The sun beat down on Ikumatsu. Her now red skin felt like it was on fire. Her golden hair was strewed across her face as she struggled to breathe. The normally pristine apron she wore was dirty and torn and there were small cuts all over her worn body and clothes. She was exhausted trying to keep afloat on her only lifeline, what was left of a round, wooden table, as she floated aimlessly in the immense, blue Pacific Ocean.
It had been less than two days since I had started working on that cruise ship, Ikumatsu thought as she drifted along remembering the events that led to this misadventure.
.x.
It was two weeks ago that an Edo Travel Company manager, by chance, had come to Hokuto Shinken, Ikumatsu's ramen shop. He was so impressed with her 'authentic ramen' that he offered a generous wage for her to serve it for the passengers on his company's vacation cruise liner. Business was slow so she accepted the offer. She would only be gone a week and while she was off duty she could enjoy the amenities of the ship. This was as close to a vacation as she would ever get.
It was early in the morning when Ikumatsu arrived at the appointed dock. The liner, called the Minnow, was huge. Deck was stacked upon deck and reached into the sky. She felt dwarfed in comparison as she walked up the ramp onto the ship towards the crew quarters with her luggage. Although her room was pretty spartan, the public areas of the ship were quite nice. She noted three pools just on her way to the ramen stand assigned to her. All in all, it took her about thirty minutes to walk there from her room.
Ikumatsu didn't usually cook in an outside stand like this one. Especially like this one. The ramen stand looked like any other stand found on the street. However, this one was made with such a heavy, stout wood that it would take a couple of men to cart it home at the end of the day. The bright blue awning looked like it cost too much and appeared to have never been exposed to the elements. There were circular tables, also made of wood, in the same general area where customers could enjoy their piping hot ramen in a café like setting; the umbrellas on them shared a matching shade of bright blue as the awning on the cart.
Surprisingly, it wasn't long before the Minnow was underway as it sailed east into the open ocean. Ikumatsu was dressed in her usual white outfit and green apron serving a steady line of customers during the first lunch rush of the week long trip. Most of the people were humans, like herself, but there were quite a few Amanto as well. One in particular caught her eye. He was a pink, plump man dressed in a matching light blue shirt and pants with a gaudy red mantle draped over his shoulders. The Amanto's most distinguishing feature, however, was a single antenna sprouting from his forehead. It was hard to not notice him because he constantly whined in an annoying nasal voice.
The first day ended uneventfully and, though Ikumatsu worked hard, it went by fast. The manager that was put in charge of her stand seemed satisfied with her work, so she returned to her cabin to change out of her uniform and put on a modest one piece swimsuit. That evening, she enjoyed lounging by one of the many pools; sipping on some frilly umbrella drink while she relaxed under the stars. She even had to refuse some drinks that a couple of guys wanted to buy for her. Just before midnight, she returned to her cabin and it didn't take long for her to drift asleep.
When Ikumatsu woke up in the morning, she dressed herself in her uniform and headed towards her ramen stand. As she crossed the many decks she noticed that the cruise ship was already out in the deep sea and that she could no longer see land. On the way, she stopped at a breakfast bar and grabbed some fruit to eat quickly. It was still early in the day, as Ikumatsu was prepping for lunch, that she noticed the same pompous Amanto, leaning over the railing, calling out for someone named Ken-chan.
Ikumatsu couldn't believe her eyes. She had heard tales of giant, mythical monsters that could rip a ship in two. However, hearing about one and seeing one are different matters. This monster that rose out of the water towered over than the massive cruise liner and faster than thought possible the creature had its oversized tentacles wrapped around the vessel. Ikumatsu stumbled to the nearest table and grabbed on to it for dear life as the deck tipped back and forth. In the background, she heard that idiot of an Amanto yelling, "Calm down, Ken-chan! No one will hurt you!" The ship groaned as Ken-chan started to squeeze it with all its monstrous might. It took no time at all for Ken-chan to crush the ship.
.x.
A giant wave brought Ikumatsu back to the present as she floated on her makeshift life raft. For the rest of the day and through the night she forced herself to stay awake for fear of falling off and drowning. As the sun rose the next day, she could feel her body weakening. She had nothing to eat or drink but the brine all around her. She guessed that she was lucky that she had survived the attack. Now, she just hoped her luck would hold out. Wearily she lifted her head off the table and looked towards the west, away from the bright, morning sun. At first she thought that her eyes must have been playing tricks on her, but as her eyesight became more focused, she could clearly see land. In the night the currents must have carried her towards the shore. With the last of her strength Ikumatsu kicked her legs and propelled herself desperately towards the dry land.
The sun had rose high in the sky before Ikumatsu felt her legs kicking into the gritty sand at the ocean shore. She opened her heavy eyelids to see a sandy beach that after about thirteen yards turned into a lush wooded area. The sun continued to hammer her as she eyed the sweet shade provided by the nearby trees. With great effort she tried to stand up and walk up the sandy beach but fell part way. Almost unconscious she fought the rest of the way up the beach, crawling through the sand until she reached the nearest foliage and collapsed with exhaustion.
.x.
It was bright when Ikumatsu opened her eyes. The world was a little out of focus as she stirred from her sleep. Her head felt as if someone was playing her brain as a drum. She brought a hand to rub her temples as she tried to shake the last vestiges of fatigue from herself.
It's time to get the store ready to open. I've got to get up, she was thinking as she sat up.
Confused for a moment, Ikumatsu then remembered the liner that sank and that she was stuck on this island she had just desperately swam to. She studied the area around her as she tried to think of what she needed to do for her survival. At her feet were the remains of a campfire, hanging up beyond that were her clothes and all around her were trees. Startled, she lifted the sleeping bag she was in and saw that she was wearing an oddly familiar blue kimono. She heard some footsteps and a rustling in the foliage to her left and quickly scrambled to her feet looking for some sort of weapon. She grabbed the ladle from the cooking pot hanging over the now dead campfire and brandished it as her captors emerged.
"Stay back or I swear you will regret it!" she yelled as she blindly swung the ladle, with her eyes closed in fright, trying to keep the mysterious figure before her at bay.
"Oi, Elizabeth, why did you suddenly stop? I almost ran into you," grumbled a voice Ikumatsu knew all too well, "You need to remember, Elizabeth, warriors need to be masters of communication."
SHE'S AWAKE, Elizabeth's sign said.
Ikumatsu opened her eyes and saw a giant…well she didn't know exactly what it was. She knew who it was, but just not what. Standing well above her in height, it was white and had a definite anthropomorphic avian appearance to it. Its perfectly circular eyes seemed to almost drain your soul if you looked into them for too long. It was called Elizabeth and, if it was here, then not too far off its partner, Katsura, had to be here as well.
"Ikumatsu-dono, I am glad that you have awoken. How are you feeling?" asked the voice of the man that was coming out from behind Elizabeth.
What stood out most from Katsura was his very suspicious long, black hair that came down past his shoulders. Ikumatsu always marveled at how much better taken care of his hair looked from her own. Just how much time did that man spend on his hair anyway? He wore a plain blue kimono that was an exact replica of the one she was wearing and, though he was quite good looking, his soft features and long hair made him look effeminate. In his arms he, and Elizabeth now that she noticed, carried some broken branches for which she presumed to be firewood.
"I have a headache but other than that I seem to be doing fine. Where are we and how did we get here? The last thing I remember was the ship I was on was crushed by a monster and I somehow made it to shore," she answered.
THAT'S WHERE WE FOUND YOU. Elizabeth turned its sign around. WE WERE AFRAID YOU WERE DEAD.
"Yes, Elizabeth is usually quite stoic but even Elizabeth's expression was fraught with worry," Katsura said seriously. "Much like you, Elizabeth and I found this place by chance. We are not far from the beach. We figured that since we were here we would undergo some intense survival training. After we found you we got you out of your wet clothes and added some salve to your wounds. You have been asleep for almost a day and a half." He walked up to her and whispered, "Don't worry. I made sure Elizabeth didn't peek."
"I see…Thank you. I owe you my life," she replied, trying to hide her embarrassment from Katsura having seen her naked.
"Ah, Ikumatsu-dono, you must be hungry. Please sit down and save your strength while we cook breakfast." Katsura took her gently by the arm and guided her to a spot near the campfire. "He may not look like it, but Elizabeth is a master fisherman, so we will have plenty to eat," Katsura continued while working on getting a fire going.
Ikumatsu sat back, thinking about how surreal this all seemed while Katsura grilled some fish over the campfire. What were the odds that this man (and duck thing) would be stranded on the same deserted island as her and save her life? Whatever salve he applied to her seemed to take out most of the sting from her sunburns and, other than being extremely hungry, she came out of this ordeal fairly unscathed. Right now she was feeling pretty good all things considered.
The smell of fish woke her from her musings. Their delicious aroma made her stomach rumble in anticipation. In no time, the three of them were sitting around the fire enjoying their freshly cooked breakfast. There was plenty to eat and Katsura made sure that she got more than enough so that she could rebuild her strength. The way he voiced his concern about her lack of nourishment these last couple of days made him seem almost like a mother hen. It made her smile to herself as her spirits continued to rise.
After they finished eating, Katsura showed Ikumatsu around their small camp while Elizabeth tended to the campfire. Her clothes were now dry and she felt much more comfortable after she was given a little privacy and was able to change into them. At least they fit better than Katsura's borrowed kimono, even if they were her work clothes minus the apron which she must have lost at some point when at sea. After she finished changing, he showed her the way to the fresh water pond near their camp which supplied their drinking water. This really was a convenient spot to be stranded.
"You know, Ikumatsu-dono, you don't owe me your life." Katsura brought this up as he directed her through the trees and towards the pond. "If you remember, you saved my life when we first met. I think now we are even."
"Yes that's true," she conceded. "But I am still really grateful that you and Elizabeth were here. It is incredible the way the two of you have everything set up. Just how long have you been here?"
"We arrived about a week ago."
"Wow. That's amazing. I can't believe that you have been here for a week already and your hair's still perfect," she said in a teasing manner. "I swear, if you ever find yourself done with this Joi business, you should become a beautician." Ikumatsu couldn't help herself from giggling at her own joke.
"I keep my hair like this for the Joi," he said as he flipped his dark locks for effect. "It is a symbol that unites all of us who believe in an Amanto free country. If I were to allow my hair to lose its luster then my fellow compatriots might worry that our battle for freedom may not be going well and they might lose hope. The work I put into this hair is all for my fellow fighters."
Ikumatsu giggled again in spite of herself, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to suppress her mirth. The lengths this man went to justify himself. She couldn't help but being amused at his childlike reasoning delivered in such a serious and almost haughty manner. In a way, it was kind of cute.
"I am being serious here, Ikumatsu-dono," he pouted.
Ikumatsu burst into all-out laughter. She could never predict what he was going to do next. "Yes. Yes. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she said, trying to regain her composure. "Come now. I was just teasing you."
"It is good to hear you laughing. It must mean that you have recovered much of your strength," he said with a look of relief as they arrived at the pond.
"I'm feeling good and I am sure that I have you to thank for it, mister nurse," she piled on further as she playfully elbowed him in the ribs.
The days quickly passed on by. There was plenty of hard work, but Ikumatsu couldn't remember a time since Daigo died that she felt so carefree. It felt, for the first time after her husband's death, that life was moving on. At the center of that feeling was this man who was so different from Daigo by all appearances, but at the same time so very similar on the inside. They were two of the most honest and dependable men that she had ever met.
Two weeks passed and every day her respect for Katsura grew. She no longer feared for their fate because of the unmatched skills and knowledge that he demonstrated again and again. Between fishing and foraging, there was plenty of food and that man had even caught a couple of rabbits with a snare he had built. However, it didn't take long for that growing respect to turn into something else. In the past she would have repressed those feelings but the more she watched and talked to him the harder it became to do so. Maybe it was time that she moved on with her life. Maybe now it was time to open her heart and to love again.
She made her way through the trees toward the pond designated for bathing. She figured that Katsura should have finished up by now and even if he hadn't that might not be so bad either. It didn't take her long, as she followed the now-familiar, well-beaten trail, to arrive at the pond. As she had estimated, Katsura had just finishing getting dressed as the pond came into view as she cleared the trees. Inwardly, she felt a little disappointed, but figured that it was probably for the best anyway.
"Kotaro!" she sang. She wanted to see his reaction by calling out to him with his given name.
"It isn't Kota…wait…that is my name." He stopped himself and then asked her, "That was a surprise Ikumatsu-dono. Is that the first time that you have called me something other than 'you'?"
"You know, Kotaro, I was thinking and-" she started coyly when Elizabeth burst through the trees, drawing both of their attention, with his sign held up high that read WE'RE ALL OUT!
"Tch. I was afraid of this. I told you that we should have brought more."
Elizabeth flipped his sign around. THERE WAS NO MORE ROOM.
"You're right, you're right," he said while waving his hand dismissively and then asked, "Ikumatsu-dono, was there anything in town that you might want while I go and buy more shampoo?"
"No, I'm all se…" She stopped and processed what he had just said. "Wait. What 'in town'? We are on a deserted island. There should be no 'in town'."
"Are you ok, Ikumatsu-dono?" he asked as he reached his hand up to her forehead. "Did you catch a fever? We are on the mainland."
.x.
The door slid open and a customer entered Hokuto Shinken. The man that entered was a regular. His messy, perm-like, silver hair fit his name. He walked up to the counter and sat on one of the empty stools. He watched the proprietress of the shop finishing up an order for the only other person in the shop who was seated down the counter from him.
"Welcome, Gin-san. What can I get for you?" Ikumatsu asked from behind the counter with a warm and inviting smile after finishing up with the other customer.
"Uh, give me a bowl of miso," he answered. The man down the counter was eating with his chopsticks in his left hand. With a bit more study Gin noticed the cast on his right arm. "Oi, Zura, what happened to your arm?"
"It is not Zura. It is Katsura," the man said sullenly, not even looking up from his bowl of soba.
"It appears that he had a little accident while he was out camping," Ikumatsu answered with a smile. "I figured that I should help him out while he's recuperating. Isn't that right, Kotaro?"
Auther's note-Thank you for reading. I hope that you liked it. I would also like to thank DoctorPerky for editing it for me.