AN: here's the next chapter! Nothing much though. Read and enjoy!
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Pink tendrils reached out of the sky, spreading and tainting everything within its reach. Dawn was breaking. And down below, a figure was resting quietly. Sitting with his sword clutched in his arms, breathing evenly in slumber. Suddenly, the figure shifts and a brown eye pops open. Mou. Morning already? a grimace settles on his face. *sigh* oh well, have to start walking again soon He got up and stretched his sore muscles. Then glanced around to see if everything was still in order. His belongings were still on the ground, beside his feet, and his sword was still there. He had plenty of food left, enough to last him to the next town. Well, at least he hoped it was enough, he didn't know how far the next town was going to be. He ran a hand through his hair.*Yawn* I really don't feel like walking yet. But I have to, if I want to get to the next town quickly. He thought. But before all that, breakfast is in order , be bent down and reached inside the sack that he was carrying, and grabbed a fruit. *Munch* good thing I found these yesterday. Saves me the trouble of having to look for a meal. *Munch* after a few more bites, then he picked up his things and started his walk. His long walk.
*Yawn* this is tiring. Good thing the weather is behaving itself. Don't know what I'll do if it starts raining anytime soon. Looking around he didn't see any thing that could remotely provide him with enough shelter against the rain. He glanced at the sky again, as if looking for reassurance that there won't be any coming rain. But the sun was glaring at him, giving him the answer. Satisfied with that, he continued his way. And it wasn't long before he set foot on the town he was seeking for.
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The town was bustling with activity. It was pretty small in size. Nothing like Kyoto or Edo. But it looked peaceful enough. Looking around him, he found all the hustle and bustle actually comforting. It gave him a sense of not being alone. Solitude, he realized, was not for him. It gave him time to think about things that were too painful; brought on memories that were too harsh. Maybe someday he would be able to face all those without needing a shield, but for now, he needed a sense of companionship. Even if it was as superficial as this. He walked around a bit, looking for a place to stay the night. He passed by a lot of inns, but most of them were expensive, although they did not look it. And when he asked about the expensive price, most of them replied that since the next town was too far away, and this was the only town in the vicinity, they could afford to raise the price a bit, since weary travelers didn't really have a choice.
*Sigh* Business and the shrewdness that comes with it, he did not understand. He understood the greed and slyness of politics, but commerce was new to him. All the fuss about prices and income were a bit too confusing for his mind. All he knew about was fighting, what did he know about budgets and trade? All in all, he found it a bit frightening.
"Oi! You there. Want a place for the night? Warm beds and a reasonable price." An old man called out from the door of an Inn.
Soujiro's ears perked up at that. Reasonable? Hope so. So far, the only reasonable prices that he had encountered were those of establishments that were too shabby for a human being to stay in. Fit only for the dregs of society. He glanced at the place, and it seemed ok enough. Normal. He approached the owner and asked for the price. (I won't mention prices since I don't know how much things cost those days). He was almost too afraid to hear the answer, but surprisingly, the amount that the man quoted was in fact, reasonable. He never expected it, but he was never one to turn down a blessing when it came to him either.
"I'll take it." He said.
"And how long will you be staying young man?"
"I don't know yet. Probably about a week or so" he still didn't know how long he was going to be able to figure out this murder thing. He didn't even know yet if he was going to be able to help. But since he didn't know what else to do for the moment, having no particular destination in mind ( he is a wanderer now after all) this place seemed to be as good as any.
"Ah I see." They exchanged currencies. Then, "Well, come this way please. I'll show you to your room."
"Doumo"
The man led him up the stairs. He glanced around the establishment and saw that the place was rather empty. the murders must have scared the travelers off But he still wasn't sure, so he thought it was best to ask the owner.
"Anou, Oji-san, why is this place so empty? Aren't there a lot of tourists around? The town looks pretty full after all"
The old man glanced at him, then replied. "Oh, those aren't tourists. Most of the travelers have left days ago. Those people that you've seen are the local residents."
"Left? Why?" Soujiro inquired, though he thought that he most probably knew what the answer to that was going to be.
"Haven't you heard? There has been a chain of murders going on around here. Four to be exact."
Four? Last time he heard, it was only Three. Those killers are pretty diligent with their work. Another murder just in the span of a day. Soujiro got pretty piqued at hearing this. He wondered if it was anybody he knew.
"Well anyway, most of the tourists have been scared off, and now, only the residents who have no choice at all but to stay, are left."
"Ah. Sou ka. Thank you."
They stopped in front of a door.
"No trouble at all. And oh, here you go. This is your room."
The old man opened the door and showed Soujiro inside. He inspected it and found everything to be satisfactory. "Arigatou" The old man nodded and went away. "Call me if you need anything. I'll just be downstairs."
"Ah, Hai!" Soujiro said. Then he closed the door behind him. Hmm. looks comfortable enough. There was an average bed, a water basin, and a chair. To his right, there was a window that provided an ample view of the town. Not bad at all.
He went and sat down on the bed. He tested it a bit, bouncing a little. Hey, this is pretty nice. He continued bouncing around like that, an action that seemed too childish for the former Tenken to be doing. But then, he wasn't the Tenken anymore, so doing things like this should be normal for any young person. He bounced some more, enjoying the simple act. His past had not left him any room for childhood activities, so he was catching up a bit on what he had missed. After a while, he got tired of bouncing around, in fact, he was just plain tired, period! A whole day of walking does nothing for one's energy. And so, he just went up to the basin and washed his face a bit, and went right to bed. *grumble* I haven't eaten yet. But never mind. I'll just do that later when I wake up. He glanced at the window and saw the setting of the sun, right. Just a few hours of sleep then I'll go down and get some dinner and with that, he fell right asleep.
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*GURK!!!!* his stomach protested. And with that, the figure on the bed woke up. He rubbed his eyes a bit. *gurk!!!* HAI! HAI! he patted his stomach. couldn't you have waited a bit? I need to sleep too you know! he told his belly. He looked up, and saw that the sky had already darkened. how long was I asleep? *shrug* Hope there are still some restaurants that are open at this time He got off the bed and checked his money pouch. there's still some left, but this won't last me long. I have to get a job. The sooner the better. But for now. *GRUMBLE* Hai!!!!!!! he thought, frowning a bit. He glared at his stomach, impatient thing! he thought. But having no choice, he went down and looked for the owner.
"Oji-san." he called out, since he found no one downstairs. But there was no answer. He looked around the place some more. He went to the front desk and peered around it. Nobody. where could he be? it wasn't that late. Taking a look outside, Soujiro found that the town was still very active, filled with people and bright lights. maybe I should just go out and look for something on my own then .. *tap* "you called?" He got startled, turned and found the old man staring at him in the face. "oh! Oji-san. There you are. I was looking for you"
"Gomen. I was down at the basement, looking for supplies. What did you want?"
"um.. do you know any good restaurants here? Nothing expensive though."
"Oh, sure. There are a couple of them down the street. The expensive ones belong to another district."
"Thank you."
"Dou itashimashite"
The young man wandered outside. Walked down the street that was pointed out to him by the owner of the inn. He walked around a bit and finally settled on one of the many restaurants. There wasn't so much people here as compared to the others. He made his way inside and went to an empty table. The place was still busy, so he had to wait for a couple of minutes before a very haggard waitress appeared before him.
"Sorry for the wait sir."
"Oh, its alright." Soujiro said, waving a hand. He didn't mind. It wasn't as if he was used to service after all.
"So what'll it be?"
"I can't think of anything right now. Could you recommend something to me?"
"uh. lets see, our crabs here are good. So's the smoked fish"
"Crabs it is then. No fish." When he traveled, he ate nothing but fish. If he got lucky, he gets to have some fruits too. But most of the time, he ate fish. So there was no way he was going to have that now.
"Ok. Please wait a bit sir. The order might take a bit longer, since our kitchen is pretty busy."
"That's ok. I don't mind"
"Thank you so much." The waitress hurriedly went off to serve another customer who had been hollering impatiently. "Coming sir.."
Soujiro sat quietly by himself, not wanting to attract any attention. There was no particular reason for this, for he had no reason to expect any hostility or danger from anybody here. Nobody knew him in this town. It just came naturally to him to try to be as inconspicuous as possible, it was ingrained to his body, like a second nature. And as is normal for him, he listens intently to everything that was going around. The restaurant was noisy enough to provide much conversation to his ears.
"SAKE!!!!" there was a drunken group to his left. One man looked drunk enough to start a commotion. Soujiro hoped the man wouldn't cause any trouble. He hadn't eaten his dinner yet and so he wouldn't like it if some disruption were to occur and cause the restaurant to delay his meal further. He certainly had the option to stop the drunken man from doing anything serious, but he preferred not to attract any attention to himself as of yet. Better to keep your cards hidden until the time is right for you to show them. Thankfully, the drunkards didn't do anything other than demand more drinks loudly.
"The Akamatsu's are looking for a body guard to protect them."
"Couldn't blame them. They are certainly rich enough to warrant the attention of those killers that are going around here. Better to be safe than sorry."
That particular thread of conversation got Soujiro's attention. He needed a job while staying here. His money was running low. And fighting was what he did best. Yokatta! What luck! he thought. Life certainly was behaving well. He'll just have to ask the owner of the inn that he was staying at later for more information about these so called Akamatsu's.
Somebody appeared before him, and placed his meal on the table. "Sorry for the wait sir. Please enjoy your meal."
"Itadakimasu!" Soujiro said. After those good news that he just heard, he was going to enjoy his meal even more. Tonight I'll sleep well and then tomorrow, I'll ask oji-san about the Akamatsu's and hopefully, get a job real soon and with that thought in mind, he happily munched away at his crabs.
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AN: Next chapter, Soujiro gets to meet the Akamatsu's. and maybe meet somebody that he knows? *grins* hope you enjoyed this chapter people! Reviews please!!!
Mayorie ^_^'
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Pink tendrils reached out of the sky, spreading and tainting everything within its reach. Dawn was breaking. And down below, a figure was resting quietly. Sitting with his sword clutched in his arms, breathing evenly in slumber. Suddenly, the figure shifts and a brown eye pops open. Mou. Morning already? a grimace settles on his face. *sigh* oh well, have to start walking again soon He got up and stretched his sore muscles. Then glanced around to see if everything was still in order. His belongings were still on the ground, beside his feet, and his sword was still there. He had plenty of food left, enough to last him to the next town. Well, at least he hoped it was enough, he didn't know how far the next town was going to be. He ran a hand through his hair.*Yawn* I really don't feel like walking yet. But I have to, if I want to get to the next town quickly. He thought. But before all that, breakfast is in order , be bent down and reached inside the sack that he was carrying, and grabbed a fruit. *Munch* good thing I found these yesterday. Saves me the trouble of having to look for a meal. *Munch* after a few more bites, then he picked up his things and started his walk. His long walk.
*Yawn* this is tiring. Good thing the weather is behaving itself. Don't know what I'll do if it starts raining anytime soon. Looking around he didn't see any thing that could remotely provide him with enough shelter against the rain. He glanced at the sky again, as if looking for reassurance that there won't be any coming rain. But the sun was glaring at him, giving him the answer. Satisfied with that, he continued his way. And it wasn't long before he set foot on the town he was seeking for.
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The town was bustling with activity. It was pretty small in size. Nothing like Kyoto or Edo. But it looked peaceful enough. Looking around him, he found all the hustle and bustle actually comforting. It gave him a sense of not being alone. Solitude, he realized, was not for him. It gave him time to think about things that were too painful; brought on memories that were too harsh. Maybe someday he would be able to face all those without needing a shield, but for now, he needed a sense of companionship. Even if it was as superficial as this. He walked around a bit, looking for a place to stay the night. He passed by a lot of inns, but most of them were expensive, although they did not look it. And when he asked about the expensive price, most of them replied that since the next town was too far away, and this was the only town in the vicinity, they could afford to raise the price a bit, since weary travelers didn't really have a choice.
*Sigh* Business and the shrewdness that comes with it, he did not understand. He understood the greed and slyness of politics, but commerce was new to him. All the fuss about prices and income were a bit too confusing for his mind. All he knew about was fighting, what did he know about budgets and trade? All in all, he found it a bit frightening.
"Oi! You there. Want a place for the night? Warm beds and a reasonable price." An old man called out from the door of an Inn.
Soujiro's ears perked up at that. Reasonable? Hope so. So far, the only reasonable prices that he had encountered were those of establishments that were too shabby for a human being to stay in. Fit only for the dregs of society. He glanced at the place, and it seemed ok enough. Normal. He approached the owner and asked for the price. (I won't mention prices since I don't know how much things cost those days). He was almost too afraid to hear the answer, but surprisingly, the amount that the man quoted was in fact, reasonable. He never expected it, but he was never one to turn down a blessing when it came to him either.
"I'll take it." He said.
"And how long will you be staying young man?"
"I don't know yet. Probably about a week or so" he still didn't know how long he was going to be able to figure out this murder thing. He didn't even know yet if he was going to be able to help. But since he didn't know what else to do for the moment, having no particular destination in mind ( he is a wanderer now after all) this place seemed to be as good as any.
"Ah I see." They exchanged currencies. Then, "Well, come this way please. I'll show you to your room."
"Doumo"
The man led him up the stairs. He glanced around the establishment and saw that the place was rather empty. the murders must have scared the travelers off But he still wasn't sure, so he thought it was best to ask the owner.
"Anou, Oji-san, why is this place so empty? Aren't there a lot of tourists around? The town looks pretty full after all"
The old man glanced at him, then replied. "Oh, those aren't tourists. Most of the travelers have left days ago. Those people that you've seen are the local residents."
"Left? Why?" Soujiro inquired, though he thought that he most probably knew what the answer to that was going to be.
"Haven't you heard? There has been a chain of murders going on around here. Four to be exact."
Four? Last time he heard, it was only Three. Those killers are pretty diligent with their work. Another murder just in the span of a day. Soujiro got pretty piqued at hearing this. He wondered if it was anybody he knew.
"Well anyway, most of the tourists have been scared off, and now, only the residents who have no choice at all but to stay, are left."
"Ah. Sou ka. Thank you."
They stopped in front of a door.
"No trouble at all. And oh, here you go. This is your room."
The old man opened the door and showed Soujiro inside. He inspected it and found everything to be satisfactory. "Arigatou" The old man nodded and went away. "Call me if you need anything. I'll just be downstairs."
"Ah, Hai!" Soujiro said. Then he closed the door behind him. Hmm. looks comfortable enough. There was an average bed, a water basin, and a chair. To his right, there was a window that provided an ample view of the town. Not bad at all.
He went and sat down on the bed. He tested it a bit, bouncing a little. Hey, this is pretty nice. He continued bouncing around like that, an action that seemed too childish for the former Tenken to be doing. But then, he wasn't the Tenken anymore, so doing things like this should be normal for any young person. He bounced some more, enjoying the simple act. His past had not left him any room for childhood activities, so he was catching up a bit on what he had missed. After a while, he got tired of bouncing around, in fact, he was just plain tired, period! A whole day of walking does nothing for one's energy. And so, he just went up to the basin and washed his face a bit, and went right to bed. *grumble* I haven't eaten yet. But never mind. I'll just do that later when I wake up. He glanced at the window and saw the setting of the sun, right. Just a few hours of sleep then I'll go down and get some dinner and with that, he fell right asleep.
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*GURK!!!!* his stomach protested. And with that, the figure on the bed woke up. He rubbed his eyes a bit. *gurk!!!* HAI! HAI! he patted his stomach. couldn't you have waited a bit? I need to sleep too you know! he told his belly. He looked up, and saw that the sky had already darkened. how long was I asleep? *shrug* Hope there are still some restaurants that are open at this time He got off the bed and checked his money pouch. there's still some left, but this won't last me long. I have to get a job. The sooner the better. But for now. *GRUMBLE* Hai!!!!!!! he thought, frowning a bit. He glared at his stomach, impatient thing! he thought. But having no choice, he went down and looked for the owner.
"Oji-san." he called out, since he found no one downstairs. But there was no answer. He looked around the place some more. He went to the front desk and peered around it. Nobody. where could he be? it wasn't that late. Taking a look outside, Soujiro found that the town was still very active, filled with people and bright lights. maybe I should just go out and look for something on my own then .. *tap* "you called?" He got startled, turned and found the old man staring at him in the face. "oh! Oji-san. There you are. I was looking for you"
"Gomen. I was down at the basement, looking for supplies. What did you want?"
"um.. do you know any good restaurants here? Nothing expensive though."
"Oh, sure. There are a couple of them down the street. The expensive ones belong to another district."
"Thank you."
"Dou itashimashite"
The young man wandered outside. Walked down the street that was pointed out to him by the owner of the inn. He walked around a bit and finally settled on one of the many restaurants. There wasn't so much people here as compared to the others. He made his way inside and went to an empty table. The place was still busy, so he had to wait for a couple of minutes before a very haggard waitress appeared before him.
"Sorry for the wait sir."
"Oh, its alright." Soujiro said, waving a hand. He didn't mind. It wasn't as if he was used to service after all.
"So what'll it be?"
"I can't think of anything right now. Could you recommend something to me?"
"uh. lets see, our crabs here are good. So's the smoked fish"
"Crabs it is then. No fish." When he traveled, he ate nothing but fish. If he got lucky, he gets to have some fruits too. But most of the time, he ate fish. So there was no way he was going to have that now.
"Ok. Please wait a bit sir. The order might take a bit longer, since our kitchen is pretty busy."
"That's ok. I don't mind"
"Thank you so much." The waitress hurriedly went off to serve another customer who had been hollering impatiently. "Coming sir.."
Soujiro sat quietly by himself, not wanting to attract any attention. There was no particular reason for this, for he had no reason to expect any hostility or danger from anybody here. Nobody knew him in this town. It just came naturally to him to try to be as inconspicuous as possible, it was ingrained to his body, like a second nature. And as is normal for him, he listens intently to everything that was going around. The restaurant was noisy enough to provide much conversation to his ears.
"SAKE!!!!" there was a drunken group to his left. One man looked drunk enough to start a commotion. Soujiro hoped the man wouldn't cause any trouble. He hadn't eaten his dinner yet and so he wouldn't like it if some disruption were to occur and cause the restaurant to delay his meal further. He certainly had the option to stop the drunken man from doing anything serious, but he preferred not to attract any attention to himself as of yet. Better to keep your cards hidden until the time is right for you to show them. Thankfully, the drunkards didn't do anything other than demand more drinks loudly.
"The Akamatsu's are looking for a body guard to protect them."
"Couldn't blame them. They are certainly rich enough to warrant the attention of those killers that are going around here. Better to be safe than sorry."
That particular thread of conversation got Soujiro's attention. He needed a job while staying here. His money was running low. And fighting was what he did best. Yokatta! What luck! he thought. Life certainly was behaving well. He'll just have to ask the owner of the inn that he was staying at later for more information about these so called Akamatsu's.
Somebody appeared before him, and placed his meal on the table. "Sorry for the wait sir. Please enjoy your meal."
"Itadakimasu!" Soujiro said. After those good news that he just heard, he was going to enjoy his meal even more. Tonight I'll sleep well and then tomorrow, I'll ask oji-san about the Akamatsu's and hopefully, get a job real soon and with that thought in mind, he happily munched away at his crabs.
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AN: Next chapter, Soujiro gets to meet the Akamatsu's. and maybe meet somebody that he knows? *grins* hope you enjoyed this chapter people! Reviews please!!!
Mayorie ^_^'