Her mother's warnings about staying with her parents instantly fled from Addy's mind as she noticed the vendor selling candied applies. Her smile broadening, she slipped her hand from her mother's and disappeared into the crowd, her small, six-year-old self quickly vanishing from sight amidst the rush of arms and legs and warm bodies all around her. Her parents' frantic calls were lost amidst the noise of the crowd.

The crowd thinned out near the vendor's stall, and she bounced up to it, pulling a coin- the precious coin she'd found on the ground the other day- out of her pocket. She laid it on the counter as she'd seen her father do many times before, and beamed up at the vendor with her infectious smile. "Is this enough for an apple?"

It wasn't, but the elderly man selling the candied apples didn't tell her that. Instead he smiled back and handed her one, instantly reminded of his own granddaughter. "Certainly!"

She took it with another huge grin. "Thank you, sir!" Taking a bite, she bobbed off with it, looking for her parents, and then frowned, unable to locate them. Disoriented by the crowd, she stumbled off in the wrong direction, confused, but still too pleased with her purchase to be afraid. Almost before she'd taken a step, however, someone yelled, "Thief!" Startled, she whirled- did they think she'd stolen her apple?- just in time to catch a glimpse of the young boy who knocked her to the ground in his frantic scramble to escape. Had she not been so surprised she might have cried, but the sight of one not much older than herself in the market whom she did not recognize had piqued her interest. Curiosity overwhelmed injury and she pulled herself up, heedless of her scraped knee and still clutching the candied apple in one hand, and took off as fast as her legs could carry her in the direction she'd seen the boy heading.

Her small frame went mostly unnoticed in the crowd, and most of the adults paid her little mind. Her curious mind and sharp minds allowed her to see what the others missed- a flash of black slipping around the corner of a building and into a small alleyway. She followed it, turning the corner, while the others ran on.

There was a pile of crates at the end of the alley, with a raggedy tarp draped over them. She'd played with similar constructions in her own home for fun, though this was much more weathered than hers had ever been. It was a child's building, no doubt- was this where the boy was hiding? Without a second thought she dropped to the ground and wriggled inside- and found her face to face with the boy.

He blinked at her, shock and astonishment registering on his face as she popped up inside. He quickly hid the strip of dried meat in his hand behind his back, pulling back away from her. "Who're you? And why did you follow me?"

"I'm Addy!" she proclaimed proudly, plunking herself down in front of the entrance, "Are you playing hide and seek? Can I play?"

"Hide and-" He made a confused choking sound, "You think I'm playing a game?"

"Well, why else would you be hiding?" Her young mind didn't make the connection between the skittish boy, the meat in his hand, and the cries of "Thief!" that could still be heard faintly from the market.

He gave a sharp sort of laugh. "'Why else would I be hiding?'? Are you daft? I'll catch it good if they find me!"

Addy tilted her head, blinking at him. "But-" Her eyes fell on the meat in his hand, and slowly her mind linked the dots. "You stole that!"

The boy gave her a confused look. "Well, yeah! What did you think?"

She crossed her arms. "Stealing is wrong!"

"Well, how else am I supposed to eat?" he protested, reaching up and thrusting his messy brown hair out of his eyes with one hand.

She blinked in surprise. "Don't your mom and dad feed you?"

He dropped his gaze to the floor. "I don't have a mom and dad..."

She froze. He didn't have a mom and dad? But... everyone had parents! ...Didn't they? "You mean you're lost? You can't find them?"

He shook his head. "I've been alone my whole life- as long as I can remember. There used to be others, and they took care of me, but... they're gone now, too. I'm the only one left."

She watched him for a long moment in amazement, trying unsuccessfully to imagine what it would be like to spend one's life alone in the wide world. She couldn't do it- all she'd ever known was her family's love. Speechless, she stared at him.

Finally he looked up, and for the first time she noticed the pain in his dark brown eyes. "You should go- if they find this place, you'll be in big trouble..."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No- no one should have to be alone! I'll stay here with you!"

"Are you crazy?" He gaped at her. "You've got a home, a family! They'll be worried about you! And I can worry about myself... I don't need anyone else to take care of me."

"But I can see that you're sad!" she protested, "And you're alone!" Her young mind couldn't imagine anything more awful.

"Sadness is just a part of life," he said quietly, looking away, and then sighed. "C'mon- you've gotta go! It's not safe for you here..."

"But what about you? If it's not safe for me, how is it safe for you?"

"It's never safe for me," he told her, "Whether you're here or not. I'll be okay."

"But-"

"I've been okay on my own for years now- what would make now any different?"

She hesitated, looking down. He didn't want her help, that much was clear. Suddenly she looked up again, and reached out with her free hand, grabbing his, as she'd seen her father did when he greeted people. "I'm Addy- what's your name?"

He started, as if he hadn't expected her to want to shake his hand, and then hesitated uncertainly. "Ronin," he said finally, "I'm Ronin."

She watched him for a long moment, taking in the sadness he managed to hide from most. Then, like a flame, determination grew in her heart, and she tightened her grip on his hand. "Come on!"

"Wait, what are you-" His protests were lost as she pulled him into the open, racing off toward the end of the alley. She wasn't even sure where her parents were, but she was determined to find them, especially for Ronin's sake.

"Just keep up!" she told him, running on.

He pried at her fingers, trying to loosen her grip with his free hand, but Addy had always been stronger than the average six-year-old, and determined enough for two. She wasn't about to let go now, and his efforts proved in vain. "Are you crazy?" he panted, "People will see me!"

"That's the point! We have to find my dad- he'll help you!" she promised, dragging him off into the crowd. Ronin pulled back, trying to get away, but Addy would not loose his hand. In her haste, she failed to watch where she was going, and crashed straight into the legs of a tall man in his mid-thirties.

"Addy? Addy, don't run off like that! Your mother and I have been-" His voice trailed off as he noticed Ronin, who'd taken advantage of Addy's shock and slipped from her grasp. Now that the man's eyes were on him, however, he froze, cringing away, but stayed where he was- too frightened to run. The man frowned, eyeing him. "Who's this?"

"Daddy, this is Ronin- he's a friend, and he needs your help!" Addy explained quickly, tugging at her father's hand and pulling him over to Ronin. Her mother frowned from behind her father, looking Ronin over, but he refused to make eye contact with her.

Addy's father crouched down, so that he was at the young boy's level. "What's wrong?" he asked gently, "Are you alright?"

Ronin looked away. "I'm fine," he mumbled, seeming somewhere between sheepish and afraid, "It's alright, really... I'll be okay..."

"Where are your parents?" her father asked.

Ronin fixed his gaze on a crack between the stones of the marketplace street. "Don't have any."

"You've been living here alone, then?"

He nodded mutely.

Addy's father straightened, looking thoughtful, but before he could speak again a burly man grabbed Ronin's arms from behind, lifting him fully off the ground. Ronin squirmed and kicked the man in the shin with a yelp of protest, but couldn't escape.

"I've got you now, you little street rat!" the newcomer snarled, and Addy shrank away from him. This man was bad news, she realized immediately, and hit behind her mother's legs.

Her father's eyes narrowed. "Put him down, Mistral," he commanded sharply, "He's just a boy!"

The burly man glared at him. "He's a thief, Andreas, and he stole from my shop- now don't tell me what to do!"

Andreas, though not nearly as heavy-set as Mistral, stood his ground. "What did he steal?" he asked quietly.

"A whole hunk of dried meat, that's what!" Mistral growled.

"It was just a little piece!" Ronin protested frantically, fighting to free himself from the man's grip, "I was hungry!"

Andreas narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps if you showed a bit more compassion to those who can't even feed themselves, they'd start to realize that they don't have to steal in order to stay alive," he warned sharply, and then produced a gold piece from his satchel. "Turn the boy loose, Mistral- I'm sure this is more than enough to pay for what he took."

Mistral eyed the coin for a moment, and then snorted, roughly shoving Ronin to the ground. With a grunt he snatched the coin from Andreas's hand and stalked off into the crowd, disappearing from view.

Andreas watched until he was gone, and then sighed. "Now, then, Ronin," he said, "If you haven't got a home, perhaps we could-" He trailed off as his eyes fell on the place where the boy had landed. The spot was unoccupied- in the brief moment when everyone's eyes were off him, Ronin had slipped away again.