Hello! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! I am so honored and thankful for the people who have favorite/followed this story and reviewed! You guys are the best! Thank you so much! :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter this one catapults the whole story! Woo! Let's get to it! :) Enjoy! Read and Review!

I do not own Samurai Champloo.

Chapter 1

A summer rain lightly tapped the windows of a room. The morning sun that is hidden by the grey clouds, is finally making its way up to the middle of the sky. The rain was a soft noise against the shingled and thatched roofs of the houses and village. No matter the weather, the village always woke when the sun was crossing the sky. Hooded men and women still opened their stalls and waited for the travelers and their regulars to start their days and walk by them. Despite the rain, there was still a warmness that added to the stickiness of the rain. Travelers that stayed the night packed up their things and made their trek out of the village and towards the next town. At the sound of a ringing bell, the sleepy children left their homes to make way for their weekly lessons at the small building in the heart of the community. Mothers watched their children flock to the school as they had babies balanced on their hips. Fathers and sons dressed and either headed for the fields or began their walk into the woods to a dojo that was opened for men and boys training in the arts of the sword.

Besides being shrouded by vibrant green trees, the pristine white building carried itself in an impressive manner. There was not one misplaced shingle or crack on any of its exteriors. The dojo had two training rooms, one for the men and the other for the boys. Behind those was a small, outside training arena and on the opposite side of the indoor training areas there was a rock garden and the sand had an intricate pattern that was plowed into the ground. Small trees were planted in various spots to add to the scenery and atmosphere to the dojo. In the way back were the living quarters for the owner of the dojo and his family as well as a personal training room for when classes were in session. Around all these buildings, there was a protective wall that encompassed the interior and added to its dominance. On the front there is a sign that is carved and hand painted that reads, Master Takahashi's Bushido Dojo.

The soft taps of rain hitting whatever solid that lay on the air was giving off a quiet mumble as boys were shuffling into the opened gate to begin their day of hard training. The grey clouds casted the normal vibrant colors of vegetation into a dark hue that relaxed the senses. The boys that approached the grand structure were eager to get started with their lessons and were formed in groups of friends and their murmurs of excited chatter could be heard by their fathers that were a couple of paces behind them. Caretakers of the edifice greeted their good mornings to the students that passed them by.

Behind the dojo, there was the home of one of the teachers that dealt with the younger students. Most of the teachers lived by in various spots. Some were on the other side of the village, others lived within the community. However, the owner of the secluded home behind the dojo was that of a familiar face.

"Akahana, wake up, breakfast is ready and plus I don't want you and Jin to be late for class," a woman's voice called out behind a tatami wall screen. Her soft footsteps were retreating from the screen after she called out to the girl in question.

Akahana's eyes blinked slowly to allow her eyes to get adjusted to the dull grey light that illuminated the room she inhabited. The rain could be heard from the small window that it landed against. "I'll be right there," she groaned out as she rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned loudly in an unladylike manner. She sat up slowly and raised her arms to stretch her stiff muscles before standing up. Her spine cracked in response to her stretching and then proceeded to do her daily routine. She hummed a forgotten melody while she rolled up her sleeping mat and folded her covers and placed them in a neat pile in the far corner for her to fetch when nighttime beckoned for her to sleep. Her aunt and uncle had given her a small vanity which consisted of a small mirror and a table to place jewelry, makeup items, and whatever it is other girls store in the small drawers. However, all that was on the vanity were little drawings that her younger cousins had given her, pinned dried flowers, and some small books that she had glanced over a hundred times. When the young girl looked at herself in the mirror, she gave a brief yikes and went to brush her wild bed head before securing the dark brown tresses in a braided ponytail. She noticed that with the somber weather, her eyes looked like an even lighter grey than what it is normally. It kind of looked cool but she just shrugged and went to go put on her yukata before heading over to the dining area to eat breakfast.

When she opened her screen she noticed that her youngest cousin, Aimi, was not running round the hallway. Very strange Akahana noted and walked to the dining room. The house that she resided in was not small, but it was not large and expansive like some of the mansions that were miles away. It had four sleeping rooms, one for her, one for her two cousins, and one for her aunt and uncle and youngest cousin. There was a kitchen and a dining area. It was a cozy home that has been there with her ever since she can remember and she was grateful. When she slid the dining area screen open everyone in the room yelled "Happy Birthday!"

The yell itself startled Akahana out of her half awake mindset. But luckily she snapped out of it as soon as Aimi ran to go hug her legs. "Happy Birthday Hana!" Aimi greeted her and gave her legs a squeeze. Akahana smiled at the five year old girl and thanked her for the birthday wish and picked her up and gave her a big hug before walking over to the table where her Aunt Shino cooked a big breakfast, scratch that, a feast for the family. When she nestled herself in her spot, her aunt kissed the top of her head, "Happy Birthday Akahana, you are the most beautiful seventeen year old girl that I have ever met." Her aunt's eyes glistened in proudness and wrapped her arms around the her shoulders and gave a tight hug.

"Thank you aunt, but I am nothing special," her cheeks pinked at the compliment. "Still the same." She gave the older woman a smile. A bouquet of flowers were shoved in her face as the fifteen year old boy who sat next to her gave her a small smile. "Happy birthday cousin, I hope you have many more to come." Akahana took the flowers from his grasp and sniffed their sweet scent. In their village, there were many of these wildflowers blooming since spring was making its appearance. "Thank you Hiroki, these are beautiful." She placed them next to her kneeled form and awaited till everyone to settle down before digging into her glorious breakfast. The savory smells of the steamy food were making her mouth water. Her aunt must have gotten up very early to cook this banquet for them. She made a mental note to pray to the gods and thank them for giving her this food and her aunt's awesome cooking skills. "Happy Birthday Akahana," her reserved uncle said in his unfaltering calm voice. She noticed a small smile appear on his lips. "Well, let's eat before it gets cold!" Her aunt clapped her hands together and sat next to her husband.

"Where's Toshiro?" Akahana inquired after she noticed that her other cousin was missing from the table.

"He's at the dojo practicing," Her uncle answered as he took a piece of dumpling to add to his chirashi sushi and steaming rice.

"He's gonna need it if he is going to beat me," Akahana mumbled as she took a big bite of her breakfast and gave herself a smirk. She took more big bites until there were only a few grains of rice sticking to the bottom of her bowl.

Today's the day.

After breakfast was finished and bellies were full, which was mostly Akahana's doing since she ate two bowls of vegetables and dumplings, both her uncle and herself bid the rest of the family good day as they walked up to the front of the dojo. They bid their greetings to the other care-takers while Jin goes into one of the training rooms that is filled with young students ready to start their lesson. She goes off and joins the other care takers in keeping the dojo clean and in top condition. This has been a daily routine since Akahana turned thirteen. It does bring in extra income, however, her uncle had other reasons for her to work at the dojo. He wanted her to take notice in the techniques of sword fighting. He knew that common women would not dare train with other men to become samurai or even ronin. But he did give her lessons when he was not teaching.

When she was brought under his care, he noticed that she had a fiery spirit that reminded him of wild man that he once knew. He also noticed that she would constantly quarrel with her older cousin that led to either one of them crying because one of them hit the other. He knew that her father would have wanted her to at least know how to defend herself. So this is where they are today, for now.

After parting ways with her uncle, Akahana went off to go do her daily tasks of sweeping the outside floors and walking stones. She made her way to the cleaning room where she greeted some laundresses who were busy steaming and washing the sheets and clothes of the master's family.

"Hello Akahana-chan," a much older woman said as she graced Akahana with a smile with her thin lips. "How are you today?" The woman wrung out an article of clothing and hung it on a clothes line.

"Just fine, ready to get the day started," she replied as she grabbed the broom and tied up her kimono's sleeves.

"Well, I hope we see you on your break. Don't try to get into any trouble," the woman giggled out and continued her work.

"No promises," Akahana called out with a grin as she exited the room with the plan to start from the back and work her way to the front.

The rain had stopped but the grey skies continued to loom over the small town. The dojo was at a peaceful silence except for the roar of the students whipping their wooden swords around and the sounds of the broom's bristles as they came into contact with the wooden floor boards. Akahana was concentrating on her work while humming to a tune. After an hour, she completed the back portion of the dojo, she made her way to the outside training arena and began to sweep the stray dirt that littered the stone ground. I hope he says yes to the request I am going to ask him.

A couple of minutes have gone by and she completed half of the court. However, a pair of eyes were looming over her concentrated form. A stray sandal was flung in her direction and hit her back in a hard manner. With the harsh contact of the sandal she squeaked out in a surprised manner and turned around to face the owner of the sandal.

"The bear finally arises from her cave," a tall young man walked over with a smug look written over his features. "Did not know another way to get your attention."

"That's because you are too stupid to think of one," Akahana replied as she picked up the sandal and tossed it in his direction.

"Well, think of it as my birthday present to you," he caught the sandal with one hand and slid it back on his foot.

"Aw, how sweet of you, I am actually touched by how much thought you put into it," sarcasm dripped off of her words as she continued to sweep the arena completely ignoring her cousin.

Toshiro was Jin and Shino's eldest son. He was older than Akahana by two years and height as well. Both Akahana and Shino have noticed the similarities in Jin and Toshiro. They could pass off as brothers, except Toshiro does not wear glasses like his father. Shino always tells him that he looks exactly like his father in his younger days. Toshiro is tall and lean with long straight black hair. But instead of being in the signature ponytail of the samurai, its piled on top of his head in a messy bun with some hair falling out in the front. His eyes are the deep chocolate brown like his mother's with thin lips and a straight nose like his father. Most of the village girls are quite taken with him and always flirt with him and give him free things, which he gladly accepts. Both him and Akahana butt heads very often and always argue for the fun of it. However, he can be outspoken but in a calm manner and is very respectful of his elders. But, always made his father proud of all his achievements in training to be a samurai.

"I can see that little hump in your back is growing, old lady," Toshiro laughed as he tapped her back and got in front of her.

"Shut the hell up, can't you see I am trying to work? Don't you have training to be done?" Her brows pinched in annoyance at her cousin's insult.

Akahana only reserved her foul language for Toshiro and other people who deserve it. Her aunt scolds her whenever there is a slip of the tongue, but her uncle just gives a Hm in response. But, Akahana was trying better to not use such words very often, since "proper" ladies do not use those words ever in their vocabulary.

"Yes, I did, but training can get boring with just one person."

"What do you want me to do about that?" She asked lazily as she sidestepped his form to sweep around him.

"Can you train with me? It's always fun with a sparing partner!"

She just rolled her eyes at his request and continued on, "I don't have time nor do I want to get into trouble."

"C'mon everyone is in class and think of it as part two of my gift," he said he tapped his foot with impatience.

She just ignored him as she moved away from him to sweep the rest of the ground. It went back to the peaceful silence that allowed her to concentrate. Toshiro just stared at her until an idea came to his head. A mischievous grin spread across his lips as he walked away. "Fine, suit yourself, miss out on all the fun."

"Good riddance," Akahana said under her breath and continued to sweep.

After a good five minutes she finished the other side and looked at her completed work with proudness. She cracked her back and rested a hand on her hip as she stood there. "Phew, glad that's over with, now time to do the front end and off to washing the walls."

When she was turning, a wooden training sword was thrown her way. Luckily she blocked it with the broom's stem and it fell limp on the ground. She went to the fallen sword and picked up the hilt and gripped it tightly as she looked around for the person who aimed at her. She threw the broom to the side and glanced around in every direction. The once peaceful silence was now buzzing with anticipation. The slightest noise focused her attention.

A tall figure ran towards her and leaped, "Got you!" Toshiro made a front swipe at her but she easily dogged his attack.

"What the hell's your problem?! I told you no!" She yelled at her cousin as she got away from him, but then made more swipes in her direction as he got closer to her.

"You know I don't listen to you, plus how is this?! Element of surprise!" Toshiro yelled back. He ran along side her and lunged to her left side but his move was dogged by her ducking and retreating backwards. She finally just gave in to his request, "Fine! Just don't cry when I beat you!"

It was her turn to make a move at him as she got closer and swiped right then left which he dodged the first move but the second one would have cut his sleeve if it had been a real sword. They clashed wooden swords as they got nearer to each other. Both had the look of concentration plastered on their faces as a defense mask against the other. If her surroundings were not so bare, she would have used every edge to leap off of to try and get an opening to make the final move. He swiped at her again from the front but she barreled off of him to try to get his back towards her. But he moved too quickly and slashed in a diagonal line but she bypassed him and kicked his leg, which weaken his defense. He gave a muffled yelp but quickly regain his defense and ran straight towards her. When she ducked she elbowed him in the ribs when his arms were raised to slash straight down. With one hand he quickly made a slash at her from the side but came too short when her sword blocked the blade from hitting her.

They were on either side of the arena, circling each other with their wooden blades pointed at each other ready to make the next move. This time, Akahana made the first move and swiped low below his feet to throw him off guard, but he decided to aim for high where her head would be, alas, once she made the move, she ducked even lower and rolled to the side once he started to slash at her rolling form until she got up. He had a smirk on his face after she got up and moved away from him. She ran away from him, but he kept running after her. What is she up to? Toshiro thought as he eyed her. They slashed each other a couple more times until they stopped. He smiled and was about to go in for the kill until she yelled "Gotcha!" and moved out of the way and kicked the broom's stem into his ribs which set him hurdling to the ground. She pointed the wooden sword at him as he propped himself up on his elbows a clear scowl of annoyance on his face. "Happy Birthday to me," Akahana said as she stared at her cousin with a smirk.

"Akahana!"

The sudden call of her name forced her attention else where, as she looked at the caller of her name. With her distracted state, Toshiro thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out a new move. He kicked her legs from under her and she fell on her butt. She glared daggers at her cousin as she winced in pain at her sore bottom.

The figure that was yelling her name came into full view. It was the head grounds keeper stomping his way up to the two teenagers with a scrunched up glare. He was ancient looking, but being the groundskeeper, he had a spry body with bountiful energy. He had deep set wrinkles on his face and withered hands, but his frown and pinched eyebrows were a constant expression upon his face. He barked orders at everybody but was in good spirits whenever the teachers or the master was in company. The old man's name was Todokama Gichii. But secretly, everyone refers to him as "Old Goblin." The name makes Akahana giggle since he does have the appearance and temperament of one.

"Akahana! You should be sweeping up this whole place! Not playing around with Toshiro! I turn my back for one minute and you are slacking off! I should have you sweep this whole entire place again and make you rake the rock garden!" The Old Goblin barked at the girl who sat on the ground in defeat.

"I am very sorry sir, it won't happen again," She gave her superior a deep bow in apology. Her voice was still and did not falter, no matter how fast the adrenaline was rushing through her veins. She gave Toshiro's leg a slight kick to let him know to apologize as well. He straightened and mimicked her movements, "I apologize as well, I was the one who started this in the first place. If there should be anyone to blame, it should be me."

The Old Goblin sucked in a breath in annoyance. He folded his arms and studied the two. "You two are the most troublesome youngsters I ever came across in my entire life." The two awaited for their punishment. He pointed at Toshiro, "You! I will have you go chop some wood for the master's fire! Hop to it!" Toshiro nods and gets up from his kneeled position and goes to his assigned punishment. The Old Goblin eyes Akahana, "You! I will—"

"Todokama-san," a calm voice interrupted him.

He turned in the direction with scowl and realized it was Jin that was calling his name. His scowl softened and quickly bowed in embarrassment, "Yes, sensei? How may I help you?"

"I need Akahana for a moment, if that is all right with you?" Jin asked him.

The Old Goblin's breath was caught in his throat as he looked at the kneeled girl in annoyance, but then brought his attention back to the samurai. "O-Of course." He straightened and walked away from the two.

When the Old Goblin was gone, Akahana stood up and dusted herself off as she bent down to retrieve the training sword and the broom. "Thanks uncle, I don't know—"

"I did not come to get you out of trouble, you still have a punishment for taking part in Toshiro's games. But, I need to talk to you about something," He said as he stared at her. He took a deep breath. "Walk with me."

Akahana felt bad that she let her uncle down but followed him anyway.

"I saw the whole battle between you and Toshiro. It reminds me of someone I dueled many years ago," Jin said as he walked at a steady pace with the girl at his side. Akahana just looked at him with a steady gaze and waited for him to continue.

"Even though you have been trained to only use the sword as an extension of yourself, you still find ways to use various surroundings to be other extensions and you are also very sporadic in the way you have skill that still needs to be harvested and perfected."

Akahana never thought of the way she actually fought, even for training. She just thought it was clever fighting tactics to use whatever is around you to help you disarm your opponent. It was never a thought until now.

"However, you just proved that you could easily handle yourself on your own," Jin stared out at the distance ahead while Akahana looked at him incredulously.

She gulped at his words. Was he finally kicking her out of his home? If her fear deemed to be true she was not sure what she would do with herself. Plus, she had nowhere to go.

Today's the day.

"Uncle, I have something I need to ask you," she blurted out as they continued to walk. She did not want to hear what he had to say next.

"Go on," he said.

"Well, I have been thinking about this idea for quite sometime and since I am now old enough to fend for myself, like you said, and have capability to defend myself. I—" She stopped and looked at him to see if his expression has changed, but his calm demeanor did not falter. "I have been wanting to go find my father ever since, I was old enough to know that he abandoned me with you. I don't care if he is alive or dead, I just want to see where he may be," Her hands balled at her sides and waited for his rejection.

"You should go," He nodded and continued to walk down the corridor.

She stopped in her tracks at his agreement. Did she just hear him correctly? Did he just agree to her plan without even giving it a second thought? She shook her head and caught up with his tall form.

"So, you are agreeing to this journey?" She arched her eyebrow at her uncle.

"It's not my place to hold you back. It's your journey, not mine. You and you alone are the only person to hold yourself back."

At his confirmation, a smile appeared on her face and gave a squeal of excitement. She turned to him and embraced her uncle. His thin form was squeezed in the tight hug that encircled him. He gave a soft smile and patted her back gently. "I have something for you." When she let go of him, his hand fished through his sleeve to retrieve a slender box.

Jin hands her the box and watched her as she opens it. The box revealed to be two hairpins. The rod part was a brassy gold and had curved ends. One hairpin had two coral colored beads, while the other one only had one. Akahana stared at the gift in bewilderment. "They are beautiful! Thank you!" She smiled at him and gave him another hug.

"They were your mother's. Take good care of them," Jin commented. Akahana's eyes went wide in shock. She studied them once more but with more tenderness. Her eyes were glistening from the tears that were pricking at the corners of her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and proceeded to stick them in her hair. Even though her hair was tied already, she stuck them where the tie was and made sure it was secure enough. "How do I look?"

Jin noticed that with the hairpins in her hair, she was the spitting image of her mother. Except that Akahana's grey eyes were that of his long lost friend, but other than that he felt like he was seeing her again. "Just like Fuu."

After their touching moment, Akahana left her uncle with a renewed sense of appreciation and excitement at the new chapter in her life. She felt closer to her unanswered questions being answered with her mother's hairpins in her hair and a fire that was lit deep within her core. She could not wait to share the news with the rest of her family.

Boom! I even got feels from Jin's gift. *wipes tear away* See you next chapter! :)