Another battle was over, another time being hired as a mercenary to fight for some war loving rich people, another tragedy where hundreds of people died because of the personal conflict of two aristocrats with too much power for them to handle. No one had emerged victorious, both sides suffered too many casualties and had to retreat.

It was nighttime now and the open field drenched in moonlight would have made for a beauty- and peaceful scenery if it weren't for the mess the battling humans had left behind. Corpses were scattered all over the place, rusty and broken weapons, torn flags, dried blood, and dark dust in the air.

In between it all was the young man lying on his back, gazing up into the sky.

His hood had fallen off revealing his messy dark green hair and grey-silverish eyes, features he often stood out for and rather preferred to hide, as well as several smaller wounds and cuts all over his face and body, bloody shirt, most of it not from him though.

Exhausted from hours of fighting and quite the blood loss, he had just stayed there after the retreat of the armies. He was hired for only this battle anyway, he had his money, so there was no point in going back now.

But the pair of eyes staying fixed on him from the side of the battlefield, not once having strayed off his figure, slowly started making him feel restless. Heaving a sigh, he wiped some blood from his mouth, took a last glance at the almost full moon and slowly sat up.

A little wobbly on the feet, he had grip to a lance sticking out of the ground next to him and take a deep breath before he was able to walk across the battleground to the place where he had left his belongings. He sticked his bag next to the sword hanging on his hip and without turning around spoke up.

"How long are you gonna keep staring at me?"

He could hear a surprised gasp before a small figure stepped out from behind a tree. Just as he had suspected, it was a little boy, barely an adult yet, covered in a hood similar to the one that hang torn from his shoulders.

"You saw me?" He sounded so surprised.

"Yeah, you watched the whole fight."

Unbothered, the young ronin started walking down the path he knew would lead to a little river. The other boys’ footsteps could be heard behind him.

Seems like he wasn't going to leave him alone just like that. The kid was probably commissioned to watch the fight and report to some people, or he had wanted to steal some of the dead samurais’ weapons and belongings. A lot of people did that. The injured ronin didn't care to ask for his intentions, but that didn't explain why the little one was following him now.

The man decided to just ignore him and mind his own business for now.

Arriving at the river, he leaned down to drink some water before refilling his bottle. He slipped out of his coat and took off his shirt, revealing his bare back beneath.

"W- What are you doing?" His quiet voice fit well to his small and petite figure, which was still standing a few meters behind him.

"Hm? Washing my clothes and wounds. You should drink something too."

He really didn't know why he was caring about the boy now. Surely he was capable of surviving on his own, he gave that kinda vibe.

Crouching down next to him by the river, the kid took a few sips as well before the shirtless ronin dipped his clothes in and started washing them. Once finished, he hanged them over a tree, slipped out of his pants as well and stepped into the river. Meanwhile, his little companion sat down on a nearby rock.

He had to admit it, he looked kinda lost.

Ignoring the already familiar feeling of his gaze on his figure, he carefully washed himself. This battle had been quite intense, his long fighting experience and skill the only thing preventing him from suffering any serious injuries, but his body was still covered in fresh scratches adding to the already existing scars.

He had been fighting ever since he could think, the only thing he was good at and could earn some money with, the only thing he had ever felt joy at. When fighting on the battlefield, adrenaline rushing through his veins, he could forget everything else and be free. Money and influence didn't matter then, only your skill as a warrior.

That's what he was on the battleground: a warrior.

The rest of the time just a poor young man without a family or a home, an orphan, traveling around looking for jobs to finance his living. Some people just didn't have the luck to grow up in a house with two loving parents and a fun childhood.

Still lost in thought, he stepped out of the water, dried himself as good as he could and put his pants back on, his shirt still too wet to wear in the cold night breeze.

Reaching into his bag, he realized part of the bread was gone. Caught off guard, he lifted his head and their eyes met.

Incredible.

The boy had actually managed to let him loose his focus and steal some of his bread. And he wasn't one to let his guard down easily. Maybe it was just due to the blood loss, but he had a feeling the kid knew what he was doing. A small smile crept onto his face.

"Congratulations, I really didn't notice anything."

His face went from a little surprised to proud.

Cute.

Sitting down on the ground and signaling him to join, the ronin started eating the rest of the bread that was left.

"Were you that hungry?"

A nod.

"I thought I was about to faint. Glad you still had some food with you."

A small pause.

"Where are you going now? Do you live nearby? Cause I‘ve never seen you here before." The childlike voice sounded a lot less shy and intimidated already, like he was already warming up to the weird loner.

"No, I don't live anywhere. I‘ll keep travelling, don't know where next yet. Tonight I‘m just going to stay here though, too exhausted."

"Then take me with you! Please? I don't have anywhere else to go." The way his young face lit up was really adorable, he couldn't deny it. And the little thief looked so sad when he shot him a skeptical glance.

"Okay, stay here for the night and we‘ll see about tomorrow."

He was sure to regret that, but the blood loss was still wearing him out and he wanted nothing more than just sleep. Used to sleeping outside, he just laid down on the ground.

"But then you have to promise me to not steal anything from my stuff while you’re with me." Didn't want to wake up with his sword or anything else gone after all.

Already lying next to him, the boy mumbled a "Promised" and closed his eyes. For the second time today, he couldn't help the smile on his face.

It was definitely the blood loss.

-————-

The young ronin woke up again a few hours later. The temperature had dropped a few more degrees and the wind picked up. He stood up and grabbed his now dry coat, maybe he could use it as a blanket.

That’s when he heard it. Soft clatter of teeth.

The new boy next to him was shaking in the cold, his lips already a little blue. With a sigh he robbed closer, taking the small figure in his arms, and draping the coat over both of them. He could feel the little fingertips and a steady breath against his bare chest, immediately stopping to shake.

While mumbling something in his sleep, the little one snuggled closer, dropping his forehead against him. He didn't know how he would react once awake, but the boys sleeping self seemed to appreciate the warmth and comfort.

The ronin drifted back into a peaceful slumber.

Maybe the idea of a travel companion wasn’t actually too bad after all.