Got Room for One More?
Chapter 4
Tomi jerked awake when Kikuchiyo shook her shoulder as gently as he could, which felt like being tied on the back of an angry bull.
"Wuzzat?"
"It's time to get up."
She jumped to her feet and dashed inside, forgetting that people may still be waking up on the floor. She yelped and jumped sideways into Heihachi after stepping on Gorobei's chest. The redhead laughed and set her back on her feet, telling her that next time she should try falling on somebody that wasn't carrying breakfast.
"I'm so sorry!"
Gorobei rubbed his chest, still laughing at the dark blush that had flooded her cheeks. Kirara came in holding a bowl of rice for the newest member of the team and was shocked to find her sitting slightly behind Gorobei, who just laughed every time she would whisper apologies.
"Here. This is for you."
She was still unable to hold back a blush when Tomi smiled at her and whispered a thank you and accepted the bowl. Even the knowledge of Tomi's gender didn't change the fact that she looked like a very pretty boy dressed as she was.
"We need to go out so we can test your skills, Tomi, as last time we met they were lacking."
Tomi sighed and slowly ate half of her rice, then passed it off to Heihachi, who gladly finished it off for her. She groaned and picked up her weapons and tied a headband on before Kanbei motioned for her to follow him. Komachi looked up at her sister and smiled.
"Can I go with them? I wanna watch Tomi!"
Kirara looked at her sister, then looked at the other men still in the shelter. Heihachi stood and pulled his leather cap down a little tighter, smiling at the water priestess.
"I could keep an eye on her. I'm going to watch too, in case anything should happen."
Kirara nodded and Komachi went tearing off after her new friend, forcing Heihachi to run after her. The redhead and Komachi followed the pair to an open plain and chose a spot to sit that was close enough to see well, but also far enough to avoid getting struck by anything that may end up flying.
Tomi and Kanbei stood staring at each other for several long minutes, sizing each other up. Finally Tomi reached for her blade and ran at the older man. With one fluid movement, Kanbei sidestepped and caught the collar of her shirt and flung her away. Tomi hit a rock with a thud, but landed on her feet with the sword still in her hand and her eyes clear. She leapt up onto the high rock and jumped straight up as high as she could and whipped out one of her guns, firing a few rounds before landing neatly behind the man. As she swung her sword, Kanbei jumped and brought the handle of his own weapon down on her shoulder. She yelped as she heard, then felt, her arm dislocate.
"Shit!"
Her gun dropped from her nerveless right hand as she retreated, holding the arm with her good hand and giving it a hard yank. The arm went back into it's socket with a loud snap, and Tomi crouched down to wait for the wave of nausea to pass and watch for her opponent's next attack. She saw that she had made a tear in the shoulder of Kanbei's sleeve with one of her bullets, and had even ripped the cloak he wore with her blade. Suddenly, the older samurai put away his sword and motioned for her to pick up her gun.
"That's it? Who won?"
She looked over and saw little Komachi standing by Heihachi, who smiled and waved. The little girl looked confused.
"Did you win, Kanbei-sama, or did Tomi?"
Kanbei raised his eyebrows in his version of a smile, walking back toward the city.
"She is worthy of joining us. I will inform the others."
Tomi smiled at Komachi and Heihachi as they sat for a moment and she tried to fix her arm better. It hadn't gone back where it should have, and while it would move a little, it was numbing and difficult to make move.
"Need help?"
She nodded to the redhead and stood up, planting her feet and waiting for him to do the same. She felt him grab her hand, get a firm grip, then take a deep breath.
POW!
"Oh, oh, that hurt…"
Tomi felt the world tilt madly and sat down with a sigh. At least she could move her arm now…
"You gonna be alright, or do I need to carry you back?"
Tomi glared up at Heihachi, but saw that he was being serious, not making fun of her moment of weakness at all. She smiled and shook her head, getting to her feet. Komachi grinned and jumped up and down.
"You should let him carry you anyway!"
Both samurai gaped at the little girl for a moment as she sang out her suggestion a few more times. Finally Tomi put on her scariest face.
"Hey kid, you bother me."
"So?"
"Do you know what I do to kids that bug me?"
Komachi slowed her dance, then stopped and looked at Tomi's serious face.
"No…"
"I eat 'em."
As she spoke, she pretended to draw her sword and bared her teeth in a snarl. Komachi shrieked and took off for the city, leaving the other two to laugh for a moment before suddenly realizing that the child was quickly fading from sight.
"We should go get her."
"Yeah. If we don't, her sister will kill us both."
A/N
Wow, I really like how this is going so far. There are a lot of things to explain, but all will be explained, I promise! Thanks to my first reviewer of this story: Daughter of Horus. Cookies for you!
