Chapter seven
"From morning 'til night, I stayed out of sight. Didn't recognize what I'd become. No more than alive, I barely survived. In a word, overrun."-Pink Floyd
The sun had reluctantly sunk underneath the horizon before they found any signs of human life other than themselves. The inn looked somewhat decrepit from the outside, but by that time Takiko didn't care if they had come across tents with cots she was so exhausted. Every step forward she took only reminded her of the blisters forming on the heels of her feet. By the time they reached the slightly askew doors of the inn, Takiko was leaning against Hikitsu for support.
The tired old man seemed to regain some of his youthful energy when he heard the tiny bell attached to the door tinkle, and he looked up to see four worn out, hopeful looking customers.
"Are there any rooms available?"
"Are there any rooms available...?" The man dropped his book and hopped up onto his chair, being just small enough to do so. He swept his hand around him in one grand gesture and beamed "Why you are looking at is the finest inn in these here parts, an-"
"Cut the gimmicks." Hatsui interjected, his hand covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. "We just want some rooms, okay? And maybe some alcohol..."
"And maybe some medical supplies...my friend's kinda hurt." Takiko added.
The little old man climbed down from his chair and waddled to the back of the room, removing three keys from a slab of wood decorated with slightly crooked nails. He made his way over to the group and handed the keys to them.
"You pay in the morning, there's a tavern back there." He motioned behind him "and if you go back there, ask the lady and she should have something for -any- of your ailments."
Hikitsu bowed slightly, taking the keys and handing one to Takiko and one to Hatsui. "Anou...I'm going to head on to bed. The three of you shouldn't stay up too late."
With that he turned and climbed the steps to the upper level, his movements wavering slightly with exhaustion. Hatsui watched his progress with a quirked eyebrow.
"Is he always going to act like a father? That's really going to get on my nerves."
"I think it's sweet!" Urumiya told them, grinning stupidly to cover up for the fact that he wanted to wince. Gently he probed his shoulder, and the pain that he was greeted with was so overwhelming it made him shudder. "Can...we get some drinks now?"
"You read my mind." Hatsui shrugged off his coat as he walked into the empty room, which must have served as a tavern. The business wasn't too good, though Hatsui did note with surprise that one loner was holed up in the back, nursing a bottle. The chairs were overturned on the table, and the long, rough-cut wooden counter looked as if it had seen better days. Still, something managed to add glamour to the otherwise dull room, and when Hatsui's eyes landed on the girl behind the counter, he grinned.
"What can I get you?" The black-haired beauty asked coolly, resting one hand on the counter top as she tilted her head to the side and watched the three of them, though more specifically Hatsui.
"Sake for me...and...ah, some bandages for the big guy." Hatsui smirked and pulled out one of the stools, plopping down on it and propping his elbows up on the counter top.
"Oh? Is he hurt?" She turned her attention to Urumiya and blinked.
"It's nothing." Urumiya shook his head "and I'll have a water if it's not too much of an inconvenience."
"Inconvenience?" the woman laughed, twirling her finger around an ebony spiral of hair. "It's no problem. I'll be right back."
She managed an extra smile toward Hatsui before disappearing into another room. Takiko couldn't help but smile.
"Hatsui....if your eyes bugged out any more they wouldn't be in your head anymore."
"Shut up" Hatsui scowled, but Takiko continued to smile sweetly. She looked around and found a table that wasn't too far away from the counter, and pulled off the chairs. After dusting off the tabletop, she sat back in one of the chairs and sighed with relief when the pressure to the soles of her feet was alleviated. Urumiya opted to sit at the table as well, instead of at the counter.
When the woman came back, she held a bottle of sake in one hand and a glass of water in the other, while she carried a box of something under her arm. The glass of water was slick enough that it slipped from her grasp, but as Hatsui watched the glass's plummet to the ground, the glass changed directions and instead landed safely on the counter with a gentle click.
Hatsui fell backward out of his chair.
"How did you...I mean...-what- was that?" he asked, gripping the edge of the counter to pull himself up, and fixing his bewildered stare on the woman. Her cheeks grew slightly red as she looked from the glass to Hatsui and realized what she'd done.
"I...I mean...well, I don't know...it's a gift."
"You can make things levitate?" Takiko's eyes were as wide as Hatsui's as she leaned forward, almost out of her chair all together.
"That and...things. It's hard to explain. You see...I'm a..."
"A Genbu seishi?" Urumiya made it sound more like a statement than a question, and the other three turned to look at him. Iname managed a slow nod.
"But how did you...?"
"A feeling I guess. I was kind of hesitant to say something but when I saw that I was pretty sure."
"I didn't notice." Hatsui looked at Urumiya skeptically.
"That's because you were too busy ogling her -other- attributes." Takiko's grin didn't waver even when Hatsui shot her a glare that would kill. Finally her hyena smile died down, replaced by a soft one, and she smiled at Iname.
"I'm Takiko, the Genbu no miko, and this is Hatsui and Urumiya."
"I knew something was different about your clothes, but I would have never guessed..." Iname shook her head. "My name is Iname."
"Iname..." Takiko watched her as she made her way around the counter and stepped over to her and Urumiya, handing him the box of bandages and the glass of water. "If you didn't already know, the empire of Hokkan is in a lot of trouble...and we need all the help we can get. Since you -are- a seishi...when we leave tomorrow, will you come with us?"
"You mean...and lose all the opportunities I get here?" Iname held one hand to her heart and gasped, before rolling her eyes. "I would have -no- regrets about leaving this place. Trust me, I'm jumping at the chance to get out of here."
"Then why not take me for a walk and show me all the wonderful sights of 'the finest inn in these here parts'" Hatsui asked innocently, though with a grin. "I'm not ready to conk out yet."
"Oh we've got the world's most beautiful well out back." Iname laughed and nodded toward the back door. "People come from all over to see it. Come on and I'll show ya."
With a nod, Hatsui hopped off the stool and grabbed up his bottle of sake, throwing his coat over his shoulder and following Iname out.
Takiko sighed and shook her head, before looking to Urumiya, who was fiddling with the box the bandage was housed in.
"Is something wrong?"
Urumiya shook his head, his eyes watching Hatsui until he disappeared. Finally he looked up at Takiko. "Of course not." He palmed the bandage and took his glass of water in the other hand "I'm just going to go to bed, okay?"
"So what's your story?" Hatsui asked, a minute or two into their walk. Iname looked at him with her cyan eyes, uncomprehending. He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug and made an off-handed gesture. "I mean...why are you holed up -here- of all places. A pretty girl like you...shit, you could go anywhere you wanted."
"Yeah?" Iname sighed and ran her fingers back through her black mane, and once they reached the well she seated herself on its stony rim. "I suppose I'm just kind of hiding out for now."
"From what?"
"My parents." She rolled her eyes. "Every time I see them it's 'when are you going to settle down? When are you going to get married and have kids?' like that's all there is to life, or something."
"Mmm...well I never had parents, not in a conventional sense anyway." Hatsui told her, settling down beside her "So I guess I never had that kind of nagging."
"Lucky. I wish -I- didn't have parents." Iname laughed slightly "No...that's not true. I love them, I really do. But they're so...strict. I guess being the youngest of nine meant they were especially protective of me."
"-Nine-?" Once again Hatsui's eyes nearly bugged from their sockets, almost as if that number was just as surprising as the floating glass incident. "Your parents must have been busy."
"I don't think they ever progressed past that honey moon stage, that's for sure." She rubbed her forehead before resting her chin in her hand. "I don't know. It's like...in the town I came from my parents were high society...and being able to feed and cloth and house more kids meant you were wealthier. You know how there used to be that thing where the more cattle you owned, the richer you were? Man...no wonder my symbol means 'cow'."
"Well it's definitely not because you're fat. You look...amazing." Hatsui admitted, though his timid advances were hidden by his arrogance.
Iname laughed and put her arm around her stomach, a subconscious attempt to hide something she was ashamed of. "Well...thank you very much! You're not so bad looking yourself."
"So...you're really coming with us, ne?" He leaned in a bit, his lips hovering only a few inches away from her face. "Good...that'll give us some time to get to know each other."
"-Plenty- of time..." Iname winked and smiled coyly, before slipping away and getting to her feet. "Don't you need your rest? It looks like you guys have been on the road all day."
"And then some..." Sighing, Hatsui pulled himself up to a standing positioned, and staggered after Iname as she started back toward the inn. "Let me tell you...being shaken awake before -dawn- will ruin your entire day."
"From morning 'til night, I stayed out of sight. Didn't recognize what I'd become. No more than alive, I barely survived. In a word, overrun."-Pink Floyd
The sun had reluctantly sunk underneath the horizon before they found any signs of human life other than themselves. The inn looked somewhat decrepit from the outside, but by that time Takiko didn't care if they had come across tents with cots she was so exhausted. Every step forward she took only reminded her of the blisters forming on the heels of her feet. By the time they reached the slightly askew doors of the inn, Takiko was leaning against Hikitsu for support.
The tired old man seemed to regain some of his youthful energy when he heard the tiny bell attached to the door tinkle, and he looked up to see four worn out, hopeful looking customers.
"Are there any rooms available?"
"Are there any rooms available...?" The man dropped his book and hopped up onto his chair, being just small enough to do so. He swept his hand around him in one grand gesture and beamed "Why you are looking at is the finest inn in these here parts, an-"
"Cut the gimmicks." Hatsui interjected, his hand covering his mouth to stifle a yawn. "We just want some rooms, okay? And maybe some alcohol..."
"And maybe some medical supplies...my friend's kinda hurt." Takiko added.
The little old man climbed down from his chair and waddled to the back of the room, removing three keys from a slab of wood decorated with slightly crooked nails. He made his way over to the group and handed the keys to them.
"You pay in the morning, there's a tavern back there." He motioned behind him "and if you go back there, ask the lady and she should have something for -any- of your ailments."
Hikitsu bowed slightly, taking the keys and handing one to Takiko and one to Hatsui. "Anou...I'm going to head on to bed. The three of you shouldn't stay up too late."
With that he turned and climbed the steps to the upper level, his movements wavering slightly with exhaustion. Hatsui watched his progress with a quirked eyebrow.
"Is he always going to act like a father? That's really going to get on my nerves."
"I think it's sweet!" Urumiya told them, grinning stupidly to cover up for the fact that he wanted to wince. Gently he probed his shoulder, and the pain that he was greeted with was so overwhelming it made him shudder. "Can...we get some drinks now?"
"You read my mind." Hatsui shrugged off his coat as he walked into the empty room, which must have served as a tavern. The business wasn't too good, though Hatsui did note with surprise that one loner was holed up in the back, nursing a bottle. The chairs were overturned on the table, and the long, rough-cut wooden counter looked as if it had seen better days. Still, something managed to add glamour to the otherwise dull room, and when Hatsui's eyes landed on the girl behind the counter, he grinned.
"What can I get you?" The black-haired beauty asked coolly, resting one hand on the counter top as she tilted her head to the side and watched the three of them, though more specifically Hatsui.
"Sake for me...and...ah, some bandages for the big guy." Hatsui smirked and pulled out one of the stools, plopping down on it and propping his elbows up on the counter top.
"Oh? Is he hurt?" She turned her attention to Urumiya and blinked.
"It's nothing." Urumiya shook his head "and I'll have a water if it's not too much of an inconvenience."
"Inconvenience?" the woman laughed, twirling her finger around an ebony spiral of hair. "It's no problem. I'll be right back."
She managed an extra smile toward Hatsui before disappearing into another room. Takiko couldn't help but smile.
"Hatsui....if your eyes bugged out any more they wouldn't be in your head anymore."
"Shut up" Hatsui scowled, but Takiko continued to smile sweetly. She looked around and found a table that wasn't too far away from the counter, and pulled off the chairs. After dusting off the tabletop, she sat back in one of the chairs and sighed with relief when the pressure to the soles of her feet was alleviated. Urumiya opted to sit at the table as well, instead of at the counter.
When the woman came back, she held a bottle of sake in one hand and a glass of water in the other, while she carried a box of something under her arm. The glass of water was slick enough that it slipped from her grasp, but as Hatsui watched the glass's plummet to the ground, the glass changed directions and instead landed safely on the counter with a gentle click.
Hatsui fell backward out of his chair.
"How did you...I mean...-what- was that?" he asked, gripping the edge of the counter to pull himself up, and fixing his bewildered stare on the woman. Her cheeks grew slightly red as she looked from the glass to Hatsui and realized what she'd done.
"I...I mean...well, I don't know...it's a gift."
"You can make things levitate?" Takiko's eyes were as wide as Hatsui's as she leaned forward, almost out of her chair all together.
"That and...things. It's hard to explain. You see...I'm a..."
"A Genbu seishi?" Urumiya made it sound more like a statement than a question, and the other three turned to look at him. Iname managed a slow nod.
"But how did you...?"
"A feeling I guess. I was kind of hesitant to say something but when I saw that I was pretty sure."
"I didn't notice." Hatsui looked at Urumiya skeptically.
"That's because you were too busy ogling her -other- attributes." Takiko's grin didn't waver even when Hatsui shot her a glare that would kill. Finally her hyena smile died down, replaced by a soft one, and she smiled at Iname.
"I'm Takiko, the Genbu no miko, and this is Hatsui and Urumiya."
"I knew something was different about your clothes, but I would have never guessed..." Iname shook her head. "My name is Iname."
"Iname..." Takiko watched her as she made her way around the counter and stepped over to her and Urumiya, handing him the box of bandages and the glass of water. "If you didn't already know, the empire of Hokkan is in a lot of trouble...and we need all the help we can get. Since you -are- a seishi...when we leave tomorrow, will you come with us?"
"You mean...and lose all the opportunities I get here?" Iname held one hand to her heart and gasped, before rolling her eyes. "I would have -no- regrets about leaving this place. Trust me, I'm jumping at the chance to get out of here."
"Then why not take me for a walk and show me all the wonderful sights of 'the finest inn in these here parts'" Hatsui asked innocently, though with a grin. "I'm not ready to conk out yet."
"Oh we've got the world's most beautiful well out back." Iname laughed and nodded toward the back door. "People come from all over to see it. Come on and I'll show ya."
With a nod, Hatsui hopped off the stool and grabbed up his bottle of sake, throwing his coat over his shoulder and following Iname out.
Takiko sighed and shook her head, before looking to Urumiya, who was fiddling with the box the bandage was housed in.
"Is something wrong?"
Urumiya shook his head, his eyes watching Hatsui until he disappeared. Finally he looked up at Takiko. "Of course not." He palmed the bandage and took his glass of water in the other hand "I'm just going to go to bed, okay?"
"So what's your story?" Hatsui asked, a minute or two into their walk. Iname looked at him with her cyan eyes, uncomprehending. He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug and made an off-handed gesture. "I mean...why are you holed up -here- of all places. A pretty girl like you...shit, you could go anywhere you wanted."
"Yeah?" Iname sighed and ran her fingers back through her black mane, and once they reached the well she seated herself on its stony rim. "I suppose I'm just kind of hiding out for now."
"From what?"
"My parents." She rolled her eyes. "Every time I see them it's 'when are you going to settle down? When are you going to get married and have kids?' like that's all there is to life, or something."
"Mmm...well I never had parents, not in a conventional sense anyway." Hatsui told her, settling down beside her "So I guess I never had that kind of nagging."
"Lucky. I wish -I- didn't have parents." Iname laughed slightly "No...that's not true. I love them, I really do. But they're so...strict. I guess being the youngest of nine meant they were especially protective of me."
"-Nine-?" Once again Hatsui's eyes nearly bugged from their sockets, almost as if that number was just as surprising as the floating glass incident. "Your parents must have been busy."
"I don't think they ever progressed past that honey moon stage, that's for sure." She rubbed her forehead before resting her chin in her hand. "I don't know. It's like...in the town I came from my parents were high society...and being able to feed and cloth and house more kids meant you were wealthier. You know how there used to be that thing where the more cattle you owned, the richer you were? Man...no wonder my symbol means 'cow'."
"Well it's definitely not because you're fat. You look...amazing." Hatsui admitted, though his timid advances were hidden by his arrogance.
Iname laughed and put her arm around her stomach, a subconscious attempt to hide something she was ashamed of. "Well...thank you very much! You're not so bad looking yourself."
"So...you're really coming with us, ne?" He leaned in a bit, his lips hovering only a few inches away from her face. "Good...that'll give us some time to get to know each other."
"-Plenty- of time..." Iname winked and smiled coyly, before slipping away and getting to her feet. "Don't you need your rest? It looks like you guys have been on the road all day."
"And then some..." Sighing, Hatsui pulled himself up to a standing positioned, and staggered after Iname as she started back toward the inn. "Let me tell you...being shaken awake before -dawn- will ruin your entire day."