As he left the restaurant, Otomi dropped the dishes in the kitchen and quickly took off her apron, put it into her bag and said good bye to her boss. She nearly ran to her next job, tripping over her feet while she tried to cut her loses. She showed up, several minutes late of course, and quickly got to work, doing the exact same thing she had before, only this time it was at an Inn. When the sun was several hours set, she finally turned she steps toward her home.She lived outside Oosaka in the rice fields in a house with her little brother and a cat. It had been her father’s house, but then he had died, leaving his two children alone in the world. Otomi, being a resourceful young woman, had immediately tried to get a job. Iida she sent to stay with the neighbors during the day, not wanting a little boy of eight to be working a job that a man should hold. Iida had been a rambunctious child before the death of his mother, the second wife of Otomi’s father. After she passed away he spoke only in whispers and played half-heartedly with his friends. Otomi was always looking out for him, and the two of them couldn’t be separated on her days off.

Otomi reached the center of town, mostly closed down for the night. Knowing the areas to avoid, she slipped between to buildings to put some distance between herself and a cluster of very drunken men. Unfortunately one of them caught sight of her and sauntered to the mouth of the alley, blocking her off from the rest of the street. Without a word she turned to go back the way she came, but found her way blocked by another man reeking of sake. She began to panic as they closed the gap."What are you doing out so late, Tomi-chan?" One of them leered at her.

"I’m going home," she said as firmly as she could, clutching her bag to her chest. "I’m already late. Please get out of my way, Akira-san," she pleaded with the closest of the men."Why is it that all the younger boys get the girls," one of the men complained in a nasal voice. "An eight year old gets Tomi-chan and we get jack shit!" There were dark chuckles."I get this one, though," Akira growled cheerfully, grabbing Otomi’s kimono collar. She dropped the bag and began to fight against his strong grip. He tossed her back and she staggered against another man. He pushed her back toward Akira and she stumbled to her knees. He pulled her up, partially tearing her kimono, exposing her under-kimono. She grabbed his hand and pushed herself away, tearing her kimono wide open. Clutching the fabric together, she knelt on the filthy ground, looking up at Akira with wide fear-filled eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow dart across the stars.

Akira dropped to the ground just in front of Otomi. She gasped and scooted back. His back was covered in blood, and he was gasping. A tall figure landed behind him, a sword gleaming in the starlight. The other men stared at their fallen friend with shock and apprehension. The man stepped forward, two spots of light gleaming out of his face."Leave Otomi-san alone," growled the man menecingly. One man leapt forward, shouting a challenge. The strange man became a blur and the drunk fell back by Akira, the mark of the man’s fist imprinted on his jaw. The others took one look at him and fled.Otomi cowered on the ground, staring with strange fascination at the two downed men. "Otomi-san, can you stand?" She looked up at the voice and at that moment a window opened above them, light pouring into the small space. Otomi gasped, the man glared at the light, shading his eyes against it, then Otomi found herself wrapped in strong arms, being carried away to a different alley.

She was placed gently on the ground and a soft mantle was thrown over her. "Okyaku-san," she gasped, looking up at her rescuer. "Did you kill them?"The man leaned against the wall near her, pulling a piece of rice paper out of his pockt and wiping the blood off his sword. Otomi grimaced. "No, I didn’t. I can’t have people following me," he replied."Are you a ronin?" Otomi asked timidly."No," was the cold reply."But, why do you carry a sword?" she pressed."That’s just the way I am," he said, his voice warming again.

"Why did you save me?" She asked, rising as he tossed his bag over his should. He glanced back, his expression hidden by the shadow."You remind me of somebody that I loved very much. By saving you I feel a little bit better about her death.""Was she your wife?"There was a soft laugh. "My sister." That stopped her flood of questions. What would have happened if her customer hadn’t appeared when he had? Would Iida had taken up a sword and killed Akira in a rage? What had this man been like before his sister’s death? "Come on, Otomi-san," he said softly. "I’ll walk you to your house." She fell into step beside him and they walked out of the city and across the rice fields, glistening in the moonlight, to her house. The lights were on and they added their warm buttery light to the fields around it.