Chapter 5: RiverBed Fun
Zuko's eyes slowly opened as he got up from his bed on the floor. He looked around trying to remember where he was. When his memory had come back, he got up and looked out a "window." The window was nothing more than a square hole in the wall. Masahiro and Oguri were still very asleep. Oguri's arm was stretched out, and hitting Masahiro, while the rest of his body hung off the other side of his hammock. The only thing on the hammock for that matter, was his curly haired head. Masahiro on the other hand, He wasn't on his bed at all. Somehow he had managed to not only fall off the bed, but roll all the way under Oguri's hammock. Zuko couldn't help but laugh at the boys' current state.
He left the house and made his way around the village. The day and night before he wouldn't have left the boys' side, but with his guides out cold, he thought he would take his chances. He walked around some of the houses, and he realized that kids don't wake up early. He continued his walk, and he walked into someone that does mornings, but not very well.
"Uh, good morning, Ayumi was it?"
Ayumi turned towards him and stated, "You would think you could remember your own thief's name." She looked at him with a very annoyed look, and walk off in the direction of the river. Socializing was not one of her strong points. He noticed how even after one night, her wounds had healed well. Her black eye was not nearly as swollen, and her lip didn't swell at all, in fact it was almost fully healed. Zuko watched her leave, and he walked back to the house, but he was stopped by another early bird.
"You're Zuko, right?" Nakashima was up. Her wounds weren't healed nearly as good as Ayumi's, but she had used make up to cover the scares on her face. Zuko nodded. Nakashima was leaning on his door, wearing a short brown skirt with a small green tank top. On thing was for sure, this meeting was not by coincident. She moved from the doorway and over to Zuko, who took a step back. She put her hand on her hip, and gave him a few butterfly kisses. "Well, judging by the silence, I was right," she said as she moved closer. Zuko took another step back, and she told him, "I hope I'll see you later." She stroked his shoulder, and left.
Zuko took a breath, which he had forgotten to do in the past moment. "Lucky you," he heard Oguri say from the window. He had been watching the whole time. "You, my friend, have found a way to charm over Nakashima. I congratulate you." Zuko sighed as Masahiro and Oguri joined him outside. "If I were you," Masahiro started, "I wouldn't tell the girls about that. You saw how much Nakashima and those other girls bother them. One word of it, and they won't kill Nakashima, but they will kill you. And you if you have any brains, you won't doubt that."
Zuko didn't doubt it; not for a second, but truth be told, he didn't like any of the girls, especially Nakashima. She was too much like his sister, whom he hated more than anything. Besides not liking the girls, he didn't have time for them. He wanted to get his money, restock, and leave as soon as he could. It wouldn't be long until someone found him out.
He had been thinking to himself, and had not noticed where he was following the boys to, Ayumi's house. 'Great,' he thought. Just from his bump into her this morning he could tell that he was the last one she wanted to see. Despite that, he followed the boys into the house. Emi and Endoh, along with the other girls from yesterday were dressed in swimsuits. Revealing swimsuits for that matter. Endoh herself was in a two piece. The girls were with some younger children as well, also in swimsuits. Zuko looked over at Masahiro and Oguri, whom were in shorts. A part of him felt that this would not end well. Emi went up to him, and asked if he was coming to the river with them. As much as he wanted to say 'no,' he nodded to the girl, and stroked the top of his head. He didn't like swimming, despised it actually, but it was amazing how hot the whether had gotten over night.
The group headed to the river, and Zuko realized that Ayumi was absent from the crowd. Remembering back to this morning, she was dressed like the boys, so there was a chance that she was already at the water. He was right. The river was a little calmer, now holding up a raft in the middle, and upon it were Ayumi and Watari, diving off. Ayumi's hair was back in a ponytail, same as Watari's. The girls had yet to notice their audience, but continued to show of to each other. Everyone watched the girls dive off, doing flips and spins. 'More competition for them, I suppose,' Zuko thought to himself. The little kids ran into the water, and one of them caught his eye as she called out to the raft.
"Ayumi, watch me!" A girl with dark hair and dark eyes yelled. It was the little girl that Ayumi had with her the night she robbed him. He watched her as she doggie paddled about five feet out, then back. "Hey, good job Tsubaki!" Ayumi yelled back with a smile on her face. She dove into the water, no stunts, and swam in towards shore. She stopped and started playing with the kids, still unaware of some of the people watching her, Zuko being one of them. "She loves kids," Emi said to him. He looked at her, a little confused of why Emi would tell him this. She realized the reaction to her statement, and explained, "The Ayumi you saw yesterday was only a part of her. The truth is, when she isn't working or fighting, Ayumi is really nice. She's funny, kind, and sweet. She just acts tough to show people that if they do anything to make her mad, she can, and will, take them down faster than a rock falls from a crumbling cliff." She smiled at Zuko, and ran into the water after Ayumi and Endoh called her in.
Zuko watched Ayumi as she moved closer to shore, and began playing with an infant in the water. Emi was right, she was kind; unlike some other people he knew. Oguri and Masahiro Came up behind him, and pushed him into the water, pulling off his open coat in the process. Everyone laughed, as Zuko glared at the boys, who he then pulled into the cold water of the river.
The day continued on this way, until Nakashima and her girls came down. She began to flirt with Zuko once again. Zuko tried to avoid her, and did a good job, for the most part. He also tried to make sure that Ayumi didn't notice her, causing another fight. That didn't seem to be a problem thou. It seemed as thou she didn't want to fight Nakashima in front of all of the children. That was understandable, no one else seemed to be worried.
The sun began to set. Nakashima and her girls had left, and the little ones began to leave as well. By late sunset, all were gone, except for Zuko, Ayumi, Endoh, Emi, Watari, and the other boys. The girls sat out on the raft, and the boys stayed in shallow water. Zuko had given up on trying to leave the water. The fifth time Masahiro, Oguri, and occasionally some younger boys pushed him in, he gave up. Ayumi and Watari had continued their diving, while Emi and Endoh lay on the raft. The fourth time Ayumi dove back in, she had finally lost her hair tie, again.
She came back onto the raft, and Endoh pointed it out. From shore, all the boys could see, was Endoh point at Ayumi, and Ayumi laugh at the matter. "Heh heh, this is the fifth hair tie I've lost this week, I should tie them in tighter," Ayumi said. She laughed again, and Emi looked towards shore, then back at Ayumi, with a smirk.
"Ayumi, you should just take off that T-shirt and swim in you suit, you diving might be better, you know I you aren't weighed down with a sopping wet shirt."
Ayumi looked at Emi and said, "If that's true, then why don't you dive in?"
Emi blushed. "Y-you know I can't dive. I'll kill myself!"
"Yeah, ok," Ayumi replied.
Emi stood up, and walked over to the edge where Ayumi stood. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing," Ayumi told her as she gestured with her arms. She then quickly pushed Emi in, and everyone laughed as she came back up. Ayumi put her hand on her chest as she stopped laughing and told her, "I will take your advice thou." She removed her wet T- shirt, showing off her curvy body in a small, tight top. Emi smirked, again, as she looked towards shore to see three boys with their eyes on the less dressed Ayumi. Once again unaware of her audience, Ayumi continued diving in. The boys got up and called the girls in. It was another late day, and Zuko had gotten no closer to getting back his money.
The boys walked to the girls' house with them, and left, but Zuko was going to get his money back. He stayed back; he was going to try to get Ayumi to give it to him. "Ayumi, I want my money back. Why do you insist on keeping it?"
"Ayumi looked at him, aggravated, and told him, "What do you care, go home." With that, she went inside and left Zuko alone. Now aggravated himself, he grunted, and walked back towards the house.
If Ayumi is so nice, why is she such a bich to Zuko? At this rate, will Zuko ever get his money back? And what was with all of Emi's smirks?
What'd ya think? R&R!