If you recognize it, I don't own it.

3. A new friend

"This is so not fair.." She mumbled.

"What's not fair?" Came a question above her.

"Aaiihh!" Sen yelled in surprise. The dark haired man in front of her jumped to the sound. His hands came up in surrendering manner.

"Oi girl, calm down. I'm not going to hurt ya.." He tried to speak softly as possible, and this seemed to work as she calmed down somewhat, but she still eyes him suspiciously. The man smirked at this. He wasn't the nicest looking fella in the world. And he knew it too.

"Who are you?" She asked, staring at the long vertical scar on his cheek.

"The name's Koji." He grinned as reached out a helping hand. "And ye're the mysterious girl the monk brought here, right?"

"Yeah. I'm Sen. I'm lost." She answered taking the offered hand. He pulled her up with one fluid motion. Sen swayed as she tried to even the weight on her injured feet.

"Oh fer crying out loud…" Koji muttered as he took a hold of her waist. "What didja mean lost?"

"It means I dunno where I am.." She leaned to him so that most of her weight was on him. Somehow, it didn't feel awkward at all.

"I know what it means.."

---

"This is really not necessary Koji." Sen sighed sleepily. "I'm perfectly capable of getting back to my room."

"And here I was, thinking ya were injured and lost." He chuckled. "Look girl.."

"Sen."

"Sen, it's not very wise of ya to walk alone in here. There 're bandits in this fortress, ya know?"

"I know. But all I've met so far have been very well behaving and nice." She smiled as they turned yet another corner. He looked down at her with surprise.

"How many ya've met then?"

"One." She smiled inwardly as a faint pink rose to his cheeks. But it was true; she'd only met two people in the last two days. Both had been very nice, (not to mention hot as Hell) and both had helped her. So why not say it out loud? She thought; it's not very often that people get to hear nice things about themselves anyway.

"Thanks..."

"You're welcome."

"I think this is yer door."

"Okay, good night Koji. And thanks for saving my worthless ass." She smiled as she fought to open the door. He sighed and pulled to heavy wooden door open.

"It's not worthless." Silly, weak girl. Just like the other foreign girl Genro once knew, the miko. But still, different. Somehow more mature. She's definitely older than the miko was, he thought.

"Oh?"

Wide blue eyes looked up at him and he just couldn't resist it. He leaned down and whispered to her ear, "Yeah, I would say it's worth about..."

"Hey!" She protested, pushing him away. "I'm not for sale."

---

When Sen woke up the next morning, she found a pile of clean clothes on the end of the bed. There was also a wash basin and some sort of soap on the table near the door. She got up and as her feet came in contact with the stone floor she yelped in surprise for the jolt of pain she was expecting never came.

"What the Hell...?" She undid the bandages and stared at her foot. It was perfectly and completely healed, with thin pink scars going crisscross on the skin. "No way... Wicked!"

She took few tentative steps and when it felt ok, she quickly removed the bandages from the other foot too. After she spent half an hour on just testing every possible ways on stepping and found that none hurt she washed up and started to go through the clothes. Ten minutes later she was wearing a long blue dress that was tied to the waist with a white sarong. She wore the white shirt under it. It smells nice, she smiled.

"I need a mirror..." There was s knock on the door. "Yeah?"

"'Re you decent?" Asked a familiar voice behind the door.

"Yes Koji, I'm all dressed up."

"Great, Breakfast's done. The monk asked if I could come and get ya since ya can't really walk with the cuts and all.." He poked his head into the room only to find Sen standing in the middle of the room. "..But it would seem that my services 're not needed."

"I know, isn't it weird?"

"Most definitely... Damn."

"What?" She quickly looked at the dress, nope, everything was fine there.

"Oh I just realized I won't be carrying ya to the kitchen." He chuckled.

"Oh.. Why you..." Sen blushed. "..Perv.."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

First thing she saw as they entered the kitchens was a flaming red hair in the sea of dark. Koji walked straight to the table were the redhead was sitting and brutally made room to himself by picking up one of the bandits and tossing him away. The dark haired man then turned to wink Sen so that she would come sit next to him.

She smiled awkwardly as she made her way to the table. She could feel the eyes on her and it made her bow her head. This is so not nice! And where is that monk? Did he ditch me here with these.. these.. Cavemen? Her thoughts came to end when she finally sat next to the dark haired bandit and lifted her eyes up, looking at the redhead. So, who was this guy? She pondered, averting her eyes for long enough to pile food to her plate.

It took her a while to realize he was looking straight at her. Hazel eyes locked on to her blue ones and pinned her to the spot. What? I have something on my face? She panicked.

"Keh, I would like to have my shirt back." He finally said, although it came out more like a growl. Sen could even see pointy canines when his lips parted.

"I.. Huh?" Came her clever answer.

"My shirt, the white one. I would like to have it back, today."

"It's your shirt? But I thought it was Chichiris..." He might look good, but he acts like a.. like a wolf, she thought.

"Well, it aint his, girl."

"Sen." Both Sen and Koji corrected. Sen started to eat.

"Whatever." The redhead finally said and turned his attention to his food.

"Don't mind old Genro here. "Koji patted his friends back. "He just hates girls, it's nothing personal."

"Well, at least he smells nice."

If she would have looked up she would have seen a very red faced redhead, but lucky for her, all her attention was on her food.

---

Sen was sitting on her windowsill, looking down to the yard where men were saddling up their horses. She sighed unhappily; it had been three days since she had last seen Chichiri. She had been wondering what she might have done to upset the monk, but she couldn't remember much of the night she got drunk. Maybe he's just gone do some spiritual shit, her mind suggested. "Oh man. I'm pathetic.." She groaned.

On the other hand, Koji had been keeping her busy. He had tried to teach her how to ride a horse, but she just wasn't natural with the big animals. It's not like she feared them, they just didn't mix. After the first sweaty afternoon, the bandit had said it was not really necessary for her to learn how to ride, but she should know how to fight.

She wasn't good at that either. She had never even seen sword or held a dagger, but he was determined she would be able to learn the basics if given time. A lot of time. Sen had disagreed and said she was a girl, and girls are not supposed to fight. No one had listened.

Her muscles hurt every time she shifted, but she was feeling restless. Where was Chichiri? Had he really abandoned her for good? It made Sen nearly panic to think that way. She had tried asking Koji if he knew where Chichiri had gone, but the bandit had said that only Genro knew where the monk went when he was away.

Genro, Tasuki, the fiery haired bandit leader. Sen sighed. He was a joy to the eye, but pain to the ears. She looked at the white shirt that was neatly folded on the bed. She should have returned it, but she couldn't bear facing the bandit leader now. She didn't want to hear him say that the monk had gone for good.

And what if he really had gone for good?

---

The monk in question was actually sitting on top off a very comfortable cushion in Mt. Daikyokuzan. Next to him was sitting a young green haired girl, looking as serious as he was. They were both waiting for the oracle to come back.

"You know Nyan Nyan... You don't have to keep me company, no da."

"I know. But I like keeping you company." She smiled happily.

He smiled back and patted her hair.

"I have seen it.." Came a voice above the pair. Tai Itsukun, the oracle, floated down. "A celestial descendant has come, but she came before she was ready. She's not meant to be here yet."

"Celestial?" Chichiri asked, shocked. He had thought she was a new miko.

"Yes, she is of a celestial bloodline. A descendant of the celestial warriors. She should have the mark visible by this age." The oracle replied, shooing the green haired girl away as she floated closer to the doorway.

"Sen.. is.. I could be her ancestor?" Chichiri asked. He stood up and followed the oracle.

"Not likely Chichiri. You are a monk, after all."

"Then who..? Hotohori? She's a descendant of the Emperor?"

"Think Chichiri. It's not likely she's a royal blood." The oracle smiled inwardly, they were so blind sometimes, these children of hers.

"...You can't mean Tasuki?"

The oracle said nothing. She slowly turned to look at the monk. Chichiri had stopped to the doorway. He looked shocked. He had taken of his mask and the one maroon eye was staring at the oracle with disbelief.

"She's a.. Tasuki's her ancestor." He smiled suddenly. "It does make sense, no da, they do act a like. I wonder how I didn't see it before, no da."

---

TBC

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AN: Re-writing my old stuff…

What do ya think of the newest plot-twist? Pretty obvious when you think of it, right?