Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing! More would be nice, but I'm gonna keep going since school and softball starts up again soon… meaning I'll be incredibly busy.. So yea…anyways… I won't keep ya guys waiting. Here's chap 3!!
Thanks KittyLynne for all your support!
Dancing With Fire
Bright rays of sunlight poured into the tiny tent, landing softly on Miaka's face. The air was ripe, with a hint of fresh grass and dew. Outside the tent, the sounds and songs of nearby birds echoed through the forest.
Miaka slowly stirred from her sleep, and her eyes fluttered open. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Miaka looked around. Immediately she panicked. Where was her mother's mattress??? Where was the apartment?? And why was she sleeping on… the ground?
It then snapped to her, the unusually odd day she had gone through the previously. And then she remembered the strange man with a fan that shot out flames. At the sudden thought Miaka turned to look at Genro.
His body was tangled in all different directions, as if it were trying to direct traffic at a major intersection. One leg was bent and propped against his side of the tent. The other was oddly placed upon Miaka's own legs. His torso was curved towards Miaka in a position that looked horribly uncomfortable. Genro's face was only a foot away from hers, and his mouth was half open, exposing his two fangs.
Miaka's eyes then fell upon his hands, which made her explode in anger and embarrassment.
"GET OFF OF MEEEEE!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Genro bolted from his sleep and searched immediately for the commotion. His eyes fell upon the red faced Miaka with a huge scowl on her face. When he looked down at his hands he realized EXACTLY what was going on.
One hand was conveniently situated in her hair, the other cupping her right breast.
Genro could feel his face turn numerous shades of red as he jumped out of bed.
"I...I…I didn't mean to! I swear!" It was the only thing he could possibly think of. Never in his life had he grabbed a sensual part of a woman's body.
"Yea, sure ya didn't. So much for not crossing your line! Anyways, just WHAT exactly did you do to me when I was asleep?" Miaka crossed her arms, expecting a quick answer from him.
Genro's face, if possible, turned an even darker shade of red at the thought. "I didn't do anything! I'm just a restless sleeper thas all! Besides I hate women. Why would I purposely molest ya? I got better things on my mind." Genro stuck his nose up and walked out of the tiny tent.
What he said comforted Miaka a little. At least he wasn't really out to molest her or take advantage of what she had to offer. She found it curious however, why he had taken her along so easily. Shaking her head, Miaka walked outside of the tent to follow him.
By the time she had already walked out, he was pulling out breakfast. Out of a bag, he poured out food that looked quite similar to granola. He took a handful and stuffed a large portion into his mouth. Miaka couldn't but help smile at how furiously he was chewing, and how red his face still was. 'Poor guy'
"May I have some?" her voice cut through the awkward silence as she held out her hands. The embarrassed man contemplated hard on whether to give in. He stared at her hands and then her thin body. Letting out a long sigh he poured her a large handful of granola.
"Arig… uh, thank you" she kept forgetting that he wasn't too sharp in Japanese.
He shot her a puzzled look at her word choice but decided to let it go. As he finished up his portion of granola he began to walk back to the tent and pack their belongings. It couldn't have been later than 6:30 am, but he didn't want to travel much in the heat of the day, even if they were traveling in the forest.
He had taken the dangerous route throughout the woods to avoid the excruciating heat of the summer sun. He was better off than most people however, on behalf of his tessen and extreme quickness. Other than his 'group of guys' and Koji, no one knew about his unusual tendency to withhold more powers than the normal human being.
When everything was packed to his horse Chaos and the water supply was refilled they were ready to start off again.
"Alright, let's get goin" Genro hopped onto Chaos and held his hand out once again for Miaka. Like the day before, she timidly reached for his hand and allowed him to swiftly help her up on the horse.
"Ya sure ya got a hold this time?" he joked, allowing her time to grab the horse's mane.
"Yup" she grabbed a handful of thick, long hair and waited for Genro to start the journey.
As the horse walked at a quick pace through the heart of the forest, Miaka couldn't help but think of how lush and green the forest around her was. At home, the trees became buildings, and the dirt paths became paved roads. The change of atmosphere seemed to soothe her insides and give her a fresh insight on the world she was in.
"So Miaka, how old are ya?" Genro broke the silence, which surprised Miaka. Usually he never asked many questions, and many times it seemed he was annoyed by her bringing up a short conversation.
"I'm 15, and you?"
"I'm 17, bout ta turn 18 though" In his voice, it seemed evident that he was proud to be turning 18.
"Don't cha have a husband or sumthin to watch over ya?" he asked it matter of factly and didn't care to turn around and look at her.
"Are you kidding!!?? Married at 15?? That's pretty much child molesting right there!" Miaka's eyes were wide from shock, surprised that he would ask such a thing.
Her mention of molesting made Genro's cheeks once again blush a deep rouge but he shook the thoughts of that morning's incidents.
"Well, most girls round here get married somewhere between 14 and 16, so why not?" he turned slightly to catch a glimpse of her in his peripheral vision.
"Well, where I'm from, the average marital age is 23, so I most definitely do NOT have a husband, nor do I want one. Men are backstabbing pigs." She turned her head away from his glare, crossing her arms. Images of her recent father swarmed through her head. Since his betrayal she had veered away from many of the boys she knew. She was going to ask Genro why he himself wasn't married but didn't bother, knowing he would tell her the same thing as always; that he hated women.
"HEY! I am NOT a pig! And I aint a back stabbin asshole either! Me 'n tha guys are completely loyal!" Genro tapped the sides of the horse lightly and Chaos began to start a slow canter.
They traveled the rest of the day with few exchanges of words. At points, Miaka wished he weren't so sexist, just so she could normally talk to someone. She bit her tongue however, afraid of his angry comebacks. It wasn't like she needed him anyways. She was used to being silent and alone at home. The silence with him however, felt horrible.
When they stopped for a quick break to wash up mid day by a spring, Genro jumped down immediately. This time, however, he offered Miaka his hand. As he did so, the sleeve of his right arm slid up, revealing a huge bandage on his forearm.
"What happened to your arm?" Miaka hoped small talk would relieve the horrible silence.
"Got bit by a wolf tha day before I met ya. Its real deep so I don't expect it ta be healed anytime soon." He quickly covered the bandage back up with his sleeve and headed towards the stream.
"Can I see it? I might be able to help it heal faster" Miaka remembered several medical tricks she had learned in her human anatomy class.
"Look, I aint need yer help. I'm managin myself just fine. I don't need anyone takin care of me. 'Specially not a woman. " He turned from her, walking alone to the spring.
"You've got some nerve you sexist pig!" she stamped after him towards the spring. She raised a fist but found it to be no use.
Genro turned around sharply facing her, and gave her his full attention. He roughly grabbed her wrist, squeezing it to the point where she thought it might break. Miaka, shocked had no clue what to do. Her continued to squeeze her wrist, sending tears to her eyes.
His voice suddenly turned to a much lower tone, and his accent subsided, his words crisp. "I am not a pig. If you continue to mock me, there will be consequences." His eyes narrowed, catching her brown ones in a glance.
Suddenly, when he realized that the fifteen year old girl in front of him was crying, he immediately let go. His eyes softened and his lips formed a mix of a pout and a shocked expression. Genro took a few steps back, unsure of what to do. Instead of saying something he turned his back and continued to the spring.
Miaka watched him leave her, without a word, hurt by the fact that he didn't care at all. This was exactly why she hated men. She walked back to Chaos, holding her swollen wrist. The horse nudged her playfully, hoping for a nose rub. Miaka took her healthy hand and stroked the stallion gently between the eyes and all the way down to its smooth nose. The horse neighed in gratitude.
"How can you stand him Chaos?" she buried her face in his mane, and rubbed her cheek against the soft hair of his neck. She withdrew and stared the horse in the eyes. It seemed to have a twinkle in its eyes, as if it understood something that she didn't.
Miaka waited for Genro's return, watching as her wrist began to swell even more. Something had to be out of place, she just couldn't decide what
When he returned, his head was downcast as he kicked up dirt along the way. He walked up to Miaka, and without a word lifted her gently onto the saddle before he even got on. He felt horrible for his actions, wishing that second that he could take them back, but it was too late. Never had he cared when women cried, but this girl was so much different. He thought of the possibility that it was because of who she was, or who she didn't know she was, but it still seemed farfetched. He still hated women; it wouldn't change.
---
Later that night, after the most awkward ride, Genro began once again setting up camp. When he dismounted off of Chaos he stretched out his hand to Miaka but this time she didn't take it. When he looked at her right wrist he felt a pang of guilt shoot through him. Her wrist was twice the size it had been earlier that day.
Without allowing him to touch her, Miaka dismounted on her own, stumbling slightly because of her inability to use her right hand. She then sat quietly on the ground as Genro began to prepare that night's camp.
He couldn't take it any longer. Whether he hated women or not, he needed someone to talk to.
"Miaka, I'm…." He couldn't say it. It just wouldn't come out.
"Don't even bother" she retorted. Her face fell to the ground, ignoring the pleading look on his face.
Genro knew he was about to do something he had never done before, and hopefully never would do again, but he knew it was for the best. He reached into one of his large saddle bags and pulled out some herbs and medical wrapping.
He walked to where Miaka was sitting, kneeled down and gently took hold of her swollen wrist.
Miaka watched in awe as he carefully applied the herbs and wrapped her wrist. His touch was as gentle as a baby's. It was completely opposite from the touch he had used earlier. His hands were nearly twice the size of hers and warm as well. And even though she hated to admit it to herself, his touch sent shivers down her spine.
After her wrist had been completely wrapped Genro looked up at her face.
"I'm sorry…" it came out as a mere whisper, but it made all the difference. Miaka's spirits rose slightly, relieved that he had at least apologized.
Genro stood up, and unloaded the food for that night. "There's a hot spring a lil off to yer right. It'll be good fer washin if ya need it." It was all he could manage to say for the time being.
Miaka slowly got up and proceeded to the spring he told her of, relieved for a time to finally clean herself. It wasn't long before she caught sight of the hot spring in front of her. It was the size of a lap pool, and steam rose in wisps above its surface. She quickly undressed herself and stepped into the steaming water, careful as to not get her injured hand wet.
She took advantage of the warm water, sinking her head below the surface. She longed to wash it with shampoo and conditioner, but she doubted they had anything of the sort with them. Miaka waded around the spring for a while enjoying its soothing heat and making sure the dirt cakes were washed off of her body. The minutes passed by quickly and she lost track of time. Suddenly Miaka caught a whiff of something wonderful in the air. Her eyes lit up and she began to wade back to the side of the spring where she had left her clothes.
Just as Miaka was halfway out of the spring, her top half revealed, leaves and twigs crunched on the ground nearby. She froze, unsure of what animal it could possibly be. And to her disappointment it was no animal, literally speaking, perhaps not figuratively though.
Genro came into sight of the spring, wondering why Miaka had been taking so long. When he turned the bend and came into the opening of where the spring was situated, he came face to face with the topless Miaka, half out of the water. Immediately he regretted coming, and his face turned maroon.
"HENTAIIIII!!!!!!!" she screamed, covering her bare breasts with her arms.
"Waiiit, I know that! It's Japanese! It means….OHHHH. SHIT! I'm… I'm sorry! I just thought that ya got lost 'er somthin! Ya took three times as long as tha last time!" His excuse however, did not seem to run through her head.
Genro ran back to the camp as if it were his life in stake. 'Damn it! That's tha second time today! She's really gonna hate me now! This really aint my day…'
Miaka, fumed, but more embarrassed than anything, quickly grabbed her clothing and redressed herself. That was the second time in one day that he had gotten himself in a situation with her boobs, and Miaka was nowhere near impressed. Until this day, no man had ever seen her topless. Before her father had betrayed her and when Miaka had actually planned on getting married, she had dreamed that her true love would eventually see her like this. Now however, she hated men, and Genro was FAR from being a true love.
She collected her cool by taking long deep breaths, and when she thought she was ready face him again she walked back towards the camp sight. She knew this was not an easy task for either of them. For crying out loud! He had just seen her completely exposed!
When Miaka came upon the camp grounds, Genro was eating quietly and he stared straight at the ground. Even with the fire in front of his face, it was evident how hard he was blushing. Miaka then realized that it really had all been an accident. If he had really been spying, would he have been this embarrassed?
She grabbed a bowl of rice and vegetables that he had already poured her and sat across from him on the other side of the fire. She took the chopsticks and began to grab for a bite of food but pain immediately surged through her wrist. She stared solemnly at her swollen limb and then took the chopsticks in her left hand. She tried with all her might to grab something but it was no use. Trying to eat with her left hand was like eating blindly.
Genro, looked up to see her suffering as she dropped piece after piece of food back into the bowl. He immediately got up and grabbed his saddle bags, rummaging around for a more useful utensil.
"Here" in his hand was an old handcrafted spoon.
Miaka took it gratefully and found it much easier to eat with the foreign tool. Within a few minutes, she had already finished her meal before Genro.
Genro gaped at the tiny girl as she set down her bowl.
"Damn. How can ya eat that fast?" He hoped something could take her mind off of what had recently happened. The incident went unspoken in order to save themselves from an awkward conversation.
"Dunno. I just love food, that's all. My mother used to bake for me all the time until… well until she stopped" at her last phrase Miaka's head dropped low and she kicked a rock aside.
Genro caught her immediate change of emotions, wondering what could have possibly stopped her mother from cooking. Obviously something hurtful… He decided to leave it alone.
"Do you have a mother and a father Genro?" Miaka looked up, her face more calm than it had been a second ago.
"Nah, my dad left us when we were all lil. 'N My moms hadda take care of me n my three sisters which meant I kinda got last priority. I lived with all women until I joined… I mean went out on my own." Genro bit his tongue, hoping she didn't catch the near slip of his bandit life.
Miaka caught it immediately. "Joined what?" she asked curiously.
'Damnit. She's sharp' Genro thought quickly for an excuse.
"Joined tha rest of men old enough ta travel on their own." He hoped that would suffice for a good answer.
"Oh…" Miaka knew this was probably a touchy subject, but she decided to ask it anyways. "Genro, why do you hate women?"
Genro froze. 'That girl has some nerve…' It was no use getting angry. Telling her wasn't going to make him like women again.
"My moms n my sis' never treated me all that great I guess. My sisters used ta pick on me when I was 5 or so. They blamed everythin on me too. Moms used to abuse me lots fer that. I got sick of how manipulatin n scheming they were, so I left as soon as I turned 15." As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't. It sounded emotional, and he definitely wasn't one for emotions.
"Oh… I'm sorry" Miaka truly felt bad for him. His father had betrayed his family just as hers has. His mother however, was nowhere as kinda as hers had been. It almost made her feel lucky even in her situation.
"Don't be. There aint nottin ta be sorry bout. It jus' happened that way." Genro finished his food and began cleaning up that night's supper. Miaka watched as he set up the same tent as the night before.
When he washed the fire out with water, the forest surrounding them turned an eerie black. Miaka focused her eyes hard to see the trees in front of her. Even though it was incredibly warm, an eerie chill ran down her spine. For some reason, this campsite did not feel as safe as it had been the night before. She shrugged off her fear however, and followed Genro into the tent.
A sleeping bag and pillow had already been laid out for her. This time, Genro had not drawn a line. He was already lying in bed, staring up at the roof of the tent. Miaka scrambled into the sleeping bag and brought it snugly to her neck. Within minutes, she had easily fallen asleep.
--------
BOOM! Commotion stirred all around them. Genro shot out of the tent. Chaos began bucking wildly, neighing dangerously into a dark part of the forest. Any normal person would have taken it to be caused by an animal but Genro knew better. He ran straight back into the tent.
"MIAKA!!! GET UP!! WE GOTTA GO! WE'RE IN DANGER! COMMON!!!" He yelled directly in her ear, shaking her firmly.
Miaka woke up immediately, and the first thing she saw was the panic in his eyes.
End of Chapter 3!
Hey Guys! Hope ya liked this one! Left you on a cliffy.. lol sorry, thought it would be fun. My next chapter should hopefully be up within the next couple of days. PLEASE REVIEW!!!