When Kakashi opened his eyes next, the autumn leaves, like blood, had dried into a rusty brown. Some leaves had fallen with snow to curl onto the ground, others clung to the ends dark branches. When he breathed in the icy air, a sharpness caught in his throat. He shifted his gaze to his left and was greeted by her profile; Arisu's nose and cheeks tinged red, her lips a bluish kind of purple.
"It's like being dead", she mused, turning her face to meet his. They were both entirely dusted with snow, and damp due to snowflakes melting upon contact with their skin.
"We will be, unless we move soon", Kakashi warned.
Arisu closed her eyes. On her eyelashes were glistening snowflakes and on her mouth was a contented grin. Kakashi noticed his flask lay between them, morning sun made the silver container a blinding shade of white, and he wondered if the contents of that flask might have something to do with her behavior. When he attempted to stand, his wound threatened to split open; but he pushed past the feeling, a grimace smeared across his mouth. "To feel pain is to not be dead," he reminded himself, and reveled in the feeling of standing.
If not in the company of another person he would have shaken his legs about and done some elementary stretches, but he had never been much of a performer so he refrained. He did, however, watch her for a moment waiting to see if she would stand with him. She didn't seem to notice his movement, her eyes closed, that stupid grin still contorting her lips. He turned ready to leave all of whatever this was behind him. He was sure his village would love to know they had not in fact lost a valuable asset.
Arisu spoke then, "It's beautiful, snow so early in the fall, I've never seen it before", her voice matter of fact. She then sprung up, brushing the snow of her sides. Her back ached from resting on the forest floor for such a long night. She stretched down, wrapping her hands around her ankles. To her surprise she was burned by the touch of her own hands. She looked at her legs and hands with curious eyes. Her skin was blotchy pink from the cold, blue dress and blue eyes stood out stark by contrast. Arisu caught the glint of the flask on the snow. She did know how upset she would be if she ever forgot something so nice. So she picked up the flask and jabbed her arm toward him; presenting the flask to Kakashi she said, "I'm sorry all of it is gone, I spilt it on the forest floor when I was sewing you up, you see I forgot to screw the lid back on, and I must have knocked it with my foot".
"That's fine", dismissed Kakashi, who then paused before adding, "You keep it." Arisu smiled widely, graciously accepting the gift. She even curtsied. Kakashi had only not wanted an icy metal flask pressing in his back pocket.
"I need to get out of the forest" he told her, regaining his outward practicality, "I need to get somewhere warm, preferably with food"
"I can't even tell its cold anymore," Arisu shrugged. Kakashi looked at her as if to say "That is not a good thing." She didn't notice, she was staring into the palms of her hands. "My hands are so warm," she informed, stepping forward and lifting her hand to touch his cheek. Her hand did indeed burn him.
He tried again to make her understand, "The cold, as interesting as it is, will kill us."
Arisu seemed to ponder his words then said, "My father owns a hotel, I live there as well. I will take you there". She walked toward him, grabbing his hand as she passed and pulled him forward. Their height difference was dramatic, Kakashi had something of an entire foot on her. Kakashi bent over slightly in discomfort and Arisu slowed to walk next to him, taking two steps for every one of his, not letting go of his hand. Kakashi would have said something, but he thought it no use. He didn't really care after all.
The pair did not speak the rest of the way until a large brick building rose from the distance. The building looked foreign in the forest landscape, as even the paths that should lead to the place had been covered with snow. It was encircled with cast iron fencing intermingled with red brick posts. Evidence of a lush overgrown garden peeked out from beneatht the snow. Heavy grey sky hung over a dark slopped roof. The building's combined with its seclusion made it seem like a different world-to Kakashi at least. To Arisu this was home Kakashi noticed the large iron gates and overgrown greenery. He had been to his fair share of hotels, and this looked more like a mansion than a hotel.
"Business hasn't been great as of late", murmured Arisu before reconciling, "so we almost surely have a room for you".
She crunched forward into pristine snow, her red feet bare in shiny black shoes. She pushed the Iron Gate open, the fallen snow creating resistance. She turned bracing her back against the gate to push the thing with her entire weight, it budged a bit. She pushed again, Kakashi watched her. He did not want to rip open his healing wound after all.
Slightly out of breath Arisu met his gaze with thankless eyes. She stepped forward holding her arms out for balance, Kakashi, quite literally, followed in her footsteps. He was set on avoiding as much unnecessary contact with the snow as possible. He was not dealing with this entire scenario to drop dead in a frostbitten lump in the 'hotel' foyer.
Inside the mansion it was very dark; the only light was lent by two large shuttered windows and a brass lamp. The shutters were open the smallest amount as to cast bright stripes across the deep purple floor, which covered the entire floor and ran up the two large staircases leading to the second floor landing and a desk placed right in the middle, giving the room a very symmetrical look. There was a roundish man at the desk, his face anything but symmetrical.
Arisu skipped forward and leaned closer to the man across the counter, folding her hands beneath her chin, resting her elbows on the polished surface of the front desk.
"Hello Dee, how has your day been?" she looked into his face brightly.
"Better now that you're back Arisu," She nodded in agreement of his statement, feeling quite the same herself. She had missed being here terribly. Dee elaborated, "The Missus was giving me a hard time since I didn't know where you had gone."
Arisu stood on tip toe as she leaned further across the counter, the pressure causing the table to creak, to rest her hand fondly atop Dee's head, "I'm so very sorry Dee, I hadn't meant to be gone for such a long amount of time, but you see" there was a pout in her voice. She waved the hand not resting on Dee's head towards Kakashi, "I had to save this man's life."
"Your hand is cold miss," Said Dee seemingly unfazed by her announcement. He was very used to Arisu's stories after all, he had known her since she was a child.
Arisu immediately removed her hand, folding both of them in front of her. "I was out in the snow." She explained casting her eyes down, in embarrassment, before chirping a "Please forgive me."
Dee straightened up, nodding forward, accepting her apology.
"Anyway, what I need is a room for this man, the best one we have of course." She knew the more comfortable surroundings, the easier the body and soul healed, because this was her mother's excuse for always giving the greatest rooms to the weariest travelers, regardless of the patron's wealth.
Dee pushed a dense pad of paper towards Arisu, at the tip top of the page the number 204 was written in large childish writing. She looked at Kakashi, he had his hands in his pockets, and his eyes the most wary she had ever seen. She wondered for a heartbeat if his eyes were ever bright, but realized how silly that was. "Most everything that is dull, had to have been shiny at one point", she thought.
"Sign here," Dee said tapping the back of his pen next to the 2 0 4. He handed Kakasi the pen, who signed it with a loose hand. Arisu examined his handwriting. She exhaled heavily and turned to Kakashi.
"Dee, here, will take care of you for now, Okay?" she said to Kakashi.
"Okay", Kakashi answered, hands still deep in his pockets and wondering why he was still even here.
Arisu disappeared into a short serving door, coloured in the same dark as the rest of the room, Kakashi previously hadn't noticed. He turned back to face Dee.
Dee began ascending the left staircase, each of his steps made the stairs whine. When Dee reached the landing and noticed the lack of the newest patron, he looked down, red faced and breathless, at Kakashi. Without verbal prompting Kakashi followed, slowly and awkwardly in an effort not to disturb his wound.
"I could've carried you, you know", Dee huffed, "It is my job to make sure the company is one hundred percent comfortable." Dee's tone changed near the end of the sentence, adopting a tone which made Kakashi think he had been quoting somebody, probably the boss.
The pair shuffled down a hall, in a manner that might have looked like the purple carpeting and dark paneling might belong to a hospital. They were both in rough shape.
"I'll leave you with Doa", Dee said, gesturing toward the end of the hall, before turning and waddling back the way he had come.
"This was strange" Kakashi decided. He had seen his share of strange things, except they usually occurred in and around bars or asylums. Now the dark halls, a woman at the end of the hall with both wiry limbs and hair, mopping the ceiling. Kakashi looked up, staining his eyes, at the bit of ceiling directly above his head. Wet. He refocused on the woman he assumed was Doa and shuffled forward. He had no energy to yell, but he had hoped he wouldn't have to walk all the way down the hall, only to be spun round and sent back.
When he had reached what he imagined was within earshot he said, "Doris, excuse me, Dee left me with you."
"Oh," she mouthed, stretching the jaw of a very mousy face. She stood there a moment more with the dripping mop suspended above her head.
"Now"? She asked, her voice deep and full.
"Now." Kakashi said, his gaze dropping to the side in minute annoyance.
"Okay, just give me one moment." She said holding up a long bony finger for emphasis, or perhaps because she was entirely too used to not being heard. She lowered the mop, grasped it horizontally in both hands and trudged away from Kakashi to the end of the hall, the mop dripping all the way. Kakashi took a step thinking this que similar to Dee's, meaning to follow; however, she slammed herself into the last room on the left hand side.
Arisu emerged from the room two down and across from the door which Doris disappeared, cleaned up and clothed in an emerald silk dressing gown. Arisu glanced up and down the hall before retreating back into the room. She pretended not to notice Kakashi, for she had only looked out to see if he was settled in a room yet. Her question had been answered when she saw him standing there, after all. Kakashi was left in disbelief.
Doa returned to the hall, her hair now pulled back in a neat bun. "I can take you to your room now." She walked past him, and Kakashi felt his heart drop. He turned back around and the hall loomed before him, but Doris stopped midway and rudely pointed at the room decorated by a large brass 204, before reaching into her shirt and pulling out a ring of silver keys. She had to try at least two of them before the door swung open, and in this time Kakashi was able to make his way back down the hall. He nodded a thanks before entering and slamming the door behind him with a squinted eye smile. Doris stomped down the hall at what she perceived as insincere gratitude.
Kakashi crashed straight onto the king-size canopy bed, only to stumble in and out of sleep. In the moments he slept he dreamt of dancing cleaning products and twisted hallways (He also dreamt of green silk, but that is hardly appropriate). In the moments he was awake he admitted how strange such dreams were, but welcomed them as a change in pace from dreams of his past.
The sound of knocks on the dark door woke him. His throat felt tight so he melted out of bed to answer the door. Anyone who knocks nine, now ten, times will not be deterred any time soon, so ignoring them was not an option. It was Arisu. He was relieved to see her when he opened the door, he certainly had no desire to see anyone else. Arisu looked at him a while, examining him. He must look terrible.
"I brought you coffee." She said before adding, "But I'm afraid it might be cool because you didn't hurry to the door."
"That's fine." Kakashi exhaled and looked down into the silver tray she was holding. There was a blue cup of coffee in the center of the tray, a small pyramid of sugar cube on the left side and a porcelain saucer of crème on the right. There was no need for a tray. She lifted the tray, Kakashi stepped aside to let her in. Arisu set the tray on the dresser at the end of the bed.
"Do you want company"? She asked, looking down at the tray.
Kakashi stood his hand on the handle, keeping it open. He sincerely considered her request, but he didn't have an answer; so naturally, he changed the subject.
"Is there a medic I could see"? He smiled emptily.
"No, I mean Dum is a chef, he deals with knives and meat, so he might be able," her eyes cast toward the ceiling in thought.
Kakashi cut her off there "I'll be fine," he reconciled closing his eyes. He made no move to close the door. Arisu walked toward him, her feet only in shear nude stocking.
"You should at least be cleaned up," she reasoned reaching out her left hand for the hem of his shirt. Kakashi stepped away.
"I can handle it." He defended.
"I have a son, you know, I'm good at these things." She explained, but brought her hands to her side.
A mild surprise lit his features and Arisu pretended not to notice, after all if he wanted her to know something he would ask. She shifted her weight, folding her hands in front of her.
"Do you want me to stay"? She asked looking into his eyes.
"I'll be okay," said Kakashi.
"I know you will be, either way. Arisu smiled, it's only preference."
He looked at this girl a moment before answering, "I'm just going to sleep, you should leave." He let the words fall without thought, as they would make the decision for him.
She nodded and left the room, wishing him a good night. Kakashi sat on the edge of the soft bed. He peeled off his clothing, leaving them in a crusty pile on the floor. He danced a finger along his incision, he felt an excess of string. Looking down he saw black thread woven into his skin and tied into a juvenile bow that was currently plastered to his skin by dry blood. He walked into the small bathroom, cradling his wound, and flicked on the light. Four white walls and porcelain fixtures were doused in a muted yellow colour, softening the space. The artificial light buzzed on his skin, it was a surprising comfort.
He emerged from the bathroom an eternity later folded into a white robe and blotting his face on a fluffy towel. He perched on the edge of his bed. As he descended to reality he became aware of a presence in the room, beneath his bed to be precise. He remained sitting mulling over options, he swung his feet so the hit against the bed frame. Another thump followed, not created by him. High pitched giggles erupted from the culprit. He bent down to peer beneath the bed, a preeminent glare on his face. He was met by a pair of yellow green eyes shining in the darkness.