Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7 or any characters affiliated therewith. I only own Aya, her family, and friends.
Finding Masamune was more difficult than it seemed. Both Aya and Akio had walked around all afternoon, asking at least seven people each, but they had only received vague answers such as, "He's around," and, "What would you three want with a mechanic like him?" Kai, on the other hand, had peacefully fallen asleep on Aya's shoulder.
"At least he gets to rest," Akio complained, massaging his sore feet while he and Aya sat by the roadside. Aya was tired as well, but she merely nodded.
"Check to see if that pendant is still on him," she said, catching her breath. Akio put his hand on Kai's chest and nodded at the small protrusion at the front of his shirt. It flared bright green for a second, and then died down to nothingness. Aya absentmindedly fingered her pendant and it turned the color of the coming sunset. Akio cradled his brother's head in the crook of his elbow while inspecting his own glowing pendant.
"What do you think these necklaces mean?" he asked, sliding the pendant inside his shirt.
"I have no idea. But if you look at the shape, it looks almost exactly like Kirara's, don't you think?" she said, standing up. Akio nodded and Aya helped him rest Kai on his back. That done, they started walking again.
Soon, it was twilight, and a few shops were starting to close for the day. Aya was walking wearily with her head down, when Akio tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a small teashop ahead of them. She nearly gave a start at the four people she saw: Katsushiro, Kambei, Kirara, and Rikichi. Her mind raced back to the episodes she'd seen.
"This is where the employee tells them about Heihachi, isn't it?" she thought. Her eyes widened as she saw Kambei swiftly pierce the stump of wood in front of him with a toothpick. Immediately, Akio moved closer to her, amazed that the man he'd only seen on television had just truly made the same movement in front of his eyes.
"Don't worry," she said softly, "Once they leave, we'll follow them back to Masamune." Akio nodded and Aya took Kai from him, as he had been carrying him all this time and needed a break. Kai shifted a little in his sleep as Aya slipped her little brother onto her back.
"Won't they sense we're following? I mean Katsushiro got that feeling when Kyuzo was following him. Isn't this essentially the same?" Akio asked, slowly walking with his sister as she followed the departing samurai and villagers.
"Yes. I'm sure they will sense it. But if they are that good, then maybe they will be able to sense that we aren't hostile," she replied, trying to hurry along with Akio while keeping an eye on the group ahead.
"If not, then we'll have to ask passersby again, right?" he asked. Aya nodded, hitching Kai up on her back.
"Either way," she thought hopefully, "We should be able to find Masamune before nightfall."
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A/N: I am so sorry that my chapters aren't longer. I am loaded down with schoolwork and the like. Therefore, I don't have much time left to myself. On the weekends I will try to write longer chapters, so keep watching!