Alright, this is the last chapter in my Christmas Eve triple update! Maybe in the New Year I'll gain the rights to Basara but until then...I got nothing.


Chapter Twenty-One: A Letter and a Request


Once Hanzo had dropped me back at the house, promising to keep the incident between us, I began slicing up fish and boiling the rice for dinner, reminding myself to see about the food supply and when I could go get some for us. The last thing I needed was Ranmaru whining for sweets because he was hungry. After today, I didn't want anymore stress.

Just as steam was beginning to rise from the pan, clearing any remnants of this that may have been hiding in the corners of my mind, the door opened and closed again, Ranmaru tugging his boots off in the porch. Turning from the hearth to ask how his day had been, I was momentarily stunned to see Itsuki putting her shoes next to Ranmaru's and climbing in with him.

"Wow, you guys really cleaned this place up!" She admired, taking a seat next to the hearth while her head turned this way and that.

Catching Ranmaru's eye, I jerked my head towards my room, getting a small nod in return, "Itsuki, do you mind keeping an eye on dinner for me? I and Ran will just be a few seconds." At her nod, I went into my room and folded my arms, waiting for an explanation.

Instead, Ranmaru surveyed our surroundings, giving a grin, "Still as messy as ever."

"Mori Ranmaru, did you invite Itsuki over without telling me?" Flashing a guilty look, Ranmaru gently rubbed the back of his head, trying to find the right words to use,

"Well, I had to. Usually she goes to Chiyome's but she was with a patient all day so Mizu told me to bring her here."

"I'm going to kill that huntress." I murmured, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Alright, Itsuki can stay."

My hand was just reaching for the door when he asked another question, "Can she stay the night too?" Hearing Itsuki chirping happily in the next room over, I turned back around, "It's just, she lives alone and-"

"She lives alone?" My heart gave a little twinge at that. But in many ways, it shouldn't have been so surprising, not considering what had been said around me on the subject, her rebellion, the fact that she ate at Chiyome's house everyday…chikushō.

Meanwhile, Ranmaru was still staring up at me expectantly, and Itsuki's singing had quietened, leaving me no further chance to stall, "Fine by me. But tomorrow, drag Mizu in here by her hair if you have to, I need to talk to her."

"Deal, but you're responsible for any injuries I get." With that matter settled, we finally went back into the main room, smiles firmly in place. Meeting our looks with her own grin, Itsuki allowed me to take over at the hearth, licking her lips at the look of the white sticky rice.


Dear Master Katakura


Humming thoughtfully, I glanced up from the beginnings of my letter, surveying the small group of children in front of me. There were ten in all, including the twins, and with the somewhat shaky base Saburo had began before our arrival here, I'd managed to get them reading short sentences from the primer that we'd dug out from the store shed. Apparently, the one thing Saburo had managed to pass on to all of them was the alphabet and some other basic kanji, but I wanted at least half my small class to get onto writing before New Years.

The village Elder had actually came down to check on their progress, and nodded sagely when Tsukiko asked if she was pronouncing a word right.
In more ways than one, Kodokuna Village had began to welcome us into its folds, and slowly but surely, my promise to Ranmaru that we would be staying seemed to act as a foundation for something greater, but what, I couldn't yet tell.

One thing was for sure, despite the near miss in town that Ranmaru remained ignorant of, danger seemed such a far off prospect, something that couldn't touch us, not here.


Having promised to write to you as soon as was possible, I feel I must apologise for forcing you to wait so long for news. I hope that you have been well and are enjoying this period of peace, however brief it may eventually turn out to be. I've heard a great deal of people praising the joint efforts against the Oda clan, and a few mentioned you by name, all of them approvingly…


As summer gave way to autumn, and picking the leaves out of the porch was a new chore for Ranmaru's list, classes became something of a second priority for the kids, all of whom focused their efforts towards helping their parents with the harvest, in the hopes of getting the chance to nibble at some while backs were turned.

Considering Mizu's somewhat mocking, but very true, statement that my presence in the fields would be more of a hindrance than a help, my days were spent learning how to cook from Chiyome, and helping Nobu carry firewood back from the forest. Apparently when he wasn't flat out drunk or mediating fights between his children, his competency with an axe was astonishing.

As for my own weapon, Hanzo occasionally came around to spar with me in our small garden, wielding a naginata spear that was apparently one of several distributed throughout the village in case there ever was a need to defend against 'bad samurai.'


By a stroke of luck, Ranmaru and I have settled in a small village within the borders of your lands, Kodokuna. The people here have been exceptionally welcoming, and though I daren't ask to confirm it, I believe Ranmaru has begun to nurture a small crush on one of the locals here…


Surprisingly, Hanzo had skill with the weapon, and aside from having the larger range, he was also something of a showman, matching each of my strikes with a flourish. Sometimes Mizu would watch us from the porch, her hunting being pushed to the side so that she could help in the fields, while Hanzo, Saburo and Asuka occasionally left the village for a few days for work, sometimes with the odd adult behind them.

Whenever they were gone for long, Chihiro stuck close to us, also acting as a teacher to Ranmaru in her own right. With the shortening days, Itsuki and Ranmaru had less time to burn off their energy, leaving them hyper messes that were next to impossible to control, until she had stepped in.

Despite her lack of hearing, Chihiro possessed a somewhat frightening capability for climbing. No matter how high or how perilous, it was likely she'd manage to clamber up there somehow. After hearing about the 'training' Lord Takeda had given me, Itsuki had begged to be taught and where she went, Ranmaru was sure to be a step behind.


With the changing seasons, I hope Talon will carry my words to you without delay, and that you will find time to reply. My best wishes for your future endeavours and the prosperity of the Date clan. Sayomi


Well, it had only taken me two weeks, but it was finally finished. Folding the paper tightly, and then securing it with a loose thread, I carefully tied it to Talon's leg while Hanzo held onto his body.

Despite some struggling on my falcon's part, the letter was soon attached, and his duty laid out for him clearly, "Straight back here when he takes it, okay? Or no dinner for you."

Shaking his head at me as Talon vanished into the sky, Hanzo gave a wide stretch, "You'll be lucky if he finds Katakura."

"I know." My teeth sank into my lip, "But I said I'd send word." It hadn't been a promise, just words exchanged in the wake of disaster. And yet Master Katakura had accepted it as such, even making sure that no–one would try to search for us in what remained of the temple, if the two Oda soldiers were to be believed. Maybe he hadn't been completely believed, but as long as there was someone to listen, a performer would always sing.

Shrugging again, Hanzo began to walk down the hill again, waiting until I began following, "By the way, can I sign you and Ran up for the harvest festival they're holding in town?"

My feet stopped moving, paused by the familiar feeling. It was autumn, the season for the Takayama Matsuri back in Gifu. The festival hadn't been mine or Ranmaru's favourite, but it had held a special place in our hearts. It was the one day of the year when we had the complete and utter attention of Oda without any chance of Akechi or Gracia interrupting us.

Not even the festival Oda started by himself was given the same reverence. To think we'd missed it without even knowing…

"Yomi, everything okay?"

"Sorry, just remembered something I'd forgotten."

"It wasn't your birthday, right?" My confused blinking brought a smirk to Hanzo's eyes, "Two years back, I was so swamped with work that I didn't realise it was my birthday until Asuka came back from town with sweets and wished me a Happy Birthday." His face turned wistful, "Fifteen, and I'd forgotten."

"No, I didn't forget my own birthday." I laughed, pretending to roll my eyes at him, "I was just thinking about a festival back in Gifu."

"It's not that one where the men have to dress as women, right?" My head shook in the negative, and Hanzo relaxed. "Phew, you were scaring me for a second there."

The matter dropped to the ground, our minds turning to other things, such as the slowly turning weather. Now that the harvest was coming in, work was kept very much indoors, such as preserving food and making sure everyone would be warm when winter eventually did come. The small shed in our garden was slowly filling as the weeks passed, Mizu usually coming by with a fresh delivery and company every so often.

To no-one's surprise, when I and Hanzo came through the front door, Mizu's bow and quiver were resting against the step, next to her sandals. The woman herself was kneeling by the hearth and slicing up vegetables, ignoring my indignant posture, "Look at that, living proof that nothing is sacred anymore."

"Your door was open, samurai." Mizu replied evenly, glancing across at me, "Excuse me for accepting an open invitation."

"Ranmaru had been cooking fish again," I sniffed, my nose twitching slightly with the information that the smell had yet to vacate the premises. Perhaps my insistence on cooking our meals whenever we were away from home had done more harm than good in the long run.

Shrugging, Mizu began pushing her work into the pot, light splashes greeting the vegetable's entrance. Clapping her hands together over the simmering meal, she placed them on her hips as she stood, "You asked her yet?"

Behind me, Hanzo finally stepped in properly, shrugging at his sister, "About the festival or-"

"The other thing, you ass." With a shake of her head, Mizu's eyes were back on me, "It's about Itsuki." Raising my eyebrow, I invited her to continue, only to be disappointed when she motioned to the floor, obviously wanting me to sit before she made what was obviously her demand.

Glaring a little, I finally stopped leaning against the wall, taking a relaxed position on the floor instead. To tell the truth, I was intrigued. Since that first night when she'd followed Ranmaru home like a blue shadow, Itsuki had pretty much become a fixture about the house, evidently not too put off by the fact that her new friends were samurai.

Unlike a certain someone I could mention, seeing as Mizu had cleverly put herself in between me and my sword, which rested neatly above Ranmaru's bow on an old rack we'd picked up in town. Still, I repaid the courtesy by keeping her bow well within my peripheral vision. Surprisingly, Hanzo took a seat near the pot, attempting to peek inside, only to have his wandering hand slapped away by his big sister.

After ensuring dinner would be safe for now, she turned her eyes back on me, "The Elder would like for you to take Itsuki into your home, at least until winter's passed."

"Sorry, whose idea was it?" Hanzo playfully inquired, earning another swat.

Angrily blushing, Mizu moved her face to look at me again, her curls moving slightly to show off the scar running down her cheek. An archery practise gone wrong I assumed, the curve neatly matching the bowstring whenever she was taking aim. "Fine," She hissed through gritted teeth, "I ask that you perform this favour for me. Happy now, Hanzo?"

"Very."

For my part, I was left slightly reeling, my posture shifting so my back was completely straight, "Can I ask why?"

"Because it's the decent thing to do?" Mizu shrugged, "She lives alone and away from town. If anything were to happen…we might not know until it was too late."

Was I dreaming, or did she actually sound concerned? Either I had finally experienced a delayed reaction to Gracia's manipulations and had cracked, or Mizu really needed my help for this. Placing my hands in my lap, I calmly tilted my head, "Why me?"

"You have the room, and Ran. Listen, Itsuki may just be a kid, but she's got the stubborn pride of a mule. But if it means spending the winter with a friend her own age in easy reach, then maybe, just maybe, you'll have better luck than the rest of us."

Behind her, Hanzo gave a shrug, more concerned about the fact that his hand had nearly managed to get the lid up. Without turning around, Mizu quickly slammed it down again, not even smirking at the whimper her gave out as he nursed his poor fingers. "Touch it again and you won't get any." She warned.

Taking another slow, deep breath, she clenched her fists looking dead at me, "So, fancy opening your home up, just for the winter?"

Sighing, my head nodded, eyes closing slowly, "I'll try my best."

Accepting my answer, Mizu turned back to the hearth. "That's all I can ask."