Disclaimer: Okami and Persona 4 don't belong to us, they belong to Capcom and ATLUS respectively.
Chapter 13: House-Hunting Inaba Style
When he had first heard of a train, he hadn't expected much. Maybe something like a merchant caravan. And then he saw the train.
It was made out of an ungodly amount of metal, just like everything else in the world. It stretched both ways into the distance like a metal serpent, and everything about it was just wrong. The screeching sound it made when it stopped, the smell of burning tar, the bright sterile lights. The fact that it was underground just made it worst.
So while Souji and Yu had just stepped onto it as if it were normal, furball understandably didn't want to and he vouched for her. They could just follow them on foot he said. It'd be a good workout he said. Heck, maybe they would find some trouble and save the day he said! Souji didn't budge. "
"Just get on the train. It's the easiest way, and we already bought the tickets. We're lucky enough that we found the one train that allows dogs."
So they had to get on the train. And to be fair, everything started off fine at first. He hid in Souji's pockets, furball sat under a cushy chair with a leash around her neck. Even Mari seemed to be doing well, sitting down next to Yu while Souji stood up. They'd gotten a bunch of weird looks from the other people, though. What? Hadn't they ever seen a wolf?
But then the train started. The ground beneath them vibrated, the entire thing hummed, and there was a shrill whistle. And then they were moving forward fast. And he meant fast. He would never admit it and neither would furball, but this deathtrap rushed forward faster than even Amy coulda managed. Didn't mean he had to like it. In fact, he made his displeasure with this situation very clear.
"Get me outta this place!"
A moment later a fist crashed into him as Souji pounded his chest and coincidentally, him. "
"Cough, cough! Ahem. Sorry, I appear to have a cold."
The other passengers looked at Souji strangely. Souji just smiled. Some of them scooted away, the rest went back to their own business.
"You're a horrible actor!"
"If you're going to abuse me, at least whisper."
"Don't tell me what to do! Let us out of this metal deathtrap!"
"Too late."
He was tempted to bring out Denkomaru to make a point-heh!-But in the end he decided not to after seeing Amy and Mari. Furball, while covering her eyes with her paws, wasn't making as much as a fuss as he thought she would. And Mari was actually looking out of the windows of the train curiously!
He couldn't look like a wuss in front of her! And furball would never let him forget if he did freak out. So he simply sat in Souji's pocket, closing his eyes and trying not to focus on the sound of a ridiculous amount of metal moving faster than it had any right to.
And furball would never let him forget if he did freak out. So he simply sat in Souji's pocket, closing his eyes and trying not to focus on the sound of a ridicuolous amount of metal moving faster than it had any right to.
After a long time, he decided to see if Souji was willing to have a nice discussion or something. He was getting bored here! But when he peaked out of the pocket, he found Souji asleep.
"Jeez, how can ya even sleep on this thing, let alone while standing up?"
A quick glance revealed Mari similarly asleep, while Yu patted Amy's head.
"Hmph! If you're going to make me sit here, at least give me something to do! Sigh. Well, at least we can't be here for much longer, right?"
A few hours later
"Looks like were here."
"Really? Thank Amaterasu!" Furball whined in agreement, her paws still over her head.
Mari stretched her arms, standing up.
"Is this it?"
"Now at Yasoinaba station. Now at Yasoinaba station…"
"Yeah, this is it," Yu said. "Hey, Souji, we're here."
Souji muttered for a moment, eyes blearily blinking.
"Hmm? Are we here?"
"Yes."
"Yeash, how the hell could you fall asleep!?"
"Practice."
In his opinion, they couldn't have gotten off the train fast enough. Which is why he groaned when Souji stopped in the station, the exit tantalizingly in reach.
"I've just realized we have a slight problem."
"What problem!?"
"Uncle Dojima is only expecting Yu and I. Which means that you guys need to find someplace to stay in Inaba."
"Can't we just go out into the forest or something?"
"While you and Amy might be willing to do that, Marie might not. Would you?"
Mari thought for a moment.
"I don't mind, but an inn would be a bit better."
"Besides, if the police in this town start getting reports about a white wolf, you two aren't going to remain secret for long."
"And a white dog is so much better?"
"People will believe it more, yes."
He grumbled.
"Fine. How are we going to meet up again?"
Souji blinked.
"Damn, you're right. You guys don't even have a phone…"
He's not sure what this phone thing is, so he chalks it up to yet another local thing.
"Hmm. Here, take this."
Souji fished a scrap of paper from his pocket and gave it to Mari.
"That's the address we'll be staying at. Try to find us after a while."
"Will they be able to find us?" Yu asked.
He scoffed.
"Find you? Don't worry about it kid! We'll be able to find you easy!"
"Besides," Mari pocketed the address, "We can always ask around if we need to. Surely at least someone in this town isn't enough of a jerk to ignore us."
Souji smiled.
"Well put. We gotta get going. See you guys soon. Stay safe!"
With that, Souji left the station, followed by Yu.
" "Stay safe". Pah. This world can't be that dangerous, right furball?"
Amy yawned.
"Exactly! What about you, Mari?"
"..."
"Mari?"
He turned to see Mari looking intently at the scrap of paper, seemingly memorizing it.
"Hey, Mari!"
"Huh? What do you want?"
"Shouldn't we get going?"
"...Sure, let's go."
By the time they left the station, Souji and Yu were gone.
"Hey, Amy, can ya sniff them out?"
Amy started sniffing the air, before huffing irritably.
"Still nothing, huh?"
Since they had come here, the only thing Amy could smell was the acidic smell of tar. It was irritating to him for heck's sake, so he could only imagine what furball was going through!
"Well, either way, Souji said to meet him later. So whaddya we do now?"
"How should I know?"
"Well, I'll tell you what. We go exploring!"
"Huh?"
"You never know what you'll find. Who knows! There might be treasure or something!"
"I doubt there's treasure in a little town."
"Says you! This entire world is topsy turvy! Who knows what's around the corner?"
"We're supposed to stay quiet and find a place to stay, remember?"
"We'll find someplace easy! C'mon, remember our motto? Leap before ya think!"
Mari sighed but didn't argue when they left the station, heading down the black stone path people called a road. Ever so often, one of those metal carts Yu had called 'cars' roared past them.
Even out in the supposed 'country', the smell of the roads and cars were still overpowering. He pitied furball as she sniffed the air to catch Souji's trail, only to sneeze.
"Man, this place stinks!"
"It's not that bad," Mari said defensively.
He stared at her.
"Whaddya mean, not that bad? Look at it! There isn't any n-"
The smell didn't disappear, but it did fade. The air still wasn't clear, but it seemed cleaner. An invisible pressure he had felt since coming to this world lifted off his back.
He understandably was immediately on his guard.
"Do you guys feel that?"
Amy growled inquisitively, looking around and twitching her ears. Mari looked similarly surprised.
"...It's feels familiar," Mari said after a moment.
He nodded.
"Yeah. Question is, why?"
He glanced at Amy, who nodded slightly before setting off at a brisker pace. Mari followed, and they made their way. The road was smaller now, and besides them rice paddies grew. In the distance, they could see buildings. The town was still much bigger than any hamlet in Nippon. But it was still clearly small.
Relatively small, he amended.
"So, this is...Uh what is this place called again?" he asked.
"Inaba," Mari said.
"Ah, yeah, that was it! Nice job Ma-"
He turned towards Mari, only to see her stare out at the town, distracted.
"Hey, Mari?"
Mari didn't say a word, and he traded a glance with Amy. Without saying anything, Mari started to stride towards Inaba.
"Hey, where are ya going!? Wait!"
She walked past the buildings, down the street. People walked past her, some of them staring at her. She couldn't tell why though. The sun bathed the town in twilight. She continued to walk, without aim.
"Why does this place feel so familiar?"
Bark, Bark!
She blinked, and turned to see Sunny running after her. The wolf stopped in front of her, and a speck of green flew towards her. She slapped it out of the air.
"Ow! What the hell did you do that for?!"
"I just copied Konohana Sakuya-hime."
"Well knock it off! Just cause she does it doesn't mean ya getta do it to!"
Beetle huffed and Sunny prodded him with her paw.
"Well, don't go running of without us! Jeez!"
She remained silent. Beetle leapt onto her shoulder.
"Anyway, what's with ya? You were walking around like someone knocked ya on the head. Or like ya got into some sake."
"Wait, I was?"
"Uhhuh! You had this far-away look in your eyes!"
She was about to say something when she looked down the street and saw Souji. He was looking at the building curiously. And then his eyes landed on her, and he gave a smile and a wave. She slowly raised her hand to give a wave of her own. Souji's smile grew. And then an older man walked up to Souji, saying something- From this faraway she couldn't hear anything. Souji gave a short nod, and the two walked away. But not before Souji glanced back and waved. She stared at him as he got into one of those things called cars. And she watched as it left.
"Hello! Nippon to Mari!"
"Hmm?"
"Stop spacing out!"
She took out the scrap of paper again, looking at the address.
"I guess we better find someplace to stay," she said.
"No kidding. Now then, furball- Furball!?"
She turned and worryingly saw no sign of any white wolves.
"Where did she go!?" she yelled.
"How the heck am I supposed to know?!" Beetle snapped back.
"You're the one that was supposed to watch over her!" she retorted.
"Well, you were too busy staring at grey hair over there to do anything!"
"Why you-!"
Nothing about this place felt right.
She huffed as she walked along the grass at the edge of the path. The land was similar. But it was not her land.
It was not Nippon.
She followed the path for a while longer, and was rewarded when she heard the trickling of water. The ground sloped away from the path, and she saw a river streaming by, cool and inviting. She bounded away from the black sticky stone and towards the river, barking happily as she splashed at its banks.
Ah, such a refreshing feeling!
She caught a flash of silver in the corner of her vision, and wagged her tail.
Oh, but there were fish in this river too!
She started to paw at the water, seeing if she couldn't catch anything. The fish darted too and about under her paws, dancing. A few brave ones even brushed against her legs. After all, they had nothing to fear.
This town was much bigger than any village from Nippon. But unlike the city that Souji and Yu had lived in, it was still rooted into the old earth. And that made a world of difference.
"Whoa!"
She paused in her splashing, cocking an ear. She turned her head to find a human girl staring at her, wide eyed. She had a plain look, with sandy colored hair and eyes. But all that was eclipsed by the bright flame burning within her.
She'd seen the hearts of warriors before, and while the girl before her hadn't even grown her claws or fangs, there was great potential.
"A w-white wolf!"
She nodded in agreement, before padding towards the girl. The girl stepped back, and she paused in her steps. She'd forgotten Souji's warnings. This land was not her Nippon, where she could roam freely around anyone. She felt her ears droop, and she stared at the girl.
The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, before stepping towards her and putting a tentative hand on her head. The girl's fingers slowly ran through her fur and she wagged her tail.
"Heh. I guess you like being pet, huh boy?"
She growled a bit, and the girl pulled back, eyes wide. She shook her head and stepped towards the girl, tilting her head so the girl's hand laid at the back of her ears. A moment later the girl tentatively scratched, and she made a pleased sound in the back of her throat. The girl smiled and started to scratch vigorously, using both hands.
Ah, that was the spot!
The girl chuckled as her tail thumped against the earth.
"Aw, you're not that bad at all, aren't you-" there was a pause, "-girl?"
She panted happily, before leaping towards the girl and repaying the favor.
"Ah! Q-Quit it!"
The girl laughed as she licked her face, and in a moment they were both wrestling on the ground.
"Aha, got ya!" the girl cried victoriously as she wrapped her arms around her neck.
She whined, and took a moment to glance at the girl's grin. Before leaping forwards, dragging the girl with her. The girl fell on her face with an 'oof', and she walked towards her to make sure she was okay.
The girl picked herself off the ground, and the grin on her face told her that she was unharmed. She wagged her tail, barking. The girl flopped to the ground next to her with a sigh, and a moment later the girl started to scratch her behind the ears again.
"Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?" the girl cooed.
Well, there was no use answering the obvious. So instead she just licked the girl's face.
"Haha! Easy girl!"
The scratching became sluggish, and the girl glanced at her thoughtfully.
"Where did you come from? I mean, nobody in Inaba's got a white wolf. And you have a collar around you-" the girl touched the loop of rope around her neck, frowning. "Well, as much as you can call this a collar...Hey, did you come from a circus or anything?"
She tilted her head at the girl's worried tone.
"Are you a stray…? Do you have some place to go?"
Ah. In the excitement she had forgotten to find a place of residence.
She shook her head, and the girl looked surprised.
"Did you just shake your head?"
Hmm?
"N-never mind. Question is, what do we do with you, girl?"
"Sunny!"
Her ears perked up, and she turned around to see Mariko at the top of the hill. She barked out a hello. Mariko quickly ran down the hill, out of breath on reaching the bottom.
"Never run off like that again!" Mariko scolded.
She titled her head. Run off like what?
"Um, excuse me?"
The girl stood up, looking at Mariko. Mariko similarly looked at the girl.
"Who are you?" Markio asked.
"Oh, uh, me?"
"Well duh."
The girl frowned.
"My name's Chie Satonaka. Is this wolf yours?"
Mariko glanced at her and nodded.
"Yeah, Sunny's mine."
The girl, Chie, looked at her.
"So you're name's Sunny?"
She sighed. Not entirely wrong, but not very correct either.
"That's a pretty name," Chie finished with a grin.
She gave a grin of her own in return, wagging her tail.
"Yeah, well, we got to get going."
"Oh, okay."
Chie seemed sad for a moment, so she butted her shoulder against her leg. Chie looked down and smiled, kneeling and patting her head.
"I'm gonna miss you Sunny," Chie said earnestly. She whined in agreement.
"...Actually, can I ask you something?"
Chie looked up at Mariko.
"Sure, fire away!"
"Uh, okay. Are there any inns around the town or something?"
"Inns?"
"Yeah. We're, uh, new to Inaba."
"Really? Well, the Amagi Inn is pretty famous around here, so you came to the right place!"
"The Amagi Inn...Alright. Thank you very much."
"No problem. In fact, I can take you there myself!"
"Uh, there's no need-"
"It's no problem. C'mon, I'll show you the way!"
Mariko glanced around, before looking at her. She just wagged her tail.
"...Alright. Lead the way."
"Okay! Follow me, Sunny and-" Chie hesitated.
"Oh, I forgot to ask your name," Chie said in embarrassment.
"Hmm? Oh, it's...Marie."
"Well then Marie-chan! Sunny! Let's go!"
The girl was seemed to have a limitless amount of energy. At first, Chie tried to talk with her. But after a minute of no responses she just started talking to Sunny, who walked by her side as they went through the town.
"Looks like someone made a new friends," she muttered.
"What, jealous?"
She resisted flinching as Issun sidled onto her shoulder, exiting from her hair.
"Still, kinda weird seeing Ammy so cheerful with someone."
And that was true. Sunny had been unusually playful with Chie, running around and nipping at her feet. Chie had responded in kind, laughing and petting Sunny, much to the wolf's pleasure. It was kinda nice to see Sunny so cheerful. Especially after they had entered this world.
"Yeah. It seems like she's having fun though."
"Mhm. And this Chie chick isn't too bad looking either. Sure, she might be a bit plain. But look at those legs! Hehehe!"
She resisted the urge to flick Issun off and instead settled for a glare.
"What? Am I wrong?"
"That's not the point, creep!" she hissed.
"It's a compliment!"
"Here we are!"
She blinked and looked forward, and Issun slinked to hide in her hair again.
The sun was setting, casting an orange light in the sky. This was probably why the building in front of them had lanterns burning outside. And the lanterns weren't the only thing that was familiar. The entire building looked like it had been plucked straight from Nippon, with a couple of local touches like the glass windows. Trees shaded the front, and in the background you could hear the rhythmic sound of a bamboo water-balance. The lights inside the building were warm and inviting.
"Is this the inn?" she asked, even though it was obviously the inn.
"Yup!" Chie said. "This here is the Amagi Inn, Pride of Inaba!"
The inn did look nice. Though if this was the town's pride, then there must not be that much in it.
"C'mon on, let's go in!"
Chie grabbed her arm, and before she could do anything, Chie dragged her towards the entrance, and into the inn.
Unlike the outside, the inside of the inn looked very much like the other buildings in this world. The furniture and decor were familiar bamboo. But one of those teevee's were on the wall, and brights fireless lights hung from the ceiling. She suddenly heard a whistle next to her ear and winced, clapping a hand onto her neck.
"Ouch!"
"Huh? Is something wrong?" Chie looked at her.
She quickly shook her head.
"No, it's nothing. Just a fly."
"Oh, just a fly eh?...Oh well, I can't stay mad too long with such a beautiful babe in front of me, hehe!"
She blinked in confusion, before seeing the girl at the counter of the inn.
She had long silky black hair and flawless white skin. She appealingly thin, with delicate features and pretty black eyes. She was wearing a bright sakura colored kimono, and her posture was flawless. In short, she was the kind of girl that guys went crazy over.
"Why hello there beautiful~!"
She clapped her hand over her neck again, and the girl looked up at them.
"Welcome to the Amag- Chie?"
Chie grinned and waved.
"Hey, Yukiko! Are you free right now?"
Yukiko smiled, before shaking her head apologetically.
"Sorry. I'm currently running the front desk."
"Heh, that's okay. Marie-chan here wants to rent a room!She's new in town, so she needs a place to stay."
The girl called Yukiko looked at her curiously.
"Marie? Are you a friend of Chie's?"
She shook her head.
"I was just looking for a place to stay."
"Oh. Well, we currently have some empty rooms. You long do you plan on staying?"
She fidgeted a bit. They hadn't palnned this far.
"Just give her your money and ask you much that will buy you," Beetle hissed.
She nodded slightly, before taking out the money she had and depositing the coins on the table in front of Yukiko.
Yukiko and Chie stared at the coins oddly.
"What?"
Yukiko started shifting through the coins, before shaking her head.
"I'm sorry Marie-san, but none of this is money we can accept."
She cursed inwardly. Of course Yen wouldn't work here!
"Do you have any other money?" Chie asked.
She shook her head glumly.
Chie and Yukiko looked at her, and she was starting to feel uncomfortable.
And then a bark rang out, and they looked behind her to see Sunny wagging her tail, looking at Yukiko. Yukiko blinked.
"I-Is that a white dog?"
"She's a wolf actually," Chie grinned, before patting her legs.
"Here Sunny! Here girl!"
Sunny tilted her head. And then walked towards Yukiko, sitting down in front of the inn girl and wagging her tail.
"Hey!"
Yukiko slowly put a hand on Sunny's head, patting it softly. Sunny's tail wagged faster, and she whined.
It was like someone turned a switch on. Yukiko immediately knelt down and started to eagerly pet Sunny. Sunny responded by licking Yukiko's face, eliciting giggles.
"She's so beautiful," Yukiko whispered, running her fingers through Sunny's fur.
"I know, isn't she?" Chie said, kneeling down at rub Sunny's ears.
Sunny basked in the attention.
"Damn, lucky furball!" Beetle muttered.
"Now isn't the time!" she hissed back.
"What's wrong?"
"Our money doesn't work here!"
"...Oh. That could be a problem."
"What do we do?"
"What're ya looking at me for? You figure it out!"
She was tempted to scream and throw Beetle across the room. Instead she took a deep breath and collected her Yen.
"I'm afraid I don't have any other way to pay," she said.
Yukiko and Chie looked up at her.
"Oh. I'm sorry," Yukiko said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"Is there any other place you can stay, Marie-chan?" Chie asked.
She shook her head.
"Nope."
"Really?"
She thought for a moment.
"Well, I knew someone who lives here."
"Oh, really? Maybe you can stay over at their house!"
She thought about that. Surely Souji's Uncle wouldn't mind one night.
"Do you know their address, Marie-chan?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, I have it written down."
"Great! I'll take you there!"
"Wait, what?"
She looked at Chie in confusion.
"Well, I kinda dragged you here for no reason, so I feel really bad about that. The least I can do is help you find your friend."
Chie's smile fell when she shook her head.
"I appreciate it, but I don't need your help."
"Aren't you new in town through?"
She and Chie looked at Yukiko.
"Are you sure you can find the address on your own?" Yukiko asked absentmindedly, still running her fingers through Sunny's fur.
She pursed her lips, before glancing at Chie.
"Just take her help," Issun whispered.
She sighed.
"Fine. I...I guess I could use your help."
Chie smiled.
"Don't mention it! So, where does your friend live?"
"Your friend apologizes a lot."
"You mean Yukiko? Heh, she's always so polite. Makes me feel bad sometimes."
"I mean, it's not like it was her fault that I didn't have money."
"Yeah, that money you have is kinda weird. Are you a foreigner?"
She thought for a moment.
"Yeah."
"Oh wow! But your Japanese is so good!"
No, your nipponese was surprisingly good.
"Still, I bet Yukiko feel's bad for not being to help you out. I know I do."
"Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you care so much? You just met me."
Chie was silent for a moment.
"So? Just because I just met you doesn't mean I can't help, does it?"
"...You're too nice."
"Thanks? Oh, here's the place!"
They stood in front of the house. It looked like all the others. Square and made out of solid stone, devoid of personality.
"This is where your friend lives, right?"
"If this is the correct address, then yeah."
"Well, it's getting late, so I gotta get home. Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"
She nodded firmly.
"Yeah."
Chie paused, before nodding herself.
"Okay. Well…See you later, I guess?"
She nodded silently.
Chie turned towards Sunny.
"And I'll see you later too, Sunny!"
Sunny barked happily and licked Chie's face.
"Ha, stop it! Anyways, I see you guys later!"
And with that, Chie Satonaka ran off into the distant night. Leaving them alone in the dark path, the only light from those flameless orbs.
"Well, time's a wastin'! Let's get going!"
They walked up to the door, and she lifted a hand and firmly knocked on the hard surface. There was a moment of silence, and then-
"Coming!"
She glanced at Beetle. That was a young girl's voice. A moment passed, and the door still didn't open.
"Try again," Issun suggested.
She did so, and they waited some more. Finally as her patience neared it's end, the door clicked and swung open to reveal Souji.
"Please don't tell me something exploded."
She blinked, thinking for a moment, before shaking her head.
"No, I don't think so. That's not why we're here either way."
Souji made a 'go on' motion.
"We tried to stay at an inn, but the money I have doesn't work."
Souji swore and ran his hand through his hair.
"I didn't think about that. I'm sorry."
"What should we do now?" she asked.
Souji opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a voice from behind him.
"Um…"
It was the voice from before. Souji turned his head back, and she saw a small girl hiding shyly behind a chair. Her brown hair was tied in short pigtails and her brown eyes widened when the girl caught them staring, her face flushing while she tried to hide. She wore a white with varying shades of pink, and was currently fidgeting.
"Uhmm…" the little girl continued, "...D-Dad says that strangers aren't allowed in the house…"
She continued to stare, and the girl further shrank on herself.
"It's fine Nanako-chan. She's a friend of mine," Souji said.
'Nanako' remained silent.
"Should we continue this outside?" she asked.
Souji seemed to hesitate.
"I can't leave the house unattended…"
"It's fine."
Yu was sitting at a table in front of one of those teevee's.
"Go ahead."
"Are you sure?" Souji asked.
"Sure. Just don't stay out to long. It's getting dark and it looks like it's about to rain."
"Got it."
Souji started to put on his sandals. And that's when Sunny stepped into the house.
"Furball!" Beetle hissed.
Souji and Yu looked surprised, but that was nothing compared to Nanako.
Nanako's eyes widened as Sunny looked at her, and she backed away. Sunny in turned padded towards the little girl.
She stepped forward, only to be stopped by Souji. She glanced at Souji in confusion. Souji just stared at the scene. Sunny kept walking toward Nanako who stood still, look at the wolf with wide eyes. Sunny only stooped a foot away from the little girl and stared. Nanako did nothing, and Sunny did nothing, and the room was silent.
Nanako seemed unsure what to do. She glanced around nervously, before looking at Souji. Souji just gave a small smile. Nanako looked back at Sunny, who was giving her a dopey smile. Slowly, Nanako reached out to the white wolf, closing her eyes as her hand met Sunny's fur. Hesitantly, she started petting Sunny. Sunny just sat still, and Nanako's petting slowly became more confident. A moment later, Nanko opened her eyes and slowly scratched Sunny behind the ears. Sunny barked happily, her tail thumping against the floor. Nanako giggled.
A glance at Souji revealed a soft smile. Souji caught her eyes and the smile grew.
"Shall we go?"
She let herself be petted by the human pup, her delicate hands gently running through her fur. It was a nice feeling, and the giggle it brought for the pup made her smile.
"She's so silky!" Nanako squealed.
"Her name is Ammy."
Her ears perked and she turned to see Yu sitting at a table, picking at some food. She barked, and Yu gave a brief smile.
"Ammy?" Nanako wondered, looking at her wonderingly.
"Yeah."
"It's so pretty!" Nanako gave a wide smile, and she stepped closer to the pup, licking her face.
Nanako squealed, laughing.
"D-Down Ami-chan!"
There was a muffled rumble of thunder, and the human pup gasped.
"The laundry!" The pup ran to the clear glass, and she followed, puzzled. Laundry?
With a grunt, Nanako opened the glass like a shogi, and stepped ou into the dark outside. She quickly followed the pup. Kazegami ran swiftly, and Gekigami grumbled in the dark clouds above. Clouds that promised rain.
She saw Nanako struggle to remove clothes from the line quickly, the wind churning them. She narrowed her eyes, before looking up at the sky. She might not have all her strength. But that would not stop her. She growled, the sound forming deep in her chest. And the wind calmed slightly, the clouds quieting.
The human pup didn't seem to notice, and a moment later, she rushed inside with a basket of clothes. She dropped her concentration, and walked inside the house. A moment later, Nuregami's tears fell to the ground steadily, and she took a deep breath.
"You bring the laundry on your own?" she heard Yu asked.
"Uh-huh,"Nanako said, putting the basket down and picking up an article of clothing. She walked up to the human and gently grabbed her arm in her mouth.
"Eep! A-Ami-chan!?"
She firmly dragged the pup to the table, sitting her down in front of her now cold food, before placing her head on the pup's lap.
Laundry could be done later. Eat first.
Nanako seemed flustered and confused, glancing at Yu. Yu simply shrugged and continued eating his food. After a moment, Nanako started eating too, absentmindedly petting her fur. She rumbled peacefully, and Nanako giggled.
"I'm really sorry."
"Why? It's not like you've done anything wrong."
"I still should have realized that you have no money here." Souji sighed. "You don't have any papers or documents here either. This is going to be difficult."
"What do you mean?"
"It'd take a long time to explain. But you technically don't exist in this world."
"Well duh. I'm not from this world."
"But nobody here believes in parallel universes."
"Parallel what?"
"Other worlds."
They walked in silence for a while.
"So now what?" she asked.
"That's the question isn't it?"
She glanced at Souji, who appeared to be deeply lost in thought.
"Hey."
"Hmm?"
"Leap before we think, remember?"
Souji quirked a smile.
"Yes. Well, if anything we should find a place for you to stay for the night."
"Can't I stay over at your place?"
Souji winced.
"I'm not sure if my Uncle would be willing to house a random friend of mine."
"Why not?"
"..."
She huffed.
"Well, if we can't sty at your house, then what should we do?"
"I'm thinking."
Souji started to mutter.
"I don't have enough money on me to buy a night at an inn...And there no other option…"
"If you can't think of anything, then Sunny and I will just sleep outside."
Souji shook his head.
"And risk either of you two being found by someone in town? Besides, it looks like it's about to rain."
She looked up at the dark clouds overhead. Trying to bunk out in the rain wasn't her idea of a good time, no.
They walked past various buildings, both silent.
"I'm drawing up a blank," Souji sighed in frustration.
"Don't worry. We'll find some place. We can always try the inn again." she said.
"..."
Souji didn't say anything.
"Hello?"
Souji remained silent.
"Hello?!"
Wordlessly, Souji walked past her.
"Hey, what's your-!"
She saw what he was looking at. It was a large Nipponese dojo, looking completely out of place among the other buildings.
"What the hell?" She read the sign on the dojo.
"Onigiri-Sensei's Dojo?"
"..."
Souji wordlessly entered the dojo, and she quickly followed.
"Old Ma-"
"Men!"
Quick as a flash, Souji jumped to the side. Just in time to avoid the bokken held by sn angry old man. Souji seemed perturbed.
"What are you doing here, old man?"
"Hmph. Good to see that your reflexs haven't dulled."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Of course, that was sloppy footwork. And you didn't even take the chance to retaliate!"
"Old man."
The old man glared at Souji through thick eyebrows.
"Didn't I tell you boy!? My dojo appears wherever I want it to!"
"Okay. But why here?"
"Such arrogance! As if you're remotely done with your training! just for that, a thousand consecutive strikes tomorrow!"
"That doesn't seem very fair. And who says I'm coming back?"
"Well, if you want to survive the harsh journey ahead of you, then I am still your Sensei!"
Souji became silent, and she cleared her throat.
"Okay, what's the deal here?"
Souji and the old man looked at her in surprise.
"...He's my kendo-"
"Hmph! It's not kendo anymore boy! You shall be learning the art of the blade! Kenjutsu!"
"-Kenjutsu sensei."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That's nice and all. But that really doesn't explain anything."
"He's also from Nippon," Souji said calmly.
She gaped at him.
"You didn't think to mention that earlier!?"
"It didn't seem important."
"Important!? This is our way bac-!"
"Unfortunately, young lady, I cannot help you there."
She glared at the old man.
"Why not!?"
"My method of transformation works for me and me alone. You shall have to find another way," the old man said simply. She grinned her teeth and stepped forward, only for Souji to grab her shoulder. She turned back to him.
"What?"
Souji stared at the old man carefully.
"Onigiri-Sensei…" Souji began. The old man quirked one enormous eyebrow.
"Yes? Speak up boy!"
"Would you be willing to house my friend here?"
She blinked. Onigiri-Sensei stared at Souji for a while.
"I'm not running a charity here boy. I won't take her in for free."
She gritted her teeth.
"I'll pay for it."
She clenched her fists.
"Oh? Are you sure you have enough money for that, boy? Besides, it looks as if your friend there doesn't agree so readily."
Souji blinked in confusion and turned to her.
"Youidiot!"
Souji's eyes widened.
"I'm sorry-?"
"Just stop trying to help me all the time!"
She glared at Souji.
"I'm not some helpless moron who can't take care of herself! I'll pay with my own money!"
She took out all the yen in her purse and threw it at the old man's feet. He looked unimpressed, but picked it up the same.
"This will be enough. There are guest rooms at the end of the left hallway."
The old man left, leaving them alone. She glared at Souji, feeling her cheeks color. And Souji stared back in mild confusion. That confusion then turned into understanding, and Souji shook his head.
"Ah. I'm so-"
"If you say you're sorry again, I'll hurt you," she warned.
Souji's quirked a smile.
"Okay. Then I understand."
They were silent for a moment.
"I'll send Ammy here as well," Souji said, heading towards the door. She nodded. Souji opened the door, letting the cool night air in. And he stood there for a moment, before turning with a grin on his face.
"When you said you didn't want my help, does that also mean with everything else?"
"H-Huh? Of course not! Don'teventhinkaboutleav-!"
"Just kidding."
She glared at the infuriating man. Souji continued to grin.
"I'll see if I can't meet you before school tomorrow. Good night!"
And with that, Souji left, and the dojo was quiet.
"...Goodnight."
What he returned home to was thankfully not an irate Dojima. No, it was something infinitely more...Cute.
"She fell asleep while playing with her," Yu explained, yawning. He nodded, staring at bemusement at the scene in front of him.
Nanako was out cold, snoring softly as she cuddled up next to Amaterasu. The little girl was using the goddess's belly as a pillow, and was curled up in a little ball. Ammy similarly curled around Nanako, keeping her warm.
It was adorable.
"What're ya smiling about?"
He glanced at what was once his plate of dinner, now licked clean while a happy looking Issun bounced on it.
"Oh, nothing in particular."
"Yeah right! That face is the same face Sakuya uses when she sees something cute!"
He motioned towards the girl and the wolf.
"Alright sure. I guess it's cute." Issun leapt towards Amaterasu.
"I mean, furball here was treating her like her own pup!"
Ammy rolled her eyes with a whine, carefully to make sure that Nanako didn't wake up.
"So, you found a place for Mariko to stay?" Yu asked. He nodded.
"Well, where is it?" Issun demanded.
"Onigiri-Sensei's Dojo," he said curtly.
"Say what? That place is over here now too?!"
Yu turned to him, confused.
"Onigiri-Sensei?"
"I'll explain later. For now, you guys gotta get over there before Uncle Dojima arrives. And Yu and I gotta get to school tomorrow."
"You still go to school?"
He nodded, and bent down to scoop Nanako gently in his arms. She stirred a bit, but did nothing more. Ammy slowly got off the ground and looked up at him.
The message in her stare was obvious. Take care of her. And him. And yourself. He smiled.
"Can you find it on your own?" he asked. Issun snorted.
"Heh, can we find it on our own? Easy!"
"Well then hurry straight there. It's late, and I don't want anyone reporting to the police about a great big scary wolf."
He glanced at Amaterasu, who was wagging her tail happily.
"Big wolf," he amended.
"We'll be fine! C'mon furball!"
Ammy gave a soft bark and ran towards the door, Issun leaping on top of her.
"Hey, see you guys later!"
And with that the artist and the goddess ran outside, leaving the house silent.
He turned towards Yu.
"Time for us to head to bed."
Nanako's room was very pink. And pretty. The kind of room you'd expect from a little girl, with posters of one 'Detective Loveline' pasted on the walls. The room was far from clutterd though. Every book and toy were neatly in their place. It looked like a grwon-up's room dressed up like a little kid's. Even the bed had been made.
He frowned, before mentally shrugging his shoulder. Perhaps Nanako was just inclined to be clean?
…
He slowly walked to the bed and placed Nanako on it, soundly tucking the little girl in. Nanako stirred again, but this time she said something.
"Daddy…" she said sleepily.
He froze for a moment, and Nanko returned to sound slumber. He stood there for a moment, before finding a stuffed animal on the shelf. A moment later, Nanako was cuddling with a small plush rabbit.
He stood there, thinking.
'There is time for such heavy thoughts later. Now we must rest'
The voice sounded so much like his that he almost ignored it. But in the end he left the room, looking back one last time at the little girl sleeping in a room cleaner than it had any right of being.
"Welcome to the Amagi Inn! How can I help you?"
"Ah, Bonjour! I would like to, comment dites-vous, rent une room. I have ze money for it."
"Very well sir. Here is your room key."
"Tres bien!"
"Have a good night sir…?"
"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Minamoto, cherie."
Author's Note: Jumping Artists, Angry Old Men, and two familiar characters in this exciting chapter!
Personally, it felt very fillery to me. But alas, you must have transition chapters, no?
Fortunately, Nanako and Ammy! I'll admit that every scene involving Nanako risked me getting diabetes. And Ammy finally gets her point of View!
Bout time.
So, what's going to happen next? What danger awaits at school? Tune in next time! And leave a review eh?