Chapter 3: Have you met?
Splashing could be heard as light poured down through the mass of leaves on the towering trees. The sound of children's laughter followed along with more splashing in the river below.
"I'll get you!" Young seven year old Goten said while in the middle of a splash war.
"Not if I get you first!" The voice of a little girl replied, giggling.
A faint call echoed from the distance and reached their ears.
"Aw, time to go," the girl spoke with disappointment.
"No fair. I was winning," Goten whined.
"Was not!" the girl shot back, splashing his face before the two giggled.
"Are you coming back to play again?" He asked hopefully.
"I'll come back." The girl gave a nod.
"Promise..?" Goten held up his pinky.
"I promise," she said while interlacing her pinky with his.
'Who was she? Why can't I remember her face?' Goten thought as he floated out of the chamber of his subconscious.
He stirred as he started coming to. He found himself on a thin futon on the hardwood floor with his head sandwiched between a pillow and an ice pack.
"You're being ridiculous!" An all too familiar female voice rang in his ears, muffled slightly by the sliding doors.
"I'm telling you the truth!" An older male voice replied.
"Where am I?" Goten grumbled and sat up to rub the sore lump on his head.
The ice pack fell on his lap before he lifted the blanket off himself. Sluggishly he inched over to the doors and slid them open to witness the heated conversation stop abruptly.
"Oh good, you're awake," the old man he saved earlier spoke. "I apologize for what happened earlier. My granddaughter is rather difficult and short-tempered," he said sadly while hanging his head.
"Grandpa..!" The young woman exclaimed in annoyance.
Goten blinked as it was all coming back to him. He'd saved that old man from the batch of thugs and then he'd fallen down. He couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed for that display of clumsiness. It must've made him look like such an amateur!
Looking back at the woman's face, he blushed red as he realized he had been right. She was the girl he'd saved from drowning. Then he saw her… he avoided eye contact and noticed a tray with tea cups and snacks on the table. His empty stomach suddenly took over as his face lit up in glee.
"Are those rice crackers?" He asked.
"Why, yes. Are you hungry?" The old man asked.
"Starving actually…" Goten answered in a mumble.
"Well, in that case, have as many as you like," the priest offered.
Goten sat down and joined them at the table, stuffing his face with crackers and other assorted snacks. He was in a state of absolute bliss before the raven-haired beauty cleared her throat to direct his attention back to them. Goten looked up at her with his coal colored eyes and stared at her blankly while she folded her arms.
"Just what are you doing here!? Did you stalk me, follow me home?" She raged.
Goten choked back on his food and pounded on his chest in order to force it down. The older man passed him a glass of water, which he gulped down all too eagerly and gasped for breath.
"What? No. I would never! That's not what I'm doing here at all." He shook his head fretfully under the persecution.
"I take it you two already met," the woman's grandfather deduced.
"Yes, and he's a total swine!" The miko seethed with a clenched fist.
"I am not!" Goten argued desperately.
"Enough!" The elder interjected authoritatively.
Both of them piped down immediately.
"Now, let's start with the basics. Tell us who you are and what brings you to our shrine," he said, motioning for the young man to speak.
"My name is Son Goten. You see, I came to the city looking for a job and haven't been able to get one along with an affordable place to live. I saw your help wanted sign and, well, here I am. Oh, and there was also this guy that pointed me here named Motoki? He said to ask for Rei." The spikey-haired teen scratched his cheek, hoping he remembered the names right.
"I'm Rei." The young woman pointed at herself with narrowed eyes.
Goten paled in response and gulped. 'Oh boy…' He thought and felt himself begin to sweat nervously.
Looked like all that good luck he was having had to run out sometime.
"Well, now. He seems harmless enough." The grandfather smiled after letting out a few coughs.
"Harmless? He's a sleaze ball!" Rei pointed accusingly at him in outrage.
"I am not; I was performing CPR!" Goten said, starting to get defensive.
He didn't like his moral character being besmirched by someone who didn't even know him or his intentions.
"CPR..? What would you have needed CPR for? Rei?" The old man asked, turning to his granddaughter in confusion.
Rei huffed in frustration. "Yesterday, I went swimming and…I almost drowned," she admitted meekly. She had not told him in an effort not to worry him while he was in his current condition.
"You're telling me he saved your life?" Tears formed in the older man's eyes as he embraced his granddaughter. "Why didn't you say anything? Do you know what would happen if anything ever happened to you?" Rei frowned as she patted his back, this was exactly what she wanted to avoid. "You're all I have left in this world, Rei." His voice was muffled against her abdomen along with the sound of sniffling.
Goten felt his infuriation from before die down as he witnessed the touching scene unfold between the two. The mood had changed dramatically.
"Of course I know. Grandpa, I'm going to be fine," she assured him with a softer, more sentimental tone.
She hated seeing him like this. He raised his head off his granddaughter and dried his eyes with his sleeve.
"Indeed you will. Because starting today Goten's going to live with us and tomorrow he'll help you work the shrine and act as your personal bodyguard!" He decreed happily.
If Goten had more crackers or water in his mouth, that would have been the moment to spit them out. He did not see that coming, not even from a mile away. Neither did Rei, judging by the shock on her face.
"Grandpa-!" Rei tried to object.
"You'll work for room and board. It is the least we can do for you after you saved us both. What do you say?" He asked, offering his hand to Goten.
Goten took a moment to think it over with his hand pensively pressed against his lips. They seemed like they could use the extra help and security in case those thugs came back. Plus it seemed easy enough along with the free accommodation. It was a rare package deal he couldn't pass up. He raised his hand to shake his in accord.
"I say we have a deal, Mr.…" His voice trailed off as he wasn't sure what to call his new boss.
"Hino, but you can call me Grandpa. Everyone does," Grandpa said cheerfully before covering a cough with his sleeve.
"Grandpa, are you nuts?!" Rei exclaimed. "And wait a minute, what would I need a bodyguard for? I can defend myself!" She added with an angry twitch.
"As of right now, I can't take any chances. I wasn't enough to fight them off. If those hooligans come back, who knows what they'll do to you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Rei. With someone else looking after you, I'll be able to rest easier," he said and patted her hand.
Rei looked unsettled as she eyed him, then Goten, before letting out a large sigh of defeat. "Fine, but it'll only be temporary."
Grandpa smiled. "That's my girl. Now go show him the guestroom next to yours. That's where he'll be staying," he insisted.
"What? No! Then he'll only be a sliding door away! Why can't we give him one down the hall?" Rei balled her fists.
"Rei, he's going to be responsible for protecting you. It's important that he'll be close by in the middle of the night, should anything happen," he spoke with conviction.
Rei ground her teeth; Grandpa was too determined to have things his way. It sure ran in the family.
Later that night after a hefty dinner, Goten yawned and stretched, deciding it was time for him to turn in. With the exception of Rei's understandably sour mood, the Hinos had been most hospitable to him. The house behind the temple was rather cozy. They even had a tub that was powered by firewood just like the one at home. He felt like he wasn't going to have much trouble adjusting to things, which was comforting. He stared out of the open rice paper door that gave him the view of the courtyard. There were so few stars in comparison to how the sky looked back in the woods. The city lights made up for the obscurity though.
'Tomorrow's my first day on the job,' he thought. For the first time Goten couldn't help but feel a little worried. It seemed like this was as good as things were going to get for Operation: Move Out. If he screwed up he'd be back on the street on the job hunt. That was the last thing he wanted.
'It'll only be temporary.' Goten recalled Rei's words.
Guess he had more reason to be worried. Rei had given him a couple of looks throughout dinner like she wanted to stab him with her chopsticks. If he was going to live there, it'd be best if he tried to get along well with her to avoid getting kicked out, literally. With a firm nod he decided he had to chat with Rei to clear up any misunderstandings she had about yesterday.
Creaking from the hardwood floor down the hall could be heard along with footsteps drawing closer. The lights around the house went out one by one as the glow through the thin rice paper doors that lit his room was now dark. A dim light from a lamp in the next room clicked on as Rei's silhouette walked into view.
'It looks like she finished washing the dishes,' he thought, feeling a little guilty she was left to do them alone.
Both of his hosts seemed pretty appalled at the fantastic amount of food he could force down. He would have offered to help clean up but the aforementioned looks she gave him left him pretty intimidated. He lightly cleared his throat, now would be the time to speak up.
"S-Say these doors sure are thin," he mused.
He wasn't graced with an answer but the change in her silhouette's movements confirmed she'd heard him. He slowly moved closer to the door dividing them.
"Mm hmm, they're thin all right," he added, twiddling his thumbs. "I hope they aren't as flimsy as they look." His eyes stared at her figure in the corner.
The door slid open suddenly as he locked eyes with her. She stared at him harshly. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
"Let's get one thing straight, you're staying here because my grandfather's a generous man who is still recovering from a persistent fever, mind you. So the only thing keeping me from throwing you out is the fact that I need all the help around the shrine I can get. I already thanked you for saving my life so don't you think for a second your stay here is validated because of it. Furthermore, if you're going to be one flimsy door away, I'd prefer it if you stay on your side at all times. Do I make myself clear?" The fiery shrine maiden thundered.
He merely gave her a frantic nod in response.
"Good." With that, the door between them slammed shut.
He held up his hand. "Rei," his voice slipped out.
"What?" She replied, sounding agitated.
"C-Could I have an extra pillow?" He asked, aborting what he had in mind to discuss.
The door swung open and Rei chucked the pillow at him, hitting him right in the face.
"Thank you," his muffled voice retorted through the cushion.
She turned off the light and he climbed into his bed. His calloused hand ran through his hair, his mind cursing his stupidity. He should have asked her to smother him with it while he was at it.