.chapter five, the teahouse

Sukai's knocks hit the wooden door, but no response came. If it weren't for the sliver of light escaping from the small gap beneath the vertical plank of wood then she most likely would have just given up then and there. After a few more knocks, however, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard as the pitter-patter was muffled by the sound of sandals. The lock to the door clicking from the inside, it swung open revealing a silhouette.

Upon closer examination the silhouette belonged to a short, stout elderly woman, about five feet in height with sparse wrinkles upon her face. Her long gray hair was tied in a bun kept in place by a small green rod with the diameter of a pencil. She was clothed in a nightgown with slippers on, and smiled as soon as she saw the group. "Goodnight!" She spoke enthusiastically. To their surprise, she wasn't missing any teeth and her sky blue eyes gave off the impression that, when she was younger, she was most likely a very beautiful woman. "I hate to be rude but… Who exactly are you three?" Sukai bit her lip and looked sideways, hoping that Kiro or Hayate would take it upon themselves to introduce the party, but after a moment of silence she figured it was better if the task was left to her. In a sigh, she spoke.

"My name's Mitsukai, and this is Kiro, that's Hayate. We're from a nearby town and…" Suddenly, she wondered what to say. Should she speak the truth, or would that somehow endanger them? Still not having completely come to terms with the incident, she was unsure what her own reaction would be to revealing it out loud. After her moment of hesitation Kiro took over in a commanding tone. "…What she means is that we've been disowned by our parents. Or rather, we've run away since our mother is a prostitute and our father, an alcoholic. They wouldn't care anyways." Sukai was impressed with Kiro's lie, and her immature mind couldn't help but chuckle at the mention of the word "prostitute."

Hayate frowned. Apparently, Kiro was far superior at lying than he was anyways. Were they rivals? He didn't want that at all- in fact, he pretty much just hated Kiro.

The woman seemed honestly sympathetic. Her sincere frown made Hayate and Sukai feel guilty about lying to her in such a way, but knew that it could not have been avoided. Stepping aside, she motioned in a familiar manner with her arms. "Come in, come in!" As the three of them happily complied, bowing mildly as they entered, the same thought ran through their minds.

Waterbender.

They looked around- the room was lit warmly by lanterns on tables and one hung from the ceiling, leaving only a few obscure corners in darkness. There were large windows, so they assumed sunlight must flood in during the short days. Scroll paintings lined the walls and tables were everywhere along with cushions that replaced the more commonplace chairs as means of sitting down at them. There was a sliding door in a wall that seemed to cut the room in half.

Hayate was oblivious to the fact that Sukai and Kiro were now dwelling on; the way the old woman greeted them by moving her arms was the exact same way one would levitate water and begin to conjure a water whip- and it couldn't have been sheer coincidence. Who was she, really?

Reading their minds, she bowed in turn and introduced herself. "My name is Mizai Chanoyu, and I run this small teahouse. There are rooms beyond that wall for your convenience if you'd like to stay the night… Don't worry, it's on the house and all of our rooms are empty anyways, save for one that my employee stays in. You boys can stay in the first room to your right, and you, little angel, can stay on the one to the left. Feel free to put your lights out whenever you like, but please don't make too much noise after eleven, since that's when I get to sleep." She walked over to the sliding door and pulled it open, revealing a hallway. The three of them were eager to step in, but before doing so out of curiosity Hayate couldn't help but ponder: "What time is it anyways, miss?" Mizai lifted her right arm and checked a watch. "About six thirty… Why?" The three of them were bewildered that it was so early; but it made sense. The graduation ceremony began at ten thirty, and about an hour in they were attacked. Afterwards, it took them several hours to navigate through the forest and by the time they'd defeated the guard and crossed the bridge, then walked all the way here…

They were still exceptionally tired, so they thanked the woman and stepped into the hall revealed by the door. It slid shut behind Kiro, who walked in last.

The hallway was thin, only about four feet wide. There were four doors on each side, and at the very end of the hall was a small incense burner in the shape of some long-forgotten deity. It was lit, and a pleasant but overpowering smell wafted into the hall and each room. Remembering Mizai's instructions, Kiro mechanically turned to the right and walked into his quarters, shutting the sliding door loudly. Sukai smiled awkwardly while Hayate just stared at the floor.

"We should… Probably get some sleep or something." The boy said, turning his back to the Petalbender. The girl seemed to wake up from some sort of trance, before agreeing. "Yeah, you're right…" She faced her own door, and simultaneously they slid each one open, stepped in and closed them.

Sukai heaved a massive sigh of relief upon stepping into hers. She wasn't quite ready to come to terms with all that had happened recently, so decided instead to make the most of the free room she was being offered by the generous woman. It was really quite nice and large, about twelve by twelve feet. Two sleeping bag-esque beds lay unfolded and closed in the middle of the floor, green in colour. There was also a nice desk, with a lantern placed on the corner. Another lantern hung from the ceiling, lighting it as warmly as the entrance was. There seemed to be few other conveniences, aside from a small round table. There were no windows, but the walls were made of an opaque yet thin material, which she assumed would let the natural light in during the daytime.

She wondered if she was to sleep in her kimono; she always had a beautiful nightgown that she slept in. As the thought crossed her mind, there came a knocking at the door. Running to it, the girl slid it open and welcomed Mizai's figure inside.

The old woman spoke first. "What do you think of your room?" Sukai smiled. "I like it. Big, and, I mean, I could use a bathroom or something… But it's awesome." Mizai smiled broadly. "Nice to hear; about the bathroom, though, you're free to use our hot spring facility…"

This piqued Sukai's interest. "Hot springs?" The woman nodded. "Yes. The fourth door on the left isn't a room, and it leads out into our fenced hot springs. I don't know if you can freshen up in there, but it'll definitely help you unwind…" Sukai smiled herself, hugging the woman. Feeling awkward after a moment, she retreated, blushing. "Sorry about that…" Mizai only chuckled. "Oh, don't mention it. I don't get enough hugs nowadays anyways…" She turned around and walked out of the room, bidding Sukai goodnight.

Right after she left, Sukai crept out and made her way to the fourth door on the left, as Mizai had said, and slowly slid it open. She grinned at the sight; a small, round pond surrounded by rocks was shrouded in a veil of steam. Candles burned in every corner or so, with a few sparse plants making it look more natural. Removing her kimono and all clothing underneath, she took a careful step in, recoiled due to shock from the initial heat, but eventually let herself sink inside.

Within the building, however, the mood was much more solemn. In the first room from the right, Kiro had made himself at home on his bed as he lay down and counted ceiling tiles out of boredom. Hayate said nothing, and instead walked over to the desk. Finding that he had been conveniently provided a pen and a notepad, he began drawing, which was one thing he enjoyed and found that he did rather well.

Despite the fact that they each tried to ignore the other's existence, the tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The incense's relaxing properties were lost on the two.

While "counting ceiling tiles", Kiro thought of the day's events. About how all of this probably really happened, and slowly, the shock began setting in. Sakuramura was gone. They were gone from the city; everything they had known was no more and they would have to start from scratch. No, he had to start from scratch with a bratty little girl and the most pathetic child in the city.

The future looked bleak.

Of course, while Hayate and Sukai tried to get their minds off of the reality by doing miscellaneous things such as soaking in hot springs and drawing, the truth couldn't help but loom in the back of their minds. It was an atrocious feeling, and soon it just became too powerful for them to focus on anything else. Laying his pen to rest and pushing the stool back in, Hayate flicked off the lantern and watched smoke billow out of the top as he turned around and walked towards his bed. He stood up on his toes to try to turn off the lantern hanging from the ceiling, but couldn't quite reach and eventually gave up. Kiro snickered and got up to do it himself, which, being a good three inches taller than Hayate, happened easily.

Can't even reach a lantern at the ceiling is how much of a loser he is.

Sukai had now crawled out of the hot spring and noticed that a nightgown lay nicely folded on a stone; it wasn't there before. The sweet Mizai must have put it there for her, and it was a bit big, but far more comfortable to sleep in than her other clothing. She walked back to her own room and collapsed on her thin bed.

They now were all thinking the same thing; how their reality was shattered and to be replaced with something so foreign. The concept of no longer having a home to return to, no longer having parents and siblings and all the friendships they spent their years nurturing. The concept of everything they knew going up in the ashes of a random and fatal attack…

All three of them, tired as could be, closed their eyes. All three of them, the twelve year old prodigy, the fifteen year old genius and your everyday fourteen year old lost at least one tear that night, terrified of the days to come.

And they drifted off into sleep.