A few hours later the three travelers again were getting their fill of food. Jin ate without reservation knowing he would not be eating for quite some time. He also did not want the gift of food to go unappreciated. They were now in debt to each other.
Shiroko had served them again, but without smiles and without speaking. She attended the other customers without needing any prompt from the owner and his wife.
A large man, of questionable hygiene entered with two men wearing swords. He wore a brown kimono around his pungent body. His two companions found him a seat and Shiroko came to take their orders.
The shorter of the two men with swords made a tasteless remark, and she ignored it. She turned to the smelly corpulent man who said "Well, Shiroko, I think you may want to answer my friend here."
"No, thank you. Your order?" she asked.
The man who had made the remark then reached out and grabbed her behind. He soon found the back of her hand landed firmly on his cheek. The slap was a loud crack that caught the attention of the only other patrons in the establishment: Mugen, Jin, and Fuu. The owner and his wife kept themselves busy in the kitchen.
The fat man roared with laughter. Mugen and Jin exchanged a look. Mugen said "We've gotta protect our food source, eh Jin."
"Absolutely" responded his smooth samurai companion. They stood from their seats prepared for a confrontation.
Fuu frowned and sighed "You men and your pride! Why can't you just say you're helping because you like her?"
Mugen and Jin glanced at Fuu with irritation, then back at the fat smelly man.
The man who had been slapped started towards Shiroko saying "Why you—" Before he got out of his seat Shiroko slipped a small knife out of her sleeve and nailed one of his hands to the table.
"AAAAAAAAH!" screamed the man as he wriggled his body in surprise and pain. "My HAAAAND! AAAAH!"
Mugen and Jin slowly sat back down at the table. Mugen said, slightly disbelieving, "You said she was a fat kid, not a psycho-bitch."
"I was unprepared for that as well" Jin said, not giving away any of the mixed feelings swirling inside of him. The trio continued to eat slower than before and occasionally allowed their eyes to dart across the room.
The man in brown ordered his food, laughing, while his friend spilled blood on the table and floor. When Shiroko returned to the kitchen the rank fat man said to his bleeding companion "That Shiroko is some spit-fire, isn't she? Hahahaha. Though you wouldn't know this, it being your first visit. HAhahaha!"
The other of the fat man's companions tried to pull the knife from his friend's hand, but it was solidly stuck in the table. Every time he pulled on it the other man would scream "AAAAAAAAAH! WHAT'RE YOU—AH! IT HURTS!"
"Shit! It's stuck!" said the other man.
The stabbed man kept screaming "I'M BLEEDING! I'M BLEEEEEDING! HELP MEEEE!"
Mugen had had enough of it and got up and walked across the room. Wordlessly he yanked the knife out and dropped it on the table. The fat man said "Awwwww. I was enjoying that spectacle!"
"Yea, well it was interrupting my meal" said Mugen and he went back to stuffing his face at his own table.
The man who had been stabbed was insulted by Mugen's flippant and disrespectful attitude. He said "You think what that crazy whore did was funny, stranger?" He screamed his question while his bleeding hand dripped the floor. The injured man wasn't about to attack his large friend who apparently held authority over him. He decided to focus his anger at Mugen instead.
"No" said Mugen, rice falling from his mouth. "It's annoying and interrupting my meal."
The man charged Mugen and yelled "I'll interrupt your meal—argh!" Mugen didn't bother drawing, or standing either. He simply took off his shoe and chucked it at the guy. The shoe hit his opponent squarely in the forehead knocking him out cold.
Shiroko returned with the trays of food for her three other paying customers. She never once looked at Mugen, Fuu, or Jin.
The fat man spoke quietly to Shiroko for a moment. A sly grin spread across her face and a sneer crept up on hers. As she walked away from the table she yelled over her shoulder "In your dreams Kakimoto! Now eat your damn crab."
Kakimoto laughed and called out "Yes, I will, my future wife!"
Shiroko turned around and gave Kakimoto a look that could burn the hair of a cat's back. He only laughed more.
The conscious friend of Kakimoto's sat at the table and said "Hey, are you really taking her as your wife?"
The fat man said "She says no now, but I know she's lonely and hates to be a burden to the old couple. She'll come around. She's got nothing else."
The three travelers overheard this, and Fuu was the only one who stopped eating.
Jin, without taking his eyes off his food, said "She is not our concern." He looked up at Fuu and said "We don't need another mouth to feed or person to protect."
Fuu balled up her fists and shook with anger. She pointed at Jin and said "You like her! Don't deny it!" He just ignored her and swallowed some rice. "You guys are the worst! How could you let this happen to her? What if…what if it were me?"
Mugen said through a half chewed mouthful "That'd be fine with me. There'd be no more of this sunflower samurai shit to listen to an' I could finally kick Jin's ass."
Jin heaped a pile of rice up onto his chopsticks and said "That'll be the day."
"The day that what?" said Mugen, clearly not understanding the expression and angry about it.
Jin just looked at him and sighed. Sometimes verbal sparring with Mugen was not terribly satisfying. "Get your shoe, we should leave now."
Mugen knew Jin was right and he also knew there would be more room outside to do some real fighting. Sword fighting. Mugen got out of his seat and collected his shoe. The man on the floor began to stir back into consciousness. Mugen propped his foot up on the barely conscious man's head and smirked at the fat man.
Mugen caught Kakimoto's eye and said "So, is this guy yers?"
Kakimoto laughed and said "Why yes, and I think you've made him angry. Are you putting on a show for me?"
Mugen said "I don't do nothing, for nobody, but me."
"Too late!" laughed the fat man "You're already entertaining me! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Mugen did not find this amusing. The fat man continued to laugh realizing he tricked Mugen into making him laugh. He didn't laugh long. The fat man quickly found himself on the floor with a lump on his head from a metal clad geta.
The fat man's unharmed friend drew his sword and foolishly ran at Mugen who sidestepped and tripped him. The man went crashing into the table where Fuu and Jin were seated.
Jin looked down at the man who's eyes soon rolled up into his head. Jin then looked up at Mugen who let his mouth lean into a smirk. Mugen approached the fat man who angrily threw Mugen's shoe on the ground making a loud clacking noise.
A thin line of blood dribbled down Kakimoto's face. The fat man's jovial and mischievous face was transformed into an angry and sinister one. He spat as he said "That…" he began to breath harder "was not….funny!"
Shiroko emerged from the kitchen to clear the plates from Kakimoto's table and stumbled upon Mugen and Kakimoto's quarrel. "Shiroko!" demanded Kakimoto "Throw out this wretch and his friends! They're disturbing my meal!"
Shiroko's eyes went wide and then darted towards Jin and Fuu then to Mugen. She revealed nothing of her thoughts. The old man came out from the kitchen and said "Please, Mr. Kakimoto, have a seat, these vagrants were just on their way—"
Fuu slapped a hand to her face knowing that was not going to convince Mugen it was time to move on. Mugen said with all seriousness "I'll leave when I'm ready."
"Shiroko" said the old man "You can take care of them, they're your friends" and walked back into the kitchen.
Kakimoto gawked at her and said "You? Have friends? HA! You worthless wretch it makes sense that you would run with the likes of them. Tell them to leave or the old man learns your secret."
Mugen and Fuu shared the same sentiment "Huh?""Huh?"
Jin walked up behind Mugen and said "It's time to go."
Keeping his eyes on Kakimoto, Mugen said "I ain't done with my food yet."
Kakimoto's two companions were beaten but conscious. They grabbed Shiroko and brought her to Kakimoto. "What'll it be girl? Your friends or your secret." Mugen's hand was itching to draw his sword.
Jin walked towards the door and said over his shoulder to his friends "We were on our way. Let's go."
Fuu scampered down behind Jin and noticed that Mugen was stuck in his spot. Mugen scratched the back of his neck and said "Nah, you guys go on ahead I think I'll be finishing my breakfast."
The fat man laughed and said "And you call yourself a friend?"
Mugen's eyes narrowed and an evil smile played across his lips "Nope." The two men holding Shiroko dove towards Mugen and pushed her into Kakimoto's smelly chest. He grabbed her with his grubby hands and held her tightly. She struggled against his filthy form, but could not free herself.
Mugen flipped back and sprung off his hands down next to where geta lay. He slipped it on just in time to swing his legs upward and outward holding off the two advancing swordsmen. Shiroko and Kakimoto gawked never having seen such a technique performed before. Mugen's legs spun around and around. As he moved about on his hands Jin and Fuu ran back inside at the sound of unsheathing swords.
Jin drew his sword and Kakimoto's companions were cut down in the blink of an eye. The owner emerged from the kitchen and screamed at the sight of the two chopped up men on his floor.
Kakimoto seized the back of Shiroko's neck and whispered in her ear "You could've been my wife instead you'll be tossed out on the street. Maybe back in the brothel before your skill-less ass starves. You'll be sorry for rejecting me, bitch." Kakimoto then pushed her toward the owner still holding her neck.
Jin whipped his sword through the air to clean the blade of its blood. The owner's wife flinched at the stream of blood that sprayed the wall as a result. He knew what was coming.
Mugen raised up his sword and charged Kakimoto. Jin grabbed the back of his shirt before he got there and pulled him close then spoke into his ear. "You're not helping anything. It's bad enough as it is. Time to go. The authorities will be here soon."
Mugen growled and spat. He was ready to shake off Jin's hand and charge in anyway, but Fuu pranced up and put a hand on his arm. He looked down into her pleading eyes. "Please, Mugen, just let it go. I can't find the sunflower samurai without you." Mugen found it hard to resist Fuu's big doe eyes and swore as he put down his sword.
As the two men sheathed their swords they heard Kakimoto say to the owner "I hate to be the one to tell you, but this Shiroko is not who you think she is. I wanted to protect her, but her actions and her connection with her friends here today are forcing me to reveal her true persona."
Jin took a look over his shoulder at the scene. Shiroko had all but given up fighting. Her hands covered her face and she accepted the tight grip of Kakimoto around her neck. He heard Kakimoto say "This woman is a runaway! Her parents aren't dead, she just told you that so you would give her a job."
Jin flashed to an image of Shiroko running away from Mariko as she tried to collect her and bring her inside. She was a little girl and ran laughing with her arms held out wide. The breeze flapped the sleeves of her precious green kimono.
The owner was shuffling his feet and his wife stood closer next to him. The owner said "Whatever her reasons may be she is still good at what she does."
"That's not all, Mr Naoya," said Kakimoto. "She didn't only runaway from home, but from her job as a whore."