No surprise: I don't own Samurai Champloo, or any of its characters. And I wouldn't want to - their awesomeness would be way too much pressure for me to handle.

Part One:

Fuu

A warm breeze fluttered a line of laundry hung to dry behind a modest dwelling that doubled as a quaint tea shop. With her head solemnly bowed, Fuu stood atop the knoll a short distance behind her home. At her feet was a tiny mound of fresh dirt covered in a cluster of pebbles and marked with a stick.

She said quietly to the little grave, "I hope you liked living with me all these years. You were always such a good friend to me." She smiled sadly as she continued: "I'll always remember how you saved me from that crazy Xavier guy – and how you bit Mugen to keep him from stealing our savings from my pocket… Really, from the moment I found you, I knew you'd be the best pet any girl could have…"

She trailed off and a few tears ran down her face. Unable to think of anything else to say she said a short prayer for her tiny friend.

"I'll miss you, Momo," she whispered before she turned to walk back to her house.

It was time for her tearoom to open. Having to burry her squirrel had taken up more of her morning than she'd realized and she was still setting out the table mats when someone stepped into the shop.

"Sorry," she said, not turning around right away. "I'm running a little late today! Sit wherever you'd like and I'll-"

"No rush, Fuu," said a familiar, friendly voice. It was Goro, a young man from the village who had taken to visiting her shop nearly every day now. He had bought some cheap land down the road a year ago to grow vegetables on but wasn't having much luck. Of course, that didn't seem to stop him trying.

Fuu didn't honestly think he would be able to grow a single edible thing. He was unorganized and too easily distracted to give a farm the proper attention. In fact, she took his recent increase in patronage as a sign that he might be loosing heart – which was bad for him, but good for her as she wouldn't have to listen to him talk about tilling soil all morning.

"Hi, Goro," she said, plastering a smile on her face. "You want the new tea flavor today?"

But the man was frowning at her in concern, and she realized she hadn't even stopped to wipe the tearstains from her face in her hurry to open. She whirled around as if to fetch his tea, hoping he hadn't noticed too much.

But, unlike what most of the polite men in the village would have done, he chose to bring it up and embarrass her.

"Why are you crying, Fuu?" he cried.

"I'm not!" she snapped, going into the kitchen to begin the tea.

Of course, Goro followed her to the doorway. "Okay, then why were you crying?"

She glared at him for his nosiness, but it didn't deter his anxious expression. She shook her head, irritated, and poured some hot water into a teapot. She figured it wouldn't hurt to tell him since they were presently alone.

"I'm fine," she insisted before explaining further. "It's just my pet squirrel died last night and I had to burry him this morning."

"I'm sorry, Fuu," he said, and his sympathy was genuine.

She busied herself with putting the tea leaves into the pot. "Really, I'm okay. I'd had him for a long time and he was just old. I am sad, but I'm not going to sob all over the place when I have a business to run."

"Why not?"

Fuu stopped in mid reach for a cup and peered over her shoulder at him. "Really?"

"Yes. He was a beloved pet, he deserves to be dearly missed."

She stared wide-eyed at him for a second, then she felt the lump return to her throat and her lip trembled. "Good, because I really do miss him!" she wailed, giving up the fight and letting the tears come freely. Goro stepped farther into the kitchen and patted her shoulder comfortingly, unabashed by her dramatic display.

"He was so cute. He had huge eyes and a teeny white mark on his forehead that looked like a little moon. He was portable and he would snuggle up to me at night. He was even good at gambling…"

She rambled on about Momo for several minutes before another voice interrupted her.

"Hello?" called a man from the tearoom.

Fuu attempted to collect herself, wiping her eyes and nose on the nearest cloth as she shooed Goro out of the kitchen. "Go ahead and sit down," she ordered through sniffles. "I'll bring you your tea."

The young man obeyed and left the kitchen. She could hear him telling the man out front that she would be in shortly – which she found a little presumptuous since it wasn't his shop.

Once she was presentable at last, she put Goro's tea on a tray and brought it out to him. He winked at her, which she supposed was meant to be reassuring. Paying him little mind, she addressed the new customer.

"What can I get for you, Sir?" she beamed, hoping he wouldn't see through her like Goro had.

"Water please," he said.

Before she could politely tell the man to order something of worth or get out, someone cut her off.

"Sorry, pal. She'll only serve water to paying customers."

Fuu gasped and whirled around, but her eyes only found Goro, who was sitting by the doorway. However, he hadn't spoken. The owner of the voice – one she knew as well as she did her own – lifted the door hangings out of his way as he stepped inside, a fiendish grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

"But I know she'll give you a hundred dumplings if you save her fingers," he added snidely.