Finding Hearts (Nanowrimo Entry)

A young kappa named Fan, barely an adult and all on her own is left to die in the desert after a group of soldiers besiege her, stealing not only her treasures, but also the gem imbedded in her chest that keeps her alive. Unexpectedly saved by another wandering samurai, Lirin, Fan begs him to help her find her heartstone before the hole in her chest swallows her whole. With her life on the line and the clock ticking, the two unlikely companions embark on an epic journey to find Fan's "heart". However the world is full of hearts, and both the hearts of the people they touch and their own will be forever altered along the way, for better or worse.