh was hanging over a stove and Toklata sat on the wooden floor with Kam, keeping him well-amused. It was a pretty kitchen, like one that might be found in an old cottage in the Adirondacks, and it was on the west side of the house, so the just-rising sun didn't creep in too badly.

"Morning Ronin," Toklata greeted cheerily.

"If it isn't sleeping beauty," Leigh teased, turning around. Her face dropped when she saw me. "Ronin…"

"What?" I snapped back, rubbing my eyes and sitting down at the round oak table in the center of the room..

"Your hair…"

"What about it?"

She came over and yanked on a lock of it. "Nothing. It's perfect. Don't you get bed head?"

"I know you think that I'm gorgeous, Leigh, but we have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. Toklata, come here."

The girl looked up from her spot on the floor but didn't move (which would be her first rebellious act ever—joy). I sighed, not wanting to argue with her. "Well, fine. Just stay there. I see you're occupied. But you still have to talk to me. How do you feel?"

She paused for a long moment, staring blankly at the baby before her, who was happily gurgling (I despise those demons that the humans call babies, I might add). Finally, she sighed, "I don't wanna be a vampire. I know you don't kill humans and all, but…but still…it sounds…not so nice. I can't hold a sword and—"

"You'll learn," I assured her. "You'll learn everything you need to know. And you're smart, so you'll grasp it quickly, and…and still, you don't look the slightest bit excited."

"I don't wanna seem ungrateful, but I like my life as it is. It's not perfect, but…but that's just the way things are. I know there's nothing I can do about it, but I just didn't plan on suddenly having to leave, that's all."

"Well, I didn't plan on suddenly getting a kid, so we're even. But it's okay. We'll make the best of it…of course, we'll have to find you a wooden training sword somewhere…"

Leigh, who had been silently cooking for the whole conversation so far, turned around and lifted up Kam, saying, "Are you sure you want to turn her into a swordswoman, Ronin? Swordsmanship is killing, after all. Staining white hands and all that."

I gave her an evil "the-girl-doesn't-need-to-know-that" look, and the conversation ended there.

--

-Leigh's pov-

With that, Ronin stood up. "Wistful Eyes, I'm going back to the cave to grab your stuff. I'll make it quick, so don't worry about the sun—it's mostly dense forest anyway…Wistful Eyes, are you listening?"

Toklata, who had been twiddling her thumb with a sad expression, looked up. "Me?"

"Yes, of course you. Who else has a backpack in the middle of a cave." He left the kitchen and quickly tromped down the stairs, but I set Kam back on the floor by Toklata and followed after him. He was halfway out the door when I called, "Wistful Eyes? What kind of nickname is that?"
He shrugged. "All great mentors must have silly and/or degrading names for their assistants."

"Ah. I see. What was your degrading nickname?"

"Leigh, I'm trying to go save a very expensive flute," he growled, turning slightly pink at the cheeks. "We can discuss that later."

I smiled as he quickly shot out the door, very eager for "later" to come, so we could discuss his cute little nickname.

Meanwhile, I realized that the food was probably close to burning to a crisp, and rushed back up to the small kitchen. Toklata was forlornly shaking a rattle at Kam, who was apparently enjoying the event much more than she was.

I knelt down by her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be all right. Ronin, despite how insufferable he seems, will definitely take care of you. I'm guessing you're something of a daughter to him now. Just do me a favor—when you get older, don't let him scare off any potential boyfriends. That's something my father liked to do."

"I don't trust anyone more than Ronin," she said emotionlessly. "I'll be fine."

"There you go—be positive! Remember, what you told Konosuke applies to yourself as well."

Suddenly, she looked up, and a huge smile had cracked across her face. "I'll be fine," she repeated.

--

Ronin returned a few hours later with two bags. He handed one to Toklata, who smiled and pulled out a flute case that was in a sorry condition, while he began to rummage through the smaller black one, pulling out six small, shining throwing knives and examining them.

"Kunai," he explained, cautiously poking the tip of one. "They were my mentor's. They'll be good defense for someone as light as you until you get a good sword." He stuck one between two fingers, demonstrating how to hold them, and then handed it to Toklata, who mimicked his actions.

"Thank you," she whispered as he handed her the rest of them.

She traced a small finger over the tip, drawing blood.

--

A/N—Ah…what a pause! I was on vacation last week, so that's why you all had to wait so long. Plus, the story is coming to a close, so it's not holding my attention as much as it was… Only one or two more chapters to go!