Author's notes at the end.
Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not mine. The story is fictional and all similarities to people and events in real life are coincidences.
Those Beautiful Green Eyes
Chapter Six
Jien and I finally reach the place Karin had told us to go to. Obviously, Jien had been in this predicament before and it looks like Karin had helped him out more than once. Outside the cave described earlier waited a pretty girl with long wavy hair. Under the moonlight, her hair is almost black, but in the light of the sun, I bet it's a different color. I could give a more detailed description of her if I tried, but I find myself staring at her almost luminous green eyes. Green eyes are uncommon enough in this part of the world, much more the type that looked so...
...so much like Tenpou's.
"What took you this time?" Karin looks impatient. She then smiles warmly at Jien, relieved that both of us are safe. "I told you to stay out of the town even with your limiters on. They know who you are, Jien-san."
"Sorry, Karin-chan," Jien scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "I just needed a good drink."
Karin is unsatisfied. "That's what you always say." She turns to me with curiosity in her expression. "And who might you be, sir?"
"That's Kenren. I just met him tonight," Jien explains.
Karin nods thoughtfully. "Anyway, father is waiting for us. He's already prepared dinner," she digresses as she walks off.
Jien invites me with a smile and I follow wordlessly.
I've been looking for Tenpou for almost twenty years and he could have died and have been reincarnated anytime within those twenty years. I examine Karin. She's about fifteen, seventeen or eighteen at the oldest. Could she be Tenpou's reincarnation?
"This is it," I hear Karin say. I return to reality realizing that the cave we had met in was nowhere to be found. We must have walked quite a way for that to be the case.
I examine the house in front of us: a rundown house, which was considerable in size despite its state. I briefly wonder about how safe living in it is. It looks like it's about to collapse. "This is where you live," I state more than ask.
Karin does not answer me. It looks like she didn't hear me. "After being seen with Jien-san, no inn will take you. I'm inviting you to stay with father and myself," she informs me matter-of-factly.
"I won't be staying tonight, Karin," Jien pipes up. "Yaone is waiting for me. I'll just pick up the medicine from Father and go."
Ah, yes, Yaone, the pretty pharmacist. Man, I'd like to see her again. But then, she should be about Jien's age by now. I wonder if her breasts have sagged...
Karin nods in understanding and leads the way into the house, though I had not shown any approval for the new arrangement. "Father's a healer, but he's blind. He's good at his job, though, and many people come to him for help. And he refuses no one." The last sentence is said in a much softer tone.
I set aside my analysis of Yaone's breasts and take in Karin's words. No one, huh?
She continues her statement, her voice laced with a small amount of bitterness, "Not even youkai."
Jien gives Karin an apologetic look. "Many human families in the village have been massacred over the past years since the Minus Wave, so humans have become wary of youkai," he tells me. I can almost hear Jien's unspoken words: "Even Karin."
"Sorry, Jien-san, I didn't mean you," my new hostess caught herself as she turned the door knob into the house.
Jien ruffles Karin's hair affectionately. "Nah, that's all right."
A sweet smile, and then she pushes the door open for the three of us. She calls out into the darkness, "Father, I'm back. I brought Jien-san and a guest with me."
As we enter, I don't see any movement inside the house. I don't even feel any life. Maybe Karin's father isn't home.
Tap. Tap.
A cane? I squint to see better and I see a slight figure approaching us very slowly. Only then did I feel a very faint life force.
Maybe Karin's father is dying.
"It's so nice to hear from you again, Sha-kun," a very gentle voice that does not match the old shell stepping forward greets Jien. As he nears the light, I see that Karin's father is, indeed, an old man. Long silvery hair fell limply down to his shoulders hiding his ears, which I seriously doubt to have limiters. His blind eyes were covered by a white blindfold. He easily senses my presence and smiles warmly in my direction.
There is something comforting about his smile.
"Welcome to our home. I apologize for the mess, I wasn't expecting company," he greets me.
Though he couldn't see, I return his smile. Karin introduces me, "Father, this is Kenren."
His expression doesn't change. "It's a pleasure to have your company, Kenren-san"
"Just call me Kenren," I insist. 'Kenren-san' just makes me feel old, and it sounds... weird.
The old man chuckles, "Then, please call me Father," tenderness passes over his aged features. "Everyone else does." He faces Jien. "Ah, the medicine for Yaone-san is inside. It's rather late so I just packed your dinner for you."
Jien is a bit flushed, a bit embarrassed by Father's kindness, though I doubt that it was an unusual occurrence. "You didn't have to, Father."
"But I insist," Father signals for us to come in. "Now, let's all go to the dining room. Karin, please turn on the lights and wash up for dinner."
As Karin runs off to obey, Jien and I follow Father into the dining hall. Lights on I see that the dining hall is a handsome room filled with opulent furniture degraded by neglect and age. However, despite their shabby state, I see that they had been lovingly salvaged and carefully tended to by someone I assume to be Father.
Father taps on the chairs, counting them as he passes. He walks around with ease, obviously comfortable with the place despite his blindness. He reaches the head of the table. "Kenren, please sit here. You are our guest of honor," he invites me.
Such a nice old man.
"Jien-kun, please sit here for a moment while I get your food and the medicine," Father pats the seat to the right of the head. "And, if you don't mind, could you please entertain Kenren for a while," he adds as an afterthought.
Father disappears into an adjoining room.
Jien and I take our designated seats and are silent for a few moments and my mind wanders off. Again, I wonder if Yaone is as hot as she was before. Then again, older women are better since they have more experience and they aren't as giggly as young girls. But younger girls are so sweet...
Jien breaks the silence. "He's really something, isn't he?"
And then, I'm back in Father's dining room. Something about this place makes me relaxed enough to let down my guard a bit and entertain my perversions. It just feels so homey. I grin at Jien, "He's an interesting person."
"I've never seen anyone so selfless," Jien runs a hand through his hair, which I notice is already speckled with white. Well, must have led a very stressful life to get white hair at such an early age. "He's helped Yaone and me so much."
Stressful... Ha! I stifle a laugh.
Stressful is a kind way of describing our lives back then.
I raise an inquisitive eyebrow. "Your wife?" Well, that's not unlikely since they were practically Kougaji and Ririn's parents.
Jien shakes his head. "We're both devoted to another."
Yeah, Kougaiji, I know. But then, when Jien served Kougaiji he was called Dokugakuji. I wonder what happened. I let my curiosity get the better of me this time, "Who?"
"A tortured prince," Jien's tone is distant, as if he wanted to detach himself and believe that his memories were just part of some fairy tale. He must be talking about Kougaiji. "And consequently, to a lost princess." Must be Ririn.
I argue with myself on the pros and cons of pressing on.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Jien-kun, sorry it took so long," Father walks back in, two bags at hand.
I guess the questioning will have to continue sometime else.
Jien stands up and meets Father halfway. "Thanks," he digs into his pocket and takes out a small bag presumably filled with money. He presses his bag into Father's hand after taking his packages. "Here's my payment."
Father waves his now free hand in dismissal. "Oh, Jien-kun, you need that more than I do," he declines in low tones, a conscious effort to protect Jien's dignity by attempting to keep his refusal quiet. "I know how hard it is to get a job when you're a youkai in these parts."
Jien begins to protest, but Father cuts him off. "Besides, this is my gift to you and Yaone as thanks for befriending a decrepit old man like me."
That smile again.
Before Jien could insist anymore, Father raises his walking stick and turns to an entryway of the dining room. "Karin-chan," he acknowledges the presence of the girl.
I didn't even hear Karin come in. How did he sense her?
Well, he's blind. He's probably got better hearing than any of us.
I glance at Karin's direction. Blood-colored waves cascaded down to the young girl's waist. Beautiful green eyes watch me inquisitively as I find myself unnerved by yet another color on her body.
Jien places a hand on my shoulder. "Oi, it's not polite to stare."
"Ah, excuse me," I avert my eyes to Father who is grinning playfully. At least he doesn't mind me checking out Karin. I wouldn't want a blind old man killing me in my sleep for looking at his daughter. That would probably be the saddest way to go...
... Well, next to dying while getting flushed down a toilet or something.
"Oh, are you leaving, Jien-san?" Karin speaks up and I notice that Jien has stepped away from me and has begun collecting his things.
Jien waves. "Sorry, Karin, it's really late and Yaone needs me."
"I understand," Karin nods to stress her point. She smiles brightly at Jien, "You know your way out?"
Jien heads for the exit, "Of course."
"Just checking," Karin teased, waving goodbye.
Jien waves back, "See you folks." He looks at me, "Hope to see you again, Kenren."
I raise my hand in reply, "Aa."
"Take care, Jien-kun," Father, this time. If he hadn't said anything, I would have forgotten he was there. Just as Jien closed the door, he spoke again. "Well then, shall we have our dinner?"
Author's Notes:
Please excuse my long note and sorry if I put it at the end. I figured people might be finding them tedious if I put them before the fic itself.
ShadowKat-Shidobukatsu, thank you for the kind review.
kakashidiot, sorry, there really won't be much Konzen or Tenpou for a while, but I still hope you enjoy.
Sora-kun, thank you for all those compliments. I personally believe they are hardly deserved but they are very encouraging and, dare I say, flattering. 58 fandom? I'm sorry to have to ask, but what is that? I know I should know, being a Saiyuki fic writer, but...sighs... alas, I don't. Please bear with my lack of awareness; I just joined this month.
ennui deMorte, thank you for the review, you have some very interesting ideas about the storyline, but let's just put it this way: things might not turn out the way you expect them to.
Marron-chan1, I'm sorry about the sudden end in the last chapter. I didn't know where else to cut it. In case you're wondering, I'm in molecular dynamics nerd alert! Again, thank you for the review. And, yes, it is nice to know that there are other people in the world who are interested in science... Can somebody say Nii Jen Yi in the making?
narrizan-san, well, I hope you like where it is going.
Thank you again, everyone for reading my fic. I hope you enjoyed.
- Paris