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"Hey, Anima!" Ryoma grinned, peaking out of the kitchen. He was wiping the last bowl, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. The sound he had heard earlier had seemed to slip from his mind, and he let the feeling of having someone to talk to overcome him. "Is there anything else I can do around the house?"

Sleep...it had been a while since he'd been able to do such a thing, without waking up in the middle of the night screaming. Ryoma looked down, though he managed to continue smiling. "Um...it's...it's a nice thought, but I don't think that I'll sleep..." His voice was soft as he fiddled with the bowl and towel. Not only was the problem managing not to shout at night, but falling asleep was an issue as well. He'd probably end up training, or zoning out while polishing his swords...either way, as long as he didn't have to dream, it would be good.

"Yeah...I'll keep watch.." Ryoma nodded, setting the bowl and towel down. He looked over at Anima, smiling softly. "Be sure that you rest, alright?" Anima...even though the restaurant owner may not have thought so, in the boy's eyes, the girl's appearance was...almost breath-taking. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to seeing one of the opposite gender, but Anima was just...amazing. It was a weird feeling for him to experience, of course, since samurai were more or less destined to walk the earth alone. But when he was with the girl, he felt a warm feeling...and he liked it. He blushed gently when realizing what he was thinking, and quickly wiped his face, hoping to brush it away.

Ryoma glanced outside of the door when Anima had opened it, amazed at how dark it managed to get. When she asked if he could light some candles, he nodded, instantly digging into his pocket for the pieces of flint. "Yes, of course.." He kneeled down to the candles that were ready to be lit, and quickly snaped the flint together, creating a small flame which quickly caught to the wick. The boy repeated that several times, carefully lighting each candle.

Ryoto, afraid that the reporter had caught up with him, whirled around when Yukana placed her hand on his shoulder, unsheathing his katana. However, noticing that it was only his companion, he quickly placed it back on his side, quickly grabbing her by the arm and pulling her behind the restaurant, fear flooding his eyesight. His speech was slurred when he spoke, looking back and forth every few seconds, suspecting so see the reporter jump out at any moment and grab him. "There...is a reporter... we cannot let her find us! I will have to agree with you about checking the restaurant later... there are too many people!" As he spoke, he could hear the reporter's cries along with many others; it seemed as though she had found a couple ofthe townspeople who were willing to aid her in her search for him. Cursing, he looked back to Yukana after peeping around the side of the building. "Follow me." However, just as he was about to go, the reporter suddenly jumped up infront of him, his eyes glued upon him. "There you are! Now, I have to ask you a few questions!" There were now a few people behind her all eyes on him. Ryoto took a step back, his hand slowly resting upon the hilt of his katana. "I am sorry, but I cannot aid you in your quest for knowledge. This is private business. Now, just go!" However, no matter what he said, the reporter still persisted, taking a few steps closer to him, speaking quick, leaving absolutely no room for breath. Closing his eyes, he invisioned YinJin; this was the only way. With quick movements he unsheathed his katana and placed the blade against the reporter's neck. "You must go. Now. You have no right to meddle in samurai affairs..."

Anima watched him, soon looking down at the table, a small smile on her lips, Ryoma is such a gentleman... I just wish he had not wanted to be a samurai... Her smile faded into a frown, I... I do not wish to make him leave... What am I thinking!? A blush formed on her cheeks, looking down at her ankle, rubbing it gently.

"No... It does not..." She turned to him, giving a tiny smirk, "And why would a ronin-in-training be worried about me?" She curled her toes some, gently gripping onto the pillow with her hand. She shifted her eyes some, looking just past Ryoma, a tiny blush on her cheeks.

Ryoma looked away, flushing gently. "Why...why shouldn't I be worried?" His eyes focused on one of the candle's flames, watching it flicker back and forth. "It's...It's natural to care about...one's friends, right...?" Had he just called Anima his friend? He believed he did. Friends...how long had it been since he had one of those? Then again, his father had been his only real "friend," and even he left after a while. Not by choice, though.

By staring at the flame, he noticed that outside was now eclipsed in total darkness. He glanced up at Anima, fiddling with the red ribbon tied around his forehead. "It's getting late...and you should really rest..."