Disclaimer: …why would I go after someone with a patent…?

Penname: LiveLoveLaugh

FanFiction Story: Sunflower Samurai

Summary: (Naruto X Samurai Champloo) Sakura had stepped into a spellbound when she fell asleep in a garden of sunflowers, in a strange event she was taken in a coma where she dreamt she lived in a world not her own, traveling with three other wanderers.

AN: I had to do other things…um, yet again. I had just started the third week of school. (Sighs) So terribly sorry about the last chapter, I agree it was very short. BUT I finished the storyline! And I had also decided the pairings! WOO! Here's another chapter! Have a good read.

Hungry Hungry Hippo

Several long moments later, dinner was served in the kitchen area. Wooden clogs and sandals were lazily kicked underneath the small wooden table, bare feet scraped against the dry cement floor, chopsticks clicked together and poked and picked at the small dishes and pots of hot steamy soup. Fish bones were half cleaned, rice kernels dropped on the ground or stuck to the rims of their eating bowls while meager fish balls and carrots were devoured. The smell of cooking in the small kitchen had waft underneath someone's stuck up nose, causing their shoulders to shake under the pressures of hunger.

"Ugh…" Fuu groaned, thought not as loudly as her flat stomach.

"You should eat something," Jin halfheartedly advised, occupying his tight mouth with tofu stew.

"I will not…" the brunette growled, glaring at Mugen, "…give up."

"Woo gow dat, yov VON'T 'ave do proov ehnyking," Mugen said through a heavily stuffed mouth, specks of food dribbled down his skinny throat. Jin inched back with a disgusted look, spooning the soup into his mouth.

Fuu glared deathly at him before mumbling under her teeth, wrapping her arms around to cradle her tired head. The street dog swallowed hugely and smugly looked at her, his mouth quirked when she closed her eyes while thinking up ways to kill him. His teeth had clamped onto wooden picks of beef strips as he grinned devilishly at the diva. Her eyes were determined, until her tummy rumbled loudly. He hummed while he rubbed his stomach satisfyingly and picked at his teeth while she watched horrified.

She moaned and smacked her forehead on the table top. The two other men were still eating to their fill.

Someone standing over the stove shook her head in disapproval. Her gray streaks of her loose bun had flown down her wrinkled forehead. The old chef walked over while rolling up her navy sleeves and patted her hand on Fuu's thin shoulder, "You should really go to a doctor, young lady. I hate to see such a nice-looking girl become a skinny plank just overnight. At least eat something."

Fuu still kept her glowering on the burly samurai, "It's alright, m'am, I can last an hour."

Mugen slurped up his noodles, before rolling his dark eyes at her, "Hey, sweetheart, I didn't push you into this shitty bet. You bought it onto yourself. Remember, no meal until I see the girl, or whatever…"

"The girl?" the cook looked confused, blinking, "You mean that young woman that you had carried in before dinner?"

Fuu nodded, eagerly, "Yes. Have you seen her before?"

"Never in my life."

The young girl banged her head on the table defeated.

The old woman looked uncomfortable when she wiped her hands on her apron, "Though if I were you, I wouldn't have brought in a stranger to this inn."

The three occupants stopped eating altogether. They stared up at her flustered face.

"What do you mean?" Jin asked, the shimmering glint reflected from his specs.

"Oh? You haven't heard?" the cook raised a skinny brow, "It was lightly rumored that a so-called infamous con-artist-thief had been spotted in this region. No one is sure whether it's a man or a woman. Though I did try to consult the innkeeper about this specific information, the man doesn't seem to think that this woman could possibly be one so he kept her in one of the guest rooms so she can heal her wounds." She looked uneasily, "I recommend you hide your possessions, if you know what's best. Even if she isn't one, I know the thief is possibly around this village…"

Fuu nodded, and then her brown eyes began to sparkle.

"Is there a prize involved?" she asked suddenly.

"Prize?" the cook looked very flushed and embarrassed at her outburst.

"Yes, if the thief must be infamous and was seen in town that must mean the police patrol must have placed a hefty bounty on the burglar's head," her mischievous eyes flicked over the two men, who reclined instantly at her glance.

"I suppose there is a prize—oh yes, there was one," the lady blinked, "Yes, it was for seven ryou, I think."

Before Fuu could even squeal with delight, Mugen and Jin stood up instantly and knocked over their chairs with the kicks of their sword sheaths. Mugen look very disgruntled, yelling at the young girl, "NO! Absolutely not! Don't even think about it! I as Hell not running around after some ass wipe because one of your stupid plans!"

"Right," Jin said affirmatively.

"OH COME ON!" she yelled, "You made a p—"

"Your fucking promise was for us to find this smelly samurai, NOT playing duck duck goose!" Mugen shouted, throwing up his hands, "And when are we EVER going to even know how that sunflower dude looks like anyway?"

"YEAH! But that amount of money can get us to the next town!" Fuu bickered, ignoring the second question. She began to count off the reasons by her fingers, "Look! The sooner we find the thief, the sooner we get the prize money, the sooner we can go to the next village, the sooner we find the samurai who smells of sunflowers, would be the time you two can both kill each other, and won't ever have to see me ever again!"

Even though the two men were bickering at her, shutting her down at all means of ruining their sleep and peace, Fuu tapped her finger on her nimble chin. The old cook looked disconcerted when the two samurais then turned on each other and were sooner yelling about Heaven knows what, but Heaven didn't seem to want to tell us. The brunette turned to the two men after the lantern in her head had ignited, her giant smile had turned into an aggravated groan when their swords were yet to be unsheathed.

"Guys! Would you two stop it! I got another idea!" she cried excitedly, her hands grasped on their bony wrists. Jin and Mugen exchanged disgruntled looks, then looked back down at her.

After talking for a short while, the two samurais brought up their points.

"I'm spending half of that ryou for a hot lay, aite?" Mugen grumbled. Fuu glared.

"But first, we need to check if the girl upstairs is the culprit," Jin whispered.

Fuu laughed carelessly, "Oh don't worry. I have great people skills! She's not a thief, I'm sure of it."

"Great people skills huh?" Mugen muttered sarcastically, depicting all the irony in their journey.

She squealed to herself, biting down on her hand immediately. Spittle and blood had rolled down her knuckles, her mouth tasted coppery, and the white fingers began to become soaked and painful. Her lower lip had trembled with over-anxiety, as drops of blood made by her sharp teeth marks had fallen on her messy white sheets. She clenched her ribs, the unbearable bruise around her middle had stopped her from twisting too fast or hobbled over the wooden planks of the clean floors. Her fingers began to glow an illuminating green chakra sheen that danced over her injured body, healing herself instantly. Once the pain had disappeared, she shot her head around the everlasting ever-spinning elegant room which had become smaller and tighter as she hobbled around the room looking at her surroundings.

Insanity and disbelief in the atmosphere had thickened in heat waves, coming from the comforting boiler in the middle of the room. Nervous sweat had increased down the back of her neck and down the bridge of her pale nose. She pushed away the blankets and bed sheets from where she had slept unexpectedly, looking for any fallen kunai or senbon, missing medical supplies, bandages, her black training gloves, the works.

She had discarded her soiled sweater almost instantly, throwing it aside. Cool soft air had etched in her thin black long-sleeved mesh top with the fishnet collar, her training skirt was flying with the quick movements of her speedy legs. She found her back pouch and shuriken holster near the door way, thankfully untouched. What kept running around and around in her mind was the same things: the need to know where the fuck she was, how the fuck she had ended up here, why the fuck is she here, and most of, how the fuck can she escape? Right now, right then, she didn't care if someone loving and caring had taken her here, or some one evil and horrible had shanghaied her across the country.

She just didn't care.

She was a kunoichi for Goodness's sakes, and a damn good one.

Who cares if she gets lost, taken away again…and…would never…ever find her way out of here…forever…?

She gulped, and feasted her eyes on something afar.

She threw open the giant wardrobe closet across the room, finely hand carved of fire dragons with tube-eyes and grinning toothy mouths, their tiny claws hanging onto gum-ball pearls and intricate clouds. Within the wooden chambers that smelled like liquor and opium, she opened drawer after drawer, taking shiny golden money tablets, copper coins, jade earrings, and imported pearl necklaces, anything of value and stuffing them in a large expensive leather knapsack with two red drawstrings she found hanging from an ivory hook. She unselectively grabbed a brown cloak from another hanger and tied the attachments hastily.

She had absolutely no idea what the hell she was doing. She combed her pink hair over and hidden it threw the giant hood, the cloak had draped over her lithe body and hung around her bare legs. She was acceptingly poor right then in hiding her tracks that desperate moment when she strapped onto her sandals, and burst through the fusuma quickly with all the hope in the world, to find out where she was.

But it was a mistake from the start.

It was as if someone was playing a sick joke on her, the moment she threw open the sliding doors, someone else had ricocheted off her body. She smashed against the fusuma, nearly tearing it more.

She heard a scoff. A man's voice.

"Little bitch, don't get in my way!" And suddenly when she looked up, a cloak of dark brown had soared off the balcony and flown into the air, over the gravity that held the both of them and sent himself into the dense forest. She jumped back up with panic, suddenly her ears were filled with heavy steps of click-clacking of feet against wood.

She turned around, sending the soles of her sandals into screeches. Suddenly, someone screams.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She met up a towering massive heavy face of chins and thick makeup. It was a giant woman, dressed in an extravagant kimono that looked about to burst from the deep folds of flesh. She defensively pushed her out of the way, slamming her side to the bordering of the red balcony. The whining rings of the bells and bamboo shoots she collided against had immediately created loud noises of whistles and, if it were too quiet, the screams of the hysterical banshee woman had echoed down the hallway, through the entire building and into the streets.

All she was hearing now was "THIEF! THIEF!"

All she could think was, "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

And she could do now, was run, run damn you.

Sakura panicked and stumbled over while she tried to get away, the stolen bag hung guiltily over her shoulders as she vanished quickly through the corridors and all over the building for a quick exit. But not all of her had vanished.

To Be Continued

Oh, wow, I updated two chapters.