On the outskirts of town, where green grass meets blue water, a child of about ten years of age could be seen crying under the shade of a low tree. A young girl with such intense purple eyes and raven black hair. One couldn't resist the sight of this frail looking girl crying her heart out for unknown reasons. No one, not even a mysterious wanderer with a dark past.

A samurai was just passing by that town. He was almost crossing the bridge that links Kamakura to another village when he heard the girl's wails.

"Hey there, little girl. Why are you crying?" asked the stranger.

The girl wiped off a few drops of tears and looked at the man. He was wearing a white yukata, blue hakama pants trimmed with gold, and a dark blue tunic. His face was masked by yellow clothing, and in his back lies some sort of weapon.

If this was just any other day, little Hotaru would already have ran away from him and went back to the village. But she didn't want to go back to the village. Not yet, not now. She didn't want to see her sister get killed in a bloodbath.

And if he was just any other man, the child would have just ignored his presence. But there was something about the stance of that stranger that told young Hotaru she could trust him. Deep pools of teal stared at her behind the mask, awaiting for an answer.

"My sister...is in trouble..." the child replied in between sobs.

"And why would she be in trouble, little one?" he asked again as he sat down beside her.

"Because she is fighting for her life. Some men want to marry her. And she doesn't want that. So she's going to fight all those men to the death…"

"Anou...and why are they fighting for her?"

"Because it's my father's will. He wanted to find the right husband for her. People are now fighting over who will be my sister's husband at the center of the village. I'm crying because my sister is there in the duels. I don't want her to get hurt."

Hotaru looked at the sword-like thing behind the masked stranger. "Is that...a weapon? Are you a swordsman, mister..?"

"Ah. This?" he pointed at it. "Yes, it is a weapon. But I am not a swordsman, little princess."

"But you do know how to use it?"

"Of course."

The wanderer was standing up already to leave the place, but he was surprised when little Hotaru tackled him to the ground and squeezed the life out of him. "Mister stranger," she looked at him with pleading eyes, "would you please help me rescue my sister? Please?"

Knowing that he could not deter his task, he brushed her off and told her, "I am sorry, little one, but my destiny awaits me in another land. The one I have been searching for is not in your village. I am sorry I could not help you and your sister." He then stood up abruptly, and headed to the bridge.

He already crossed it halfway when he heard the most deafening and heartbreaking scream of despair he had ever heard. Little Hotaru was now wailing loudly. She was standing near the bridge's railing, wanting to jump down at the rushing waters below.

"Shimatta!" he cursed under his breath. He rushed back at the end of bridge and lifted Hotaru up easily.

"Let go of me, mister! My sister is going to die in those fights... and I might as well die too!" the girl shouted. She kicked at him. Tugged hard at his hair. She struggled with all her might, but the stranger didn't even flinch.

"Listen little one," he said as he let go of her when they were a few steps away from danger, "If I help your sister, would you then promise not to jump off that bridge again? Or kill yourself, for that matter?" He was now kneeling in front her, looking at her at eye level.

Hotaru couldn't help but gulp in fear as she saw something in the stranger's eyes. His eyes glowed yellow. And a hidden emotion was beginning to surface. Was it anger? Was it hostility? She was too afraid to speak. She was almost about to burst into tears once more when the stranger spoke in a calm tone.

"Gomen. I did not intend to scare you. But please, hime-chan, do you promise? I will help you, but only if you promise," his eyes, who had turned back into teal, were now filled with concern.

"Okay. I promise," said little Hotaru.

"So," he stood up and looked towards the village, "would you take me to your sister before any harm befalls upon her?"

The girl linked the wanderer's hands with hers. "We should hurry before it's too late! Thank you mister..." she beamed up at him.

"Just call me Haruka. Tenoh Haruka."

Author's Note:

Sadly, there will be no updates today for my other fics.
Someone dear to me has crushed my heart. So I'm currently in an uber depressed mode, and I don't want Umi no Hime's storyline to be tainted with angst. Well, not yet anyway. Heh.

And oh yeah…btw, in this fic, Haruka is a SHE. No matter what others think, no matter how 'masculine' she looks, acts, and speaks like…Haruka is still a woman. Die homophobics.
Bleh. I really, really, really just wanted to say that.

Disclaimer:

Haruka, Michiru, and the rest of the BSSM gang belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.
R. Zanders owns the original plot. (How many times do I have to say this so as not to receive reviews and other -bleep- that I stole the fic from my cousin/classmate RaiTenshi?)