Splitting this thing up is actually kind of fun! Ha!

Chapter 4

The couple days she told him about turned out to be almost a week actually. To be safe she didn't let him leave the house, but did let him wander around inside. His wound was closing and she was putting on an ointment that one of the village healers gave her when she cut herself one time on a knife. It was working well! Jin walked around the bedroom and examined her little trinkets that she kept on a dresser and also gazed at the swords she kept on her wall.

"Her father's swords." He thought, "He must've died in combat or something."

He reached up and touched the red lacquered sheath and ran his hands down the smooth carvings on the hilt. Jin turned around to see if Kumiko was near. She wasn't. He gently took the sword off the wall and pulled it out of its sheath. Engraved on the blade was this writing: 'Mein geliebtes.'

"German." Jin thought, "Kumiko's mother must have had this made for her father."

Jin smiled at the sight of it and saw that the carvings on the hilt resembled cherry blossoms. He sheathed the sword again and put it back on the wall.

"Beautiful." He said out loud.

"It is, isn't it?" Kumiko agreed.

Jin turned around and looked at her, 'How did I not sense her presence?' he thought and then said while pointed at the sword with his thumb, "I apologize, I shouldn't have touched it."

She merely smiled and said, "I don't mind, but good choice though. That one is my favorite, because of all the gorgeous designs on it. The blue one beside it was actually my mother's. My father had that one made for her."

She walked over to the wall and brought down the sword. She took off the sheath and pointed to the writings that also engraved that one. 'Ich liebe dich mehr', it said.

"The red one says, 'my beloved' this one says, 'I love you more'. Quite the couple weren't they?" she said to him with a smile.

Jin nodded in agreement and said, "They must have been. What were their names?"

"My father's name was Kawazoe Makoto and my mother's name was Heidi Hoag. Well, Heidi Kawazoe if you want to be traditional."

"Your mother must have been pure German for you to keep this golden hair." He said while taking a lock of it and rubbing it in between his thumb and finger, "You kept her eyes also didn't you?"

Kumiko's sky blue eyes brightened when he said that and answered, "Yes, I did! I'm actually pretty proud of this hair and these eyes. Nobody else has them in Japan!"

Jin laughed and said, "No they don't! I bet you attract a lot of attention."

She cringed and said, "A little. Some of it not so nice though."

"That is what I thought." He said getting lost in her eyes.

With a smile, she put the blue sword back onto the wall with the others.

"I'm going to start making dinner. What would you like to eat?" she asked.

"Whatever is easiest for you to make."

"Well, if I was talking easy, you wouldn't be eating at all."

"That is ok with me."

"Ha, I'm sure it is."

He grinned and followed her back into the kitchen. There was a window over the table and outside again, he saw her horse.

"What do you call your horse?" Jin asked.

"Sonne is his name."

"German?" he asked.

"Yes, it means sun."

"That is suitable. He has a very beautiful coat."

"He knows."

"What?"

"He knows that he is beautiful. That horse is vain!"

Jin laughed and said, "I would be too if I looked like that! He seems different though…from the other horses that I have seen. His head dips inward."

"He is imported from Arabia."

"Where is that?"

"I have no idea."

"How did you get him?"

"My mother found him when he was still a foal. His dam died on the voyage here and the men that brought him didn't think he would survive without his mother and tried to kill him. Needless to say, he ran away and my mother found him half alive in the trees. She brought him home to me and I fed him by soaking a rag in milk and letting him squeeze it out. Believe it or not, it worked."

"How old is he now?"

"He is about two or three."

Jin's eyes widened and he said in shock, "You ride him this young? He is a colt! He could buck you off! You wouldn't be able to grab unto anything if he tried to anyway! Don't look at me like that, I saw you canter off without a saddle or bridal when you went to look for my sword!"

Kumiko just shrugged her shoulders and kept one working.

'How could she not be fearful of this animal?' he thought, 'I might as well drop this conversation. I guarantee she wouldn't listen to me anyway if I do try to convince her that Sonne is dangerous.'

Jin slumped in his chair and watched the horse graze a minuet and then turned to watch Kumiko work around in the kitchen. She was almost done. She put the assorted foods in different dishes and set them on the table.

'It is nice that we can finally eat at the table.' She thought.

Jin looked at the different dishes. There was of course, rice, and other things such as azuki, kyuri, negi, shiitake, and small bowls of zoni soup.

"Will I be aloud outside soon?" he asked in a tone that mimicked a small child.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you are grounded, that's why!"

They both shared a laugh and then Jin seriously said, "Really, when will I be able to go outside?"

"I'll check your cuts later and we'll see."

Jin nodded and enjoyed the meal that she cooked. It was delicious as usual. After dinner they had some more of her kuchen dessert.

"I'm going to have an affinity for German foods if I keep eating this." He said with a sigh.

"That means I'm one step closer to converting you to Germanism!"

Jin grinned and said, "Germanism, huh?"

"Yeah, it is where Japanese people take on German ways." She said nodding, "they also die their hair blonde."

"I'll pass on that."

"Oh…I was so close on converting you too."

They laughed again and started to put away the dishes.

'I'm going to start getting to used to her company. Then it will be harder to leave when I have to." Jin thought, "That's right, I'm going to have to leave someday.'

"Jin? Are you ok?" Kumiko asked with a concerned look.

"Huh? Oh, yes! I'm fine!" he said with an obviously fake smile.

She watched him for awhile and then said, "I'm going to go give Sonne his food."

"Alright."

"You go ahead and go to bed, if you'd like."

Jin nodded and said his thanks. He was almost at the doorway when he realized something.

"Kumiko, where have you been sleeping if I'm in your bed?" he asked.

She let out a nervous laugh and said, "Does it matter much?"

Jin narrowed his eyes and said, "Yes, actually it does matter much."

"Well…On the floor of course. Where else would I sleep? Alright, got to go feed Sonne! Be back in awhile!" she said quickly and went outside.

"That girl!" he thought angrily, "I know that she is using all her blankets on me now! She has to be cold at night!"

Jin opened his eyes and looked around. The room was dark. He removed two of the blankets that were on him and got up from the bed. A chill pasted through him as he walked quietly as possible to the kitchen where he saw little Kumiko lying on the ground, sound asleep. He took small gradual steps towards her, careful not to bump something or drag the blankets and making sounds. One more step and he stood over her. He knelt down to his haunches and as silently and gently as he could he draped the two blankets over her. He watched her sleep for awhile and then slowly got up and headed towards his bed again. He looked back at her one last time before he entered his room and slid into the blankets he still had.

Kumiko lied perfectly still. She was a rather marvelous little actress. She was awake when she heard Jin tip toe into the room. She closed her eyes and feigned sleep. She heard him get closer and closer, sometimes stopping to make sure she was still asleep. She wanted to smile, but she told herself not to. It was even harder not to, when she felt something cover her.

"A blanket probably." She thought to herself.

Though the blanket was on, she still sensed his presence looming over her. She didn't like it when people stood over her. A price she had to pay for being born short. As if reading her thoughts she heard Jin get up silently and slowly tip toe back into his room. She knew better then to open her eyes when the soft padding of his feet ceased, for right when they stopped they continued again.

"One last look." She thought, but this time she smiled.

And at that she fell into a deep sleep.