Sakura, that was the filly's name. Named after a beautiful flower. To find a perfect blossom is nigh on impossible, and it reflected upon the pink filly. I watched as she changed her mind, yet again, on which rock to kick. The two of us had been wandering for a couple of days now, yet Sakura's energy seemed to be unlimited. Her attention span lasted for a split second; I would be extremely lucky to have her full attention for a mere minute.

"Are we there yet?" The dreaded question that makes my soul shiver. In all of my years, I have never felt such an urge to abandon a child to their own devices, and what devices they are. The only reason I stay is because of my foolish oath I made to stay with her till she makes it home. And because I wouldn't inflict this pain on anypony else.

"No."

"How much further?"

"Another week." Another week, my voice so calm, yet my inner thoughts screaming in torment. The pink demon with pristine white hair told me, with such a sweet smile, that she lived in Hoofchi, 200 miles away from where they were. As they trotted at a not-so-brisk pace, I mused about how a family of her stature came to be in a small town like Marebashi.

"Aw, but Ronin! What about your daughter? Shouldn't you go to her?" The filly let out a large gasp causing me to turn around in annoyance. "What if she thinks you are abandoning her and she's gonna commit Seppuku! That would be horrible! We need to turn around now! Or...uh, speed up!"

"Calm down." I stuck out a leg to trip the charging filly, but she deftly dodged it, surprising me slightly. "I don't have a daughter."

"B...But, that means you l...lied..." Sakura's lips blubbered as she stuttered, her rose eyes tearing up. Little hooves reached up to swipe at them.

"Uhh..." My gruff demeanor changed into a confused one. This is why I've never had children. That and the fact that I would outlive them. "It was for your own protection! If I hadn't confused the bandits, things would've ended up very differently." Probably not, but I have to be reassuring.

"Y...You promise?" Sakura shakily asked, when I nodded, she straightened up, and put on a brave smile. "But no more lying! Samurai are supposed to be honest!"

"All right, I promise to stay truthful. Can we continue walking now?" I rolled my eyes as she nodded vigorously.

"Hihi, a samurai not following Bushido? Will wonders ever cease!" A new voice, a raspy but hearty one. I quickly whirled around, my tail gripping the hilt of my katana. There, an old zebra sat on a rock in a meditative pose, chuckling with mirth. A beard adorned his chin and a monk's basket hat rested atop his head. His whitened mane was tied up in a traditional knot. A smiling mask was pictured upon his flank, perhaps a telling of joyful facades. My guard never lowered.

"Who are you?" I positioned myself in between the strange zebra and Sakura. No matter how annoying the filly was, no way was I letting her get hurt. "What do you want?"

"You may call me Komuso!" The zebra hopped off his rock with a grin. He bowed deeply, before popping back up again. "As for what I want, it is to go where the wind takes me, and it seems that the wind is blowing your direction. So, samurai, what do you say?"

"And if I say no?" I grunted, still not trusting this monk, though my grip on the katana eased a bit.

"Then we shall part ways, my demeanor changed not a single bit!" Komuso proceeded to laugh, infectious as it was, it got Sakura into the mood as well. The zebra perked up at this and laughed more, this time less forced, not that it was at the beginning. I sighed inwardly.

"Please Mr. Ronin? Can Komu stay with us for a bit longer?" I looked down, despairing as I knew this would be coming, straight into the misty eyes of a spoiled child.

"All right." I relented, my groan barely audible over Sakura and Komuso's cheering. "I am watching though, one hoof out of line..."

"No worries Master Samurai, I know where boundaries are and know when to not cross them." The monk beamed at me. I sighed and continued walking, the other two following.

✿✿✿

This would prove to be useful as when the rain started pouring, Komuso led us to a temple where we could take shelter. There was another group of ponies taking shelter, but once I understood that they're not dangerous, I was relatively relaxed.

"Now that we are in the warm embrace of Hooffha, shall we tell stories?" The monk smiled widely, as if this was the best idea of the day. I peered at him warily, wondering what his angle was. This entire time, I made sure that my katana was nearby, ready for a quick draw.

"Ooh ooh! Pick me! Pick me!" Sakura was waving a forehoof wildly above her head in a painful looking way. I frowned, to keep up appearances, and leaned forward, curious as to what story she'd bring forth. In the corner of my eye, I saw Komuso smile as if he knew. I mentally shook my head, how could he know.

"Be my guest, little blossom."

"Okay!" The filly squealed, then got immediately shushed by other monks. "This is exciting! Okay, the story starts of with a little filly in the Forbidden Forest! She thought it was the quickest way to the town where her friend lives. Now, everypony knows that it's called Forbidden for a reason, and the reason lies in hulking beasts of myths!" Komuso gasped theatrically, earning a little giggle from the filly. "Behind the heroine of our story, came out a shadowy Yokai! The little filly tried her very best, yelling and screaming, but the Yokai was too strong! For several days, she was dragged. Till on the fourth day, the Yokai dropped the filly. The filly then immediately got up and ran away." I got the feeling at this point, that there was no truth in this tale. "It took the little filly several days, but she finally reunited with her friend."

"And then what!?" Komuso clapped his forehooves together. I peered at him, annoyed. How does this zebra stay so happy? "Because I'm alive and free, what's there to not be happy?" I blinked.

"How did you do that?" I asked after I regained my bearings.

"I am one with the spirits, Master Ronin. There is much I know, however, despite my knowledge, there is still things to learn. This is why I travel, to learn and explore." The monk's voice turned very serious, the smile dropping from his lips. After a couple of seconds of staring at me, his joyful expression perked back up and faced Sakura. "Little blossom! Continue with your tale, it is most interesting."

Author's Note

Japanese Dictionary:
Seppuku = Cutting of the Belly. Ritual Suicide.
Bushido = The moral code of the Samurai. A way of life.
Komuso = Buddhist Monks.
Yokai = Demons of sorts.

I was not expecting this much popularity, if you can call this popularity. Anyhoo, I hoped you enjoyed the next chapter and the new character. I wish you a merry October. tho it we are already halfway.

KUDOS to my dad, because of his need to show me Japanese movies.
KUDOS to Blu, as always.
KUDOS to Google, could never work without you.