The Valley of the River

Jiyuu continued walking down the slick, muddy path towards his house, dark eyes fixated on the ground before him. Every so often, he would slow his walking to a stop infront of a shallow puddle of water, throwing his arms out and giving small hop into it, sending a spray of cold water around his feet.

Smiling, just slightly, he continued on his way, still pausing to jump in every puddle he saw fit along the way. Though the combination of pouring rain and blowing wind sent him into near-constant shivers, he ignored the risks of catching a cold or twisting his ankle in one of the potholes.. and instead, carried on with his playtime in the rain. He knew he probably looked.. terribly childish now, but who was there to watch? He had forgotten how much fun it was to actually stop and enjoy the rain, rather than try to push it off as an ill event. It reminded him of his better childhood days. He remembered playing in the rain almost all the time.

Stiffling a slight giggle, Jiyuu tilted his head back, blinking up at the falling drops. He inhaled slowly before closing his eyes, and just stood there again.. relaxing. Heh, the storm was making him a little sleepy.

After a while, he lowered his head again, opening his eyes. Grinning, he shook his head from side to side, in the same way a soaked dog would, flinging drops of water out of his hair. This didn't do any good, of course, since the mess of neatly bleached hair just got matted right back down do his head. Ah well, it didn't seem to bother him.

Sighing once more, Jiyuu hugged his arms around himself, and resumed walking. He wasn't too far from his home now. Smiling again at this fact, he quickened his pace. He was ready to get out of the rain, and catch up on some much needed rest.

Kouhei blinked down at the blunderous monk, raising a thin arm, and placing the hand joined to the said appendage close to his own face, pressing a finger tip gently against his pair of thin lips, as if slightly confused, watching him stammering, struggling to apologize to him somehow. Had he been in a better mood, he would have stifled a giggle, or something similiar. But he was not.

However, he did find it in his soul to gently ease a small smile upon his feminine features, and letting the hand pull itself away from his face, he waved it gently, as he forced his smile to get a little bigger, to perhaps aid in easing the monks obvious nervousness.

"I give you many thanks, humble monk, but as I have said before, please... do not be afraid." Idly, the Miyazaki lord wondered why the monk had chosen here of all places to wander into... poor soul. "Put your hat back on and stop bowing," he continued after a brief pause, "That's silly."

Proceeding to move forward, he allowed his arm to drop, and dangle at his side was he walked. He was heading away from the shrine now, moving passed the humble being, he spoke once more. "Please, follow me. We must get ourselves out of the rain."

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.

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."