Rukamina Runo Enters

     Three days before Kuchiha and Kake entered the small South village, Rukamina Runo was sitting in a bar on the other side, feeling a little bored. Nothing of great interest happened in this village, and now that his most recent attempt to tame a devil had failed, he was itching to get out and get it right. He smelled something coming in the air, though--so he had decided to stay and see what it was. He glugged down the last cup of sake [Japanese wine, rice wine in english] and siddled out without paying. This bar owner was pretty high in business, anyways; a drink-and-run every now and then wouldn't kill him. Runo [yes his name is fake japanese. it doesn't mean anything, and if it does, it's probably something really weird. but japanese (and chinese) names go backwards; last names go before first names. so techinicaly his first name's Runo.] wound his way through the tribal homes aimlessly, and as he reached one of the more shady and secluded areas, a little girl accidentally ran into him. She bounced right off his leg, plopped onto the ground, and burst into tears.

     "Ah--." Slightly flustered, Runo squated so he could look at the girl's eyes.

     The girl bawled out something along the lines of: "My Penchree!" Awkwardly Runo managed to coax out of her that her pet Penchree had ran into the forest and hadn't come back.

     "The forest?"

     The girl sobbed out the affirmative. "It's--it's--it's cursed! Mama and Papa won't let me look for her! They said I'd never come back!" And her small frame was wracked with a fresh onset of tears.

     "All right, all right, stop crying! You should go home--it's not safe in these parts. The sun's setting--your parents'd be worried."

     But the child refused to budge without finding her pet, and went on bawling.

     "Just zip it! You idiot!! It you're gonna cry, cry with people you know! Only a real moron'd cry in front of a stranger!!"

     Shocked and frightened out of her wits from his sudden change in tone, she cried even harder, and scampered frantically backwards toward her home. Runo sighed and passed his hand over his eyes. Dealing with kids, especially crybabies, always gave him a headache. At least she went back home like she was supposed to.

     He rose and stretched. A glance at the sun told him he had about half an hour before it would grow too dark to see properly. Sight would be important in finding a lost pet. [i know this ruins the mood, but thinking back, maybe sight really *isn't* that important...]

     When the sun was still high in the sky, Kake ran excitedly through the dusty streets towards the nearest place that served drinks. Kuchiha followed, watching the bunny suddenly prick up its ears and bound away, its fear of humans returned. She dug around in her pouch for the little money she had left, and stepped into the bar. She and Kake had walked in the baking desert heat for at least two hours, and hadn't had a drink since Kake chased the bunny into the forest. They had originally been walking by the river, so Kuchiha hadn't thought it necessary to save the water in her flask. She realized her mistake too late, and reluctantly paid for it--Kake had already drunken away half her emergency money.

     "Hey! Kake! Don't drink so fast, there's hardly any left for me now!"

     "Aww, don't be such a hogger, Kuchiha!" Glug, glug. "Man, this water's sweet. Who knew water could be so sweet." Glug. "I need the water more, cuz I chased the bunny." Glug.

     "You idiot! Inconsiderate master!!! I'm thirsty too!!"

     Kuchiha eventually settled down in a table seat [i have no idea what they're called--they're like those little chairs right in front of the bar, you know, and in manga and stuff they sit there and make deals w/ the poor bartender...] next to Kake. She forced him to stop drinking and got a cup for herself.

     "So. Idiot master, how're you gonna get money here?" She glanced at the straw basket by his feet. [that he always carried on his back when traveling, like a backpack. It has all his leather peddling materials.] "Mass produce sword grips?"

     "Don't worry, Kuchiha. As a bounty hunter, you should know how easy it is for profit to come riding by your window."

     "What're you getting at? I am not getting a bounty for you. You can't make me."

     "But you still haven't tried out the other grip I made for you."

     "I can try it out any time! You're the master here!! So go and do what you always do for a living!"

     "No, see here, Kuchiha. You don't have to give me the money. Being my bodyguard doesn't require giving money to me--the agreement was only 'to the next town,' right?"

     Kuchiha had a sudden revelation.

     "Wait. Hold on. This is the next town. Which means, I don't have to work for you anymore." She gave him an incredibly happy grin. "Right!?"

     "Right."

     "The heck! Don't just agree with it so easily!"

     "Eh? Why not? Okay then, if you'd like..."

     "No! No, that's not what I meant!! I'm fine with this! More than fine! In fact, this is perfect! Though I do need money..." She sipped her water, wondering if she should search for information like the last time or just let luck decide.

     "If you're after money," the bartender suddenly said, "I know where to look."

     Kuchiha blinked. "You were listening?"

     "Oh, yes, sorry. It's habitual. You pick up some interesting things if you listen. You two are travelers, aren't you?"

     "Yeah," the two travelers said at the same time. Kuchiha glared at Kake irritably.

     "Then I'm assuming you don't know. A lot of criminals come over here to escape from the officers. There's a special underground black market in one of the more shady parts of town, and if you're a bounty hunter, you'll get quite a nice catch. Normally there's just one or two big names, and a couple other thugs. You want to hear?" Kuchiha nodded, and Kake sat up enthusiastically. The bartender then leaned in close and whispered the directions. "Don't tell anyone what I just said. Keep your eyes sharp, and be careful. Oh, and another warning. That forest over there--people hate going into it. If we'd had a choice, this town would be far away from it. But we need the water, and this town has been here longer than the first tree of the forest itself. Every now and then, people go in--they never come out. They say it's cursed."

     Kuchiha was quite grateful for all this advice. She finished her drink and went out cheerfully, promising to come back sometime and to watch out for outlaws and forests. She of course immediately began following the bartender's directions: out the back bar door, turn left, keep going straight till you see the "West Side Street" sign. Mulling over the strange tale of the forest--could it have to do with the Forest of Angels?--she heard a crash behind her and whipped around. A deep purple eye peered out from under a mound of trash and a shiny garbage can lid.

     "Kake!!? What're you doing!!?"

     "Ehh, I tripped on the garbage cans. I wonder why they placed them so inconveniently..."

     "I know that!! Why're you following me!!?"

     "I'm lost."

     "Whadd'you mean lost!!? Jeez! You should have a sense of direction! The market should be that way--" she pointed "--just listen for a crowd. Crowds're noisy enough. Anyone with common sense'd be able to find it."

     "But...you haven't tried the grip yet..." He rose from the trash and brushed himself off as well as he could. "And I broke the basket..." 

     Kuchiha blinked. There was leather strewn out all over, and the hand-woven basket, still securely on his back [he made the leather straps himself, after all], was smashed in completely. Kake slipped the straps off and stood with a half-grimace, half-laugh wavering on his face, surveying the scene. The trash can had some things that shouldn't reach children's ears [mainly im just too lazy to write them], and they had spilled all over. Every scrap of leather was soaking and soiled except for a few still dangling from the basket. He bent down and gathered up the four sections of his bamboo stick [they're kinda like clip-together bamboo pieces], not bothering to pick up the leather. He sighed, then laughed at himself.

     "So? Where were we headed?"

     "Uh--." Kuchiha didn't know what to say. In truth, she was a very awkward child. Perhaps it was because she lacked experience. "I guess...the hideout."

     "Yup. I know. So where is it?"

     "Huh? Wait, hold on. 'Keep going 'till the West Side Street sign, turn right, enter the building with three broken windows'..." She started walking again. Kake cheerfully followed. "Ah! You're following me again!"

     "Eh? Didn't I tell you, I'm lost?"

     "How can you still be lost!? You're following me, aren't you!?" 

Table of Contents

Chapter 5

Chapter 7