The Dance of Spring Flowers

Disclaimer: I don't own SC. Sorry it's taken so long, classes were harder than I thought they'd be, but they are OVER! YAY! *does sexy dance* BEWARE! MAJOR PLOT TWIST ENCLOSED!

>Begin the madness now

“ERISA!!!” Mamini's shrill voice reverberated through the fugitive camp, making the men cover their ears and run. The cheeky little ninja had been slippery ever since she brought back Lady Hikari's sash, and Mamini had no time or patience for impudent children.

“ERISA! BRING YOUR SKINNY ASS IN HERE NOW” Mamini bellowed, making the walls shake. The lanky girl appeared sheepishly from behind a pillar and smiled at the old woman.

“Is there something wrong?” She asked in her softest, most sincere sounding voice. Mamini was ready to kill her on sight.

“Lady Hikari needs an escort to the village.”

Erisa scoffed. “Why? We own all the territory around these parts. If anyone fucks with her, she'll cut their head off.”

Old people usually don't move fast. But Mamini Okakashi wasn't the usual old bitty. In a moment's notice, she was behind Erisa with her thumb at a neck pressure point, itching to drive the wizened finger in.

“Lisssen, girrrrrl,” The old hag hissed. “Youuuu doooo what I telllll you tooooooo. OR ELLLLLLLLLLLLSE!” Mamini snapped and pushed the newly frightened child toward the stairs. “Now go up there and help Lady Hikari get dressed! Or I swear by Kami-”

“OKAYYYYYY!” Erisa yelled back. She waited until Mamini turned her back before giving her a raspberry, one that almost cost her her tongue when Mamini retaliated with a small shiurken.

****************************

“No. I refuse to go.” The stoic ronin, our beloved Jin was seated on the floor of Oniwaka's house, arms folded, intending to stare Fuu into oblivion. Supplies were greatly needed in the home, and between the three people who already lived there, and three house guests that ate enough for two additional people each, supplies were naturally running low faster. Fuu and Julian had taken turns going to the village to buy small staples, but much was needed, and it was at least 2 more years until metal grocery carts were invented. Even the wooden wheelbarrows weren't enough. Fuu needed bodies, strong, wiry bodies that could hold and carry lots of food for far distances. Mugen wasn't going, on the account that he was a bitch. Onikwaka couldn't go because...well...have you ever seen his face? Yeah. And Alvina could't go because she's blind. Duh. So that left Fuu, Julian, and Jin.

Fuu squealed in impatience. “Jinnnnn! We need food and stuff! You eat too, so you should help carry some of the stuff.” Jin looked away. “I don't want to go.”

“Mugen doesn't want to have sex with you. So why are you staying?” Fuu's words came out of her mouth before her mind had a chance to censor them. Jin cast a hateful look her way and remained motionless as the girl wrapped bony arms around him.

“I'm sorry to sound so mean, but we really need your help. Besides, I'll buy you some chocolates. Juilan has a French friend there who will hook us up.”

Chocolate. Chocolate tea. Chocolate mints. Chocolate....was Jin's only weakness. It was such a weakness, that he let very few people know he liked chocolate. His master used to make fun of him, saying that there was a fat, greedy man inside of Jin's body, and that chocolate would set him free. Yes. That was one of the reasons Jin killed him. The master had hidden chocolate in the dojo and refused to tell him where it was.

Jin perked up and faced Fuu. “I will accompany you and Julian. If you betray your word, I'll kill you.” Fuu grinned and hugged Jin again. “YAY! He's coming with!” Fuu laced her arms in between Juilan and Jin's and happily skipped away toward the village.

************************************

Hikari and Erisa looked around the busy village. Many of the merchants smiled and offered them their wares, for if they didn't, Haota would come and destroy everything. Erisa smiled and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and told Hikari that she wanted some candy and that she would be right back.

“Samurai, samurai, codes by which to live,
Samurai, samurai, life or death you give.
Samurai, samurai, highest of your class,
Samurai, samurai, enjoys kicking ass.”

Erisa sang and skipped gay through the village until she reached Bouillard's Candy Store. Bouillard was a foreign man, 'from France' she once heard Haota say. He was a large and robust man with dark brown hair and eyes the color of the spring by the clan camp. He was very tall and wide, and Hikari told her once that he came over from a land afar bringing his candy and chocolate making skills with him. Boulliard was one of the richest men in the province, and one of the only men that Haota did not tax cruelly. Erisa believed that Hikari had more to do with that than any other reason.

Erisa approached the store and lifted the red cloth flap and went inside. There was another man inside, laughing with Bouillard. The man had red hair and eyes that could make the freshest spring grass look dead. Green eyes fell on Erisa, who blushed furiously.

“My, my, my. What a pretty little girl.” The red haired man also had a strange accent, much different than Bouillard's. Erisa folded her hands and tried to look as innocent as possible. Perhaps this strange man would buy her something tasty, such as chocolate covered nuts, or even better, chocolate rice balls.

No such luck. The man gathered a few bags of candy and quickly exited the store, smiling again at Erisa. Boulliard looked at Erisa and nodded, quickly filling a sack full of chocolate goodies and other novelties that both Haota and Hikari loved. Erisa smiled happily when she noticed the fat white man place a few chocolate covered rice balls off to the side.

“You need fattening up, mon cherie,” Boulliard said, wrapping Erisa's chocolate in a pretty gold bag with red string. Every time the girl came in, she seemed smaller and smaller. Boulliard didn't doubt that she wasn't eating, but she was eating fruits and veggies, nothing to put her on any weight. Children needed to be fat, because it melts away when they get older. Sometimes.

************

“Did you get the provisionals?” Jin pounced on Julian as soon as the man walked out of the candy store. Jin's look of hunger nearly scared Julian out of his mind.

”I wonder if he looks at Mugen like that before they-”

“Today?!!” Jin snapped, snatching the bag. He opened it to see various forms of chocolate, all smooth and pearly and delicious. He gobbled two handfuls of chocolate, getting them all over his mouth, hands, and even some in his glasses. Julian tried to inch away from the greedy ronin, only to have his shoulder roughly grabbed.

”More.” It was not a request, not permission, it was a demand. Jin held out the now empty bag at Julian with fire in his eyes. Julian was angry. He could handle Fuu and Mugen eating like no tomorrow, but Jin? This was all too much. He shook his head and handed Jin some gold coins.

“Apparently what I got you wasn't enough. Go back to Boulliard's and buy all the chocolate you want.” Julian gave Jin a disgusted look as the ronin snatched the money with sticky chocolate fingers and ran off. Julian shook his head and went to the covered market to spend more money with Fuu.

**********

“So everything is in here?” Erisa asked, peering in the bags of candy Boulliard gave her. He laughed and nodded, knowing how the foreigners get when they don't have enough candy. Erisa smiled and nodded and ran out of the door, and into a tall black haired man with glasses...and gooey fingers. The man was holding an empty bag and his fingers were covered in dried chocolate. Boulliard's was the place to be, no?

“Who taught you how to walk?” Erisa muttered, stumbling to pick up fallen pieces of chocolate. The bastard man didn't even try to help her, just squinting down with a superior look on his face. He eventually stepped over her and into the chocolate store to refill his bag. Erisa glared at him, because she thought she knew him, but then again she didn't associate with ruffians. Well sometimes she did. Whatever, like your friends are perfect.

Erisa stood and brushed herself off angrily, snatching her parcels up and muttering to herself. She ducked into an alley and hunkered down, still muttering as she ate her candy. She saw the familiar figure of the man pass by and she 'hmphed', drawing a mental picture in her head of him in case she ever met up with him again.

'He looks familliar...who is he?'

***********

Jin approached Boulliard's, his gold pieces sweaty and chocolaty with anticipation. He entered the store, and was happy as a tick in a fat man's belly. Boulliard turned away from the shelves he was stocking and laughed when he saw Jin's chocolate moustache.

“Mon frere, did you gobble down your chocolate so soon?” Boulliard smiled at Jin and leaned on the counter. Jin gave him a look of mild shock.

“I didn't eat the chocolate that fast.” Jin sounded almost like a chastised child. Boulliard smiled broadly. “You just walked out of the store, yes?”

Jin shook his head. “You must have me mistaken. My companion was in here, he had red hair and green eyes and-”

“Julian? Monsieur Christie? No, he has been gone awhile.” Boulliard's brow furrowed. “Do you not remember the nymph you knocked over? Her name is Erisa. She travels with Haota Noriyuki and Lady Hikari Natagano.”

Jin's shock went from mild to panicked. “No...” He whispered, dropping his gold coins. His pale face went miraculously paler and he swooned as Boulliard jumped over the counter to catch the falling ronin.

“Are you sure this man looked like me?”

Boulliard shrugged. “He was your mirror image, monsieur.”

Jin quickly came to and bowed as he left the confused Frenchman and his gold coins in the middle of the store.

***********

Jin raced around the village, trying to find his doppleganger. It couldn't be who the Frenchman said it was...it just wasn't possible! He sniffed the air, searching for the smell of chocolate. He was lost until a stranger in a black cloak with a small brown bag and sticky fingers bumped into him. Hard. Jin's shoulder swung and when the stranger looked back, Jin's eyes widened.

“Yu,” He whispered, his voice masked with disbelief.

Yu smiled and held the bag of chocolates out to Jin. “How have you been, dearest brother?”

A/N: WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!!! I don't know French...sorry. :) *Yu is Jin's twin for those that are slow. That will be useful later.