It is amazing to be writing again. I have forgotten how it is like to immense yourself in the characters' world and there cannot be a rush in the plot. I had more plans up my sleeve but my characters took a life of their own and told their story to me instead. Strange, isn't it?
In this chapter, Soujirou got to meet Sato, Kisa's father. Oh... and the puppy finally has a name. =P
I typed this till rather late at night. So I am gonna sleep now but I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I do.
The twilight sky sparkled with its numerous stars and the crescent moon greeted Soujirou and Kisa as they entered a clearing.
The tea house looked rather decent. It had the typical sukiya style with sliding doors made of wooden lattice and translucent Japanese paper; shoji windows and tatami mat floors. At the front of the house was a pretty pavilion made of bamboos, straw ceiling and flowers were weaved around the pillars.
"Welcome to the Ichigo Chashitsu." Kisa chirped sweetly, brushing past Soujirou.
"Excuse me Ichigo-Chan," Soujirou reached out for her hand and held it. He slipped his other hand into her sleeve, "I believe you have something that belongs to me."
He pulled out a pouch of coins and smiling at her politely.
Kisa was flabbergasted, then shocked, and finally, she shot a glare in his direction. "Dammit. I should have picked a different guest." She stormed off.
"Hahahaha!" A thin man laughed heartily as he strolled out of the woods.
"Kisa, still getting caught at your age?" He gave a toothy grin. "You should have mastered it by now."
The girl harrumphed as she stormed off into the teahouse.
"Forgive my daughter. She is a little cheeky," he smiled at Soujirou.
"Thats alright, Sir. It is good to be lively at this age." Soujirou replied casually.
"You aren't too far from her age yourself," the man said as he stood beside him. Soujirou studied him stoically. He was very skinny for a man his age and he looked slightly pale. His short grey hair shone silver under the moonlight. His strong jaw line stood out which indicates he was not always like this. Scars lined across his chest and forehead. This man must have a story to tell.
Soujirou's thoughts got cut off when the puppy whined and propped its two paws up on his leg.
"Looks like its hungry," the man patted the dog. "Come inside and have dinner with us. What's your name?" He gestured towards the teahouse.
"Soujirou, Sir. Pleased to meet you!" Soujirou bowed politely. His mouth curled up a little.
"Call me Sato. I am Kisa's father," Sato extended his hand to Soujirou. Puzzled, Soujirou shook his hand.
I am merely a stranger. Why would he treat me so kindly? He thought.
Soujirou noticed the same glint in flickering in his eyes like in Kisa's. He searched for his pouch of gold. Dammit! That old geezer!
"Otosan, Sou! Come for dinner! (or supper rather)," Kisa called from behind the translucent doors.
"Hai, hai." Sato walked towards the teahouse with the puppy prodding beside him.
"Sou"? Soujirou heaved out a quiet sigh and entered the house.
Soujirou was at the backyard, plowing at the land to plant tea leaves. It had been a few days since he entered the tea house.
*Flashback*
"Wow, Kisa. You outdid yourself this time," Sato exclaimed. The table had rice, natto, roasted fish, cooked mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
"Mmhmm! I am the daughter of the teahouse owner. I should know how to cook," She tilted her head up proudly.
"Thank you, Ichigo-san. The food looks good. Itadakimas~,"Soujirou took a bite of the mushroom.
Well, the food looked good. The key word was "looked". Soujirou's face turned blue.
"I am full now," He grinned, putting his hands together.
"Me too! That was a great meal, Kisa!" Sato clapped his hands together, turning his blue face away from her.
"That was a lie! You two!" Kisa muttered angrily, grabbing Soujirou's shirt. She was about to throw a punch as Soujirou squeezed his eyes in anticipation of the impact. He was taught to be a gentleman if the situation called for it.
But no impact came and he opened his eyes. Sato and Kisa were staring at the dark red and blue mark on his chest. The deep gash left by Himura Kenshin's sakabatou would definitely take a while to heal.
"Sou, is that why your clothes were all ruffled up? Why do you have so many wounds along your body?" Kisa inquired with alarm, as her eyes scanned for other injuries.
Soujirou smiled, "I was in a sword fight with my teacher. It is over now."
They pressed further for more information, but all they got was the boy's smile.
"Sou, I think I speak for both of us when I say that we want you to stay. Please let us treat your wounds," Sato said, his brow furrowing. Kisa nodded in agreement.
Soujirou tried to refuse, not wanting them to fuss about his wounds, but they were adamant that they should at least treat the gashes to prevent any infections. It was a fair point, and so he agreed. Although, he did not like how their eyes glinted when he finally agreed.
All of that occurred a few days ago.
Currently, Daifuku was playing fetch with Kisa who was apparently procrastinating on her chores. Soujirou heaved a sigh. He decided to help out of gratitude for the food and shelter. At the same time, he was trying to figure out how to wrest his money back from this cheeky family. The scar on his chest was a lighter red now. The Ichigos certainly knew their herbs well.
Kisa decided to name the puppy "Daifuku" because he was a really sweet boy.
Sato laughed in the background as he planted seeds along the ground, making sure they were evenly spaced. "Kisa, at this rate, Soujirou will have done all your chores."
Sticking her tongue out mischievously, she retorted "he is more than welcome to do my chores for me any day."
Soujirou smiled, "be careful what you wish for, Ichigo-San. That would be the job for your husband."
Kisa raised an eyebrow teasingly, "Hahahahahahaha! Hmm... Maybe that can be you, Sou. After all, I am sure those scars tell the story of a strong man. You can feel free to keep doing my chores for me." She gave a toothy grin.
Sato, protective of his daughter, ruffled her hair. "Kisa, stop fooling around! Get to work, you little rascal!" (grr grr grr...*Stares at Soujirou*)
"Fine fine..." Kisa fixed her messy hair while she pouted. Daifuku was sniffing around the backyard.
"Soujirou, do you live around here?" Kisa asked, as she took another plow and started plowing beside him.
"No," Soujirou watched the puppy chase a chipmunk along the trees. "I am a Rurouni. There is no place that I intend to go."
"Oh, don't you have parents who are waiting for you?" Sato looked at him inquisitively.
"No, they sold me off to my half-brother a long time ago." Soujirou said nonchalantly. He continued plowing the soil as if it was a normal conversation.
"I see. Where's your half-brother now?"
Soujirou smiled at him casually and gave no reply. He was done with plowing and started planting the seeds in the soil.
Realizing that the topic might be a minefield, Sato and Kisa eyed each other nervously. They decided not to push the question any further. Sato could not make heads or tails about Soujirou. All this boy did was smile. But when he looked into the young chap's eyes, it was expressionless. Almost like a puppet that functioned by itself.
Looking at the sky, he noticed the sun was high up, bringing a hot afternoon.
"Soujirou, help me plant the remaining seeds. This old man's back could not handle bending down too long," Sato instructed Soujirou.
"Yes, Sato-san. I will be right with you," Soujirou took the basket from his hands and planted them. Kisa was complaining how fast Soujirou was with his chores.
"It's so unfair. How are you so fast? Judging from your clothes, you seemed like a rich kid!" She muttered.
"Ahh... I once did heavy labour in the past. Don't worry, Ichigo-san. I will help you once I am done," He smiled politely.
After the chores were done, Soujirou wanted to leave. Before he moved off to pack his belongings, Sato came up to him. "Well done, Soujirou, you are a good kid." He ruffled his hair and grinned. "Before you go, please stay back for lunch. We would be happy to serve you our specialty."
Soujirou was speechless. He smiled in reflex and bowed. But beyond his exterior, he had no idea how to react or respond to such a gesture. No one had ever treated him affectionately before. And it was done purely out of their own will.
Daifuku ran up to him, panting happily at his savior. Soujirou bent down to pat him. That was all he knew to do from observing Kisa. The one who showered Daifuku with affection was her. However, the first person that Daifuku ran to greet every morning, was Soujirou.
Kisa had this weird habit (to Soujirou) of talking to the creature, "Daifuku, why do you always run to Soujirou first." She would pout every morning, clearly sad that the puppy so strongly preferred Soujirou. It would curl up on his lap or bring his slippers to him, even though she was the one who trained it. When was she ever going to get appreciated for her hard work?!
The lively group settled down for lunch as they feasted on the specialty noodles. The noodles were delightful. They were soaked in miso broth and an assortment of vegetables were added with mushrooms to give it flavor. Kisa told Soujirou that when they had guests in the tea house, they would usually serve meat, as their meager income allows them to spend a little more from time to time. The tea house was not very popular as it was catered to the common folks. No rich men would come to an isolated humble place for some tea. Most of the time, the common folks would use this place for match making. Parents would arrange a meeting with the spouse's family to make arrangement for a marriage. There would be times that private ceremonies were held - secret weddings between couples that came from families embroiled in bitter family feuds. Usually, that involved elopement. But Sato believed that marriage should be done for love. Maybe not for the others, but that was his wish for his daughter.
The family altar sat in the center of his room. In the center laid the ashes of the departed Mrs. Ichigo, whom Sato loved dearly. Soujirou noticed that Kisa had no mother but he didn't pry, because well, the strong lives and the weak dies.
After the meal, Soujirou packed up and was ready to go.
"Here is your coin pouch! Be more careful with it next time," Sato grinned, holding out the coin purse to Soujirou.
"Arigato, Sato-san," Soujirou opened the pouch, realizing that a significant number of coins had been taken. He stared at Sato who was still grinning at him.
"That was for the bandages, the house-stay, the food..." and the list went on.
Soujirou was once again speechless as he saw the glint sparking between father and daughter's eyes.
"Ahh... I will be more careful of my purse next time. Thank you for looking after me and may life treat you well. I better get going," Soujirou smiled and took a deep bow.
"You will always be welcomed here, Sou! Come and visit us again sometime," Sato called as Soujirou waved his hand adieu.
Will this time be the last time Soujirou sees them? Stay tuned to find out :3
I hope you enjoy this lighthearted chapter 3
