Diamond in the Rough

AN: Alright, this is my first fan fic, so it might not be that good. I will try my best to update as soon as possible, but it won't always be on the same days or even on a weekly base… I get writers block very easily. I don't know that Japanese language at all, so the Japanese grammar is out the window. I will use the words… Lord, or master, or something like that. I know that a lot of them do the san, and chan, and sama thing, but I don't… I don't understand English, why would I understand Japanese… I just hope you enjoy it, and please review.

Chapter 1: Friends become Family

The sky was blue. Not the blue like in a kimono, but the blue you see in the ocean on a clear day. A crystal blue that only came with a cloudless day and a big, warm sun that seemed to warm up everything it touched and made everything grow. This was one of those days that you wanted to work, and everyone was working. It was the first day of planting and everyone needed to work. It had been a hard winter, and a lot of people died. The village had used up all of the stored food, and most were lucky to make it to see spring. This year was going to be different. This year, they would plant twice as much so everyone would be happy during the winter. Well, almost everyone would be happy. There was one person in the village that hated winter. That was the season where they were always alone in their small cottage with nothing but their thoughts to keep them company, and this could drive people to insanity. But it never happened to them. It only made them really sad. During the season of winter, that one person had lost their family. They weren't killed or taken, they were just lost. Every winter, that one person wouldn't go out often, but when they did go out, would look for their lost family. They had this strange idea, that in the winter, their family would return to them… somehow.

"Isn't it a lovely day?" asked Kuma, as she bent down to pull out a weed from the garden. The garden was full of weeds. No matter how hard the winter was, it could never kill all the weeds. After a while of working in silence, Kuma stopped and looked up at her silent friend. "Rin, are you okay?"

Rin kept working in silence. She saw the hurt on her friends face because of her silence. "Yes, I'm fine," said Rin, "It just feels like I wasted another winter."

"Rin," said Kuma continuing with her work," you need to understand a few things. You were 7 when your family disappeared. It's been 5 years. You need to move on with your life. Come live with me. You are too young to be on your own, and you are too young to marry. I am 22 and a widow. I have no children, and I help the village just like you do. I help grow food for the village. We could live our lives together. Come on Rin; let's spend our lonely times together. We can become our own family."

"Thank you for the offer Kuma," started Rin, "but, I just can't. I still want to hope that my family is still alive."

"I understand," said Kuma. They finished the day of work in silence. Kuma couldn't help but worry about her young friend. Most children her age were only doing a half days work, and then spending the rest of the time playing. Rin always seemed to be working. She didn't seem like she had a childhood. She just grew up. She was more mature then most people twice her age. Kuma knew she had to get Rin to talk about her family's disappearance so she could move on with her life, but she didn't know what she could do.

It took another year to convince her, but Rin finally came to live with Kuma. They spent the next 4 years working together and spending a lot of time with each other. It seemed that Rin had finally gotten her life back. When she wasn't working, she was talking with Kuma or some of the older folks, or playing with the children. Rin had grown into a pretty woman. She wasn't beautiful, not like some of the girls, but she was pretty. She had a small nose and soft, black hair that hung down her back in a loose braid. She was a little chubby, but it just made her curves softer. She wasn't out to attract the men, as some of the girls her age were. She was content with her life so much, that she was willing to spend the rest of it with Kuma. She told Kuma this many times, especially when Kuma asked her about spending some time with the local bachelors. It seemed Rin was just going to stay single the rest of her life.

"Rin," said Kuma softly as she looked over at Rin. It was right after the harvest, so she and Rin had less work than normal. The village had lots of food, so they wouldn't have to worry about the winter, no matter how hard it was.

"Yes?" asked Rin in a groggy voice. She had just fallen asleep, but was willing to talk to her best friend.

"What would you think of me getting married?" asked Kuma, quietly.

"What!" asked Rin, getting up on her elbow to look at her friend. She could see Kuma in the moonlight, and she was looking at the ceiling.

"Well, I've met someone…" said Kuma embarrassedly.

"Who?" asked Rin, wondering who this man was who would marry Kuma, even though she was older than the usual marring age.

"Haruki," said Kuma pulling the covers over her head.

"Haruki?" asked Rin. Haruki was a man of about 28 who had come into the village a year or two ago. "When did he ask you to marry him?"

"Yesterday," said Kuma's muffled voice from under the blanket. "I wanted to ask you first before I answered him."

"I think its okay," said Rin lying back down on her pillow. "Will he be moving here or…?"

"He'll be moving here, cause I don't want to live in that shack he calls a home," said Kuma quickly.

"Does this mean I have to leave?" asked Rin quietly.

"No," said Kuma sitting up and grabbing Rin's hands, "of course not. He knows that you are as much a part of my life as you are. You can sleep in the room in the back where we put the guests when they come."

"Kuma, we've never had a guest."

"Well," said Kuma, "It's your room now."

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" asked Rin going off subject.

"Yes," said Kuma lying down again. "I love him."

"If it'll make you happy," said Rin putting her head back on the pillow, "Then I'm happy for you."

"Thank you Rin, this will make me very happy."

Rin was worried. Haruki was a troubling person. She had heard many rumors about him. It was said that he was an abusive man, and a very lustful one. She just hoped that this was the right decision, and that the rumors weren't true. She settled down into a restless sleep.

To be continued…

Okay, that's it, what do you think. Sorry it's so short. Review, and if you have any questions, just ask