fun facts!

Ch. 47: Once again, the cities of East and West Tomokaz are parodies of Gintoki's seiyuu, Tomokazu Sugita. (lol)

Ch. 47: "He is free." - the last sentence is literally derived from "I only swim free," because it was on my mind.

It's been what, like four or five days since the last update?! GASP!

Note: updates will be slower, but miss author here is in sports and blah de blah too many activities and too many hard classes

Disclaimer: do it with your dying will! Oh wait, wrong show. Uh. I want my hair to become straight! Sakata Gintoki (c) Sorachi Hideaki

Eyes of Wolves

- 48 -

.: SEPTEMBER, ONE WEEK AGO :.

"Yer not gonna buy somethin' strange, are ya?" Tsukuyo didn't abet the Yato's bizarre interest in food — a rather typical idiosyncrasy of the Yato — but didn't abnegate his curiosity, either. In fact, he was rather abstemious for his kind, especially moderate in his meals. Compared to Kagura, Tsukuyo wondered if he was actually starving but never told anyone.

Zenshi glanced up. "It's just celery."

"It's blue with yella' polka dots," she emphasized, gesturing at the stalks of celery — which where, by the way, as long as her arm but as thin as the regular type on Earth — and frowning incredulously.

"Relax," he said, smirking, "it tastes the same."

"What's the catch?"

"There isn't one." Now, Tsukuyo couldn't quite discern whether his tone was amiably mocking or just his mood for the day, but she did know that she didn't like the look he was giving her. As if he thought her coarsely stupid!

"Don't look at me like that."

"Look at you like what?"

Fine, he was mocking her.

In a friendly manner, though.

"Is it…a super-food? Has it got somethin' weird in it? Does it turn humans blue with yella' polka dots?"

"No, you won't turn blue with yella' polka dots." A brief smile.

Tsukuyo glared.

"Don't make fun of me."

"Who says I'm making fun of you? Maybe I'm admiring you. Maybe I like your accents."

Now he was being snarky.

She wasn't sure she liked snarky. It made her bubble with indignant frustration, yet it was derogatorily endearing. A conundrum. She didn't dare say more, because between "hist'ry" and "yella' polka dots," there were plenty of little things he liked to pick on from her accent.

Tsukuyo intensified her glare, as if to point out the fact that he was continuing to tease her. Had he been a more expressive man, eye rolling would have been duly called for.

"All right, no celery." He nodded, gesturing for her to follow. The sun was hot for entry into September, so she naturally gravitated towards the shade of his umbrella. Wondering how he could stand the heat in his long-sleeved Yato apparel, she very casually plucked at the fine, layered silk at his elbow.

Zenshi glanced down.

"Aren't ya meltin'?"

He found himself hapless to her tactlessly innocent questions. Her tone was almost pouting, as if she couldn't fathom why in the world he would decide to wear what he did on a hot day. Honestly, it wasn't boiling, as it had been earlier in the season, and he was accustomed to slight discomfort anyway.

But it made him smile. "Do you want me to melt?"

"Don't answer my questions with questions."

"You're rather demanding today, aren't you?."

"Yer rather arr'gant today." Tsukuyo continued glowering, shushing him sharply when he was about to imitate her accent again. Probably in another question, too. "Will you ever just answer?"

"Perhaps. The better question is," Zenshi said, pausing at a produce stand that caght his eye, "will you answer mine? You've very casually missed half of my twenty questions I've posed. More accurately, you refused to answer them."

"Because yer nosy."

"And you're not?"

Zenshi very casually weighed a papaya in his hand, while Tsukuyo poised her hands on her hips. He could see her jaw working as she struggled to resolve a witty answer, an impeccable one that he wouldn't be able to attack. Finally, she relented and simply motioned to the papaya.

"Papayas aren't that color," she told him flatly.

"They aren't? I'm sure this is a regular papaya."

"Not on Earth, it isn't." She knows it's a regular papaya.

"Oh? And what color are they on earth? Blue with yella' polka dots?"

Tsukuyo flushed. She secretly enjoyed bantering with him, mostly because he often prodded her on and he had a smooth, easy voice that she rather liked. Since he typically didn't talk much around others — at the breakfast table, he spared Seita a few words about homework and those silly red bean pancakes — she was glad he chose to converse with her once they were out and about together.

"No," she said defiantly. "They're, uh, neon pink."

"All right, I believe you. But do you like papaya, or not?"

"Hinowa does."

"There you go again, never answering my questions." Zenshi felt impulsively open today, departing from his fettering aloofness because he liked to see her slightly frustrated, slightly pleased little smiles.

"Fine, I do!" Tsukuyo indignantly snatched the papaya, a fine fruit in her opinion, from his hands. "There."

"You looks stunning with that fruit. Hold on while I find a camera."

Tsukuyo elbowed him in the ribs; he pretended not to notice, paying for the fruit as well as a few peaches and pears to finish off their collection of produce.

"I'm surprised the peaches are still in season," Tsukuyo said. He threw her a narrow, sidelong glance. Zenshi knew it was one of her many attempt to initiate casual conversation, but both of them were well aware of the fact that small talk never quite flowed well between the two. Most effective were teases and sarcastic remarks, which they could continue for hours.

"Did you know that peaches grow year round on the planet Ocengreen? It's major exports include many tropical fruits and orchard produces."

"Ocengreen? Where's that?"

"Far away. I went to school there."

"You? School?" Tsukuyo smirked.

This time, he chanced a real smile back.

"Yes, me. Yes, school."

"I don't believe ya."

"So," quipped Zenshi, moving on briskly, pointing at another alien food. "This is called airship zucchini. And it is, in fact, blue with yella' polka dots."

.: SEPTEMBER, PRESENT :.

"Welcome to East Tomokaz, home of some of the finest textiles you will find on this side of the Milky Way!" exclaimed Sakamoto, standing proudly at the bridge and surveying the land. The ship descended into an elongated terminal, similar to the one in Edo but with several chimney-like landing ports instead of just one large tower. "The people here cut good deals."

"Always a merchant, aren't you?" chortled one of the crewmembers, joining the others in landing the spacecraft.

"A good one," Sakamoto added.

"This place is incredible," said one of the Hyakka, a woman about Tsukuyo's age with fiercely dark brown eyes. "Look at those colors!"

She pointed at one of the skyscrapers, most of which were lined with glass that reflected sheens of rainbows all across, angled so that the light created different patterns. The architecture, phenomenal just by viewing alone, was a feat of physics apparently only possible on this planet. Earth's scientists would have suffered massive migraines upon studying the workings of Sciuttlan cities, where the gravity seemed to pull people in yet propel them into almost floating, lighthearted existences.

Zenshi instinctively went for his umbrella when they landed. However, it wasn't leaning by the control panel desks, where he'd left them. Whipping around, the tall, slightly harangued Yato came face to face with Mutsu, who held out the navy parasol with a look of exasperation pulling the corner of her mouth.

"Relax," she chastised lightly. "This isn't your presidential inauguration."

Zenshi didn't even have to glare for her to know that he didn't like this comparison to his father, who, though not a president in the least, had enough power to be one if he so wished. But Mutsu passed him a blasé shrug as he took his umbrella, minding not that his word of thanks was rather delayed.

"It sure is busy," said the one talkative Hyakka. Her name was Chiyako, and her two companions — Zenshi believed they were related in some way, cousins probably, because they had the same brow contours — were Hotaru and Keiko. Zenshi simply referred to them as the "trio," because it was difficult to tell them apart. On the Harusame ships, twins were often separated by either rank or outfit, and those that preferred the ambiguous name calling were the bane of Kamui's existence. The young commander displayed nonchalance, but constantly beleaguered the one particular pair of twins' propensity for swapping roles.

"Look at that," said Hotaru (or was it Keiko?). "Those two towers are beautiful."

She gestured to a few buildings made of glass that wove gentle sea foam white into tropical teal hues. They were stunning, but almost bland compared to the their adorned neighbors.

The ship descended into one of the terminals, decelerating until it floated gently to the landing pad. Mutsu set the spacecraft down nearly effortlessly, a hand of time and patience arriving them on the planet much more skillfully than what Zenshi assumed Sakamoto could have done. The brown-haired human looked tousled and motion-sick, clinging to Mutsu who promptly shoved him off.

"Are those the people here?" asked one of the Hyakka trio. "Look at their skin. That's amazing!"

Indeed, the people of Sciuttla were nearly identical to humans, save for the fact that they came in a variety of brilliant hues. Most were either monochrome in complexion, but some sported two colors, and the rare few sported three or more. It was rumored that the esteemed mayor of West Tomokaz, sister city to this one, East Tomokaz, had rainbow hair and vanilla cream skin.

The Sciuttlan fashion was not subordinate to their fabulously hued skins. Clothes came in all colors, all textures, all patterns. There were fanciful animal skins belonging to creatures nonexistent on Earth. Zenshi wasn't quite sure he liked the fashion — the Yato wore a recognizable, traditional style, and Ocengreen sported mostly white or black clothing with modest color adornments — but it was a interesting, engaging site, and he didn't mind the novelty of a new culture.

With such a wondrous city at hand, he was almost able to push back his negative memories. Tsukuyo touched his sleeve gently, motioning for him to look at an enormous horse, probably twice the size of an Earth horse, who was blue with yellow polka dots. He gently elbowed her arm, and she shot him a derisive but charming grin.

And then the whistle.

A long, low whistle, as if one might be calling their hunting dog home, sounded brilliantly across the arrival terminal. Since the ceiling was open, not many looked up, assuming it to be one of the fantastical multi-hued birds that shimmered in the air, perching on artificial branches that a witty airport designer had had installed.

But Zenshi recognized the whistle, as did Mutsu. Throughout the pirate syndicates, it was known as the "all clear" whistle, even in different gangs.

Sitting casually by another gate, the docile, kind petty officer who had waited and waited, day after day.

Jenhao.

Ahaha *cue Sakamoto laugh*

I gave you some Zentsu

now rejoice

in everything blue and yella'

hella yella'

lol