The self-proclaimed 'Yahiko-gumi' –being the most intelligent and strong, they should be named after him- were deep in the forest. The path people usually followed when traveling, more comfortable and less dangerous than walking through the forest, had long ago been ignored. Sano, of course, knew a better way to get to Necis, one which crossed the forest and had the three of them fighting against evil bushes in their way, trees which didn't allow them to go on, and mountains they couldn't cross. So, a few hours after leaving the usual road, they were lost. Very lost. Absolutely lost.
"Stupidly lost! Because we are stupid! I am stupid! How could I believe you knew how to get to Necis? It's your fault!"
"Hey!" Sano turned around, angry. He never got lost! "Missy, I know what I'm doing so stop complaining or you'll have to go alone."
"And it would be sooo sad." Kaoru puffed, annoyed. "Look!" she pointed to their right. "That tree! I've seen that tree before!"
"Yeah, of course, you know every single tree Missy."
"Eh, Sano" interrupted Yahiko, "your bandana is here. Here is where you lost it."
"My bandana! Thanks Yahiko-chan!" Happy after his reunion with his dear red bandana Sano didn't notice the angry looks he was receiving from his travel pals.
"Sano, we've been here! We're lost!" Kaoru punctuated each word with a punch to their guide. "We-are-lost!"
"Uh, yeah, looks like". The man grinned. "But it's not that bad! Now we can… what… what is that?"
Kaoru, even angrier and threatening him with a twig, was tired of his explanations. They would never arrive at Necis! "Sano, I don't want to hear any of your lame excuses, I…"
"I'm serious, don't you hear that?"
"Wait" Yahiko narrowed his eyes "I think I hear something… It sounds like a song. Yes, it's somebody singing."
"That voice is beautiful!"
"Yes, it is… Missy, you know what that means?"
Kaoru waited for a moment, thinking. "What?"
"A nymph! It's a nymph!" Sano started running to where the voice came. "A water nymph!"
"Sano!" Kaoru and Yahiko followed him, not knowing what the man wanted to do. "Where are you –we- going?"
Not stopping running the man answered. "Only water nymphs sign, and only when they're in a lake! There must be a lot of naked nymphs swimming there!"
"What!" Kaoru tried to grab his shirt to make him stop, but her strength could do nothing with his will to see the nymphs. "Sano stop! We're not going to spy on some nymphs! If they discover us, we're dead!"
The taller man stopped suddenly, hiding behind some bushes. He turned to the other two, whispering. "Shh, Missy, me don't want them to discover us! Don't breathe a word!"
"Sano, I'm not…"
"Shh!"
In front of them was a lake with a small waterfall. The song could be easily heard there, but there was nobody in the water. All of a sudden a form emerged to the surface. And obviously, that was not what Sanosuke wanted to see.
"Sano, that's not a nymph, that's a boy!"
"Really Yahiko-chan", answered he, quite annoyed, "you're so perceptive."
A shriek got them out of their argument. The boy was looking at them, trying to cover his chest.
Yahiko sweatdropped. "That's not a very manly voice."
The boy ran to hide behind the waterfall. A few seconds later he emerged fully dressed, with a blue suit which covered his body, but not his arms and legs. Before the three startled people hiding in the bushes knew what was going on, the figure appeared in front of them.
"Humans! How dare you to look at the stunning beauty of a Nymph without her permission? For that you will be punished!"
Sanosuke gave a step forward, irritated. "Don't lie, we've seen you! You're not a nymph, you're flat-chested."
"What?" her (yes, her) face was completely red, and she swiftly crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm a young Nymph!"
They looked at her. Now, she did look like a girl. She was quite short and slim, and her long brown hair was tied in a braid.
"Actually" interjected the boy "you look more like a weasel girl. Are you an animal nymph?"
"What a brat! I'm a Water Nymph, consecrated to the Magnanimous and Utterly Gorgeous God of Water Aoshi-sama." While saying this, the Nymph pointed to the sky with her right hand and the lake with her left, kneeling on one knee, in a strange pose.
Kaoru looked at the girl, not knowing what to say. "So… um… you're a Nymph?"
The Nymph nodded. "My name can not be pronounced by you, oh mortal Humans" she said with a dramatic voice. "But you may call me Misao."
Yahiko shook his head. "No, I think I prefer weasel girl. It suits you better."
Misao looked at him enraged, ready to strangle him. "Why you little…"
"Wait, Misao-sama" interposed Kaoru. "Forgive me and my stupid friends. We didn't mean to intrude your bath." She bowed.
The Nymph waved her hand. "Well, no harm done. But I have to punish these two. No Human man is allowed to see a naked Nymph."
Sanosuke started to laugh. "Yeah, sure. And what are you going to do to us, oh Magnanimous Misao-sama? Drown us?"
The Nymph grinned. "Good idea." She closed her eyes, mumbling, and abruptly Sanosuke and Yahiko felt a cascade soaking them.
Kaoru laughed hard, clutching at her stomach. "I've wanted to do something to them since I knew them!"
The Nymph smiled. "I think we haven't been correctly introduced. My name is Misao Makimachi, Nymph of the Northern Lakes."
Kaoru bowed. "My name is Kaoru Kamiya. The rooster is Sanosuke Sagara, and the brat is Yahiko Myoujin."
Soaked to the bones and cursing, the man and the boy gritted their teeth. "It's a pleasure, Misao-sama."
"And where are you going with these two morons? Are you family or something?"
Kaoru made a face. "Ugh, no! We're going to Necis."
Misao was shocked. "Necis? But it's very dangerous, you can't go alone! There are assassins and thieves!"
"That's why the missy hired us to be her bodyguards."
The Nymph stared at them and burst in laughs. "Yeah, sure!" She stopped when she saw the three faces in front of her, all humorless. "Wait, it's true? These two morons are your bodyguards?"
Kaoru nodded.
"No way! I'm going with you. I can't leave a friendly Human girl alone with these two supposed bodyguards."
Kaoru gasped. "But, Misao-sama, it's not necessary."
"Nonsense. I like you, and I can't leave you alone with those two."
"Oi!"
Kaoru nodded, pondering. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. If she had to follow Sano's indications there was little possibility they would ever reach their destination. Besides, she didn't hate Nymphs. Nymphs were good for nature. Kaoru thought about the book in her bag. Was it able to kill a Nymph? If it could kill a God, then surely it would be possible to destroy a Nymph, far less powerful than a God. But she wasn't going to kill a Nymph. She wasn't even sure she would do anything at all. She needed to arrive at Necis!
"Is there something wrong, Kaoru?"
The girl woke up of her muses to see the face of the Nymph, worried. She smiled and shook her head. "No, it's okay."
"But I don't want to travel with this weasel girl!"
In a second, the younger boy was again soaked.
Kaoru sighed. 'It's going to be a long travel.'
"Hello!"
Battousai jumped, startled. There was only one God able to do that, someone even faster than he was. The Messenger. "Soujiro."
The read-haired God turned around and saw his comrade behind him smiling, as usual. If there was something Battousai found incredibly annoying, it was Soujiro's eternal smile.
"What do you want Soujiro."
The Messenger arched his eyebrows. It was obvious that the God of War wasn't very happy to see him. "Hiko-sama sent me here to compile information. Have you found something about the whereabouts of the Human?"
"No" answered he "Nobody knows about her. What about the others?"
"Aoshi and Saito are still searching. Megumi has been following a false trail until this morning."
"I see." Battousai knew that Soujiro was lying, as did the Messenger knew his companion was.
"If that's all, I'll go back to the palace. I something's discovered I'll let you know."
Soujiro disappeared, leaving Battousai alone. He was close, he felt it. Tonight, he would find her. And the Human would know what defying a God means.
Death.
"And why do you want to go to Necis? It's not exactly a tourist's village you know."
Kaoru looked at the Nymph. She was very friendly, but she had the strange and annoying need to talk constantly. 'I think she doesn't even breathe.'
"Kaoru! Are you listening to me?"
The girl jumped. "Oh, sorry Misao-sama. I was just thinking."
"Kaoru, I've told you a thousand of times, don't call me 'sama'! I'm not a Goddess, you know."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize! We're friends now; you don't have to treat me as if you were my servant. Humans and Nymphs are not that different."
The girl smiled. "Thanks Misao. What did you ask me?"
The Nymph sighed. "Why are we going to Necis?"
Kaoru frowned. "Oh, well, you see… I have to talk to someone there…"
"Really?" Sanosuke stopped. "Who?"
"You don't know him."
"Him?" Misao grinned. "He? A man? Is he your boyfriend?"
Kaoru blushed. "What? No! He's… actually, I don't know him. I heard about him in a village and I thought I should talk to him."
"About what?"
"Oh, it's nothing important."
"What?" Yahiko shouted. "We're going to Necis, the most dangerous village on the North, to see a man you don't know to talk about something not important? Are you crazy hag?"
Kaoru smacked him. "Shut up brat!"
Sanosuke scratched his head. "Is it about the book?"
Misao looked at the man. "What book?"
"The hag has a book. It must be very important because she never leaves it. We can't read so we don't know what it's about. Only the hag can, but she doesn't want to tell us."
"I love books!" shrieked the Nymph. "I know almost every language, can I see it?"
"No, Misao, it's not a toy."
"Let me see it, please, please, please?" Misao tried her puppy eyes tactic, about to cry.
"Sorry but no."
"Then I won't shut up until you let me see it! Please, please, please, please…"
Kaoru looked at the Nymph. She couldn't let her see the book. What if she recognized it? What if she wanted to destroy it? After all, she was the Nymph of one of the Main Gods. No, Misao couldn't see the book.
"Please, please, please, please…"
It was strange. She thought when she found the book that the Gods would try to find her, but she hadn't seen any God. The only not Human they had found was…
"Please, please, please, please…"
The Nymph. Maybe she had been sent to destroy them! Kaoru looked at the Nymph jumping around her with puppy eyes. No, it was impossible. The young Nymph was harmless.
"Please, please, please, please…"
"Damn, Missy, give the weasel the f&$ book!"
Kaoru shook her head. Truth be told, she was also starting to lose her patience. Didn't Misao need to breath? Just then, as an answer to her prayers, a shrine appeared in the middle of the forest. Misao's eyes widened.
"It's a Water Temple!"
The Nymph ran into the shrine, but the other stayed outside. "Come, Yahiko-chan, let's hunt dinner!"
"Don't call me chan rooster!"
Kaoru sat against a tree, with her bag in her lap. She wrapped her arms around her legs. 'I'm going to do it. I promised. No matter what, I promised.' A tear rolled down her cheek. 'I promised.'
Thanks, thanks, thanks to my two reviewers! You're the best! (does the Happy Dance).
Now, it's your turn to review! You know you want it! \o/
