Special Appearance from a certain Samurai!
Chapter Three
Jin looked at the young woman who stood before him. "What are you doing here? How did you find me, anyway?" he asked, curious to her answer. She smirked and walked up the steps. "I always know where you are. Plus, I'm your sister." she stated, casually. "Well, Tsumi... what do you want. You're here for something and I want to know why." he stated. Tsumi looked at her brother and replied, " If you must know, my dearest Jin, I came here to get away from it all." She sat down on the steps and looked out at the lawn. "But, I thought you were-"
"I couldn't stay anymore... after you left... everything went downhill. Our older brother Sei just got up and left one day without telling anyone. Our youngest brother, Teichi, is following in our father's footsteps of becoming Shogun. As for our youngest sister..." her voice trailed off in the end. Jin stood there, silence taking over them both. "You don't know where Ayami is, do you?" he asked, after a few moments. She shook her head and stood up. "So, what made you leave?" he asked as she walked down towards the small gate. "Our father plans on taking over Kyoto... the man that I love... well, I'll have to explain it another time." she whispered, looking at him with sad eyes. Jin knew that after his mother's death that his father was different, he just didn't think that much. His eyes watched as his oldest sister walk down the hill to the nearby village. He turned his head, going inside. His youngest brother was going to be Shogun...but wait a minute... Kyoto? But that meant... his mind was going back and forth between what Tsuki said and what his sister just told him. He closed the outside door and sighed. He needed rest...
That morning, Tsuki was the first one up... besides Jin. They were outside, watching the morning sunrise in the distance. "So, did you sleep well?" he asked. She smiled at him and replied, "Yeah, I did. Do you mind walking me to the market today? I wanted to fix a stew for tonight's dinner." Jin nodded and stood up. "Let me leave a note for those two who sleep late." he stated, referring to Fuu and Mugen. Tsuki smiled and watched as he disappeared in the darkness of the house. She looked out onto the lawn and noticed a white butterfly pass her. She placed out her hand and watched as it landed in the palm of her hand. She began to hum, the butterfly resting its wings. She smiled again as it flew off into the distance of the yard. She turned her head when she heard the door close. "Ready?" she heard. She nodded and stood up, with Jin's help.
Walking through the market, Tsuki looked at all the other foods and spices. There were few people crowded here and there, but most of the people were walking around. Jin looked around, noticing just a few new things. Then, he saw Tsumi... with a man who had red hair. He raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out if this was the guy. "Could he be..." his train of thought was interrupted when Tsuki walked over to a table. He walked over to her and looked at the jewel necklace. "It's beautiful..." she whispered, eyes wide. Jin looked at her and then at the clerk. "Ah, it is a fine necklace. It's 500 yen, but for you, 25 yen, because you very pretty girl!" the clerk said. Jin looked at the guy with a small glare. He grabbed the necklace and looked at her. "Here, think of it as a gift." he told her. Tsuki looked at him. "Are you sure?" she asked. Jin showed her a smile and Tsuki turned around. Jin placed the necklace around her neck and she looked down at the jewel. "Thanks..." she whispered, blushing. Jin paid the clerk and they continued their search for night's dinner. Tsuki looked around, Jin walking close beside her. She wondered what would happen if... she noticed someone in particular and Jin could see fear in her eyes.
"Look everywhere! This was the last place she was here!" the guy with short blonde hair stated.
Tsuki stepped back and Jin grabbed her. He wrapped both arms around her torso, shielding her from the guy's veiw. She fisted her hands in his shirt. He placed his chin on her head and whispered, "Everything is going to be okay. Don't look that way." Tsuki nodded and gripped his shirt a bit tighter. Jin looked down at the top of her brown hair and noticed that she was shivering. He held a protective grip around her, but he felt it wasn't enough.
"Excuse me, sir."
His gaze shot up and stared at his sister. She was standing beside the red head and the blonde was in front of her.
"I believe she left this morning with some guy with spikey blue hair." she lied, looking directly at Jin. He showed her a thankful smile and slowly walked Tsuki away from the market. "Thank you for getting me out of there." she whispered. Jin looked behind them and stated, "Thank my sister."
Mid-afternoon, Tsuki was cooking. Mugen and Fuu sat outside with Jin, watching the sunset. "So, what happened?" Fuu asked. "I believe that the guy Cain came into the market today, looking for Tsuki. Thank God my sister told him that she left."
"Whoa! You have a sister!" Mugen asked, intrigued.
Jin looked at him with a blank expression. "Yeah, and?"
"Well, what's she like? Is she sexy? A slut? Come on, tell me what she's like!"
Jin's eye twitched at the statement that Mugen made.
"If you must know, I'm not a slut, but..." Everyone looked at the front lawn and saw Tsumi. Her long black hair was hanging free about her. She was wearing a black, short kimono with a crimson sash. Mugen's mouth dropped as he stared at her. "Now, that's my kind of woman!" he thought, looking at her still. Tsumi walked over to her brother and Jin shook his head. "I knew it was a matter of time before you would show your true colors. You could never stay in a original kimono without doing something to it." he stated. Tsumi smiled and replied, "It's nice to see you too, brother. So, how is she?" Jin looked at the closed door and replied, " She's fine. Right now, she's cooking." Tsumi nodded, and sat down on the step. Mugen moved closer to her and was about to ask her out when suddenly she moved. "Kenshin!" she yelped, running towards him. She jumped into his arms and smiled. "I thought I lost you." she whispered. Kenshin held her close and then shot an amber glare at Mugen. "Was he trying to hit on you?" he asked in a cold tone. Tsumi looked over at Mugen and replied, "Even if he tried, he could never get with this." she told him, smiling. Mugen hung his head low as they walked over to them. "So, this is the one you are going to marry?" Jin asked, looking at the samurai. Tsumi smirked and placed her hand in his. "Yeah... it's a long story on how we met. But, let's say that father didn't like the fact that I was getting married to him." she stated. Jin raised an eyebrow as Fuu stood beside Kenshin. "You're really tall." she whispered. Kenshin looked down at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't maind her. She thinks everyone tall." Mugen stated in a low tone. Tsumi looked up at the opened door and stared at Tsuki. "Dinner's ready!" she chimed, smiling. Jin stood up and walked over to Tsuki. "This is my sister, Miss Tsuki... She's the one who saved us today." Jin explained. Tsuki looked at Tsumi and bowed. "Thank you for earlier." she whispered. Tsumi smiled and replied, "No problem. I mean, how could I let my brother's girlfriend get caught?" Blush shot across Jin's cheeks as he stared at his sister. "She's not my girlfriend!" he snapped. Tsumi narrowed her eyes and replied, "Right..." Kenshin looked around the yard and then back at Tsuki. "I think it's best if you move her away from here." he stated. Tsumi looked at him as well as the others. "They plan on returning. That's what one of the guards said before I left." he told everyone. Jin looked at Tsuki with questioning eyes. "If we have to... how much time are we talking?" Tsuki said. Kenshin looked up at the setting sun, calculating the days. "By the end of this week." he stated. Fuu's heart sunk into her stomach. "That really sucks... I loved it here in Edo." she whispered.
"Who said anything about you two leaving? Miss Tsuki is the only one who really needs to leave and she can't go by herself." Jin replied. Tsumi crossed her arms and asked, "So, what do you plan to do about this then?" Jin looked over at her and replied, "In a few days, Miss Tsuki will leave... and I'll cover her." Tsumi looked at her brother sternly and replied, "Okay, but where are you going to go?"
