1Author's Notes: This is another prompt that came to me when I re-watched a few episodes of Samurai Champloo on Hulu. Having loved this series as a teenager and watched every episode back then, I couldn't pass this up. This OC was another one I had on the back burner after I created her fourteen years ago, and I'm happy to bring her back after so long. Just some angst and fluff to be aware of in this piece. Enjoy! Title is accredited to the song of the name name by Utada Hikaru.
The intensity of the rainstorm prevented her from falling asleep. The hard pounding of the drops as they hit the roof, the loud claps of thunder rumbling the earth and the flashes of lightning brightening the sky for a few seconds, it was more than enough to keep people from going outside. Lying on her side with her arm under her pillow, Hikari glanced up at the roof as she listened to the rain. Brown eyes gazed out at the open balcony door, watching the downpour and the lightning storm.
She felt slight movement of the futon, followed by steady breathing near the nape of her neck. She let out the breath she had been holding as she attempted to keep her nerves calm. Being as careful as she can, she slowly rolled over, coming into contact with the face of the rōnin she was sharing her bed with. Though not wearing his glasses, he still looked as handsome as ever.
A slight knock on the door leading out to the hallway snapped her out of her daze.
"Mommy?"
Realizing that it was her daughter, Hikari tossed the blanket aside and carefully moved up from the futon to not arouse Jin from his slumber. When he didn't move, she tiptoed her way to the door and slid it open. She came into contact with a little girl of seven years; with long dark brown hair and brown eyes, she was a miniature version of her.
"Hi, Kanna. What's troubling you?"
"The thunder woke me up. I can't sleep."
With a nod, Hikari scooped up Kanna in her arms and after sliding the door shut, she brought her back to her room, carefully rocking her in her arms and humming a simple, sweet tune in her ear. She hummed the tune and continued rocking her for a little while until Kanna eventually fell asleep, feeling her steady breathing against her neck. With a kiss on the top of her head, Hikari tucked her into her futon, watching her for a couple of minutes before leaving and returning to her room, where she saw Jin sitting up in the futon.
"Is everything okay?"
She nodded. "Everything's fine. The storm woke Kanna up. I got her back to sleep."
She joined him back on the futon, where he pulled the blanket over her.
"This must be hard for you, Miss Hikari," he stated, stroking her arm with his fingertips.
"I'm not going to lie. It is hard, especially having her at such a young age and from such a terrible experience."
Jin cringed as he recalled the story the night she opened up to him about it. She was only eleven years old when the bastard responsible murdered her parents and raped her. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she chose to have the baby rather than attempt an abortion that could ultimately kill her. If she were to die, she wouldn't have the chance to hunt down the bastard and kill him in revenge. The one thing that she was grateful for is that Kanna was nothing like him in both appearance and personality.
"Once I have that bastard's head, I can finally devote my full attention to raising Kanna. I hate being away from her as long as I have been since I began my mission, but the sooner I find him, the better. He will never hurt another little girl the same way he hurt me all those years ago."
With that declaration, Hikari scooted closer to him and rested her cheek against his chest. Jin wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her close.
"Do you think this can work out?"
He used his finger to gesture between her and himself.
"I think it's possible," she replied.
"I'm just not sure how Kanna would take it."
"I can tell that she adores you in the time that I've seen you with her. She took the role of my protector when she was four, and when you were with her, that was the first time I had ever seen her lower her guard. She was always defensive because of how I've been, but as long as I'm happy, she will be too.
"Plus, I want her to be happy too. All I want is for the both of us to have a place where we can both be happy despite all the labeling we get."
"When we're done with what we need to do, we'll work on that. Kanna is at the age where she'll need you the most."
"I know, and maybe having you around will help things in the long run. I want her to believe that she has a loving family."
Jin stroked her long, dark brown locks.
"She knows that you love her. Let's just hope that you can finish your mission soon so that you can be the mother you're supposed to be."
"I will finish it. The only thing I have to worry about is surviving the encounter."
"And you will."
With a nod, Hikari allowed herself to drift off into sleep, snuggling as close as she could possibly get, and he held her tightly as he fell asleep. The last thought that drifted through her mind was the knowledge that she found her sanctuary in the comfort of Jin's arms and company.
End Notes: Remembering Hikari and the backstory I made for her gave me a chill down my spine, especially when I think of the era Samurai Champloo takes place in and the hardships she would endure with her daughter. Regardless, I did enjoy writing this piece and bringing her back. I am in the process of working on my Code Geass flash fic project. I have the list put together and five flash fics completed thus far. Keep an eye out, and check back!
