Hana

Nezu and I were on our way to a safe house near Mina’s residence. Given the situation, I wasn’t surprised that we were being sent there. I also knew that there was someone following us. It would’ve caused me some concern if not for the fact that I’d already seen him once, guarding Sin’s den last night. I guessed that old lady Matsumoto was still a bit worried about us even though she assured us that we’d be safe.

The journey was rather uneventful otherwise. As we were nearing our destination, I spotted a little girl about 6 or 7 years old on the road ahead. She seemed to be pacing and running around with a nervous energy you saw in children when they were really excited about something. As soon as she saw us I saw her face break out into a huge smile as she ran towards us.

“Nezu nee saaan” She squealed as she ran towards us.

Nezu dropped all her luggage and returned the hug with the same enthusiasm squealing “Maya Chan” with equal intensity. I could see why Nezu was excited about coming to stay out here. It seemed that she was on great terms with Maya, Mina’s daughter. After the excited squealing and the jumping up and down had subsided, Nezu seemed to remember that I was there with her and hurried to introduce me.

“So, you work in the same restaurant as mommy too?” She asked me with wide eyes.

“Yes,” I said.

For obvious reasons, Maya hadn’t been told what it was exactly that her mom did. She was practically jumping with excitement as she grabbed on to both of our hands and led us to her house. She was really excited that we were staying for more than a single day. As I understood it, she never got enough playtime with Nezu when she came over.

Mina came out of her house to greet us. It was a modest single storeyed house with a small herb garden surrounding it. The edge of the woods were not too far away from the property. Maya wanted us to come into the house immediately, but Mina convinced her that we had to get our luggage sorted and rest up a little before that could happen. Maya still wasn’t willing to let it go, but a sterner reminder about her unfinished homework was enough to send her away. She still made us promise to come over as soon as possible before she finally left.

Mina showed us to our accommodations. It was a house adjacent to her property. The house looked to be about exactly the same size as Mina’s but there was no charming herb garden surrounding this property. She invited us to join her family for dinner before leaving us. The house had 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a hall and a kitchen. It was more than sufficient for the two of us. We put away our luggage, cleaned the house a little and took a bath before heading over to Mina’s house for dinner.

We were greeted at the door by an excited Maya standing in the doorway as if there was an invisible wall containing her. A smiling man on crutches was standing behind her. Nezu introduced him as Itsuki, Mina’s husband. He was missing his left foot and right arm. I already knew about the circumstances of his injury. Nezu had warned me not to say anything about it, as Mina had been told that it was an illness that caused her father’s condition.

I asked why Maya was standing at the door like a caged bird. Apparently, she’d annoyed her mom so much that she was forbidden from setting foot outside the house. Mina was in the kitchen doing some dinner preparations. Nezu and I offered to help, but were told to just relax and enjoy ourselves. Little Maya was all too happy to have both of us all to herself. She was like a little chatterbox, always talking and rapidly asking questions. She didn’t usually get to spend a lot of time with her mother, so she was over the moon that the ‘restaurant’ had decided to grant us a ‘holiday’.

I hadn’t interacted with a lot of children outside of my own ninja village, so I was almost as interested in little Mina as she was in me.

“You’re really beautiful Hana onee san,” She said, stroking my hair.

“So are you Maya chan” I replied, patting her head.

Maya was of the opinion that I was too pretty to be working in a restaurant. In fact, Maya’s career advice was that all three of us should be actresses in films.

“What do you want to do when you grow up Maya chan?” I asked.

“I’m gonna be an accountant when I grow up”. Maya said proudly.

I was a bit taken aback by her reply. It certainly wasn't what I expected a 7 year old girl’s dream job to be.

“Why do you want to be an accountant Maya chan?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

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“My friend Kimiko’s mom is an accountant. She works in a big firm in the city. Out of all my friends, Kimiko has the biggest house and her mom always buys her lots of stuff. When I grow up, I want to be able to take care of my parents like Kimiko’s mom takes care of her. I’m gonna build a big house, buy a lot of nice things and live there with my mom and dad.” Mina proudly declared.

There was such confidence and conviction in her little eyes that it was hard not to be affected by her words. She was childish and innocent but at the same time had a depth to her that was difficult to fathom. At her age, the children of our ninja village were busy getting their heads stuffed with the toxic stuff they called ‘the rules of being a shinobi’.

“I’m sure you’ll be a great accountant Maya chan” I said as I cupped her face in my hands and planted a kiss on her forehead, eliciting a radiant smile from her.

Itsuki called us away for dinner soon afterwards. Maya insisted on sitting between me and Nezu during dinner. We all shared a laugh when Mina theatrically pretended to wail owing to the fact that her ungrateful daughter had abandoned her. I had never seen Mina being so happy and animated. She was like a different person around her family.

Nezu and I helped Mina to clean up after dinner. By the time we headed back to our rooms, little Maya had curled up in her father’s lap, fast asleep. I had to admit that I was a little jealous of her. Despite all her misfortunes, she had a loving family that really cared for her. I never had that growing up. I understood why Nezu liked little Maya so much. It was impossible not to like that little vibrant ball of energy.

I was in a really happy mood as I went to bed that night, before I remembered the real reason why we were out here. I went into an uneasy slumber worried about what tomorrow would bring.

Old lady Matsumoto

I

t had been two days since my face to face meeting with Renji. Jin’s condition had improved a lot and his appetite was slowly returning. The doctors still couldn’t say anything definitive about his leg, but were hopeful he’d make a full recovery.

Today, Kuro’s organisation had finally replied to my counter offer of letting them have Sin’s den in exchange for leaving me and my girls alone. They had agreed to raise my remuneration from 50000 yon to 70000 yon. But, they were unwilling to change the rest of their terms. They’d increased the money they’d be paying marginally to put on the show that they were negotiating in good faith. And if I didn’t agree to their deal within 8 more days, it’d be open season on me and my people.

I had an inkling that they might not accept my counter offer. Kuro’s organisation was definitely the biggest game in this town, but there were bigger fish out there in the land of fire. Legitimate banks, which Kuro had no control over. I had already begun attempts to secure a quick loan against my property. If they come through, I’d be able to secure at least 400,000 yon. That’d be enough for us to make a run for it and give the girls a chance at beginning a new life. If I failed to secure the money, I was resolved to run anyway. Whatever fate awaited us out there couldn’t be worse than what we’d suffer from Kuro’s hands. I wasn’t sure that Jin would be well enough to travel, but we had to risk it.

It was time for me to explain the situation to the girls. Whether I managed to secure the loan or not, we’d have to leave here anyway. I suppose Hana had the option to go back to her family. But even that would be a little risky. It would be better if she laid low for a while with us.The only thing left to be decided was whether we’d leave here with some seed money or as paupers.

It took me a few hours to reach Mina’s place. I had travelled out of town and changed carriages twice before going there. I was enthusiastically greeted at the door by little Maya. I couldn’t suppress a pang of guilt that I’d be responsible for uprooting this happy child and taking her on a perilous journey with us. I thought I hid my despair well in the company of Maya and Itsuki, but I got the distinct impression that Hana was seeing through me. I told Hana, Nezu and Mina that we needed to have a discussion and went to the adjacent house. Itsuki sat down with little Maya to help her with her homework as the four of us headed over to the nearby house I’d rented for Hana and Nezu.

I sat there for a moment facing the girls, trying to think of the best way to break the news to them. There was no good way to say this, so I told them everything that had happened so far and the only options that I thought were available to us. Nezu and Mina’s faces were almost identical masks of horror as I explained our situation. They were in tears by the time that I was finished. Hana had maintained an attentive expression during my recital and was now thoughtful.

“Hana, you could go back to your family. If the bank pulls through, you’ll have enough to settle your household debts. And don’t worry about what you owe me. But, I’d recommend you staying away from your family for a little while for their own safety”. I said.

“Matsumoto san, we got into this mess together. I intend to stay with you guys at least long enough to make sure you’re okay” She said with confidence.

I nodded at her gratefully before replying “If you want to send word to your family discreetly, let me know. I think I can arrange that.”

She nodded at me before turning to comfort Nezu, who was sobbing hard. Mina had already composed herself somewhat, wiping her tears away. I stepped closer to her as I took her hand in mine.

“I’m so sorry Mina. I know that this is the hardest on you. You have to uproot your whole family. Please forgive me, my child. I failed you”.

“No, no.. Don’t say that Matsumoto san. You were the one who gave me a safe haven at a time when I thought I had nothing left. You’re the reason my family’s alive today and no matter what happens, I’ll never forget that”.

I couldn’t help but tear up as I looked at the sincere expression on her face. It meant the world to me that she’d forgive me. We hugged each other for a while before I made my exit.

As I climbed back into the carriage, I felt like a heavy burden had been removed from my heart. The road ahead was perilous. But whatever happened, we’d face it together, as a family.