Baiken was awake in her bed when the first birds chirped, her body was stiff of the injuries she received yesterday, but that won't stop her now.
The voices of her mother and Yamamoto came silently through, she heard Yamamoto whisper to her mother that if Baiken isn't here when he returns he will kill her. Baiken's heart sank, her entire plan to escape follied by the possibility of her mother's death.
When Yamamoto left she got up and went to her mother who was sitting at the dinner table drinking green tea, her legs neatly folded under her.
"You were awake?" Hinamori said to her daughter.
"Yes Okasa" Her mother got her response.
Hinamori stood up and took out a leather bag from a cubbard above the doorway.
"You should leave now Baiken-chan, this might be your only chance" Hinamori said holding the bag to her, Baiken was shocked her mother already planned this ahead of time.
"But, he will kill you!?"
"No he won't my child, it is you he will kill when you get caught next time. The only reason he hasn't done it yet, is because your brother got killed when you were born, he respects that I was grieving both your father and brother's death.
You are not his child, and you are not a boy, so he really doesn't see any reason for you being alive. He keeps training you to better his own skill really... Tattoos your body as a hobby, and has sex with you because you are not his... Please leave my girl, make a life for yourself elsewhere, I can't stand watching him use you like this anymore"
There were tears in both their eyes making them embrace.
"I promise Okasa, I will come back for you one day"
"And I will be right here waiting for you, Baiken-chan"
Baiken went to collect her bag, then took her mother's bag and left.
"Head west Baiken! There is a town about two day's travel from here! And good luck!" Hinamori called after her as she rand into the forest.
There was this knot of excitement in her gut, this feeling of freedom, a sweet breath of fresh air.
"Baiken!" She heard her mother yell again making her stop. Hinamori came running after her with a length like object in her hand covered in a drape.
"I forgot, the world is full of men worse than Yamamoto, you will need this" Hinamori handed her the object. Upon removing the drape Baiken saw a beautifully decorated scubbard, holding a katana with an equally exquisite hilt.
"This belonged to your father, I trust he would want you to have it. Keep it hidden under the drape, it is taboo for a woman to ever carry this weapon"
Baiken nodded and closed it up, they gave each other one last hug then parted. Again Baiken was running, in her mind the game of cat and mouse began, she wanted to see how far she would get in a week, it had to be far enough so Yamamoto could never find her ever again.
Baiken was so amped up she walked on through the night, and by early daybreak she saw the smoke rising on the horizon, not caring about her fatigue she started running again until she finally reached the small town.
Now properly exhausted she found a stone close by and sat down, her mother packed some food and water, which she gladly consumed.
When she got her breath back she stood up and headed in. Living her entire life on that small farm on the outskirts Baiken wasn't used to this much people she sidestepped around them like an animal not really realising she should walk with the flow.
Finally she found a gap one side and stood there out of the way, watching the people as they passed her, no one paid her any mind, she even saw some people that are clearly not Japanese, they must be the so called westerners she heard about from Yamamoto, he hated them, but never said why.
Baiken knew she had to find a way to make money, on the farm she didn't care much about it, everything she needed was readily available, but now, food had to be bought.
She timed the flow of people and entered the crowd, it wasn't far until she found a notice board with faces on. With the little she knew about reading she tried reading what was said about the men;
'Wanted' was big on top.
'For mu, murder, reward, a thousand Ye Yen...'
Yen is currency, this means it's money, but how does she get it? Suddenly a man came reached around her and tore the poster from the board, he grunted at her then left, in his hand a bag containing something hefty, she decided to follow him, he went down the street and around a corner, until she saw him enter a building saying something like 'She,riff'
Through the window she saw the man place the bag on a table and hand over a paper similar to the one she saw on the notice board, the man behind the table looked into the bag, nodded, then paid the man, Baiken was shocked, that was easy.
She hid behind a corner as the man came out, then she quickly entered.
"Excuse me, what did you pay that guy for?" She asked in as best of english she knew, making the two westerners behind the table chuckle.
"The head of another man"
"Head?"
"Yes, you find the wanted men on the notice board in town, then you somehow find this man, kill him, and bring his head to us, we pay you for it"
"Is a thousand yen alot for such a person?"
"Yes that's one of our most wanted criminals, but little girl, you're better of going to a brothel than bothering with criminals"
Baiken was in thought, a thousand yen, that man earlier took away the poster she saw first, she was annoyed at him now.
"Little girl!?"
"Yes?" She she said snapping back.
"Don't bother with criminals, they are too dangerous, go to the brothel instead"
"A brothel? What's that?"
"It's where cute girls like you go to entertain men for money"
Baiken tilted her head "Entertain how?"
"You know, serve them food, dress in clothes they like, sometimes even sexual"
"Men will pay for sex?" Baiken asked surprised.
"Yea, sure"
"Where is this place?"
"You seem eager?"
"I enjoy sex, so I'd do it any time for money"
The two men looked at each other then back at her.
"I'll even be your first client" One man said chuckling.
"As in you will pay me to have sex with you?" Baiken asked.
"Yes, but at the brothel, it's in the main road, you'll see the name is in bright red"
"Thankyou" she said and left back the way she came, figuring the main road was the broad one where she found the notice board she walked down it scanning the buildings until she found the red sighn saying 'Brothel'