NOTES: Ho-boy, its been months since I updated any of my fics. Its been a very trying semester at college, and my life has not slowed down a bit since then. Actually, I barely have time to be working on this fic or any of my other fics, but I feel so deprived by leaving them for so, so long. Well anyway, here is the next part to the story, I hope you enjoy it ^_^.
Oh, and I repeat again, there is nothing going on between Soujiro and Misao.
WARNINGS: None, other then my obvious ignorance of the Japanese language and culture, so please tell me kindly if I did something wrong.
WHEN THE RAIN FALLS ON THE OCEAN
Part V
Jessie remembered how while in the orphanage he would always fall off the small cot he slept in. It had always discomforted him how far away from the ground he was, and would spend hours in the night just staring down at the ground from where he lay, sometimes reaching down with his small fingers to try to touch the solid foundation beneath him. The thing he hated the most was the painful sensation he received after falling out of the cot while sleeping. His shoulder had throbbed many times during his stay at the orphanage from those falls. However, a 'futon' was what the Japanese used to sleep on, a flat and foldable mattress that Jessie preferred since there was no way to injure himself if he rolled off. So when Miss Misao had showed him the room with the two laid out futons, Jessie had thrown himself on the closest one and promptly fell asleep atop the covers.
He did not know how long he slept before he was awoken by Soujiro's gently probing to get him under the covers. Snuggling in without a fight, Jessie waited to hear Soujiro settle in but only heard the young man's bare feet leave the room and slide the door shut. The boy knew that his savior was not well, so why hadn't the man gone to his much deserved bed? Was he such an idiot that he didn't realize that he was sick and needed rest?
With an exasperated snarl, Jessie threw the warm covers off of him and stomped to the door, pausing when he heard soft voices not to far. He grimaced, angry with himself for not understanding what was being said. It was the reason why Soujiro had brought him to the Aoiya, as Miss Misao had explained to him earlier. It made sense since he was going to travel around Japan with Soujiro and it wouldn't work out if they didn't understand each other. Jessie could not help but grin at the prospect of having adventures with Soujiro. He had so many questions to ask the young man, and among them was the request to teach him how to use the Japanese sword. He would become strong and never be abused again, as long as he stayed with Soujiro.
Once the voices had drifted away, the boy slid the door open and slipped out as quietly as he could, taking care not to put too much weight on his injured ankle that was still swollen beneath the careful bandages Miss Misao has given him. Creeping down the hall toward the front door where the voices had moved to, Jessie imagined himself a proud Samurai. Jessie had heard about them from the sailors: brave men who knew no fear, yet where the sailors had spoken about them as if they were devils from hell, Jessie pictured them as proud knights from King Arthur's court, but Japanese. He tried to imagine what Japanese armor looked liked, but his imagination ran short, though his wonder did not diminish. He wondered if Soujiro was a Samurai, but Jessie could not imagine the young man in any sort of armor. But whether Soujiro was a one or not, what was important was that he was strong and could use the sword, and that was what Jessie wanted the most.
To be strong.
Jessie froze when he was about to round the corner, spotting Soujiro at the front door, speaking in hushed tones to the tall man with piercingly cold eyes: Lord Aoshi Shinomori. This man with the frightening presence would be teaching him how to speak Japanese, and Jessie could only wonder at himself, for though the man was daunting, Miss Misao's temper was even more daunting. So in a twisted sort of way, he was happy with the arrangement since he was sure Miss Misao would have pulled his ears clear off before he had a chance to learn the first four letters of the Japanese alphabet. But even through there was relief, Jessie was sure that Lord Aoshi was not someone to be trifled with.
Jessie's thoughts were cut off when Soujiro suddenly bowed to Lord Aoshi and turned away, walking through the front door into the night and sliding the door shut with a sound that rang like the bells of the church in Jessie's ears. For a second, Jessie thought he might hurl right there, the next he thought he might cry out in total betrayal.
Soujiro, his savior, his protector, had abandoned him. There was a finality to the shutting of that paper thin door, closing him off, closing him in, trapping him, punishing him, punishing the bad boy who already had a place in hell beside the devil. How could have been so stupid to believe that Soujiro would take him along on an adventurous journey, to teach him the sword, to tell him about the Samurai? Just because Soujiro had not beaten him he had allowed himself to be duped by the gentle demeanor that was the façade of Seta Soujiro. He was a man, evil and harsh like all the other adults he had come across. Did he get some money by selling him to this Lord Aoshi? Or was he such a burden that Soujiro happily gave away?
No! He couldn't believe that. That night he had been saved, standing in the rain, Soujiro had given him his hand, and that hand spoke to him where Jessie could not understand Soujiro's words: "Come with me, I'll protect you, I will not abandon you…" He believed in that hand and refused to believe anything else. He had been bad, and troublesome so Soujiro had left him here to learn, but that wasn't what Jessie needed! He had to find Soujiro, to make him understand that he would get stronger, would get better. He wouldn't be a burden; he would protect the young man just like Soujiro had protected him. He had to make Soujiro understand!
Lunging forward, ignoring the pain in his ankle, Soujiro reached for the door, only to be caught around the waist and lifted off his feet by Lord Aoshi who had seemed to appear out of nowhere. Jessie cried out and twisted about, kicking his legs, and trying to pry the iron arm off him.
"Let go!" he cried desperately, "Let go of me! He's leaving, he's leaving me here!"
The tall man did not budge, saying gently yet firmly, "He is not abandoning you." His accent was barely noticeable, and Jessie barely registered that the man had spoken to him in English.
"Yes he is!" wailed Jessie, trying to reach for the door but failing, his vision becoming hampered by the enraged and panicked tears. "He's leaving cause I was bad! It's my punishment because I am going to hell! But he doesn't understand! He doesn't understand!!" Jessie went limp, his heart telling him that by now Soujiro would have already left the city, that it would be impossible for him to find the man now. He was alone and he would never see Soujiro again, never be able to explain himself to the young man, to let him understand…
Lord Aoshi relaxed his hold, letting Jessie slide down to his feet, but the boy let his legs collapse under him, going to his knees and weeping in anguish. Lord Aoshi sat beside him, leaning against the wall, staying silent and letting Jessie cry himself out. Suddenly, a weight came upon his shoulders a blanket was placed over him. Lifting his ravaged face up, he met Miss Misao's gentle eyes. The blanket was unnaturally warm…was it hers?
Kneeling next to him, the young woman tenderly wiped the tears from Jessie's cheeks and ran her hand twice through his tousled blond hair. Smiling softly she said, "There we go, please calm down and let Lord Aoshi explain everything."
Jessie clutched the blanket to him for security and shook his head, "It doesn't matter…he left…"
Misao looked about to say something to him when Lord Aoshi spoke a command to her in their language. She hesitated, looking at the man then nodded, patting the back of Jessie's head before standing and walking back to her room, leaving the blanket with Jessie. The boy watched her go in distress then looked at the imposing man who had not moved from his place. The two stared at each other for a long moment; the dark shadows of the night making the man look more imposing than normal.
Finally, something flickered in Aoshi's eyes and he nodded to himself, saying to the boy, "We will sit here and wait for Soujiro to return."
Jessie blinked, confused, "But he's gone…"
"He will be back. He just went to get something important," interrupted Lord Aoshi, his features still cold as ever.
"You…you mean he'll be back? In a few minutes?" Asked Jessie excitedly, joy swelling his heart and relieving the pain of the fear of his assumed abandonment. He then frowned, remembering why he had ventured out of the room in the first place. "But he's sick, why did he go now?"
Aoshi shrugged his large shoulders and replied, "He walks his own path. I do not have the right to question him."
"Oh," said Jessie, not understanding what the man meant, but settling down more comfortably to wait for Soujiro's return. He felt mortified at his drastic display before the man that would be his teacher. What did he think of him, screaming and crying like a child barely able to walk? Here he had been thinking himself worthy of traveling with Soujiro, that he would be able to aid the young man when the mere thought of him leaving sent the boy into hysterics. It was shameful, and Jessie wondered if Soujiro would be told of his misbehavior. It seemed that no matter what he did or how hard he tried he always fell short when it came to proving himself capable before Soujiro.
Lord Aoshi shifted slightly from his place and asked, "While we wait, let us not waste time by staring at nothing. We shall start our first lesson."
There was a command in his tone that brooked no argument. Jessie swallowed hard and nodded his head nervously, already knowing that he was going to fail horribly and shame himself even more.
Seeing the reluctant acquiescence, Aoshi asked, "What is Soujiro to you?"
Jessie frowned, not understanding the question, and embarrassed that he didn't.
Aoshi explained, "Here in Japan it is…respectful…to address people by titles at the end of their names. For instance, Miss Misao calls me 'Aoshi-sama', and in English it can be equivalent to saying 'Lord Aoshi'. She calls me this because she holds me in the highest respect."
" 'Sama'?" Jessie repeated the word, finding the suffix familiar and taking a moment to remember where he had heard it before. "Like 'Shishio-sama'?" he asked.
For the first time, Jessie saw Aoshi's eyes widen in shock. The man paused, at a loss for words before saying in bemusement, "I see Soujiro has spoken his name before you."
Jessie shrugged, "He's always saying that word. But if it is a title, then Shishio-sama is a person that Soujiro knows, right? He must be very important to Soujiro, right?"
Aoshi stared at him, and Jessie wondered if he had misunderstood what the man had told him. But the man sighed, "Perhaps one day you can ask Soujiro about Shishio. But, seeing that you now understand what 'sama' means, is that the way you see Soujiro?"
The made a face, "I…I don't think so. He saved me, and protected me, and I want to travel with him, but I can't call him my Lord." A panicked thought came to his mind, "Do you think he wants me to call him 'sama'? If he does I will do it!"
"I cannot answer for him, but I doubt he wants to be placed on such a pedestal." Once the boy had calmed down, he continued, "For equals but remaining respectful, there is the title of 'san'. I call Soujiro 'Seta-san', and he calls me 'Shinomori-san'."
"But that's his last name," pointed out the boy.
"We are not familiar enough to call each other by our first names."
This made Jessie's head whirl in confusion, "But aren't you two friends? Isn't that why you are teaching me, because Soujiro is your friend?"
"No," Lord Aoshi's answer was cold and frigid like snow, "we are not friends."
Jessie was stumped with this. If Lord Aoshi and Soujiro were not friends, then why would Aoshi agree in helping Soujiro? What was there to gain? And the way Aoshi had answered him, it sounded like the two were more like enemies if anything else.
"Let us continue," Aoshi went on, "there is also the title of 'kun', making the two equals, friends, or companions. It is far more familiar than 'san'. Is that more to your liking?"
"I…guess…" said Jessie, not sure at all.
"Finally, there is 'chan', and it is said to people who are much younger, to children, or girls. I call Misao, 'Misao-chan'. I doubt you'll be wanting to call Soujiro, 'Soujiro-chan'."
Jessie smirked at the nickname, but then he squawked indignantly, "Wait! Miss Misao called me 'Jessie-chan' just now! I don't want to be called that!"
The barest hint of a smile graced Aoshi's chiseled features as he said; "Then you must convince her to call you by another name."
Jessie leapt to his feet, letting the blanket fall to the floor as he said, "I will! I'm not going to let her treat me like I'm a child. I'm going to be strong, and no one will ever push me around!"
Aoshi looked at him for a moment then asked, "How old are you?"
"I'm almost eight," replied Jessie proudly.
"You are small for that age. I thought you no more than six."
It was like a blow to Jessie's stomach. He was small and thin, but he had always prided himself that he could beat any boy that tried to fight him. He was not weak, no, never weak. Not strong either, but defiantly not weak. He proved it to Soujiro when those three boys picked a fight with him. " I'm only small because no one would give me any food. Even at the orphanage the big boys would take the food from the little ones. The nuns said that without enough food we don't grow normal."
"That is true," agreed Aoshi.
Jessie glared, "Yes, it is. But I am not weak. I can beat anybody my size. You can ask Soujiro, he saw it."
"So then you will give him a title? Out of respect?"
Jessie was not prepared for the question, and sputtered. He was still standing facing the man when the door slid open and Soujiro came in, looking flushed and sweating, and in his hands he held the sword he had buried. Jessie gaped at him, then the sword, then back while Soujiro had a similar expression in his fevered face.
"J…Jessie…I thought you were asleep," said the young man, tearing his eyes away from the boy to Aoshi who stood up. "How long has he been waiting for me?"
"He saw you leave and has been waiting since," replied Aoshi, reaching and taking the sword from Soujiro's hands. "Seta-san, your hands are trembling."
Soujiro smiled and said, "Yes, I am not well. Thank you for waiting with Jessie while I was gone, Shinimori-san."
Jessie did not understand this exchange, but recognized his name and as Lord Aoshi had taught him the titles they used when addressing each other. But that was barely more than a passing thought, for all Jessie could think was that Soujiro had come back…Soujiro had come back. He had left to get the sword, the sword that Jessie loved. Had he done it for Jessie? Or was it because the sword was precious to him? Whatever the reason, he was back, he had not abandoned Jessie to the Aoiya and its occupants.
Jessie reached over and clasped Soujiro's long sleeve tightly, making Soujiro look down at him. The young man really looked horrible, but Jessie had to tell him before it was too late. He had to make the young man understand.
"I thought you left because I was bad again," he said seriously, dropping his eyes. He knew that Soujiro didn't understand, and he didn't want Lord Aoshi to translate everything for him. He'd make it simple for now, and then when he could speak Japanese he would explain everything to Soujiro. "I'm not strong enough right now, but I'm not weak. You don't have to leave me behind, because I'm going to get better. I will do anything, okay?"
Soujiro looked at him uncomprehending, then looked at Aoshi for answers, but Jessie yanked at his sleeve in frustration, angry at his incompetence, angry at his handicap. "No, you have to understand from me! What do you want me to call you? Soujiro-sama? I will call you my lord, Soujiro-sama. Like Shishio-sama is to you, right?"
Horror came over Soujiro's pale face and said fiercely, "No!" He grasped Jessie's small shoulders with his burning hands and leaned down repeating, "No, don't call me that. Not like that."
'Iya'…it was a word that Jessie had heard before, and judging from Soujiro's reaction he did not like being called 'sama'. At a loss, Jessie asked, "Then what should I call you? 'Soujiro-san' or 'Soujiro-kun'?" He grimaced, "You don't want 'Soujiro-chan'?"
Soujiro gawked for another second before shaking his head and smiling, patting Jessie's shoulder, "No…those don't sound right from you. I think, for now you can just call me 'Soujiro'…for at least. Who knows what you might want to call me in a few days. Just 'Soujiro' for now, okay?"
Jessie turned to the silent Aoshi and gave him a triumphant look, "He wants me to just call him 'Soujiro' right?"
Aoshi nodded his head, "It is his decision."
The boy grinned up at Soujiro and pulled at his sleeve, watching carefully as the man slowly slid off his sandals and wearily stepped into the hallway. Guiding the young man to the room, he helped him lay down on his futon and covering him up. Once settled, Jessie touched Soujiro's scalding forehead, worried about the heat and not knowing what to do about it.
Soujiro sighed and looked up at the worried boy, "Jessie, go to sleep. I am fine."
Jessie frowned, not understanding, and said grimly, "You're really hot. At the ship, there was a sailor who got a fever and they threw him overboard. I bet the sharks ate him before he drowned."
Lifting a hot hand to burning eyes, Soujiro muttered unhappily, "What can I say to make you go to sleep?"
Resolved to be strong while Soujiro was weak, Jessie patted the young man's head and ordered, "You be quiet and go to sleep. I'll take care of you."
Jumping to his feet, he ran out of the room, nearly colliding with Lord Aoshi. Looking up, he exclaimed happily when he saw that in the man's hands was a small bucket of water and a clean white cloth. "Are those for Soujiro?"
Aoshi wordlessly gave them to the boy who held them preciously to him. Looking up into his face he said confidently, "I'll take care of Soujiro. You go to sleep, okay?"
" 'Sensei'," said Aoshi before Jessie could turn away.
"What?" Blinked the boy.
" 'Sensei', it means master or teacher. You will call me just 'Sensei'."
"Sensei…" repeated Jessie, before nodding his head. He looked straight at his teacher's eyes and said sincerely, "Thank you," then holding his breath he bowed his head like he had seen Soujiro do many times and he disapproved of. But for some reason, it felt right to bow a little to Lord Aoshi. The man had said it himself, Soujiro and him were not friends, but despite that he was willing to teach Jessie. That was why Soujiro had bowed to him, in gratitude for a favor undeserved. So it was right for Jessie to show a little of that humility. Lifting his head the boy looked shyly for Aoshi's response to action, unsure if he had even bowed right.
Aoshi nodded his head graciously and turned away, walking toward his own room on silent feet.
Content that he had not made a fool of himself, Jessie went back into the room, and placed the bucket next to Soujiro's futon. He sat down, and drenched the white cloth in the water and wrung it before placing it over Soujiro's brow. Soujiro, who had looked to have been in a light slumber, opened his eyes slowly and stared at Jessie in amazement.
Getting himself comfortable on the floor, Jessie grinned cheekily and said, "See, I told you I'd care of you. So go to sleep, okay."
Soujiro laughed weakly, and shut his eyes whispering, "There is no stopping you, is there?"
"Quiet," ordered the boy sternly, and whether Soujiro understood the command or not, he obeyed and went back to sleep under the watchful eyes of Jessie.
TO BE CONTINUED….
Okay, here is to another part of WTRFOTO…sheesh that's a long title…don't know what I was on to come up with it O.o…but ah well. Hope you liked this fic, and if you noticed anything wrong with the Japanese please tell me, alright.
If you wanna e-mail me, go to my profile and get the e-mail provided there.
Till next time…
Ja ne