Chapter 7

Our last outing

Chiyoko shuffled through the snow on the sidewalk as she followed Kasumi. Her sister was happily smoking a pipe, her chubby stature bouncing up and down as she moved. The tenants had already gone out in search of items to bring back to Tokodeki. She wondered how Hinata was fairing with Mizu. As she walked along, she sensed someone following her in the darkness. The figure dove behind a trash bin. "Noburu, you can come out. Hinata is not with us."

The young man peeped his small head over the trash bin, his eyes darting around to see if Chiyoko was telling the truth. Once he saw the coast was clear, he hurried along after her, rubbing his hands together with his head flipping left and right scanning the area. He was nervous. His infatuation with Mizu, the new tenant at Tokodeki, had almost cost him his life. As he walked behind Chiyoko, he took out his wallet. Inside, he kept pictures of her he had snapped when she wasn't looking.

Noburu held the pictures to his chest loving on them as if they were a pet. He closed his eyes imagining Mizu approaching him in nothing more than a nightgown, her hands behind her back, dark eyes staring him down as she blushed. He giggled with a squeal at the end. Noburu felt someone's eyes on him. He opened his eyes to see Chiyoko looking over her shoulder at him. He coughed and put the pictures back in his wallet.

"It isn't my business to ask, but I suggest you get another hobby," Chiyoko said as they stopped at a particular shop. "You're alone too much, Noburu. We need to find you other interests to occupy your mind."

He walked inside eying the walls and counters of the shop. There were airplanes made out of different materials in boxes waiting to be purchased. Also sports equipment among the lot. Noburu snuffed at them. His eye caught onto a display of cameras used for photography. He started to drool with his hands pressed against the glass. Sitting on the shelf with its black exterior, was a Nikon. Oh, what he wouldn't give to have it. It was the type of camera meant for amateurs and professionals.

"I could take so many wonderful pictures with that," Noburu said to himself. He fantasized about Mizu a bit more, until he heard the shop owner clear his throat. Noburu almost lost his train of focus. He coughed several times. The man standing in front of him appeared to be in his fifties, his gray hair showing a bit over his ears. "Um, how much is this one?"

"292,156.62 yen," the shop owner said not skipping a beat. "That is the cheapest Nikon I have." It was no surprise to him the young man's jaw dropped so far to the floor he could open a jar with it. He moved on to assist the other customers in his shop.

Noburu had tears of sorrow streaking down his cheeks as he stared at the camera. "There's no way I could afford something so marvelous. I'm only a college student," he griped as his head tilted to the right. An image appeared in his head of his wealthy father sitting behind a desk going over papers. "Ah! That's right! I can always ask daddy!"

Kasumi looked over to the small man who was dancing around near the cameras. "Chiyoko, dear, don't you have any qualifications your tenants have to meet? Or do you just let anyone in now or days?" Her sister had no clue what she was getting at. Chiyoko went back to looking through the airplane models.


Mizu stood in the stone covered cemetery that dwelled behind an old iron fence. Her hands were warmly inside her coat, her scarf layered around her neck. The snow amongst the dead seemed peaceful as if a piece of heaven had blanketed the area. She watched Hinata light incense over his grandparents' graves. Quietly she, too, placed her hands together bowing as he did to show respect. "Thank you for giving Hinata a wonderful home," she whispered.

Hinata stayed in his kneeling position for a while, his mind sifting through his journey until that moment. Slowly, he began to open his eyes. Drifting incense wafted in the air, its scent recognizable to anyone in the area. However, they were the only ones at the cemetery. Most only came during the Festival of the Dead. It had been hard for him to deal with his grandmother passing away, despite the illness she had suffered from. When his grandfather had died the same year, his whole world had fallen apart. "I have been lost without you," he said stroking the head stones with his fingertips, brushing the snow to the ground. "But now I have Mizu to keep me company," he said expecting his grandfather and grandmother to hear him instantly. Hinata stood up. He turned around. "We still have shopping to do."

Mizu nodded, her long black hair moving forward. She waited for him to take one last look at the headstones before she began to walk with him. Her feet moved gently on the stone path. Wind began to roll through the cemetery causing her hair to blow back. She shivered at the chill. Hinata pulled her closer to him, trying to keep her warm. "What store are we going to visit," she asked holding onto his coat.

"Well, we've been gone for a few hours," Hinata said pondering. "There's a wonderful small restaurant where everyone usually eats." He caught onto her sad expression. "She's not going to bother you," he said speaking of Kyo. "It'll be our first date. You can get whatever you want, my treat."

Mizu leaned into him more. She would have never guessed that the strange man she had encountered at the train station was going to be her best experience. Hinata led her to the sidewalk where they began to walk around the mountain back to the main shops. She wasn't used to walking up such a slope. Mizu breathed hard. "I'm out of shape," she said. Hinata laughed at her.


Riku stood in the small restaurant adjusting his glasses with Asuka behind him. He bowed to the waitress who came to seat them. "We'd like a large table for eleven, please."

The waitress picked up menus from the basket at the front counter. "My, so many of you. We look forward to serving you," she said as she led the first three to a table. The girl moved her hand in the air requesting they sit. "We'll move the tables for you. I'm sorry we don't have one large table to fit everyone."

"It's alright. We understand large crowds are not common in the winter," Riku said giving her permission to get to work. He looked at the menu. "How do you figure everyone is going to meet here for lunch?"

Emi was busy looking around the establishment, her young eyes not missing any of the detail in the place as she sat beside Asuka. "Oh, we get to eat with everyone like we do at the apartment complex. This is going to be fun," she said watching Riku ignore her.

Asuka thanked the waitress for her tea. "It's the only restaurant that stays open all year. They also have the best seafood. Chiyoko grandma loves this place." The door opened slowly letting in a breeze of cool air. Asuka glanced at the entrance. Hinata and Mizu were already coming in. She waved at them. "We already got the tables pulled together for everyone. The rest of them should be joining us shortly," she said as Hinata pulled the chair out for Mizu. "You're going to love this place. It's small and doesn't look like much, but what they lack in ambiance they pull off in cuisine."

"I'd have to agree with you on that," Riku said as he put the towel in his lap. "Their dishes are made per request. The waitress over there is the daughter of the owner," he told Mizu as she turned her head curiously. "They're a very sweet bunch."

Hinata poured the tea into Mizu's small blue flowered cup. "One would think you're in love with that girl, Riku," he said catching the man's eye. Riku brought his menu up to hide his face. He snickered.

Chiyoko, Kasumi, and Noburu came into the small restaurant known as Blue Crab. She pinched Noburu to follow them. The man remained behind her as a shield. "There won't be any fighting," she said in her grandmotherly tone her eyes looking from him to Hinata. She climbed into the chair beside Mizu. The young girl was looking over her menu curiously. "This has always been my favorite restaurant in Ohara. Forget the high dollar ones the tourists go to; this one beats them all."

Kasumi sat across from Chiyoko next to Noburu. The poor man was cowering behind the table. He jumped out of his skin when the waitress startled him requesting his drink order. "Kyo and Kenshin are finishing up their shopping. They'll be here in a little while."

Emi turned her menu around a few times. "Man, I wish I had paid more attention to hiragana lessons. Some of these are hard." She heard Hinata smirk at her. "It's not funny, Hinata," she said in her girlish whine.

Hinata rested his chin on his hand. He wasn't sure what he wanted to eat. There were so many choices. As he sat thinking about it, he lifted his hand to place it on Mizu's head. Hinata started to rub her head fondly.

Mizu blushed hard. She tensed when she saw Riku and Asuka watching her. Hinata glanced at her uneasiness. Once he saw she was nervous about what he was doing, he full out put his arms around her hugging her. Mizu felt her face become hot from all of the affection.

Riku greeted Kyo and Kenshin as they walked in following a happy hyper Daichi. "At least have some decency at the table," he said out of the corner of his mouth to Hinata. "How was your shopping," he asked not really caring, but trying to make for conversation.

Kyo blinked watching Hinata smother Mizu. She wasn't the happiest about his decision regarding a new tenant; he barely knew her. She sat down across from him refusing to be ignored. Kyo wasn't going to go anywhere any time soon, except on her trip to keep her ex-husband off her trail.

Kenshin sighed as he sat next to Hinata. "It seems you two are getting along fine," he said overlooking the menu. The waitress was coming back to take their orders. "Daichi, what would you like to eat?"

Daichi wasn't able to read a large bit of the kanji. He only knew the basic version. "I want whatever Hinata is having," he said with a smile.

"Hinata is having Mizu. You're too young," Kyo said to the shock of the table. She felt Kenshin kick her in the leg. On the verge of smacking him and making a scene, her eyes met Hinata's. He was glaring at her. Kyo met his glare. Everyone at the table sensed the sparks being emitted from the two.

"Take that back, Kyo," Hinata said lowly removing his hands from Mizu. Kyo only stared at him not blinking. She was serious about verbalizing her strong disapproval. "Take it back," he said a little louder. Daichi looked at the two of them, his body starting to withdraw from the group. "I won't have you being a bully to her."

Emi tensed at the table. She didn't like to see them having a disagreement. It was unusual for Kyo and Hinata to fight. He was an easy-laid back sort of person. Kyo, on the other hand, was normally gone from the apartment complex. And when she was around, Emi was usually on her way to bed.

Kenshin put his hand on the back of Hinata's neck holding him firmly in his grasp. "That's enough from the children at the table. There won't be any fighting, or quarreling while we enjoy our meal. Both of you are making fools of yourselves," he said nodding his head at Daichi.

Kyo's eyes moved to what Kenshin was gesturing at. Her son was cowering at the table expecting a big lash out fight. Her motherly instincts took over at that point. She put her arm around Daichi trying to calm him down. "We're not going to lash out at each other, Dai," she said with a nurturing voice. "We're just unhappy with each other," she said trying to explain it to her six-year-old.

Daichi closed his eyes afraid that if his mother and Hinata fought that he wouldn't be allowed to play with him anymore. "I don't want you and Hinata to fight," he said sadly. "Hinata's the only friend I have," he said starting to cry. "I don't want anyone to fight."

Mizu looked at the boy sadly. It was all because of her choosing to be with Hinata. She felt bad about it despite knowing it was Kyo who was being defiant. Her eyes stared at the table. "I don't want to make anyone unhappy," she said more for herself. She closed her eyes. "I don't want to cause problems. Maybe it's better if we just-,"

Kyo interrupted her. "No, it isn't better," she said sharply. "You shouldn't give up so easily," she found herself saying. She wiped the tears off Daichi's face caringly. "I know how I am, but regardless of that, if you are serious about being with him, at least, stand your ground." Kyo's hard gaze met Mizu's. "Life isn't fair. Grow a back bone."

Riku butted in, his eyes looking at each of them over his glasses. "Are we ready to order now? The waitress has come back twice. But none of you would know that with all of the quarreling."

Asuka decided to give her order first. It was the only way to shove the argument out of the way. "I'd like the beef teriyaki please." She handed the waitress her menu. "You're next Mizu. Ladies first."

Mizu hadn't had time to think about what she wanted. She was so worried with impressing Kyo that she had overlooked the real reason why they were here. "Um," her eyes skimmed the menu quickly. She soon found a favorite dish of hers. "Fish teriyaki," she said. Mizu slumped her shoulders. She had wanted to get something different.

"Unadon, please," Kyo said mentioning the eel rice bowl. "Emi, you can order whatever you want. I'll pay for your meal," she said reassuring the girl's nervousness over the menu items.

"Unadon sounds good," Kenshin said as he smiled at Kyo with his hands folded, elbows on the table. "I had no idea you liked eel. One would think you were a beach girl." Kyo blushed and averted her eyes.

"Can I have the sushi platter, please," Emi said handing the waitress her menu. "Thanks, Kyo," she said softly, her face turning slightly red. Living on her own wasn't an easy feat. Her parents only gave her a certain amount of money each month. She supposed it was to limit her spending money on things she preferred – such has hanging out with friends. Little did anyone know, but Emi was pretty lonely. She didn't have anyone to confide in at school.

Chiyoko brought the menu closer to her face. She couldn't quite read the small kanji upon it. "What does this say? I can't make it out."

"Grandma, why don't you get the Katsudon," Asuka stated. "You haven't had it in a while." The old woman shook her head; she was having difficulty with the menu alright.

"Katsudon sounds wonderful, Asuka dear," Chiyoko said of the pork and egg rice bowl. "That's what I'll have. Can I get more soy sauce please? Thank you, young lady."

Kasumi was the last to order. She already knew what she wanted. "I'd like the Sashimi dinner. Extra miso soup please. It's cold outside."

Daichi wiped his eyes clean. He was feeling a lot better since things had calmed down. "Hinata, can I have what you're having?" He looked at the older man across the table.

"How about I order something and you order something different? We can share," Hinata said. "Just don't get a cold dish. No soba noodles"

"I want a Bento B," Daichi said. "Mama, can I get a little rice and more chicken?" He pleaded with her. It was rare for him to be out at a restaurant with his mother. She worked long hours at the hotel.

"That's up to the waitress and the cook," Kyo said nodding in her direction.

"We can substitute anything you like on the menu with no extra charge," the waitress said writing down their huge order.

"Alright, how about instead of rice, we add a vegetable to his lunch." Kyo saw her son kick under the table crossing his arms. "You thought you were going to get out of that, didn't you? Not on my watch."

Hinata interlaced his fingers with Mizu's under the table. "Yamato Bento Special," he said. It was a bento lunch like Daichi's, but with more fish and veggies on it. He was going to get that kid to try something different if it killed him.

"I'd like Sushi set A," Kenshin said handing the waitress his menu. "You're welcome to have anything off my plate, Kyo," he said winking at her. The woman stiffened at the table. Ten points for me.

"Tuna rice bowl," Riku said noticing how Kenshin loved to aggravate Kyo in public. If they were at home, she'd deck him outright. Oh well, it's bothersome, but yet entertaining at the same time.

"Chirashi A," Noburu quietly told the waitress. He leaned over the table as if he had a secret to tell her. Thus, the waitress moved back not knowing what was going on. He felt someone tug him back into his seat. Chiyoko was tugging him down. Noburu humbly sat down lowering his head.

The waitress noticed another person had showed up to the table. "What will you be having, sir?" She got her pen ready.

"Oh, the sushi looks delicious," Ryota said popping his head up between Hinata and Mizu. The girl flung herself back falling off the chair. "Young lady, you act like you've never seen an old man before." Kenshin had risen to help her back up. Ryota turned his head towards Hinata. "Hinata, I need a favor."

Hinata's eye twitched. He put his hand on the old man's head pushing him down. "We're trying to eat! Go get someone else to help you with your ridiculous plans!" Ryota waved his arms in the air, his eyes getting big as his mouth opened showing his remaining few teeth. "I said go!"

Ryota breathed in hard, his lungs filling with air. He started to cry as if he was pleading for his life. "But Hinataaaa. You're so cruel to an ooold man. Do me a favor. It'll be worth your while," he said grimacing and fighting as he was pushed under the table. He hissed being defeated by the boy.

"Boy, Mr. Ryota seems to track Hinata everywhere," Emi complained. She knew something was going to happen. The old man was unpredictable. She sighed with her head tilting to the left.

Kyo raised a brow. "Is he gone?" They all looked at each other for a moment before they saw the old man's bald head come looming over the side of the table, his big white eyes staring off to nowhere. "Nope, he's back."

Ryota moved his hand forward slowly. His fingers wrapped around one of the soy sauce containers. Quickly, he retrieved it, ducking back under the table. They were all searching for him, but he was out the door cackling madly. "I stole your soy sauce! Revenge is mine," he laughed as he went down the snow covered sidewalk.

"Idiot. It's not like we can't get more," Hinata said narrowing his eyes. "Why must he bother me when I'm out?" He leaned on his hand discouraged.

"Because he knows that no matter where you are, or what you're doing, you'll help him," Kyo said sipping her tea. "He's an odd sort of man. I meant to order some Inari for us to eat before the main course gets here." Kyo raised her hand for the waitress. "Can we get three orders of Inari please?"

"Wow, Kyo, what's gotten into you," Hinata said watching her head hang forward. Her eyes were staying focused on the tea. She moved her finger around the brim of the cup, slowly watching the tea ripple with each touch. Kyo seemed a bit sad. What was she remembering?

Mizu pushed her chair out to get up. She felt Hinata grab her wrist as she stood up. "I have to go to the women's bathroom," she said with an embarrassed smile. He let her go knowing it was an escape. Mizu walked to the back leaving the group alone. As she pushed the door open, she looked around at the small area. There were two toilets covered by wood between them. The doors to the stalls were thin. Once the door behind her closed, she inhaled closing her eyes.

Mizu walked to the mirror looking at herself. I don't know what Hinata sees in me. I'm not all that special. I'm just a bookworm from Tokyo who wanted to get away from her parents. Mizu thought she appeared as a strange young woman. She was short, long dark hair with a large bust size and wider hips than most girls her height. As she stared at herself, she lifted her hand to touch the mirror. Is that really me? I'm more different than I was at this time of year. My hair used to be in a ponytail at home, but loose at school to cover my facial expressions. I didn't have a life before. All I did was what my parents asked of me – not what I wanted to do. I was afraid to do anything that was out of their plans. Her fingers moved down the mirror to her lips. "This is what he likes," she said softly. Mizu lifted her eyes to see Kyo standing behind her. She froze.

"No, he likes this part," Kyo said touching Mizu's wrist. She moved Mizu's hand to place it over her heart. "He's not like other males. To enjoy a person, he enjoys them fully. The foods at the table," she said walking out.

Mizu exited the bathroom after she triple checked her face was a healthy, normal complexion in the mirror. She couldn't believe Kyo had walked in at that moment. How embarrassing! She probably thinks I talk to mirrors all of the time. It sure made me seem insecure.

Hinata was eating his food fast with one hand and fighting Daichi with his other. "No, you can't have that one! That's mine!"

"You said we were going to share! I let you have half of mine! Give me some of yours, Hinata. That's not fair," Daichi said hitting the man on the hand with his chopsticks. He waited until the hand was retrieved. As it was being shielded from another chopstick attack, he went after a piece of fish in the bento box. Daichi latched onto it successfully. "I got it now!" His chopsticks were forced to remain in place by Kenshin. "Hey, that's mine."

Kenshin smirked as he started to fight Daichi for the piece of fish. He moved his chopsticks back, taunting the boy. When he banged his hand on the table for a distraction, Kenshin went after him. He used his chopsticks to get one of the sticks pinned. As he pulled it hard, it went flying through the air landing somewhere behind them. Kenshin held his chopsticks at an angle, their blunt ends aimed at the boy's hand. "Give up. You're not going to win," he said with a smile.

Mizu used her chopsticks to attack Kenshin from the side. She reached over Hinata, her hands moving quickly to free the fish. Kenshin attempted to counter her, but she came around backwards – something he wasn't expecting- to grab his hand from behind. She started to pinch his tender skin. Soon Kenshin let up. Mizu went for her prize piece of fish. She threw it at Daichi's plate. They all stared at her. She giggled. "Pick on someone your own size," she said.


Asuka stood outside looking over the shops. She pulled her coat tighter around her form. Mizu came outside with her, her eyes searching for something across the street. "There's still time to shop. Nice fish fighting in there," she said much to the girl's surprise. "Anyway, see you later," she said putting her hand up in the air. She began to walk by herself away from the group that was exiting the restaurant.

Mizu watched Asuka leave the group. "Why doesn't Ms. Asuka stay with us? She's always alone."

"Yeah, she is," Riku answered. "She's always by herself. It's her choice. No one can get that close to her. You'll be lucky if you see the real her." He decided to go across the street to shop for anything he might find interesting.

Noburu slipped out of the shop before Hinata. He stood looming at Mizu without her noticing. Noburu would have given anything for the Nikon camera he had seen earlier. Oh, what wonderful pictures I could take of her. She's so beautiful; so mysterious. Those dark eyes of hers must have so many dreams behind them. He clasped his hands together as he looked up at the sky. "So beautiful," he said reflecting on his thoughts.

"You better be talking about the scenery," Hinata said from behind him. All of sudden, Noburu snapped to. The man hurried across the street, his small legs moving faster than one would have thought possible. "And to think I was joking," he said sighing as he looked at Mizu. She had no idea what he was talking about. She didn't even know he was there. That kind of scares me. "What are your plans for the afternoon?"

Mizu tottered on her feet. She had enjoyed the chopstick sparring with Kenshin. "Oh, I don't know. I thought I'd wing it," she said grabbing Hinata's hand with her own. She started to run down the sidewalk pulling him along.

Hinata staggered to keep up with her petite frame. She was really high tailing it. "Mizu, be careful! It's slippery out! Where are we going?"

"I don't know," Mizu admitted as she finally stopped. They were far enough away from anyone on this side of the mountain. "Everyone seems to be splitting up again, so why not us?"

Hinata leaned closer to her whispering in her ear, "Yeah, but what will you do if some unexpecting stranger comes along? Who's going to protect you?" He kissed her cheek tenderly.

Mizu lifted her hands pulling him closer. "I don't know. I could use someone that's handsome and strong," she said. Hinata seemed to be pondering with his eyes lifted.

"Well, that leaves me out," he said as she laughed at him. Hinata buttoned his coat. "It's snowing a bit more. We should get inside one of the shops." They started to walk across the road carefully. One of the shops welcomed them in. "Sure glad it's warm in here," he said looking around. Hinata's eyes drifted to Mizu's hands. "I thought you had gloves on earlier?"

Mizu loosened her scarf looking at the items on the shelf. "Hmm? No, I had some, but they were yellow with bunnies on them. I'm not a child anymore," she said with a cute pout. "I want some adult ones."

Hinata smirked. Mizu was becoming a woman, alright. "Well, maybe they have gloves in here?" He walked to the shop owner. "Excuse me, do you sell gloves in here by chance?"

"Gloves? Yes, we sell pretty much everything in here," the lady said from behind the counter. "Our shop is more of a nick knack shop. We've gotten strange requests over the years. Let me see where I put some. We only have three kinds in stock though. Hope that's alright," she said turning around to look behind her at the boxes against the wall. "Here they are," she said placing them on the counter.

Mizu looked at the different styles in the boxes. There was a brown leather pair that she liked very much. As she put her hand through the glove, Mizu saw more of her mother in them. The next pair she picked up was dark blue and made of cotton. "These feel funny," she said. They reminded her of something her grandmother would have knitted. The last pair she lifted was rainbow colored. "I like these the most," she said as she put her hands in them. They were defiantly warm.

Hinata shook his head. He thought Mizu wanted to be more mature. She still ended up picking a pair of gloves Emi would have chosen. Oh, well. At least she likes them. Once they were paid for, Hinata led her out of the shop. "It's almost time to go," he said as they walked back to the spot where Mr. Imasu was going to pick them up. "Did you enjoy your day out with everyone?"

Mizu reflected on her day. She had spent the day worried about Kyo's approval of her. However, Kyo wasn't all that bad after all; she was just concerned. Noburu was a scary little man who appeared around her in the worst situations. Riku was as reserved as Asuka. Kenshin was starting to chip away the wall around Kyo. Daichi was fond of Hinata. Emi… well she didn't know too much about Emi. The girl just tagged along with whoever was around them. "I wouldn't change it for the world," she said with a hearted smile.