Again

Again...
A story will be retold once more.
Over and over, with the same beginning each time.
But therein lies an ending with many possible outcomes.

Come and see what could have been.

Konan Country; afternoon

It was a pleasant day in Konan today. It was the type of weather that really made Ri Houjun want to go fishing. There was a nice breeze and a general calm atmosphere as he rode towards the capital city. This was one of the good points of not using a transportation spell: he actually obtained a feel for the land and could reflect on nature, no matter what the purpose of the travel was.

Behind the smiling mask, he frowned a little. Something... was going to happen. Soon. It was almost tangible. Every so often he glanced down at his knee where there was his celestial sign. But the thoughts of a priestess and great trouble for Konan weighed down his thoughts to the point where he almost felt physically heavier. He tried to push away mere speculations as he came within view of the huge city. He'd come down from the mountains to try to gather information about anything that might be happening. Hopefully the Emperor would be willing to talk, or some other high advisor.

Haku Kaen stepped from her boat, on to the sea-tossed shore. The beach was a slim strand of sand, decorated with drift wood and rumpled piles of deep green seaweed. Bemused, she knelt for a moment, taking a pinch of sand in her fingers, and then curiously sniffed it. The sand was just a little different from her island home, the color just a bit darker. It smelled different as well.

Brushing the sand from her fingers, on to her skirt, she straightened back up. She couldn't remember being taken from the mainland, but she wanted to remember every detail of her return. This quest of hers would become a story, perhaps a song, to tell the other Amazons when she returned. She had decided that there was no option but success and return to the island; she would do as she was told and find her peace.

Thunder growled over the sea behind her. It wouldn't be long until the storm crashed on to the shore, at it looked to be a strong one. She didn't want to wait to be soaked by it; it wouldn't hurt her, but it would be an annoying, soggy start to an epic journey.

Up ahead, there were lights dotting between a few dark trees. Probably a fisherman's village. She picked her pack up from the boat and slung it from one shoulder, her bow and quiver over the other, her sword swinging at her left hip, and began to walk. The boat, she paid no attention to. It had barely held together during the journey. Let the sea gods have it.

She reached the village just in time. It was too small to have a traveler's inn or anything of that nature, and the people looked at her warily. When the rain began to pelt down, she took shelter under slim cover of one hut's roof. The door was to her right, and from there she heard a noise. When she turned to look, a young boy was watching her with big eyes. A moment later, his father appeared. He looked her up and down, the wary assessment of a possible threat, not the look of a man with other thoughts on his mind. Satisfied by whatever he saw, he nodded and beckoned for her to come in.

Silently, he gave her a small bowl of warm, thin soup, and then sat. Bemused, she sat across from him, waiting for him to speak.

"From Nyosei?" the man asked. She nodded in answer, and he continued. "I thought so. You've got the look of it about you. If you want to weather the storm here, you're more than welcome. All I ask is that you bring us down a bird or two when it's done. I've never seen someone handier with a bow than you lady warriors."

It seemed fair enough, if he was planning to feed her and let her sleep. While she had a bit of the ingrained disdain for men that all Amazons carried with them, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. It was obvious from the state of his house that his wife was dead or left, so he was trying to care for his son, keep house, and feed them all on his own. Considering men were incompetent at best, he wasn't doing as bad as she would have thought. She didn't mind helping him. "I agree," she said. "Can you tell me... where have I landed?"

"We call our village Silver Sea, since the waves are normally silver with fish," the man said. "But this year, the fish seem pretty scarce. I apologize for not being able to feed you better."

"Don't give it a second thought. It's my bad taste for dropping in so unexpectedly," she said, as if they were old friends. It was courtesy, something she dimly remembered from her childhood. "But I mean... what country are we in?"

"Sometimes Kutou, sometimes Konan. I think it's Konan right now... you can never tell what borders the big men have drawn on maps, with their raids and counter-raids. But from what I hear, Kutou is attacking often these days, so the answer may change at any moment," the man said, then shrugged. "They mostly ignore us, and we like it that way." He took her bowl from her and gave her a bit more soup, though his son watched hungrily.

She took the bowl. It would be impolite to refuse, to say that he couldn't provide for his son. She'd bring them a few birds tomorrow. "Thank you."

"By the way, my name is Tsing Goro."

"Haku Kaen."

"Thank you for accepting my humble hospitality, Haku Kaen. If I may ask, where are you headed? I might be able to help you find a good path."

"I haven't figured that out quite yet," she said. "But I will choose soon." It really wasn't much of a choice. She needed to find her peace in Kutou, find that fallen angel and exact her vengeance. But the idea filled her with a strange thrill of fear, and she didn't want to speak of it quite yet. Better to accept the comfort of a warm, simple house for a night, without those thoughts darkening her mind.

She turned to look out the open doorway, drawn by the sharp chill suddenly in the wind, and the smell of rain and sea. The storm lashed the trees.

Kaen did not leave Silver Sea the next day, as she had intended, or the day after that. She woke in the dark before dawn, and quietly picked up her bow and quiver. She had promised herself that she would bring in some food. So she went into the misty morning to hunt. She brought down two wild pheasants with one arrow each, and paused for a drink in a stream and to eat some wild mushrooms she had found before heading back.

The sun had burned all of the mists off by the time she returned to the village. It was already humming with activity, the fishermen bringing in their rather poor catch, while the children hunted in the nearby woods for vegetables and mushrooms. The women were tending their communal garden. At first, all seemed right with the world.

Then Kaen noticed that there was a commotion down at the shore. She stowed the two birds in Goro's empty hut and headed down that way, more curious than anything else. When she arrived, Goro stumbled out of the sea, spilling his son out of his arms and onto the beach. Tears ran down his face as he desperately pressed the water from the boy's lungs. A great wave of relief went through the gathered crowd as the boy took in a few choked breaths.

Goro looked up, his face grey with fear, though there was an odd hint of relief in his eyes as he caught sight of Kaen. She pushed her way through the assembled villagers and helped him gather the boy up, then carry him back to the hut.

Amazons might not care for men, but they cared for children, and boy children were no exception. Kaen made it her duty to watch over the boy while his father was fishing, or cooking, only leaving Goro in charge when she went out to hunt in the morning.

Things didn't look good. While the boy breathed, his breath soon made a terrible burbling sound, like he hadn't brought up all the water. He burned with a fever and could only be woken long enough to drink thin broth and a little water. And soon he began to cough, great racking coughs that shook his entire body and produced vile black mucus from deep in his chest.

Normally, caring for the sick was the task for the older Amazons, not the young warriors. But no one else would take care of the boy. As soon as it became known that he had a fever, no one would come near the house, or Kaen, or Goro. There was no herbalist in the village, and no doctor nearby that could be fetched.

After three days, Kaen returned in the morning with another two pheasants, and found Goro weeping over his son. She put the birds down. "Has he died?" she asked bluntly.

Goro shook his head. "No, but I'm afraid he will soon. His fever burns as hot as ever, and he barely recognized me when I woke him to feed him this morning. If only we had a doctor!"

Kaen barely hesitated. From the moment she'd arrived on Nyosei, she'd had it drilled in to her that it was the first duty of an Amazon to protect her own people, and her second to protect women and helpless children outside of Nyosei. "Where is the nearest village that has a doctor, or a medicine shop?" she asked. "I can carry him there."

"I think if we move him now, he will die," Goro said. "I... I don't want to ask this of you..."

"You don't have to," Kaen said. "I'm offering."

"This area has few villages. We are very isolated. But... the capital city of Konan, Eiyou, is five days from here by wagon. Jin may not last that long, but... the best doctors in all of our land are there."

"Do you have a map?" Kaen asked.

Goro tore his hut apart, looking for the map. It was a poor excuse for one when he found it, but it gave her an idea of where she needed to go. Once she got close to the capital, others would be able to give her directions easily if she became lost. "This is the trade road," Goro said, pointing out a rough line. It wandered across the map, following the easy path rather than the shortest one.

Kaen nodded. She slung her bow back over her shoulder, and fastened her sword to her back. It was easier to run that way. She found a small pouch, and put some rice and a bottle of water in it. "Then I will return in five days."

"Five days? Didn't you hear what I said? It'll take at least that long to walk there!" Goro said, though now there was a hectic gleam of hope in his eyes.

"You have been very kind to me," Kaen said, as if that were some sort of answer. "And I'm not going to walk." Without bothering to say goodbye, she left the hut, and then walked out of the village. Once she was on level ground, she began to run.

It wasn't that running didn't exhaust her; it did. But her training as a warrior, running up and down mountains in a single night, had taught her to continue on, swift and sure, despite her fatigue. She slept only a few hours in the early morning, and ate her rice and drank her water sparingly. If she ate or drank too much, her stomach would cramp.

In the early morning of the third day, she caught sight of the city's lights, right before dawn. Grimly, she forced her aching legs to continue moving. She was nearly there. Then she could find medicine, rest a few hours, and head back. She would be sick and weak for days, even weeks afterwards, but she could do it.

Her fatigue and her absolute focus on the goal and nothing else were nearly her undoing. At the very outskirts of the city, where the poor and the ruffians gathered, someone threw a rock at her. She felt it coming at the last moment; that was the only reason it struck her heavily in the shoulder, instead of the back of the head. She went tumbling down in a heap, then rolled to her feet as quickly as she could, her sword coming to her hand. She felt slow and terrible tired. Now that she had stopped running so suddenly, her muscles trembled, and her sword felt like lead.

Still, she tightened her grip on the sword and forced it to hold steady as the man who had thrown the rock approached. It was obvious that he was a bandit, from his shabby clothes and bad teeth. He had four friends with him, all of them leering in a way that made her burn with fury.

"Brave for five of you to take on a woman. If you want to make it fair, I'll wait here while you go get a few more friends," she taunted.

"Quiet, honey," the leader said. "Why don't you just lie down, and we'll treat you nice."

"I'll kill you first!"

The leader laughed at her words, and two of the other men rushed toward her. She dodged to one side, whipping her sword up and around. With a silver hiss, it separated the head of one of the bandits from his shoulders. She twisted to avoid the knife of the other, but she was too slow, and too tired. His knife sliced a long line of searing pain from her shoulder to her elbow. She stumbled back a step, then lunged forward, her word coming down in a graceful arc that cut the knife from the man's hand. He leaped back with a scream, clutching his hand, blood running from between his fingers.

Kaen lunged forward, extending as far as she could to catch the retreating man across the stomach. With a despairing howl, he went down to the ground, rolling and clutching at his stomach. Before she could attack again, a heave rock struck her in the leg. She fell to one knee with a cry, then stumbled back to her feet, her vision sparkling with pain.

Somehow, she jumped back to a more defensible position, holding her sword at the ready once more. Blood from her wound flowed freely down her arm, making her grip on the hilt slippery. As tired as she was, she couldn't afford the fatigue that came with blood loss. Her left leg throbbed and ached; she wouldn't be able to attack swiftly again.

The three remaining bandits pulled back a little, whispering amongst themselves, readying for another attack. Kaen waited grimly. She couldn't use her bow now, she couldn't run to attack, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a man approaching that was probably another bandit. Hopefully Goro would believe that she had fallen in battle like this, not that she had run away. As she waited for the next attack to come, her breath hissing between her teeth with pain, she whispered a quiet prayer for the boy that she had been trying to save.

The other man approaching was not another bandit, however, but a lone masked monk who had left the city temporarily to find some calm. The city was so loud after three years of near solitude in the mountains.

When he noticed the woman in danger, he ran to her aid. Without hesitation, he struck one of the three remaining men. Not dead, of course, he wasn't out to kill people like Kaen did, but a solid whack into the stomach with his staff knocked the man unconscious.

"Stay back and leave her alone. This is no way to treat a woman, no da," he added, taking a firm protective stance in front of her. He'd give them the chance to escape before he cast a few spells.

For a moment, Kaen felt a thrill of absolute relief that the stranger was going to help her. Then her Amazon pride flared up. She didn't need a man helping her. She couldn't possibly be that weak, could she?

The absolute frustration that thought caused gave her a surge of strength. And the man in front of her gave her the breathing room for archery. With a growl, she spiked her sword into the ground and painfully brought her bow off of her shoulder, quickly stringing it.

The two bandits didn't seem to know what to do about the man. In the moment that they hesitated, preparing to attack again, Kaen drew her bow, an arrow ready. It sent a fresh wash of blood running down her arm, but she had the strength for one good shot. She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she let the arrow fly.

It took the man who had been the leader through the eye. He let out a surprised gurgle and dropped like a stone. The last of the men lost his nerve and ran, shrieking.

For a moment, Kaen wondered if she could summon the strength to fire one more arrow. Then a wave of dizziness overtook her, and her knees gave way. She fell heavily to her knees on the rocky ground. Black specks danced in front of her eyes, and she couldn't seem to hear anything beyond a high-pitched shrill in her ears. With shaking fingers, she unstrung her bow, and then groped for her sword. It needed to be cleaned.

The monk, Houjun, was more than surprised to have an arrow whizzing past him, and to see one man fall and the other flee. Houjun figured she must be an Amazon, but that didn't mean that he was just going to let her push herself like this. Pride was one thing, stupidity another.

"Ne, rest, why don't you? You're wounded badly. I won't ask for much, but stay still for a second, no da!" he pleaded merrily, somehow managing to pull it off at this time. It was his talent to always smile, after all.

And if she didn't, he'd be forced to use a spell on her, too. He wasn't too happy about forcing people into things, and didn't want to injure her pride, but he'd be the jerk if it meant saving her life.

It felt like any strength she'd ever had simply drained out of her. Kaen tried to pull her sword out of the ground, and failed miserably between her hand slipping on the tacky blood on the hilt and her complete lack of strength. She cursed under her breath, lettering her hand fall to her side. Her wounded shoulder throbbed, as did her leg, which was really not happy to have her weight on it. With an embarrassing, pained moan, she shifted to one side, resting her weight on her good hip.

She shook her head. "I need to find a doctor," she said, her voice sounding very faint to her own ears. She looked up at the man, who seemed to be talking, but she couldn't make out any words over the ringing in her ears. "I need to find a doctor, for Jin," she said again more loudly. That was what she was here for, wasn't it? She was having a hard time thinking straight, but she could focus on that. "Jin needs a doctor." Why was she repeating herself like this?

Kaen shook her head, feeling very stupid and confused with the world. And why on earth was that man smiling at her like that?

Houjun paused. She could try to smack him for what he was about to try, but he figured he didn't have the strength. He went to her side to help support her, trying to lead her towards the town. She should be glad he didn't knock her out and carry her in.

"Of course you need a doctor..." he said, but was a little surprised to see she was trying to find a doctor for someone else. "Jin, who's Jin?" he asked in concern. He had to know what was happening to help, after all, and he did want to help.

Even if the smiling mask disconcerted her, it was better than the scar.

Being pulled back up to her feet and moved only served to confuse Kaen more. She was more concerned about her sword; it was still sticking from the ground, and she didn't want to leave it behind. She'd worked so hard to earn it. Pushing away from the man (when had he grabbed her, and shouldn't she be more upset?) she reached for the sword. A misstep on a rock sent pain shooting up through her leg.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, it seemed. The high pitched whine in her ears became a roar, and the dark specks that had been dancing before her eyes swallowed her vision completely. She fought off the tide of darkness and vertigo with all she had, but it wasn't nearly enough. Finally, she said, her tone rather puzzled now, "But, Jin..." Then she slowly went limp, her weight going dead against the man.

He caught her form and carefully picked her up -- and her sword and other effects. He wasn't going to leave anything behind so she could be mad at him later.

"Careful, no da," he whispered, not sure if she could hear him. "I'll take you to a doctor and once you're healed, we'll go help Jin," he promised. After all, he could teleport them wherever they needed to go. She just needed to get better first.

He entered the town slowly, weighed down by the burden of the woman, and took her to the nearest doctor he knew. While the doctor worked, he, standing to the side, silently imparted some of his chi to help her. He hoped she would wake up soon.

She woke up by inches, her wounds and her tired muscles throbbing in time with her heartbeat. There was a strange fog in her head, however, that stood between her and the pain. She could feel it, but she just couldn't bring herself to care over much. Strange smells tickled at her nose. This definitely wasn't where she'd last been, in battle with the bandits.

Kaen sat up as quickly as she could, which was, in fact, very slowly. She looked around. It was obviously a doctor's shop, the apothecary in front, and her on a padded table in the back. The doctor was an older gentleman with a long, white moustache, and the other man stood beside him, the one she seemed to remember helping her.

It just got worse and worse. A man had helped her and now another one had healed her. She looked down at the lacings on her skirts and tunic. If they'd seen her in a state of undress, she'd have to cut out their eyes in vengeance.

The special knots she'd tied into the lacings were undisturbed, however. It seemed that they had showed her that much respect, at least. More than she'd ever expected out of any man. They were all savages, after all.

Relieved, Kaen looked up at both of the men. She touched her wounded shoulder, feeling a thick bandage. There was another wrapped around her leg, this one damp. Her wounds were taking care of, at least, but no amount of herbs could touch the utter exhaustion that still filled her, and probably would for days. "My sword," she said, her voice hoarse and tired, "Where is it?"

Houjun wasn't an idiot and did not intend to do anything to insult the Amazon... well, except for being a male who saved her, but that much he couldn't help. If he had any doubt that she was an Amazon before, the fact that the first thing she did was ask for her sword confirmed it.

He smiled a bit behind his mask, so it was sort of a pointless thing, since he looked to be smiling already. "It's right over there, no da. How do you feel now?" he asked in concern. The sword was leaning upright in the corner, cleaned of its blood.

Was he not supposed to do that? Too bad, he didn't want the blood to dry on it.

Part of her wanted to be upset that a man had touched her sword. At the same time, she had to admit that she would be more upset if he'd left it out on the battlefield, and it would have been bad to have left the blood on it. So she settled on slightly annoyed. "I'm fine," she said. In spite of her words, she was very slow and careful when she slid off of the table. It hurt to stand up, a lot, but she managed to do it. "And... I guess I ought to say 'thank you' as well. So... thank you. I didn't need the help, you realize, but it was very...
courteous of you."

She limped slowly over to her sword and picked it up, examining it. It looked alright. She put it back in its sheath, and then turned to look at the doctor and the strange man, who were watching her. It made her very uncomfortable – it was just so weird to be around men to begin with, and she knew from experience that as friendly as they might seem, it was only a matter of time until they did something bad. She didn't want to show her nervousness, though, so she forced herself to straighten up and put on a chilly, regal expression.

In a way, the strange man had done her a favor. He'd brought her to a doctor, and probably a decent one. She could see about getting the medicine for Jin. How she'd pay for it - and how she'd get back to Silver Sea, so injured that a mere walk was taxing - she'd worry about later.

It wasn't really worth asking for their names, she supposed. "I need medicine," she said. "I've come on behalf of a child. He has a fever and is coughing up black... slime from his lungs." She looked at the two men, expectantly.

The doctor looked almost appalled at her lack of respect and abruptness.

Houjun nodded at her reply. He didn't want to make a big deal out of saving her, after all. It was just the right thing to do, whether it had been her or anyone else. The last thing he wanted, of course, was an Amazon's hatred, so he let her attitude slide.

And it was a good thing that he was there to play diplomat with the doctor, too. The old man looked appalled, confused, and a bit upset. But Kaen looked to be doing a good thing, so that meant that, once again, she would get Houjun's help. Whether or not she wanted it.

"Ah, doctor, I'm sure you know what she's talking about, considering her very descriptive description, right?" He said with his smile. The doctor nodded slowly. "Great! Then why don't you prepare the medicine, no da! We'll wait here. Thank you, sir!" he called as the old man went to the apothecary area and gathered some drugs.

Now Houjun and Kaen were alone, and hopefully it'd be less insulting for her to have only one man concerned about her. "Are you really alright, no da? And where's Jin at?" So he could prepare a proper means of transportation. Yes, he was going out of his way a little bit, but it was his job to help people, and he'd do his best.

Kaen leaned against the wall, though she tried to make it look more like she was posing and less like she felt like her legs were going to give out. She wanted to be standing if she was going to have to speak with this person.

"Your concern is commendable, I'm sure," she said, rather frostily, "but I am just fine, thank you." In fact, she wasn't fine at all. She was upset, she was terribly thirsty, all of her muscles ached, and she was hungry besides. Now that she had been immobile, all of the complaints of her overtaxed body were catching up with her. It was annoying, and it made her despair ever getting back to the village on time.

"Jin is in a village his people call Silver Sea," she said, her tone flat. "Or at least he was two days ago. For all I know, he's dead now." But she had to try, and that was the point. She felt like kicking herself. Why was she even telling this man anything? And she really, really wished he would stop smiling. It wasn't the sort of smile that heralded an attack (and that thought alone made her shudder), but it was still making her damn nervous. It made her wonder what he was hiding from her, and what he was planning on doing to her. Her left hand, down by her side because it was too painful to move it much, trembled.

Houjun didn't believe her for a second. But he didn't push about her health right now, because it was clear she didn't want him to, and it was better to focus on helping the boy and keep an eye on her from more of a distance. The only response was a slightly frustrated sigh.

He nodded, "I've heard of the Silver Sea. Good fishing there, or there used to be, no da. It sounds like you don't have any time to waste, and I'd like to help Jin. I'm a monk, and I've studied magic. I can teleport us there, no da." If she was adverse to teleporting, which was logical since it wasn't the most normal means of transportation, he'd obtain horses for them. Key word being them. Houjun wanted to help people, and this boy was someone who needed help.

For a long moment, Kaen hesitated, torn between her pride, hostility toward men, and the genuine wish to help the boy. She didn't want to admit that she could use this man's help, and she didn't want to have to place any trust in him at all. It helped a little when he said that he was a monk - because most monks were celibate. But she'd also heard enough stories about corrupt, terrible monks that she couldn't just accept it easily.

And yet...

And yet, Jin needed help. And it shamed her deeply, but she wouldn't be able to help him with the state she was in now. She was exhausted, and too injured. All of it probably her own fault - she hadn't paid enough attention. And now she was in the untenable position of having to accept the help of a man. Oh, but it grated, and it made her feel unworthy of the title 'Amazon warrior.'

Kaen gritted her teeth. It was a hard-learned lesson, but her pride wasn't as important as protecting the life of a child. "Perhaps that would be best," she said. She opened her mouth, almost admitting that she was too tired to continue on her own, but quickly shut it again. "Thank you, Monk," she finished lamely.

Really, what she most wanted to do was to yell at him to please, for the love of all that was holy, stop smiling at her! There wasn't any reason to smile! She was a fierce, battered Amazon, and she certainly didn't want to be his friend. Yet the crankier she became, the more friendly and helpful he got. It was going beyond worrisome to downright irritating and bizarre.

Then, to her deep shame, her stomach growled.

"I think you're right, no da," he replied with a nod. He grinned behind the mask when her stomach growled. She needed food, and now he had an excuse to bring it up.

"We should get Jin some food, too," he said, using Jin to mean that she'd get some, too, of course. The doctor came in with the medicine and Chichiri began to search through his pockets for money. Of course, being a monk didn't pay much.

Kaen's cheeks immediately flushed with embarrassment. Now this man was trying to pay for her! It never ended, it really didn't!

...but even worse, she didn't actually have any money. If only she'd been well enough to loot the corpses of the bandits after she'd killed them.

She limped forward as quickly as she could, still leaning heavily against the wall. She reached into the neck of her tunic when she was near the doctor, undoing the red thread that held the amulet the eldest Amazon in Nyosei had given her. It was a horrible reflection on her to give it up, but it was made of gold and a bit of jade, and would cover the cost of the medicine. She pulled it out from beneath her collar and held it out to the doctor, unable to watch him take it.

Only a few days out of Nyosei, and she was already making a mess of things.

It felt horrible watching her give that up. The doctor was eager enough to take anything valuable, but Houjun saw Kaen's hesitancy.

That wouldn't do.

"I have some coins that will cover it, no da," he offered. "I'm not so attached to my money," was his way of explanation, in an almost-squeaky nervous voice. He had a feeling she wasn't going to like further help, but his money meant less to him than that jewelry did to her.

Wasn't he just way too nice?

Again, Kaen hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then, she pulled the pendant away from the doctor and thrust it at the monk instead. It seemed like the only way to save any face at all, and keep from losing her most important possession. "I will buy it back from you soon," she said, her voice harsh.

Her eyes were filled with pleading, though. She tried to remain stern and strong, but she was too tired, and far too upset. Please, she silently asked him, please take it. Please let me buy it back from you. Let me have this much of my honor back.

He paused for a second, blinking behind his mask. But after a second's hesitation, he took the pendant. "Whatever you say, no da," he said cheerfully.

He paid the doctor what he was owed and, with a smile as always, gave him thanks as well. He offered the package of medicine to Kaen to hold. "Ready to go, no da?"

His cheerfulness was not annoying in the least, and very well-intentioned.

Kaen nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She had just taken a big risk. There was no way to know if this man would demand something other than money in payment. He really didn't seem the type...

But hey, she thought bitterly, angels fell all the time. Men couldn't be trusted. They were savages.

Rather than speak, she took the medicine, and carefully got her gear strapped back on. It was a slow and humiliating process, with the way the bandage and the wound limited her range of arm motion. But she got ready without complaint. She'd already made herself look weak enough, no need to make it worse.

When she was done, she nodded to the monk to let him know that she was ready. She tried not to think about how she'd be trailing after him, like a pathetic, lost puppy.

...and he was still smiling.

Houjun remained silent as she gathered her things. Nodding once more in thanks to the doctor, he left the shop and headed to the place he was staying. He'd carry out the transportation spell in the safety of his room. Since he was staying in a combination hotel and restaurant, he also picked up some food from the owner before he led the way upstairs towards his room.

He didn't notice, nor would he have acknowledged, the sort of looks the old man gave Kaen.

"You can have something to eat if you want to, no da," he said cheerfully, opening up his door. "I'll make the preparations for the spell, and then we will be on our way, no da."

Kaen became more nervous with each passing moment, following behind the monk to his rented room. As the monk bought food in the restaurant downstairs, the day became dark. Clouds rapidly blotted out the sun, rumbling with thunder, and a cold breeze began to blow. It reflected her mood well, she thought. It was strangely appropriate.

As they approached the monk's room, her worry peaked, and blue spears of lightning began to streak through the dark clouds. She stopped outside the open door and shook her head, taking a step back, and then another, until her back landed against the wall. The temperature of the hallway dropped a bit, and she shivered, hugging her arms against her stomach. "I'm not going in there," she said, looking toward the stairs.

Houjun felt the shift in the air and an unusual force he couldn't name. He watched her warily, but of course his mask gave no indication to his sudden concern and unease.

"What's the matter, no da? Teleportation is the fastest way to help Jin," he said in a quiet tone. Color him innocent, because he wasn't fathoming her fear at the moment. He just knew she was afraid, and that she had power from something he'd rather not try to name.

"I'm sure it is," Kaen said, keeping her tone very even. "But I am not going in there." She wondered if she could reach her sword in her exhausted state before he could attempt to cast any strange magic on her. This had been a mistake. She never should have placed any trust in the smiling monk-y.

A flash of blue lightning danced across the clouds just outside the window. Even though she knew she should be watching the monk carefully, she couldn't help but look at it. The storm made all of her feelings of fear worse. She hadn't seen lightning like that since...

It was a very unwelcome thought.

Houjun turned his head to look out the window at the flashing blue lightening. This... was very not good.

"Calm down, no da. We won't go in there," he offered, his hands forming a placating gesture. "Would you rather we take horses, no da?" The staff in his hands trembled a bit, the rings clanging against each other. He didn't want to use magic to make her calm down, but she was just going to exhaust herself again about whatever.

"I don't care how I get there," Kaen said tightly, "so long as I am not alone in a room with you." Another flash of lightning illuminated the rings of his staff well. It seemed that perhaps he was a little nervous himself, in spite of the never-ending smile. Good, it was nice to know that it was no longer a one-sided feeling.

Houjun furrowed his brow in concern, some of the reasons why she might be afraid starting to sink in, and he didn't like it. "Alright, don't worry, no da. Nothing's going to happen to you," he promised and put down his cloak in the middle of the hallway. Anyone could walk through at anytime, which wasn't great for a spell, all things considered, but whatever would get her to relax.

"Just have a seat. We'll be there sooner than you realize, no da."

Just believe in him for this much, Kaen. He isn't a bad guy.

Another flash of lightning outside the window drew her eyes. It was starting to frighten her, quite a bit. She didn't like lightning storms, and they always seemed to be everywhere she went.

But even worse, the more wild a storm became, the more some small part of her reveled in it. And she didn't like that one bit, either.

She looked back at the monk, her face pale. Sitting on a cloak in the middle of a hallway seemed innocent enough. She didn't like the idea of having magic cast on her, but she didn't have a choice. She'd agreed to it in order to help Jin. And now, he seemed quite earnest, in his own scary, smiling way.

Kaen took a hesitant step forward, and then another, finally sitting heavily on the cloak. There was really no comfortable way to sit with her leg bandaged as it was. She settled for keeping it straight out in front of her and hoping she wouldn't need to stand quickly.

There wasn't anything particularly flashy to his magic. He concentrated, standing above her, making signals with his left hand and wielding his staff with his right. There was an instant of light, then dark, and then, they were in a quiet cove along the beach, which she would recognize.

"Are you alright, no da?" Houjun asked, looking around the area for anything suspicious. Sometimes teleportation left people a bit confused and, certainly, put them in the middle of who knows what sort of situation at times.

"Just fine," she said, looking quickly around. She recognized the place instantly - it was where she had landed, just a few days ago. She struggled to her feet, idly wondering if the battered little boat that she had ridden in was still floating out on the waves.

As quickly as she could, she limped toward the village, not paying attention to whether or not the monk was following her. Her arrival - and rather tattered appearance - certainly caused a stir. She had a few children following her when she got to Goro's little hut, though they shied quickly away from it, afraid of Jin's illness.

Goro looked like he had aged ten years in just a few days, his face sallow and haggard. His eyes had a hectic light in them when he looked up at her. "Kaen!"

She shook her head as he began to stand, limping the last few steps, then dropping awkwardly to sit on the floor. She pulled out the bag of medicine and handed it to him. Embarrassingly enough, there were tears in his eyes. "Is Jin still alive?" she asked.

"Barely," Goro whispered. "But maybe he has a chance, now." He hurried to get some water boiling.

"Then it is good that I was able to return early," she said.

Houjun followed silently behind her, smiling -- obviously -- at all the people they passed. If she was getting weird glances, he was stared at quite a bit. But he was a monk, as was made obvious from his appearance, and they respected that, even though they might question his contact with Kaen and thus the disease.

The old man barely cast him a glance as he prepared the medicine. It was clear on his face that he was pleading forgiveness for not being more hospitable, but Houjun shook his head a little and sat down next to Jin. Lifting his staff, he began an incantation to help stabilize Jin while the medicine was administered.

Kaen almost felt relieved when the monk followed. If he was a powerful enough magician to teleport them cross country, he'd surely be able to help heal the boy. She stayed with Jin while Goro prepared the medicine, and helped him administer it.

After that, there really wasn't anything she could do. The only aspect of the healing arts she knew was how to tend the wounds received in battle. She was useless, and the tiny hut was already far too crowded with the two men and sick boy. As quietly as she could, she levered herself to her feet and left.

Kaen limped slowly to the nearby beach, where she sat on the soft sand, watching the waves. She didn't know what she would do, now. It was plain that she was in no state to travel, but she didn't want to stay in the village any longer either. Jin would live or he would die, and either way she wasn't sure she could face his father. Grief and gratitude were both things she wasn't used to dealing with. Maybe she'd be able to get far enough away to make a small camp, and she could stay there for a few days until her strength was back.

Inevitably, her thoughts wandered back to the sick boy. She'd tried not to care about him, just doing it as part of her duty as an Amazon. But she was worried, and she'd been through so much strain in just a few days on his behalf. Now there was no way to be certain if it had even made a difference.

Kaen drew her good knee up to her chest, wrapping her arms around it, and leaned down to rest her cheek against it. For the first time in years, she felt like crying, and she didn't like it one bit.

The healing went successfully, but what else did one expect when one of the Suzaku warriors put in a good amount of effort? The boy was still exhausted from the illness, but he showed improvement, and that was enough of a good sign for the old man and the monk. After an unnecessary amount of thanks, Houjun left the hut to share the news with Kaen.

He found her in at the beach, not looking too well. That wasn't so surprising, considering all that had happened within the past few days.

"He's going to be fine, no da!" he reported happily. He would have been smiling without the mask. Knowing about Amazons, he didn't want to make a big deal about her condition.

Kaen let out a sigh she hadn't even known she was holding in. The one great worry gone, then. She had nothing left but her own selfish worries about what she would do now. She didn't look up at the monk. It was shameful enough that she probably looked as awful as she felt, and as weak. No need to drive the point home.

"That's a relief," she said. After a moment of hesitation, she added, "Thank you, Monk."

She had worried a lot about the boy, and that earned Houjun's respect. "Thank you for letting me help, Amazon, no da." He grinned behind his mask. "Monk is a fine name, but you may call me Ri Houjun," he said, as he came and sat next to her on the beach.

Not too close, of course.

Kaen wasn't sure if she ought to tell the monk -- Ri Houjun, she reminded herself -- her name. She'd heard stories that magicians could do strange things if they knew someone's name. But... he hadn't done anything remotely bad, not yet. And as much as she distrusted anything that came from the male half of the population, she still knew she should try to be courteous to people that helped her. "Haku Kaen," she said.

It was oddly comforting to have someone on the beach with her, even if he was male. He wasn't sitting too close, so she could relax a little. It also helped stave off the urge to cry, because there was no way she'd do so with a man around.

"It's nice to be introduced, Haku Kaen," he said politely. He gave a soft sigh, the tenseness of the recent events finally getting to him a bit, too. Idly, he said as he looked out over the sea, "If only I had brought my fishing pole, no da!" He gave her a smile. Again. That masked smile.

Kaen looked up, out at the rolling waves. "According to Goro, the waters have been bad these last couple of years. I doubt you'd catch anything. The people here are barely surviving." It was an unnecessarily grim answer for such a light-hearted comment, but she couldn't stomach cheer at the moment.

And he was smiling. Again.

She'd finally had enough. The constant smile wasn't friendly, it was nerve-wracking. It made her wonder what he was up to, and that didn't seem to go with the image of himself that he cast with his words. "Look, if you're not planning on murdering me or attacking my virtue, would you please stop smiling for five damn minutes? You're making me nervous," she snapped.

Immediately, she looked down at the sand, feeling very stupid. It was also getting her on her nerves, she realized, the way this monk seemed to make her feel young and stupid and rude without trying. Or maybe she was just making herself feel that way, because it was the truth.

She was homesick, she realized suddenly, as she stared at a pattern in the sand. Away from home for less than a week, and she was already filled with regrets.

Houjun sighed a bit at her first response, and just stared at her for a second when she snapped at him. "Of course I'm not planning anything, no da. But I always smile," he stated lightly.

Then he looked away, scratching at his chin in thought. Maybe he should explain to her all that 'mask' stuff. She was an Amazon, after all, so a scar would probably not frighten her. And it might help her relax a little, if the smiling mask was really getting under her skin.

"I noticed that," Kaen said, quite cranky. Maybe she should just let it go, and move. But this was her beach - she'd been here first - and she might as well make her point. Her expression and tone became even more grim. "And every man says that he's not planning anything, and it's damn clear that every man lies. You seem nice enough, but I learned my lesson well that bad things happen when men smile. So please, please, just stop."

She didn't want to look at him any more, so she turned her face toward her knee, closing her eyes. She felt awful, and petulant. She'd said far too much. She might be an Amazon, but she knew she shouldn't yell at someone who had just helped save a child's life. "Look, I'm... sorry. I'm sure you're just doing good, and you're a nice guy. But good men are mythical animals. And... damn it, I don't know what I'm trying to say. Never mind." Just leave, she thought. Please go away. I've embarrassed myself a lot already, and apparently you just make it worse.

Houjun frowned behind his mask. Something had happened to her, something bad, but it wasn't his fault, and he was a good guy, and he wanted to prove that to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, in a surprisingly non-joking tone of voice. He brought his hand up to his face and hesitated for a moment before taking off his mask. He looked over at her with his one eye, his face a bit stern. "I'll stop."

There was another long pause. He wanted to offer her transportation back to the city, but he didn't know a) how to phrase it so it wouldn't be insulting and b) if she even wanted to go back there.

At the change in his tone, Kaen made herself look at him. She didn't seem at all upset by his rougher appearance. If anything, she felt relieved. He wasn't smiling. And there were more than enough Amazons that had terrible scars of one sort or another. A life of battle wasn't kind. Seeing this man missing an eye was far more normal than when he wouldn't stop smiling.

She gave him a very small, almost shy smile. She noticed the mask in his hand - well, that made more sense - then looked back up to meet his eyes for perhaps the first time since he'd stopped to help her. "I don't know why you bother with the mask," she said quietly. "I think you look better this way." She looked quickly back down at the sand, fighting down another embarrassed blush. She really had no idea what to say, but she was pretty sure what she'd just spoken was utterly inappropriate.

"The scar frightens people. Y'know, non-Amazon people," he said, looking at the mask in his hands instead of her. "And it adds way too much seriousness to conversation. I prefer a little levity in life."

But he didn't put his mask back on yet.

Houjun was a very, very weird person, Kaen decided. She saw nothing at all to smile about, and hadn't for as long as she could remember. No wonder he'd been scaring her. She shrugged, looking out at the sea. "If someone is frightened, that's their weakness." Which really just went to highlight how weak she still was, because she'd spent so much of the day feeling upset and scared.

Kaen was also a very, very weird person. "It's not very nice to dig into somebody's weakness. Especially since the scar is my problem, not theirs."

He always felt so burdened when he took off his mask and remembered his past, and that came out in his speech. It was much less jovial. But, she probably liked that.

"Nice." Kaen shook her head. "Nice doesn't exist. It's no favor to cater to weakness." That's what she'd always been taught. And the Amazons had certainly never catered to her crying or nightmares. It had made her very strong.

"But it's no dishonor, either. And it's certainly more honorable to not force my weakness on others," he said in a firm tone. And then he put the mask back on. This was a good day, after all. They had saved a child. No need to be so severe.

"Are you going to stay here?" Houjun finally asked, his eye looking over the sea and barely watching her in his peripheral vision.

When he asked the question, she was halfway tempted to tell him to mind his own business. But it touched on the very problem she'd been dealing with. "I can't," she said. "I don't belong here. I should have moved on a few days ago, but... duty wouldn't allow me to desert a child."

Houjun glanced at her and nodded a little. "That's very honorable of you. If you'd like to go to the city, I'm willing to teleport us back," he offered.

Kaen shrugged. The sun was setting behind them, turning the clouds a beautiful array of reds and oranges. "It doesn't matter where I go. I'm useless in my current state." She couldn't kill anyone, let alone the man from her nightmares with her injuries and current weakness. Right now, all she wanted to do was lay down and sleep.

"I wouldn't say you're useless, no da," he countered, "But we can stay here since it's getting late. You can tell me in the morning if you want to return to the capitol with me, no da." He began to rise to his feet, and dust the sand form him. Normally, he would have stuck around for the sunset, but he didn't think she appreciated his company, and he'd rather stay on her not-so-bad side.

"You can stay, if you want," she offered quietly, uncertain as to whether she was offering to let him stay on the beach, or in the village. She shrugged. "I think I'll sleep out here tonight." She didn't want to have to go back and speak with Goro. She had no idea how to deal with gratitude, and she didn't feel like she deserved it anyway. From start to finish, the entire venture had been a screw-up, and the only reason Jin wasn't dead was because a man had decided to help her. She definitely didn't deserve any gratitude.

After a moment to think, she said, "I might as well go with you. I can't do what I've come for, now. I don't have anywhere to be." She'd figure something out. It would probably be easier to find work of some sort and money in the city, and it was obvious that she'd need money.

Houjun paused and listened to her. With a nod, he said, "Sounds good. We will leave in the morning, no da." He wouldn't mind staying out here a while longer, but he did want to check up on the boy again and, in the end, too much of his presence might upset her again.

"I'm going to go into the village for the night. Would you like me to bring you a blanket, no da?"

Kaen shrugged. She wasn't about to accept even more from him, even if it was in the simple form of a blanket. Though, in another night, you could take it to mean that he knew his place, since he seemed to be trying to take care of her. Thinking about it that way made her feel a little better. "I don't know," she said, being honest. "I don't know how cold it gets out here at night."

Houjun nodded. "It's no problem. I'll get one from the old man and bring it out; you can use it or not, no da," he said cheerfully. He gave her a simple nod as if to say 'it's decided' and then he went into the village to borrow a blanket.

Kaen remained silent as he left. Then she finally unslung her weapons, setting them next to her on the beach. If she was going to sleep, she might as well be a bit more comfortable, though she had a feeling she'd be able to fall asleep no matter what. After a moment of hesitation, she unlaced her armor, laying it neatly out as well. There probably wasn't anywhere safer in the world than on this beach.

Painfully, she levered herself up to her feet and walked down to where the waves washed the shore. The breeze off the sea sent her tunic and skirts flapping around her. She felt horribly dirty and grubby. At first she just scooped up a bit of water to wash her face, even though bending down was a painful prospect. After a moment of consideration, she decided, what the hell. The monk would probably be checking on Jin while he was there, so it'd take him a bit to get back. She looked around until she found a small tidal pool with a few rocks as cover. After one last, paranoid glance around to make certain that no one was watching, the stripped off her clothing, hung them on rocks, and gingerly stepped in.

The salt water stung at her numerous cuts, and the pain it caused her wounds was enough to make her eyes water, but it was cool and unbelievably wonderful all the same.

The monk did take his time, but since Goro was kind enough to offer him room for the night, Houjun would have plenty of time to check on Jin later that night and tomorrow before they left. So he didn't waste too much time heading back to the beach. He was surprised to see Kaen gone, and he didn't see where she was.

"Kaen? I brought back the blanket. Are you here, no da?" Her weapons were, so she couldn't have gone far.

Kaen froze in the middle of scrubbing at her hair with a bit of soft sand. She cursed under her breath. Since when had men been prompt? She considered her options. If he came any closer, he might see her, and then she'd have to cut out his remaining eye. It seemed a shame to do that.

"Ah... thank you," she called. "Please just leave it there. Don't come any closer." She set about to quickly rinsing her hair. Too quickly, it seemed, since it made her move her arm around far too much. "Ouch! Damn it!" The wound had been stitched shut neatly with silk, but when she moved too much, she felt one of the stitches pop. Oh well, she'd survive. Grimacing, she reached up to the rocks and pulled her clothes down, then put them on quickly. They got rather wet, but it was better than the alternative.

After taking a deep breath and attempting to collect the scattered bits of her dignity, she walked back on to the beach. Just in case the monk was still there, she needed to keep up appearances.

"Uh... alright, no da," he said, the confusion clear on his voice. Then came the cursing and after a pause, he called out, "Are you okay, no da?"

Then he saw her walking back... clothes all wet. What the...? She was hopeless. And he would never say that to her face.

Kaen wished that she'd asked him to grab her small pack when he was back at the hut. Her spare clothes were in there, and she much preferred to wear cleaner, if more threadbare, clothing on a clean body. She crossed her arms, wincing slightly. "Just fine, thank you," she said.

Houjun sighed at her behavior. There was nothing to be done with her, though. "If that's it then, I'll go back to the village for the night, no da."

Kaen gave him a regal nod, picking up the blanket. She draped it over her shoulders, then began braiding her hair. "Good night, then." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you don't mind... when you come in the morning, bring my pack with you?" She hated to ask, but it did make sense for him to grab it if he was there.

"Of course I will," he said with a wave, starting to head back in the direction of the village. "Good night, Kaen!"

And he fought back the desire to call her Kaen-chan. That would have been such a bad move.

"Good night, mo-- Houjun," she said. It felt very strange. She shook her head and finished up her braid, then gathered up some driftwood and sea wood. A small fire, stars overhead, and soft sand. She would sleep well.