--- Enter You Know Who
He didn't need the talent to dig anymore. At least, not now.
He had friends who were willing to help him out with his dream, and he was just as willing to help out in the achieving of theirs.
That Ueki was really a genius to think up the talent of finding your friends again. It's as though he knew from the very beginning, it was the most beneficial to the rest of them. Not to bring any offense, but from what was known, he was termed a geek before the tournament. Who'd think that such a quiet kid, who loves playing good cop but in a brash manner, actually had a good head on his shoulders too.
"I still haven't forgotten, Ueki." the man thought to himself. He stood right at the window, looking out at the view of the valley framed by the garden of the hot spring spa house.
A navy blue pattern on his robe set him apart the guests and staff members. He turned from the window of the second floor and made his way to the stairs. A couple of guests and staff members greeted him, as did he. The floors made of strong wood, the light-coloured walls made of concrete, but with traditional sliding doors, little bamboo plants here and there set a relaxing ambience. He descended the only flight of stairs and entered the main hall. This particular hallway he was in now had numerous frames hanging on the wall. Some were certificates, others were news articles, the former owners, and the rest were pictures of famous people who've stayed at the establishment and some associates of the man in the navy blue. Over hearing comments about one's establishment was something any owner was very good at doing:
"...He's a natural..."
"... (murmurs)...He had a lot of friends..."
"...His choice of clothing... (murmurs)"
He laughed a small one to himself. Seeing all of those pictures reminded him of when they were taken and the inside joke within each one.
In the main hallway, everybody passes by. Guests coming from or going to the hot springs, new guests coming in and people checking out, and some people off to play in the sports arcade (they had some video games, a ping pong table, and a billiards table). He now stood at the entrance to the hot springs.
He looked over his shoulder. All the people looked so relaxed and happy. The place was noisy, but it was the calming sort; it wasn't at all like the busy market place, nor was it too quiet, like an individual's hike. It was just right. And tonight, the moon was becoming fuller. The spa house had a special treat for everyone in the next three days: the traditional noodles, made by the cook herself, and sparklers, special themed hair ornaments and fans were added to the regular items in the souvenir stand.
He entered the outdoors and passed through a hall lit with garden lamps, and made by bamboo partitions. There were three hot springs. Two of them are in these partitions, but they were small and could only fit a party of about 16 people. These then were divided into two, and the middle was partitioned off by rocks in the water and by tall bamboo at the surface (AN: The point of the bamboo was to separate the sexes if the party was a big number, but if the party is a single gender and about the same number as the capacity, the bamboo is removable). Apart from being accessible only through reservation, they were elevated by about three feet.
As for the third, it was a large one, and the communal hot spring. This one was at the same height as the main building. Again partitions were used in a similar manner as the ones in the smaller two. These were further divided into two, for the women and for the men. There were stations at the edges of the spring: made of a large, flat, smooth stone. Those were for when the guests had, if they asked for it, massages. It also doubled as a table for drinks and snacks. There were two in each. And also, in the halves, there were complementary fountains. They were, at least, by design.
The man in navy blue exited the hall and went down a couple of steps and into the path around the communal spring. A staff member who was checking all the springs spotted the man. He went over and greeted his boss with a smile.
"The usual, sir?"
"You'll know where to find me, right?"
"Of course, sir. Enjoy your time, but don't stay in too long, though."
The man gave a small laugh.
"Alright, alright."
With that the manager continued his business and the man went on his merry way.
He walked down the gentle slope that led into the garden. This was his second most favourite place in the hot spring spa house, ever since he started working there. Tea leaves for their excellent tea was picked from the very ones whose leaves contributed the scent of the mountain air. Little flowers of light blue and purple make the garden more dainty. There was also an old peach tree whose fruit were ripening well, though few.
Inhaling the mountain air subtly flavoured with tea, peach and the night wind, he sat down on the bench nearest the peach tree. There were a few people there, a young couple sitting on a bench, a group of middle-aged men sharing a joke amongst themselves on one of the tables, and there was a familiar face, a frequent visitor from the next town.
The man had seen him before, a lot of times actually. He seems to enjoy the hot springs almost as much as Sano did, always coming, alone or with a few friends, then at this particular time, moon or no moon, he was always at the garden. Sano had thought about speaking to him, just for the heck of it, but he hasn't; he felt he never found the right situation. Firstly, it seemed rude to suddenly disrupt someone doing whatever it was that someone was doing, secondly, they were only acquaintances, and third, he wouldn't know how to, rather, know what to say.
"It seems I've gotten Rinko's habit." he thought to himself, smiling at the thought. So he did learn a little something from her.
As soon as he recalled the spectacled friend of his, one of the staff waitresses came up to him and presented him with his tea. A small sip from his personal tea cup (a tradition passed down from the first owner [AN: more on that later]) made him smile. There's nothing like freshly brewed tea.
He turned to the girl to thank her for bringing the tea. When he did, he noticed her eyes stole a glance at the side, although it was almost as fast a blink, he wasn't really sure.
She quickly asked how the tea was. Sano answered his delight in a casual manner and with that, the girl bowed and left. Sano saw her leave, but he swore that her attention turned once again, in the slightest of gestures, to the same side he saw her eyes turn from. An inexperienced person would simply shrug off the thought as a simple blink, but Sano felt as though the blink was to hide the fact she was looking, or at least opting to, at something, or someone.
He looked around as he sipped some more of his tea. It wasn't the young couple, there were more or less in front of him. It wasn't the group of men on the table since they were all the way on the other side. He smiled a little, when the answer dawned to him.
"This looks interesting. I'd better not interfere." he thought to himself.
He drank more of his tea and watched the moon and the stars. He recalled when the gang had gotten together once before, and sat on Ueki's house's roof. They all looked up and saw the sparkling night. The moon was also out that night, and they stayed up talking about the future and constellations.
"Hmm. That one looks like the weaver."
Ai pointed it out.
"Nah, that star is way too far left of the third one. And look there's even one that's too close to the fifth."
Annoyed, Ai pouted.
"Fine, Hideyoshi, where's the weaver then?"
The yellow-haired youth with the thick eyebrows surveyed the night sky with inspecting eyes.
"Mmm... I think... That one! That group over there." he pointed it out with much childish pride.
"You think?" Ai's tone was critical.
"I'm sure." His tone was set in stone.
Looking in the direction of where the monkey man pointed out, she quickly retorted.
"Well, in my opinion, that star representing her head is too far from the rest."
"Well, you couldn't find her either; what makes you so sure?"
"My gut feeling is one of the most accurate in the world." she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Oh yeah? Like you were a good judge of that ice cream you bought. Hmph! I had to carry you to the hospital myself."
" *gasp* I was having a bad day! You can't simply judge me like that!"
"And you can't judge me about the constellation either, so nyeh to you too." he returned her raspberry. (AN: for those who don't know, the term "blowing raspberries" means to stick your tongue out at someone and make the "blrrrt!" sound with it. It's fun to use. :D )
Ai's face looked really annoyed. She pulled the boy's ears; he gave out a yell, much like a little boy would. Ai's hands were well-practiced because she had done many reprimands to Ueki before. Hideyoshi struggled in vain.
"Rinko! Tell this monkey man that what I pointed out earlier was the constellation of the Weaver."
Rinko was silent.
"Rinko?" Ai had finally let go of Hideyoshi and the boy was rubbing his red ears.
"Hey are you-"
"Mutter... mutters... Today is... So that means... and we're in the northern hemisphere... and the moon is... and the North Star is... mutter... mutters"
The girl was thinking so hard it gave her an aura of being untouchable until she was done with her logic. Ai realized it and backed down. Even Hideyoshi had forgotten the little argument.
"Hey, don't overdo it. We'll be too old once you finish." Sano called out.
Rinko slowly turned to him with a glare that could shake off even the most unruly of Hell's beings. Sano suddenly felt a chill down his spine and hastily resumed to looking at the sky.
Ueki began saying words. Familiar constellation terms came out of his mouth as he was pointing at the sky. Ai looked at the green-haired boy with a little hope.
"Ueki, can you really see them?" The girl asked the boy her age.
"Huh? See what?"
An exasperated and bemused expression fell on her face. "The constellations, you can see them?"
"Well, sorta."
Ai, Hideyoshi, and Sano turned their full attention to Ueki. Even Rinko broke from her "trance".
"See that star over there?" He pointed up. Everyone looked.
"See that one over there?" He moved his finger left. All eyes followed.
"And now see the little row of about five stars below those two?" he traced the curve. Everyone nodded.
"What's that constellation?" Ai asked.
"The Face." He answered with a gazed fixed at the star lines he just drew.
"I don't think I've ever heard of that one before. Why is it called 'the Face'?" Hideyoshi asked.
"Because, ", everyone readied themselves for a little history, since what was a constellation unless it had a legend or story to it?
"- the two stars are the eyes and the curved row of the five stars make the smile."
Everyone nearly lost their balance upon hearing that.
"That was it? This whole time, a simple face?" Sano was trying to be a little more hopeful because Ueki was unpredictable sometimes.
Ueki turned to Sano with a determined look. Sano was anticipating something great because of Ueki's expression.
"Yup that's all there is. I made it up."
They all sported dumbstruck faces.
The boy continued, "There's the Swirl, there's the Flower, there's the Ribbon, there's the Key..."
Ai proceeded to reprimand the boy the way she knew how: thumps on the head.
"You ninny! Those aren't even real constellations."
"Hey! Stop it! I never even said they were the real ones."
Ai calmed down a bit. "You do have a point."
"Besides, wasn't that the same thing the people in the past probably did? Name stars that was familiar to them?"
"Actually, that's how the constellations got their stories and names in the first place. In particular seasons of the year, early astronomers noticed the same clusters of stars pop up. Every spring it was like this, every summer, it was different from the patterns in the spring nights, followed by fall, and then the winter too. Soon, people began to make patterns and giving them names so as to make it easier to mark the beginning, the height and the end of the season. These were achievements made by the primitive people that contributed to our date-time system today."
Rinko had said a mouthful. Everyone took in all the information. Seeing all their faces made her feel a little important because she had imparted a little knowledge to them.
"Oh, I get it. It makes sense now." Hideyoshi looked up once more.
"Hmm... then the predictions thing must've become popular so they'll time important dates. But... how about the fortunes?"
"I'm not really quite sure, Ai. Maybe it's because each season they thank, or blame, their gods for something. Then each of the patterns had some association with that god or those gods in some way, and then people born on the days when those signs were in the sky had a particular personality, they noted, related to the name or history of the pattern. Or maybe it's all real future-seeing stuff."
Ueki suddenly piped up and stopped his "constellation-making."
"Really? Is that how it all happened? I thought that they only named those things for fun, told everyone else and they soon followed too because they'd want to try and see the patterns for themselves."
Rinko, Ai and Hideyoshi made a face.
"What? What did I do now?" Ueki remained clueless.
"Hey, at least they found a little comfort in seeing a bit of the future." Sano had spoken.
They all fell silent. Everyone then looked up.
"It's just nice to see the stars with all your friends. That's what I think." He continued. He was talking about the simple admiration for the grandeur that nature had to offer them. Knowledge and stories just added more beauty to them.
With that, Ueki headed for his room. Footsteps and boxes could be heard. After a crash of a few items, Ueki reappeared. He got up on the roof carrying a big book and binoculars.
"Here." He tossed the book to Ai and the binoculars to Sano.
"Let's look for them, for real."
Sano resumed drinking his tea.
It would seem it would be a while before anyone was looking to leave the garden.
He looked up at the stars again. This time, he tried to find the constellation they called the Skipping Stone.
They all shared the book that night and took turns with the binoculars. It'd good to know that they did spot a few, and were quite excited when they did. Then, like magic, Ueki's sister called them for a late night snack.
"Your sister is still awake?" Rinko asked.
"She's like a lioness. Knowing I'm still up, she will be too."
He headed inside and Ai and Rinko followed.
Hideyoshi absorbed himself in the book.
"Hideyoshi, what are you trying to find this time?"
"Hmm... huh? Oh I'm trying to find a particular group of stars."
"You aren't coming inside for some tea first?"
"Nah, could you leave one for me?"
"Well, alright." Sano joined the other three inside.
After thanking Shoko, she joined them for the snack.
"What were you guys doing up there, all excited and what not?"
"You heard us?" Ai nearly choked on her tea.
"It was hard not to. There were repeated thuds coming from the ceiling."
She was always with a pleasant smile. Everyone felt embarrassed for that. That is except for Ueki.
"We're sorry-" Ai began, only to be cut off by Ueki.
"Tell me, sis, how loud were we?" Ai's face fell.
"Oh quite loud."
Cupping her left ear with the nearest hand, she aimed it at the ceiling of Ueki's room.
After a few quiet moments, "There it goes again."
Rinko volunteered to talk to Hideyoshi. She set her tea down and went to the balcony. She didn't come back down. Puzzled, Ai went after her, but she too didn't come back. Sano followed and so did Ueki and his sister. Standing out on the balcony, they found the three at the roof looking intently at the sky, then shifting their eyes quickly at the book. Hideyoshi seemed to be pointing at something then tracing it. The two girls were following his hand.
"Uh... what are you guys up to?" Sano asked them with a comical expression on his face.
"Come on up, you guys," Rinko helped them all up.
"Hideyoshi found interesting."
They all gathered around Hideyoshi.
"We all saw these constellations, right?" the monkey man asked.
"Yeah, it was the Warrior, the Crane, the Spear, and the Little Dragon." Sano answered.
"Well I saw there were stars that didn't belong to those clusters and I formed some... kind of... pattern."
"Interesting..." Rinko said.
"Oh, you're trying to make your own constellations, then?" Shoko gave Ueki the greatest idea.
"I'll be right back." Ueki dashed off again to his room.
"Own? Oh no, we were just looking at the stars trying to find some conste-" Ai hastily explained, but Ueki had already come back, with him a pencil and paper.
He grabbed the book and traced the four constellations and the out of place stars. They all peered at the paper as Ueki looked hard at it.
"What are you thinking, Ueki?" Ai's voice was curious.
"Hmm... The Thinker! ... No, that isn't it."
He fell silent. Hideyoshi looked at the stars again. "Maybe... The Fan?"
Rinko's turn, "It doesn't suit it... how about the... the, um, the ... The Pentagram?"
"It's not it either." Sano remarked. He caught on fast.
Ai was confused. "What are you guys talking about?"
"I think they're trying to think of a name for those out of place stars, Ai." Shoko gladly informed her.
Ai took the paper and looked at it. She turned it this way, and that way and even all the way upside down. She concentrated very hard, and then finally, she took the pencil. After a few scribbles, she was done.
"The Skipping Stone!"
"What?" They all turned to her.
"It's perfect. The stars are all out of place, but it's like skipping from one cluster to another."
After her explanation, they all looked up again. The pattern Ai drew on the paper made an oval of some sort. She was right. The shape of the stone was formed by skipping from constellation to constellation. It was... kind of like their friendship. No matter where one was, they would all meet each other one way or another, no doubt.
"The Skipping Stone, ei?" Hideyoshi practiced the name, while looking up, trying to remember the stars' positions.
"That's wonderful, Ai. It really suits them, doesn't it?" Shoko was always so supportive.
"Great name, Ai." Everyone was all nods and smiles. Ai flushed a little because of their compliments.
"Aww. It was nothing." She was trying her best to be modest.
"I hope we'll all remember this."
Rinko thought she had said that in her head.
"I wish we'll never forget this."
Sano had spoken out loud. Rinko turned to him. It was odd, that they'd had the same stroke of thought. Nonetheless, she smiled at him.
"That's just what I was thinki-" she started to reply. Hideyoshi suddenly brought his arm down on Sano and hooked him in a brotherly hug.
"Amen, brother! Now, Ueki, may I have some snacks now?"
"Why don't you all come inside? It's already very late."
Shoko led the way.
While they were eating, Sano tapped Ueki's shoulder.
"Hey, Ueki, can I have a copy of that sketch?"
"Sure thing, Sano. There's paper over there."
Sano went to the table for paper and started to draw. Rinko came up behind him.
"Sano, when you're done, may I have-" Rinko fell silent. Sano wondered why.
"Hey Rinko," he turned and saw that her eyes were wide. Quickly, he changed the thought of his question to something more befitting, "why is your face like that?"
Rinko stifled a laugh. Sano was even more puzzled. Rinko suddenly burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing? Is there something funny?"
"Look at your drawing! It's so far from the original one Ueki made!"
Sano felt annoyed, so he defended himself. It started one of their common cat-dog arguments.
"Oh yeah? I wanna see you try and do something better! I'll bet it'll take a million years just for you to finish since you'll be too busy fixing every little detail before getting whole picture."
"Well, at least mine would be more accurate that that scribble of yours. Heck. What are these lines for anyway? They look like the scrawl of a three-year old!" she shot back.
"At least I won't be an old granny by the time I'll actually use my copy! Hah!"
"Why you-"
With that, Rinko grabbed a clean sheet of paper, a pencil from the desk and forced Sano to give her some space on the chair. She elbowed him a little to give her space for her on the desk to draw. As soon as she 'slowly' finished one line, Sano had pushed her to the side so that he could continue drawing. They fought over the little space, and competed over who could draw the best copy.
They were funny to watch, struggling for space like that. Shoko took the snacks and tea away, but they still went on. After a few more moments, exasperated sighs came from the two of them.
"There!" They both stood up in opposite directions and showed their three friends the work they've done. Though panting heavily, they stood proud.
"Umm... Are you sure you guys are alright?" Hideyoshi gave the papers in their hands a questionable look.
"What is that supposed to be? All I see are scribbles." Ueki pointed at their drawings.
They both turned their papers to face them. Shocked faces replaced their determined ones from earlier.
"Your pushing me made my hand move!" Rinko said.
"Yeah? Well, you taking most of the seat made me lose my grip on the pencil!" Sano said in defense.
"You already had a head start; I should've gotten more time with the desk. You said it yourself!" she wagged her finger at him
"I was about to finish up, but you butted in and threw me off before I did!"
Sano made a move to get the paper, to finish up his work. His gaze never left Rinko's as he felt the surface of the desk for the paper. His hand had wiped the desk clean.
Wait, the paper should've been where they left it: at the desk. The surprise showed on Sano's face, he looked at where his hand was. The desk was clear of any paper.
Then that must mean...
"The balcony!" Sano ran to the balcony.
He saw the paper gently flutter away into the suburb's shade of night.
"What is it, Sano?" Rinko's tone hadn't differed from their argument. She went over to him and looked out the balcony. She saw something white disappear into the shadows. Both their faces fell pale.
"...guys?" Ai broke the silence.
"You didn't put a paper weight, knowing the balcony was open?" Rinko flicked Sano's forehead.
"Hey, you were the last one to come inside, you should've known too!" he answered, rubbing his forehead.
Sano had just pointed an accusing finger at Rinko, and she, hands into fists, when a thump on both their heads silenced them both. Ai was looking at them with annoyed eyes.
"Knock it off, both of you!"
They quieted down. They looked at each other, feeling a little silly.
"...Sorry." They reluctantly apologized to each other for their pride had just toned down.
"Hey, hey, now. We could always draw another one. I mean, I just got it off the book." Ueki quickly gave a reassuring promise.
"Better yet, let's have it photocopied, or photographed."
"Hideyoshi's right. This isn't something to fight over, again."
Ai then proceeded to close the balcony. Ueki had already begun drawing the map again. Hideyoshi remained seated on the desk chair.
"Hey, Sano, I want to say sorry for that outburst earlier. I just wanted a copy of the star map too."
"It's alright, no harm done." He then rubbed his forehead. "Well, not much at least." He added with a good natured chuckle.
"Yeah, sorry about that too." She held up her hand, signing for him to shake it. He did.
Since he was in a different location, the orientation would be different. He found it nonetheless, still above him, still above all his friends.
As he was lost in the memories of his pre-university years, the men have left and the young couple were already walking away. All who was left was the frequent visitor.
Sano looked into his teacup and saw that it was nearly empty as well.
"It's as good a time as any." he thought to himself.
He stood up, and walked on over to the man so intently looking at the not yet full moon.
"Only three days away, huh?"
"That it is, sir. That it is."
Sano turned to face the boy. He was still looking at the moon, like a fly to an ultraviolet bug zapper. The young man was a lean boy, not too athletic, or even the slightest hint of muscle mass, for that matter, but he wasn't frail. His hair sort of shone against the moonlight, so he assumed it was either bright or a light, earthy colour. He seemed tall and on his head was a gentle face. This was someone who enjoyed the simple things, it appeared. Sano finished up his tea, went to the nearest empty table and placed it there.
"So, boy, what's your name?"
"Hageru Kiroji, sir, and twenty-two, as of next month. You can call me Kiro. I live in the nearest town from here."
"Alright. You're quite the regular here, I've noticed."
He went to stand near Kiro.
"Oh yes," The young man's tone was pleasant. "I love the tranquillity of hot springs. It really clears my thoughts. The folk tales have been correct so far: all the bad you feel inside is pushed out by the warm water and lifted away into the air, by the steam. It really purifies you."
Sano smiled; he knew there was a reason for wanting to talk to Kiro.
"I feel the same way." Sano breathed in. Exhaling soon after, he continued, "I have a scar over my left eye because of an accident at one, but I never hated the hot spring for it. It's healed over a bit, though."
Kiro turned slightly to try and take a look at the scar, trying not to be so obvious. "I see."
He noticed the boy's face turn quickly away as soon as he turned to face him.
Sano gave a small chuckle. "It's alright. I'm not ashamed of it."
"Ah, no, I was..." Kiro gave a small laugh in return. "Alright, you got me."
Silence befell them for a few moments. Looking at the moon seemed to lift a little of the awkwardness.
"She is so beautiful..." Kiro muttered to himself.
"Pardon me," Sano was as wide-eyed as can be, "but who are you referring to?"
Sano immediately thought of Hatori, the waitress who gave him his tea earlier. He thought that Kiro was referring to her. She had only started working there about half a year ago. And if memory serves him correct, he began to come in every week a month after that.
The tall young man turned to Sano in a casual manner. The way he smiled complimented his dream-like expression.
"The moon is. Her light is soft, like a mother soothing a child who's frightened of the dark."
He kept his thoughts to himself, but he brashly asked a question that would mean otherwise.
"What is it about this establishment that makes you come here regularly, asides the hot springs?"
Sano only realized the mistake only after he had finished. Quickly through his mind ran the way he asked the young man the question: was his tone suggesting something? Was his face smug-looking? Did it offend him?
He was nervous, but kept a straight face as he watched Kiro's relaxed eyes turn in thought. After a few heart-pounding moments of silence, Kiro laughed a little and turned to Sano.
"Sir, I find this establishment in one of the most proper viewing points for seeing the valley. In addition, aren't the towels and robes here commended as one of the best?"
Sano let go of all the worry and let an amused face on. Admittedly, the boy was animated when it came to describing things.
"Not only with the design but the material: the softness, the absorbency. And the meals served, they are as light as they should be, for people are really supposed to be here for the hot springs. Yes, this place provides excellent service, and its surrounding scenery is nothing short of dynamic."
Sano gave a slight chuckle. "Tell me, then, are you a critique, Kiro? Or have you memorized the local paper's review on this place?"
"Not at all, sir. A humble writer who makes his daily wages by working for the local news paper and a part-time job at a tea cup artisan's shop. I hope to write a book one day."
"I can tell by the poetic way you speak. You're an interesting person to have as a guest here. I'm glad of that."
"Now it's your turn, sir. You are the owner, Sano Seiichiro, correct? Please share with me a little of your history with the hot spring spa house."
"I worked here for about seven years now. I got a job as a simple janitor/waiter. Over time, the ownership was handed to me. If you've noticed, most of the staff here are janitor/waiters, save a two cooks and the owner and his staff manager.
You'd expect the staff manager to become next in line for the ownership, right? Well, the first owner made it sure everyone was trained in the same way. Then he chose who the next owner would be. The staff manager was chosen by the next owner. This is a strong tradition of this establishment."
"Interesting. How then, sir, did you come to work here?"
"After university, I was wondering about what I should do with my life. I had studied in Japanese geography and its history. I took up business since my father told me I needed to fall back on something. My lifelong dream was to find my own hot spring, and I thought knowing these would be able to help me in some way. I then told my father that I was going to find my own hot spring, and that I was going to search the whole of Japan's mountains just to find one to call mine. I even had the will to dig one up for myself, if I couldn't find one. Eventually, he let me go, after I'd promise to tell him when I did find my hot spring.
Not more than a half a year of bike rides and trekking, my friends found me. Well, actually, one of them did, and he called the others. They wanted to help me out, seeing as I was pretty ragged in my hiking clothes and resulting to ask favours from the locals for food and shelter. The villagers are very kindly people, by the way. After I told them I was fine and that they shouldn't worry about me, one of my friends showed me a brochure for this place. Although I was a bit taken aback by resorting to this, the rest became history."
Kiro turned back to moon-viewing.
"You have interesting friends, Sano."
"I don't want to brag, but they're the best people I've met in my life. If they hadn't helped, I would still be trekking and may have not found this place at all. And also, my dream might never have been fulfilled. "
Kiro smiled at the thought. He understood owning such an establishment gives one a feeling of fulfilment, and it matched perfectly with what Sano had told him. Or at least that's what his silence told Sano.
The boy may not have realized, but that thought was only partly true. Owning this hot spring spa house did give him a feeling of fulfilment. Of course, there was that other thing.
A cold wind blew. Kiro shuddered a bit and announced he was going inside.
"It was nice talking to you, Hageru."
Sano shook his hand and bid him a good eve.
"Sano, you're not coming in yet?"
"Not yet. I'll be here a while longer."
Kiro waved good bye and headed for the house. Sano imagined he was going to take a cup of tea, and then go home. He has never stayed in any of the rooms unless he was with company.
Sano looked like he went back to sit on the bench again. After heading over to the peach tree, he didn't sit down. In fact, he hopped went around it, going over the fence as he did.
He first found this out by falling. He had sat on the peach tree after a long afternoon of tending to the garden. He was admiring his work of the place. He leaned back, but forgot in his tiredness, and the heat, there was nothing to lean back on except the feeble branches of the old matron. He saw the sky, the noon sun, and then black. He then heard a thud. Naturally, he landed on his back.
It took a few minutes for his eyes to open. And when they did, the sunlight hit them first. Quickly, he attempted to get up, but found himself hurting a little. After a few painful twists and strains, he was able to sit properly. He crawled into the shade. Lying face up while the noon sun was still out roasted him a bit, even if it was for just a few minutes.
Under the peach tree, he realized some of the cuts and bruises that he had. Feeling the earth he leaned on, he looked up. He judged that he'd fallen about six feet, give or take. With luck, he landed in a spread out position, which also spread out the shock his body received. He checked the rest of his body and found he could get up. As he did, he found something that made him believe he wasn't awake, that he was still on the ground, unconscious.
Something he had dreamed about ever since he had first experienced one.
Something he longed to call his own.
He had found a hot spring.
He was suspicious though. It was right here, only at a lower level than the establishment, and it was small. Maybe it had been overlooked by many of the guests. He mustered up all his will power to not immediately jump in.
Upon closer inspection, it was covered in leaves. No one has been taking care of this, it seems. The bushes that scratched him earlier were unkempt; obviously either wild or neglected.
The water was still clear. A simple raking of leaves would clear up the surface. He placed his hand in.
Heaven.
The water was warm.
From that day, he kept it secret. Only to his staff manager did he say of this because he was second in command, and they'll be asking him when he disappears. The staff members and the owner were only allowed to use the communal one when they had day-offs, so Sano would use the excuse of not using the communal hot springs on his day off, or using them later. And when he went there, it would appear he was headed for the garden.
In addition, no one questioned the authority of the current owner, so there really isn't a problem with Sano's situation.
He landed on a rock he had placed there four years ago. It had been a miracle no one paid too much attention to the loud thud when he dropped it into the garden from the forest near the parking area. Explaining the hole had been fairly easy, because he promised to fix it right up.
At least he didn't need to fall from a hazard of a height just to soak in his secret spring. In fact, he had neatened up the place for himself. He added a makeshift where you could change without fear of anyone finding out from above. There was even a lamp when he decided to go at night.
He passed by the bushes, which he trims at specifications, and took off his wooden slippers. He undid the tie of his robe and took that off as well. A foot at a time, then his whole self, he let enter into the welcoming waters of his haven.
Every time he would do this, it was as though he was using it again for the first time.
"I'll never get tired of this." he sighed to himself, as the steam lifted all his troubles away.
Hello! Since this is at plain sight a fan-made fictional story, or as some would simply just say, a fan fiction, the characters are not mine, except for maybe the staff of the hot spring spa house Sano now works in (btw, that place still doesn't have a name).
I would very much appreciate that readers leave some reviews. It's my first story to be published here, so I'm kind of nervous about how the RinkoXSano/SanoXRinko fanbase (not to mention the rest of the Law of Ueki fanbase who might happen to catch sight of this story) would take it.
Also, this story is a shout out to say: more RinkoXSano/SanoXRinko fan stuffs please! :D (art, stories, doujinshi's in english... etc. ^^ )
I hope the readers have enjoyed themselves with the first chapter (and .-lixue-dume-. hopes she gets on with the rest of the story as well ^^)
AAT*: I hope that you won't think I've stolen an idea from some one else's story. I assure you mine was fished from the very depths of my own brain (seriously, it's hard to think of a decent story that comes out as "your own" with out someone feeling that it came from somewhere else). And, apologies if the first chapter is pretty long :P
*"And Another Thing"; I made that up myself, unless it already exists of course, feel free to use it ^_^ ( I know I felt free to use it the time I was typing this down. Hehe)