Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7. Akira Kurosawa owns the original 1954 move Seven Samurai, while the anime studio Gonzo made the anime.

Notes:

Genwa- also called Genna, the period went from 1615 to 1624.

Recap:

I came back into reality when I heard a meow. Oh, I see. There's a bell on the cat's red collar. I calmed down, then continued to walk to Masamune's. It was just one little flashback. I'll be fine.

Chapter Three: Old Friend

"Excuse me, sir!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"You're a samurai, are you not?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm a samurai! What's it to you?"

Maybe I shouldn't ask... Gah. Never mind.

"You see, I was wondering if you can join us? We intend to fight the Nobuseri, an-"

"Nobuseri?! Look, I don't care who you are, or what the reward is, I'm not dumb enough to go against them! Find someone else!"

The man roughly shoved me and walked away, making me stumble.

"Hey, Aki!" Kikuchiyo ran up to me, waving. "Got any luck?"

"*sigh* Nope. So far, they're either too much of a wuss, or they don't want to work for food."

"Arg... That's no good... Hey, want to go home for now?"

"Sure."

Back at Masamune's, Katsushiro made a record of the number of samurai that turned us down. Four for himself, 8 turned down Rikichi, 2 for Kirara, 2 for Gorobei, and 8 for me.

"We can't exactly say that things are turning out well for us, can we?" the boy asked.

"Three of us so far, hm?" said Kambei," That makes it a ratio of 1 in 8."

"Don't forget about me..." said Kiku.

"Let's try a different are this time," Kambei said, ignoring my friend.

"HEY! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"

"No, we're not."

...Well that was pretty blunt, Gorobei. Kikuchiyo angrily grabbed the paper that had the record of the samurai that turned us down, ripped it up, and threw the pieces in the air, yelling about what was the use of it. Gorobei quickly used his sword and caught all of the pieces before they dropped to the floor. We all were in awe, and Kiku just plopped down on the floor, his back to us. Komachi went to him, cheering him up.

"In any case," said Kambei to Katsushiro, unfazed by the previous scene,"We know that out of every 8, one will join us. You're record-keeping was useful." The green-haired kid looked happy for the praise. "Well then, shall we get going?"

"By the way," said Gorobei," What do you intend to do about that samurai from before?"

Kambei touched the side of his neck, where the red samurai had cut yesterday.

"If you're wondering if that red guy will join us," I said, catching Kambei's attention," I'm sure he will. Not to help us, but to secure a chance to fight you again. I mean, he's pretty intent on killing you someday, and he looks like the stubborn type."

"Well," Kambei stood up," We should go and see if anyone will join us."

Kikuchiyo, Gorobei, Komachi, and I stayed with Masamune. I was tired, so I went to my room for a nap.

I awoke to the sound Kiku's loud voice. How long was I asleep? I streched, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and went to investigate.

"What's going on...?" I asked. I noticed that there was a new guy here.

"Hi, Aki!" said Heihachi. My mechanic buddy!

"Hey, Hei-chan! So I guess you joined us?"

"Yup!"

Wow, I was right about the rice-lover thing.

"You know Heihachi?" asked Kambei.

"Yeah. He's my friend from the Great War."

"Hey, hey, hey! Aki!" I looked at Kiku.

"What?"

"You're just in time to see my family scroll! Check this out!" He unfurled a green scroll, and on it were many names. "Ha! Surprised?"

"So... Which one of these is you?" asked Gorobei.

"Here!" Kiku pointed," Right here!"

"Kiku, that's a girl," I said.

"Ack! Uh... Where...?" Kiku tried to find his name. Is that family tree even his? Well, as he searched, I decided to have some cup ramen. Masamune was already eating his, and the water in the kettle was already hot, so I just had to pour it in mine. By the time I started eating, Kiku finally found his name.

"That is your name, but if it's really you, then you're only 13 years old," stated Gorobei.

"Huh? Thirteen?!"

"It says here that you were born in the first year of Genwa, right? It would be wrong to send a 13-year-old off to war."

I attempted to hold in my laugh. Kambei asked where he stole the family tree, and Kiku just got pissed, falling on his back. Komachi tried to cheer him up, saying that she's almost the same age as him.

"Aw, shut up!" He rolled away from the group, and we all laughed.

That night, I found myself talking with Heihachi alone outside.

"So you've been wandering around, chopping wood to pay off tabs?" I asked.

"I also got to eat many different kinds of rice!" I laughed. He hasn't changed a bit. "So, what about you?"

"Well... I wandered around, too, until I got to this city. I was flat broke, so I did all sorts of odd jobs, and sometimes I had to steal. I met up with my old friend Kikuchiyo, started working with Masamune, and I just started living with them. Though I hate to admit it, I'm usually in jail..."

"Jail? Why?"

"I suck at being a thief, remember?"

He chuckled.

"I'm guessing that jail is almost like another home for you, eh?"

"Emphasis on 'almost'. The guards keep taking my money to pay for their meals, and my cellmates think beating me up will make them the top dog."

"Do they ever manage to beat you?"

"Nah. What my Master taught me came in handy."

We continued to chat on various topics. It was mostly about rice and mechanics. Eventually, it was getting late, so we both went to bed.

'I know I'm sleeping great tonight,' I thought, and I fell fast asleep.

End of Chapter 3

A/N: If you want, please review! I'd like to hear your thoughts.