The air blew crisp across his face, and he smiled as he saw the sun showing fair glimmers through the trees. It was a cool morning, the kind that he loved for thinking, because it wasn�t too warm nor too chilly. Drastic temperature changes tended to distract from the thought process, and he hated that. But when it was like this in the morning, cool, with sunlight streaming through the trees to provide sufficient heat... it was bliss.

He liked it in the morning, especially, because there were no people around to interrupt him when he was thinking. Not that he didn�t like the people that he was traveling with, after all, they were his good friends, but sometimes... well, sometimes one needed to be alone. Alone to think, alone to ponder, alone to simply make amends with oneself. He liked to think, it was obvious, but it was hard to think with many people coming and speaking to him. So, to solve that problem, he woke up early, he walked, and he thought.

On this morning, though, he wasn�t drawn into his thoughts like usual. It happened often, truthfully, that he would simply go on a normal walk and wouldn�t truly dwell on anything at all. But he would notice simple things, from the streams of sunlight breaking through the trees to the smooth, insistent sound of running water in the small ravine. In those sounds, he would usually find peace, so he didn�t mind that he had nothing to think about.

He frowned a little as the wind began to pick up a bit, a bit irked that the peaceful calm of the morning was to be disturbed. There wasn�t much he could do about it, true, but it was a little annoying to feel the breeze blow his hair into his face. The strands of hair would blow around and tangle, not to mention get into his eyes, which was one of the things that annoyed him to no end. He wasn�t that upset, because the wind wasn�t that bad; it was just different from the calm peace from before. It wasn�t as if he was cold, because he had long sleeves and pants, so he would be fine. It was still a nice morning.

He walked further, noting that he was getting a bit too far from camp. It wasn�t that he wouldn�t know his way back, no, but he wasn�t exactly prepared for being attacked, if he was. It wasn�t all that safe for him to be walking about like this, especially considering the struggles that he and his friends were going through at this point in time. Truthfully, it wasn�t all that smart for him to be walking off in the morning, but he was beyond caring right then. He was happy, and he didn�t want to stay at camp for the entire time that they were on the journey. Besides, it wasn�t all that likely that he would be attacked this early in the morning.

The wind blew especially hard just then, and he frowned as he felt his hair tie coming loose. Reaching his hands up to retie his hair, he realized that the wind wasn�t letting up. Because of this, his hair blew everywhere, not letting him tie it up again. Frowning and biting his lip, he tried harder to put it up, but it was hard to control his hair and wrap his tie around the hair at the same time. He was having a hard time trying to keep his hair in his hand; it was so thick, and the wind continued its attack.

Just as he was ready to give up, he felt a hand cover his own, and another hand was holding his hair back. The hand was gentle, so he didn�t fear, but he was curious as he felt the two hands deftly tie his hair back. Slowly, he took his hand down, his tie still held loosely in it, and waited patiently as the person behind him finished whatever they were doing. As he felt the hands fall away, he held one of his hands up to feel his hair, and was pleasantly surprised to see his hair back in its original ponytail. It was held back with a tighter band, one that was definitely not going to fall out easily.

Turning around to see the person that helped him, he smiled and said, �Thank you.�

�No problem.� the person replied, and it was then that he realized that it was a young girl - older than he was, but not by all that much. �You looked like you were having a bit of trouble.�

�I was.� he replied honestly, giving the girl a look-over. She was taller than him by at least four inches or so, and she had blond-brown hair that came to just below her ears. She had a pleasant smile on her face, but he could see that she was more serious than most girls her age. Her blue eyes were shrouded in sadness, worry, and loneliness; apparently, she thought that she could hide it behind a smile, but it wasn�t enough to fool him. He was used to seeing behind people�s outward appearances and trying to see how they really felt. �The wind just picked up right then, and I don�t think that I tied my hair tight enough.�

�I don�t know why I had that hair band with me.� the girl said simply, answering an unasked question. Gesturing towards her shortly cut hair, she continued, �It�s not like I�d be able to use it at all, considering. It was something that I just had on me, you know?�

He nodded at her assumption, and watched as she leaned against a tree nearby. He briefly wondered if he should respond, but the blond girl continued, saying, �It�s a nice morning, isn�t it? I like mornings like this. They aren�t cold or hot, but they let you think.� The girl cast him a glance, her blue eyes slightly curious. �Is that what you were doing? Thinking?�

�Yes.� he replied honestly, smiling slightly in embarrassment. �It�s easier to do it in the morning, before everyone wakes up, because after that, there is always someone there. But sometimes I need to be alone to think about things. Is that how you feel?�

�Yes,� the girl responded, but that was the last thing she said. The area around them fell silent as neither spoke, but it was obvious that they both were thinking about something or another, and he knew that she was most likely thinking about how she herself had wanted to get away for awhile, like he had.

�Um...,� he began, not liking the uncomfortable silence that overcame the area. �May I ask you a question?�

The girl looked up, her blue eyes still looking wounded and upset. Quickly, she covered her emotions up with a calm look and a soft smile, but he had seen the look, and he knew what it meant. �What is it?�

�Why are you so sad?� he asked simply.

The look on her face was one of surprise, mainly, as she was sure that she had not done anything to reveal her emotions. Slowly, the look faded into one of acceptance; she knew that it wouldn�t matter to tell him what was wrong. But she didn�t speak, and he was a bit upset with that, because he was truly curious as to why she looked so hurt.

�Is it all right?� he asked, a bit abashed at his own straightforwardness. �I apologize for asking, if you don�t wish to tell me.�

�That�s all right.� the older girl said back, crossing her arms in front of her chest and scuffing one foot in the dirt below. She looked down for a moment before starting, as if to collect her thoughts, and then she said, �I don�t know why I�m upset, really. I guess that I just feel lost.�

�Lost?�

�Yeah, like I don�t know where I am or what I�m doing.� The girl�s eyes were downcast, so he couldn�t see them, but he had heard a bit of a break in her voice. Was she going to cry? He wouldn�t like it if she did, because he wasn�t much in the way of comforting people. �I�ll spare you the gruesome details, but it�s really strange. I just feel so confused sometimes, like I don�t even really matter, it�s just the fact that I�m there to do something. Almost as if it doesn�t matter who I am, as a person, but moreso, what I am. And everything keeps coming at me so fast, and I don�t know what to do.�

�Oh,� he said simply, not knowing how to respond to such a sorrowful statement. He said, �Do you know what you want, though?�

�What I want?� the girl asked, more to herself than to him. She laughed; a harsh, cold laugh, not cheerful in the slightest bit. �I want to go back to my home, where I was before. I was okay, there. I knew who I was, what I was, what I needed to do to make everything right. Now I don�t. Now I almost feel like I�m a puppet in someone�s silly game, like I�m a pawn being directed on a chess board. I don�t like not knowing what�s going on.�

�I don�t know what to say.� he replied honestly, empathetic with her. It must be hard for her, if she was so far away from what she knew and loved. To be thrust into a situation that she isn�t familiar with so suddenly, it would be difficult - he couldn�t blame her for her fears. �I�m away from my home, too.�

The girl looked up, her eyes (which, as he noticed now, were an interesting mix of blue and gray) having widened. She had obviously not expected a response like that, and she replied, �You are, too?�

�Yes,� he said, smiling a bit at her reaction. �I�m traveling with some of my friends - I won�t divulge the details - and I understand why you felt that you needed to get away. Sometimes I do too, just because there are times that even the best of friends cannot replace a little bit of solitude.�

The girl looked at him, looking a little confused at first, but then smiling. �You�re some kind of prodigy or something, aren�t you? How old are you anyway?�

�I�m thirteen. I know I look a lot younger, though;� he replied with a smile, and continued, �I suppose that I am a prodigy, but really, I�m not that much different from anyone else.�

The girl opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by the sound of a low horn, a common awakening call. The girl gave him a small smile, and said, �I�d better get going, or the people that I�m with are going to get angry. It was nice talking to you, though.�

�Yes, it was.� he replied quietly, bowing politely as she turned to leave, �I hope to see you again sometime.�

�Doubtful, but... well, you never know.� the girl said pleasantly, and he was happy to see that she wasn�t looking as down as she had been. She turned to leave, but paused before making it completely around, and then looked back. �That reminds me, though - we never did introduce ourselves, did we?�

As he shook his head, the girl smiled, saying, �Well, why don�t we do that now. My name is Hongo Yui, how about you?�

He smiled at her name, but was a bit taken aback as he remembered hearing her name before - because it was the name of the Seiryuu no miko. As he remembered this, he paused, but not enough to show that he knew her (albeit indirectly). After a moments pause, he smiled, saying, �My name is Ou Doukun. I�m very pleased to meet you, Yui-san.�

�Me, too, Doukun.� the girl, Yui, replied, and she bowed slightly back to him. �I feel a bit stupid for talking so much, but I�m glad that you listened. It was nice to have someone to talk to, even if we both did come out here in search of solitude.�

�You�re right.� he replied to her, a larger smile crossing his face. �That�s kind of ironic, don�t you think? That we both wanted silence, but found friendship?�

Yui smiled at him, shaking her head. �That�s a little too poetic for me, but you�re right. You want to know another thing that�s ironic?�

�What?� he asked.

Yui turned again to leave, but not before saying her piece. �Well, introductions are supposed to happened at the beginning of a conversation, but ours came at the end. It�s kind of funny, if you think about it.�

He smiled at her observation, and said, �Maybe we�ll see each other again, Yui-san.�

�Yeah, maybe.� Yui said over her shoulder, walking away, �Goodbye, Doukun.�

�Goodbye, Yui-san.� he replied quietly, and watched as she became smaller to his eyes, and eventually faded out of sight. For awhile, he stood there, pondering upon the fact that he had just spoken, and even had an interesting conversation with his own true enemy, and hadn�t even known it.

He frowned a bit, concerned with what it meant, but it was only as he began to walk back to his own camp that he truly started to understand it. It wasn�t the fact that she had been the enemy that had really bothered him, it was the fact that he had enjoyed speaking with her. It was funny, how even in his intelligence, he still held the age old concept of pure evil in his heart. It was surprising to realize, to his face, that pure evil didn�t truly exist; at least, not in the form of his enemy, the Seiryuu no miko.

The Seiryuu no miko was his enemy. But Yui-san had become his friend.

�Well, introductions are supposed to happened at the beginning of a conversation, but ours came at the end. It�s kind of funny, if you think about it.�

He smiled as he walked, remembering what Yui-san had told him before she left, and he was happy that their introductions had come at the of the conversation. Not because he had lost the Seiryuu no miko as an enemy, but because he had found a friend.