Readers--I want to thank all of you who have been reading and reviewing my fic! I know it's not really that great, but hey, it's just the prelude really. This part of the story leads into the other one, so I'm trying to rap this out and get it up as quick as I can. For all of my Inuyasha readers, chapter 1 of Tainted Blood has been sent to my beta and Chapter 12 of Surviving a City is under way. Expect me to be a little late because of this whole Hurricane Isabel fiasco. My computer will probably be off limits until the weekend--ack! Enjoy!
Chapter 5: Unknown: Akio's Past
The next time Soujiro opened his eyes, it was quiet in the house, and darker. He tried to sit up, once again forgetting the injury in his side, and groaned at the pain the simple tightening of his abdominal muscles inspired. The wounds were still too fresh, he wouldn't be able to move without help. He looked around for signs of his nurse...Akio, but there was no one around. From the looks of the doorway, the rest of the house was dark.
Soujiro lifted his arm and it was then that he realized that there was a piece of paper clutched in his good hand. As gracefully as someone could unfold a paper with one hand, he stretched out the page and read the small, sloppy scrawl that held his name.
--Soujiro, I didn't want to wake you so I left this note. I have a job in the village and I needed to go out for a few hours. Don't worry, I'll be back before it gets to late. I left you some food and water if you get hungry or thirsty. I'll be back as soon as I can, try not to move too much! --Akio--
"Oh," he said aloud. It only just occurred to him that the girl who saved his life lived alone. When he had talked to her that morning, it had never really hit him that she was a young woman all alone here. Now he thought it was strange for her to be out here without another person. He made a mental note to ask her once she returned. Right now, the smell of food beside him claimed his attention.
Soujiro felt around with his good hand until it made contact with a fluffy substance. He craned his neck to see that it was some bread. He drooled like a dog as he stretched to grab the inviting meal. Once he had it, he began to eat like a starving animal, only then realizing how hungry he was. It was his first meal in two days. When he was done eating everything she had left for him, Soujiro still felt hungry, but he was a lot better off then before. Next was the water, which he guzzled down thirstily, relishing in the crisp, cold taste. When he was done satisfying his cravings for food and water, he collapsed against the pillow again. Even such small actions had tired him out. "Guess I should sleep a little more," he mused. Soujiro was asleep almost immediately.
Akio had spent the rest of her day doing idle chores around the house. She nervously watched over Soujiro for changes in his condition until the point of fretting over everything. Finally, she forced herself to dress in her uniform kimono and walked to the restaurant. Akio couldn't shake the feeling in her though, she was calm and serene for the first time in quite a while. She was so happy that he was going to be alright. Soujiro had been conscious and alert, even remembering everything that happened up until the fall. It was a very good sign. Akio was also shocked and happy to see how nice he had begun to heal.
"But swordsmen are like that," she commented quietly to herself. "They're resiliant; they heal fast." She had wanted to wake him before she left to let him know she would be gone, but thought against it. He would be much better off getting as much sleep as he could. It would help him heal. So she left him a little note, written poorly on a scrap of paper. Akio sighed to herself, she had never been much of a writer. Neither had her grandmother, the one who taught her to read and write.
"Akio, take this to table six," Suika ordered, handing a dish of rice to the daydreaming girl. Akio bowed her head respectfully and hurried to carry out the wish.
"I don't know why you put up with such incompetence, Suika," one of the patrons muttered loud enough to make sure Akio heard him. It was seconded by a few other mumbles. Akio kept her head down, relaxing her temper and hiding her fists under her apron. If she had a sword with her, she'd show the old coot incompetence!
"Quiet, ya old fools!" Suika snapped. "So the girl's a little off today. Considering that she was ill yesterday, I'll let it slide. You aren't exactly spring chickens yourselves!" Akio hid her grateful smile, knowing it would only annoy her employer. Suika was sparing in her kindness, but she was fond of Akio in her own way. Akio attempted to spend the rest of her shift at the restaurant doing her job and not daydreaming about the boy that was in her house.
It was pretty much a wasted effort. The second time she was brought out of her thoughts, it was by Ryu and his friends. "Hey Akio, bring your sweet self over here," jeered a drunken Kymo. He, Ryu, and another young man had just gotten off their shift of guardianship duty. Kymo had already down a pitcher of sake alone, and Akio knew to expect trouble. She blushed slightly from anger as she remembered that he was a rifleman, one of the ones who shot Soujiro. But she pasted a smile on her face as she brought food over to them.
"Good evening," she said politely.
"Hi Akio," Ryu said with a sheepish smile. He was trying to get back on her good side already.
"Hey Akio, why don't you stay out with us tonight?" Kymo offered with a suggestive smile. She didn't like the lustful look he was giving her, but she kept her composure. "Everyone knows you fancy yourself a man, why not play with a real one when you get off?"
"Well, when you see one, please tell me," Akio said sweetly, going back to her work. It was a bad decision on her part, but she wouldn't take that kind of insult. It took Kymo a few minutes to realize that she had just insulted him, but by then she had moved to another table. In a sake-induced rage, Kymo leapt to his feet, stumbling a little, and advanced on her. Ryu got in between them.
"Kymo, calm down," he warned.
"That little bastard thinks she can talk to me like that?" he roared, trying to get around Ryu. "Then she's got another thing coming!"
"You started it, you drunken buffoon!" Akio snapped, losing her temper. "You've no right to make such insults at me."
"Come off that high horse of your Akio," Kymo scoffed. "You're just like that tramp mother of yours. I was just making the offer she would've taken."
Akio stared at him blankly for a moment, the whole restaurant going silent. When she spoke, her voice was so cold it sent a chill to every person within earshot to the very bone. "Kymo, you can say whatever you want to say about me." She calmly walked up to him, lightly moving Ryu aside. He went without a fight, knowing the look on her face all to well. "But you will say nothing about my mother!" Akio slapped him across the face with all her strength. The echo of that blow rang through the silent restaurant. Akio turned on her heel and walked to the door. "Mistress Suika, I apologize, but I have to leave early tonight." No one stopped her as she walked out the door, walked down the path to the bridge, then broke into a run. Her flight was fast to get across the river and back to the home that was her comfort. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't fight the angry tears that coursed down her cheeks, sealing her shame.
When Tekeda's pen came into view, she ran to his fence. She panted and choked back sobs as she called to her buck. He raised his head from where he had been grazing and trotted over to her. Akio flung her arms around his neck, allowing the bitter tears to fall from her eyes and drip down his sleek fur. Tekeda leaned down to nuzzle the back of her head, sensing his mistress's unhappiness.
"They hate me so much," she whispered to the night. "They hate me for something that I didn't do. For something I don't even remember." Akio stroked her hands along Tekeda's neck and back, drawing comfort from his presence. With a sigh, she pulled back from the deer and wiped the tears from her eyes with her knuckles. With a few loving pats on his snout, Akio headed back to the house.
Akio moved slowly into the house, closing the door behind her and calling into the darkness. "Soujiro, I'm back." When she reached her room, she saw that he was sleeping again. She also noticed that the food she left for him was gone and the water cup was laying on its side. Akio smiled, cleaning up the dishes and preparing him something else to eat. When she entered the room again, dark brown eyes were on her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Soujiro replied. He took in her appearance. "You're dressed like a girl now," he commented. Akio looked down at herself and shrugged.
"This is my uniform. As soon as I'm done with you, I can get back into normal clothes. Speaking of which, I'll have to find a change fore you. Your shirt has blood stains and bullet holes now. But I guess you're about the same size as me, I mean, I wear bigger sizes then when I am anyway." Soujiro looked up at her and smiled a little. Akio felt a faint blush stain her cheeks under his eyes. "I'm insane, didn't you know?" she informed him.
"No you aren't," Soujiro told her. Akio started at his words. Those three little words that gave the reassurance that she was not, in fact, as crazy as everyone thought she was. She blinked at him, her emerald eyes unintentionally filling with tears once more. Akio held them back, breaking eye contact. She couldn't read him, she didn't know what he thought. She thought it better to take care of him first.
"Do you want me to help you up?" she asked, busying herself with something so she wouldn't have to look at him until she had herself under control.
"That would be nice," Soujiro said with a smile. Akio helped him lean forward, and then get to his feet. He still needed to lean on her, an arm slung across her shoulders. He felt lighter now, which brought to Akio's mind the age old question about what exactly made people heavy when they were knocked out.
Akio led him outside so that he could obey nature's call. The night air was chilly, especially when he was still shirtless, covered only by the bandages on his wounds. He was very much aware that he was without shirt, and that he was leaning on a girl. She didn't seem to mind. Her arm was around his waist for support, the other keeping his arm around her shoulders. Soujiro saw that she was only a few inches shorter then he was, and strong despite her petite frame. Subconsciously, he hugged himself closer to her. Trying to ward of the cold by staying close to her warm body. Akio flashed him a quick smile.
Business taken care of, Akio helped him back inside and into her bedroom. Soujiro maneuvered himself so that he was still sitting up, but at an angle so that there was no pain in his side or shoulder. Akio disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a plate of food for herself, handing him his own. She sat down cross-legged on the floor, relaxing from her rather bad day at work.
They ate in silence for a little while, until Soujiro worked up the nerve to ask her what had been bothering him since she made her little comment. "Excuse me, Miss Akio?"
"Please," she said evenly. "Just call me Akio."
"Akio," Soujiro repeated awkwardly. He wasn't used to being on such an informal level with anyone. "If you don't mind my asking, why exactly did you tell me that you're insane?" He sipped his water calmly, gauging her reaction. Akio relaxed and snorted a chuckle.
"Everyone in Renko village thinks I'm out of my mind because of the way I act and dress. It's not everyday you find a girl like me." She looked over at him with a feral grin. "I'm a diamond in the rough, to quote my grandmother." Soujiro simply blinked at her. It was quite an emotional switch. Suddenly, he began to wonder if those tears he saw forming in her eyes before were just something of his imagination. A trick of the light. But no, he saw that the easy grin on her lips didn't reach her eyes. And he saw them again, the tears pooling in her emerald eyes, each glittering like a green jewel in the faint light.
"What's the matter?" Soujiro asked, surprising himself by the sudden depth of his concern.
"Bad day at work," she whispered, looking away again.
"What happened?" he pressed, not sure why. Akio wanted to refuse. It wasn't his business anyway. He was just some boy who had gotten by the paranoid villagers and fell into her care. She owed him nothing, she didn't even know him! And yet, the silence she had kept for so long made the whole story start pouring out. "Maybe,' she thought to herself. 'It's just been too long since I had a talk with someone who can reply.'
"Kymo, the ass who shot you, was making rather suggestive remarks to me at the restaurant where I work. He's always saying things to me or about me. Most people do. I don't normally care, it's just something that they do, but he said words against my mother." Akio paused, her entire small frame shaking in anger. "They can say all they want of me. I don't care what any of those stupid villagers think. But no one is allowed to speak ill of my mother." Soujiro watched in silence. Questions he had no right to think or ask played around in his mind.
"Akio, why do you live alone?" It seemed to be the simplest, most innocent of his questions.
"Why do you travel alone?" she countered. Soujiro was stuck at an impass. If he revealed too much of his past, surely Akio would call those guardians to her home to finish what they started. "I'll answer if you do," she whispered softly.
"No one travels with me because I have no one to travel with," Soujiro said simply. "I don't have any family or friends anymore." Akio looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Her green eyes seemed to see through all the shells and seals he put over himself, see right into his very soul and read all the black, disgusting sins he had ever committed. Without meaning or wanting it to, an admission of guilt rose in his mouth. He wanted to tell her about everything from his family to Shishio, to the duel with Himura that changed his life. He wanted to divulge to this girl every deed that weighed down his soul and kept him awake at night. But he pushed it back. Soujiro made his decision. He would stay here until he could move on his own, no more, no less. Then he'd head back down the mountain and way from this girl. "Two years ago, I became a wanderer and since then, I've traveled alone." The ending seemed fitting.
Akio nodded, her eyes soft. "It must be lonely."
"Isn't it lonely here? We had a deal, you have to tell me why you live alone." Soujiro smiled, shaking aside the horrible memories that threatened to surface.
Akio looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm never really lonely in this house. I guess you could say I'm a loner. I don't like it in the village because they ridicule me. This house is my refuge, my haven. I may be alone here, apart from my pet deer Tekeda, but it holds lots of memories."
"Have you always lives alone?" Soujiro inquired, interested.
"No," her voice was soft, almost sad. Then she sighed. "It's a long story."
"I've got time," Soujiro assured her.
"Well, I'll start from the beginning, with my grandmother. She was born and raised in this Renko village. She was a doctor, which is how I knew to take care of you. Grandmother was a very good doctor." Akio pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them to her as she spoke. "Our village has always been very prosperous, until recent years. We're famous throughout Japan for our metal craft. My grandfather was a great swordsmith, from a long line of swordsmiths. He always wanted a son to raise as a swordsmith, so you can imagine his disappointment when his only child was a daughter."
Soujiro shifted uncomfortably. Not because of the story, but because his wounds had begun hurting again. Akio smiled and helped him lay back down. "Continue," Soujiro encouraged as she began to change his bandaging again.
"After my grandfather died, my grandmother and mother no longer wanted to live in the village, so they built this house across the river. My mother was grown by then, and she was bothered by many suitors from the village. My mother was very beautiful, and every man wanted to have her. That was when the revolution really took hold. People from all over the country came to our town for swords and weapons of our making, from both sides of the war. That was how my mother met and fell in love with my father." There was a wistful look on Akio's face and she turned to smile at Soujiro. "My father was a soldier, you see. He and my mother were very much in love, but then he had to leave and get back to his army. He promised to come back, but he never did. My mother never told anyone his name, not even my grandmother. All anyone ever knew was that one day, he was gone, and my mother was pregnant with me."
"So..." Soujiro trailed off in surprise. He couldn't bring himself to form the word.
"I'm a bastard," she said casually. Akio had heard and been called that word so many times over so many years that it wasn't a hurtful term any longer. "It's why I don't have a family name like you do. I don't know what family I belong to. My father never claimed me. I doubt he even knew I existed. That's why the villagers look down on me. They think I'm disgusting because my mother went with an outsider instead of a man from the village." Akio half-smiled, but a few tears trailed down her face. Soujiro swallowed hard. He made her cry by asking too many questions. He pressed too much. He made her cry.
"When I was three, my mother took her own life by the blade of the last sword my grandfather ever forged. It's the sword I use, that hangs in my front room." Akio wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, trying to act casual despite the sadness in her voice. "I lived in this house with my grandmother. She raised me until her own death when I was younger."
Soujiro looked up at her levely, weighing his words. He was trying to come up with a nonchalant reply, nothing to give away the inner turmoil her story had erupted in him. "Why do you stay here? If the villagers don't like you and all." Another question. Soujiro couldn't explain it, the strange desire he had to understand this girl. He wanted to know her, to find out exactly what possessed her to save his life.
"Because this is my home. Village or not, as long as this house stands, I have no where else to go. I don't know anyone outside the village except for a few travelers. But," she said as an afterthought, standing up so she could arch her back. "I've always wanted to head down the mountain and try to find my father."
"But you don't know his name," Soujiro said rationally. "How could you find him?" Akio faced him and smiled while stretching her arms.
"I have a few clues, but it's only a dream, Soujiro. I doubt I'll ever leave this mountain." He kept his thoughts to himself, opting to settle back in for sleep.
"Akio, one more question," he said with his eyes closed.
"You are very demanding Soujiro!" Akio laughed, laying her blanket down for sleep.
"Why did you tell me all of this? You could have refused. I mean, this obviously causes you pain and you barely know me." Akio was quiet so long he didn't think she would answer.
"I like things out in the open. Maybe you'll tell me more about yourself tomorrow." Then he felt her tucking him in. Soujiro's eyes shot open when she placed a kiss on his forehead. "Sleep," she commanded.
The faintest of blushes appeared on Soujiro's cheeks. "And you call me demanding," he muttered. Akio laughed, and it was the last sound he heard as sleep claimed him for the night.
Thanks so much for all the reviews! Please remember to review again, the whole reason the little buttons are there, lol. Oh! And the whole bed/futon thing....*sigh* I just say bed because I'm ignorant to all the terminology. But thanks for tell me!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~
Chapter 5: Unknown: Akio's Past
The next time Soujiro opened his eyes, it was quiet in the house, and darker. He tried to sit up, once again forgetting the injury in his side, and groaned at the pain the simple tightening of his abdominal muscles inspired. The wounds were still too fresh, he wouldn't be able to move without help. He looked around for signs of his nurse...Akio, but there was no one around. From the looks of the doorway, the rest of the house was dark.
Soujiro lifted his arm and it was then that he realized that there was a piece of paper clutched in his good hand. As gracefully as someone could unfold a paper with one hand, he stretched out the page and read the small, sloppy scrawl that held his name.
--Soujiro, I didn't want to wake you so I left this note. I have a job in the village and I needed to go out for a few hours. Don't worry, I'll be back before it gets to late. I left you some food and water if you get hungry or thirsty. I'll be back as soon as I can, try not to move too much! --Akio--
"Oh," he said aloud. It only just occurred to him that the girl who saved his life lived alone. When he had talked to her that morning, it had never really hit him that she was a young woman all alone here. Now he thought it was strange for her to be out here without another person. He made a mental note to ask her once she returned. Right now, the smell of food beside him claimed his attention.
Soujiro felt around with his good hand until it made contact with a fluffy substance. He craned his neck to see that it was some bread. He drooled like a dog as he stretched to grab the inviting meal. Once he had it, he began to eat like a starving animal, only then realizing how hungry he was. It was his first meal in two days. When he was done eating everything she had left for him, Soujiro still felt hungry, but he was a lot better off then before. Next was the water, which he guzzled down thirstily, relishing in the crisp, cold taste. When he was done satisfying his cravings for food and water, he collapsed against the pillow again. Even such small actions had tired him out. "Guess I should sleep a little more," he mused. Soujiro was asleep almost immediately.
Akio had spent the rest of her day doing idle chores around the house. She nervously watched over Soujiro for changes in his condition until the point of fretting over everything. Finally, she forced herself to dress in her uniform kimono and walked to the restaurant. Akio couldn't shake the feeling in her though, she was calm and serene for the first time in quite a while. She was so happy that he was going to be alright. Soujiro had been conscious and alert, even remembering everything that happened up until the fall. It was a very good sign. Akio was also shocked and happy to see how nice he had begun to heal.
"But swordsmen are like that," she commented quietly to herself. "They're resiliant; they heal fast." She had wanted to wake him before she left to let him know she would be gone, but thought against it. He would be much better off getting as much sleep as he could. It would help him heal. So she left him a little note, written poorly on a scrap of paper. Akio sighed to herself, she had never been much of a writer. Neither had her grandmother, the one who taught her to read and write.
"Akio, take this to table six," Suika ordered, handing a dish of rice to the daydreaming girl. Akio bowed her head respectfully and hurried to carry out the wish.
"I don't know why you put up with such incompetence, Suika," one of the patrons muttered loud enough to make sure Akio heard him. It was seconded by a few other mumbles. Akio kept her head down, relaxing her temper and hiding her fists under her apron. If she had a sword with her, she'd show the old coot incompetence!
"Quiet, ya old fools!" Suika snapped. "So the girl's a little off today. Considering that she was ill yesterday, I'll let it slide. You aren't exactly spring chickens yourselves!" Akio hid her grateful smile, knowing it would only annoy her employer. Suika was sparing in her kindness, but she was fond of Akio in her own way. Akio attempted to spend the rest of her shift at the restaurant doing her job and not daydreaming about the boy that was in her house.
It was pretty much a wasted effort. The second time she was brought out of her thoughts, it was by Ryu and his friends. "Hey Akio, bring your sweet self over here," jeered a drunken Kymo. He, Ryu, and another young man had just gotten off their shift of guardianship duty. Kymo had already down a pitcher of sake alone, and Akio knew to expect trouble. She blushed slightly from anger as she remembered that he was a rifleman, one of the ones who shot Soujiro. But she pasted a smile on her face as she brought food over to them.
"Good evening," she said politely.
"Hi Akio," Ryu said with a sheepish smile. He was trying to get back on her good side already.
"Hey Akio, why don't you stay out with us tonight?" Kymo offered with a suggestive smile. She didn't like the lustful look he was giving her, but she kept her composure. "Everyone knows you fancy yourself a man, why not play with a real one when you get off?"
"Well, when you see one, please tell me," Akio said sweetly, going back to her work. It was a bad decision on her part, but she wouldn't take that kind of insult. It took Kymo a few minutes to realize that she had just insulted him, but by then she had moved to another table. In a sake-induced rage, Kymo leapt to his feet, stumbling a little, and advanced on her. Ryu got in between them.
"Kymo, calm down," he warned.
"That little bastard thinks she can talk to me like that?" he roared, trying to get around Ryu. "Then she's got another thing coming!"
"You started it, you drunken buffoon!" Akio snapped, losing her temper. "You've no right to make such insults at me."
"Come off that high horse of your Akio," Kymo scoffed. "You're just like that tramp mother of yours. I was just making the offer she would've taken."
Akio stared at him blankly for a moment, the whole restaurant going silent. When she spoke, her voice was so cold it sent a chill to every person within earshot to the very bone. "Kymo, you can say whatever you want to say about me." She calmly walked up to him, lightly moving Ryu aside. He went without a fight, knowing the look on her face all to well. "But you will say nothing about my mother!" Akio slapped him across the face with all her strength. The echo of that blow rang through the silent restaurant. Akio turned on her heel and walked to the door. "Mistress Suika, I apologize, but I have to leave early tonight." No one stopped her as she walked out the door, walked down the path to the bridge, then broke into a run. Her flight was fast to get across the river and back to the home that was her comfort. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't fight the angry tears that coursed down her cheeks, sealing her shame.
When Tekeda's pen came into view, she ran to his fence. She panted and choked back sobs as she called to her buck. He raised his head from where he had been grazing and trotted over to her. Akio flung her arms around his neck, allowing the bitter tears to fall from her eyes and drip down his sleek fur. Tekeda leaned down to nuzzle the back of her head, sensing his mistress's unhappiness.
"They hate me so much," she whispered to the night. "They hate me for something that I didn't do. For something I don't even remember." Akio stroked her hands along Tekeda's neck and back, drawing comfort from his presence. With a sigh, she pulled back from the deer and wiped the tears from her eyes with her knuckles. With a few loving pats on his snout, Akio headed back to the house.
Akio moved slowly into the house, closing the door behind her and calling into the darkness. "Soujiro, I'm back." When she reached her room, she saw that he was sleeping again. She also noticed that the food she left for him was gone and the water cup was laying on its side. Akio smiled, cleaning up the dishes and preparing him something else to eat. When she entered the room again, dark brown eyes were on her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Soujiro replied. He took in her appearance. "You're dressed like a girl now," he commented. Akio looked down at herself and shrugged.
"This is my uniform. As soon as I'm done with you, I can get back into normal clothes. Speaking of which, I'll have to find a change fore you. Your shirt has blood stains and bullet holes now. But I guess you're about the same size as me, I mean, I wear bigger sizes then when I am anyway." Soujiro looked up at her and smiled a little. Akio felt a faint blush stain her cheeks under his eyes. "I'm insane, didn't you know?" she informed him.
"No you aren't," Soujiro told her. Akio started at his words. Those three little words that gave the reassurance that she was not, in fact, as crazy as everyone thought she was. She blinked at him, her emerald eyes unintentionally filling with tears once more. Akio held them back, breaking eye contact. She couldn't read him, she didn't know what he thought. She thought it better to take care of him first.
"Do you want me to help you up?" she asked, busying herself with something so she wouldn't have to look at him until she had herself under control.
"That would be nice," Soujiro said with a smile. Akio helped him lean forward, and then get to his feet. He still needed to lean on her, an arm slung across her shoulders. He felt lighter now, which brought to Akio's mind the age old question about what exactly made people heavy when they were knocked out.
Akio led him outside so that he could obey nature's call. The night air was chilly, especially when he was still shirtless, covered only by the bandages on his wounds. He was very much aware that he was without shirt, and that he was leaning on a girl. She didn't seem to mind. Her arm was around his waist for support, the other keeping his arm around her shoulders. Soujiro saw that she was only a few inches shorter then he was, and strong despite her petite frame. Subconsciously, he hugged himself closer to her. Trying to ward of the cold by staying close to her warm body. Akio flashed him a quick smile.
Business taken care of, Akio helped him back inside and into her bedroom. Soujiro maneuvered himself so that he was still sitting up, but at an angle so that there was no pain in his side or shoulder. Akio disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a plate of food for herself, handing him his own. She sat down cross-legged on the floor, relaxing from her rather bad day at work.
They ate in silence for a little while, until Soujiro worked up the nerve to ask her what had been bothering him since she made her little comment. "Excuse me, Miss Akio?"
"Please," she said evenly. "Just call me Akio."
"Akio," Soujiro repeated awkwardly. He wasn't used to being on such an informal level with anyone. "If you don't mind my asking, why exactly did you tell me that you're insane?" He sipped his water calmly, gauging her reaction. Akio relaxed and snorted a chuckle.
"Everyone in Renko village thinks I'm out of my mind because of the way I act and dress. It's not everyday you find a girl like me." She looked over at him with a feral grin. "I'm a diamond in the rough, to quote my grandmother." Soujiro simply blinked at her. It was quite an emotional switch. Suddenly, he began to wonder if those tears he saw forming in her eyes before were just something of his imagination. A trick of the light. But no, he saw that the easy grin on her lips didn't reach her eyes. And he saw them again, the tears pooling in her emerald eyes, each glittering like a green jewel in the faint light.
"What's the matter?" Soujiro asked, surprising himself by the sudden depth of his concern.
"Bad day at work," she whispered, looking away again.
"What happened?" he pressed, not sure why. Akio wanted to refuse. It wasn't his business anyway. He was just some boy who had gotten by the paranoid villagers and fell into her care. She owed him nothing, she didn't even know him! And yet, the silence she had kept for so long made the whole story start pouring out. "Maybe,' she thought to herself. 'It's just been too long since I had a talk with someone who can reply.'
"Kymo, the ass who shot you, was making rather suggestive remarks to me at the restaurant where I work. He's always saying things to me or about me. Most people do. I don't normally care, it's just something that they do, but he said words against my mother." Akio paused, her entire small frame shaking in anger. "They can say all they want of me. I don't care what any of those stupid villagers think. But no one is allowed to speak ill of my mother." Soujiro watched in silence. Questions he had no right to think or ask played around in his mind.
"Akio, why do you live alone?" It seemed to be the simplest, most innocent of his questions.
"Why do you travel alone?" she countered. Soujiro was stuck at an impass. If he revealed too much of his past, surely Akio would call those guardians to her home to finish what they started. "I'll answer if you do," she whispered softly.
"No one travels with me because I have no one to travel with," Soujiro said simply. "I don't have any family or friends anymore." Akio looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Her green eyes seemed to see through all the shells and seals he put over himself, see right into his very soul and read all the black, disgusting sins he had ever committed. Without meaning or wanting it to, an admission of guilt rose in his mouth. He wanted to tell her about everything from his family to Shishio, to the duel with Himura that changed his life. He wanted to divulge to this girl every deed that weighed down his soul and kept him awake at night. But he pushed it back. Soujiro made his decision. He would stay here until he could move on his own, no more, no less. Then he'd head back down the mountain and way from this girl. "Two years ago, I became a wanderer and since then, I've traveled alone." The ending seemed fitting.
Akio nodded, her eyes soft. "It must be lonely."
"Isn't it lonely here? We had a deal, you have to tell me why you live alone." Soujiro smiled, shaking aside the horrible memories that threatened to surface.
Akio looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm never really lonely in this house. I guess you could say I'm a loner. I don't like it in the village because they ridicule me. This house is my refuge, my haven. I may be alone here, apart from my pet deer Tekeda, but it holds lots of memories."
"Have you always lives alone?" Soujiro inquired, interested.
"No," her voice was soft, almost sad. Then she sighed. "It's a long story."
"I've got time," Soujiro assured her.
"Well, I'll start from the beginning, with my grandmother. She was born and raised in this Renko village. She was a doctor, which is how I knew to take care of you. Grandmother was a very good doctor." Akio pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them to her as she spoke. "Our village has always been very prosperous, until recent years. We're famous throughout Japan for our metal craft. My grandfather was a great swordsmith, from a long line of swordsmiths. He always wanted a son to raise as a swordsmith, so you can imagine his disappointment when his only child was a daughter."
Soujiro shifted uncomfortably. Not because of the story, but because his wounds had begun hurting again. Akio smiled and helped him lay back down. "Continue," Soujiro encouraged as she began to change his bandaging again.
"After my grandfather died, my grandmother and mother no longer wanted to live in the village, so they built this house across the river. My mother was grown by then, and she was bothered by many suitors from the village. My mother was very beautiful, and every man wanted to have her. That was when the revolution really took hold. People from all over the country came to our town for swords and weapons of our making, from both sides of the war. That was how my mother met and fell in love with my father." There was a wistful look on Akio's face and she turned to smile at Soujiro. "My father was a soldier, you see. He and my mother were very much in love, but then he had to leave and get back to his army. He promised to come back, but he never did. My mother never told anyone his name, not even my grandmother. All anyone ever knew was that one day, he was gone, and my mother was pregnant with me."
"So..." Soujiro trailed off in surprise. He couldn't bring himself to form the word.
"I'm a bastard," she said casually. Akio had heard and been called that word so many times over so many years that it wasn't a hurtful term any longer. "It's why I don't have a family name like you do. I don't know what family I belong to. My father never claimed me. I doubt he even knew I existed. That's why the villagers look down on me. They think I'm disgusting because my mother went with an outsider instead of a man from the village." Akio half-smiled, but a few tears trailed down her face. Soujiro swallowed hard. He made her cry by asking too many questions. He pressed too much. He made her cry.
"When I was three, my mother took her own life by the blade of the last sword my grandfather ever forged. It's the sword I use, that hangs in my front room." Akio wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, trying to act casual despite the sadness in her voice. "I lived in this house with my grandmother. She raised me until her own death when I was younger."
Soujiro looked up at her levely, weighing his words. He was trying to come up with a nonchalant reply, nothing to give away the inner turmoil her story had erupted in him. "Why do you stay here? If the villagers don't like you and all." Another question. Soujiro couldn't explain it, the strange desire he had to understand this girl. He wanted to know her, to find out exactly what possessed her to save his life.
"Because this is my home. Village or not, as long as this house stands, I have no where else to go. I don't know anyone outside the village except for a few travelers. But," she said as an afterthought, standing up so she could arch her back. "I've always wanted to head down the mountain and try to find my father."
"But you don't know his name," Soujiro said rationally. "How could you find him?" Akio faced him and smiled while stretching her arms.
"I have a few clues, but it's only a dream, Soujiro. I doubt I'll ever leave this mountain." He kept his thoughts to himself, opting to settle back in for sleep.
"Akio, one more question," he said with his eyes closed.
"You are very demanding Soujiro!" Akio laughed, laying her blanket down for sleep.
"Why did you tell me all of this? You could have refused. I mean, this obviously causes you pain and you barely know me." Akio was quiet so long he didn't think she would answer.
"I like things out in the open. Maybe you'll tell me more about yourself tomorrow." Then he felt her tucking him in. Soujiro's eyes shot open when she placed a kiss on his forehead. "Sleep," she commanded.
The faintest of blushes appeared on Soujiro's cheeks. "And you call me demanding," he muttered. Akio laughed, and it was the last sound he heard as sleep claimed him for the night.
Thanks so much for all the reviews! Please remember to review again, the whole reason the little buttons are there, lol. Oh! And the whole bed/futon thing....*sigh* I just say bed because I'm ignorant to all the terminology. But thanks for tell me!
~~Jesse the Wolf Demon~~