Entering the brothel she found a woman a with white painted face and bright red lipstick.
"Hello young woman, how may I assist?" She asked.
"I hear I can give sex here for money?" Baiken asked bluntly making the woman buck her head and laugh.
"I'm sorry? Why is that funny?"
"Oh no my child, it's just odd for a woman to ask such a question with so much enthusiasm"
"OK, but I need money, and I like sex, so I was told to come here?"
"You're an interesting case, yes you came to the right place, but I have certain conditions that needs to be met before I can appoint you"
"OK?"
"Firstly how old are you?"
"S... Uh" Baiken realised she might be under aged "Twenty"
"OK, what's your name?"
"Kazuna Baiken"
"Kazuna...?"
"Yes?"
"Of a certain Benkei Kazuna?"
"Yes, that was my father, but I never knew him"
The woman stood up and came around her table "I'm sorry for your father's death my child"
"Im not sad, he died an honorable death I hear"
"Oh, no my child, he did not, but it's not my place to tell, you should find out for yourself"
"I will thankyou"
The woman gave a formal bow "My name is Ichina Naka, please follow me, daughter of the samurai"
The words somehow sparked a sense of honor in Baiken's heart, she followed Naka into the brothel to her back office, there she closed the door and turned to her.
"You were born a year after Kazuna-sama's death, that makes you seventeen Kazuna-chan"
Busted
"I'm sorry for lying, I need money"
"I realised, and your age I will look over, but you need to show me your body"
Being used to going naked infront of Yamamoto Baiken didn't hesitate to undress, when Naka saw the tattoos she frowned.
"Why did you spoil your body like this?" Naka asked walking over and rubbing the bat wings "And these scars? You're completely covered in them?" Naka said walking around brushing over the ample scars and bruises covering her, when she came to her back her eyes grew.
"No, I'm sorry, you're a stray, I can't accept you here"
"What!? Why? It wasn't my choice to get these markings, they were made onto me by a savage man!"
"Yes, and he's not finished with this one, which means you ran from him"
"Yes, to get away, these bruises on my body came from him!"
"I don't care, this only means he will come looking for you, and I don't want to be involved, especially since you're the daughter of a rogue samurai"
"Rogue!? What does that even mean!?"
"Begone child, you bring bad omens to my brothel, I knew those white colored eyes brought bad luck, please dress and leave, the only place you will be safe from him, and make money at the same time with that body is to go to the Yakuza in Tokyo"
"Yakuza? Tokyo? Where is that?"
"About ten days travel north of here"
Baiken got dressed and left stomping her feet.
"You need money to go there child, it's called traveling tolls, and it's not safe for a woman to travel alone, you need someone to accompany you!" Naka called after her, Baiken only paused then left the building.
Naka closed her door, the omen had her rattled, she needed to report this to the emperor.
Baiken kicked the ground, there was only one way she could make up money now, and that's the wanted list, which means she would have to put her training to the test.
While walking towards the notice board she saw the very man that took the paper she was looking at, a most wanted, meaning it's a lot of money. She decided to follow him, he was on his way out of town south. If the notice board was in this town she knew the man he was looking for should not be far.
Baiken managed to keep track of this man for two days, she kept count in her head, that's four days of the week done, only three more before Yamamoto returns.
This day the man stood watching the forest, then turned off the path and into the thick of the woods, Baiken followed, not long and the man reached a campsite where another man was sitting.
"Shinji Nakamora, I'm here for your head" the man called.
"Oh, another one comes for the money hey?" Shinji said standing up, both men had katanas, Baiken could feel the excitement in her heart, she was about to witness her first swordfight for real.
"How much is the bounty now?"
"A thousand yen"
"Only a thousand? How disappointing" Shinji said stretching his stance and placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"I'd say it's fair" The bountyhunter said and charged, they clashed swords and twisted, both men went for the necks but Shinji ducked first 'a mistake!' Baiken thought, the bounyhunter brought the sword round and cut Shinji's main arm open, but in return his sword was already in the other hand and came up piercing the bountyhunter's heart.
"Close, but no cigar hunter"
The bounty hunter gagged and sagged to the ground. Shinji swiped the blood off his blade and turned around, but he heard a thud behind him, he turned again and saw Baiken standing just beyond the dead body.
"I'm sorry, I know you are at a disadvantage now, but I'm desperate" She said and opened her sword.
"My my, a woman wielding a katana, how shameful of you" Shinji said recognising the sword.
Shinji was still boasting when Baiken was over the body like lightning, he couldn't react in time, the sword was drawn and Baiken ran it right through his heart.
"You, you bitch!"
"Never underestimate your opponent" She said glaring at him with her white eyes.
"Kazuna... Your legend... Lives on" Shinji said and died.
"What!? What do you mean by that!?" She yelled shaking the dead body, but he was long gone. She clicked her tongue and proceeded to cut off his head. After bagging the head in the leather pouch the bounty hunter had she first searched him for anything valuable, she found the money of his previous bounty, some coins, and the paper with Shinji's face on.
Now walking back at an almost jog pace she kept thinking of what Shinji said, it made her wonder more of who her father was, she needed to find out somehow, and the best place to go look was at Naka, she's the one who started it.