Loved for the first time
By Amiboshi-chan
I don't own anything but Irina and her daughter.
Chapter one- An unexpected visitor
"Pleeeeeeeeease!" whined the six year old with hair the same flaming red as her dad's.
"I said no, Kourin. I don't want you going on any more raids!" Irina scolded her daughter.
"But Mom, I promise to stay out of the way! I just want to go with them!"
"No! And I won't have you sneaking off with them again either. You can go into town after they leave." Before Kourin could complain any more, Irina turned and walked away. She understood that Kourin was growing up s urrounded by bandits, so it was only natural that she wanted to participate. Irina herself had joined the bandits when she was the same age. But, she wanted Kourin to be more like a lady so badly. Maybe it was wrong to try to direct her like that, but. . .
Kourin sighed and went off to her room. From there, she could see all the way down the mountain. She watched as the bandits started to group, and as they headed down the mountain towards their raid. They never raided the town just below them, though. Too close, and daddy had family down there, as did a lot of the bandits.
After they were out of sight, she went out to find her mother. "Mom, I'm going to town, is that okay?"
"Yes, dear. Oh, could you pick up some fish for dinner tonight?"
"Yea, for just us or everyone?"
Irina laughed. "Just us. You couldn't carry enough fish to feed all these bandits. Especially with the way some of these guys eat." Kourin smiled. She thought of one of her dad's stories about being a Suzaku seishi. Apparently, their miko could EAT. But, dad liked her. He'd shown her a portrait of the miko once. It was really small and surprisingly realistic. Daddy said the miko called it a photograph, but she never really understood. The miko was really pretty, and she looked too thin to eat as much as dad said she did. But, oh well. She knew better than to tell her dad that.
Kourin rambled down the mountain. The bandits had left at dawn, and it was still very early in the morning. A light chill still hung over the landscape, and Kourin snuggled her coat tighter around her. She arrived in town, and started just walking up and down the streets. She liked to just peer around, see what was going on, who was selling what. She found her way to the fish merchant with ease.
"Ohayo gozaimas, Kenji san!"
"Ah, Ohayo, Kourin chan. Your mother want some more fish?"
"Hai, the usual." Old Mr. Kenji took three nice sized fish and wrapped them up in an old cloth.
"Here you go, child. Tell your mother I said hello."
"Hai, arigato!" Kourin waved goodbye as she meandered up the road. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice she had walked all the way out into the middle of a crossroads. A loud whinny startled her so much, she tripped over a tree root that had grown out into the road. She looked up and saw a horse drawn cart racing towards her. She tried to get up and out of the way, but there was no way she could get herself out of the way in time. There was no way the horses could stop in time either.
Kourin shut her eyes, prepared for the worst. Suddenly she felt herself jerked off the ground, and whisked away. Her captor slowed, and the carriage thundered past. Kourin was suddenly dropped to her feet, and she turned to find a cloaked person perched on a beautiful roan filly. A cheerful feminine voice wafted from the figure as it dismounted. "That was close, ne? You should watch where you are going."
"A. . . arigato. . ." Kourin stammered as her savior removed her cloak to reveal a familiar mass of russet hair and enchanting green eyes. "You. . . You're the miko! The miko in daddy's portrait!"
The young woman smiled. "Yes, I was the Suzaku no Miko. My name is Yuuki Miaka. Please, dear, call my Miaka." Miaka offered a hand to the wide eyed youth.
"I'm Kourin. Wow, daddy always talks about you! He'd be so happy to see you. Can you come visit us? Can you? Please please please?"
Miaka laughed. "Well, since I'm in town, I guess I can pay a visit to my old friend Tasuki." She kneeled down "That is your father, right?"
"Who?"
"Tasuki. . . Genrou, of the Mount Reikaku bandits?" Kourin's eyes widened with recognition.
"Yea, Genrou is my daddy. . .how did you know?" Kourin eyed Miaka suspiciously.
Miaka smiled again. "Well, I just kinda figured. Your father was the only other person I ever knew with hair like that." Kourin laughed as Miaka gathered the reins of her horse and started the short journey to the stronghold.
"Thank you, thank you thank you for saving my daughter's life, Lady Miaka." Irina was ecstatic that the Suzaku no miko was visiting the stronghold. She remembered when Miaka came the first time. That was when Irina came to admire 'ladies'. The way The Miko was so cheerful yet so elegant enticed her, brought out the feminine side of her. Miaka was her idol. And there they were, making small talk in the kitchen. It was unbelievable. "So how long are you staying in this world?"
"Well, if things work out, permanently."
"Really? Wow! Have you a house yet?"
"Not really. . ." Irina laid a hand on Miaka's
"Well, dear, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like."
"Arigato." Irina turned to finish cleaning the kitchen. As Miaka rose to help, and changed the topic.
"You have a wonderful child."
"Oh, you know how children are these days. And being raised by bandits, she can get quite out of hand some days." Irina turned to face Miaka. "Of course, I'm sure a real lady's touch could remedy that."
Kourin smiled as she peered at the two women through the peephole she used to spy on the cooks. Well, whoever was cooking that day. Her mother seemed to be getting along just fine with Miss Miaka, and she seemed really happy. If Miaka stuck around for a while, her mom might even let her go on some raids. Now that was worth looking forward to.
So, like it so far? Tell me what you think! Review, or e-mail me! I realize I kind of exaggerated Miaka in that part with Irina, but I wanted to get it from the point of someone who had barely seen anything besides rude, crude and crazy bandits all her life, and her first encounter with a 'lady'. (gee, this is kinda like my story 'The Outlaw' in the whole 'lady' bit. Read it, you might like it!)
By Amiboshi-chan
I don't own anything but Irina and her daughter.
Chapter one- An unexpected visitor
"Pleeeeeeeeease!" whined the six year old with hair the same flaming red as her dad's.
"I said no, Kourin. I don't want you going on any more raids!" Irina scolded her daughter.
"But Mom, I promise to stay out of the way! I just want to go with them!"
"No! And I won't have you sneaking off with them again either. You can go into town after they leave." Before Kourin could complain any more, Irina turned and walked away. She understood that Kourin was growing up s urrounded by bandits, so it was only natural that she wanted to participate. Irina herself had joined the bandits when she was the same age. But, she wanted Kourin to be more like a lady so badly. Maybe it was wrong to try to direct her like that, but. . .
Kourin sighed and went off to her room. From there, she could see all the way down the mountain. She watched as the bandits started to group, and as they headed down the mountain towards their raid. They never raided the town just below them, though. Too close, and daddy had family down there, as did a lot of the bandits.
After they were out of sight, she went out to find her mother. "Mom, I'm going to town, is that okay?"
"Yes, dear. Oh, could you pick up some fish for dinner tonight?"
"Yea, for just us or everyone?"
Irina laughed. "Just us. You couldn't carry enough fish to feed all these bandits. Especially with the way some of these guys eat." Kourin smiled. She thought of one of her dad's stories about being a Suzaku seishi. Apparently, their miko could EAT. But, dad liked her. He'd shown her a portrait of the miko once. It was really small and surprisingly realistic. Daddy said the miko called it a photograph, but she never really understood. The miko was really pretty, and she looked too thin to eat as much as dad said she did. But, oh well. She knew better than to tell her dad that.
Kourin rambled down the mountain. The bandits had left at dawn, and it was still very early in the morning. A light chill still hung over the landscape, and Kourin snuggled her coat tighter around her. She arrived in town, and started just walking up and down the streets. She liked to just peer around, see what was going on, who was selling what. She found her way to the fish merchant with ease.
"Ohayo gozaimas, Kenji san!"
"Ah, Ohayo, Kourin chan. Your mother want some more fish?"
"Hai, the usual." Old Mr. Kenji took three nice sized fish and wrapped them up in an old cloth.
"Here you go, child. Tell your mother I said hello."
"Hai, arigato!" Kourin waved goodbye as she meandered up the road. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice she had walked all the way out into the middle of a crossroads. A loud whinny startled her so much, she tripped over a tree root that had grown out into the road. She looked up and saw a horse drawn cart racing towards her. She tried to get up and out of the way, but there was no way she could get herself out of the way in time. There was no way the horses could stop in time either.
Kourin shut her eyes, prepared for the worst. Suddenly she felt herself jerked off the ground, and whisked away. Her captor slowed, and the carriage thundered past. Kourin was suddenly dropped to her feet, and she turned to find a cloaked person perched on a beautiful roan filly. A cheerful feminine voice wafted from the figure as it dismounted. "That was close, ne? You should watch where you are going."
"A. . . arigato. . ." Kourin stammered as her savior removed her cloak to reveal a familiar mass of russet hair and enchanting green eyes. "You. . . You're the miko! The miko in daddy's portrait!"
The young woman smiled. "Yes, I was the Suzaku no Miko. My name is Yuuki Miaka. Please, dear, call my Miaka." Miaka offered a hand to the wide eyed youth.
"I'm Kourin. Wow, daddy always talks about you! He'd be so happy to see you. Can you come visit us? Can you? Please please please?"
Miaka laughed. "Well, since I'm in town, I guess I can pay a visit to my old friend Tasuki." She kneeled down "That is your father, right?"
"Who?"
"Tasuki. . . Genrou, of the Mount Reikaku bandits?" Kourin's eyes widened with recognition.
"Yea, Genrou is my daddy. . .how did you know?" Kourin eyed Miaka suspiciously.
Miaka smiled again. "Well, I just kinda figured. Your father was the only other person I ever knew with hair like that." Kourin laughed as Miaka gathered the reins of her horse and started the short journey to the stronghold.
"Thank you, thank you thank you for saving my daughter's life, Lady Miaka." Irina was ecstatic that the Suzaku no miko was visiting the stronghold. She remembered when Miaka came the first time. That was when Irina came to admire 'ladies'. The way The Miko was so cheerful yet so elegant enticed her, brought out the feminine side of her. Miaka was her idol. And there they were, making small talk in the kitchen. It was unbelievable. "So how long are you staying in this world?"
"Well, if things work out, permanently."
"Really? Wow! Have you a house yet?"
"Not really. . ." Irina laid a hand on Miaka's
"Well, dear, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like."
"Arigato." Irina turned to finish cleaning the kitchen. As Miaka rose to help, and changed the topic.
"You have a wonderful child."
"Oh, you know how children are these days. And being raised by bandits, she can get quite out of hand some days." Irina turned to face Miaka. "Of course, I'm sure a real lady's touch could remedy that."
Kourin smiled as she peered at the two women through the peephole she used to spy on the cooks. Well, whoever was cooking that day. Her mother seemed to be getting along just fine with Miss Miaka, and she seemed really happy. If Miaka stuck around for a while, her mom might even let her go on some raids. Now that was worth looking forward to.
So, like it so far? Tell me what you think! Review, or e-mail me! I realize I kind of exaggerated Miaka in that part with Irina, but I wanted to get it from the point of someone who had barely seen anything besides rude, crude and crazy bandits all her life, and her first encounter with a 'lady'. (gee, this is kinda like my story 'The Outlaw' in the whole 'lady' bit. Read it, you might like it!)