Sakura Prophecies

"… well, shit."

Now, generally speaking, pieces of wood don't generate that kind of response from anybody. Wood, by nature (and in nature), is very unimposing, and, for the most part, just sits there, languishing in the sunlight, growing, and dying in turns, like most forms of life, at least when it has a life, in which case, it's a tree. When you cut a tree down, and break it apart, and separate the leaves from the branches and the branches from the bigger branches, and the bigger branches from the trunk, then you have wood. The trunk becomes planks, to build walls and to support roofs, the leaves are dried for fire starter, along with the smaller branches, and the bigger branches become the fuel to keep the first going on the long dark nights. On occasion, you have enough wood left over to create something else that's useful in a different fashion – a post. It was, in fact, a post that generated the short outburst of frustration, but not because it was a post. The post was, for all sense and purposes, very good at its job, as a marker where a main path split, and so some foolhardy person didn't just press on forward and make another path where there didn't need to be one. This post in question, however, did have a certain failing. Yes, it marked where the paths split, and did a good job, at that, but it wasn't able to tell which path went where, because this post lacked a sign, which would have made it a truly great post indeed.

This lack of signage was the main problem, and that was not at all the post's fault.

"Should we just pick a path?" suggested one of the four intimating figured staring down the poor post. "They both go in the same direction."

"Only one goes to town, however," amended another, "and the map doesn't tell me which one it is. This fork isn't marked."

"I'm hungry," spoke up a voice.

"Shut up," snarked the first.

"But I'm hungry!" repeated the same voice.

"Then be a good monkey and sniff us out a town!" came the retort from the same rude voice.

"Stop calling me a monkey, you stupid!"

"Excuse me!" demanded a fifth voice, interrupting the exchange loudly enough to cause the line of figures to separate and let her through. She bustled through, a tiny form dwarfed by a large piece of wood (planks, that is), her skirts tossing up dirt as she hurried to the post. There was silence, the kind where no one was quite sure what to say, while the small body hurriedly set the missing sign on the bottom most brackets of the once lonely post and fished a hammer from the pocket of her long white smock. There was a bit of a fuss, then a tinny tinktinktink of metal against metal, followed by the girl stepping back and dropping the hammer back into its pocket. Only then did she turn and bow to the four strangers.

"I was fixing the sign," she explained, her long black braid slipping from her shoulders and falling around her cheeks as she stayed bent over. "I didn't think anyone was coming out of the forest today, so I didn't know it would be a problem." One of the men, for these were men, more or less, gave a wane smile.

"It's all right, miss," he said, giving a short bow of return in her direction. "We're just on our way to the town." She straightened and raised one hand to indicate the left path.

"Town is just that way," she said, "about a half a day. You should make it before nightfall. You should hurry, though," she suggested, giving a small smile. "We've had problem lately with demons and monsters going after travelers."

"Ah," agreed the only man to have spoken to her so far. "Thank you for the advice. Are you traveling to town as well?" She shook her head empathically and her smile broadened to an almost dazzling display.

"My home is that way," she answered, lowering one hand and raising another to indicate the right path. "About the same distance. Um…" Suddenly, her brown eyes dropped to the ground, and she ducked her head, a small splash of red igniting on her pale cheeks. "If you'll excuse me for being so bold, I would like to ask a favor of you… gentlemen." She clasped her hands together in front of her and lifted her head, but not her eyes. "We've been having trouble, that is to say, my sisters and I have been having trouble lately. I'd like to offer an exchange, for your help."

"Sisters?" came one inquiry, which was met with a slightly surprised confusion from the girl and silent disdain from his companions. The original speaker chose to save the situation.

"What trouble?" he asked, taking a step forward. Now she looked at him, and there was plea in her eyes that no one could ignore.

"Our roof has been caving in, but no one from the village will come and help us," she explained, "and it's not something we can easily take care of ourselves. If you would help us, we have plenty of rooms where you can stay, and we have plenty of food, as well." She fidgeted, shifting her wait and kicking up most dust with her skirt. "We can also pay you-" The talking man, as she had silently dubbed him, raised his hand and gave her a smile that spoke of nothing.

"You have said enough, miss. Let me talk with my companions for a moment." She a took step back in surprise as the four men suddenly huddled in a group – well, three of them huddled, and another stood there, not saying a word, and quite obviously more interested in the sign behind her than the girl herself. A few choice words drifted from the men who were actually talking.

"…Hakkai, I'm hungry…"

"… she said she has sisters…"

"… free room and board…"

And still the fourth man said nothing, except for the occasional nod. The girl said nothing as well, but her face clearly spoke of several second thoughts she was currently harboring about these men and their… intentions.

"Hey, girl." The man who was preoccupied with the idea of her sisters, asked a question that was of no shock to anyone. "How many sisters?" She was tempted, oh so tempted, to roll her eyes and just walk away, but there were more important issues.

"Three," she answered, holding up three fingers and smiling. They returned to their huddle.

As they were doing this, something shifted clear of the branches of the forest and, without due warning, jumped the girl as she stood there, keeping only the barest hold on her composure. She screamed as she vanished between a flurry of black and white and all four men separated their huddle in a flash to attempt a rescue – but her screams turned into cursing mixed with forced laughter, putting the rescue at a very confused standstill. After a moment, and one heartfelt shove, the two forms separated and another girl clambered to her feet to stand before them.

"Hey, Midori, what is this?" she inquired, taking in the four men with her dark brown eyes. If the sign painter, Midori, was one thing at all, she was quite obviously this girl's sister. Taller, though, was the new one, and dressed in darker clothing, she stood a good foot above red faced woman, who, once on her feet, shoved her aside and all but growled as the new, black haired girl, fell on her backside on the leaf ridden ground.

"You have no tact," Midori accused, waggling a finger in the air above her. "Get yourself home and be useful there." An eyebrow arched, and the black girl rolled her eyes.

"And leave you defenseless with these men of obvious ill intention?" she shot back. "I don't think so."

"Do we have ill intentions?" one of the travelers asked, looking up at one of his companions. The other man shrugged.

"You might not," he replied with a smirk, leaving a silent "but I might" hanging in the air around him.

"Ignore my sister," stated Midori, placing her hands on her hips. "She's just a child. Did you reach a decision?"

"Well, not entirely-" started one of them, to be interrupted by the one with the obvious intentions.

"You don't have to pay us any money, but we'll take the other ones," he said, not quite making clear what he thought the other "ones" might be. The new girl raised an eyebrow this time, and was rewarded with what the man thought to be his "charming" smile. She wasn't phased, or at least not that she showed, and rolled her eyes.

"Can we get a move on, then?" she asked, pushing herself to her feet and brushing dirt from her pants. "I'd like to get back so Soyo can finish killing me for the… mess I made this morning, before breakfast."

"That'll teach you to go off on your own in the dark mornings!" scolded Midori, grabbing her sister's short ponytail and tugging it, and her sister, in the direction of the left path. "If you'll follow us, gentlemen? Kuroi, stop stalling!" Kuroi yelped, but let herself be dragged off, with only a hand on Midori's wrist to keep her from pulling too hard. As the four men fell into line behind them, one of them said, quietly,

"She smells like blood."

"They both do," said another. "She just smells the stronger of the two."