The quiet roar of the ocean waves echoed in Sano's ears as he strolled down the boardwalk at the docks. He marveled at the gigantic vessels that were lined up side by side. A great many people, busy with work, hurried about the docks. They carried all sorts of boxes, crates, packages, bags, and just about any other thing one could imagine. Just then, Sano noticed a young woman. She was nicely dressed, with bright red hair tied up in a ponytail. She stood at about 5' 5" and was quite thin. She balanced a stack of boxes in her arms as she walked down the dock to an awaiting cart. The boxes swayed uneasily as she walked.
Sano strolled towards her, not sure as to exactly what he should do. "Um…excuse me ma'am. Can I help you carry those boxes?" Sano asked as he got close. The girl stopped and peered around the stack to see who had spoken. Her black eyes scanned him a minute before she smiled pleasantly and said, "Yes, thank you."
Sano pulled half of the boxes into his arms and followed her to the cart. When finally they had gotten the last of the boxes into the cart, the girl reached up and wiped the perspiration that had accumulated on her forehead. "Thank you so much, sir," she said at last, turning to look at him. "No need to thank me," Sano replied, turning his head away. He was a little uneasy in the presence of this richly dressed woman. Not to mention the fact that she had addressed him so formally.
"Here," he heard her say. Quickly, Sano turned back to look at her. The woman held out a small wad of paper. "What's that?" he asked, reaching out hesitantly to take the paper. "It's your payment for helping me." The girl replied, half laughing at the question. "But all I did was carry a few boxes," Sano protested, staring down at what he now realized was a small paper bag with 2 whole yen in it.
"The help was worth the money," she replied. Sano sent her a quizzical look. "I'll pay you if you help me load and unload my ships the next time one comes in or goes out," the woman said, brushing Sano's quizzical look aside. "Oh…okay," Sano finally replied after a moment of silence. "Great! My name is Kaida Masako. If you forget my name, my main ship is called Kozoku. I'll be waiting for your help," she said, turning toward the docks. "Hey," Sano said quickly. Kaida turned to look at him, waiting patiently for him to speak. "Uh… my name is Sanosuke Sagara," he said, thrusting his hands in his pockets. "Okay, well, thank you Mr. Sagara. I'll be waiting for your help first thing tomorrow morning."
Sano nodded, then turned and began walking down the boardwalk back the way he had come. "Who is that woman? How can a woman own her own ship, much less a whole bunch of them?" Sano thought to himself as he went.
kozoku - royalty
