Chapter Three: Crash

Large raindrops fell sparsely about, thudding against the ground, the wooden path that ran between the rows of small shops and against the buildings themselves. Fuu heard the sound and sighed, knowing the rain would quickly get heavier. Again.

She decided on the second full day of rain she really hated it. Four days had passed and she just felt depressed.

"It will never stop," she whispered to herself as she wandered through the crowded rows of dried foods, past Hiroko, the wife of the shop owner.

The older woman smiled as she continued to sweep the floor. "But when it stops and it gets dry for weeks on end, you will be wishing for rain," she said between strokes of the straw broom. "I know this must seem dull, sparse customers at best during the rains, but I promise you, when the crowds break, everyone will be here needing fresh supplies." She paused to offer a small smile.

"I know," Fuu said, trying to sound happy but it quickly faded as she stopped her dusting and twisted the rag in her grip. "It's the rain makes me feel sad." She smiled but when she saw Hiroko's concerned look, she quickly twisted away, the flush of embarrassment rushing to her cheeks. She pretended to rub out a smudge on the sleeve of her pink kimono but she could still feel Hiroko's eyes on her back.

Slinging the cleaning cloth over her shoulder, she walked to the door and stared out into the grim afternoon. The rain had left her feeling strangely melancholy and lacking the energy to clean. Though it wasn't as if she really enjoyed such a task the rest of the time, it just felt worse this day. Allowing another deep sigh to escape her, she fell up against the doorframe and stared out into the still street.

Behind her, she could hear Hiroko sweeping again. The woman and her husband had been very kind to her since they met more than a month earlier when she had wondered into the village at the edge of the Migoto valley broke, hungry, tired and really wanting a bath. She had no real plan and little idea of where she was going but she had heard from other travelers that the Migoto Valley was the place to go. That it was more beautiful than she could imagine and the people, while old fashioned, were very friendly and welcoming to travelers and pilgrims along the road. The village of Kanmon had been everything she imagined and had not traveled deeper into the valley.

Hiroko had seen her at the teahouse, trying to scrounge enough money together for a little food and some tea and asking the host if there were any openings. When the owner said no, Hiroko had stepped up and offered her room and meals if she would help her run the shop, as her husband was often ill and unable to work much.

She could ask for nothing more. After all, she had good people to work for, a dry place to sleep and plenty to eat. The shop specialized in dry foods so there was always plenty of rice and beans, dried sweat potato and other things about and there was always fresh fish from the Subayai that flowed nearby. Though with all the rain, the river was high and angry and few would brave fishing in it so that had been a little sparse.

Really, she thought, she would be selfish if she asked for more. She never expected to have so much as it was. Not that she expected anything. Though, she quietly admitted, this wasn't exactly what she had imagined her life being like.

"It could be worse."

Turning with a wide-eyed look, Fuu saw a smiling Hiroko. The woman had read her mind. "How did you—"

"You could not have a shelter over your head," the woman said before tucking the broom away and picking up a rag and going over a bowed shelf with it.

Shrugging, Fuu said, "It's not so bad sleeping out under the moon…when it's not raining." Memories flooded through her, brightening in her eyes. "It's really peaceful out in the woods. The fireflies dancing about, the breeze through the trees, it's nothing like living in a village with people and noise. I could listen to the crickets chirp and Mugen's stomach—"

The words almost seemed trapped in her throat, threatening to strangle her. "It was mostly peaceful," she whispered. For a time, she just watched the heavy clouds overhead roll across the sky before she worked up the strength to speak again. "We usually found some sort of shelter when it was wet or cold out. Not always the best but it was something." She paused for a moment. "There were plenty of times we managed to get up something for an inn. Those were always wonderful," she added happily. "Jin and Mugen—"

Startled, she reached up, pressing her hand to her throat, as if it would save her from choking on her words.

Her memories.

It had been many months since she had whispered their names out loud. In the beginning, after they had parted ways, she had cried when she thought of them and ached because she was so lonely, but she had moved passed it. She had too, because she feared she would die of grief if she did not.

She had survived pirates, ronin, and numerous would-be assassins; she would not let something as transient as loneliness be the death of her.

Twisting slightly, she looked back at Hiroko who had concern painted across her matronly features. It occurred to her that she had told the woman almost nothing about herself, save her parents were dead and she was just wandering from place to place trying to find…something.

"Are they your brothers?" Hiroko asked.

"My bodyguards." A breath. "My friends." A smile as a burden slipped from her shoulders. It was a strange feeling to say that. For so long since they had parted she pretended the things that had happened didn't, that they were figments of stories her mother had told her as a child. She could not speak of what she had done, or of the men who had accompanied her on her journey to find the samurai who smelled of sunflowers.

Even when the burden of her memories grew so strong that she wanted to burst, she knew that Hiroko and her husband would not have been so kind or willing to give her a room and meals if they thought her to be unclean by their conservative standards.

She did not know why she had just revealed her secret. She did not know if she would lose the bit of stability she had found because of it, but a little part of her did not care.

The longing for adventure had been ever present in her heart. It ached with every passing day but she had grown used to it. At least she thought she had.

"I never wanted our journey to end." She sighed as she lightly pulled on the rag in her grip. "I guess I should have been more up front with you."

Hiroko leaned against counter back by the door to stairs leading to their living quarters and Fuu's little room as she carefully studied the girl. "Who hired these bodyguards to travel with you? Did they work for your family?"

Looking past the woman, Fuu stared at the gray curtain draped across the door leading to the room she had called home for a while now. "I..we…um." A sheepish grin lit Fuu's youthful features. "I helped save them from being executed by the local governor on the condition they helped me find my father." Fuu wasn't sure, with the dim light of the store, but she thought Hiroko had paled. "I know it's a strange way to start out a journey, but I trusted them…most of the time." She folded the rag into a neat square and laid it on a nearby shelf next to small bags of rice flour. "They were really tough, Mugen was…Jin, he," each time the words drifted off. "They rescued me when I ended up in a brothel…the first, no second time. Wait, both times. And they usually got me out of trouble when I was taken hostage." She thoughtfully pressed a finger to her chin. "Now which time was that? Honestly, there were so many times that that I can't remember."

Hiroko just stared at her with wide, horror-filled eyes.

Matter-of-factly, Fuu went on. "Not to mention how many times I was almost killed." She started to count on her fingers the incidents but gave up when she ran out of fingers. "Come to think of it, I would probably have been better off on my own." She was about to say more, but stopped as a group of sword carrying men raced passed. "What was the about?"

"They are not looking for you are they?" Hiroko asked worriedly.

"Oh no," Fuu said happily as she waved her hand in front of her face.

Another group of gray dressed samurai raced by.

The older woman retreated behind the counter. "That is the Magistrate's men," she said in a worried voice. "Something terrible must have happened if so many are looking for someone."

"Maybe we should close up," the girl said as she grabbed the sliding door, dragging it back over the opening. Just as she nearly had it closed, the door was whipped back open and a blur of red smashed into Fuu slamming her into the floor. "Hey!" she cried out.

Mugen spun about, sending icy droplets of water splattering everywhere just as Fuu looked up. "You!" they snapped simultaneously.

roterritter, poornmiserable, Elementary Magpie: Hello you to you three again:p Thanks for replying. Oh, and poornmiserable, in answer to your question...well, I'm not giving anything away yet. ;) Expect another chapter in a day or two.
Next Chapter - Rice and flour and beans, oh my! Mugen makes a mess.