7 years after the adventure

Anyone who looked at the little girl could tell she came from foreign blood. She was small even for a six year old, with light skinny bones that looked like she'd blow away in a strong breeze. Even though the child ate like a monster. The girl had mud brown hair that was curly beyond belief, and grey brown eyes that looked too big for her face. Her skin was a light natural tan that darkened to the color of a roasted nut in the summer seasons.

Currently the skin on her face was the color of dirt. Her small bare feet had snagged on a rock in the road she fell face first in the dust. Small tears of shock welled up in her big eyes even though she wasn't really hurt.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed as she was lifted off the ground by the scruff of her kimono. Then she gave a teary giggle as she was set on her father's shoulder. Her dad commented drily.

"You need to learn to watch where your going brat." The words seemed harsh, but anyone who knew the man could hear the underlying affection. The girl just shrugged and kept a gentle hold on her father's hair to steady herself. Careful not to poke her back on the straight sword her father kept strapped to his back at all times.

The man himself rolled his eyes at his daughter as he continued on the short path to the beach where his small boat was kept. The boat would take him to the mainland where he would leave it moored, and then hop on the larger fishing vessel that would be waiting. It was convenient that the man was able to find the job. Most of what the man knew revolved around fighting. What he knew that wasn't about fighting was about sailing (a typical pirate's education). One thing that he hated about the job was that it forced him to be away for days on end. A few years back that would have seemed like dream circumstances. Now however it just meant their was a time gap where he didn't know if his wife and kid where okay.

The man mused over the irony, before the idea of playing the role of husband and father would have made him gag. Now if he lost these two girls in his life he didn't know what he'd do. Actually he did know, he would kill who was responsible, slowly, painfully, without mercy. When they reached the shore he set his daughter down on her feet and set to readying his boat. He handed his girl the too long pole that he would use to propel himself to the mainland, so she could think she was helping. When everything was ready he took the pole from his daughter and gave her his lopsided grin.

"Okay runt watch yourself while I'm gone." The girl nodded enthusiastically and leaped forward wrapping her tiny arms around his knees.

"Bye bye Papa I love you." the man petted his daughters fly away hair before waving her back up the path they'd gone down.

"Go on now go straight home." The girl went to the top of the hill before turning around and waving out to her father until he was too far away to see. With that she turned around and went running through the field of plants as a short cut to her families home. The field was her favorite place, the plants provided a great hiding place since they were three times the height she was. Of course it was early summer so the blooms on the flowers were only just starting to bloom. Her mother had showed her how the flowers follow the sun and she'd learned to tell time by them. The girl jogged the whole way back home uncaring for the small pebbles beneath her feet. Her soles were too callused to give it much thought to wear shoes. As she got closer to the house she cleared the field of flowers and passed by a simply marked grave. She didn't slow down but nodded to the grave as she passed calling out quietly.

"Hi grandpa." When she got back to her families small house she heard her mother humming to herself. Entering the hut she found her mother in the front room stitching a kimono. Her mother smiled up at her daughter and asked in her soft voice.

"Did your Papa take off alright?" The girl nodded as she laid on her belly next to her mother fingering the new fabric of the garment she was making.

"Who's this for?" Her mother giggled lightly.

"Who else but you child, you've been shooting up like a weed lately. Now no laying around you have chores to do." The girl groaned as she hauled herself off the ground and took off to the other rooms of the house to start cleaning. The rooms where her and her parents slept were newer than front room, they'd been added on to the original house before she was born. She started by cleaning up the few toys she had scattered around her own room. Stopping to pick up the toy sword that her Father had carved for her she swung it around, once with so much gusto that she lost her footing and tumbled into her mother's trunk. The chest and the girl went falling to the ground.

"What was that?" Her mother called out from the other room.

"Nothing." The girl called back in her most innocent voice rushing to clean up the contents of the trunk that had spilled out. Of course she had to stop to look at the items, they were weird old things that seemed quiet unrelated to one another. There was a pair of glasses that were broken beyond repair, the frames warped and the lenses shattered. The second item was the hilt of a sword, it looked like the blade had been snapped of, the hilt was weird for foreign make with two prongs sticking off the hilt. The third was what looked like a large dagger sheathed in pink polished wood with three charms dangling of the handle. The last was an old kimono it was faded and slightly frayed at the hems, but it was a dark pink with pretty pink designs dancing across the fabric. When the girl picked up the kimono something fell out of the folds hitting the ground with a heavy smack.

The item seemed to be a writing journal, flipping through the pages she found it to be a diary. The girl read through snatches of the pages with fleeting interest. Her mother had taught her to read from the time she was old enough. Her father could he too but not very well, he usually reserved the skill for when he needed to read a restaurant menu. Looking midway through the little book the girl found a section that interested her.

Dear Diary,

It's me Fuu, I know it's been awhile but I've found a new need to start writing again. It's been nearly a year since my journy to find my father. Honestly I never expected to see my two body guards again, until today. Because when I was in town I ran into that jerk, Mugen.

The little girl's eyes widened as she read, this diary was her mother's, from the date it was written before she was born.

"This could be good." she thought to her self. So the child settled on the floor and began to read.

Here's an idea that's been nagging me, just because I fell in love with Samurai Champloo and wanted more then the anime provided. If you like shoot me a review.