Anseiji Ningyou
By: Tsuki Jaganshi
Tell me what the rain knows
O is this the flood of fortune
That pours itself upon me?
O see how I drown in this sea
-Maaya Sakamoto
When Keiko woke up, Tsuki was already back in bed. The girl was curled up her arms locked around her knees as she slept peacefully. Keiko rubbed her eyes sleepily, it was early morning and they'd been driving late into the night yesterday. 'Exhausted...' She yawned, pulling out some clean clothes. As Keiko passed by Tsuki's sleeping form, she took notice of the white and red tipped feather sticking up out of the girls silver hair. She pulled the offending object out, and turned it over between her fingers thoughtfully. 'It looks like one from the birds, on the island.' She mused, biting her bottom lip. 'As a matter of fact, I think it is…' But how had Tsuki gotten a hold of it?
Keiko pushed the thought away for a few a moments, and set the feather back into the girls hair before retreating into the bathroom. When she got back, Tsuki was in the middle of stretching sleepily. "Morning." Keiko greeted with a smile, she couldn't help it, the feather was sticking out of Tsuki's hair in an adorable fashion.
"Good morning." Tsuki greeted with a small smile, before glancing out the window.
Keiko tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "It's the rainy season." She explained. It came in June and ended in august. "That's why it's been so rainy…" it had been raining for a few weeks or more on the mainland of japan
"Oh." Tsuki blinked, when Keiko reached out and touched the feather. "Hm?"
Keiko smiled, for a moment; she had the urge to pet the girl's ears. "Hey, where did you get this feather?" She wondered.
"I found it outside yesterday." Tsuki explained, her wide eyes looking up at Keiko in confusion. She would have told Keiko about the bird, if she'd asked about it. (1)
The brunette simply shrugged. "I see…." Maybe she was just being paranoid. 'There are tons of white and red birds…I think.' She wasn't a bird expert after all. "Well you'd better get ready; we still have a long way to go." Keiko mused, setting the brush she'd been using on her hair down to hand Tsuki the clothes she'd gotten out for her.
The Kimono she'd picked out was Cream colored, with bright red roses scattered along the hem and sleeves, while the obi was black and green. "I don't remember this one either." Tsuki mused, fingering the cloth as she looked it over with a small frown.
"Pretty though, isn't it?" Keiko commented, as she laid it into the girl's hand. "Whoever made your clothes did a wonderful job…you don't see quality like this anymore." She mused.
"Do you want one?" Tsuki wondered, glancing at the larger girl kindly. "You can take any of them…" She trailed off when Keiko shook her head.
"I couldn't do that…besides I doubt I'd even fit into one." Keiko admitted sheepishly. "You're a lot smaller than me."
Tsuki nodded her head, slightly disappointed. "I suppose." She mused, walking into the bathroom. Keiko busied herself with packing things away, and toting them out into the rental car. On her second trip to the hotel room, something dawned on her. 'Yusuke's going to be there.' And just like that all the air in her lungs was sucked out by a mysterious force. "What am I going to do?" She panicked slightly. This did not bode well for her nerves.
"Do about what?" Tsuki wondered innocently, as she peered out of the bathroom. Her hair was slightly damp, and so it clung to her face messily. Keiko looked at her in surprise, she hadn't meant to say it outloud.
"It's nothing." The brunette sweated slightly, before avoiding the subject. "Why don't I dry you're hair? Otherwise it'll take forever." She mused, walking past Tsuki, into the bathroom. The small girl yelped loudly, when the hairdryer was flicked on and began humming loudly. (2)
Keiko watched as Tsuki began to panic, and try to leave the room. "Relax." She covered her mouth before a few giggles could slip out. "It's just air." She explained, pointing the device at the girl. Tsuki's eyes clamped shut as the hot hair blew her hair back. "See?" She questioned no longer able to hide her laughter.
"Uh-huh." Tsuki nodded her head, as Keiko stepped behind her and began drying her hair. 'How weird.' She mused to herself, fiddling with the feather she'd tucked into her obi nervously. There were so many strange things all over the place, like Co-fee Machine sitting on the bathroom counter. Tsuki had no idea what Co-fee was. 'Maybe you put money into it, to pay a fee?' She wondered innocently. She continued on with this line out thought, until the the hairdryer wound down.
Keiko smiled and ran a brush through the girl's hair.' Like silk.' She noted, brushing a hand through it. 'Wish mine were like that.' Unfortunately, Keiko had what she liked to call horse hair. It was thick and course. Tsuki's on the other hand, was fine stranded, but thick in the amount of it there was. "Well, all done." She stated wistfully. "Can you put the illusion up for a few minutes?"
Tsuki nodded her head dutifully. "Hai." She stated clasping her hands together. A few seconds later, a now blond haired girl stood before her, and with that done the pair headed downstairs. Tsuki went and sat in the car, her hands immediately going to find the Hello Kitty merchandise she'd retrieved just the day before. Some think about the white cat's circular, understanding eyes made her feel a little more settled.
Keiko returned a few moments later, having paid for the room she'd rented, and opened her door. She pulled her seatbelt on with a sigh, before glancing over to make sure Tsuki was wearing hers. 'Good all set then.' She thought nervously. Something about seeing Yusuke again put her on edge. 'More like over the edge.' She mused, starting the car.
Maybe it wasn't just that though, she hadn't exactly left home on good terms with her parents either. They'd wanted her to stay and help out with the family business and whatnot, but Keiko just couldn't handle all that. 'Sometimes I'm amazed at how selfish I am.' She mused, slamming her head against the steering wheel a few times.
Tsuki looked at the older girl in confusion, her head cocking to the side. " Is something the matter?" She wondered quietly.
"Nothing you should worry about." Keiko smiled at her comfortingly. She didn't need the girl thinking the same thing she was.
Tsuki bit her bottom lip. "Anno…Maybe I can help?" She suggested hopefully.
"Well…." Keiko trailed off. "Its like this…in order to get you the help you need, I have to go somewhere, that I don't have the best feelings about." She paused. "And there are probably a bunch of people who aren't very happy with me at the moment there…so I'm just a little nervous."
Tsuki tilted her head. "Like who?" She wondered cutely.
"My parents for one." Keiko mumbled. "They weren't very happy when I left."
Tsuki hummed slightly. "Why did you leave though…"
Keiko sighed. "Well…there is this boy…who I lo-liked." She ignored the curious look Tsuki cast her. "And he made me a promise, which was very, very important…and then he broke it."
"People shouldn't make promises they can't keep." Tsuki mused, looking out the window.
Keiko nodded her head. "So true…So anyways…I waited around for him, before I finally got tired of waiting, and left, and went to college to do something with my life, and get over him."
Tsuki glanced up at the brunette thoughtfully. "So you left, because you were hurt…and you wanted to heal."
Keiko opened her mouth to deny the statement, but she snapped it shut after a moment.
"Basically." She mumbled.
"I don't see why they would hold that against you." Tsuki mused, a small smile creeping over her lips. "You're parents love you, ne?"
Keiko nodded her head. "I think so." She was slightly surprised at how insightful Tsuki really was.
"Then all they want is you're happiness….so it shouldn't matter that you left, just that you were safe and happy." Tsuki yawned, never taking in Keiko's sweat drop.
"I suppose so." The brunette mused, starting the car. She still couldn't help but feel nervous.
Tsuki glanced outside the window, looking over the rainy landscape absently, her fingers fiddling with the feather she'd tucked into her obi earlier. 'It feels like I'm forgetting something important.' She thought, resting her head on the window pane. Tsuki didn't notice that Keiko had called her name, at least three or more times.
Keiko frowned slightly, before taking a hand off the steering wheel to shake the girl slightly. "You okay?" She questioned after getting her attention.
Tsuki blinked up at her, before nodding her head. "I was just thinking." She explained quietly, looking back out the window. "Anno…how long will this take?" She wondered, looking up at Keiko thoughtfully.
"Well…it's about eight A.M now, so around 3, we should be there." Keiko mused. "But we're going to have to walk the rest of the way….The place we're going to is very secluded." She just hoped Kurama would meet them on the trail and carry some bags.
Tsuki hummed slightly, looking out the front window. The lines on the road made her feel dizzy, so she shut them. She rested like that for a few moments, drifting in and out of sleep lazily.
Keiko hummed quietly to herself; she wasn't going to disturb the girl by turning on the radio. Her mind wandered from one subject to another, until a jolt of realization ran through her like a spear. Yusuke was going to be there at some point. Hopefully not right when she got there. It was one thing for her to say that if she ever saw him again she wouldn't care in the least, but it was a completely different thing to actually be able to do it. 'Judging from the way my pulse is racing right now….that isn't going to be the case.' A few beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. 'This is not good.'
Kurama sneezed into the crook of his elbow. "Hm?" Yusuke blinked sleepily. He's been laying sprawled out on the front of the jeep.
"Sorry." Kurama stated with a sheepish smile as he cleared his throat.
Yusuke waved him off. "Its fine…Hope you're not getting sick." He mused, running a hand through his one again short hair.
"Unlikely, but not entirely impossible." Kurama mused, glancing at this watch.
The two were outside waiting for Keiko to pull up. Recently they'd forged a rough path up to the temple. It wasn't easily accessible without four wheel drive; hence the beat up mud splattered jeep Yusuke was sleeping on.
Kurama cringed slightly to himself. 'I thought he wanted to look presentable when she got here.' He mused, before shrugging it off.
"Like…how mad is she again?" Yusuke questioned, sitting up. The rain had stopped for a while. He had a rather anxious look on his face.
Kurama cast him a slightly annoyed look. "Extremely, last time I checked….I mean you could have sent her a letter." Though, Kurama could have told her himself to that extent too.
"Lets not get into this again." Yusuke huffed, crossing his arms. "So…what do you think she needs your help with?" He wondered. "Hey wait a second…" He trailed off. "You two didn't shack up while I was gone, did you?!" Yusuke was already jumping to conclusions. "Maybe she had you're love child….and that's what she needs your help with." He growled slightly. "Damn it! I'm going to kill you Kurama!" Yusuke hissed, lunging for him.
Kurama sweat dropped. "It's not like that at all….You're letting you're imagination run away with you…" He stated in the process of stepping to the side. "Trust me, if she and I were like that, I wouldn't really tolerate you being here to see her." Kurama mused, wrinkling his nose up slightly. "I may not seem like it, but I'm really rather the jealous type."
"Seriously?" Yusuke looked at him doubtfully. 'He's pretty scary during battle…wonder if he's half as bad when he's having a jealous fit…' He shuddered for a moment. "I don't think I want to see that." Yusuke admitted sheepishly.
"If we're both lucky you never will." Kurama stated with a shrug, putting a quick end to the subject. The duo stood there for a few moments, their senses catching the sounds of an approaching car.
Yusuke fidgeted slightly, in an uncharacteristically nervous manner.
Kurama smiled in amusement. "Nervous?" He questioned.
"Like never before." Yusuke stated blatantly, flashing the red head a wild grin.
Keiko cringed slightly when she pulled up a few feet in front of them. She'd been deriding this moment all morning. Tsuki had fallen asleep a few hours earlier, leaving Keiko plenty of time to plan how things were going to go. She'd gotten as far as "Play it cool." And that was all. 'Something is better then nothing.' Keiko mused. She took a deep breath, readying herself before unlocking the door and clambering out of the vehical. 'I'll leave Tsuki to sleep a bit longer…' It'd give her time to explain a few things.
The moment Yusuke saw her it was like the breath had been sucked right of him. Like wine it seemed Keiko had just become better with age. Her hair had grown longer, touching the middle of her back, her chest as expected had also filled out. Without thinking The words came flying out of his mouth without a care for consequences. "Wow…You certainly filled out…"
The only clue to her annoyance was a brief twitch of her brow. "You certainly haven't." Keiko stated after giving him a once over. Kurama covered his mouth politely to cover up his chuckle, She'd certainly made a well placed jab at Yusuke.
The truth was, Yusuke had grown a bit, He'd grown a bit taller, and his physique a tad stockier, but other then that, and his hair growing out of control at times, he hadn't changed to much. Keiko noted he still had that boyish charm about him, but then she supposed that was one thing that would never change.
Yusuke pouted, slightly hurt by the jab. He'd sort of been hoping she'd fawn over him. 'Well, its to be expected of Keiko to put up a fight.' He mused, flashing her grin after a moment. "Missed me much?" He wondered.
Keiko ignored the comment expertly, turning her attention to Kurama. "I really appreciate you coming." She gave him a relieved look.
"It's not a problem…" Kurama trailed off, looking at her curiously. "Exactly what was so important?" He questioned, there was a familiar smell coming off Keiko; The sort of smell that rubbed off on someone who'd been in close contact with another.
Keiko pulled out the article that had started it all. "A few weeks ago this showed up into my life…I cant really explain it, but I just couldn't forget about it…so I started doing some research, and well…It turns out the map actually went to a real place." She bit her lip when Kurama looked at her with a slight frown.
"Don't tell me you're thinking about going there…." Yusuke wrinkled his nose up. "Who knows it could be a hoax, or even worse." He trailed off, noticing the way Keiko's eyes has drifted away in an attempt to hide the mildly guilty look in her eyes.
"You already went!" He accused, jabbing a finger at her. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Keiko gave him annoyed look. "Don't point, it's rude." She chastised, slapping his hand down. "And it slipped my mind." It sort of had slipped her mind originally, but then, she supposed in the back of her mind she didn't want anyone telling her it was a bad idea.
"That explains all the unanswered calls." Kurama mused, still cupping his chin thoughtfully. "When you get a chance, please do let everyone else know you're safe." He requested, before moving back to the subject at had. "So where out in the ocean did this map lead you exactly?" He questioned, nothing the foreign smell that still clung to Keiko.
Keiko looked back towards the car, wondering if Tsuki was still sleeping. "Out in the middle of nowhere, to a small empty island…And by empty I mean of people; plenty of plants and birds." Not to mention the other things that she hadn't seen.
"What exactly did you find, that you needed urgent help with?" Kurama arched a brow. There must have been something very interesting on that island, and the creature that he was, his curiosity had been stoked.
Yusuke had gone silent for a few moments, but watched as Keiko motioned for them to follow her towards the passenger side of the car. "Quietly." She stated, opening the door gently to reveal what was inside.
Tsuki was still sleeping as peacefully as she had been before Keiko had vacated the car, she was curled up uncomfortably on her side, seeing as how it was almost impossible to find any comfortable position to sleep in, in a car. Her pale silver hair was fanned out around the vacinty, drapped over anything that would provide a suitable surface.
"You found a Youkai?" Yusuke arched a brow. "and you managed to get her into the car?" he wondered.
"Yes, and it wasn't as hard as one might think…" Keiko trailed off for a moment. " And if you're thinking that she's dangerous, she's definitely not." She gave Yusuke a seething look when he opened his mouth. "Trust me. " It was really just a feeling Keiko had when she looked at the girl. Those eyes just gave everything away, like they were clear unclouded windows.
"So how exactly did you find her?" Kurama wondered, when the barrier had been placed up, most youkai had been attracted to it, resulting in their entrapment until just recently. What Keiko had to say next surprised even him.
"She was in a coffin, I suppose….thats what it looked like atleast." Keiko said the last part mostly to herself. "but she is most definantly alive, so that really doesn't make any sense. There is one thing that stood out though…she was hooked up by some sort of I.V." Keiko stated, biting at her lip thoughtlessly.
" She was probably in there because she's some evil wickedly powerful creature. She might look all sweet and innocent when she's sleeping, but then so does Hiei, and we both know better then that, now don't we?" Yusuke said, deciding to add his two cents in. He was obviously used to having his peace ruined by something , so was naturally wary. His paranoia however was not appreciated by Keiko, who voiced it quiet loudly.
Kurama was quiet but vaguely aware of the fresh argument that had sprung up between the pair, he had picked up on of Tsuki's pale hands and was studying it thoughtfully. Her hands were small, with long fingers that came to a point, tipped with sharp nails; The familiar markings of Most Youkai. Keiko was adamant in the girls good nature, and to be honest, she looked like she'd never fought a day in her life. Especially if he were to judge that by the softness of her palm and fingers. Most fighters had callous hands, even him. But as if that hadn't been enough to prove him of her passive nature, her eyes slowly opened, revealing sleep clouded eyes. There was no malevolent bone in this girl's body. That Kurama was sure off.
Tsuki on the other hand, was not so sure about the same thing concerning him. She shrieked slightly, flinging her hands up in surprise, and fumbling to get to the other side of the card. Waking up with some stranger leaning over her was not her idea of a good morning, or afternoon for that matter.
Kurama was left blinking, when Keiko shoved him to the side, and began comforting the trembling girl. 'Protective much?' He noted in amusement. Keiko reminded him of a doting mother. His amusement didn't last to long, when the brunette shot him a dirty look as she rounded on him.
"Why did you have to scare her like that?" Keiko scowled, patting Tsuki's head.
Thus, Kurama was reduced to apologizing. "I'm very sorry…" He trailed off, sweat dropping. 'This must be what Yusuke feels like.' He noted blithely.
Yusuke on the other hand, was smirking from ear to ear, happy that for once someone other then him was getting an earful from Keiko.
Keiko 's anger seemed to be quelled by the apology, or perhaps It was because The girl across from hersociahad finally calmed down.
Tsuki swallowed nervously, she definantly had not expected to wake up with some tall man hanging over her. 'I suppose I over-reacted though.' She noted, sitting up fully. "Sorry…" She stated, mustering a apologetic smile for her lapse.
"Its not your fault, You had a justified reaction." Kurama noted. "I apologize for frightening you…."
"Ah…where are we?" Tsuki wondered, looking at Keiko, her brows wrinkling together in confusion.
Keiko simply smiled. "That place I told you that I was taking you too…." She paused, switching over to introductory mode. "The man with red hair, who startled you, is Minamino Shuichi." She'd start with his given name. "And the other one, who looks like an idiot, is Yusuke."
Tsuki had to cover her mouth politely to hide her smile at the tacked on comment. 'Yusuke…' shemused, trying to place the name. "Ah! Is he the one?" She wondered towards Keiko, recalling the earlier conversation that had taken place.
"The one what?" Yusuke arched a brow, feeling as though he was missing something.
"None of you're business!" Keiko snapped, towards Yusuke, leaving the answer to Tsuki's question open ended. Fortunantly, Tsuki took the hint, that what had been spoken in the car, was not to leave car.
Yusuke huffed, and crossed his arms, before giving the petit girl a hard look over. She was small, flimsy, with an air of innocence about her. She in all did not seem like the type of person who was dangerous. Yusuke was generally the best judge of character, so with that, he tossed his earlier notions out the window.
"It's about to start raining again." Kurama noted, making his way to unload Keiko's car. "I think its best we head up towards the house before the path gets any muddier." He stated, making his way towards the jeep. Yusuke took the hint and grabbed a few bags and followed after him. Keiko busied herself, with talking quietly to Tsuki as they made their way to the old beat up jeep.
Tsuki looked up at the sky thoughtfully, it felt as though since she had woken up, all it had done was rain. 'I don't mind at all though.' She mused, tiliting her head up, to catch the first few drops of rain, as though she was a parched flower. The rain was cold and fresh, it felt good against her pale skin, sliding down like pearls. She was knocked out of her brief trance, but Keiko's hand on her shoulder, urging her to climb into the vehicle, Tsuki nodded her head, taking a seat, as Keiko went around to the other side.
"Has much changed since I was gone?" Keiko wondered. It was one thing to hear of things, but another to be faced with seeing them for herself. Kurama smiled, Which Keiko saw flashing back to her from the jeep's overhead mirror. "Not much." He said, turning the ignition and puting the jeep into motion.
Tsuki tuned out the conversation, watching as the rain gradually became harder. Mud, and water sloshed up against the sides of their mode of transportation, giving the vehicle a fresh wet coat that would be washed away over a long night of torrential rain. She was enamored with the rhythmic pattering of the rain along the jeeps metal casing.
Yusuke, who sat in the passenger side seat, took a glance back and noticed the expressive look on her face. "You certainly don't seem put out by all the rain, do you?"
"Hm…?" It took Tsuki a moment to place his words, as she tore her eyes away from the window. "No, Rain is just another part of life." She stated.
"Mm, its more like weather for ducks…" Yusuke paused, noting the ears perched ontop her head as he flashed her a grin, making an oddly comforting attempt at teasing her. She looked like she needed it. "But you don't look much like a duck." He stated. In actuality, Yusuke had never once seen a duck demon.
Tsuki smiled at him, feeling a little less awkward. "I've never seen one of those before." She admitted, putting the concept to an early grave. Apparently the reason Yusuke had never seen one, was because there were none.
It took roughly a half hour to reach the main house, Kurama going exceptionally slow because of the slick mud. Yusuke spent most of the time idly chatting with their new guest. He rather liked her, despite his earlier notion of her being an insane blood thirsty demon in waiting. 'Total opposite.' Yusuke decided, rounding to the back of the jeep to grab some bags. He could see clear as day why Keiko had been so defensive.
Keiko was ushered Tsuki into the house, while Yusuke and Kurama were left to gather the belongings. "So what do you think?" Yusuke wondered as they walked back towards the house.
"There isn't much to think…we don't even know the whole story yet." Kurama stated, walking inside. He watched as Keiko took a towel, and rubbed it onto Tsuki's hair, leaving it a mess. He hide his snicker at the girls put out expression. "I put dinner in the oven, why don't you go find rooms for yourselves? Keiko will show you to one Tsuki-san." He stated, handing Yusuke his bags. "He'll take the luggage."
Yusuke shot the other boy an annoyed look. "Thanks for volunteering me." He was rewarded with a mischievous smile, before the red head disappeared into the kitchen.
"You don't have to go, I can take the bags myself." Keiko stated, half hoping he would leave it at that. Instead, Yusuke simply shot her a smirk. "She's certainly trying very hard to be rid of me, isn't she Tsuki-chan?" He wondered playfully.
"Oh I'm sure that's not the case." Tsuki responded, looking at him innocently. 'Actually I think she is…but it'd be rude to say something like that.' She chastised herself for her feeble lie. She was really poor at it, so Yusuke was able to see right through it.
Yusuke pouted. "So she is trying to get rid of me? Oh my aching heart!" He moaned dramatically, following Keiko down the hall. She was currently rolling her eyes at his theatrics.
"You don't have a heart." Keiko pointed out, opening a door.
"Of course I don't have a heart. I gave it to you, remember?" Yusuke stated, a smirk crossing his face when Keiko's cheeks tinged a delightful pink. 'Hah! ' She could play as hard to get as she wanted, b ut either way, he'd be the victor.
"You're an idiot." Was the brunette's only response to his comment. "This one will be fine for Tsuki." She took the appropriate bags from him, and set them in the room. "I'll take the one across from her." With that, she snatched her own bags from him and fled to her bed room.
Yusuke pouted. "What do I have the plague or something?" He asked Tsuki, who looked him over once.
"No, I don't see any boils…." Tsuki blinked when he burst out laughing. The saying had gone completely over her head, not surprisingly so either.
Yusuke shook his head and patted her on the back. "Ah, never mind." He coughed putting an end to his boisterous laughter. "I'll explain later." He stated, ushering her to her room. "See you at dinner!" He called, slinking off to bother Kurama. There was no better pastime for Yusuke then annoying someone, with the exception of a good fight, but that went without saying.
Tsuki sat down on the Futon, looking through the bags thoughtfully. She wondered if there was anything she would actually recognize. So far there hadn't been anything familiar that Keiko and Kajiko had packed away. 'Why would they leave me there?' She wondered her chest aching briefly at the thought of her parents not wanting her. Then, there was the concern of having missing memories, how had she ended up in that…'Coffin?' Tsuki was pretty sure that was the word that had been used.
The word coffin was foreign to her. If she had known it was where the dead rested, she would have been thoroughly freaked out. Then there was the issue of being frightened of the dark. That was most definitely new. She'd never been scared of it, prior to waking up. It made her feel alone, and abandoned. If she could remember, things would have been so much easier, but life had never promised to be as such. While she had been deep in thought, her fingers and found a oval object, something about it sparked her interest, and tore her back to reality. In her hand rested a jeweled egg, the outside was covered in amber and rubies.
Tsuki shook the object gently, wondering if there was anything inside. She was rewarded with the sound of something rattling about. As she looked the egg over for a way to open it, a knock come from the other side of the door. It was Yusuke calling her for dinner. "Coming!" She called, forgetting all about the egg as she left the room.
Keiko was the last to join them at the dining table. She'd decided to take a bath before dinner, and had been to busy blow drying her hair to hear Yusuke. Or that's was what she claimed. Yusuke was adamant that she had decided not to hear him. She was quick to reply by calling him, "Delusional."
Tsuki watched as the pair argued back and forth, thoroughly amused. They were worse than her parents, and that was saying something.
"You'll get used to this." Kurama stated in amusement, placing a bowl in front of her. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you sleeping for so long." He took not of the way she played with her chopsticks.
Tsuki bit her lip. "I don't know." She said, fidgeting. "I can't remember what happened before I woke up there….i don't know whether the memories I do have, lead up to when I went to sleep with a small gap…or whether it's a big gap." It made her feel unsettled.
"So then you don't know where you're family is." Yusuke frowned, tearing himself away from the argument.
The girl in question simply shook her head, biting at a piece of meat held between her chopsticks. In the back of her mind, she remembered her mother telling her to be wary of strangers. Tsuki dismissed it in this case though. Keiko was exceptionally nice. 'And she's all I have right now.' She told herself. In a time like this one could not be picky. Besides, she felt safe here.
"I was hoping that if I brought her here, you might be able to figure the whole thing out." Keiko admitted quietly. So far it seemed as though they were no closer to getting the mystery solved.
Kurama shook his head. "I'd like to but there isn't much to go on…Maybe if I saw this place myself I might be able to figure something out." He stated thoughtfully. "But It'll have to wait a month or so, the season's rain is only supposed to get worse." He explained. "Its probably not the best time to be out at Sea."
Keiko nodded her head. "I understand. I'm putting in for a transfer at Tokyo museum, but until I find a replacement, I have to go back to work next week...I'm hoping you'll be able to keep an eye on Tsuki for me?" She requested looking at him hopefully. "If it won't be too much trouble…"
Kurama looked at Tsuki for a moment. She was well mannered and didn't seem like the type to cause much trouble. "I will…." He looked at Yusuke for a moment, before smiling. "With Yusuke's help of course, I'll take her for half the week while you're gone and him the other half."
Yusuke choked on his rice, giving the other male a dirty look. 'You must like volunteering people without permission.' The look went unnoticed by Keiko thankfully.
"I'd really appreciate it." The brunette admitted, glancing at Yusuke, who immediately brightened up. "I would take her with me, but she's not very good at hiding her attributes." She motioned towards Tsuki's ears. "Ah, that reminds me…You and Tsuki are both Kitsunes right?" Keiko arched a brow at Kurama.
"It appears to be so." Kurama admitted, wondering what she was getting at.
"Well, I'm going to assume that you knew how to conceal yourself…so maybe you could work on it with her?" Keiko flashed him a grin. She knew he wouldn't say no.
Kurama nodded his head silently. "It shouldn't be to hard, we can start a few days from now. I have to be back home before tomorrow afternoon." He explained, finishing his dinner. "Don't forget to call the others." He stated as a reminder. "And Yusuke, you get to do dishes." He flashed the other boy a smirk.
"Tch." Yusuke sulked slightly, but bit back the urge to argue.
Tsuki smiled slightly. "Anno…let me help?" It was the least she could do. Yusuke nodded his head; he wasn't going to turn the offer down. Tsuki helped him gather up the dishes, and followed him into the kitchen.
"You're going to be really surprised about all the changes that have happened while you've been asleep." Yusuke stated, flashing her a grin.
Tsuki smiled slowly. "You mean like plastic and pennies?" She wondered, thinking about the hello kitty figurine.
"Ah, no, no, Things like TV, planes, and video games." Yusuke corrected with exuberance.
Tsuki simply looked at him, the words going through one ear and out the other as she took her part in scrubbing dishes, when they were rinsed, she handed them over to Yusuke who proceeded to dry them and put them away.
"But anyway, what do you think of everything so far?" Yusuke wondered, after placing the last dish into place.
"Its…different." Tsuki admitted, her tail flicking slightly. "I haven't really seen much so far though…but I'm a little worried." She trailed off. "It's like being in another world." She stated quietly. Yusuke hummed and patted her on the head.
"You'll get used to it…do you need me to show you back to you're room?" Yusuke wondered.
Tsuki shook her head and smiled. "Thank you, but no…I can find my way." With that said, she bounded out of the room, feeling a little better about her situation as time went by.
Late that night, Tsuki was lulled to sleep by the pouring rain, and the distant sound of singing birds.
Kinda a boring chapter, but meh, we're picking up speed slowly.
Just so everyone knows…I have not stopped writing. (Prepare for super long A.N!!! *Evil music in the background*) Here's the lowdown on my life at the moment. My uncle is a drug addict, and so is his girlfriend. They just had a baby, and were decided by the state to be unfit parents at the moment. (Thank god.) So the baby is living with us. And I being the lucky dog that I am, have been declared the baby's lady in waiting ( Maid, nanny…diaper changer and bottle maker, caregiver, ect ect ect.) So I had to drop my actual college classes and now am taking them online. Sooo…in short:
I have a baby to take care of, school work to do, my regular chores and my art, along with all my stories and the new ones I'm thinking of . so…Its hard to find time and energy to write D: When every three hours I have to feed, cuddle, wash and change a baby. Once more, I have not quit, nor am I on hiatus…It's just probably going to be a while in between chapters…maybe not like five months a chapter…but maybe a chapter a month, if we're lucky.
I won't lie though…I enjoy the baby . She's cute… I call her Anju. (Which is apparently a pear…I didn't know that…I was thinking of Anju Maaka from Chibi vampire at the time. )
onto talking about the story…Yea…there will be numerous misunderstandings in the beginning on Tsuki's part. A. She's been asleep for centuries, and B. She has the mentality of an eight year old. A very mature eight year old at least. You won't see her throwing any tantrums thank god XD
Anywho I LOVE Everyone who is reading this, even if you don't review . Thanks for your support ladies and gents.( Hint hint..)
So here's to this chapter, and many more, ne?
P.s: Cookies for those who knows where the song comes from.