Chapter Five
"You're kidding, three in one day…" I trailed off as we approached the Akebato. It had been a long time since I had been here, and the sounds and smells of good food cooking still had the old effect of making my stomach rumble in complaint at being neglected. Chuckling to himself, Yahiko just rolled his eyes at the sky and muttered something about unchanging rocks.
*****
"Welcome to the Akebato, my name is… SANOSUKE?!" Tae yelled loud enough to rattle the rafters of the building.
"Hey Tae, it's…." I only got out before a large flaming demon head appeared before Yahiko and I. If not for the five-foot head, the lizard tongue, the flaming hair, and the obvious murderous glint in her eye, I would have said she was happy to see me.
"You OWE me, Sagara." The demon head seemed to go from deep purple to nearly black. "One Hundred and Fifty THOUSAND yen, Sagara. Pay up, get out, or I take it out on your hide RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh, is that all? Here." Fumbling into my pocket, I quickly pull a large wad of bills out, put them on the counter, and bow deeply. "Sorry it took me so long to pay you back, but I hope that this covers most of it. If you need more, it will take me a day or two to get it, but that should cover a good chunk."
The demon head suddenly popped out of existence, Tae patted her hair where it was slightly mussed, then snagged the bills off the counter. "Oh, well, that's different. Right this way." Turning to follow Tae, I notice that Yahiko has a shell-shocked expression on his face. His hair was blown back, and it was actually was doing a pretty good impression of my hairstyle at the moment. Touching him gently on the shoulder, I laughed to myself when he fell over, stiff as a board and out like a light. Picking him up, I carried him under my arm back to a private room near the kitchen.
*****
"Yahiko, dear, would you please get me the dried miso out of the storage shed?" Tsubame called out of the kitchen. Quickly doing as his wife asked, Yahiko returned with the small wooden container under one arm, to be greeted to the sight of his wife wearing little more than a short, gray yukuta and a smile.
"I was thinking of something… different… for breakfast this morning, anata… something… sweet…" Tsubame slowly started walking towards her husband, her hands toying with the simple tie at her waist. Yahiko moved his hands out towards his willing wife, grasping her lightly and running his hands along her shapely… WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BAKA?!" I bellow as Yahiko attempts to fondle my rear as I haul him to our table. Dropping him quickly, I restrain myself from stomping down on his thick skull and ending his misery for all time.
*****
"Ugh… what the hell did you do that for Tsub…" Yahiko trails off as he notices someone towering above him, foot poised to crack his skull. Rolling quickly, he slapped his right hand on the floor to pivot from, and rotated his knee through a sharp arc, catching Sano's ankle neatly, he droped him onto a patron smirking about the spectacle. This caused the man to fall into the young couple sitting next to him to lose balance, triping forward into the kitchen uncontrollably. Several crashes and clatters later, loud cursing, followed by VERY angry and muttering Tsubame out of the kitchen just in time to see her husband pick himself up off the floor. Miso soup was everywhere, people were scattered, Sano and groaning as he tried to get up from the remains of the table.
Yahiko smirked as he jumped up, and attempted to dust himself off. There, that should show Sano what happens when you tick me off NOW. Suddenly, his danger sense pinged, and he slowly turned around to note his wife, a small fire burning in her eyes, and a large… heavy… ladle… in her hands. This.. didn't look good.
"Umm… heh… sorry, my dear, darling lovely wife??" Much violence commenced.
*****
"You know, that lil firecracker you call a wife could be a really good artist if she just worked a little..." I told the twisted and mutilated Yahiko as we sat at a low table. The mess had been cleaned, the food replaced, and general order restored, though Tae was watching us to make sure we did not cause any more little incidents
"So, what have you been doing? We haven't heard from you in so long we were starting to worry." Yahiko opened with while wincing and shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, you know me. Traveling, moving around a lot. Doing what I do best." I replied with a small grin.
"Mooching, fighting, and chasing women in other words." Tae said, approaching from the kitchen area with some maki sushi rolls.
"Oi, I am not that bad! Jeez, like I have time to settle down with anyone…"
"Really?" Tae seemed unimpressed. "I can think of a couple of people who want to see YOU, Sagara."
"And who would that be?" I gritted out though I could already guess.
"Megumi, for one." Tae said with a touch of anger.
"Yah, Foxlady can wait." I replied promptly
"Your sister, for another."
That brought me up short. Sister?? Here?? Oh… Crap.
To Be Continued…
"You're kidding, three in one day…" I trailed off as we approached the Akebato. It had been a long time since I had been here, and the sounds and smells of good food cooking still had the old effect of making my stomach rumble in complaint at being neglected. Chuckling to himself, Yahiko just rolled his eyes at the sky and muttered something about unchanging rocks.
*****
"Welcome to the Akebato, my name is… SANOSUKE?!" Tae yelled loud enough to rattle the rafters of the building.
"Hey Tae, it's…." I only got out before a large flaming demon head appeared before Yahiko and I. If not for the five-foot head, the lizard tongue, the flaming hair, and the obvious murderous glint in her eye, I would have said she was happy to see me.
"You OWE me, Sagara." The demon head seemed to go from deep purple to nearly black. "One Hundred and Fifty THOUSAND yen, Sagara. Pay up, get out, or I take it out on your hide RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh, is that all? Here." Fumbling into my pocket, I quickly pull a large wad of bills out, put them on the counter, and bow deeply. "Sorry it took me so long to pay you back, but I hope that this covers most of it. If you need more, it will take me a day or two to get it, but that should cover a good chunk."
The demon head suddenly popped out of existence, Tae patted her hair where it was slightly mussed, then snagged the bills off the counter. "Oh, well, that's different. Right this way." Turning to follow Tae, I notice that Yahiko has a shell-shocked expression on his face. His hair was blown back, and it was actually was doing a pretty good impression of my hairstyle at the moment. Touching him gently on the shoulder, I laughed to myself when he fell over, stiff as a board and out like a light. Picking him up, I carried him under my arm back to a private room near the kitchen.
*****
"Yahiko, dear, would you please get me the dried miso out of the storage shed?" Tsubame called out of the kitchen. Quickly doing as his wife asked, Yahiko returned with the small wooden container under one arm, to be greeted to the sight of his wife wearing little more than a short, gray yukuta and a smile.
"I was thinking of something… different… for breakfast this morning, anata… something… sweet…" Tsubame slowly started walking towards her husband, her hands toying with the simple tie at her waist. Yahiko moved his hands out towards his willing wife, grasping her lightly and running his hands along her shapely… WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, BAKA?!" I bellow as Yahiko attempts to fondle my rear as I haul him to our table. Dropping him quickly, I restrain myself from stomping down on his thick skull and ending his misery for all time.
*****
"Ugh… what the hell did you do that for Tsub…" Yahiko trails off as he notices someone towering above him, foot poised to crack his skull. Rolling quickly, he slapped his right hand on the floor to pivot from, and rotated his knee through a sharp arc, catching Sano's ankle neatly, he droped him onto a patron smirking about the spectacle. This caused the man to fall into the young couple sitting next to him to lose balance, triping forward into the kitchen uncontrollably. Several crashes and clatters later, loud cursing, followed by VERY angry and muttering Tsubame out of the kitchen just in time to see her husband pick himself up off the floor. Miso soup was everywhere, people were scattered, Sano and groaning as he tried to get up from the remains of the table.
Yahiko smirked as he jumped up, and attempted to dust himself off. There, that should show Sano what happens when you tick me off NOW. Suddenly, his danger sense pinged, and he slowly turned around to note his wife, a small fire burning in her eyes, and a large… heavy… ladle… in her hands. This.. didn't look good.
"Umm… heh… sorry, my dear, darling lovely wife??" Much violence commenced.
*****
"You know, that lil firecracker you call a wife could be a really good artist if she just worked a little..." I told the twisted and mutilated Yahiko as we sat at a low table. The mess had been cleaned, the food replaced, and general order restored, though Tae was watching us to make sure we did not cause any more little incidents
"So, what have you been doing? We haven't heard from you in so long we were starting to worry." Yahiko opened with while wincing and shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, you know me. Traveling, moving around a lot. Doing what I do best." I replied with a small grin.
"Mooching, fighting, and chasing women in other words." Tae said, approaching from the kitchen area with some maki sushi rolls.
"Oi, I am not that bad! Jeez, like I have time to settle down with anyone…"
"Really?" Tae seemed unimpressed. "I can think of a couple of people who want to see YOU, Sagara."
"And who would that be?" I gritted out though I could already guess.
"Megumi, for one." Tae said with a touch of anger.
"Yah, Foxlady can wait." I replied promptly
"Your sister, for another."
That brought me up short. Sister?? Here?? Oh… Crap.
To Be Continued…