Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne and its characters.
Author: licoricefactory
Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with another DH story. I know that I haven't updated Innocence yet but I'm getting down to it. I'm currently writing the fourth chapter. I know that it's taking so long so I decided to at least write a two or probably three shot story that will compensate for my lack of updates.
Just to give a little background on this story…I actually based this off of Episode 11 of Samurai Champloo entitled Gamblers and Gallantry. I'm going to change minor details of the story but I will pretty much reproduce the dialogue that took place between the two main characters from this episode. Well, read, enjoy and don't forget to review!
Pairing: Dilandau/Hitomi
Chapter 1
The ominous gray clouds loomed overhead, secretly foretelling of an unclear future filled with sadness, separation and uncertainty. Weeping relentlessly, the sky drowned the world with its numerous tears, producing gentle pitter-patter sounds on the rocky pavement. A flash of lightning graced the sky for a split second, as if winking at the horizon while simultaneously alighting the sky with a bright yellow glow. The booming sound of a thunder followed suit, as what is expected after the presence of a thunderbolt.
He didn't pay any heed to his surroundings, oblivious of the lighting that has just decorated the sky a few seconds ago. His feet were unknowingly dragging his body, taking him to a place unfamiliar to his memory. The water droplets descending from the heavens above plastered his usually immaculate silver hair to his head making it appear damp and flat. He ignored the coldness of the liquid seeping through his black robe as thoughts of his ill mother lying on her deathbed haunted his mind. Seeking reassurance, he gripped the sword swinging lazily at his side, feeling the comforting weight of his katana(1).
As he was walking along a narrow wooden bridge elevated above a canal, he took notice of a presence to his right. Raising his head to a fraction of an inch, his uncanny scarlet eyes wandered to his side and observed a red oriental Japanese parasol with white cherry blossoms decorating the surface. He regarded the slender fingers wrapped tightly about the handle of the umbrella as he drank in the lithe form of a young woman observing the stirring waters below the bridge.
As he passed the young woman, the silver haired man realized what exactly the woman standing before the bridge was planning to commit. He thought it better to at least give her a hint that falling into the shallow depths of the canal below would be a futile effort that would not lead to the full realization of the action that she was about to do.
Deciding to stop for a moment, with his back still turned, Dilandau spoke in a hollow voice just loud enough for the woman to hear. "This may be unnecessary but…" He paused as he heard the woman slightly angle her body sideways. "This canal is much shallower than it looks. If you're going to throw yourself off, it would be prudent to do it elsewhere."
"Do I look like I'm going to throw myself off?" The sound of her lovely voice greeted his ears. It was light, sweet and held a certain sense of vulnerability which he was not able to comprehend at that time. "I was just looking at the canal." As she spoke those words, her voice took on a sudden hint of sadness as if she was trying to convince herself into believing the words that she has just uttered to a complete stranger.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Dilandau angled his head to the side and was finally given the chance to look at the woman currently in his midst. The woman, more likely a girl at the age of sixteen or seventeen he realized, was donning a traditional pastel green Japanese kimono wrapped tightly around her impossibly small waist with a light pink obi. Her nimble shoulders and beautiful collarbone were slightly exposed making her look more enchanting than she already was. Her honey brown hair was done up in a bun held together by red hairsticks that seemed to complement her coral colored lips. He was astounded by the fact that this girl, who was obviously a local judging by her outfit, looked the part. She did not possess the normal dark brown eyes that most women from this country had, as far as his observations serve his memory right. His breath caught in his throat as he realized that her unique emerald orbs were not brilliant and luminous, rather they were dull and gloomy…They were beautiful.
"What, you don't believe me?" The girl arched her eyebrows slightly as the corners of her mouth began to turn up. "Oh, did I look that gloomy? " She chuckled. "I won't do anything that painful. Thank you for your warning. Goodbye."
The sound of her footfalls greeted his ears as he realized that she was departing towards the opposite side of the bridge that they were standing on. As he found himself continuing his walk, he silently wondered if he would be given the chance to cross paths with the mysterious green eyed girl in the future. Probably not. His pessimistic mind chided preventing him from going down that train of thought.
The attractive silver haired youth came upon a middle aged man waving a ripped fan atop the kabayaki(2)being grilled on top of the burning coal's heat.
"You came, you came." The middle aged man, whose hairline was starting to recede, spoke in a jovial manner. "Are you the part-time help? I'm saved." He exclaimed as he stepped out of the food stand. "Take care of tending to the store."
"I heard that this was a cutting(3)job." Dilandau stated, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Well, there's no doubt that it's cutting. And with this rain, there won't be many customers." The man answered, giving a light flip of his hand.
"Wait. Hey!" Dilandau tried to stop the man.
"Well, I'm leaving it to you!" The man stated cheerful for the fact that he's finally given a break.
Dilandau silently cursed under his breath while thoughts of maiming the man with his katana drifted through his mind.
To say that Dilandau was bored was an understatement. He began to tap the fan on his forehead to try to at least alleviate his boredom but his actions were futile.
"One kabayaki."
That voice. That unmistakable voice. Dilandau's eyes opened, not quite believing the fact that the girl who he has spent majority of his time thinking about was standing before him. Despite the surprise though, he managed to keep that stoic façade of his, successfully masking his emotions.
"Oh, the samurai from earlier." The honey brown haired girl paused. "You are an eel merchant."
"Um…no, I'm just…"
"Oh, that one, that one." Dilandau observed as her index finger pointed out one of the eel that were stirring inside the wooden bucket. "I'd like that lively one."
He was about to speak but he managed to keep his mouth shut. Silently contemplating on what to do, the silver haired youth positioned his hands above the bucket pondering on how exactly he was supposed to catch an eel. As he dipped his curled fingers in the water, he took a hold of the eel's thin body. Gross, it's slimy. Shimatta(4)! It escaped! He thought as the eel broke free from his strong grasp.
He tried again but failed. He tried for a third time but obviously, failed again.
"Didn't you know? You can't catch them using strength. You have to read the eel's movements." The girl stated knowingly while fixing her solid gaze on the movements of the eel. Reaching inside the bucket, her slender fingers grasped the length of the eel's body and brought it out of the bucket. A small mysterious smile graced her lips as she took note of her accomplishment.
"Eel are like women. If you hold them down forcibly, they'll just run away. That's what my grandmother always used to say."
Dilandau turned his head away from her as he heard her and silently pondered on the meaning of those words.
The green eyed beauty pinned the body of the eel on the table. "You nail it down like this and…" Using a pointed piece of metal, she attempted to nail the eel's body by pounding the blunt part of a cleaver towards the pointed piece of metal that resembled a screw of some sort. But before she accomplished her task, an audible gasp escaped from her full lips as Dilandau brought out his katana.
"I'll cut it." Dilandau offered.
"Wait a second!" The honey brown haired girl raised her right hand in front of her as if to say stop. "Eel are Hamamatsu's(5) treasure. It will be bad luck if you cut it with something that dangerous."
She sliced the eel's body in half with a cleaver. Dilandau's gaze was transfixed on the crimson liquid gushing out of the eel's body. The smell of iron from the blood invaded his senses and for a moment, he became oblivious of his surroundings.
"Welcome!" The honey haired girl greeted a customer with that smile of hers that definitely reached her eyes.
"Three kabayaki please." An old woman spoke patiently waiting for her order to come up.
"Here, put them on skewers." The young girl handed him three wooden sticks.
"Five kabayaki, quickly."
"Two for me."
The red eyed boy was really confused on how to skewer the eel onto the sticks. Shimatta! How the hell do you stick these things in!? He silently thought out of confusion.
"Get the sauce ready." She instructed him. "Hurry, hurry."
"Come by, come look! Double your energy! Make your household happy! Hamamatsu's specialty, kabayaki! How about an eel for company tonight?" She stated with mirth and laughter as she continued fanning the coal to keep the fire ignited. Dilandau could not understand how she can enjoy such a tiring and confusing task.
Dilandau's green eyed companion handed the orders to the customers. "Thank you." She stated while simultaneously bowing as a form of gratitude and respect.
"Business was good. I'm glad." The honey brown haired girl flashed him that beaming smile of hers. "Oh, that's right. I didn't come here to work." She stated. "Maybe you're wondering about how I learned to grill kabayaki. Well, my father used to own a kabayaki stand before…" Her voice faltered but Dilandau decided against prying into her life.
"I'll cook." Dilandau asserted, resolute in trying to show that he has finally learned how to cook an eel properly.
While he was slicing the eel in half, Dilandau took the time to observe the girl before him. She sighed, seemingly carrying a heavy burden on her shoulder. She turned her gaze towards the horizon and wistfully looked up at the twinkling heavenly bodies glittering in the dreary sky.
"You grilled it the best you could, didn't you?" She smirked with mirth shining in her eyes as she observed the burnt kabayaki set on a plate that Dilandau offered her. "Well, I guess I'll take it. You went through the trouble of cooking it for me. Itadakimasu(6)!"
She tasted the burnt eel and later on brought her chopsticks out of her mouth. "Bad. This is really something. This is the first time I've had eel this bad. I wonder if this is a talent."
Dilandau snorted. "Here's some water." Dilandau forcibly set a cup of water on the wooden table while looking away in embarrassment of his horrible cooking skills.
"I'd like tea." She stated with a smile on her face.
"Demanding are we?" Dilandau bit back with a growl. She's annoying. I should have known. Beautiful girls are always high maintenance.
"Thank you for the meal. This was a good memory for me." She said as soon as she finished her meal. She walked gracefully out of the kabayaki stand but before she can travel further, she came back towards Dilandau's side and gazed at the ground shyly. Taking him completely by surprise and making his scarlet eyes widen, she stood up on her tippy toes, closed her emerald eyes and pressed a feather light kiss on his smooth alabaster cheek. "I really had fun." She stated, a tint of pink blooming on her face, before she started walking towards her destination.
"Memory?" Dilandau implored with a curious tone to his voice as the girl started moving.
She stopped walking and spoke with her back still turned. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be working at a brothel. That's why today is the last day I can walk around freely. My father fell into debt. For that…" She paused while gathering her thoughts. "Well, it's a common story. Ja ne! Bye bye!" She bid him farewell with a nonchalant tone but Dilandau knew that underneath that indifferent manner, she was hurting inside.
His scarlet gaze was unwavering as he ardently watched her walk away, realizing that the droplets coming from the heavens soaked her to the bones. Turning his head to the side, Dilandau took notice of the fact that she forgot to bring her umbrella. We'll meet again. He inwardly vowed, resolute and determined in saving the poor angel from her deplorable fate.
(1)katana-sword
(2)kabayaki-eel dipped and broiled in a soy-based sauce
(3)cutting-the Japanese word for "cutting" is "kiru" which also means "killing." Obviously, the job of selling eel to the locals is a cutting job since it required cutting or slicing the eel and killing it.
(4)shimatta-damn!
(5)Hamamatsu-a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
(6)Itadakimasu-a Japanese expression which means "Thank you for the meal!"
A/N: So what do you guys think about it? Should I continue with this story or not? Please review so that I may know your thoughts. And are you guys up for a lemon on the next or probably next next chapter? I'm not sure yet where I'll probably place it depending on the length of this story and whether you guys want me to continue on with it. Some people might be offended by a lemon so I'm asking now before I start writing again. Review and let me know!