Indy let out a hiss as a stream of cold water ran down his back, digging his fingers into the wooden basin before setting it down. For a pre-bath rinse that was supposed to be relaxing, it was anything but; his muscles were certainly knotted and goosebumps pricked at his skin.
"You know," Scoop huffed, crossing his arms as he eyed Indy from a few feet behind him (safely out of the spray of the water, of course), "You could've made the water hotter, idiot."
The shark just huffed as Chopper let out a small chuckle, softly blotting at his skin with a wet rag, not wanting to irritate the already patchwork-like flesh on his arms. He could not help but smugly note how he was not an idiot and had made his own rinse-water hot. Indy was indeed a fool.
"By the way, Scoop…" Indy asked as he flung a towel behind his back to dry himself off, "Why are you not rinsing off? They're not going to let you into the hot springs if you don't, you know."
"No way I'm taking my suit off." Scoop folded his arms, but not before pressing the button to retract his helmet. "I'll rinse my hair and scrub my suit down if that'll help, at least." Reluctantly, Scoop sat down on the stool at the other side of Indy, grabbing the showerhead and spraying his bowl cut.
"No one's going to judge you, Scoop," Indy chuckled a bit. "Everyone in this place is gonna be naked, after all."
"Indy, I don't have any arms or legs unless I have my suit on." Scoop glared at Indy through the wet hair that was hanging in his eyes. "You know that."
"So?" Indy asked. "I don't mind carrying you around if -"
"Indy." Scoop looked deadly serious, turning off the showerhead and flipping his hair so it was out of his eyes again. "Someone's gonna call me 'Torso Boy.'"
"What...?" Chopper looked over Indy's shoulder at Scoop, squinting.
"Uh… has anyone called you that before?" Indy asked, doing his best not to laugh. He didn't want a jet of scalding hot water in his eyes.
"No," Scoop said, turning the showerhead toward the front of his suit, "But they will."
"... Are you sure?"
A serious glare from Scoop was all it took for Indy to know not to push the matter further. Indy held his hands up in resignation and said, "Fine, wear the suit."
Scoop's expression lightened and he grinned at Indy. "Glad you understand."
And so, without another word, the tiny yokai grabbed an armful of towels for himself and took off toward the springs at a full sprint…
When suddenly his foot caught a soapy spot on the floor and he fell forward onto his face with a loud clang! The loud noise caused Chopper to stiffen in shock, but Indy just sighed and raised a hand, motioning that everything was fine. Scoop was prone to accidents like this, and, not unlike your average human toddler, he would be back up within seconds and raring to go.
Indy stood and stretched to follow Scoop, but a gentle prod at his side kept him from stepping forward.
Chopper, averting his eyes slightly, nudged his head over in the direction of the towel Indy had dried his back with. "You might want to take your own advice and follow the hot spring's rules...please cover up so we don't get thrown out."
The adventurer, face now incredibly hot from the embarrassment, snatched up the towel and secured it around his waist, trying to ignore the quiet, dry laughs coming from Zom B. He slowly rose to his own feet, and then (as if he did not learn from Scoop's own accident mere moments before) lunged towards the onsen entrance like a cat chasing after a mouse.
"I can't take these two anywhere." Indy, stepping gingerly to avoid slipping, finally brought up the back as he began to make his way toward the warm baths.
As soon as he stepped through the door separating the rinsing station from the actual baths, he felt the air rush out of his lungs in awe at the sight. The first bath, known as the Forest Bath according to the hand-carved sign on display, lived up to its name. Sakura trees stretched out their finger-like branches over the top of a bamboo backsplash, petals floating down to lazily rest on the steaming water. The scent of flowers hung in the air, a relaxing aroma that complimented the mood.
Scoop knelt over the surface of the pool, eyes darting back and forth as he examined the water for...something.
"Iiiiiiindy...there isn't anything remotely holy about this bath!" He whined, still perched on the edge of the pool just in case.
"That's because this is only the first bath, little guy." Indy gently picked him up by the collar of his suit and set him back onto his feet a ways away from the precarious edge, jamming his thumb into the direction of the other baths.
"How can you tell if it's holy or not?" Chopper asked, adjusting his towel a bit to keep it from sliding off his chest.
"Don't question my methods," Scoop scoffed. "Let's hurry up and find a holy bath."
So onward they travelled throughout the cobbled paths that wound around various baths. Indy tried not to let his mouth hang open in childlike wonder as he admired the beautiful baths. Scoop wove along ahead of his friends, dramatically searching the halls top to bottom in search of a talisman or shrine that stood out against the aesthetic.
A little, pink mushroom lady, perched on the edge of the quietly-bubbling bath, watched the excited Scoop dart about. She put one of her small hands to her cheek and let out a hum of happiness, leading Indy to look up to her.
"Ohhhh, is this your son? He's so cute!" The dainty lady sweetly called out to Indy, her long purple tongue waggling slightly with happiness. At the question, Indy shot a panicked look over to her and back at Scoop, holding his breath to see if his friend overheard the harmless comment; thankfully, he was too preoccupied with his mission to hear.
"No, no. He's a good friend of mine… and a grown man. Just really short." A small laugh escaped his lips; he felt like he was talking to a very kindly mother. Maybe this lovely little mushroom was a caretaker of a sorts...now was not the time to be thinking about that, though. "Just out of curiosity, have you seen anything...godly around?"
The question almost embarrassed him.
"Ohhhhh…" She tilted her head, eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she kicked her feet in the water. "I mean...the next bath is very spiritual in its own way, so maybe you'll find your answers there!" Indy quickly thanked her and grabbed Chopper by the wrist to urge him forward towards the next bath, waving to the lady as they pushed on.
Even before they had approached the bath, Indy felt Chopper shudder slightly beside him and the rare feeling of a pulse hitched underneath the pads of his fingers. The zombie's eyes were glued directly in front of him. He sensed something that was making him excited.
"Chopper, what…"
"Do you ever just...feel something powerful in your wake? Something that makes you excited? A trap...worthy of your time?"
Indy just ignored him and trudged forward, almost bumping into something small and standing as still as a statue, frozen in a stunned silence.
Scoop had found the bath before the other two did; he was staring in pure awe at the man soaking in it. Indy and Chopper joined Scoop in gawking; this man had such a powerful aura radiating from him.
He was a tall, muscular, imposing man, and in his current naked state, every one of his rippling upper body muscles were on full display. His face was twisted by gigantic pointed teeth and a harsh brow, but his eyes were closed in relaxation. Cropped green hair framed his gnarled face, and his body was covered with battle scars.
"Bishamonten," Indy breathed in wonder when he noticed the scars.
"Eh?" Bishamonten's yellow eyes shot open and he took in the three young men in front of him. "What are ya staring at?"
Indy found himself intimidated and clammed up.
Scoop, however, found his voice. "Are you jealous of his bod, Indy? It looks even firmer than yours! I guess that's the body of a god, though!"
"Scoop," Indy hissed through clenched teeth.
Much to Indy's surprise, Scoop's comment got a huge belly laugh out of Bishamonten.
"That little man is a straight shooter, huh?"
"You have no idea." Chopper shook his head at Bishamonten, folding his arms tightly against his towel.
Scoop wasn't done. "You have him beaten in the face department though, Indy. This guy's super ugly. A total butterface."
Scoop started to giggle to himself, but was interrupted by Bishamonten rising out of the tub in all his naked glory. He loomed over Scoop menacingly, his eyes narrowed into angry, glowing yellow slits.
Scoop wore an expression of pure horror as his eyes flipped back and forth between Bishamonten's murderous expression and… much lower on his body.
"D-don't kill him!" Indy pleaded. "He doesn't ever think about what he says!"
"I've never seen a weiner this scary," Scoop said feebly.
Indy gestured to Scoop like a desperate game show host. "SEE?!"
Bishamonten inhaled through his nose and huffed out the air like an angry bull. "I don't want this one around. You two can stay."
"You heard him. Get outta here, Scoop." Chopper began to push Scoop away.
"B-but we need to do that holy favor thing!" Scoop protested.
"Leave it to Indy and me," Chopper chided as he patted Scoop on the head. "Go for a soak and think about what you did."
"Mama always said honesty was the best policy," Scoop murmured, "but apparently 'honesty' gets gods pissed at you."
"She probably didn't mean your brand of honesty." As soon as they reached the Treasure Bath, Chopper picked up Scoop and tossed him in it, right next to a manly lion yokai. Chopper brushed his hands off and quickly headed back to Indy and Bishamonten.
In Chopper's absence, Indy had already explained that they were taking on the challenge to collect charms from each Lucky God. Bishamonten was currently wracking his brain for what these two could possibly do for him. After a few moments of headache-inducing silence, the massive god finally just sighed and shifted his shoulders around, stretching his spine to make himself appear taller.
"Your holy favor is…" And with a dramatic pause, he allowed his shoulders to slouch, a sigh huffing through his nose.
"...Well, to be honest, I'm on vacation and not really in the mood for putting you guys through the wringer. Normally I would, being rules and laws are kind of my favorite things in the world - " Indy noticeably winced at this, but Bishamonten paid him absolutely no mind - "So how about a contest instead? A fun little competition amongst us men?"
Indy was taken aback by this. "What do you mean...competition? Like...arm wrestling?" A hand slid up to his bicep subconsciously, rubbing the muscle out of some gut reaction of fear.
"No, no. Something a bit more civilized than that." Bishamonten cocked his head to the side, eyes rolling up to the ceiling in thought. "How about...a competition to see who can stay in this bath the longest?"
With a sigh of relief, Indy just shrugged and let a smug grin cross his face. "That doesn't sound TOO bad! I acc-"
"BUT." The booming word shook both the adventurer and Chopper to their very cores, their blood running cold. "You should know that this is the Heavenly Bath. The bath that will temper souls and forge warriors from its waters. What I'm saying is...it's hot as hell."
Indy and Chopper both exchanged glances, and the latter just shrugged. It didn't really bother him, at least.
"I'll let you two decide amongst yourselves who will challenge me in this duel of hellfire. You both can feel the water, too."
"I DON'T REALLY MIND HEAT OR PAIN SO YOU SHOULD TOTALLY LET ME COME BACK OVER THERE AND TAKE PART IN YOUR COOL MANLY CHALLENGE!" Scoop's shrill scream echoed through the stone walls of the onsen.
Indy leaned over the wall separating the two baths and shot his friend a look. The yokai, already small in stature, was dwarfed even further by the expanse of the empty bath. Even from the short distance away, Indy could plainly see the pleading look in Mr. Scoop's eyes. He wanted to take part in this quest, but…
"No, Scoop." With a firm glare, Indy straightened himself up as Bishamonten had done prior. "You're getting punished for insulting our large...friend here. Also, the metal bits of your heart could melt and I don't really feel like driving you to the hospital!"
He turned to step towards the bath, eyes closed to accentuate his point, only to feel his face hit something firm covered in a coat of soft, thick fluff. With a muffled noise of confusion, he pulled his face back and opened his eyes, blinking a few times as they adjusted to see what looked like the plush, furry chest of...Indy slowly raised his eyes upwards and jumped back a little in shock, breath caught in his throat. His face had just gotten acquainted with the chest of an incredibly tall, rather muscular lion man -the same lion man that had been originally sitting in the bath with Scoop just a few moments prior.
"Do you guys need a referee?" His voice was steady and firm, a hint of calculation and strength behind just those few words. The lion's face, complete with a blank expression and tightly-closed eyes, was hard to read.
All Indy could do was just stare at the man, sweating a bit from the pressure of it all. If you asked him, though, he would totally say the air in the onsen was too hot. He was not scared at all, no way, no how.
"Take as long as you need to answer, I understand fully!" A slightly chipper tone entered the lion's voice, one of his eyes opening and casting Indy a look that bore into his soul like a hot knife.
"Manojishi! Took you long enough to offer!" A huge grin spread across Bishamonten's rough, fanged face. "Come sit by me and ref for us!" He happily patted the ground right by his side, and that was all it took for the newcomer to lithely stride to the spot and plop down, arms crossed and back as straight as it could possibly get.
These guys mean some pretty harsh business, don't they? Indy thought as he stepped towards the water's edge. Not wanting to jump right in, he balanced himself on one leg and fanned his toes out, gingerly touching the surface of the pool with his big toe. Instantly, something did not feel right on the sensitive skin of his foot.
"YIKES!" The adventurer winced, tenderly placing his scalding toe onto the cool floor to soothe it. He casted a pathetic look over to the silent Chopper; there was no way a cold-blooded shark could tolerate such high heat!
Zom B. just stared back at him for a few minutes, the expression on his face almost as hard to read as Manojishi's. And then, with a nod, he took a step forward.
"I'm already dead, after all. A little hot water isn't going to harm me any. Besides, this kind of a thing might actually be exciting."
Chopper strode to the edge of the water with smooth, silent steps. He stood there eyeing the water with ironclad determination. In one swift move, he yanked the towel off of his body and blindly threw it over his shoulder…
Only to have it firmly smack Indy in the face. The shark scrambled to remove it, taking a quick second to tenderly rub the spot where it had whipped him, a blush spreading on his cheeks. Chopper had no sense of shame, ever, and it always caught Indy off guard.
Speaking of which, the nude half-zombie was already settling into the water comfortably, eyes closed and head tilted back against the wall. Bishamonten was doing the same, his stern eyes glaring at Chopper. When he saw both of them were settled into the water, Manojishi raised his arm toward the ceiling and quickly sliced the air in front of him downwards like a guillotine, quietly calling out a harsh "Start!"
With that, both of Chopper's eyes shot open, meeting the daunting gaze of Bishamonten's. They stared at each other in silence, both of their arms crossed and neither bothering to show any kind of expression that would clue their opponent in as to how they were feeling.
Not that it would have helped Bishamonten's case at all; as he expected, the incredibly hot water was not felt by Chopper in the slightest. Not a single bead of sweat trailing down his forehead, no flush to his cheeks from the heat. His breathing did not even pick up. He just sat there, completely relaxed and staring down across the bath.
How long the two stayed in the tub, Indy did not know. Manojishi was not keeping any kind of time, instead just silently sitting with crossed legs and folded arms across his chest like he had been prior to the competition starting. A chill slid down Indy's spine as he watched the two. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife; not even Scoop (who was peering around the rock separating the two baths) had anything smart to retort.
And that's when it happened.
It sounded like a pool toy shooting up over the surface of the water. Something had bubbled over the surface with intense energy. And the noise of that something caused Bishamonten's concentration to break. He made the mistake of tearing his attention away from Chopper to the source of the noise and, before Indy could even see what it was that had caused the interruption, a rumble began to creep up into the god's throat.
"What...on Earth...is that?!" His once-stern voice now shook, the rumbling being replaced by what sounded like a low whine. Bishamonten was beginning to recoil, back pressed as firmly as possible against the side of the bath and gut sucked in to avoid touching…a leg bobbing on the surface of the water.
After a few moments of staring at it in terrified silence, Bishamonten was out of the water and perched on the rocky floor like a startled cat, shaking slightly and eyes wild. A quiet chuckle came from Manojishi, more entertained than anything at the ridiculous sight; a hand was politely covering his mouth.
"Aw geez, it happened again." Chopper shot a disappointed look over to his leg lazily floating along the surface of the water. He shakily brought himself to his remaining foot, slowly hopping over to the limb and snatching it up. As soon as his fingers made contact with the flesh, Manojishi's hand raised once again and sliced down.
"Bishamonten's challengers have bested his trial!"
Indy leaned forward, a large grin replacing the nervous grimace that had been on his face a few seconds prior. Chopper actually won!
...In a somewhat silly way of course, but that was besides the point - the first challenge had been beaten. From somewhere behind him, a loud whine came from Scoop, disappointed that he did not have the chance to show off how much of a cool manly-man he was.
"Chopper, you did it!" Indy called out, clapping his hands together once with glee.
Caught in the act of trying to secure his leg back on, Chopper looked up, startled a bit.
"What? I...won?" He looked around, first to the cheering Indy in his corner, over to the clever eyes of Manojishi, a smirk on his face as he offered a curt nod of approval, and finally over to the cowering Bishamonten.
"I'm...not usually squeamish you know!" The god cried out, trying to straighten himself back up into a more dignified position. "I've had a fair bit of blood sprayed on me in my day, I just wasn't...expecting your leg to come right off!"
"It comes with the territory sometimes, you know," Zom B. sighed and finished securing his leg back on under the water. "I'm already dead, after all."
Another chuckle from Manojishi, this time, quite a bit louder and not politely covered. His ears lay flat against his mane as he cast a smirk over to the god at his side, who let out a huff and managed to work his way to his feet.
Indy leaned over and handed Chopper his towel, who proceeded to cover himself up as he strode out of the water. The loud clang of Scoop's feet grew closer as he scuttled forward, skidding to a halt at Indy's legs. A small pool of water was forming at his feet; since he had not brought a towel along, his suit was slick with water.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Scoop banged a fist against the firm wall of muscle that made up Indy's backside. "I wanted to be the cool hero and Chopper had to ruin it!"
"But," Indy, rubbing the now-sore spot that his strong little friend had just smacked, murmured as he stepped aside. "You can go ask Bishamonten to give you his charm. Your quest, after all."
At this, Mr. Scoop's eyes lit up. He practically waltzed around the bath and over to where the god was standing, holding his hands out expectantly. Bishamonten's lips curled up into a half-grin, shoulders slumping as he let out a small laugh of resignation.
"One last thing before I give you my treasure." His voice dropped, tone becoming deadly serious.
"Why aren't you naked like everyone else here?"
It was like a switch had been flipped. All of Mr. Scoop's glee had been replaced with some kind of forlorn sadness as his arms fell to the floor and hung his head. The faintest of murmurs could be heard coming from his mouth: a hollow "Torso boy...they'll call me torso boy…" repeated quietly.
"Um. Anyways." A golden tag appeared in Bishamonten's hands with a snap of his fingers. He bent down and offered it to Scoop like a playing card, putting it right in front of his face so the downtrodden yokai would see it.
Switch flipped...again. Scoop snatched it out of the god's fingers, a huge, dopey grin plastered across his face. With a perfectly-executed pirouette, Scoop cheered out, "We got the first charm for Cindy!"
He stopped spinning to eagerly wriggle in place, little feet excitedly tapping the stone floor.
"And it's all thanks to Chop's weird, gross zombie anatomy!" Mr. Scoop dramatically turned around, jamming his finger in Chopper's direction.
"Yaaay." Zom B. Chopper joined in, adding a halfhearted fistbump to go with his amazing rallying cry.