The Onsen Encounter

Ch. 6

by Bottou-chan

The next day, Fuuko had the uncomfortable feeling of having as much privacy as a fish in a glass tank. Yanagi--- Recca--- Domon--- Mikagami--- no matter where she turned, one of them was perpetually at her side, or looking in her direction, or walking towards her with feigned cheerfulness and surprise to rotate onto guard-Fuuko-duty and allow her previous protector some downtime.

In the morning, it was actually rather pleasant to have the group worried for her. During both the Urabutosatsujin and Tendoujigoku affairs, Yanagi had been the princess in peril, and all efforts had been focused on protecting her. Fuuko had been just one of Yanagi's knights in shining armor. Now it was Fuuko who was being kept closely guarded.

By the afternoon, however, the game wore thin. Were her skills held in such low esteem that she couldn't even walk to the bathroom alone, without a member of the Hokage thinking she might get jumped by a rabid ex-Jyushinshuu? Did they think she would abandon them to join their ranks and fight alongside Raiha? Did they view her as a helpless kitten who couldn't hold her own? Fuuko had been prodigious with her fists even before she knew what a Fuujin was. What made them think she was any less capable now?

It wasn't until dinnertime once more that the truth finally dawned upon the purple-haired girl. They weren't trying to protect Fuuko from a predatory Raiha. Fuuko, indeed, could handle herself in a pinch. Rather, their fears were of a more vague sort. They were protecting themselves, the Hokage as a whole, by protecting the member that they perceived as being weakest. Yanagi was no longer of interest to their potential enemies; she had always been Mori Kouran's obsession, while Recca had been Kurei's. Neon had no unfinished business with anyone; Joker, for all intents and purposes, had been dead for all they knew ("Didn't Koganei say he got sucked into a black hole with whatsisface?" asked Recca, when Mikagami mentioned having noted his presence upon arrival), and the only person that Joker most certainly had interest in targeting was untouchably far away. That only left Raiha as a possible candidate for stirring up trouble, and he could have plausibly targeted either Domon or Fuuko. Domon, perhaps, as a rival for Fuuko's affections, but more logically, Fuuko herself, as her uncertain emotions made her easy prey.

Fuuko was less than flattered, and began to resent their hovering protection. It chafed, their thinking that *she* was the weakest of their group. As if she had any secrets to spill! Their unfounded worries about possible ulterior motives were preventing her from solving her own very real personal problem. If she never figured out what was behind those masks of his, how was she supposed to leave him in the past where he belonged? How much of the smiling, bubbly, goofball Raiha was genuine? How much of it was an act? How much of the solemn, deathly-serious Raiha was genuine? How much of it was a pose? Fuuko had the uncomfortable feeling that perhaps both Raiha's happily coexisted, but his true self was much darker than he let on. Still, she reasoned, even people with darkness shadowing their hearts had their own dreams and loves and wishes. Look at Kurei, with his Kurenai. Now that Raiha's term of service with Kurei was at an end, now that the Fuujin and Raijin's destinies had been fulfilled, and now that Raiha had wiped away the black mark his cowardly ancestors had stamped upon his soul… what were his dreams? His desires? His ambitions? Where did Fuuko herself fit into all of this? And how the heck was she supposed to ask him, with Mikagami, Domon, Recca, and Yanagi taking shifts keeping her under close watch?

It always felt so natural running into Raiha at odd, unexpected moments. Without the draw of the madougu to bring them together, when would she see him next? He hadn't ever really satisfactorily answered her question the previous night: how many of their encounters had been triggered by the chemistry between Raijin and Fuujin, and how many of their encounters had been triggered by the chemistry between Raiha and Fuuko?

"Attention, class!" their teacher called, as dinner was wrapping up. "Okami-san has an announcement for you."

"A diversion has been scheduled for your entertainment," Neon said pleasantly. "A wandering fortune teller came in for a night's lodging and offered their skills to our honored guests. A line will be forming over there, after dinner, for those who are interested."

"Oh, a fortune teller!" said Yanagi, her face shining with enthusiasm. "I know just the question I want to ask!" She glanced shyly at Recca, and then quickly looked down at her empty bowl on the table in front of her.

"Sounds like fun," said Recca. "I'm game for it."

"I can find if Fuuko will ever be mine!" said Domon, beaming happily. "Surely, Fuuko would not go against the will of heaven!"

"Just watch me," grinned Fuuko. "Mikagami, will you get your fortune told, too?"

"It's silly nonsense," said Mikagami. There was a long pause, and Yanagi looked at him in disappointment. "But I might."

Yanagi brightened. "Fuuko, you'll join us, right?"

Fuuko's mind raced. If they were all kept in line, perhaps she could use the chance to sneak off by herself for the first time today. And if she was by herself, then perhaps it would give Raiha a chance to slip by and they could finish their conversation which had been unfortunately cut short.

"I don't know," said Fuuko, with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm feeling kind of run down from such a busy day, and the line is looking awfully long."

She didn't miss the look that flickered between her teammates.

"Oh," said Yanagi, looking disappointed. "Well, if that's the case, I guess I'll give it a pass this time. I can always get my fortune told at the temple, you know. It's no big deal."

"Oh, no, Yanagi!" exclaimed Fuuko. "Please, don't let me stop you. If you really want a question answered, I think it would be fun for you. Please go."

Yanagi shook her head resolutely. "No, I'll be fine. Besides, I don't know how much these wandering fortune tellers charge. I don't have much money left from the trip, so I probably couldn't afford it."

Fuuko's lips tightened into a thin line. "It wouldn't be any fun being the odd one out," she said, giving up gracefully. "So I think I'll get my fortune told, too."