Chapter 61 An Interlude in China
Somewhere in a remote region in China, in a non-plotted area, on an unremarkable mountain amidst many other scattered peaks, Prince Herb stood outside the Presence Chamber of his father's palace, waiting with trepidation for his first audience since his return from Japan. Mint stood faithfully behind him, his face stoic as he also waited, knowing that he had partially failed the charge from his lord and master.
The large iron doors creaked open, and the chamberlain walked out, the peacock feathers in his cloak of office dancing slightly in the breeze coming in from the narrow slits in the wall that passed for windows. "Our Lord has requested your presence, Prince Herb," the man said, with at best a perfunctory bow to the only heir of the kingdom; a bow that on other days would have caused Herb to rage at the insult, but now, he realized was a sign of his father's displeasure with him.
"Then let us not keep him waiting," Herb snapped, striding toward the revealed chamber, almost before the normally subservient man could react. He entered the room, ignoring the luxuries that adorned the floor and walls, and instead gazing steadily at the presence sitting on the iron throne at the far end of the room, only a lion's pelt softening the starkness of the seat. He sketched a bare bow toward his father, and felt Mint do the same, instead of the formal prostration normally required, sending a message to his father. Even at the distance he was standing, he saw the slightly raised eyebrow at his lack of deference, and the beginning of a smile on the elder man's face.
"Come, my son, welcome back from your journey," his father's deep, dark voice said, in greeting.
"My Lord," Herb replied, "Thank you. It is good to be back among a civilized people."
"We trust your journey was a successful one," his father said.
"Only partially, I am afraid," Herb admitted, "Though it ended as well as it could considering what I was searching for. But, perhaps, this is best talked about with my father, and not my lord."
"Ah, now you intrigue us, my young prince," his father said, "We find that we are even more interested as to why you disappeared for so many weeks, arriving barely in time for the betrothal ceremony with your eager bride. We must admit to some concern that you were uninterested in the event."
"No, my lord, I will always do my duty towards my people, I have been taught well," Herb said, "My absence from this court was in part an attempt to perform that duty."
"Very well, we will wait your story with anticipation. We will dine alone, and then you should meet your betrothed," the king replied, "Now, tell us what happened to your other bodyguard, Lime. We have noticed his absence from your side, and only your faithful Mint returned from your journey."
"The warrior known as Lime is no more," Herb replied, flatly.
"Did he at least die honorably?" the king asked.
"He did his duty to the best of his ability," Herb replied, "That is all any one can ask."
"Come, we shall retire and take our repast, my young prince. Bring your faithful Mint, and he can stand guard as we eat. Then perhaps you can tell us your tale," the king decided. Standing quickly, he strode toward a small door discretely tucked behind an ornate screen, carved from the finest ivory, and decorated with gold filigree, and mother-of-pearl.
Herb followed his father, and his retinue, while Mint closed up behind. They soon came to a small room, with a low table groaning with food, and two one-sided divans. He looked pointedly at the crowd of parasites passing as court officials, and said, "I trust we can eat in privacy, my lord. I would prefer my story to be heard only by yourself. Mint is familiar with the details, so he can stand guard outside if that is required."
His father waved his hands at the officials, and simply grunted, "Leave us. We will eat with my son in private. Mint attend us." He sank down gracefully on one of the divans, leaning back against the cushioned side, while he pointed to the other. Herb joined him, sitting with his back straight. The two of them filled gold plates with food, and his father poured crystal goblets full of a red wine.
Mint watched for a moment, and then pulled the door closed and stood with his back to it as the two men ate.
"So what is it that you needed to talk to me about?" the king asked.
"I have a problem that will affect you, father," Herb began, "And possibly the betrothal. I need to talk to the girl as soon as possible, as she has the right to know before things get too far." He hesitated, unsure of how to proceed with his story, knowing that it would very likely change his life, not necessarily for the better.
Mint watched the struggle on his lord's face and decided to intervene. "Master Herb, you need to tell the king the whole truth. He deserves to know and it is your duty to tell him."
"I know," Herb said. He passed his hand over his face, and took a deep swallow of his wine. "Very well," he said, "Father, I became aware of my upcoming betrothal some time ago, and realized something. While I have the finest education that our people can give me, at least as far as being a warrior is concerned, I had been taught nothing about those odd creatures called females."
"True, because of the traditions of our people, we are singularly poorly equipped to handle them," his father said.
"Well, anyway, I had become aware of the rumor of the valley of Jusenkyo, and its accursed springs," Herb continued, "And decided to avail myself of that spring. I made my way there in secret, and after capturing a monkey, tossed the monkey into Nyannichuan, the spring of drowned girl, which transformed the monkey into a woman. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to be distracted by her body, and was pushed into the spring myself, also obtaining the curse." He picked up a goblet of water and poured it over his head, triggering the change. "Cold water triggers the curse as you can see," she said sadly, "And hot water will restore your son."
His father stared at the transformed Herb in horror, and then slammed his fist down on the table next to him. "Damn it, boy, do you know what you have done!" he roared.
Herb stared impassively at him and replied, calmly, "Of course I do. Instead of just having a only son, you now have an occasional daughter. And yes, I full well know what that can mean to our people, especially with the division between the sexes that we currently have. It's all that I thought of for the last several months since it happened. And if I hadn't gotten my curse unlocked, so that I can at least be male some of the time, I would not have returned, but would have sent Mint back with news of my death. But I did get it unlocked and I know my duty to our people. You must have an heir of your body, and I must have a son, to carry on our dynasty or the politics will tear our people apart."
His father sighed heavily and leaned back against his chair. Taking a large drink of his wine, he nodded and said, "You have thought things through, I see. Is there a cure to the curse?"
"None that I am aware of. According to my sources, somewhere in the valley is a spring of drowned boy, but no one knows where it is anymore. Ironically, one of the battles that we fought there with the Joketsuzoku hundreds of years ago destroyed a portion of the map that the caretaker had created, as well as misplaced all of the signs that he had oh so carefully placed," Herb replied.
"And my lord, apparently the section that that spring is in is full of horrific springs that will call forth demons and monsters if the wrong spring is entered, so no one has tried to map them since," Mint said entering the conversation for the first time.
"Mint, leave us," the king commanded.
Mint looked uncertainly at Herb, who smiled thinly and said, "Your loyalty does you credit, my oldest friend, but you still must obey the king." Mint opened the door and quickly slid through it, closing it firmly behind him.
"What am I going to do with you?" his father asked.
Herb shrugged her shoulders and replied, evenly, "If you are truly asking my opinion, I have the following suggestions. One, we need to let my betrothed know about my condition, once we have obtained the appropriate safeguards, of course. Also, I can somewhat control my curse if I spend a certain portion of the day as female. That seems to satisfy the water magnet portion of the curse. However, that also means that I need to obtain a twin sister to explain why there is suddenly a female showing up in my quarters."
"A twin sister?" his father asked.
"I'd rather explain that, then the rumors of a concubine so soon before or after my marriage. The woman I wed doesn't deserve the shame that would bring on her," Herb replied, firmly. She picked up the teapot and poured the warm water over her head, restoring her original body.
His father ran his fingers through his full beard, smoothing out the snarls, and thoughtfully considered Herb's suggestion. After a pause long enough to cause Herb some consternation, he finally said, "We really have no choice in the matter. All of your cousins are entirely too young to consider for taking my throne. Only the fact that you are of age is making the situation palatable. The other clans are restless as it is; if we wait too long things may fly apart. In spite of my reservations about what may happen in the future, if I disown you or expose your secret, our people will fall into chaos. Talk to your bride and see how she feels about the situation, but you must impress upon her the importance of this union."
"Thank you, Father," Herb said simply, "I will do my best not to disappoint you any more than I already have. I know that is causing you a great deal of difficulty."
"I'm not disappointed in you, Herb, however, I must admit that I am not happy about the situation," his father said.
Herb chuckled and said, "I'm not exactly thrilled about it myself, Father, but I have come to a sort of acceptance about it."
"Leave now, my son," his father said, his eyes troubled.
Herb rose gracefully from his seat and bowed deeply. "Father, may your reign last forever," he said, as he backed out of the room.
Herb stood in the garden surrounding the private quarters of the family, idly aware that Mint was standing guard at the entrance preventing anyone from disturbing him. 'Father was a bit more understanding than I thought he was going to be,' he thought, as a lark began singing in one of the large trees, 'But I could tell he was terribly disappointed in the situation. Not that I'm overly thrilled about it myself.' A wry grin graced his face as he began to wander down the graveled path that snaked its way from one collection of flowers to the next, with the occasional bench placed strategically around. The lone lark was soon joined by a second, and then a third, and then to his surprise, he began to hear the sound of a flute as someone began to play a countermelody to the tune that the birds were singing. He looked up toward the sound of the flute and saw an attractive brown-haired woman, sitting on a balcony overlooking the garden, playing a silver flute, with her dark eyes intent on the stops as she played.
Herb sat down, his eyes intent on the young woman, holding his breath as she played. He stayed there for what seemed forever, but probably was no more than fifteen or twenty minutes, until the idyllic scene was marred by the entrance to the balcony of a heavily scarred man, which Herb recognized as the clan chieftain Bae Sel, the father of the woman he was to wed.
#Come my daughter, we must talk,# Bae Sel began, startling the young woman from her reverie, his voice carrying in the stillness of the evening, startling the birds into raucous flight.
#Father, is it not enough that I must wed some man that I have never met? Do you have to interrupt me on my last night of freedom? I have agreed to do as you wish, please allow me one more night to be myself,# the woman asked, plaintively.
'So you are the poor woman doomed to be my wife,' Herb mused, 'At least you are attractive. But, we should get to know each other prior to our formal betrothal, so that perhaps you won't be afraid of me, as I am afraid of you.'
#I am sorry, Tai Mei,# the man said, sincerity in his voice, #but you know how important this merger is. Without this marriage, the two halves of our people will continue to move apart. The king, may he live forever, is too conservative for the times. He refuses to recognize that we no longer can live in complete isolation. The Chinese are beginning to press against our borders, and while we can remain in hiding..#
#Father, I am tired of hearing your arguments, you know that I agree with them,# Tai Mei said, wearily, #Especially since I feel that woman have more of a place in society than as a means of having babies. But, right now, I am contemplating my fate, marrying a man that I have never met, who probably is the son of his father, and will listen to me about as much as he listens to his hunting dog. Probably less, now that I think about it. My music is the only thing that will console me in the dark days I see ahead of me.#
Herb closed his eyes, listening to the pain in the young woman's voice, and silently vowed to remove that pain. A loud splash caught his attention, as one of the large koi launched itself from a nearby pond, and the resulting wave of water washed over his body. Herb smiled ruefully, as she pulled her wet hair away from her face, and stood up. Her movement caught the attention of the two on the balcony, as unawares, Herb walked to where Mint was waiting with a cloak.
Tai Mei and her father Bae Sel watched as the man covered the attractive woman with a cloak, and led her away into the depths of the apartments reserved for the royal family. #That was Mint, the bodyguard for the Prince,# Bae Sel said, in shock.
#I wonder why he was taking a woman into the Prince's rooms,# Tai Mei said.
#Don't be naïve, my daughter, you know exactly why she is going there,# Bae Sel said, disapproval in his voice.
Tai Mei looked downcast at the idea of her husband-to-be already being unfaithful.
Bae Sel escorted his daughter into the small audience chamber, where he found his king and prince waiting for them.
"Ah, Basil, welcome our faithful friend," the king proclaimed grandly, "This is our son and heir, Herb."
"Thank you, my lord," Basil replied, a faint smile gracing his lips at the greeting, "I see you, Prince Herb. May I introduce my daughter, Thyme?"
Thyme smiled shyly as she saw the man she was to wed. 'At least he is well-formed, and handsome,' she thought, 'Perhaps this won't be too bad.'
"My lady," Herb said, "May I say that I am pleased to meet you at last." He stared meaningfully at his father who took the hint.
"Basil, our son has asked for a small indulgence. Would you find it amiss if he and your daughter went elsewhere and talked to each other?" the king asked.
"Why would he wish to do that?" Basil asked.
Herb replied, "It seemed to me that prior to us becoming betrothed, that it would be nice if we could find out a little bit about each other. I would like to know more about her, her likes, dislikes, interests, that sort of thing. And I thought that perhaps she would like the same. It might make things go a bit easier for us both."
Basil looked at his daughter and realized that she was eager to do as the prince had suggested. "That actually sounds like a good idea," he said, finally.
"I thank you for this indulgence," Herb replied. He turned to Mint, and said, "If you would escort Thyme to the Rose Chamber, and make sure that there is some refreshments available. I will join her shortly."
Mint bowed politely from the wall of the chamber where he had been standing unnoticed, and led Thyme from the room.
Herb smiled wryly and said, "If she is as scared of this situation as I am, perhaps this conversation will help us both get over our fears. While I am not quite as unfamiliar with women as I once was because of my recent trip, I must confess a great deal of uncertainty." He bowed to Basil and then bowed deeper to his father, and quietly withdrew from the room.
Herb slipped into the Rose Chamber, a room that overlooked the garden of flowers that gave it its name, and nodded his thanks to his faithful friend. Thyme was sitting ladylike in a ornate chair with spindly legs, that barely looked strong enough to hold a baby, much less the petite woman sitting upon it. A small tray, with a teapot and two cups, was sitting on a marble-topped table, and a second tray, with a collection of dainty confections, covered with sugar, sat next to it.
"Keep watch at the door, Mint," he said, startling the young woman, who had not noticed his arrival.
Thyme stood up quickly and began to bow, only to stop in confusion as he took her hand, and kept her from bowing. "None of that," Herb said, smiling kindly, "I'd like to start off the way I want to end up."
"My lord?" Thyme asked, completely confused, as she stared at him.
"None of that, either, Thyme. Call me Herb, I will never be your lord in private. We'll save that nonsense for when we are in public," Herb said, quickly.
"Then, Herb, I must admit this is a surprise. You aren't exactly what I expected," Thyme said, a touch of pink in her cheeks.
"I'm not exactly what I expected, either," Herb replied, "Please, sit, and let us get to know each other a bit better. All I know about you, for example, is that you are very pretty, and play the flute marvelously."
"You know that I play the flute?" Thyme asked, blushing at being called pretty.
"Yes, I heard you playing in the garden last night," Herb admitted.
Thyme looked down at the floor and said, "Oh, yes, just before that girl joined you, I suppose."
Herb looked puzzled and then realized that he had been seen last night. "Oh, that. That is a long story for a bit later. The girl you saw last night is no competition for you. The tale for public consumption is that she is my twin sister. The true tale is a bit bizarre, and I would like us to become more comfortable with each other before I tell you her secret."
"She is not your lover?" Thyme asked.
Herb chuckled dryly and replied, "No, she definitely is not my lover." Mint chuckled from his unseen location, as Thyme wondered what the joke was. Herb sat down in a chair next to her and said, softly, "This is as frightening for me as it is for you, Thyme. I know a little bit more about women than I did a few months ago, and have come to a different opinion than I once held. And, I promise that I will do everything in my power to allow you to be happy. While I have known that I always would have to marry for dynastic reasons, I want this marriage to be more than just that."
Thyme had a look on her face that combined some odd combination of shock and happiness. Finally, she said, "That is something that I wish as well, Herb. You give me some hope that perhaps this marriage will not be an onerous burden as I was afraid that it would be."
"Did you really think that I was some sort of Neanderthal, that I would only want you to be the mother of my children and nothing else?" Herb asked, mildly amused.
"I was afraid from what I knew of your family and their beliefs that that would be my role in your life. I had resolved to accept that, but I am happy to find out that will not be necessary," Thyme said.
Herb poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. "To be honest, not terribly long ago, that would have been my expectations. As I told my father last night, we have been taught to be warriors, with no knowledge of your gender. But, then a few months ago, as I alluded earlier, I had my eyes opened. Believe me, I have a much different opinion of women than I once had, and soon I will explain how that happened. You, of all people, will deserve that story."
"I wait with anticipation that story," Thyme said, "But until then, perhaps I should tell you a bit more of myself."
"I would love to find out more about you, Lady Thyme," Herb said.
"As you perhaps are aware, my father and his clan are more liberal than that of your father's. For example, we don't separate the genders at birth, and are raised by both sets of parents," Thyme began, a bit hesitantly.
"Yes, I am. As I am also aware that your father is the leader of that portion of our people," Herb said, "Which I suppose is partially the reason why the two of us are here, in an attempt to bridge that gap."
"That is my belief also," Thyme admitted, "Father is concerned about how the tribe is beginning to split down those lines, between the more conservative and the more liberal portions."
"My father is very concerned about that also, which is why he is willing to compromise slightly with your father over some things. I find myself leaning more toward the less conservative approach, but we will have to go slowly to avoid causing friction with the dinosaurs of our tribe," Herb said.
"We?" Thyme asked.
"Yes, we. I am looking for a partner to stand with me," Herb replied, "You won't be able to rule with me in public, at least not for years, but I want that to be our goal. If not for us, then for our children."
"That is much bolder than I expected," Thyme said, her eyes shining with happiness.
Thyme wandered through the garden that evening, after a pleasant meal with her betrothed, the king and her father. The conversation had been pleasant and to her surprise, the king had been interested in her opinion on several of the topics that had been brought up, including some that had to deal with the external politics of the kingdom. Herb had grinned at her and winked, showing that he was enjoying things as well, and was happy that she was making a good impression on the king, something that boded well for the future. Finding a quiet spot overlooking the koi pond, she ignored her attendant and sat down, and began to play a simple melody on her flute. After a few minutes, she became aware that she had an audience. The same girl that she had seen leaving the garden last night was standing at the entrance to the small grove, listening intently. "Miss, please would you join me?" Thyme asked politely.
The young girl started and looked about to flee, but then nodded resignedly and came and sat next to her on the ornately carved bench.
"Hello, I'm Thyme," Thyme said.
"I know," the girl said, quietly, "You may call me Spice. Please keep playing, you do it so well, and I enjoy it."
"Very well, but I would like to get to know you better. Somehow, I think that you and I will have something in common in the future," Thyme said.
Spice grinned and replied, "Yes, I suppose we will. At least that is my hope. There's not really much to tell, I have lived a secluded life all my life until now. The rest of my story I can not tell you. Only Herb can. I know that he wants to as soon as he feels that he can trust you. Please trust him and me until then."
Thyme looked intently at the young girl and saw the entreaty in her eyes. "I have the feeling that we have met before, Spice, and I look forward to hearing your story one day," Thyme said, as she began to play her flute.
A week passed, as Herb and Thyme grew closer, finding out more about each other, through the occasional walk in the garden, although obeying all rules of propriety, they were not able to be unaccompanied. Thyme would play her flute in the evening, enjoying the coolness as the sun slipped behind the mountain peak, and the birds would sing with her. The only precaution that Herb made was to ensure that they stayed away from the koi pond as they walked, and the only drinks were hot tea.
Finally, Thyme brought up the question that Herb had avoided answering during the week. "I have met your sister Spice several times this past week, and I like her. But, I have to admit to being curious about her story, and how the two of you are involved," she said, "But who is she really? She does look somewhat like you, with many of the same facial features, only softened."
Herb paused for a while, deep in thought and asked, "What do you think of me?"
Thyme pondered the question for a moment and then replied, "I'm not completely sure, Herb. This has been an interesting week, much different than I expected when we arrived at the palace. I full well expected to be wedded, and bedded, to a man I knew nothing about by now. Instead, I have met a man, very intelligent, who seems to care about what I think and feel. A man that I have come to care for, a man that one day I perhaps could lose my heart to." She paused, her heart beating hard and asked, "What do you think of me?"
Herb breathed out and said, "You are someone that I hope can be my partner, not just my wife. I know that is a surprise for you, coming from a person raised like me, but I do believe that with all my heart. The question I have to answer is can I trust you, and I think that the answer is yes. There is something I need to tell you before we wed, something that may change things between us."
Thyme reached out her hand and clasped his with hers, interlacing their fingers. She squeezed gently and said, "You can trust me, Herb. There should be no secrets between us when we marry."
"I believe that too," Herb said, sighing heavily, "And it touches on Spice also."
"Should she be with us when you tell me her story?" Thyme asked.
Herb closed his eyes and replied, "Oh, she will be, believe me." He squeezed the bridge of his nose, and then rubbed his eyes, delaying the inevitable. Finally, he said, in a flat voice, "While your clan is willing to mix the genders, so that you were raised with both boys and girls, the vast majority of our people are raised apart. I was taken from my mother at a young age, and brought up in the traditions of our people as a man among men. I never saw another girl until I was told about our betrothal. Meeting a woman for the first time was something I didn't feel I was ready for, at least not if the first woman I met was you. I didn't believe that would be fair to either of us, so I wanted to come up with someway of becoming more at ease with you."
"I think I know where this is going," Thyme said, her tone a bit cold, "And I don't think I like it. I don't share easily."
"Oh, it's not what you think, believe me," Herb said, "It would be easier in some respect if it were." He hesitated and then continued, "I don't know how familiar you are with some of our people's history. If you are, you may remember that at one time, we used to visit the springs of Jusenkyo and dump animals into the spring of drowned girl to gain their characteristics. In fact, I am a descendant of a dragon, though I'm curious how my forefathers managed to get her into a spring. Anyway, I went to those springs with the goal of becoming familiar with the female body so I wouldn't freeze up when I first saw you."
"So Spice is some creature you dumped into the spring of drowned girl? No, she can't be, I talked to her," Thyme asked, only to stop when Herb shook his head.
"No, again I wish it were that simple," Herb replied, "No, I did capture a monkey and tossed it into the spring, and out came a nude female. To my chagrin, I fixated on the girl's breasts, something I had never seen before, and well, to make a long story short, the girl pushed me into the spring." He reached for a cup of cold water that Mint had placed there, and in front of her horrorstruck eyes, he poured it over his head, and he transformed into the young girl she knew as Spice.
Thyme collapsed to the floor, sliding off the bench she had been sharing with Herb. "NO!" she cried, as Spice, no Herb joined her on the pavement and held her in her strong arms.
"I'm so sorry," Herb said, rubbing the other girl's back.
Thyme began to sob, and then whispered, "It's not your fault, Herb, it's not your fault."
Herb waited her out, and then, asked, "Are you okay?"
"I will be," Thyme replied, regaining her composure. She took a deep breath and said, "This changes nothing, Herb. The reasoning behind our marriage hasn't changed. If you will have me as your wife, I will have you as my husband."
Herb sighed deeply and said, "I would be honored to be your husband, Thyme, and for you to be the mother of my children, heirs to the kingdom."
"So mote it be," Thyme replied formally. She grinned and said, "I think we are supposed to seal that with a kiss, so since I want my first kiss to be with my husband, not my, er wife, could you change back."
Herb giggled and said, "Of course, I should have thought about that." She paused for a moment, closing her eyes in thanks, and then said, "Thank you for taking this so well, Thyme. I was worried that this would scare you away, and I would miss you."
Thyme replied, "I admit this is not something that I expected, but I suppose this curse explains why you have changed your beliefs about certain things."
"Only partially," Herb said, "Actually, what changed my opinions about things is the several weeks I spent locked as a girl, thinking what it would be like if I stayed this way. And then, the traveling I had to do to find a way to unlock the curse so I could change back meant that I met a young man with the same curse I had, but who had come to terms with it, and showed me that I was still a man, even when I was a woman. And the way he treated his wife as a partner, companion, and friend, it impressed me and made me question almost everything that I had been taught." 'And then there was Lime,' she thought, not that she could tell anyone about that, 'the way she became a woman happily, as if it fixed some problem that I never knew existed.'
"I wish I could meet this young man," Thyme said, a bit wistfully, "To thank him for helping you change your ways. As to your cursed form, it'll take me some getting used to this, but I think I can. I like Spice, and I care about you, so this will work. Even if that sentence sounded as confusing to you as it did to me."
"I'm just sorry that I had to deceive you for the few days that I did," Herb said, as she poured a cup of hot water over her hair.
"I can understand why, though, so I'm not too upset. I'm just happy that you trust me enough to tell me now, though I think it will have to be our secret. I'm not sure that any one else should know," Thyme said.
"I agree. At least, we need to keep it between the few that know until we have secured the throne," Herb replied, "Now, let's see about that first kiss." He smiled disarmingly as she flung her arms around him.
Lime carefully walked down the street with Ukyo, as they made their way to the market. Ukyo was pushing a small pram, with her baby neatly wrapped in a blanket, while Lime's belly was showing quite a bit. Suddenly she squeaked, causing Ukyo to glance over at the other woman. "He kicked," Lime explained, which was all that Ukyo needed to hear.
"That's a neat feeling, isn't it, Lime?" Ukyo asked.
"Yes it is, especially for me," Lime replied, with a wry grin.
"True, it was a new experience for me, but it's got to be really an unexpected feeling for you," Ukyo said.
Of course, their journey to the market was not complete without the obligatory interruption by several of the old ladies that were also journeying to the market for the latest produce, who had to ooh and aah over the baby in the carriage, and to find out how Lime was feeling.
As they finally neared the market, they passed a small alley. Lime glanced over and saw a young woman, huddled in a blanket, leaning against the wall. "Are you okay, miss?" Lime asked, kindly.
The girl looked up, a hint of desperation in her eyes and said, softly, "Do not worry about me, I am fine." Suddenly, however, her stomach rumbled.
"When was the last time you ate?" Ukyo asked.
"Oh, I had something two or three days ago," the girl replied.
Ukyo and Lime traded looks, and Lime said, "Miss, you could be a big help to us. We have a lot of groceries to buy for our restaurants, and well, as you can see, neither one of us should carry a lot. If you'll help us, we'll feed you."
The girl's eyes lit up and she rose from her makeshift bed. She unwrapped herself from the blanket, to show that she was dressed in a somewhat grimy, smoke-stained kimono. "I accept," the girl replied, "My name is Konatsu."
"Well, Konatsu, my name is Ukyo Hibiki, my daughter Yuki, and this is my friend Lime," Ukyo said, "A pleasure to meet you." The three women headed off to brave the untamed wilds of the Nerima marketplace.
The three women staggered into Ucchan's, with Konatsu carrying the bulk of the bags of groceries that they had picked out. Placing them on the counter in the kitchen, Ukyo said, "There's a small bath upstairs, if you'd like to wash up. I have a robe hanging on a hook in there that you can borrow unless you have something else to wear."
"No one has ever been so kind as the two of you," Konatsu said, happily. She smiled and said, "I do have something else, but if I could wash my kimono, it would be nice. It is the only thing that I have left of my mother's."
"Certainly, Konatsu. Bring it down once you've changed. There's a small wash sink in the back room with a place to hang it out to dry," Ukyo said.
Konatsu smiled and climbed the stairs that Ukyo had pointed out.
"She seems like a very nice girl," Lime said, "I wonder why she was sleeping in the alleyway this morning."
"I agree, she is very nice; pretty too, I bet, when she gets cleaned up," Ukyo agreed as she mixed up a batch of fresh batter for her okonomiyaki. She turned to Lime, and said, "There should be some soup left in the refrigerator from last night. Why don't you find it and warm it up on the stove, while I whip up something for the three of us?"
"That sounds like a good idea. Hmm, I wonder what chocolate sauce on a shrimp okonomiyaki tastes like? For some reason, I have the oddest craving for that," Lime said.
"There may be some chocolate syrup in there," Ukyo replied, with a laugh, "Ryoga had a chocolate sundae just before he managed to get lost last week."
"I wondered where he was," Lime said, "I thought he was getting better?" She walked into the rear kitchen, and rummaged through the refrigerator and found a large pot of noodle soup, and the aforementioned chocolate syrup. She also put the kettle on to boil for hot tea for Ukyo and Konatsu.
"Yes, he is getting better, at least when he carries his cellular phone, at least then he can call to tell me where he is, or get someone to bring him home," Ukyo said, with a sigh, "Except I found his phone upstairs still on the charger so he wandered off without it. He still never goes anywhere without his backpack though, so at least he'll be okay."
"That is still got to be hard, never knowing when you're going to be by yourself, especially now with a baby. How old is she, anyway?" Lime asked.
"It is tough, sometimes, but he makes up for it when returns, and with the money I make with the restaurant and what he makes during his travels, we do okay. I could use more help though, when it's just me," Ukyo replied, as she poured three dollops of batter on the sizzling grill, "And Yuki is almost nine months old now. How about you? You have a tough life ahead of you, unwed, with a baby. I know Nodoka has taken you under her wing, and all, but what are you going to do?"
Lime smiled at her friend and replied, "I'll manage. I won't be able to help at the Nekohaten much longer though, my feet and back start killing me by the end of the day. Dr Tofu suggested I start helping with the twins, once school starts for Kasumi, and that sounds attractive, but that won't be until January, after my baby is born, so that will work out well."
Konatsu walked in carrying her kimono, and wearing an odd ninja-like outfit. "Where did you say I could wash this?" she asked.
"Uh, there's a large sink in the room off of the kitchen that I use for hand-wash items," Ukyo replied, "Um, could I ask what you are wearing?"
"Oh, this, I was raised as a kunoichi, and this is the only other piece of clothing I was able to recover from the fire," Konatsu replied as she walked past them into the back kitchen.
"I wish I looked as good in leather as she does," Lime said a bit wistfully.
Ukyo grinned and said, "Lime you're turning into more of a girl than I am."
"Honey, I've always been a girl, I just didn't have the right body," Lime shot back. She frowned and asked, "Fire, what was that about?"
"You know as much as I do about her," Ukyo replied with a shrug, "But, her clothing was smoke-stained, so a fire sounds reasonable. Maybe that's why she is homeless."
"That's a thought, maybe you could hire her to work for you, in the afternoons," Lime suggested.
"That's not a bad idea. Nodoka is still coming over in the morning to take care of Yuki, but I could use the help after that," Ukyo replied. She flipped over the okonomiyakis and then covered them with the grilled shrimp, and sauce. "These are about done," she said.
Lime began to waddle back into the kitchen, when Konatsu came back out carrying a tray with three bowls of soup, the teapot and two cups, and a large glass of juice. "Kami bless you," Lime said, as she sank back down on a stool by the grill.
"Konatsu," Ukyo began, "We were thinking." She handed out three plates of okonomiyaki, and tried not to wince as Lime did indeed squeeze out a generous portion of chocolate sauce on her shrimp.
"That is so gross," Konatsu said, looking at the mixture on Lime's plate.
"Don't knock it until you're pregnant and want some odd cravings," Lime shot back, with a grin.
"Anyway," Ukyo said, desperately, "I was hoping that you were interested in a job. I could use the help. I can't pay a lot, only about a hundred yen per hour, but I can give you room and board. And we need to get you some more clothing. I think I can spring for that too."
"You would do that for me, a stranger?" Konatsu asked, surprised, but not so surprised that her food didn't disappear faster than Genma at his worst.
"Sure, I like what I see of you," Ukyo replied, "And I could really use the help. Especially since my husband is lost again, and Yuki takes up a big part of my free time, as she should, of course." Her daughter cooed on cue, and then tried to put her foot in her mouth, giggling all the while.
"I'd like that," Konatsu said, "This has been the best day of my life!"
Author's Note: FINALLY an update to this story. AAARGH, blasted muse deserting me like that. Seriously, I'm terribly sorry for the length of time it took to get this chapter out. It was very frustrating for me. I hope that my Gentle Readers will enjoy this, and I promise that I will update sooner next time. The juices are back to flowing and it should be much quicker this time. As always, comments and constructive criticisms are welcomed and encouraged. Until next time