Chiharu took two steps backwards, and just at that moment, she bumped into someone behind her and the papers flew out of her hands. With a yelp of pain, she fell forwards onto the ground.

"Gomen!"

She was more concerned about the papers. She reached out and grabbed most of them, before the person who knocked her down handed her the rest. She nodded, in thanks.

"Oh look," he said. He turned her hand in such a way and she noticed the cut on her hand.

"Let me help you with that," he said. He reached into his packages and took out a handkerchief. He wiped off the blood first, before he tied the handkerchief around her hand.

"Arigato," she whispered.

"My name's Soujirou," he said, with a smile. "Soujirou Seta."

Chiharu smiled slightly. "My name is Chiharu," she said.

He helped her off the ground, and Chiharu dusted off her kimono. She put the papers in her basket, and then turned to Soujirou again.

"Arigato gozaimasu," she said, before she turned around and walked away from him.

***

"Aiieee!"

Chiharu fell backwards onto the floor, and held on to her hand in pain.

"Don't let me see you in the house again!" the woman at the door cried. Then with a push, she pushed Chiharu out of the house and straight into the street.

"O-negai!" Chiharu cried. She picked herself off the ground slowly.

"Chiharu-san?"

She turned around. The boy who had called her looked familiar. Thinking for a while, she realised he was the boy she had met at the market earlier in the morning.

Chiharu nodded. "Hai."

He looked at her, and then walked over, asking, "What happened? Daijobu desu ka? (Are you okay)"

"Oh.. it's nothing," Chiharu said, with a smile. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You've got bruises on your arm!" he cried.

Chiharu used her long kimono sleeve to cover the bruises on her arm, and smiled awkwardly. "Eh, yes. I.. fell down just now."

"Is this where you live?" Soujirou asked.

Chiharu looked down on the floor, before she nodded again.

"I don't think you've had dinner yet," Soujirou said. Then, with a smile, "Come, I know a good place. I'd treat you to dinner."

***

"Itadakimasu!" Soujirou said, before picking up his chopsticks. He was about to start, before he turned to look at Chiharu. "Chiharu-san?" he asked.

Chiharu looked up. "Hai," she said softly. "Itadakimasu," she said, before picking up her chopsticks as well.

She looked at Soujirou, who was eating happily and smiling his way through the meal. She liked this boy. He was always smiling, unlike what was always happening at home. Again, she wondered to herself why he was treating her to a dinner, and a fine one at that. Then, pushing the thoughts away from her head, she began to eat.

"Are you from here?" Chiharu asked.

Soujirou looked up from his soup, before he grinned. "No.. I'm not from around here."

"Are you a traveller then?"

Soujirou put down his chopsticks, then turned fully to look at Chiharu. "I came from Kyoto before this. You can say, I'm a wanderer."

"Soo desu ne.." Chiharu said. "How nice it must be to wander carefree."

"You can do it too, if you want," Soujirou said, picking up his chopsticks again.

"If only it can be that easy," Chiharu said to herself.

Soujirou too was wondering to himself why he had invited this girl to dinner. He had felt an instant connection with her when he met her at the market. Then, luck had it that he should meet her again. He turned to look at her.

She did not look more than sixteen. She had a beautiful smile, and looked like a demure girl. Nothing like Yumi at all, he said to himself.

"Nan desu ka?" Chiharu asked.

Soujirou looked up. He did not notice that he had been looking at her the entire time.

"Oh.. nothing," he said. "Eat, eat.."

***

Chiharu stepped softly through the door. She looked up.

"Oh no.. please," she whispered. "Please don't do this to me."

She took two steps backwards and toppled over some rocks and fell down onto the floor. She had tears coming out of her eyes.

"Please," she said. "Please.."

***

"Ohayo!" Soujirou said to the old lady in the inn.

"Ohayo," she said, with a smile. "Where are you going today?"

Soujirou thought for a while, before he smiled again. "Just doing a bit of exploring. I think I will go down to the market again today," he said.

"Itte rasshiai (Safe return)," the old lady said, just as Soujirou walked out of the inn.

Chiharu looked up from the apples and turned to the left. A fight was happening between the butcher and one of his customers.

"Ehh?" Chiharu asked.

"Must be fighting over the meat again," the apple seller, Miku said, with a groan. "They're always like this. There is never a day of peace in the market, as long as Koji-san keeps selling meat, and Jun-san buys his meat."

Chiharu laughed, as she picked up another two apples. "Here," she said to Miku.

"My apples are the sweetest in all of Japan," Miku said. "Don't you think so?"

With a smile, Chiharu nodded. "Hai," she said.

She placed the apples in her basket, before walking away from the butcher store. It was not too good to be walking there when Koji-san and Jun-san were fighting over the price of meat.

"Chiharu?"

She turned. "Ehh. Soujirou-san," she said, with a smile. "Ohayo."

"Ohayo," Soujirou said. "Doing marketing this morning?"

"Ee," Chiharu said. She reached into her basket, and picked out one of the apples and handed it to Soujirou. "Ringo? (Apple)" she asked.

Soujirou took the apple from Chiharu. "Thanks," he said.

The two of them continued walking, and in comfortable silence. Soujirou was eating the apple, and all Chiharu could really hear was Soujirou crunching on the apple.

"When will you be leaving?" Chiharu asked.

Soujirou stopped eating the apple, and thought for a while, holding the half-eaten apple in his hands behind his back.

"Don't know," Soujirou said. "Maybe soon."

"Soo desu ne.." Chiharu said.

He walked her to her house, before smiling his smile.

"See you," he said.

Chiharu nodded.

At that moment, a very angry woman walked out of the house, and started screaming.

"You- you.." she said, before she slapped Chiharu. Chiharu fell down onto the ground, her basket overturned and the contents spilling out.

"You.." she said. "Come in with me Chiharu," she said.

"What's the matter?" Soujirou asked.

The woman turned to look at Soujirou. "Nothing to do with you. Come Chiharu," she said. She picked the girl off the ground and pulled her into the house.

Soujirou scratched the back of his head. He placed everything back into the basket, placed it down on the ground, before he sat down next to it. Then he waited.

***

"No!" Chiharu cried. "I have nothing to do with it.. I didn't do anything last night.."

The woman, her cousin, cried in pain and anger. "You.. how could you? How could you? He is my husband!"

"We didn't do anything!" Chiharu said. "No.. please.. I didn't do anything."

"You slept with him last night, and you say you didn't do anything? You don't have to deny it.. I saw you, and he's admitted to it. How could you have made him do it?'

"No I didn't!" Chiharu said. "I didn't do it.. he came to me.. When I came home last night, he was at the door waiting for me. Please believe me Hiroko.. I didn't do it.."

Chiharu was slapped a second time, and she fell back onto the ground.

"Wait 'till you see what I can do to you!"

***

Soujirou opened his eyes. Chiharu was lying on the ground in front of him, all battered and bruised.

"You can sleep outside tonight!" Hiroko said, before slamming the door to the house shut.

"Chiharu?" Soujirou asked. He walked towards her. "What happened?"

"Nothing," she said, getting up. She winced.

"Itai desu ka? (Does it hurt)" Soujirou asked.

She nodded.

"Let me help you," Soujirou said. He picked her up off the ground. "You can stay with me at the inn tonight."

"Ow-" Chiharu said.

"Sorry," Soujirou said. He tied the last bandage on Chiharu's right arm. "Here."

"Thank you," Chiharu said.

"What happened?" Soujirou asked.

Chiharu shook her head. "It's nothing.. Nothing.. Please don't worry about it."

"Tell me. Maybe I can help."

"I-" Chiharu said, before she looked at Soujirou. It was then she knew that she trusted this boy. Trusted this boy so much..

"I will tell you," Chiharu said.

Chiharu lived with her Aunt, ever since her mother died of fever during the winter when she was ten years old. Her cousin Hiroko had never liked her. Hiroko was five years older than she was, and got married some time later. It was then that Hiroko's husband began to touch Chiharu.

Chiharu ignored it at first of course, but then Hiroko's husband began to haunt her. He was everywhere she was. He even sneaked into her bedroom one night. Hiroko was suspecting something already, because Hiroko was not as pretty as Chiharu. Then one day, Hiroko's husband visited her room, and they were found out by Hiroko. No matter how hard Chiharu tried, she could not make Hiroko believe that her husband was the one committing adultery.

The other night when she went home, he was there, waiting for her. He began to touch her, and Hiroko found out about it when one of the servants told her. That was why she was beaten up so badly.

"Oh," Soujirou said. "I see."

Chiharu took the handkerchief that Soujirou handed to her. "I get beaten up a lot.. and my Aunt thinks that I'm the one doing it.. but he is the one. He touches me.."

Soujirou smiled. Chiharu found comfort in that smile.

"Why don't you leave?" Soujirou asked.

Chiharu shook her head. "I can't leave.. this is my only home."

"But if they hurt you so much, why won't you leave?" Soujirou asked. "After all, this is a world when the strongest survive.."

"Huh?" Chiharu asked.

"Nothing," Soujirou said. "Chiharu?"

"Ehh?"

"Why don't you come with me?"

***

The next morning, Soujirou woke up and noticed a note hastily scrawled onto a piece of paper and placed onto the table. He took it.

"Soujirou-san.. Arigato. I have gone home. Chiharu."

Soujirou tucked the note into his bags.

"Have a safe trip," the old lady said, as Soujirou put on his shoes. He smiled.

"You take care," Soujirou said. "Sayonara."

"Sayonara.." the old lady said.

Soujirou walked down the mountainous path, and wondered where it will take him next. He stopped when he suddenly hurt footsteps approaching him.

He turned around.

Chiharu stood there. She had a swollen eye, and several new cuts and bruises. He waited for her to walk up to him.

"Take me with you," Chiharu said.

"Ehh?" he asked.

She nodded. "I want to be a wanderer, like you too."

"Are you sure about this?" Soujirou asked.

Chiharu nodded. "More sure than I have ever been."

Soujirou nodded. "Come on- we can make it to the next village before dark, if we hurry."

He smiled. Chiharu nodded, and the two of them walked down the path together.

-The End.