[center][h3][color=7bcdc8][b]CHAPTER ONE[/b][/color][/H3][/CENTER]

Jin groaned softly as the scent of burnt rice hit her nose. Almost a month after the old man had brough them all to Hanowa and she still couldn’t get the cooking right. Oh well; the Prince (now named Han) was too polite to complain, and Ishawari (called Takumi) already needled her at least once a week about it. Someday she would learn to cook well, but today was not that day. Tomorrow wasn’t looking good either. 

Hanowa was a small, non-descript village about an hour’s walk to the port. It was full of hardworking people, mostly fishers and market workers at the port. The cover story for the three of them was that young Han had lost his parents recently, and Jin (who’d taken the name Akemi) were his childless aunt and uncle. They had all recently moved here from a faraway village to start over. The best cover stories were made with some truth and some fiction in equal measure. The Prince was an orphan now, and Jin and Ishawari were close enough to him to play parental roles. 

“Dinner’s ready!” She called out, loud enough to breach the walls of the small house they were in. She knew the Prince was outside playing. Ever since they came here, he’d worked hard at being a ‘normal’ boy. No longer did the neighboring children scoff at him for using big words or holding himself in a royal manner. Just the other day he’d come home splattered with mud from head to toe. Jin had been surprised and pleased to see him that way. Just a regular 8 year old. 

Just a few more days living here and they’d have to be on their way to the Wilting Blossoms. The old man had been very clear about the timeframe, as they could possibly miss the ferryman if they were not there in time. Soon they would have to pack up and leave everything behind. Jin had to admit, she was going to miss it. It gave her a taste of another life that she would never have. 

“I promise I didn’t burn everything this time!”

[CENTER]***[/CENTER]

Ishawari surveyed Hanowa village from his outcropped perch. He positioned himself as still as a warrior statue, one that paid tribute to a wild and unkempt-looking man. Gone were his clean shaven face and slicked back royal top-knot; both replaced by unruly, shoulder length hair and beard. His royal garbs were stripped apart and sold to local merchants, leaving him with tattered grey breeches, a faded crimson vest, and leather sandals, all of which belonged to Daigo. They were indebted to him and all that he asked in return was to keep the boy safe.

The bodyguard reflects on the old man's only favor as the sun dips into the horizon. Its orange hue paints the village as though it were ablaze, and Ishawari hoped that wasn’t a foreshadowing of things to come. The Hanowa villagers were a kind and simple lot, who didn’t pry into their affairs, especially the old man’s. Diligent Daigo is what they called him, as he was always helping around the village. Ishawari and Jin made sure to carry on that tradition in his absence, and in return, the residents welcomed them as their own, especially the prince.  

Abstaining from royal courtesies, especially with regard to Prince Hotaru, who now goes by Han, took some getting used to. Jin scolded Ishawari several times now for being so overprotective of the boy, and even went as far as restraining him from berating another child, who pushed Han to the ground while play fighting. Fortunately, no one else was around to witness the scene, and the spear has since been locked away.  

“Uncle Takumi-san!” Han called out. 

Yes, even his newly given name took some getting used to. He turned around when the name was shouted a second time, and saw the bald prince in his green robe, the most simplest attire he's ever worn.

“Dinner is ready!” He yelled, cupping his mouth with both hands, a trick he learned from one of the village kids. Ishawari quickly jumped down from his perch and ran towards the house. The boy took this was a racing challenge, one he gladly accepted. Han quickly kicked his little feet into a mad dash, giggling all the way back into the doorway.

"I win!" Han jumped triumphantly, "Huh?"

Ishawari sped right past him, leaving his normal reluctance for Jin’s cooking at the door; a day spent as a hardworking farm hand left him spent, and he was starving.

[center]***

[i][b] “I promise I didn’t burn everything this time!”[/b][/i][/center]

It wouldn’t have mattered to Ishawari if it were charred to a crisp. He was so hungry that when he bowed as a gesture of appreciation, his stomach made a loud and angry sound, frightening Han so much that he nearly jumped out of his sandals. After a hastened prayer was made to the Diamond-Eyed Dragon, The Two-Faced Monkey, and all of the Gods and Goddesses in between, they sat around the small table like any family would.

After several big bites, Han took a sip of his water, then cleared his throat.

“Takumi-san? Akemi-san?” His big brown eyes stared at both adults. He took a moment to choose his words, then asked: 

“Where were you born? Was it like Hanowa?" 

Surprised, Ishawari glanced at Jin, then proceeded to stuff his face with rice, his passive way of telling her: ‘you first.’ Seeing how Ishawari was too focused on his meal to talk, Han turned to Jin.

“Pleassseee Akemi-san!” He smiled, the same innocent smile he’s trained to perfection, one that only the heartless could resist. "Tell me what little Akemi-san was like!"