Got Room for One More?

A/N: Now we are back to the present. Yatta! I own only Tomi and the lullaby that she sings for Komachi.

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Chapter 7

Heihachi woke up to see Komachi staring at Tomi's left hand, her head tipped in wonder. Kirara was in the kitchen again, boiling water and talking to Kanbei. Tomi was still sleeping, but slowly coming out of it.

"Whatcha looking at Komachi? Tomi have an interesting mole or something?"

"Even better" the girl whispered, smiling up at the redhead "she had a really pretty ring! All shiny and covered with stones…"

Tomi's hand lay on her lap, where Heihachi could easily investigate the jewelry that so enthralled the child. He gave a low whistle when he caught sight of a silver band on her middle finger. It was made of thin bands of the precious metal and studded with jade and diamonds. Surely something like that would cost a small fortune, more than one such as them could even dream of seeing.

Suddenly, Tomi jumped up and looked around wildly.

"Where is he? Where is…?"

She stopped and sat back down, taking a deep breath. She saw that everybody that was in the shelter was staring at her.

"Ehh…sorry. Bad dream again."

She looked over at Kanbei, who raised an eyebrow questioningly. She nodded and looked back to Komachi, who was now holding her hand while she looked at Tomi's ring.

"Wow, where did you get this? Was it a gift?"

Tomi smiled a little and chewed her tongue for a moment. Then reached up and took the green lenses from her eyes and tucked them into a small box that she had in her sleeve. The others noted the familiar red color of her eyes, but thought nothing of it. Kirara came over and sat by Tomi, holding out a small cup of tea.

"Here. May…may I see your ring?"

Tomi accepted the tea and twisted the ring off her hand, leaving a pale strip of indented skin exposed. Kirara saw that and smiled as she gently handled the ring.

"Whoever gave you this was very important, weren't they? You loved them, I can feel it. There is love and a promise bound to this ring of yours."

Tomi smiled and drank her tea down as fast as she could, then stood up again.

"Lets go out, you and I. We can talk, and it will get us out of this coop. I'll let you use one of my robes. It'll look nice on you."

An hour later, Kirara and Tomi came out from behind the curtain. Kirara wore the beautiful robe and wig that Tomi had once worn, while Tomi had dressed herself in plain brown hakama and a grey yukata and put on a grey headband. Tomi had also painted Kirara's face with her own expensive makeup and perfumed white powder, making her look for all things like a noble.

"Whoa, you look different Kir – "

"Ah-ah! Her name is Lady Utsu, and I am her bodyguard, Taro."

………

As the pair walked toward the higher levels of the city, they talked of the past. Tomi seemed to be so relaxed that Kirara tried to get a little of her past out of her.

"So, you were a street performer? Did one of the patrons give you that ring? Or maybe another performer?"

Tomi looked at the ring and smiled, coming to stand a little closer to her friend before she answered.

"No. Somebody that I have thought of every day for many years. We grew up together…"

"Were you going to marry him?"

"Yes. We married as soon as I turned sixteen. But things happened that…were horrible."

Kirara saw the distress on her face and reached out her hand and held Tomi's own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Did he die?"
"In a way. I'd rather we talked about something else now, please."

Kirara nodded and waited for Tomi to remove her hand from her grip, but was pleased when she left it there. It showed that she trusted her, Kirara thought. This was a woman who had shut herself off from people by being right in front of them for a long time, but wanted human contact.

By the time they reached the market, there were only a few fruit stands open. The two purchased a few persimmons before turning back home to share the treats.

………

Flashback

"Ukyo! Wait up!"

Tomi, wearing three heavy robes and her hair styled into a high topknot, stopped to catch her breath against a cool marble wall.

"Why are we going to see the Amanushi again?"

"Because, my white-faced love, now that we are married… We need to properly introduce you to the people! No doubt they will be as stricken with your beauty as I am. The Amanushi will be the one to introduce you. He will adore you, I am sure."

"Oh be quiet… Help me get my robes straight, they're all twisted."

After a few tugs, the robes were set to rights and the pair were walking again. When Ukyo leaned down to kiss his wife, he was surprised when his lips met the silk of her sleeve.

"You'll mess up my makeup. It took forever to get it on, and I'm not taking it off until I have nothing else to do."

He groaned and nodded to the guards who stood outside the Amanushi's quarters as they walked in…

………

Tomi and the others ate in companionable silence. Well, mostly silence. Heihachi and Kikuchiyo ate with such gusto that Kirara had to look away sometimes. She looked to Tomi, who had lapsed into a rather sullen mood after their outing, and Kirara felt that it was her fault. But how would one pull her out of such a sad state?

The answer came in the form of Shichirouji and his shamisen. After the blond man had sung a short piece, he looked to the others and asked if there were any songs that they wanted to hear. Heihachi smiled and nodded.

"Lovers. I like that song."

The blond man shook his head sadly, saying he didn't know the song well enough to play it or sing it. Then, to Kirara's pleased surprise, Tomi held out one long hand.

"I can."

The blond man smiled and handed the instrument and the pick over, pleased that he was no longer the lone entertainer of the group.

There was a field in my old town
Where we always played hand in hand
The wind was gently touching the grass
We were so young so fearless
Then I dreamt over and over
Of you holding me tight under the stars
I made a promise to my dear Lord
I will love you forever
Time has passed
So much has changed
But the field remains in my heart
Oh, where are you?
I need to tell you I still love you
So I reach out for you
You fly around me like a butterfly
Your voice still echoes in my heart
You are my true love
There was a field in my old town
Where in Spring all flowers blossomed wide
We were chasing butterflies
Hand in hand till close of day
Your voice still echoes in my heart…

She cleared her throat and saw that Komachi was starting to nod off in her sister's arms. She smiled and began playing another tune softly on the shamisen.

Little bird, little bird

Go to sleep, go to sleep.

The crickets sing, the owls take wing

Even as you lie here.

Little bird, little bird

Go to sleep, go to sleep.

Rush to your dreams, little golden bird

Fly to tomorrow,

Pretty little bird…

She smiled and watched Komachi's head drop back onto her sister's chest, her mouth slightly open. The others all smiled to each other and commented on the beauty of the music.

"Where did you learn that lullaby, Tomi?"

The woman looked at Gorobei for a moment, and then blushed.

"I made it up a long time ago. The boy I grew up with always had a hard time falling asleep because he was afraid of being alone. I used to sing for him, then I would fall asleep too, and he wouldn't be alone when he woke up."

Kirara saw Tomi glance her way and smiled, silently telling the older woman that her secret was safe with her. Tomi smiled and nodded, handing the shamisen back to its owner.

"Why don't you sleep with Komachi and me, Tomi? There's lots of room, and you might be more comfortable with us."

Tomi smiled a little wider and nodded.

"I will try. Thank you, Kirara."