Inn

Eien Akagawa

“Where are we going?" Kizuna asked after we left the seers building.

"We're going to an inn,” I responded somewhat grumpily. "Is that okay for your future?”

She unfocused her eyes and I worried about her tripping. "It should be fine.”

"How does that work anyway?"

“Hino poured the possible futures into my head and the choices that would lead to them. I've selected the best one but if it gets derailed then she's set it up so that other ones will come into focus."

"That can't be healthy for your head.” I tapped my temple. “Aren’t you worried about her prophecies overloading your brain?”

"It’ll be fine.” She shook her head gently. “I’ve always had a portion of her paths in my head, just not as much as I do now.” She looked at me with those eyes of hers. “You should have taken her up on her offer. She doesn’t serve just anyone.”

“If people want to allow someone into their head, all the more power to them. However, I want nothing to do with it.

"Eien. I think you should let her tell you where you're heading. Or where you could be going.”

“I don't need that. I know where I'm going.” I stopped us at an intersection and nodded towards the inn dominating a corner of it. Its doors were pulled open and showed the dining area. The sun was setting and the inn had turned on their electric lights early.

“That is not what I meant and you know it.”

I chucked softly. “I know, but I feel no need to have a guide for my future.” I looked down at Iroha who had been holding my hand as I walked. “Whatever future we find ourselves in, we’ll make our own way through.”

“You won’t convince him,” Iroha said with a smirk. “He’s stubborn about things like that. Such as trying to get him to put his pants on before his socks. If you can’t convince him to change up things like that, there’s no way he’s going to change his thinking about knowing the future.”

“It’s more comfortable that way,” I said as Kizuna held a hand to her mouth and trying not to laugh.

Shaking my head, we walked into the inn. I waved to the proprietress and she walked over to us. “May we get a room upstairs for the three of us?”

“Absolutely sir.” She bowed and gestured further in. She didn’t even blink at the bloodied wound on my shoulder. “Right this way.” She led us up the stairs and through the hallways of the inn and to a large room. She made a hand signal and I gave her the money she requested. “I shall bring your dinner soon.” She bowed again and left.

Iroha let go of my hand and made herself at home on one of the futon beds. “This feels nice.

Kizuna walked over to the window and slid it open. She sat down beside it and looked out over the inn's small enclosed garden. She took off the wraps from her hoofs and placed them next to her. I sat on one of the cushions at the low table and studied her.

“So, how much do I need to worry about these futures in your head?” I asked her.

She turned, her golden eyes meeting mine. “Not at all. In fact I can’t tell you anything about them. If I do, it’ll change things so much that I might not get to China.”

“What exactly happened while you both were down there?” I asked Iroha who was now sitting up on the futon.

“She didn’t share anything with me.” She shrugged. “Hino put her hands on Kizuna’s face and they both entered into a trance. It didn’t last all that long before Kizuna started looking sick.”

“Sick?” I turned to Kizuna.

“I felt it when you were injured,” she said simply. “In fact, I can still feel it a little from your shoulder.”

“Right.” Those eyes were staring into me again and with a realization I realized why I didn’t like them looking at me like that. “I’ll do my best to not get injured again."

“It’s good that you didn’t promise that,” Iroha said with a laugh. “You attract trouble like a magnet.”

“And whose fault is that?” I shot back good naturedly.

“Yours.” Iroha smiled sweetly. “I’m not the one who broke the rules to keep a good luck spirit with them.”

“Exactly. I should have good luck with you around.”

“How often have you two had this conversation?” Kizuna asked, taking off her hat and pulling her hair out of the braid. “It seems well rehearsed.”

“All the time,” Iroha said as she jumped up from the futon. She crossed the room and pulled on my haori. “But he wouldn’t ever regret what we have.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” I shrugged off my haori and Iroha took it with her. It would need to be sewn and the blood washed off. Same with my suit. “I’d be in a much worse place without her.” Kizuna looked at me quizzically. I ignored her look and moved on.

“Onto our plans for tomorrow. We’re going to visit a clan member from the Ryu clan.”

Kizuna accepted this change in topic gracefully. “Please don’t tell me it’s another degenerate like Norihisa.”

“Yes and no.” I carefully took off my suit jacket and undershirt, setting my gun and jitte on the table in front of me. “Masa is somewhat of an outcast of his clan. He doesn’t like their politics which is why I can get along with him to some extent. He lives in a house near to the docks and can usually be found there in the mornings and evenings.”

“His clan just lets him live alone?” Kizuna asked as she got up to sit across from me. She looked at me approvingly before focusing on the cut on my shoulder. The guilt that flickered in them almost hurt. “I can’t imagine my clan letting me do that.”

“They have many children and he’s already stopped developing his godhood. I don’t know if I can categorize him as a failed god yet, but if he wanted to, he could wipe the floor with me in a fight.”

“You held your own against that Aztec warrior though,” she pointed out.

“He was holding back and I just got lucky.”

“I don’t think you got lucky. You have real skill.” She tapped the table with a finger. “I’ve seen enough of my samurai to know that you could put up a real fight against them.”

I looked away from her and a bitter laugh left my lips. “It doesn’t mean much against the divine.”

A knock sounded from the wooden support beam next to the sliding door. Kizuna quickly put her hat back on and then I let them know they could come in. The proprietress came in with several maidservants. They set the food on the table and the proprietress looked at me shirtless.

“Would you like us to bring up a tub of water?”

“Please.” I pulled out more money and she took it gracefully. “And could you grab me a romance book?” She nodded and then she and the other women left us with the food.

“I haven’t eaten all day. Iroha, take a break and come eat with us.” She stopped sewing my haori together and joined us at the table. We dug into the miso soup, rice and fish with gusto.