Synopsis: Meet Ayaka, the daughter of the famous model and someone we all know and love, Fuu. Years have past and the trio has grown older and apart. Fuu now models for a couple of new budding artists with a child daughter at home. Her husband passed away before the birth of her daughter but everyone just thinks he's left the family. Now, Ayaka, at the age of seventeen, has decided to go in search of the Father she never knew. Fuu of course has no idea why Ayaka has left so, and calls in a few old friends to help watch over her daughter when she finally finds out she's left. Will Ayaka ever find out that her Father isn't alive? Will she enjoy Mugen and Jin's company? Will this synopsis ever end for you to get on with the story? ...Enjoy.

Yawning and sitting up to stretch, Ayaka combed back her long brown hair with her hands into a ponytail. Tying it up with the small band she found earlier the day before, smiled and sat up fully. Another night in a shabby shack and another morning where she had to lave before the owners found her in there. Groaning as she got up, she could hear the pops of her joints and laughed lightly. Her Mother always hated Ayaka cracking her joints early in the morning but then again, her mother was a model. She would think that doing anything to your body was disgusting. Ayaka rolled her eyes as she grabbed her nap sack and started out the door, being sure to be safe from the owners' eyes. Thinking she was in the clear, she made her move to the right before jumping slightly when a hand came down on her shoulder.

She spun around to face an ugly creature. He had seemed to just woken up but was aware of a loud popping sound coming from his shed. He gripped shoulder hard and leaned in close. "What is this?" He asked in a low voice, pushing her roughly to the nearest wall. "I was all nice and asleep in my bed with my beautiful wife…and here you come making noise. What were you doing in my shed?"

Ayaka looked around for any way of escape. "Ah, iie! I was just passing through and I thought I heard something from the shed…Gomen Nasai!" She bowed her head.

The man rolled his eyes before removing his hand. "Just stay right ere while I investigate then…" He said as he moved to the door of the shed and slid it open. He went inside to roam around. While he was doing this, Ayaka looked around and grabbed a bucket, placing it on the floor before climbing on it and hoisting herself up on the roof of the shed. She stood up there silently for a few seconds before jumping roofs out of the small estate of the man's home and off into the morning glow of the sun. The man came out, "There's nothing in there…oh…where did she go?"

Huffing and puffing, the girl in question had made it to the last roof of the small village and jumped to the ground. It wasn't all that easy to jump from roof to roof in a wine coloured kimono. But finally making it far enough away, she slumped against the wall and sighed loudly. Her stomach growled loudly and she clutched it in both arms. "Ah man…I haven't eaten in three days." She sighed again before something small fell on her head. She caught it in her hand when it bounced. It was a coin, yen to be exact, and she squealed with joy. "Alright! Now for some food…ah…where did it come from?" She looked up to see an arm sticking out a window at least two floors up. It was a tanned arm, nice and slender. She stood and tried to see in it as she backed up, only to hit her back against the wall of the building across from it. She couldn't see inside and she frowned before yelling, "Arigatou Mr. Arm!" She scampered off down the street to find the nearest place to eat.

Meanwhile, inside, a long haired samurai pushed up his glasses and sighed. "You shouldn't have done that." He muttered to his old companion.

The crazy haired ex pirate scoffed. "Che. She needed it. It was only one yen anyway." He muttered back. "S'not like she can get much."

"Fuu-san told us to watch over her and your giving her one yen."

"Shut up man! I'm helping her at least! I wouldn't even have takin' this job if Fuu wasn't loaded with money."

"Yes, she does seem to have surprised us." Jin said as he stood, touching the tips of his sword. He moved to the door but stopped to say over his shoulder, "I'm going to get food."

Exiting out on the familiar streets of Nagasaki, Jin looked around at all the things that changed in the past twenty years. He couldn't believe how long it had been since him, Mugen, and Fuu had been here, the destination of the samurai who smelled like sunflowers, Seizou-san, a.k.a. Fuu's Father.

It had been seventeen years since he had learned of Ayaka's birth and only three days since he was hired to watch over her. He could remember it well.

It was a nice day and he had been merely at home resting when he received word from a young fellow that he was invited to the home of Miss Fuu. He instantly accepted and was on his way the next day, only taking four days to make it there.

Coming upon a four way in the dirt road, Jin paused and looked around. Up ahead lay Fuu's home, big and beautiful. To his left, nothing but another road and to his right…

"Oy! Four eyes!"

There came from his right, the familiar vagabond, and an old friend, Mugen. He was waving like an idiot, still dressed in his trademark clothing of his red and white shirts and green shorts. He was barefoot and had no weapon and his of course, stroke Jin as odd, but he shrugged it off as the scraggily ex pirate approached him.

"You here for the money too?" He burst out in his normal manner.

Jin pushed up his glasses very calmly. "Okane?" He asked as he swayed to one side.

Mugen nodded as they started off down the road to Fuu's. "Yup. We're getting butt loads of it." And again, Jin has no idea what was going on. Mugen caught the confused but silent look on the samurai and sighed, folding his arms behind himself, resting his head on them. "Ayaka's run away." He simply stated.

But this jolted Jin's attention and he stumbled to a surprised shock. "N-nani?" He looked to Mugen who was calm. This scared Jin even morel it was like Mugen and himself had traded places. But how could Mugen be so calm anyway? A young girl had just run away! More so of the fact that it's a child of a friend of theirs.

Mugen nodded as he continued on, knowing that Jin would catch up soon. "The guy that told me I was invited told me…or I forced him. I mean come on, how hard was it for you to believe that Fuu was a painting model?" He laughed lightly but it died away. "But as soon as he told me the problem, I dropped everything and left."

Jin had regained composure and nodded, catching up to the unshaven mess. He couldn't really say anything to that because he would have done the same thing as well. He would have left sooner…

"Sir! Mr. Glasses!" Someone screamed from his right and Jin suddenly spun to meet a very familiar grinning face. It was Ayaka and she was standing there, holding up a small change pouch. "You dropped this. You seemed really out of it and were able to lose this so easily." She laughed.

Jin really could do nothing. He couldn't tell her that he had actually been on his way to watch her while she ate. And he certainly couldn't mention Fuu. All he could do was take back the money pouch and nod. "Arigatou." He decided to leave it at that and turn to continue on his way but she walked alongside him happily.

"I think you should treat me to some food." She said which caused Jin to raise a slender brow. "Well, did hand you back all your money which I could have easily stolen but I gave it all back. So you should treat me." She grinned up at him and he looked away.

"…Alright. You pick the place."

They walked for some time before Ayaka pulled the samurai into a nearby place. When they entered, they instantly smelled something good and followed their noses to a small table in the back. The brunette started talking after they ordered. "So, Mr. Glasses…"

"Jin."

"Jin." She nodded. "Today must be my lucky day." She exclaimed. She explained when Jin raised an eyebrow. She giggled. "Well, I've had two nice strangers pay for a meal for me. I never knew Nagasaki to be such a nice place." She looked around before blushing. "I'm Ayaka by the way."

Jin nodded. He knew but he couldn't very well tell her why he was there in the first place. "That's a lovely name. How old-"

"And I'm Mugen, now shut up and grub up."

Jin grew serious and slightly annoyed by the showing of the ex pirate but he just let it be and scooted over for space for his traveling comrade.

Mugen plopped down next to the samurai and sighed, content. The girl before him blinked and blushed suddenly which caused Mugen to smirk, cupping his own, almost shaven chin. "Nani? Am I that cute?" He said, staring at Ayaka which caused Jin to frown and roll his eyes.

"No!" She suddenly burst out. "It's just, your dialect…it sounds weird." She had to laugh really as she looked at Mugen's shocked and disappointed face, which caused Jin to snicker lightly.

"Well yeah…whatever. Where's the food?"

Ayaka raised a brow before her eyes roamed Mugen's body, taking in the white muscle tee and blue shorts. He had tattoos on one of his arms and she gasped. She remembered those arms and she looked up at him. "You're Mr. Arm!" She exclaimed.

Mugen raised a brow and looked at his wrists. "Huh?"
"You're the first one to give me money. Wow, what my luck that both of you knew each other!" She giggled and when the food came, she dug in hungrily.

As the ex pirate watched, he suddenly got a glimpse of Fuu and he slowly slipped into a reverie of memories from when he visited her again. He sighed and sat back, slipping into a flashback.

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"You'd think she'd slow down to talk…" A shy young man said to a three day younger Mugen who chuckled and nodded.

"You'd think." He commented back before he was elbowed by Jin. They were both sitting in Fuu's room eating supper with her and listening to the details of the job. They, of course, finished early and were watching Fuu eat very fast. She took all her time in finishing her food before she began to speak.

"Yes…well Ayaka took it upon herself to travel alone and without my…knowledge."

"But then how do you know now?" Mugen asked.

Fuu stared at him and swallowed. "She decided to tell Kanju, one of my painters but I got it out of him." She gave a smug smile which caused Jin and Mugen to both raised eyebrows and Fuu to suddenly blush. "Not like that!" She burst out. "I would never do anything like that to another man, even if Toshiro is…dead." This of course was difficult for her to say and she had to choke back a sob.

Now Jin had to speak up. "Why is it that she ran away in the first place?"

Fuu turned to him. "In search of her Father."

"But didn't you just say that he had passed away?"
"…Hai…"

"So why send her on a wild goose chase?" Mugen said, putting his two cents in.

Fuu sighed and pushed away her food. "Because she is so much like me. I would want to find out on my own. She has her way suspicions of her Father and I would be damned if I kept that from her; her own adventure."

Jin nodded as Mugen rolled his eyes; their own way of agreeing with her. "So why us?" The scraggily one asked.

"Because you all made my adventure so much fun that I want her to experience it as well. Plus, saying something about Ayaka was bound to get your attentions." She smirked. "I was delighted to hear from Kenichi about your expressions upon hearing about Ayaka's birth." She giggled.

To change the subject, Jin pushed up his glasses and shifted in his new outfit of green kimono and black pants before touching the tips of his swords. "So you want us to find her and watch over her?"

"How much we gettin' paid?" Mugen burst out, interrupting Jin.

Fuu sighed and looked down at her lap. "I knew you would ask that soon. I was surprised you hadn't done it at the door." She smiled softly. Jin nudged Mugen really hard but Fuu waved her hands. "I promised I would pay and I will."

"We could never ask you for-"

"The hell we can. How much?"

Fuu smiled. "3,000 yen each."

9:08 PM End of Chapter One