The Valley of the River

The monk seemed to talk a little too fast for Kouhei to keep up with, so he just smiled sweelty and nodded as he spoke...

Tilting his head to the side slightly, he had blinked, and then frowned slightly. "You mustn't do the work of the servants. If anything, it should be me..." He sighed softly, shutting his eyes. "They are gone. And yes... I live here by myself, for the most part. My family is all dead, except for a half brother whom I don't see much anymore.

"Anyways, I would like you to relax. Please." Kouhei once again motioned out into the room. "You look tired. Perhaps you would like to sleep? Or are you hungry?" Slowly, a smile crept onto his features again. "I can cook us something..." That would be a joy to do, he thought to himself internally.

"Waaaii!!! Of course I like it - thank you so much!" That Kouhei-san was strange, but so kind. He had a pleasant smile as well - anyone who could smile so genuinely had to be good, no matter how uninviting the place seemed. Ryutaro could imagine what the room would look like with sun streaming through the windows. He discarded his wet black overrobe so as to not drip on the floor. For one used to sleeping on straw mats in someone's stable or shrine house, it was almost too nice. Dust covered almost everything, though, and seemed to hang in the air. Ryutaro sneezed slightly and giggled.

"You don't have to look embarassed - such a big house is a lot of work for one person to take care of! Please, I'm only a humble man, there's no need to worry. In fact, I'm pretty good with housework! Allow me to help you!" Ryutaro could proudly say that he had scrubbed floors for some of the grandest temples in Kyoto. However, the old city was changing, becoming both more beautiful and more ugly. The foreigners had brought prosperity, and yet telegraph poles and the acrid stench of smoke filled the streets. AS a wanderer, Ryutaro tended to forget the physical appearance of towns and farms and people - it was the heart that shone through, brilliant and beautful.

Turning back towards Kouhei-san, he smiled again. "I am honored to be your guest. But have you truly no family?" He laughed. "Perhaps it's as well not to have brothers like mine. But to always be alone... I don't think I could stand that. Ah, forgive me for being so forward! He blushed slightly. "I'll just start cleaning this place up then..."

Usually, yes, he was alone. Many of his fathers previous servants refused to work for Kouhei, complaining he was too young, too stupid, too soft. And there had never been any woman chosen for him, and so... he was generally alone. To make matters worse, Kouhei wasn't a very organized person, so, indeed, the inside of this Miyazaki's main hosue was in a terrible fray.

Kouhei blushed slightly, and gave himself a mental reminder to kick himself later for allowing a guest into the house while it was so messy. Glancing over his shoulder towards the monk, he forced a smile as he did before, and nodded slightly in his direction. "Of course you may stay. Though I'm afraid your only company will be me..."

Glancing back ahead, he decided in that moment that he would show Sei-ami to a vacant room now, where he would spend his nights. He also simulatenously realized he would have to do all the cleaning and cooking for the both of them. Oi! He mentally cheered.

It was established already that Kouhei could not clean... but... cook? That was an entirely different story. To pass the days alone, Kouhei had spent time making so much food. It amused him, and more often than not tasted really, really good, so it became somewhat of a hobby within these past few morose months. And now, someone else would actually get to taste it, and it wouldn't go to waste!

He felt himself tensing and twitching with joy was he thought of such, and realized he had almost passed the room he had mentally chosen for the monk before. Pausing, and backing up slightly, Miyazaki's youthful leader glanced over his shoulder once more to the monk and smiled sheepishly.

Kneeling, and slowly sliding open the screen door, Kouhei rose again and stepped inside. The room was very plain; it included a floor bed, a table, and a pleasant painting on the wall. That was about it, but it's simplicity was what made it beautiful, especially how the sun wafted in through the squares of the screen door opposite of the one they had entered, the one that led to the outside's porch. When it was sunny, of course. Now, there was the faint outline of rain pouring down them and ouside.

"This is where you will be staying," he said as he motioned his arm towards the room abroad. "I hope it is to your liking."

[OOC: For some bizarre reason I've been unable to view anything on livejournal posted less than a week ago... which has really been confusing me. So if I missed something, forgive me.]

"Ah..." began Ryutaro as his gaze travelled over the dark, imposing structure of the Miyazaki main house. He had never seen a house quite so large, except for the time he had climbed to the very top of a temple to see the emperor's palace. Of course the Miyazaki home was no palace, but to a country monk, it was quite grand. Limping slightly, he followed Kouhei-san inside and removed his sandals.

Ah, clothes strewn all over the floor - was there no lady of the house? So far he had seen only one person, and that was Kouhei-san. Was it possible that he lived all alone here? It was no wonder that such a lonely place might produce something of a melancholy spirit. Still, the dark clothes on the floor had to belong to someone. "I ask only to stay a few days... until the rain lets up?" He smiled, knowing from practice that a smiling beggar was rarely turned away.

He tried to clear all fanciful imaginings from his mind, but the image of the two estates split by a river refused to leave his thoughts. The waters, dark with mud, spilled like blood from a raw wound on the face of the land. There was war, or their would be. It was merely a feeling; a sense of knowing without knowing... but Ryutaro sensed that both sides were dying. He shivered, his smile growing a little queasy.

[ ...? ]

[ Somebody. Post. Grar. :o ]

As soon as he was close enough, Jiyuu quickly shuffled through the door of his home. It didn't look like anything special at all from the outside, but it actually was rather cozy on the other side of the door. Once inside, and out of the rain, he leaned back against the now closed door and shut his eyes.. taking slow, deep breaths. Jiyuu stayed like that for a.. good while. He could have easily fallen asleep like that, had it not been for the uncomfort caused by his sopping wet clothes.

He groaned softly, re-opening his eyes as he pushed himself away from the door. Blinking, he wrapped his damp arms around his torso, shivering slightly. Since when did it get so cold? Giving a little pout, the ( unnatural ) blonde moved further into the house, unwrapping his arms from around himself. Instead, he used his hands to slowly peel off his soaked clothing.. simply letting the pieces drop to the floor as he walked, leaving a trail of dark colored fabrics threading across the main room. He could always pick them up later. Which was a surprise that he would think that, since he felt the need to keep everything tidy. But, he was just too worn out to really care at the moment.

Quickly drying himself off and changing into dry, simpler house clothes.. he then made his way over to his surprisingly soft little pallet on the floor. Stiffling a sudden yawn, Jiyuu lowered himself and crawled into it.. stretching himself out and closing his eyes after burying himself underneath the heavy blanket.

( we've got the facts...Collapse )

Watching Our Prospects.

Water, tossing and turning and shifting and rolling, constantly on the move, dark and foggy as Akimori could barely see whatever was causing all of this turbulence down below the surface. The river seemed confused, as if it needed to move in two different directions to satisfy what was going on with the land, but could only move one. Downstream, upstream, either way the maps read upside down or right side up on his charter's table, it would only flow one direction and it took everything with it. Deep in upheaval and it's angst while the rain slowly pounded away in it's own sadness, his eyes crossed it with inattention, the single dream of steam billowing from the reflecting side of the river painting itself across the landscape. Over those greens, over the yellow straws, the great invention of modern technology and modern views could well be built there in a year, two, three, and the smokestacks emptying in production. Steel, black, heat, fire, his grip on the pockets of his suit tightened in excitement. Light patterning of small tiny feet, tears running over the face of the river, the fire burned inside his eyes where it could not be put out, deeper and all consuming more furiously that the pace of progress.

His head swiveled quickly to the right, a stir in the bushes. Intensity staring down anyone or anything that would come out at this time, war, death, and whatever else Hikari decided they must do. Yellowed brown, a hollowed and sweetened wood watched and directed a lean slightly into the sound, fingers creeping to something that could save him in this awkward ambush. Lungs halted, anticipating the next sound from movement, nothing else from the forest came and no one else from the bushes leapt.

It was dangerous, watching this closely. From the woods, trunks filtering out his blackened attire in branches and leaves, he doubted anyone would stir the tension just yet, flicking a stray lock of jetted wet hair from his face. Silently, boot toes turned, eyes following the movement to the ground - observing the fallen pattern of the leaves. No one had trespassed here, no one had torn or disturbed them, old habits of recognizing situations and spotting signs of danger avoiding knots that were tightening in his shoulders. Still burning the impression of that mill across the way, the day that the Miyazaki would finally see what prosperity and luck it would bring them, soles found an easy way out of the dead fingers of trees without triggering a single rustle. His eyes flashed up back to the original pathway, stepping up quickly and with urgency onto the firm road; there was much to do but little time to do it. Everything must be planned and plotted, even the river detected the tension rolling up in his muscles and around in the commoner’s hearts.

Turning slightly, breathlessly with a cloud leaving his mouth in the new morning, new afternoon, midday, the blackened figure in soundless trousers stole one more bit of Japan away. The open opportunity side of the river swayed slightly and the trees bent towards the wide-open spaces, pointing him the place where their dreams would be built. Nodding thankfully to the guiding forces of the known, this sign again for the new movement, another swift direction was etched into the pathway heading back to the main house. It was coming, and faster than he had ever expected; pattering, plowing, it would take everything with it.

Miyazaki's youth tredded in silence across the mud, delicate hands lifting up those dirtied robes, in attempts to relieve them and keep them from soiling themselves further. When his name was asked of him, he did not bother to lift his head from the ground, but replied nonetheless.

"My name is Miyazaki Kouhei. This... is the Miyazaki Clan's main house," he said, eventually glancing up as they neared it, his eyes slowly roaming it, as his pace had slowed up slightly.

At the mention of the monk's sense that there was trouble brewing, he could not help but frown. He let out a curt sigh, and glanced back towards Ryutaro. "I'm afraid, Sei-ami-sama, that you are correct in your instincts."

Ryutaro slowly followed the lord back towards the main house, greatly relieved. The other man seemed kind, but of the quiet and thoughtful sort. Ryutaro had never been quiet, nor particularly thoughtful, qualities that had earned him many a chastisement from his elders.

"Ah...so... if I might ask your name, sir? I'm afraid I don't know this area very well, or the people living in it. I'm only a simple wanderer and I don't meet many people of rank."

"And to tell the truth, I felt something strange coming from this place. A sense of unhappiness, or tension, perhaps... silly me, I'm always imagining things like that to satisfy my own curiosity." He laughed, but could not shake the strange feeling.