Prologue – Run Away

"Hey, Hana, the guys are coming over tonight. You know what that means, right? Just stay here in the kitchen out of our way unless I call you."

"Yes, sir." Carefully avoiding her stepfather's eyes, the girl bowed to show her understanding and obedience. "Do you want me to bring up the rest of the beer from the cellar?"

"Yeah, do that." The man disappeared back into the main room of the house, flicking a bit of cigarette ash on the kitchen floor as he walked away. Sighing defeatedly, Hana grabbed the key to the cellar from a hook on the wall and went to do as she was told, carefully making her way down the dimly lit stairs into the earthen pit under the house that served as a makeshift storage space as well as a quiet refuge for the girl on nights like this. Now that Mom and Kuren are gone, that bastard does whatever he pleases, she thought as she rummaged through the various supplies to find the last crate of beer.Including bringing over his crowd of rough, disgusting youkai thugs almost every other night for beer and cards. And now that he's pledged service to Gyumaoh's consort Gyokumen… Hana shook her head. "I'm worthless to him. I'm not even his daughter, so why does he even keep me around?"

"Hana! Where's that beer?"

"I'll bring it up in just a minute," the girl called back, pushing a few strands of hair away from her face so that she could see before hoisting up the crate and walking back up the stairs.

"She'd better hurry." A brief flick of flame as a cigarette was lit, and then the lighter was pushed across the table to its next user. "We've got a big night ahead of us tonight, don't we, Rozen?"

"That we do," Hana's stepfather agreed, taking a drag on his own cigarette and exhaling a big cloud of smoke afterwards. "I'll give you all the details once we're all settled in – Hana! Any time now, you hear?" A disdainful eye roll. "I swear, you send her down to the cellar to grab a few things and she makes a day trip out of it. Sometimes I wonder why I even keep that half-blood brat around. I mean, hell, she's not even mine."

"Well, I know why I'd keep a little piece like that in the house," answered another with a loud, coarse laugh. "If you don't need her, I'll take her."

"We'll see about that." Rozen turned a foul glare towards the kitchen door, just in time to see Hana come through with a serving tray filled with bottles. "There she is. For a moment there, I was afraid something had eaten you down there."

"With all due respect, it's hard to find anything in that mess you call a cellar," Hana muttered, setting the contents of the tray down on the table along with a bottle opener that she fished from a pocket of her tunic and dodging a surreptitiously reaching hand with easy grace. "Is there anything else, or should I return to my post, sir?"

"Nothing for now. Go back to the kitchen." Rozen's dark eyes followed the girl as she strode into the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind her. "Should have killed her with the other two. Oh well, on to business then."

So that's it – he just plans to give me away? I should have expected it. After being sent back to her usual place, Hana had made herself comfortable on a stool near the door and set about mending a tear in one of Rozen's shirts while trying to catch the highlights of the conversation.

"Mighty fine bracelet you have there, Roz. Did those teeth belong to someone we knew?"

"Yeah. You helped me get rid of her, remember?"

Mixed chuckles and laughter at this. "Yeah, that was some real fun. The kid, too."

Hana nearly dropped her needle when she heard this, and bit her lip to choke back tears. That's just sick… how could he… "I told myself, you know what? The only thing I really liked about her was her smile, so I decided to keep it with me so I could see it every day." And that's even worse. "But I've got a bigger and better job for all of you, one that could pay off well if we do this right." Eager mutters to this, and silence fell. "Our Lady Gyokumen is seeking to revive the great Gyumaoh, and to help her with this, she needs us to gather up two of the sacred Sutras – the Maten and the Seiten. They're being held at that temple not too far away, by a fellow named Koumyou Sanzo." Silence met this statement, and the comments that followed this time were uneasy. "What's the matter? It's a quick grab and run, and we're home free."

"Sanzo – that's a priest, isn't it? One of the biggies."

Rozen laughed. "Yep, just about."

"Won't that be kinda hard?"

A disdainful snort this time. "Please. He's a monk, and so's everyone else there. If you all are afraid of fighting a bunch of monks, then just go home right now, and I'll take this one on myself." The replies that followed this time were hasty and jumbled, but all in the general vein that such a course of action was quite unneeded, and Rozen paused for a moment to let this tide of reassurance ebb. "That's good to hear. We'll be leaving in few, so get ready for a good time!" This was met with cheers and clinking of bottles, and for a moment Hana sat in stunned silence, thinking over what she'd just heard. They're going to raid a temple and steal scriptures? That's unthinkable! But then again, this man has already done something beyond unthinkable. At that point, a loud knock sounded on the door next to her, making her jump. "Hana, you in there?"

"Yes, sir. Do you need something?"

"Bring out the rest of that beer."

"Just a moment." Putting her mending down and pushing it and the stool away from the door, Hana loaded up the serving tray again and opened up the door to the main room.

She was well aware of the group of men watching her as she passed the beer around and collected the empties and the full ashtray from the table. "How old did you say she is, Roz?"

"Thirteen," was the matter-of-fact answer. "That young enough for you?"

"Yeah, I like 'em young. Kinda hot, too, if you forget that she's a half-breed."

Head held high to hide her embarrassment, Hana fled back to the kitchen to dispose of the empties and the ash. "Got quite the pair of legs on her too, Roz. Maybe you should tie 'er down to make sure she doesn't bolt while we're out tonight…"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Rozen replied, turning so that Hana could see the dangerous glint in his eyes. "After all, she saw what we did to her brother when he tried to run." At that prompt, the all-too-recent memories flashed through Hana's mind, causing her to tremble with mixed fear and nausea. "See, she remembers. No need to worry."

At that point Hana's eyes snapped open, showing her the plain reality of her bedroom at night and the fact that she had been dreaming. She sat up, looking around to make sure she really was safe, and then wiped a few strands of hair away that had been stuck to her face with feverish sweat. A gentle tapping was then heard on the door, along with a quietly concerned voice: "Hana, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"That's good. I heard you scream and thought someone had come after you." The door eased open to show a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in the loose shirt and pants that he favored for sleepwear, and even in the near-complete darkness Hana could see the scarring that marred his face, the legacy of a youkai attack the year previous that had taken both his family and most of his eyesight. "So it was just a bad dream?"

"Just a bad dream, that's all. Thanks for checking up on me, Toma."

A quiet smile. "Not a problem. I know you would do the same for me…"