Track 27: Cacophony of Calamity

The summer sun beat down on the Earth, crickets buzzed, the taste of the humid air rolled across her tongue like fog rolling down a valley. Her feet throbbed, as though her arches would collapse at any moment, and her knees threatened to buckle with every step. Her shoulders, sore from carrying the weight of her own body, slouched forward, and her eyes gazed onward at the cobblestone road that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon.

"I'm so… hungry," Fuu muttered to herself as she took another lumbering step forward. She sighed, she knew the journey was not as impossible as it seemed. The road signs indicated that the next town was just over the next hill, and in it would be food, a bed, and many bars and tea shops in need of semi-competent waitresses. Without intending to, she found herself chuckling quietly, "I bet those two are just as miserable as I am right now," she said. The thought of her companions renewed her spirit. She had been waiting for the pain of loneliness to set back in, even though it had only been a few hours since they parted. It was piercing in her chest that she was so used to that she had expected it to immediately welcome her back into its arms like an old friend. But this particular friend was still mysteriously absent, and as she thought back to all the nights when she had closed her eyes laying beside a dying campfire with Mugen and Jin, it was actually warmth that filled her chest.

Suddenly, Fuu heard a sudden WOOSH and then a CLANG, the sound of the air itself being split by a sword, or a pair of swords, before their inevitable collision. The sound was so loud and so sudden it must have come from directly behind her. She quickly turned on the balls of her feet toward the sound, but when her eyes were finally facing the direction it came from, all they saw was the empty road stretching out behind her. She was alone. "So strange…" she muttered, "I could've sworn that… no, it must have been nothing." She turned back toward her destination, and after a moment of silence, continued forward.

"Excuse me, are you looking for any help here at your shop?" Fuu asked the man in the apron. He was a short, kind of round fellow with a graying stubble of facial hair. Heavy bags hung under his eyes and he stared at nothing, unblinkingly as he leaned against the door frame in the entryway of the tea shop.

The man's face immediately lit up, "My god, are we ever!" He exclaimed, a sudden energy bursting out of him. "You couldn't have come at a more perfect time, we just had a waitress quit and I've been standing here worrying about the evening rush! Can you start tonight?"

Fuu was initially startled by his enthusiasm, but smiled back up at him, "Absolutely!" she said, "What time?"

"Come back right as the bottom of the sun is about to touch that mountain," The man, pointing down the street at a large, looming mountain at the highest point on the horizon. "That's usually when the crowds start showing up. You've served before, yes?"

"Many times!"

"Excellent," the man said, "My name is Haru Tanaka, this is my shop," He said, pointing upward at the sign just above his head, on which the words 'Haru Tanaka's Tea Shop' were displayed in bright red Kanji. "And you must be my guardian angel!"

Incredibly original Fuu thought to herself. "You can just call Me F…" she paused, "Fukumi," she finished after a long moment. "Fukumi Saito." She didn't enjoy lying to the man, the words tasted sour in her mouth, but she wasn't so naive as to believe that the Shogunate's men weren't still on the lookout for her. "Also," she began again, "I've just arrived in town and am looking for a place to stay, at least for a couple of nights."

"Are you just passing through?" Tanaka asked, his tone clearly disappointed.

"Uh… Uh well you see…" Fuu tried to find the right combination of words that would not upset her new boss, who was clearly looking for a long-term employee. In characteristic Fuu fashion, she completely avoided eye contact while swiftly ringing her hands.

Tanaka held up his hand to stop her stumbling, "No, I understand," he said, "This is a very quiet little town, not much excitement for a young woman such as yourself. That being said…" Suddenly, Tanaka clapped his hands together in a pleading stance and bowed his head toward her, "I really need some help right now. Work here for a month. I've got a room in the back of the shop you can sleep in. It's not much space, but I'll give it to you for free and you can keep all the tips you make on top of that. Please."

This guy is going to kill me in my sleep, this is way too good of a deal. After giving it a moment though, Fuu realized this was probably the best opportunity she could possibly hope to get. A month wasn't so long, and she definitely needed the money. "You've got a deal, Mister Tanaka!" She said, and for a moment Tanaka looked as if he would jump in the air with excitement.

"Thank you so much!" He said, "Now, let me show you to your room."

Once the sun started to go down, it became painfully obvious why Tanaka was so desperate for help and willing to exchange so much to have her. Fuu was certain that she must have found the only tea shop in the whole town, the way the crowd flowed in like wave after crashing wave in an ocean storm. Tanaka cooked dumplings while his wife made the tea, and their four small children occupied the booth closest to the kitchen entrance. Unbeknownst to Fuu beforehand, she had the task of ensuring these four small children did not escape or die in addition to her regular duties as being the only waitress attending to an unending crowd of customers, most of whom appeared to be showing up already drunk, loud, and obnoxious. Fuu felt certain she was going to collapse after the first two hours of running up and down the isles of booths with large platters of dumplings and pots of tea, thankfully her journey had made her slightly more nimble on her feet than she had been previously. Feeling overwhelmed, she ducked into the kitchen quickly and almost collapsed, but caught herself on the wall. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, trying to gather her strength.

"Here you go," a voice said above her."

Fuu opened her eyes and looked up to see Chie, Tanaka's wife, holding out a cup of tea to her. The woman was smiling softly, and her kind eyes seemed to take all the weight out of Fuu's body. "Thank you," Fuu said, taking the cup from Chie. She held it close to her face and let the warm, fragrant steam rise up to her.

"Take a rest for a minute and enjoy it," Chie said, "The customers can survive a few minutes without you."

Fuu nodded, and Chie turned and went back to her station in the kitchen. Fuu thought for a moment about her travels, and how rarely she felt like she encountered genuine compassion from a total stranger. Chie could have easily told her to stand up and get back to work, and Fuu wouldn't have been in a position to refuse. Suddenly, Fuu felt the dull pain of guilt in her chest. She knew that ultimately, she was putting these people in danger. The Shogunate's men wouldn't be kind to anyone harboring a fugitive, even if they didn't do it knowingly.

The rest of the night passed without incident, and Tanaka thanked Fuu profusely as they cleaned the shop before closing. Tanaka and his family had a house on the edge of the village, and left Fuu with the shop all to herself when they left for the night. Fuu went back to her small room behind the kitchen area at the back of the shop, where Tanaka had laid out a bed roll for her. Bright moonlight flowed between the shutters on the window, and the chirping of crickets echoed loudly outside. Sore and exhausted, Fuu climbed into the bed roll and quickly fell asleep.

It was unbelievably dark, Fuu knew that she was standing but couldn't tell where. The blackness all around her prevented her from even seeing her hand in front of her face. Suddenly, a WOOSH and a CLANG came from behind her. She twirled around but still could not see anything, much less the source of the noise. Then again, WOOSH CLANG, and again, all around her, WOOSH CLANG WOOSH CLANG CLANG WOOSH CLANG WOOSH WOOSH. The sounds of battle grew closer and closer, all around her, although she could still see nothing. There were voices too, people screaming, yelling, but she couldn't make out any words. She tried to run, but she couldn't see where she was going and no matter what direction she turned, the sounds grew louder and louder. Suddenly, without warning, she felt something warm splash across her face, stinging her eyes. She brought her hand up to wipe her face, and when she looked down on it she could clearly see bright red blood all over her hands.

Fuu gasped and sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. Suddenly her eyes were drawn to the shuttered window in the room, where the soft light of the moon was still seeping through. She stayed locked onto the window, somehow she knew that any moment a man sent by the Shogun would open the window and come through. Maybe he would arrest her, and take her to be killed elsewhere, or maybe he would simply kill her where she sat and leave her to be found by Tanaka in the morning. Her heart raced as if it would explode, it was so loud she couldn't even hear herself hyperventilating. Fuu didn't know how long she stared at the window, maybe seconds, or maybe the rest of the night, but no man from the Shogun ever came. Eventually, exhaustion got the best of her and she layed back down in her bed roll and drifted back off to sleep, praying the whole while that the dream did not return.

The next morning, Fuu went to the town market and bought herself two new sets of clothes in colors she wouldn't normally wear. She also found a booth with some dark makeup and a small handheld mirror. Back in her room at the Tea Shop, she gazed into the mirror knowing that clothes and makeup alone wouldn't change her appearance enough. She reached up and removed the twine and needles keeping her long hair tied up, and allowed it to fall over her shoulders. She breathed heavily before grabbing her kaiken from the floor in front of her, unsheathing the sharp blade. Holding her hair up in a fist above her head in one hand, she tightly grasped the kaiken in the other. In one swift motion she cut, and felt her remaining hair fall, not even totally clearing the sides of her head. She looked at the fist full of long hair she had been growing since she was a little girl, and then began to weep softly.

"Oh my!" Tanaka said when he first saw her later that morning, "You look so different!"

"Yes," Fuu said, as she prepared for the lunch service, "I have been traveling for a long while, and I haven't changed my appearance in quite some time. It was… it was just time."

"Well you look lovely," Chie chimed in, "However, if you're trying to attract a man, I recommend you try the next town over, the ones here aren't worth the effort," she said, and chuckled softly.

"Hey, I heard that!" Tanaka said.

"Ha! No thanks," Fuu said, "I've had enough of men for a while."

The mid-day service was slow, but when night rolled around again it was just as crazy as the night prior, but at the end of it Fuu couldn't deny that she was making good tips. "I don't believe it," she said, counting the money she earned in her room after her second shift, "If it's really like this every night, then after my month here I think I will have made more money than I saw the entire time I was traveling." After counting her earnings, she took most of them and put them in a small purse, which she tucked beneath a loose floorboard on top of her old Kimono that she had worn everyday for the long months on the road with Jin and Mugen. Now it was relegated to hiding in the floor, like contraband. The guilt rose in Fuu's chest once again as she thought about the people she was putting in danger just by being here. She could only imagine how it would look if a policeman found these items beneath the floorboards in the tea shop. She exhaled heavily, trying to release the weight pressing against her sternum. These were things she could worry about more once she had her feet underneath her, and right now she just needed to worry about getting some sleep before another crazy day.

That night, the nightmare returned again. WOOSH CLANG WOOSH CLANG. There was nothing she could do to escape it. She ran through the darkness, trying to get away from the sounds of battle, but they just got closer and closer. She tried to scream, but her mouth made no sound, or at least none that could be heard over the cries of people dying around her. She fell to her knees and tried to wrap herself into a ball, to harden herself from the fear. Suddenly, she heard a distinct voice coming from directly above her. "If you are truly the daughter of a samurai…" Fuu looked up in horror to see the form of Kariya Kagetoki looming large above her, "... then I will give you the opportunity to take your own life." Fuu's eyes shot open as she awoke from the dream, but this time she simply laid motionless, paralyzed by fear as she stared up at the ceiling of her room in the darkness.

Fuu went out again the next morning, intending to go to the market. However, her mind remained preoccupied with the nightmares, her current position as a fugitive, and how she may be endangering this family that had so graciously taken her in. I don't know what to do she thought, I promised Tanaka I would work for him for at least a month but… what if the Shogunate finds me before then? What will happen to Tanaka? To Chie? To their children? I don't have anywhere to go, what can I possibly…

WOOSH CLANG

The sound of swords in her ears snapped her out of it. She looked around, and suddenly realized she was in a part of town she had never been to before, and was completely lost. "Ahhhhhhh!" she said, throwing her palms into her face, "I can't believe this, I have no idea where I am!" Then she sighed, trying to calm down, "At least this town isn't that big, I'm sure someone can direct me back to the tea shop."

Then, to her side, she heard a quick snapping sound, like pieces of wood being banged together. Then the sound of feet quickly shuffling across a floor, then the snapping sound again. She turned to face the noise. Across the street from where she stood was a building with a large white banner out front, in black letters it clearly displayed the words "KANEKO KENJUTSU DOJO." Looking past the banner, she could see the outlines of two figures through the paper doors that made up the entryway to the dojo. Swords drawn, they danced around each other, just as she had seen Mugen and Jin do with each other and many opponents before. But for some reason, this time she was entranced. She watched the figures circle each other, occasionally moving in for an attack, or skillfully defending from one. Then, one of the figures made a mistake. Fuu saw it coming. One swordsman over extended himself attempting a downward slash, and his enemy quickly side stepped him and slashed him across his middle. Fuu flinched, as she expected blood to splash the pure white paper, but none came. The opponents simply stood, and bowed.

"Excuse me, you there, girl!" A voice said off to the side.

Fuu made a noise like a small, startled animal, and jumped slightly, turning toward the voice. A man stood at the end of the building, as if he had come out of a side door of the dojo and had just rounded the corner. "Umm… do you mean me?" She asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes," the man said, his face stern, "Why are you standing there? Are you waiting to pick up your little brother from class?" The man appeared older, but he stood tall and straight with his arms crossed. He wore a dark blue kamishimo over a black kimono, and two sword hilts protruded from his uwa-obi. A long mustache extended from either side of his upper lip and down his face, accenting his frown.

Fuu shook her head, "Uhh, no sir, sorry," she averted her eyes, "I just got lost trying to find my way to the market."

The man nodded, and then pointed down the street. "You're close, two blocks down and then a right."

"Thank you sir!" Fuu said, and began to walk in the direction the man had indicated, but stopped as she was about to pass him. "Umm… is this your dojo sir?"

The man seemed caught off guard by her question, "Why yes it is, why do you ask miss?"

"I uhh…" Fuu shook her head, "Nevermind, sorry for bothering you sir." Fuu broke out into a slow run down the street. Unbeknownst to her, the man's eyes watched her until she rounded the corner two blocks down.

A few more days passed, and Fuu's evenings at the Tea shop began to blend together. After less than a week her hoard of coins outgrew her small purse, and she had to tie her old kimono like a sack to have a new place to store them. With each passing night, she appreciated Tanaka and Chie's company more and more. She learned that Tanaka had moved to this village from Nagasaki, looking for a calmer place to start his business, and Chie had been the first waitress he had ever hired to work there. She learned that above all else, they cared dearly for their children. Fuu thought that had she met them before her journey, she may have been envious and spiteful about the love they showed their children, but now she was simply happy that there were at least four children in the world that did not have to endure the same kind of life she had lived.

One night while she was in her room putting on her makeup, getting ready for the evening rush, she heard the tell-tale sound of a large group walking across the wooden floors of the tea shop. Fuu could feel the heavy, rhythmless footfalls as vibration beneath her. That's strange, she thought, it's a little too early for the evening service to be starting. She listened as the footfalls grew closer and closer, as if heading straight toward the kitchen, and then…

"Provincial police! Who's the owner of this tea shop?"

Fuu heard the words from the other side of the wall, and her eyes grew wide as her heart began to pound. No… no no no nonononononono…

"It's my shop," She heard Tanaka voice, clearly confused, "What's going on sir?"

"We know you recently started employing a young woman here," the policeman said, "We believe she may be a fugitive wanted by the shogunate for crimes against the..."

"That's absolutely not possible!" Chie interjected before he could finish, "And even if it was, what do you think you're doing, barging in here right as we're about to open, don't you know we're running a business here? I mean seriously don't you people have anything better to do than just harass-"

"Chie, please stop," Fuu said, suddenly standing in the doorway that separated her room from the kitchen. Her legs, hands, and mouth had moved without her brain telling them too. Fuu was still driven by her sense of duty, and she couldn't allow these people to defend her by themselves.

Looking out into the kitchen, she saw Tanaka, Chie, and a group of at least six policemen all crammed into the door area separating the kitchen from the rest of the tea shop. The lead policeman, a rather fat and short fellow who Fuu assumed had been the one speaking before, looked her up and down. "You, girl, explain yourself. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Fuu swallowed, and took a deep breath. She made brief eye contact with Chie, and could see the fear and confusion behind her stoic gaze. She then looked back toward the lead policeman. "My name is Fukumi Saito, I'm a runaway," she said, "I'm from a small village several provinces away. I left my home after my father tried to sell me to a brothel to pay off his gambling debts." Knowing this day might come, she had practiced this story in front of her mirror many times. If necessary, she could cite the name of her fictional father, his business, and the town that she was supposedly from. Close enough that it would be reasonable for her to make such a journey on her own, far enough away that nobody around here would know anyone there.

The lead policeman's eyes narrowed. He looked as if he was about to say something when one of his younger, leaner colleagues leaned into his ear. "She's about the right age for the girl we're looking for," the young policeman said, "but she doesn't match any of the descriptions we've been given."

"Mhm," a third policeman chimed in, "And considering what this Fuu Kasumi girl is accused of and the charges she's facing, I seriously doubt she would simply present herself to us like this."

The lead policeman stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. "I believe you're right," he said, then turning to Tanaka, "Our apologies for interrupting you while you make ready for the evening, we'll be going now."

"Thank you," Tanaka said.

The crowd of policemen shuffled back out of the kitchen and toward the front of the tea shop. As he was about to pass through the kitchen door, the leading policeman turned back around and looked directly at Fuu. "I have no time or patience for hunting and returning runaways," he said, "But I would urge you to return to your father of your own will. If what you say is true, he is surely a morally unwell man, but family is all we have at the end of the day." He then turned and followed his fellow policemen out of the shop.

Fuu, Chie, and Tanaka stood in silence for a moment once they could no longer hear the footsteps of the policemen. Then tears began to well up in Fuu's eyes, "I'm… I'm so sorr-"

"Shh shh," Chie said, embracing her, "It's alright, you don't owe us an explanation. Both me and Tanaka know all too well how government officials can be," She then pulled away, just enough to look Fuu directly in the eyes, "Just know that no matter what, we would not have given you up to those men."

Fuu wiped the tears from her eyes, "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much."

"It'll be alright," Tanaka said, "Now let's finish getting ready for tonight."

They went about the evening rush as normal without discussing it further, and Fuu was able to maintain her composure. At the end of the night, Fuu approached Tanaka and asked if she could be absent from the mid-day service the following day. "Of course," Tanaka said, "Take the day. There's a spa down the road if you're looking for somewhere to relax."

"Thank you very much, I'll think about it," Fuu said, but she already had something very different in mind. She didn't sleep at all that night, she stared at the ceiling of her room, paralyzed with fear. She thought the policemen might return at any moment, realizing their error. Or maybe they were waiting just outside her window to see if she made a break for it? She also knew that even if she fell asleep, the nightmare would return to her, and she wouldn't get any rest regardless.

Fuu got up as soon as the sunlight began to creep into her room, knowing the markets would open early. She went straight there, in a rush but also making sure to be cautious and look around for the policemen she had seen the previous night. She found a clothing store, and bought a young man's kimono, making some comment to the owner about it being a gift for her brother. Then she went to a textile stand and bought some soft but sturdy white fabric. Finally, she found a store selling straw hats, just big enough to hide what little hair she still had underneath. Back in her room at the tea shop, she blended some natural colored makeup onto her face, using it to make her cheekbones appear sharper. She took the white fabric she bought and tore it into long stips, wrapping them around her chest to compress her breasts. She donned the kimono, and thankfully found it loose enough to hide her hips, and then the straw hat completed the disguise. Looking in the mirror, she had to admit she didn't make the most convincing young man, and the outfit might not hold up under closer inspection. But it didn't matter, she just had to convince one old man whose eyes were probably going anyway.

She made her way back to where she had accidentally stumbled upon the Kaneko Kenjutsu Dojo several days earlier. She didn't need to ask for the directions, the location of the dojo had been immediately burned into her memory. She hesitated in front of the door for only a moment, before bringing up her fist to knock on the wooden frame. She cleared her throat in preparation for lowering her voice, and waited. After a few moments she heard soft footfalls from the other side of the door, and then it slid open to reveal the old man who had helped her find her way back to the market. He wore the same frown he had worn the day Fuu had met him, and raised a single questioning eyebrow upon seeing her. "What do you want?" He said, "The dojo is not open yet and we're not buying anything."

"Um…" Fuu uttered in her natural voice, before quickly clearing her throat again. She bent forward in an exaggerated standing bow. "I'm here because I wish to train in Kenjutsu sir!" She said in her best boy voice.

"Train in… What?!" The man said, taken aback by her statement. It took him a moment to compose himself before saying, "You're quite old to just be beginning training as a swordsman, you know. What are you? 16? 17?" He said.

"15, sir," Fuu said.

"Most of the students here that are your age have been training her for seven years," he said, "You would be outmatched by students three, maybe even four years your junior. Could you deal with that kind of shame?"

"Yes sir," Fuu said, "And I can pay, I have a good job."

"Do your parents know about this?" The man said.

Fuu paused for a moment before answering, "I… I have no parents sir."

There were a few seconds of silence, and then the man sighed. "Stand up straight," he said. Fuu rose from her bow to meet his gaze. "Why do you want to train in the martial arts?" He asked, seeming to look directly through Fuu's eyes and into her soul.

"To be strong enough to protect myself and the people I care about," She said.

"That's a noble goal, what are you willing to do to achieve it?"

"Anything. Everything." As she spoke, her eyes never wavered from their contact with his steely gaze.

He nodded. "We shall see." He stepped to the side and extended his arm, offering for Fuu to come into the dojo. She accepted without hesitation.

He provided her with a Bokken, and informed her that she would be training with the younger students when they arrived later that morning. Soon, a group of about 10 or so younger children, probably ages 9-to-11, began to pile into the dojo. They were clearly confused by her presence, but none of them acknowledged or spoke to her. As soon as all of the pupils had arrived, the old man ordered them to line up. Like a well drilled military unit, they all quickly found their usual place in a long line, side by side against the back wall of the dojo. "Today we will be practicing downward slashes from the Chudan No Kamae guard." On que, the line of children all simultaneously assumed the same stance, with their leading foot forward, holding the sword with the hilt low and the blade up. Fuu scrambled to copy them to the best of her ability. The old man walked over to her, and with his own bokken pushed and prodded her body and limbs until she was in the correct stance. He then returned to the very front of the formation. "Forward slashes, begin." The line of students began in unison to raise the bokkens high before performing a quick downward slash accompanied by a loud exhale. After the first two or three, Fuu got the rhythm and began to perform the movement with them, albeit far more clumsily. It continued on, and on, and on, and on. She had no idea how many times she had performed the move once the muscles in her arms and shoulders began to scream, and the sweat in the palm of her hands threatened her grip on the bokken. She looked up, trying to find any sign that the agony would end, and saw the old man staring directly at her. She knew that when her eyes met his again, that she could not quit, no matter what. Eventually, the door of the dojo opened, and several older boys entered. As soon as they did, the old man gave the order, "Stop!" and the line of younger boys immediately stopped. Fuu breathed heavily, it was taking every ounce of her energy to not drop the bokken.

"For the rest of the morning, you will be observing some sparring between the older students," the man said, "absorb as much as you can from this demonstration, some of you are almost sparring age and will begin this kind of training very soon."

Fuu the younger children formed a large circle and sat on the floor of the dojo. Fuu leaned forward, resting her aching arms in her lap, not sure that she could move them even if she needed to. Two by two, the older students entered the circle and took turns trading attacks, blocks, and parries. Despite her exhaustion, Fuu was entranced by the demonstration, and she hung onto every moment of it.

After the last pair of older students had sparred, the old man dismissed the rest of the students for a midday break. "You," he said, looking at Fuu, "follow me." Fuu followed the man to a small room at the back of the dojo, with a table and sitting mats. "Please, have a seat there," the man said, pointing to one side of the table. "Would you like some tea?"

"Um… yes please," Fuu said, taking her seat.

The man poured two cups of tea from a kettle that had been sitting on top of a furnace in the corner of the room. He returned to the table, placing one in front of Fuu and then sitting across from her. He took a long sip from his own cup and then paused for a moment, enjoying the quiet after a busy morning. He placed his cup down on the table in front of him, and then looked across at Fuu, "That Kaneko Kenjutsu Dojo does not train girls," he said.

"Whaa…!?" Fuu almost spilled her tea on herself, "What? How did you-"

The man held up his hand, cutting her off, "I knew the moment I opened the door that you were the girl I caught staring at the dojo several days ago," he said. "The disguise does nothing for you, but I will compliment your effort."

"But if you knew… and you don't train girls, then why did you-"

"I will ask you again," the man said, cutting her off, "Why do you wish to train in the martial arts? And why Kenjutsu. Women warriors are by no means unheard of in our country, but swordswomen are exceptionally rare. Even if you gained sufficient proficiency, it would be difficult for you to find work with a sword."

Fuu sighed, looking down at the table in front of her, "I wasn't lying when you asked me at the door. I truly want to learn swordsmanship to protect myself and others. But… there is more to it than that," Fuu paused, unsure of how to explain the circumstances that had led her to this moment.

"Go on," the man said, "take as much time as you need."

Fuu closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. She knew that every detail she gave away could lead her to being found, arrested, killed by the agents of the Shogunate, but she also found that her will to lie had totally melted along with the strength in her arms. "I was traveling for a long time, in search of my father. I had two bodyguards who were expert swordsmen, although with two very different styles. They saved me many times, and I think I took their protection for granted. I saw things, probably more violence than the average girl my age sees. They did basically anything to keep me safe. When the time came for our journey to end, we parted ways. But I didn't realize how much I relied on them not just to be safe but to feel safe. I can't sleep at night anymore. When I close my eyes I hear the sounds of swords, of people dying, I see the most terrifying moments of my life play out in front of me over and over again." Fuu swallowed, knowing she shouldn't go on, but she was also completely unable to hold back now that these flood gates had opened. "And there are people who are looking for me. People that if they found me, they would… I just need to be able to protect people. I can't let anyone get hurt because of me."

"You are the daughter of a battlecry." The old man said it as if he was a doctor diagnosing an illness. He took another sip of his tea, "The Kaneko Kenjutsu Dojo does not train girls, however, that does not mean that Arata Kaneko cannot train a girl."

"Huh?" Fuu said, "Sorry I don't understand."

"Come here to the Dojo every morning. Be here as the first light of the day appears over the mountains." He stood up from the table, "I will train you."

Fuu felt a tear run down her cheek, but she maintained her composure, "Thank you," she said.

"Do not thank me," his face hardened, "I am an old soldier prescribing the only remedy I know for a sickness I too have, and have never been able to cure. I cannot guarantee that training in Kenjutsu will allow you to protect yourself, or even that it will allow you to sleep at night. But I can train you."

The man, who she now knew as Arata Kaneko, walked her to the door of the dojo. As she was leaving he handed her the bokken she had used that day in class. "This is yours now, under no circumstances are you allowed to lose it," He said, "If you do, never return here again." Fuu nodded in response, and bowed before leaving.

That night, Fuu lay awake in bed again, her head spinning and running with thoughts, anxieties, insecurities, fears. What if her new masters realized her inadequacy and rejected her? What if someone from the dojo figured out who she was and reported her? What if Tanaka or Chie found her bokken and demanded to know why she had it? She couldn't stop her mind from racing. Slowly, she got up out of the bed roll, grabbing her bokken from where it lay on the floor next to her. She grasped it in both her hands, and assumed the Chudan no Kamae. As quietly as possible, she began performing the downward slash she had been taught that day, with the same rhythm and power she had tried to mimic while in line with the younger boys. She didn't know how long she swung the sword for, or how many repetitions she performed. When her arms were again so sore she could barely move them, she crawled back into her bed roll and immediately fell asleep. Not a single nightmare disturbed her slumber that night.

Time passed. Fuu spent her mornings at the dojo training with Master Kaneko and her days and evenings at the tea shop working with Tanaka and Chie, who were none the wiser about her early morning activities. She had absolutely no natural talent for swordsmanship, and it took her at least a hundred tries with even the most basic movements before getting them correct, but she never faltered. She used her evenings at the tea shop to practice her footwork, navigating the isles between the tables with ever increasing speed and grace. After the tea shop closed for the night, she would practice again whatever Kaneko had taught her that day until she was too exhausted to stay awake. If there was something specific that she had been taught in the morning that she did not perform correctly before having to leave the dojo, she would not allow herself to sleep that night until she got it right at least once. Kaneko made no effort to adjust his training methodology to her, in fact its very possible he was harder on her than he was on any other student. She would return to the tea shop every day with new bruises to hide under her kimono or cover up with makeup.

The original one-month term of her agreement with Tanaka came to an end quickly. Without having to think about it, she asked if she could stay on as their waitress and continue living in the back room indefinitely. Tanaka was delighted, and agreed immediately. Her work at the tea shop continued right along with her training. One time, Chie made an off-handed comment about how strong her arms looked when she rolled up the sleeves on her kimono while cleaning a spill on the floor. "Well those platters of dumplings do get heavy," she said, laughing. As the weeks and months passed, she grew closer and closer to Tanaka, Chie, and their children, who soon were calling her "Auntie Fukumi." Fuu began to enjoy the hustle and bustle of working the tea shop, and after a few months the eldest daughter began helping her with some of the waitressing duties during the busy hours. Every single day of training at the dojo was harder than the previous day, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Fuu however didn't care, no matter how much it hurt or how exhausted it made her, because the nightmares had not returned once since she began her training, and the policemen never returned.

A little over a year passed since she had arrived in the village. One morning, she arrived at the usual time to begin the day's lesson at the dojo. However, when she opened the front door, she observed Master Kaneko sitting on the floor of the dojo across from another man she didn't recognize. "My apologies!" she said, bowing, "I did not mean to interrupt, I will wait outside."

"There's no need, Fukumi," Kaneko said, "You are the one we were waiting for, now come inside."

The hair stood up on the back of Fuu's neck. Waiting for me? She thought. As she approached where the two men sat, she watched the unknown man like a hawk, whose eyes stayed fixed on Master Kaneko. He looked strikingly similar to her master, although maybe a decade younger. They even had the exact same mustache. As she sat down with the two men, she couldn't help but think Is he from the Shogunate? Is it finally time? She inhaled, controlling her emotions as Master Kaneko had taught her. If it was finally her time she would be able to find acceptance in that, but she would do everything in her power to protect those who had helped her and harbored her for the last year.

"Fukumi, this is my brother, Jiro Kaneko," Arata said, "He is Captain of the Guard for Akio Yamaguchi, the governor of the neighboring province, covering a good bit of agricultural land to the east of here."

Jiro nodded to her, "Fukumi Saito, me and my brother have exchanged much correspondence regarding you."

"Correspondence?" Fuu said, "What do you mean?"

"My apologies for keeping this from you," Arata said, "But I did not know how your training would go, and I did not want to make you false promises. I began writing to my brother about your training and progress shortly after we met a year ago. I have given him regular updates."

"I'm so confused," Fuu said, "Why would I be worth writing to your brother?"

"Well…" Arata said, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "You are the single most talentless pupil I have ever instructed."

Gee, thanks. Fuu thought to herself.

"But, you are also the most dedicated," Aratat continued, "You have pushed through all obstacles I have given you, learned everything I have had the time to teach you. You have persisted through frustrations I have never before seen a student endure, and you have learned more in a year of being here than most of my pupils learn in five."

Fuu was completely taken aback. Master Kaneko was not mean in any sense of the word, but in the year she had known him, he had not once paid her a compliment or congratulated her on anything. She had absolutely no idea how to respond, but before she could, the younger brother spoke up again.

"Even so," Jiro started, "We weren't meant to have this conversation for another few years at least, giving you more time to develop mastery in martial skills. However, things change rapidly, and I now find myself with no other option."

"My apologies," Fuu said, "But I'm still so confused, what is going on?"

"Recently, one of my younger men was cut down in the street. Stabbed in the back while walking home from the market by thieves who stole his pocket change and his swords," Jiro said, "So I am left without one of my guards and no eligible young swordsmen in the area willing to replace him, except…" he paused for just a moment, "Except you, Fukumi Saito."

"Whaaa!?" Fuu gasped, she had no idea how to process the words that had just come out of the younger Kaneko's mouth.

"I am offering you a place under my command as a guard for my lord and his family. When you accept this offer, you will be given a permanent place to live at their estate, and of course your expenses will be provided for. Finally, these will be yours to wear publicly, and you will enjoy the honor and social standing of a samurai," Jiro said. He reached down to his side and grabbed two beautiful swords, a katana and wakizashi. The blades were hidden inside of beautiful, deep black sheathes and the hilts were emerald green with red accents. Jiro placed them on the floor directly in front of Fuu, "Your training will continue under my supervision of course, along with the help of my guards. I will not lie to you, being the low-man is an extremely difficult life, and I cannot guarantee when, if ever, you will earn the respect of the other guards. But it is a life of honor, and duty, and my lord's power and influence will protect you from those who wish to do you harm."

"Wait…" Fuu said, "You said 'when' not 'if ' I accept your offer," she swallowed, "Do I not have a choice?"

"Of course you do," Jiro said, "But I knew the moment I saw your eyes that you were going to say yes."

It was true, Fuu realized as Jiro said it. As much as she loved Tanaka, Chie, their children, and the tea shop, there was no way she would ever say no to this. She looked at the swords in front of her, and reached down to grab the Katana. Holding it in her hands, it was as if she found a piece of her own arm that had been missing for a long time, like it was a natural extension of herself. She felt as if she never wanted to put it down again. Laying the sword across her hands, and bowing her head toward Jiro, she said "I graciously accept this generous offer, and from this point on my sword will be at the command of your and your lord's will."

"It is settled then," Arata said, breaking his silence. He stood, and Fuu and Jiro followed him. Fuu took swords and placed them in her belt around her kimono. They felt just as natural there as they did in her hands. Arata turned to her, "I do have one more question before you go," he said.

"Yes, anything," Fuu responded.

"When we first met, you said that you had once set out on a journey to find your father. Did you ever end up finding what you were looking for?"

"Yes," Fuu said, without hesitation, "But it wasn't what I thought I was looking for."

Arata nodded, "That is how it always is," he said, "And now the journey continues."

"Thank you for everything," Fuu said, bowing to Arata, "I owe you more than I could ever repay."

Arata laughed, a sound she had never heard him make before, "Ah, but you already have." He said.

"I take it you have personal affects you need to gather and maybe some people to bid farewell?" Jiro interjected.

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble," Fuu said.

"Of course," Jiro said, "Meet me in the markets around mid-day, and we will depart for my lord's estate."

Fuu said goodbye to her master for a final time, bowing to him before leaving. A few passersby gave her an odd glance as she walked past them, sword hilts protruding from her waist, but it didn't bother her. She felt more comfortable now than she had in over a year, perhaps longer than that. When she arrived back at the tea shop, she packed up all of her things, including her old kimono, and waited by the front of the shop for Tanaka and Chie to arrive prior to the midday service. When they came in, the first thing they saw was her leaning against a booth, her things neatly packed beside her, and the swords.

"Fukumi!" Tanaka said, startled, "Where did you get those swords from?"

The children pushed past him, greeting her with "Auntie Fukumi, Auntie Fukumi!" as they normally did, rushing up to her to hug her and grab onto her legs, wanting to play. "Wow auntie, are these real swords?" The eldest boy said. "No way! They don't let girls carry real swords," responded the oldest girl.

Fuu giggled, "They're real, be careful and don't touch them. It is very dangerous."

"Ah, I knew this day would come." Fuu looked up to see Chie's smiling face, she had come in right behind Tanaka and the children. Unlike the others, she had no curiosity and no confusion.

"Huh?!" Tanaka said, "What do you mean?"

"Oh please," Chie said, "You don't know that she's been going to that dojo every morning, the whole time she has been here?"

Fuu's jaw dropped, "How did you…?"

"It's my tea shop," Chie said, "I know what happens here and everything else in this town." She laughed, and Fuu laughed as well. Tanaka muttered something about it being his tea shop.

Fuu approached them where they stood near the entrance, "Thank you both so much," she said, "It is not possible for me to express to you how much your generosity has meant to me. The two of you may have very well saved my life."

Now Tanaka laughed, "You worked for it," he said, "Couldn't have asked for better help around here the past year."

"Oh my dear," Chie said, embracing her warmly, "It's hard to be a girl in this world, we have to look out for each other. I assume that you have to go now?"

Fuu returned her embrace, "Yes, I'm sorry I'll be leaving you without a waitress for a while."

Chie waved her hand, brushing aside Fuu's concern. "We will manage, and our eldest daughter will soon be able to handle it all by herself. You taught her well."

Fuu wiped away the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "Well, I'll be seeing you!" She said.

"Yes, please come back and have a cup of tea some time!" Tanaka said.

Gathered her things, and waved goodbye to the family as she walked down the street. This was the third time in her life a goodbye had been this painful. The first was when she said goodbye to her mother, and the second was saying goodbye to Jin and Mugen. What would they think of her now, she thought as she made her way to the market. What would they say if they saw her with swords in her belt? The thought made her smile.

Fuu met Jiro at the market. He had charted them an ox and cart to take them to the estate, as it would be far too long of a walk. She used some of her earnings to purchase some clothes that would be more appropriate for her new position, as well as a proper samurai's uwa-obi to hold her swords. Finally, her and Jiro loaded onto the cart and before long the town was disappearing behind her over the crest of a hill. She felt tears start to come again, but she swallowed the feeling, knowing that wasn't what her Jiro would want to see from his newest guard.

"From now on, you will refer to me as Captain when you are performing your duties as a guard, and Master when I am giving instruction in a martial skill," Jiro said, breaking the silence between them. "Never refer to the lord by his name. If you are addressing him or his son, it is 'my lord,' if you are addressing his wife it is 'my lady.' Do you understand?"

"Yes, master." Fuu said. "May I ask a question?"

"Yes you may," Jiro said.

"The lord…" Fuu started, unsure initially of how to phrase her question, "Does he… does he know a woman is going to be one of his family's new guards."

"Yes, in fact he encouraged it," Jiro said. "Lord Yamaguchi is… interesting. He has certain eccentricities uncommon in men of his generation, and there are certain aspects of tradition that he feels are burdensome. However, I cannot say the same for the men in the guard."

"Of course," Fuu said, "I would expect nothing less. I know I will have to prove myself. As long as I have a duty, and my Kenjutsu improves, that is all I care about."

"The mindset of a true samurai," Jiro said, "You'll find it is very uncommon these days."

They arrived at the estate before nightfall, allowing Fuu to see it in the light. It was not modest by any means, but also not exactly a castle. The grounds were surrounded by a high wall with a single main gate, which opened up into an interior garden, beautiful and meticulously maintained with all kinds of trees and flowers. The large main house hugged the entire wall opposite the main gate, and several smaller buildings, including a stable, lined the wall to the right. "The lord's wife and son maintain the garden here all by themselves," Jiro said, "She won't let anyone else touch it, they're usually out there every morning for several hours. The lord prefers to stay in the house when he is on the grounds, but he often is away on business. You will meet them all tomorrow. Now, I will show you to the guard barracks."

Jiro escorted her to the building nearest the gate on the right. Fuu could hear the hum of conversation coming from inside the building. As soon as Jiro slid open the door, it immediately stopped. Fuu stepped into the room with Jiro, where at least 20 sets of eyes were silently staring directly at her. "Hasegawa!" Jiro said, and a man jumped up from a bed roll on the other side of the room, running up to greet Jiro.

"Yes, Captain!" The man said as he approached.

Jiro turned to look at Fuu. "This is Kenji Hasegawa, he is one of my lieutenants and the personal guard for the lord's wife. I am assigning you to be the personal guard for the lord's son. Because the lord's wife and his son are never apart during their waking hours, you two will never be apart either. Additionally…" Jiro looked back at the lieutenant, "Hasegawa, I'm assigning you as the chief instructor for our new low-man, Fukumi Saito. You will instruct her with the aim of improving her Kenjutsu for no less than one hour in the morning before the lady and her son awaken, and no less than two hours in the evening after they retire."

"Yes, Captain!" Hasegawa repeated again.

Fuu bowed, "It is my honor to be your student, lieutenant," she said. Hasegawa said nothing in return.

"Show Fukumi where she will be sleeping and where she can put her things," Jiro said, "I have to go inform Lord Yamaguchi that I've returned."

"Yes, Captain!" Hasegawa turned without saying a word to Fuu, and began walking away. She quickly followed after him, barely able to keep up with his long stride and quick pace without breaking out into a run. Hasegawa showed her to a bed roll at the far end of the barracks, nestled in a corner. "This is where you will sleep," he said, finally addressing her directly, "You can place your personal belongings beside your bedroll, no one here will take anything from you, the punishment for stealing from another guard is death. Have you ever worked as a guard before?"

"No, lieutenant," She said.

"You are to be the personal guard for the lord's son, and he has only one personal guard. His life is your responsibility and yours alone. He is about ten years old, and is rarely allowed to leave the grounds, but he has in the past enjoyed trying to escape from his guards. You will remain by his side at all times while he is awake," He paused, and looked at her more seriously now, "Should any serious harm befall him, your life will be forfeit. Do you understand?"

"Yes, lieutenant," Fuu said.

Hasegawa nodded, "It is almost time for bed, so I will let you rest tonight before your training and responsibilities as a guard begin in the morning." He began to walk away, but only got one or two paces before he stopped and looked back over his shoulder at her, "If you leave your swords by your bed roll, you can escape over the wall in the night. There is an easy place to climb over it from the inside if you can get on top of the shed by the stables. No one will come looking for you," he said, before continuing down the rows of bed rolls that lined the walls of the barracks.

The next morning, Hasegawa went to check the bed roll where he had left the girl the night before, and was surprised to see that she was not only there, but awake and sitting up with her legs crossed and head up. He paused for a moment in front of her, waiting to be acknowledged before realizing that her eyes were closed. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Meditating, preparing for training," Fuu said.

Hasegawa thought for a moment and realized it had been a long time since he had seen any of the guards bother to meditate in their little free time. He pushed the thought out of his mind to refocus on the task at hand. "Well get up," he said, "It is going to be a long day."

Hasegawa used that morning to get an assessment of where Fuu's skills were at. He took her into a smaller building next to the barracks that was set up like a dojo. He walked her through all the basic stances, guards, attacks, and perries, movements she had done a thousand times already. Then, using bokkens, they sparred several times. Naturally, Hasegawa beat her every time, leaving her with new aches and bruises. No matter how badly it hurt, Fuu never complained, yelled out in pain, or asked for a break.

After their sparring sessions, Hasegawa instructed her to sit across from him on the floor. "Your basic guards and forms are good," Hasegawa said once she was seated, "But you are still very much an amateur. I can see in the way you move that you are not thinking like a warrior, plotting moves against your opponent, and are instead relying on unconnected movements and attacks, defending based on reaction instead of planning. How long did you train under Master Arata Kaneko before coming to us? Four years? Five?"

"One year, Lieutenant." Fuu said.

Hasegawa nodded. "Then you must have had another master before. Who else did you train under?"

"No one, lieutenant," Fuu said, "I have only been training in Kenjutsu for one year."

Hasegawa paused, but did not outwardly react to this information. "I see," he said, "For now we will be working on flowing directly from one attack to another, or from a defense to a counter attack, and so on. I will be constantly challenging you to think like a true warrior, and I will use whatever methods are necessary to reinforce that mentality in you."

After finishing training, they returned to the barracks where most of the other samurai were just waking up. They had a quick breakfast at a long table in the center of the main room, during which none of the other samurai spoke to or acknowledged Fuu, much like the night before. Afterward, everyone went their separate ways to their various details and assignments. "Lord Yamaguchi seems to have a lot of samurai in his personal guard," Fuu said as she exited the barracks behind Hasegawa.

"Yes, but there is always much work to be done," Hasegawa said as he led them toward the main house, "He never leaves the estate with less than seven men with him, he considers it a lucky number, and Captain Kaneko acts as his personal guard in addition to leading all of his samurai. Then he has one samurai assigned to his wife and one to his son permanently, that is us. If the whole family travels together he will take almost all of his samurai, leaving only two or three to guard the estate along with the house guards. Any of his samurai who are not assigned as a personal guard or not actively escorting him or his family outside of the estate are out in the province on their own, scouting the borders, looking for bandits and criminals, meeting with his subjects or carrying official messages between him and neighboring provincial officials."

"I had no idea the responsibilities of a samurai were so broad," Fuu said.

Hasegawa turned and looked at her inquisitively, "And what kind of samurai have you known?" He said.

"Not the kind you have ever seen before," Fuu said.

Hasegawa instinctively wanted to question what she meant, but by then they had arrived at the main house of the estate. The large front doors were flanked on either side by two men wearing soldier's armor, and carrying naginatas. "These are the house guards," Hasegawa said, "They remain here to protect the estate at all times. There are two at every entrance to the house, and two will be posted outside of any room in the house that is occupied by either the lord or one of his family members, or guests when he has them." Hasegawa nodded to the men as he walked past them, through the doors and into the house. The inside was ornate but also ancient, well preserved. Fuu could tell it had stood for many generations of this family. She followed Hasegawa up the stairs at the front of the house, and down a long hallway before arriving at a row of bedrooms, all with two guards out in front of the doors. Fuu and Hasegawa approached the first set of guards by the first door. "Men, this is the new personal guard for the young Lord, Miss Fukumi Saito." The two house guards turned and acknowledged her, bowing their heads slightly, much to her surprise. Hasegawa then turned to Fuu. "Each morning you will report here after breakfast and officially inform these men that you are relieving them of their post. You will then stand guard outside of the young Lord's room until he exits. Do not go into his room to retrieve him unless you believe his life is in danger. The house guards will relieve you while the family takes meals at the house and when they retire at night. Now go on, relieve these men so they can rest and eat."

Fuu nodded and then turned to the two house guards, "You men are relieved of your post," she said.

"Yes, Miss Saito," they said in unison, before turning and moving down the hallway toward the exit. Fuu was surprised by their formality and respect, compared to how the other samurai had interacted with her thus far.

Hasegawa could tell she was mildly surprised by her interaction with the house guards. He leaned into her, speaking quietly so only she could hear. "As a samurai, you technically outrank them. They are farmers from the province temporarily drafted into the Lord's service. They serve here for part of the year and in exchange receive pay as well as tax breaks on their next season's crop. They are loyal to the lord but are not nearly as trained as we are, and unlike us they are not empowered to wield his authority outside the walls of the estate."

Fuu nodded, she was just happy that someone besides Hasegawa had spoken to her. Hasegawa relieved the house guards in front of the bedroom next closest down the hall, and the two of them stood guard there silently for several minutes before Hasegawa's door slid open. From within the bedroom emerged one of the most beautiful women that Fuu had ever seen. Slender, and taller than the average Japanese woman by at least six inches, long black hair tied up perfectly, as if it had been done by a professional for an actress at a major theater performance. She wore a beautiful, flowing blue kimono and walked so gracefully it was as if she was floating over the ground. Fuu caught herself staring for only a moment, before regaining her composure.

"Good morning Lieutenant Hasegawa," She said, before turning toward Fuu, "And you must be the new personal guard for my son."

Fuu bowed, "Yes, my lady," she said.

"He is a mischievous child, you'll have your hands full," she said, "But I am certainly happy to have at least one other woman here on this compound. It does get lonely around here with nothing but all these boys."

Fuu smiled, "I am in your service my lady, whatever you need."

Lady Yamaguchi turned to look at Hasegawa, "I like her," she said. She then walked past Fuu and opened the door to her son's bedroom. Immediately, Fuu could hear groaning from inside the room, small protests from a small child who clearly had no desire to get out of bed this morning. After several minutes of fussing and whining, she remerged, pulling a small boy behind her by his arm. He initially wore the kind of scowl you only ever see on slighted children, but his face lit up when he saw Fuu standing outside of his room.

"Wow, you're pretty!" The young lord said.

Fuu blushed only slightly, "Thank you, my lord," she said, bowing to the child.

"This is your new personal guard," his mother said, "She will be with you at all times, do not try to run away from her.

The child frowned again, "Fine…" he groaned, and then turned to Fuu again, "Do you know how to play hide and seek?" he asked.

Oh, Gods. Fuu thought to herself, "Why yes, I do, but first and foremost I have to keep you safe," she said.

"But nothing ever happens around here," he grumbled.

"Sush," his mother said, "Do not disrespect your father's samurai, their work is very important. Now, let's get down to the garden."

Fuu and Hasegawa escorted the family out of the house and onto the open grounds of the estate, where Lady Yamaguchi led them to a large patch of sunflowers, wafting in the breeze. "Do you like sunflowers, Miss Saito?" Lady Yamaguchi asked, as she knelt in the dirt.

For just a moment, Fuu was transported back to the island where she had seen her father for the last time, where she had watched him die, where she, Jin, and Mugen had almost died themselves. "Yes," Fuu said, "I have heard they smell lovely."

Lady Yamaguchi laughed, "I'm not sure why someone would tell you that. Sunflowers don't have a scent at all," she said, brushing her hand across the large petals of one of the flowers, "I actually like them for that. Scented flowers are nice sometimes, but I often like just being able to smell the soil."

Fuu nodded, "I see."

Fuu and Hasegawa stayed off to the side, allowing the Lady and young Lord space to work with the flowers. Although the son didn't help his mother as much as he rolled around, threw dirt in the air, and complained about being taken out of bed. Fuu stayed locked onto the young Lord like a hawk, taking his threat of hide-and-seek very seriously. Suddenly, Fuu felt something hard jam into her from behind, and she made a quiet gasping noise as she stumbled forward. Catching herself, she swiveled around, hand on the hilt of her sword, but the only thing behind her was Hasegawa. He had jammed the hilt of his sword into her lower back.

"Hey! What was that for?" She said.

Hasegawa placed his sword back into his belt, "While you were focused on the young Lord, a bandit scaled the wall behind you and stabbed you in the back. You're dead. I may be able to avenge you, but if the bandit has friends I may be unable to defeat them all before they either kill or take the Lord and Lady Yamaguchi hostage."

Fuu felt anger build up inside of her, and her instinct was to lash out the way she had often done when Mugen made a rude remark or did something unbelievably dangerous on their journey. But that was a younger version of herself, and she swallowed it. "Yes, Lieutenant. I see," she said, trying not to grit her teeth.

"The real world is not a dojo," Hasegawa said, looking back at the wall of the compound, "Your opponent will not always be in front of you. He will not attack when the gong sounds, and he will not wait for a time that is convenient for you. Your skill with a sword will mean nothing if you cannot use all of your senses in mapping the world around you," he turned back to her, "Now close your eyes."

"I can't, Lieutenant," Fuu said, "I would risk losing sight of the young Lord."

Hasegawa nodded, "I understand your sense of duty outweighs anything else," he said, "But this is important. As your instructor and a Lieutenant of the guard, I temporarily relieve you of your post for this training exercise. I will watch the young Lord for you while you complete it."

Fuu hesitated, but then complied. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she was taught to do in the dojo, "Okay, now what?" she said.

"Listen with your ears, and feel the vibration in the ground beneath your feet," Hasegawa said, "And tell me what is directly on the other side of the wall."

This is ridiculous. Fuu thought, but she did as she was told. She breathed slowly and as quietly as possible, focusing on the feeling of the ground beneath her feet and the sounds all around her. She cut out the voices of the boy and his mother, and the breeze running past her ears. She focused all of her attention on the direction of the wall, trying to feel any vibration coming from underneath it, any sound coming over the top of it. Suddenly, she heard it. The sound of tiny paws on dry soil, walking, digging. A small growl or hiss. Then, the sound of something scrambling, diving beneath the Earth.

"What do you hear?" Hasegawa asked.

"I think… I think I hear a small animal on the other side of the wall," Fuu said, "Moving around through the dirt and then diving underground."

"Yes, very good," Hasegawa said, "There is a tanuki den just on the other side of this part of the wall. It has been there since before I came to the estate, and has housed many generations of the same bloodline. In the ancient times, people believed the tanuki were masters of disguise and shapeshifters. Take it as a good omen that you were able to detect the den on your first try."

"I don't even know how I did that," Fuu said, "I just breathed like I was taught in the dojo and focused my attention on the wall."

"Yes, it is a skill that comes naturally along with training in the martial arts, but it still must be cultivated and refined on its own. You will have to learn to do that constantly, without having to close your eyes or focus your attention. You must be able to totally absorb your environment. If you cannot learn this, you will never be able to keep anyone safe, not even yourself."

"I understand, Lieutenant." Fuu thought back to all those times she had seen Mugen and Jin fend off attackers, and how they seemed to know an attack was coming before they could even see an opponent. It was a skill they had both mastered, and now she would have to as well.

They remained in the garden, moving from flower bed to flower bed until midday. The young lord only tried to make a daring escape once, sneaking out of Fuu's sightline and then sprinting away while Fuu was conversing with Hasegawa, but he didn't get very far before Fuu caught up with him and returned him to his mother, carrying him under his arm pits as he fussed and cried. Once the Lady Yamaguchi decided they had worked enough for that day, they made their way back inside to take lunch. Hasegawa and Fuu were relieved by the house guards and returned to the barracks to eat themselves, then returned in the afternoon to stand guard while Lady Yamaguchi instructed her son in reading and calligraphy. At one point, they ran out of ink and the Lady said she would go back up to her room to retrieve more. Her and Hasegawa left, leaving Fuu and the young Lord alone for the first time.

"Hey, you!" the boy said, looking up from his paper where he had been practicing his kanji.

"Yes, my Lord," Fuu said.

The boy frowned, "I hate it when people call me that, can you just call me Yukio? That's my real name," he said.

"I'm sorry my lord, I don't think that would be appropriate," Fuu said.

The boy looked around the empty room, making sure they were alone, "But what if…" he whispered, "It's just us?"

Fuu couldn't help but giggle, "Well," she whispered back, "then maybe it would be alright, Yukio."

His face lit up, "Have you been to lots of places, Miss Saito?" He asked.

"Well, it depends on what you mean by lots of places," Fuu responded, "I've been all over Japan, but never outside of it."

"Wow! That's amazing!" the boy said, "Can you tell me a story?"

Fuu paused for a moment, trying to think of any stories that weren't either gruesome or implicated her in some kind of criminal activity. "Sure… I think I have one for you," she said. She moved to where Yukio sat and got down next to him. "There once was a man who was called the Sunflower Samurai," she said, "He had a daughter, a little younger than you are now, and a wife he loved very much. But he had to leave them because his people were under attack by bad men. He traveled many, many miles to an island far away from his home to where his people hid. He fought the bad men back, and helped many of his people escape to safety. His courage and honor became legendary amongst the samurai."

"Did you ever get to meet this Sunflower Samurai?" Yukio asked.

Fuu shook her head, "No, I just heard stories about him while traveling."

The boy frowned, "How do you even know that is a true story then?"

"Oh, I think it most definitely is true," a man's voice said, coming from the entryway to the room.

Fuu looked up to see an older man standing in the doorway, smiling at them. He wore ornate robes and stood tall. He had a sort of energy, a refinement to him that was different than anyone else she had encountered on the estate. Finally, she saw Jiro Kaneko's face appear over the man's shoulder, just behind him, and Fuu realized at once that this must be the Governor, Lord Akio Yamaguchi. She jumped to her feet, "My lord," she said, bowing, "My apologies for not noticing you standing there.

"No need for apologies," Yamaguchi said, moving into the room, followed closely by Kaneko, "If I wanted to be noticed I would have announced myself sooner. Now please, stand up straight."

"Yes, my lord," Fuu said, standing up to meet his gaze.

Yamaguchi looked her up and down, his cheery disposition never faltering, "I'm so glad we finally get to meet. Jiro here has relayed much to me about you based on his correspondence with his brother. Are you settling in well?"

"Yes, you have a beautiful home and a beautiful family," Fuu said, "I want to thank you for your generosity, for taking me in."

"I can assure you it is not charity," Yamaguchi said, "I've known the Kaneko family for my whole life. I fund Arata's dojo, and in return he provides me with his best pupils." His eyes narrowed. "The times are changing however, and sometimes even the most skilled swordsmen do not possess the mentality, the sense of duty necessary to become samurai. When a young man - or woman - comes along that has both skill and resolve, I must have them for my guard. Trust me when I say I appreciate your service to my family more than you appreciate my generosity to you." He then smiled again, shrugging off his brief serious tone, "Maybe some time you can regale me with more stories of this Sunflower Samurai."

"Me too me too!" Yukio shouted.

"Oh but of course!" Akio said, crouching down to his son's level, "And how is my son doing with his lessons today?"

"Quite well, in fact," His mother said, appearing in the doorway along with Hasegawa, "He'll be writing better than you soon!"

"Ah, excellent, soon I'll have you writing all my official correspondence for me," Akio said, resting a hand on the boy's head. Fuu saw that the man looked at his son with the same eyes that Tanaka had when looking at his own children. In her journey with Jin and Mugen, she had met many Lords who were not worth their weight in dirt, but she could tell that this was a good man.

Akio had to return to his personal study to work on some official correspondence with a neighboring lord, and Yukio and his mother continued with their lessons until it was time for dinner. The evening rushed by, and soon it was time for Yukio and his mother to retire to their rooms for the night. As the boy was being led into his room by his mother, he turned too look at Fuu. "Can I hear more stories about your travels tomorrow?" He said.

"Of course," Fuu said, "But only if you don't try to escape."

The boy initially stuck his tongue out at her, but smiled before turning back into the room. Soon, the house guards arrived to relieve Fuu and Hasegawa, and they immediately returned to the dojo where their day had begun. Hasegawa put her through more drills to refine her movements and flow between guards and attacks. After two or so hours, Hasegawa announced that her training was over for the day, and that she could retire to the barracks. Fuu still felt strength in her arms, and knew that she would not be able to fall asleep yet. "Lieutenant, may I stay here and continue practicing?"

"From now until your morning training, your time is your own. I would recommend you get as much rest as possible, as every day it will get harder. But I will never tell you cannot train on your own time," He responded, and then turned and left the dojo without another word. Fuu continued to practice what Hasegawa had shown her that evening, until her arms felt like stones and her hands were losing their ability to grip her sword.

Soon, the days began to run together, and Hasegawa kept his promise that each would be more difficult than the last. In addition to her training and her duties as a samurai, she found that being the low-man came with extra tasks as well. She often was forced to spend what little free time or days off she had working essentially as a maid for the other samurai, cleaning the barracks or the stables, or serving them tea while they rested in between fulfilling their duties. When they did begin speaking to her, it was only to bark orders at her, and only Hasegawa communicated with her with any respect. Soon, the older samurai started showing up to her training sessions to spar with her, and they often showed no mercy. Hasegawa would intervene and scold any of the samurai who were too forceful or seemed to be trying to intentionally injure her. She never complained, and always stayed up later than Hasegawa to continue to train after he retired to the barracks. After a couple of months, their tone changed. They began to address her by name, instead of just 'Girl,' and although they were still hard on her in training, they would bow with her before and after sparring, and stopped attempting to injure her.

One night, about six months after her arrival, she beat one of the other guards while sparring for the first time. It had started innocently enough, they were all eating dinner in the guard barracks when a young samurai, who had been the low-man before Fuu arrived, began to remark about her apparent lack of experience. "Miss Saito looks like she has never been in a fight before in her life, that's why she's stuck following a little boy around day in and day out," he said, laughing, "She couldn't handle a real job, like being being a part of Lord Yamaguchi's escort when he travels, or hunting bandits in the mountains."

"Have you ever hunted bandits in the mountains?" Hasegawa interjected, without looking up from his bowl of rice.

"Well… I haven't yet but I could if our lord asked me too!" the young man respond, his bravado faltering.

"And weren't you the young lord's personal guard before Miss Saito arrived?" Another samurai shouted from across the table.

"Hey, that's not the point!" he responded.

"How about this," Fuu said, smiling at him, "I'll spar with you, and if I win I get to swap places with you. I get to escort Lord Yamaguchi and you go back to being his son's personal guard!"

"What? That's ridiculous!" The young man said, scoffing, "You have nothing to give me if I win, and we couldn't just swap places! Captain Kaneko would have to approve something like that."

"I have no problem with such a trade," Kaneko said, suddenly appearing behind them like a phantom, causing the entire table to jump, gasp, or choke on their rice. "However, the young man does have a point, what do you have to offer in the event that you lose this contest?"

"How about two ryo?" Fuu said without hesitation.

The young man looked perplexed, "How is it possible that you have two ryo you're just willing to throw away in a competition you will surely lose?"

Fuu shrugged, "I have my savings from before I came here, and I'm not going to lose," she said.

The guards, including Kaneko, piled into the dojo, taking up all of the remaining floor space and leaving just enough room for the duel. However, it was not the spectacle that everyone was expecting, the fight was over in seconds. The young man made one attack, clearing expecting that he would simply be able to overpower her if she attempted to block, but he overextended himself, allowing Fuu to slip inside of his guard, and then around his back, where she delivered what would be a killing blow with her bokken to his middle abdomen from behind. There was silence in the dojo for several seconds, and then Kaneko called the duel complete. They rest of the guard shuffled back out of the dojo, leaving just Fuu, Kaneko, Hasegawa, and the young man.

Kaneko then spoke directly to Fuu."Miss Saito, tomorrow you will report directly to me in the morning. Lord Yamaguchi is making a visit to a neighboring province, and we will be gone for several days. Ensure to pack a change of clothes and whatever else you need for the road."

"Yes, Captain!" Fuu said, bowing.

Kaneko then turned to Hasegawa, "Lieutenant, this man appears to need additional training. He is hereby resigned to Lord Yukio Yamaguchi's personal guard. I implore you to use whatever methods you have been using to make Miss Saito such a proficient swordsma… swordswoman."

"Yes, Captain!" Hasegawa and the young man said in unison.

Although Fuu sometimes missed the company of Hasegawa, Yukio, and Lady Yamaguchi, she found being an escort for the Lord to be far more satisfying work. He traveled frequently, and never left her behind when he did. She got to know the landscape of the province and the surrounding areas very well. After a while Kaneko was dispatching her by herself or with only one companion to do Yamaguchi's bidding while he remained at home. She traveled with official correspondence, acted as her Lord's emissary at official meetings, and once scouted a tribe of bandits who had roamed into the province, reporting their location back to Yamaguchi so he could dispatch soldiers to deal with them. All the while, she continued to train in the Dojo before work began in the morning and at night before she went to sleep, occasionally getting a private lesson from either Hasegawa or Kaneko when time allowed. Soon after the duel, the other samurai began to treat her as an equal.

After another two years had passed, there wasn't a single man in the barracks besides Kaneko and Hasegawa who she hadn't bested in a duel.

It was a crisp fall morning, the leaves on the trees had long since changed color and were beginning to fall in droves. Fuu rested her wrist on the hilt of her katana, and watched her breath condense in front of her as she exhaled. They were on their way back to the estate after a trip to a neighboring province, and had stopped by the side of the road to allow the porters who carried the Lord's litter to rest a while. Several of the samurai in the guard had asked if they could be relieved of their post to go and pray at a nearby shrine, and Captain Kaneko had allowed it since they were only a couple more hills away from the estate. Only Fuu, Kaneko, and one other Samurai remained. Fuu stood directly in front of the door of Lord Yamaguchi's litter, in that position she would be his very last line of defense. She could hear him quietly snoring inside.

"Lieutenant Saito," Kaneko said, coming up from beside Fuu.

She turned her head and nodded to him, "Captain," she said in response.

"It is getting quite cold," he said, "Winter will be here soon, and things will begin to slow down again."

Fuu chuckled, "In my over two years under your command, I have never once noticed anything 'slowing down,' Captain."

"That's because you work too hard, Lieutenant," Kaneko said, "You must have friends or family somewhere you could visit. All of us need a leave of absence every once in a while."

Fuu shook her head, "I…" then she stopped in the middle of her thought. She felt an unfamiliar vibration in her feet, she opened her ears and heard the distinct sound of human footfalls in front of her, creeping between the trees just out of sight. She moved her sword hand to the hilt of her Katana, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Kaneko had done the same, and was beginning to move away from her, creating space between them.

Just then, several men dressed in ragged clothes and with improvised weapons emerged rapidly from the trees, shouting and hollering. It happened too quickly for Fuu to get a good count of how many there were in total, at least seven. Fuu drew her sword, "Highwaymen!" she shouted as loud as she could, hoping the Samurai who left to go to the shrine were still close enough to hear her.

"Protect Lord Yamaguchi!" She heard Kaneko's voice off to her right, but didn't have time to look toward him to see how many assailants he was dealing with.

Three of the highwaymen descended upon her. She sidestepped the powerful downward attack of the first man, then driving her katana into his back, using a much similar move she had used in her duel against the young samurai two years prior. He fell, and Fuu had just enough time to wrench her sword from his body and return to a low guard to perrie the attack of the second man, who came at her with a spear. After deflecting the attack, she charged into him, piercing his heart. The final man came at her with a scythe, slicing from the side as one would when harvesting crops. Fuu used her smaller stature to her advantage and ducked under the blade, then stepped inside the man's guard while still croached and cut him across his lower abdomen. Her final opponent fell, and she finally looked toward Kaneko. She breathed a quick sigh of relief when she saw him standing with four bodies around him, pulling his sword out of his final attacker. She then looked the other way toward the one other samurai who had chosen to remain with the litter, and to her horror saw the final highway standing over his corpse with a bloody spear. Seeing that he was the last man standing among his comrades, he dropped his weapon and sprinted back into the woods.

"Oh no, what happened!?" Lord Yamaguchi's voice came from behind Fuu as he opened the door of his litter.

"Lord, are you alright?" Fuu said, turning toward him as she flicked the blood off her sword.

Yamaguchi didn't respond directly to her, he only looked out at the corpses that had suddenly materialized in the road. "My god," he said quietly.

Kaneko then came up behind Fuu, "My lord, please get back inside the litter, it will protect you from arrows if they have archers. We have to get you back to the estate as quickly as possible."

Yamaguchi nodded, "Yes, yes, of course," he said, climbing back inside of his little box.

The other samurai then came running back from the shrine, having heard the yelling, but the whole event had ended before any of them could arrive. Quickly, the porters lifted the litter and got it back onto their shoulders. Kaneko and Fuu dispatched the other men, having them arranged around the litter in the most protective formation. Fuu assigned two of them to carry the corpse of their fallen comrade. When they arrived back at the estate, everyone was put on high alert and the number of guards at the entrance to the estate was doubled, everyone would be sleeping in shifts that night in case the bandits attempted an attack directly on the compound.

After everything was set, Fuu was standing guard outside the front entrance of the main house, alongside the house guards. Then the door opened, and Kaneko emerged from inside. Fuu raised a questioning eyebrow at Kaneko. "Captain, you're not by the Lord's side?" she said.

"He is well protected at the moment, and I need to speak with you," Kaneko said, beckoning her inside.

Fuu nodded, "Yes, Captain," She said, before following him into the house.

They sat in the study, where Yukio took his lessons and where Fuu had first told him the story of the Sunflower Samurai. A housemaid brought them tea, and Fuu tried to relax as she sipped on the warm drink, but found it difficult to untense her muscles.

"Lieutenant Saito," Kaneko said, setting his cup of tea down, "I have for the past year held an intention that I have kept secret from you, while I watched and waited, evaluating you. There was one final test I was waiting on, but it was not an evaluation I could set up myself. But now that you have passed this test, it is better for you to know what I have planned for you."

Fuu shook her head in confusion, "An intent? Tests? Please speak plainly, Captain." She said.

Kaneko sighed, "I am not quite an old man yet, but the winter years are right around the corner for me. One day, there will come a time when I am too old and feeble to carry a sword for our lord, and I will retire to the countryside," he paused, "if I don't die first."

"Yes, but that won't be for many years," Fuu said, "and I don't know what that has to do with me."

"When that day finally comes," Kaneko started again, "I want you to take my place as Captain of the Guard for the Yamaguchi family."

Fuu's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open, her cup of tea almost slipped from her hands. "What?" She said, the word barely squeaking out between her lips.

"This bloodline and its descendents will be in your care, and you will command the full cadre of samurai stationed here," Kaneko continued, "This is my wish, as your master and commander. I have been evaluating you for the role for the past year. However, before I could speak to you about it, I had to know if you were capable of killing," he said, his eyes glancing down at Fuu's swords. "Today, you passed that test."

In that moment, Fuu realized she hadn't even given a single thought to those three highwaymen she had slain by the road. It hadn't really occurred to her until this very second that she had taken the life of another person. Not just one, but three. Even now that she had consciously acknowledged it, she realized that it didn't bother her one bit.

"I see," she said, "I don't know how to respond, that's an unbelievable offer, and I…" she averted her eyes, "I don't know if I could do it, I don't know if I could handle it."

"Well, with any luck, you won't have to handle it for many years. I don't plan to retire tomorrow," Kaneko said. Then he smiled at her, and it struck her as being just as surprising as when his brother, Arata smiled at her for the first time right before she left the dojo. "In the meantime, I will continue to train you, not just as a swordswoman, but as a leader. I know now, just as I knew over two years ago when I first met you at my brother's dojo, that will say yes. I can see in your eyes that your soul will offer you no other choice."

"What about Hasegawa?" Fuu said, "He's been here longer than I have, and I'm still not sure I could beat him one-on-one."

Kaneko sighed, "Hasegawa is a very good man, an expert swordsman and loyal beyond measure. But there is a reason besides his skill that he has been assigned as Lady Yamaguchi's personal guard for so long. He…" Kaneko paused for a moment, "He lacks the natural qualities as a leader. I fear some of the men would not take to his leadership as they would yours. And I've known Hasegawa long enough to know that this decision would not upset him."

Fuu nodded, "I -"

Just then, someone knocked on the door of the study, cutting Fuu off and causing both of them to look toward the door. "Enter," Kaneko said.

The door opened to reveal Hasegawa standing on the other side, "Captain, Lieutenant Saito, I apologize for the intrusion, but it is urgent."

Both Fuu and Kaneko rose to their feet. "What is it, Lieutenant?" Kaneko said.

"There is a swordsman here, a ronin I believe, at the gate," he said, "He was asking if any girls have come to work at the estate in the last three years, and one of the house guards at the gate let it slip that Lieutenant Saito came to us about two and a half years ago. Now he is demanding to be let in to speak to her."

"A ronin?" Fuu said, then her eyes widened again. There's no way, it's not possible, she thought. "Lieutenant Hasegawa, what did this ronin look like? Did you see him yourself?" She asked.

"Yes, I did," he responded, "He is tall and slender, with long black hair tied in a ponytail. He was carrying two blue-hilted swords. I could tell by the way he carried himself that he is likely very skilled."

"Fukumi," Kaneko said, perhaps the second time he had ever referred to her by the first name she given him, "Do you know this ronin?"

"Yes," she said, "I believe I do. Can you let him onto the grounds?"

"That I can oblige," Kaneko said, "but in light of current events I cannot permit him into the house, nor I can permit you to leave until we are sure the Lord and his family are safe."

Fuu nodded, "I understand."

Kaneko motioned to Hasegawa, "Bring the man inside, keep four of our best men on him at all times in case he tries something."

It won't matter, Fuu thought, if he's here to kill someone, there isn't a single sword here who could stop him, not even Captain Kaneko.

Fuu stood on the porch of the main house, and watched as a figure cloaked in a deep blue kimono approached, surrounded by four samurai. Her heart raced, and it felt as though it was taking a hundred years for him to traverse the grounds of the estate. As soon as he was twenty paces away, there was no mistaking it. It was Jin. A few years older, and lacking the glasses she had long associated with him, but it was him nonetheless.

Jin and his escort stopped ten paces from the porch of the house, and when he realized the woman on the porch was Fuu, his mouth hung open. The clumsy little girl he had left at the crossroads three years ago was standing tall before him, swords on her waist. Her face had matured only slightly, but her eyes were so different he barely recognized her. "Fuu…?" he asked, almost timidly.

"Please, while on the grounds of my Lord's estate, please refer to me by my proper rank and name, Lieutenant Fukumi Saito," Fuu responded, putting extra emphasis on her new name.

Jin began to raise an eyebrow, but then understood her intention. "My apologies, Lieutenant Saito," he said.

Without warning, Lord Yamaguchi suddenly appeared beside her from within the house. "Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded.

Kaneko came out after him, "Please my lord, return to your quarters, we are not sure if its safe for you to be out of the house yet."

"If I'm not safe on my own porch I'm not safe anywhere," Yamaguchi said, "and I want to know what this ronin is doing on my estate."

"My apologies, my Lord," Fuu said, "This is my former bodyguard and traveling companion…" she paused, realizing she did not know if she wanted to use Jin's real name.

"Hiroshi Kimura," Jin interjected, saving Fuu. "My greatest apologies for disturbing you during an emergency, Lord Yamaguchi. If you will oblige me, I have a personal matter I need to discuss with your Lieutenant Saito."

"What is your relation to my Lieutenant?" Yamaguchi said.

"Among other things, I owe her my life," Jin said.

Fuu looked shocked by Jin's statement, she had never thought of herself as saving either Jin or Mugen once during their travels, much the opposite in fact.

Yamaguchi nodded, "You and I have that in common, she saved my life just today." He paused, thinking for a moment, "You can have any room in the house, and you may stay the night as my guest if you so choose."

Kaneko tried to interject, "Lord, I-"

"That's enough, Jiro," Yamaguchi said, cutting him off, "My choice is final, now bring our guest inside. Make sure he and the Lieutenant have some privacy."

The samurai did as they were told, escorting Jin into the home, although ensuring that he had enough distance as possible between him and Lord Yamaguchi. They ushered Jin and Fuu into the study, closing the door behind them. Fuu and Jin listened monetarily to the sound of footsteps growing fainter as the guards retreated to other areas of the house. Once he was sure they were truly alone, Jin tried to speak. "I-" was all he got out before Fuu leapt toward him, pulling him into an embrace. She pressed her face tightly into his chest and wrapped her arms around his middle. He was startled at first, but then returned the gesture, pulling her closer into him. "It's good to see you," he said after a long moment.

Fuu stepped back from the embrace so their eyes could meet, "It's good to see you too," she said, "How did you find me?"

"I retraced your steps," Jin said, "I began at the junction where I last saw you, and followed the road you had gone down until I hit a sizable village. I knew you had worked as a waitress before so I went around to tea shops asking if you had spent any time working there. I came across one where a woman told me a girl matching your description had worked there for about a year before moving on to work at the estate of this lord," he said.

That's interesting, Fuu thought, I don't think I told Chie where I was going when I left the tea shop.

"However…" Jin continued, "I thought you had come to work here as a maid or a caregiver. I would never have believed… I still can't believe that you've…" he stumbled over his words.

"It's okay," Fuu said, "I would not have believed it either. If someone had told me four years ago that I would become a samurai, much less a Lieutenant of a guard, I would have laughed in their face," she chuckled, saying it out loud made it seem even more ridiculous to her.

"When did you begin practicing Kenjutsu?" Jin asked.

"Almost immediately," Fuu said, "After the three of us parted ways, I found I couldn't sleep anymore. I had these terrible nightmares, and during the day I was constantly terrified of being discovered by the Shogunate's men. This practice…" she ran her hand along the hilt of her katana, "it is the only thing that puts my mind at ease. It is the only thing that makes me feel safe."

"I see…" Jin said, "Did… did we do that to you?"

Fuu shook her head, "I can't blame you and Mugen for that. Even if I knew ahead of time what we would do, what I would end up seeing on our journey, I would still have lied about the coin toss, and tricked the two of you into coming with me. I owe the two of you more than both of you combined could ever take away from me."

"I can say the same," Jin said.

"Where have you been the past three years?" Fuu asked.

"I returned to the women's shelter where I left Shino," Jin said, "I've stayed in that area the whole time, going by the name Hiroshi Kimura. I assisted other women in danger in escaping to the shelter, and occasionally assisted them in defending themselves from attackers. For the last year or so I have run a small dojo, where I train only two or three students at a time. Shino was able to leave the shelter without fear of retribution from the casino about half a year ago, and since her former husband was already dead, we were able to marry," Jin closed his eyes for a moment, as if making a small prayer, "And thankfully, no one from the Shogunate has ever come looking."

"That… that sounds beautiful," Fuu said, "It sounds like you have found where you are supposed to be."

"I have," Jin said, "And it looks as though you have too."

"So…" Fuu rhythmically tapped the hilt of her sword with her index finger, "Why are you here?" She asked, looking at him almost sideways.

Jin sighed, "I think we should sit down."

"I am not a little girl anymore," Fuu said, getting defensive, "I killed three men today on my feet, whatever you have to say, I can handle that on my feet as well."

"It's not for you," Jin said, "I've been walking a long time to get to you, and I would like to sit down."

Fuu immediately deflated, "Oh of course, I'm… I'm sorry. It wasn't necessary for me to respond that way."

"I understand," Jin said, "You're a lieutenant of the guard for a Lord. I assume nobody has spoken to you like a girl in quite some time."

They sat across from each other at the same table that Kaneko and her had sat only minutes before, cups and a pot of tea still warm. "May I?" Jin asked, motioning to the tea, and Fuu nodded in response. He poured himself a cup from the pot and sipped, making a small, satisfied "hmm" noise as he did. "It's getting quite cold. During these months good tea is priceless."

Fuu felt herself growing impatient, but she forced herself to swallow the little girl inside of her again. "Yes, Lord Yamaguchi is devoted to tea as an art, he doesn't settle for anything cheap."

"Most lords don't," Jin said, setting his cup down in front of him. He sighed, and looked away from Fuu at the wall, as if unsure about how to begin. "About a month ago…" he finally started after several seconds, "Shino and I's village received word that a major fugitive somehow related to piracy and the Shimabara Rebellion clean up had been captured and executed. Fearing the worst, I paid an information broker as much money as I could spare to gather what he could about this fugitive and his execution. The information broker came back to me a little while later with a location of the village where the execution took place, and a name for the fugitive." Jin paused, as if he was second guessing what he was about to reveal, but he knew there was no going back now. "Mugen," he said, "The information broker told me the fugitive was named Mugen."

Fuu felt her heart sink. It was suddenly as if all the blood in her body had drained into her feet. They became like bricks underneath her, and her skin grew cold. The world began to spin around her. "No… no no no no no," she shook her head, "That's not possible."

"That's what I thought too," Jin said, "I asked the information broker to look into the matter further, and he discovered there were some discrepancies with the story. Nobody seems to know exactly how he was executed, on what day, or where in the village the execution took place. Every source has different details, a different story."

Fuu rubbed her face, thinking, "That means… he might still be alive," she said.

"That was my instinct too," Jin said, "I wanted to find you, because I intend to investigate this matter further. I wanted you to know before I did what became of me. I…" Jin swallowed hard, "I wanted my first ever friend to know that I lived a good life, just in case I do not return from this journey."

"Well you're not going alone," Fuu said without hesitation, "Like I said, I'm not a defenseless girl anymore. I'm coming with you."

Jin was shocked by this response, "But what about your lord? What will he say about you abandoning him?"

"I'm not abandoning him," Fuu said, "After we find that jerk Mugen and save him from whatever trouble he's gotten himself into this time, I'm going to return here."

"But-"

"I saved his life today, he's not going to say no," Fuu said, "And I'm not going to give you a choice."

Fuu went and found a house guard, who fetched Kaneko for her. After much cajoling and reassurance, he agreed to allow Lord Yamaguchi into a room with Jin, but only if he could sit between them. Soon the four of them were sitting in the study. Fuu explained in as much detail as possible without incriminating either her or Jin what the situation was, and why she felt it was necessary for her to take a go with Jin on this journey.

Kaneko listened silently to the whole explanation, then pinched the bridge of his nose, "Lieutenant Saito, when I suggested that you take a leave of absence to visit friends and family, this is not what I meant."

Fuu, already sitting on her knees, bowed all the way down until her forehead kissed the floor in front of her, "I am so sorry to bring this request to you on a day like this, my Lord," she said, "But I promise that when this journey is over I will return to here. My loyalty to you will not waiver and I will continue to act so as not to dishonor you while I am gone."

Yamaguchi sat silently for what seemed like an eternity. He exhaled loudly, "Okay," he said.

Kaneko was bewildered, "What? That's it, just okay?"

Yamaguchi then continued, "I just have one question before you go."

"Yes, anything," Fuu said, looking up to meet her Lord's eyes.

"You are the daughter of Seizo Kasumi, are you not?" he said.

Fuu and Jin might as well have had simultaneous heart attacks. Jin sat silently, eyes wide staring at the floor as Fuu tried to stumble through a response, "I… uh… well, you see…"

Yamaguchi smiled warmly, "I'll take that as a yes," he said, "You look just like your mother, but you carry yourself the way Seizo did."

Fuu found her voice again and could not get all of the questions that came up through her throat out fast enough. "How did you know? Why did you not turn me over to the authorities? Who else knows?"

Yamaguchi chuckled, "Well, let me first reassure you that you are, and always will be, safe within these walls. The only people here that know are myself and Jiro," he said. "I met Seizo when we were both much younger men, before he met your mother. We were friends for a long time, and he got me out of trouble just as often as I got us both into it. He returned here and revealed to me that he was secretly a Christian after the Shimabara Rebellion, and asked for my help in rescuing and relocating some of the other Christians that the Shogunate was actively hunting. I had taken over for my father by that time, so I did as much as I could. Mostly moving money around, paying off checkpoint guards and smugglers. I would like to think it helped, but I only saw Seizo a few more times after that."

"If I may, Lord Yamaguchi," Jin interjected, "How is it that you have gone all this time without any of that ever being traced back to you by the Shogunate?"

"Ah, well, for that I have to thank a woman you are both acquainted with, Chie Tanaka."

"What?!" Fuu almost shouted.

"The… tea shop lady?" Jin asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes, she worked for the Shogunate's secret police for many years, and then was in my father's employ as an information broker. If you need people, money, or information moved around without anybody ever knowing about it, there's nobody better in all of our great country."

If there had been a camera in the room, it could have snapped two never before seen facial expressions of shock and confusion. "Then… you all knew," Fuu said.

"Yes," Yamaguchi continued, "Chie suspected immediately when she met you that you were Seizo's daughter, and after the news of the events on Ikitsuki Island, it all but confirmed it. It wasn't just Jiro and his brother Arata who were communicating about you, all four of us were in constant contact back and forth regarding how to protect you, and how to find somewhere where you could both be safe from the Shogunate and happy. It just so happened that fate was ever on our side, and your desire to pursue Kenjutsu made you a perfect candidate for my guard."

Fuu thought she was going to pass out, the perfect lie she thought she had been living for over three years melted away instantly like wax in a fire. She didn't know whether to be thankful, or angry, or to start sobbing. "I… I don't know what to say," she finally managed to squeak out.

"Then don't say anything," Yamaguchi said, "Just return from this journey safely, ready to continue your training and your service. I hear you're going to be the captain of my family's guard some day," he finished, eyeing Kaneko with a slight grin.

"Yes of course," Fuu said, then turning to Kaneko and bowing, "If you will still have me, that is, Captain."

"Nothing about this has influenced my decision," Kaneko said, sighing, "But I am ordering you to come back alive. Too many people have invested in keeping you safe for you to die on a fool's errand to rescue a man who's probably already dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Captain," Fuu said.

Fuu bid farewell to the family at the house, and then returned to the barracks to gather her money and the rest of her things. As she was leaving, Hasegawa caught her at the door. "You're leaving?" he asked.

"Yes, I won't be gone long," Fuu said, "I just have some things I need to attend to, I'll be back long before the end of winter."

Hasegawa nodded, "Just make sure you do come back," he said, "I need help whipping some of these men into shape, Lieutenant."

Fuu smiled at him, "I know you can handle it while I'm gone," she said.

Her and Jin left without the estate without further ceremony, and before she knew it, the place she had called home for the last two years was disappearing behind a hill, much like the town and the tea shop had done two years prior. She sighed, "I hope you actually know where you're going," she said to Jin.

"I got us to Ikitsuki Island," Jin said, "Have a little faith."

Fuu laughed. Deep in her heart, she felt a little fear creep up inside of her, the same fear she felt when she decided to go look for her father. Just as it was before, that fear was crushed by excitement, and wonder. There was also a new feeling, a sort of comfort she attributed to once again being in the company of her old traveling companion. Fuu looked out at the long road ahead of her, imagining what tomorrow might bring.

The journey continues…