"Jakotsu?" I asked, wary. I didn't know if I wanted to trust him yet- or ever. After all, a second ago he was trying to kill me. But then, I laughed, throwing Banryu over my shoulder. Which left me wide open, if he wished to attack me now. "Nice to meet you!"

You may think I'm crazy, or have a death wish. Neither. I simply recognized that, if necessary, I could easily overpower the man.

"Hm. The pleasure's mine, Bankotsu." he laughed, tromping over and easily grasping my hand. "You know, you're rather cute."

I blinked twice. He was a man, right? By all appearances. "Cute?"

"Oh, I have this thing with my love interests. Nothing big. Besides, I tend to favor people older than me, not younger." he explained, as though that should be a let-down. "So, this was your village?"

I nodded, and to my surprise, a scowl flicked across my face. "Yes, but they were all scum. Besides," I looked away. "Even if they had all mattered to me, I couldn't save them. So, I've decided to go the other way."

"Other way?"

"Yeah. The gist is that my companion and I? We're out of here. You want to come with?"

"Oh, sure Bankotsu. You can follow me."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Not hardly. You will be doing the following. Besides, I could take you with one hand tied behind my back."

"I doubt you could lift your-what'd you call it?- companion with one hand." he retorted.

I snarled and boldly lifted the weapon resting on my shoulder with only my right hand. "I'm right-handed, but I can lift halberd with y left, if you'd like," the comment was intended to cut.

Jakotsu pulled his sword out of it's comfortable resting place and lashed it down at me, in a way that suggested he wanted to punish me for being a bad kid. It was a simple thing to deflect it with banryu, it's size and width was just another strength. "Don't try to cross me, Jakotsu. I've no such thing as a conscious." Lie. I lashed back at him, purposely driving my weapon into the ground a few inches in front of his sandaled feet. "I don't particularly want to kill you. But I will."

He smiled again. Was he always smiling? It was rather unnerving. Not that I would show it bothered me. If I couldn't control him I'd kill him, and there would be number one for my count. I saw Jakotsu pulling back his arm, and I saw the demon sneak up behind him and launch itself. My only decision was; him, or the demon?

Pulling my halberd out of the ground I side-stepped Jakotsu as his snake-like sword was whipped once again out into open air. I kicked the back of his knee, causing him to collapse to the ground. One slice, and the demon dissipated.

Jakotsu, sprawled on the ground, gasped. I must've knocked the wind out of him. Oh, well. He would thank me later. That stupid thing probably would have burrowed itself right through one side of his gut and out the other. I grinned at him and said, not without pride, "One."

The traveling man, with his strange ways and attire, grunted as he picked himself up off the ground. I expected him to question me, maybe declare my insanity. Either way, I was completely prepared to explain myself, if it was necessary.

"Maybe you should lead, after all."