"Deep in your smile I see the world seeing me, I'm free to be free to bee what I be," Kino was singing in the shade of a willow tree near a lake on the out skirts of a well known town, "When my heart is aching and is shallow on love, I look to the doves and find it above."
"Encore! Encore! Sing some more Kino!" Hermes applauded in his metallic voice, he was lying aside of her on the soft grass.
"You really like my singing Hermes?"
"Of course, but than there is the option of…"
"Stand you up, right?" she asked her motorized friend.
"You nailed the screw on the head!"
Kino gave a little chuckle, than said, "That's hit the nail on the head." She than stood the motorad up.
"Yah that what I said," He said like he was positive on that. Than he added, "witch way Kino? North, South, or West?"
"I was thinking of going North West." She pointed in the direction that was stated.
"So let's go!" Hermes said.
As they road down the long strip of un-paved road with a cloud of dust fallowing, little by little more and more tightly rolled blue buds were appearing in the field near the huge lake the further they got from the other town. When they left the lakeside where they became surrounded by a seemingly endless field of the blue buds.
"Kino?"
"Yes Hermes."
"Did you notice that the road is getting thinner?"
"no"
But the road was being engulfed by the blue buds and soon the trail would be lost to them.
Kino stopped after a while and lifted her goggles and looked at the end of the road.
"I guess that this is the end of the road," she said while glancing around at the field of buds.
"Kino do you hear something?"
"Like what?"
"A motorad."
Kino listened to the wind blow than she heard another motorad off in the distance.
"Yes, but where is it?"
As they continued to walk threw the road less field they saw some one approaching fast on a motorad.
"Hello," Kino said as soon as she could see the driver in his blue jeans and red shirt clearly.
When he saw her he flipped off the engine and slid sideways stopping by Kino. Than the boy on the motorad lifted his visor showing sliver eyes. On the back of the motorad among his belongings he had a brown dog that instead of a collar had a crown necklace.
"Hi," he said and looked at Hermes than at Kino, "Who are you? I've been all around these parts and the area has been locked down so you must be another traveler."
Kino looked at him strangely.
"How rode of me! I'm Milo I travel around and map things that have changed from other maps" Milo gave the travelers a smile than said, "and these are Sapphire and Sora." He said pouting to the motorad than the dog.
Kino returned his smile and said, "I'm Kino, and this is Hermes."
Milo offered his hand, "Nice to meet you Kino."
Kino gave a little chuckle, "the pleasure is mine?" she said wondering if she was supposed to say that.
He shook her hand and turned to Hermes. He walked over to him and said, "Nice to meet you too."
Sora gave a bark and jumped off of the silent motorad.
"He's cute," Kino said crouching to his eye level, and looked up at Milo, "can I pet him?"
Milo nodded still smiling. Sora barked and liked her face.
"How old is he?"
"In dog years almost one in human years, 14"
"Hey, Milo!" Hermes said, and Milo looked at him, "where did you come from?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he answered.
"Oh come on!" Hermes persisted.
Milo sighed, "No it would upset the natural balance if I told you."
Kino looked inattentively at Milo as he refused to tell Hermes. Than finally asked, "id your name Ashetaka?"
Looking startled he said, "Yes, but how do you know that?
All was silent for a little while than Kino said, "I heard it in a story, from another land, the story spoke of a traveler who could pass to other worlds at will. In the story his name is Ashetaka; it also states that he had a silent blue motorad and a dog with a crown necklace. The old stories describe you and them."
"It must be a coincidence, that's all," he said as if covering up something, "we should go to the next town and rest we passed a town back there, they can probably give us some rooms." He pointed toward the west where he came from where a line of crushed flowers were, "we can fallow the path Sapphire's tracks to the town."
As they approached the town the sky began to darken, and the moon lit the sky as the stars accompanied it to light the planet and it's inhibits. The buds started to unravel, reveling a blue rose like flower whose fragrance filled the warm summer night air. The blue rays of the celestial bodies made the field look like an ocean of rolling waves. The five travelers reached the gates and stopped. There was no sign of any people or night activities. Kino looked over at the boy, as he got off of the motorad and set for the gate keeper's window. He knocked. No answer. He tried again, still no answer. Kino was getting discouraged and was about to say something but stopped her self. Milo who was looking threw the window decided to open the window witch looked as if it had been closed for many years. After prying it open he jumped in. The room was sealed off, empty except for a couple of dust covered chairs and a table that was at the far corner of the small room, which looked much like a prison to the young traveler, there was a musty smell to the place that seemed to say "something is not right".
"What are you doing?" Hermes beat Kino to the question.
"Looking," He answered ducking behind the counter of the empty room.
"For what?" Kino managed to say before Hermes could sputter out the words.
"Any thing," He thought as he looked at the old broken boxes on the storage shelve below the counter, "maybe a clue." He mumbled as he found a box that was sealed, unlike the other ones. He hoisted it up on the counter to the side of the window.
"What is it?" Kino asked jumping on to the window sill, looking at her new companion's finding.
"I don't know, should I open it?" he asked.
"Sure."
Milo pulled back the seal and lifted back the flaps as the smell of rotting human flesh filled the small dust filled room. Both of the travelers held their breaths as they peered inside to see, in the dull moon light, a torn body of what must have once been the gate keeper. Startled at the finding, Milo fished a flashlight out of his pocket to make sure he saw correctly. He did, but as he ran the light over the victims head it moved, crawling out of the containment it had been stuffed in, faster than you could say Mississippi, Kino pulled out her gun and shot it once in the head. It ceased movement.
"Holy mother!" Milo shouted as he and Kino got out of the room, and sealed it off once more. They looked at each other, for a moment there was silence. Than Milo spoke, "wanna go in now?"
Kino smiled, "of coarse, why else would I come with you, a complete stranger and not know that you might bring me in to some kind of danger?"
"Good answer." Milo said and walked back to the silent motorad.