Stolen Moments

A/N: I'm back, I'm back. Currently, I'm still having a writer's block on MHW, so I'm just continuing the rest of my stories for now. I've updated them all: Stolen Moments, Gangster's Paradise, Chasing after Love, Finding Love, Beloved Enemy and Fated. All of them, that is, except My Husband's Wedding. Sorry to the followers of that one, but I'd update it soon, promise. The fics I have uploaded did not yield much reviews, but loads of hits so I decided to start them anyway. By God, how my hand aches! I won't have a thank-you corner now, but next chapter there will be one. Now, let's start!

P.S. There is only one author's note for four of the stories; I'm really in such a hurry. I'll answer all your queries later, okay?

For Stolen Moments: You'll meet another new character, Kenshin Ayuhara who's going to play an important role here.

1: The Peasant

Bright green eyes hooded by thick lashes stared blankly at the sky.

"Chiharu… Rika… Naoko… When will we see each other again, my friends?" The girl sighed, shaking her head out of the stupor, her auburn locks flailing around her as she did so.

She was Sakura Kinomoto, Sakura to her friends, sixteen, not exactly smart but not exactly average either. Orphaned more than a year ago, Sakura and her brother escaped from Japan with the help of their late father, who was forced to serve the Royal Army when war broke out. Her brother Touya was extremely protective of her, being eight years older than she.

Sakura never considered her self beautiful, though not on the plain side. She just wasn't…stunning or eye-catching for that matter. She didn't know if she should be glad or resentful.

They escaped Japan over a year ago, when Sakura just turned fifteen, and took refuge in the fairly small kingdom of the Lis in Hong Kong. And for over a year, what 'home' meant to Sakura was their small cottage in a sector of the kingdom called "Huntlands." It was the area bordering the Li Forestry, and it was called as such since licensed hunters passed by the place during the hunting seasons.

The Huntlands are not exactly a pretty sight to behold. It had no air of exclusivity, unlike the Mainland and the Central Village. It was a mass of dilapidated shacks and wooden cottages that look like a good strong wind will break them down. Clotheslines hung in the streets in broad daylight, different sorts of clothes and rags being blown by the wind.

And yet, the Huntlanders are a compassionate people. Sakura and her brother basked in their acceptance and warmth. They also gave her brother all sorts of jobs to keep them alive. They were not rich, and they were, in fact, very, very poor. So poor, in fact that Sakura had stopped going to school. Education was rather expensive in the Li Kingdom, and it was one luxury they can live without. Besides, Sakura already knew a dash of math and she is considered literate, so why bother? To make up for this tremendous loss, however, Sakura borrows books from their neighbors whenever she can. The Huntlanders were an odd assortment. Mr. Chiu, for an instant, had finished a college degree on some other country, and he had lots of books in stock, according to the others.

They were living in a hand-to-mouth existence, and Touya is taking on as many jobs as he could handle. Sakura, on the other hand, kept their house clean and cooked the food. She read the books she had borrowed on her spare time to compensate her lack of formal education.

The only world she knew right now was the Huntlands, nowhere else. She had never been to the Central Village or the Mainland; she had no time to spare for such trivialities. Besides, from what she heard, the people there discriminated the Huntlanders, not knowing how nice these people are.

"I hope we meet again, my dear friends," she said wistfully to the sky which started to have streaks of yellow; dawn was breaking and she knew she must start working now.

She went out of her room and walked right in to the kitchen. Her brother was already awake and was eating fried eggs and toast when she went in.

"Ohayou, oniichan." Sakura pulled back a wooden chair and sat down, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "You're early today," she noted, helping herself with a piece of toast.

"Yeah, I am. I have to, you know that." He paused, biting on his toast and swallowing it before continuing. "Mr. Chiu wants help for the inn. I'm going to work for him the whole week."

Sakura stared at her brother and smiled. "That's great! Listen, oniichan, can you borrow me a few books of Mr. Chiu's? I heard he's got nice ones…"

"Kaijuu! Don't get too excited. I wonder what you'll say once you hear about the job I'm going to take in the Central Village." He said with mock thoughtfulness.

"What are you saying? I'm not a kaijuu, how many times…" Sakura's shriek drowned out the rest of her words. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound.

"Oh, oniichan, you can't be serious!"

"It's not sure yet, but I might start next week. That's why I'm only working for a week at Mr. Chiu's inn. It won't earn much, but it'll be damn stable, at the least."

"Oh…oniichan, I don't know what to say! This is such a pleasant surprise!"

"You say, 'I'm going to take good care of our house…"

She scoffed. "I don't need to tell you that, I do that all the time!"

"'…and cook us edible food!'"

"Nani?! How dare you offend my cooking?"

"Stop," he said, raising his hand in a pacifying manner, "I have no time to listen to your ramblings. I'm going; Mr. Chiu expects me to be in before eight."

"Oh well. But can't I substitute for you after your week is over, at the inn, I mean?"

"No, Sakura. The inn's not exactly the place for girls like you."

"Okay," she shrugged, not really expecting him to agree, being the protective brother he is.

"Don't do anything stupid when I leave, you hear?" Touya said, his eyes narrowing.

"Why'd I do that? Go, for God's sake, and when you get back, tell me about the job you're taking in the Central Village."

"Oh, very well, I'd take your words this time. Bye, squirt."

Touya had already walked out the door when she remembered something.

"Oniichan! The books!" She bellowed to Touya who was halfway down the street. Her brother only sighed before nodding resignedly.

It was an ordinary morning for them. Despite their poverty, the two siblings remained light-hearted and happy.

Sighing contentedly, Sakura entered their cottage and started to do her work.

---

A week passed quickly in the lives of the Kinomotos without much incidence. Except the fact that Mr. Chiu lent them some of his books, which Sakura found most entertaining.

But today was when Touya will go to the Central Village to work in a market as hired help. Sakura washed and ironed the best shirt she could find, hoping that he will make a good first impression to his employers.

She, on the other hand, looked as impoverished as ever in her faded blue dress full of various stains and her filthy apron as she bid her brother goodbye that morning. Yet she was oblivious of how she looked like a waif as she was very comfortable in her worn out clothing.

Right now, with her face black with soot and her hair disheveled, she could pass for a street urchin.

She sat down in their kitchen, tired. Her brother and she had to wake up earlier than usual since the Central Village is a bit farther than her brother is used to going to.

She smiled, feeling that good fortune at last had found them.

Soon it'll be all right, she thought.

Then her eyes fell on the table before her. A package wrapped in brown paper was lying on it and Sakura recognized it at once.

"Hoe! Oniichan forgot his lunch!"

It was understandable, since he rarely brought lunches with him when he worked. He was always near enough to go home and eat. But he needed to bring lunch now, not only because Central Village is much farther, but also because food was expensive in the Central Village and the Mainland.

Without even thinking, she grabbed the food, ran outside the house, locked their cottage door and headed toward the path that her brother took earlier that morning.

TBC