Chapter 10

Sano woke up with someone shaking his arm and calling his name. "What?" he asked groggily.

"It's time to get up. If you want to get to Shiro's house, that is," Minako said.

"Alright. Give me a second," Sano told her.

Minako sighed, "men. All they want is sex, alcohol, and sleep." She heard snoring and realized that Sano had fallen asleep again. "Dammit! Sano! Get up!" Minako knelt beside him and shook his shoulder. He rolled over, with her arm trapped between his arm and his body. "Ah! Sano!" Her face was leaned over his and she couldn't help but smile. He looked so innocent when he was asleep, to bad it wasn't true. Minako smiled as a thought came to her mind. She leaned in closer and kissed him. His eyes shot open and Minako smiled at him. "Well that woke you up."

"Damn straight it did," Sano said, sitting up slowly.

"Can I have my arm back?" Minako asked, wriggling her arm slightly.

"No. I still have uses for it," Sano told her. To prove his point, he pulled her forward so that she was leaning over him again. He slipped an arm around her waist and pinned her to him.

"What happened to wanting to go to Shiro's house for help?"

Sano pouted and let her go. "You're no fun."

They walked out of her room and Sano headed for the stairs when Minako grabbed his arm. "Not that way. I don't want to wake anyone up, so we're going from the back stairs."

"Back stairs?" Sano said slowly, trying to remember what she was talking about. "Oh! Right, back stairs." He followed her to the back of the house and out a door. They went down the wooden steps and into the street.

When they reached Shiro's house, he was already awake. Unfortunately he was in the middle of an argument with his sister. "I can't believe that you're actually offering to help him!" she yelled.

"I thought we already discussed this last night? I told you my reasons!"

"I don't care! As long as he's still coming here I'm leaving!" Kunto stomped into the house and slammed the door shut. A few moments later she came out with a bag and her baby in her arms. "I'm leaving."

Shiro seemed helpless to stop her, so Minako stepped in front of her. "Listen lady, I don't care much for you, but your child can't go out there. He's too young and there's no way that you can properly care for him out there."

"So what do you want me to do? Leave him here with you?" she asked, a disgusted look on her face.

"That or stay here."

Kunto stared at her, unbelieving for a moment. "You're serious aren't you?"

"Damn straight I am," Minako told her.

"Fine!" She shoved the child into Minako's arms. "Take my child then! I'm still leaving!"

Minako was dumbfounded as she watched Kunto walk away. "You're unfit mother!" she yelled at Kunto. "Dammit. What have I gotten myself into?"

"You just became the new nanny of my nephew," Shiro told her, calmly. "Better you than her, though." He looked at Sano, "glad to see you actually came. Ready to get to work?"

"I suppose," Sano said. He looked over at Minako as he followed Shiro to the rice fields and smiled as he watched her touch noses with the baby and tickle his sides.

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Minako walked into the house, Kunto's baby in her arms, and sighed as she sat on a wooden chair. "I can't believe your own mother abandoned you. I don't even know your name." The baby gurgled happily in response. "Well aren't you the little cutie. Yes you are. But I don't even have a way to feed you. I'll have to talk to Shiro in a little bit I suppose." For the moment Minako slid down to the ground and played with the baby.

An hour or so later Shiro and Sano came back in, sweaty and dirty. "You two stink. Where are the baby's bottles?"

Shiro rubbed his forehead for a moment and groaned, "they're down in the cellar, but we don't have any goats milk for him."

"Oh. What's his name?"

"Amida," Shiro told her. When Minako raised an eyebrow Shiro laughed, "it was Kunto's idea."

"I don't have a problem with it, but it's the name of one of the Buddha's. She doesn't seem to be the 'religious' type," Minako said. "Where do you normally get the milk?"

"From our neighbor. He gives it to us for free, but you may want to take the baby with you. Otherwise he won't give you any."

"Got it. I'll be back soon," Minako told them. "Alright Amida, let's go get you food." She walked out, bouncing the baby up and down on her hip. The way to Shiro's neighbor was longer than she thought, but baby Amida made the trip more enjoyable. When she reached the farm she saw an old man plowing the field. "Excuse me? Are Samagi-san?"

He straightened and looked at her with smiling eyes, "why yes I am. And you are?"

"Minako. I'm here to ask if you have any milk for baby Amida," Minako told him.

"Why yes, I do. But where's Kunto?"

"Um, she left this morning and left Amida with Shiro," Minako explained.

Samagi nodded, "I always wondered about her. She didn't seem to be the responsible type. Well then Minako-dono, come inside and I'll get the milk for Amida." Minako nodded and followed him into the house. She waited in the parlor while Samagi got the milk from the cellar. He came back up, "here you are Minako-dono."

"Thank you Samagi-san," Minako said, bowing before she left the house. On the way back she looked down at Amida, "now we can go back and get you fed. And knowing the other two boys, they probably haven't had anything to eat anything. Unless you're uncle knows how to cook." When they were back at the house Minako shook her head as she watched Sano and Shiro plow the field. "There they go again. Have you two eaten yet?" she asked loudly.

Sano stopped and looked over at her, "nope."

"Figured," Minako whispered to Amida. "We'll feed you first though." Amida gurgled and grabbed a strand of her hair. He tugged lightly and Minako laughed, pulling the strand from his hands, "no, no. You can't pull my hair. It would hurt." She set Amida on the ground and heated up a pot of water and put milk in a bottle. As soon as it was done, she picked up the baby and fed him. "You're such a good little boy. Unlike the other kids I used to watch in my village." The thought of her village brought feelings that she had thought were banished to the back of her mind.

Homesickness filled her and Minako thought about her family, her brother mostly, and wished there was some way to send them word that she was okay without giving away her location. Amida squirmed in her arms and Minako realized that she had let the bottle slip from his mouth. "Oops, sorry baby."

Shiro walked in, wiping sweat off with a towel, and smiled at the two of them. "You'd make a great mother," he told her.

Minako blushed and said, "thank you."

Sano came in soon after and plopped down on the ground next to Minako, "so, how's the baby?"