I wrote this fic while I was listening to the song "He Went to Paris" by Jimmy Buffet. These lyrics always give me goose bumps and bring tears to my eyes. I would like to use them as an introduction to this fiction.

He went to Paris, looking for answers to questions that bothered him so
He was impressive, young and aggressive, saving the world on his own
The warm summer breezes and French wines and cheeses
Put his ambitions at bay
Summers and winters, scattered like splinters and four or five years
Slipped away

He went to England, played the piano and married an actress named Kim
They had a fine life; she was a good wife and bore him a young son named Jim
And all of the answers and all of the questions
He locked in his attic one day
Cause he liked the quiet, clean country living
And twenty more years slipped away

Well the war took his baby; bombs killed his lady and left him with only one eye
His body was battered, his whole word was shattered, and all he could do was just cry
And as the tears were 'a falling, he was recalling, answers he never found
So he hopped on a freighter, skidded the ocean and left England without a sound

Now he lives in the islands
Fishes the pilings
And drinks his green label each day
Writing his memoirs, losing his hearing, but he don't care what most people say
After eighty-six years of perpetual motion, if he likes you he'll smile and he'll say
"Well some of its magic, some of its tragic but I had a good life all the way"
He went to Paris looking for answers to questions
That bothered him so

**On to the fiction! This is my idea of how Mitsukake met Shoka. This occurs about a week after the flood that killed his family (and Chichiri's family and fiancé) came through the area. Enjoy Minna! **

He walked through the city, his stomach making small churning noises because of the fact that he hadn't eaten for two days. He diddnt mind the fact that everyone was looking at him, he had gotten used to it after awhile. Finally, he spotted a sign for an inn. "Thank Suzaku" he muttered under his breath as he walked into the tavern. It smelled of alcohol. Too many men drinking too much sake. It diddnt bother him as much as it used to, but it irritated him enough that he asked for the table farthest away from the men.
After he had taken his seat, a girl who looked only a few months younger than himself took his order. All he wanted was some tea and a little bread, which was all he could afford if he wanted a room that night. The young woman was breathtaking. She had long, dirty blonde hair that fell down around her waist, and her only flaws were two dark circles around each of her eyes from staying up working. She nodded, gave him a small smile, and went back to tend to the large crowd of drunken men.
"Hey honey, why don't you bring some more sake over here for me" he heard a man yell at her. He flinched. One of the things that bothered him the most was when women were treated with such a lack of respect. He watched as she brought him and his friends more to drink, and hesitantly reached around them to pick up their empty glasses. The man who had requested the drink put his arm around her until his hand reached the small of her back. The girl jumped, and tried unsuccessfully to escape from his grasp. He brought his hands up and slapped her across the face. As she struggled to get away, the man and his friends jumped her.
Without thinking, he jumped up and ran to the girl's assistance. By this time her shirt was ripped in several places, and he saw blood in a few of them. "How dare you!" he yelled as he sent the man flying across the room. He diddnt like to show off his excessive strength, but this was an exception. As he had expected, the man's friends attempted to best him as well, but he knocked them off as if they were flies.
After the men had run out of the bar, he looked to the woman. She was barely conscious, for one of the men had beaten her when she tried to escape him. He picked her up and turned to another waitress. "Is there a room where I can treat her?" he asked, looking at her wounds. The woman nodded and hesitantly took him back to what appeared to be the injured girls quarters. He laid her down on the bed and took his medicine satchel off him back.
Most of her cuts weren't deep, but there was one on her arm that needed a few stitches. At this point, she was fast asleep, which probably worked out for the best. He numbed the area as best as he could with an herb, which diddnt help a great deal, then proceeded to sew up the cut. After she was bandaged and had been given a painkiller, he went to pay for a room.
"Excuse me miss, I would like to have a room here please." He asked the woman standing outside of the room. "Oh yes, of course" she said, leading him around the corner. "Thank you so much for helping miss Shoka, I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been here" He sighed. "Not a problem. I'm just glad her injuries are not severe." She opened the door to a large room. "Here you are sir, the best room we have." "Oh, but I couldn't possibly afford..." he started. "Nonsense, I couldn't imagine taking your money after what you did for us." He smiled, thankful for the gratitude, and walked into the room.
It was nicer than anywhere he had stayed in a long time, and he was grateful for a place to work for a night. After lighting a fire in the small fireplace, he sat down at the table and began mixing some herbs to be put on the girl's cuts the next day. As usual, he became fascinated with the medicines and worked well into the night making different concoctions. He slept soundly in the inn, it was warm and cozy and he diddnt have to worry about wild animals, bandits... or floods.
He awoke the next morning to the cheerful sound of singing in his room. Looking around, he saw the young woman, Miss Shoka they had called her, dusting the table. He mentally slapped himself for oversleeping, and rose out of the bed. Shoka jumped when she heard the movement behind her and automatically turned around. She vaguely remembered the man from the previous night, and shuddered at the visions she had when she thought of it
She bowed deeply. "I don't think that I can find words enough to thank you for saving my life." She said in her charming voice, "And also for treating my wounds. I brought you breakfast, and if there is anything else I could get you I would be more than happy to but if you need anything else, please just ask me." He was completely surprised by her appearance, seeing that she had been injured fairly badly the previous night. "It was my pleasure Miss, but you should be in bed today. You don't want your cuts getting infected do you?" he asked her.
She sighed. "No I suppose not, but I couldn't stay in bed the entire day, we're busy" "The least you could do is let me put some ointment on your cuts" he said. She nodded and sat down in one of the chairs at the table where his medicines were laid out from the night before. As he tended to the smaller cuts and bruises, she started a conversation. "My name is Shoka, thank you again for saving me" He looked up at her. "Not a problem. I am Mayo Juan. How did a girl like you end up in a place like this anyways Miss Shoka?"
Looking down at hr feet, she replied, "My entire family was killed in the flood about a week ago. This is the only way I could support myself, other than... well.." she blushed. He nodded. "My family was killed in the same flood. I am now a wandering doctor, helping those who are in need for shelter and food." He gingerly touched her arm, but she shied away. The cut was obviously deeper than he had thought- the stitches had fallen out in the night.
He diddnt want to hurt her. The only way he knew to do this besides useless numbing herbs was... he hadn't tried it in at least a year, but... Slowly, he started to unwrap the bandage on his hand. Shoka looked, and was surprised to see absolutely nothing wrong with the bandaged hand. He moved it closer to her arm, and she prepared for pain. Amazingly, the only thing she felt was warmth. It was a wonderful sensation. Wondering what herb he was using, she turned around- to see him holding his hand out to her arm, and on the hand... was a symbol....