Chapter 43 – The Town at the Castle’s Base
“So what’s next?” Ayako asked as they emerged on the first floor of the castle.
Kaito contemplated the idea for a while before saying, “I think I’ll go into the town for a while.”
“You can do that?” Mika asked cocking her head.
“Of course. Why would you think I couldn’t?”
“It’s just...” Mika paused to organize her thoughts into words. “I guess it just seems strange to me that you, a prince, could just casually walk around like that.”
Kaito shrugged. “I’m sure that most don’t. My father isn’t really a fan of the idea either, but it’s too suffocating to stay in this place for a hundred years. I’d go crazy if I were confined to the perimeters of the castle.”
Mika nodded in understanding. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be stuck in these dim halls for a week, much less a year or more.
“So you’re gonna take us too, right?” Ayako demanded.
Kaito met her determined expression and sighed. “I suppose...”
“Yes!” Ayako hopped around in a little celebratory dance. “So how far away is this town of yours?”
“At the base of the hill,” Kaito said shortly. He opened the doors to the outside and walked straight down the path through the courtyard covered in flowers, and to the main entrance in the wall surrounding the castle.
There was no door or gate to keep intruders out, just two guards standing on either side of the arch of the entrance. They saluted Kaito as he passed, but he simply waved his hand in dismissal as he continued walking with the girls hot on his heels. The stone walk way turned to a dirt path as they neared the base of the hill. In another few meters, small structures, what Mika could only assume were houses, popped up on the sides of the road. Most of the buildings were composed of clay although a few were wooden. The roofs were made from sun-baked bricks, and the windows were simply open holes. A sheet of cloth covered what would have been the door.
“This is kind of depressing,” Ayako muttered as she took in the scenery. “After thousands of years, is this really as far as people have progressed with building houses?”
“It is rather pathetic considering how far the human race has come in the past thousand years," Kaito agreed. "Wood around this area is expensive to buy, so very few houses are made from wood. Actually, the farther you go into the country, the better quality the houses are.”
“Then why do people live here?” Mika asked.
“Protection. This area is very safe from any sort of invading force considering the castle is right on the hill. The outskirts of the region are much more likely to be invaded.”
As they travelled through the town, Mika realized it was a lot bigger than what it appeared to be a first glance. The crossing streets formed perfect blocks, and the farther they travelled through the town, the bigger the buildings became. Some almost seemed like apartment complexes, spanning out over several blocks with two stories. Others hosted different types of business although it was nearly impossible to tell what they were selling without being able to read the signs.
By this point, Kaito’s little entourage had attracted the attention of the townspeople. People ran out to the street, and knelt down on the side of the road as he passed. Others were running down the road several meters ahead of them yelling. “It’s the young Lord! The young Lord is visiting the town!”
Mika shifted closer to Kaito, uncomfortable with the stares of thousands of eyes. Kaito didn’t seem to mind though, she noted. As people crowded the street trying to get a look at him, he would smile slightly and nod his head and their direction. It was strange seeing him eat up the attention.
As she glanced at the people, she realized that almost all of them sported some wolf-like feature. Some had small, pointed ears atop their heads, some had golden eyes or sharp nails that seemed to form claws, and others even had a tail. She stared at them with the same curious expression in which they stared at her.
Kaito stopped suddenly, and Mika very nearly ran into him. “What’s –” As she moved to glance around him, Kaito leaned over and picked up a small sphere. It looked like a small rubber ball.
Kaito scanned the crowd, and his eyes immediately locked on young boy whose gaze was fixed on the object he was holding. “Is this yours?” he asked.
The child nodded slowly.
Kaito held it out, and the boy came forward to reclaim his possession. As he took it from Kaito’s hands a woman, who must’ve been the boy’s mother, ran out onto the street, and pushed her son's head down in a bow.
“I am very sorry my Lord!” she said hastily.
“Raise your head,” Kaito said softly.
“I am not here for formalities, just to stretch my legs a bit.”The woman nodded slowly, and raised her head a bit, but she never met Kaito’s eyes. Then she took the boy’s hand in hers and dragged him away from Kaito. The boy craned his neck around to look back. Kaito smiled, and the boy returned it happily before his view was blocked by the crowd.
They walked onward through the center of the town. Here there were portable carts parked on the side of the road that featured different goods. Several had different kinds of food, meat, fruit, herbs, nuts, and other things Mika couldn’t recognize. One had clothing and different colors of cloth and thread, and another had jewelry. The owner of the jewelry stand called out in their direction, and held up several different pieces.
Kaito didn’t spare a look in their direction. “Just ignore them,” he said quietly to Mika who kept glancing back. “If you let them talk to you, they won’t let you go until they’ve sold something.”
“Salesmen...” Ayako said rolling her eyes slightly. “Whether in Tokyo or here they’re all the same.”
Kaito chuckled softly. “They’re just trying to make a living like everyone else. I can’t say they’re my favorite type of people, but I don’t blame them for doing what they have to.”
“You’re too nice,” Ayako muttered mostly to herself.
Kaito weaved through the maze of streets, and as they went, the roads got smaller and the mob of people dispersed. As the sun began to set, the buildings cast a shadow across the nearly deserted roads. The few people that they did see didn’t look anything like those along the main road. Their clothes and skin were stained with mud, and their eyes were desolate. None of them even acknowledged Kaito’s presence.
“Is this really the right direction?” Ayako questioned glancing at the people. “What’s up with these guys?”
“It is,” Kaito assured them. “Most of the people who live in this section are homeless. They’ve squandered their money on useless things like gambling and alcohol.”
“So why are we going this way again?”
“An old acquaintance of mine lives in this area.”
“Why would he live here?” Ayako asked looking around in mild disgust.
“He hates the hustle and bustle of the town,” Kaito said with a shrug. He turned the corner and stopped at the door – if you could call it that – of a two story building. “Stay behind me when we enter,” he said inching his hand toward the hilt of his sword. “He generally likes to come out with a bang.”
“Um...” Ayako glanced from the door to Kaito. Despite looking prepared for a fight, his eyes had a gleam of excitement. Kaito pushed aside the cloth covering the door and entered.
Ayako followed closely behind him. As soon as she had stepped over the threshold, her eyes caught a blur of movement, then the sound of Kaito unsheathing his sword and the clang as two pieces of metal connected. When her eyes had focused, an old man holding an odd looking sword stood in a standoff with Kaito. The blade the older man had was short, but broad with a strong curve in it. It looked a lot like the pirate swords Ayako had seen in movies.
“Not too shabby boy,” the man said gruffly pulling away from Kaito.
“You’ve become too predictable in your old age,” Kaito said with a smirk sheathing his katana.
The man huffed at Kaito’s statement and turned to examine the girls behind him. “
These are humans? When did you pick up pet humans?”“It’s a rather long story,” Kaito replied with a sigh.
“Hey!” Ayako protested. “Don’t leave us out of the conversation when we’re being stared at by a weird old man!”
“Hold your tongue little human girl,” the man said in almost perfect Japanese. Then to Kaito he added, “This one sure is quick tempered, huh?”
Ayako took a step back and glared at him. “Who are you to give me orders?” she retorted although her voice wasn’t as strong this time.
“Ayako,” Kana said softly putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her friend. “I don’t think it’s wise to pick a fight with this man.”
“That one is the one with the brains, huh?” the man muttered to himself as he observed Kana. “And you...” he turned to Mika, and leaned closer to study her face. Kaito tensed ever so slightly, but the man’s trained eye didn’t miss the movement. He smiled as he cast an eye of Kaito. “Well, I suppose your role is yet to be determined.”
Mika cocked her head and opened her mouth to ask what the man meant, but Ayako interrupted.
“So who is this guy exactly? Other than a crazy lunatic who spells like beer,” she added as she glared at him.
“Your sharp tongue will slice your mouth unless you learn to keep still,” the man said, but the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile. Nonetheless, he answered her question. “My name is Baldwin. I’m an ex-military general of the mighty King’s army.”
“Oh, so then you’ve known each other for a while I guess?” she asked her eyes passing between Kaito and the man named Baldwin.
Baldwin gave a hearty laugh. “I guess you could say that little missy. I taught the boy here how to fight with a blade.”
“Well then, you needed to teach him how to teach other people! Cause I tried to take lessons from the guy and it got
nowhere!”
Baldwin’s eyes passed over Kaito who glanced away and shrugged. “She’s very persistent.”
“I’m liking you more and more little missy,” Baldwin smiled. “You would’ve made a good warrior if only you’d ‘a been male.”
“I can fight just as well as a girl!” Ayako retorted. “I could show up all the guys in my school if I wanted to.”
“All save one,” Baldwin said winking in Kaito’s direction.
“Nu-uh! I beat him at ping pong!” Ayako responded.
“Ping pong is hardly considered a sport,” Kaito said.
“Ping pong? What is a ping pong?” Baldwin asked scratching his head in confusion.
“It’s a human game,” Kaito explained shortly. “It’s rather ridiculous though.”
“You only say that cause you didn’t win!” Ayako said with a smirk.
Kaito rounded on her. “Would you please –”
He was cut short by Baldwin’s laugh. “You two act live an ex couple!”
“Wha –” Ayako sputtered as her face reddened. “No we don’t! He –” She stopped short when she realized that her two friends had joined Baldwin in his merriment. Finally, she caught the contagious laughter too and chuckled with the rest of them.
Kaito wished the old man farewell a few minutes later, and promised to visit again as soon as he found the time. The three girls waved goodbye to Baldwin and exited the shop after Kaito.
The sun had reached the horizon, casting a faint redish hue over the town and castle in the distance. Kaito made several of turns and they ended up on the main road that they had come in on. There wasn’t much activity on the streets now, and the few people that were out were packing up their goods for the night. Kaito turned back toward the direction of the castle and started forward. He had only gone a couple of paces when a desperate call sounded from behind him.
The girls turned to look back down the street and saw a middle-aged woman rushing toward them as fast as her dress would allow. Her hair was reddish-brown, and she had small triangular ears poking through her hair. Other than that, she looked almost human.
“My Lord! My gracious Lord!” she shouted as she threw herself down at his feet.
“Please... my daughter... she...” the woman broke into a sob.
“Stand, and explain the situation to me properly,” Kaito ordered in a stern, yet calming voice.
The woman nodded, got up slowly, and managed to collect herself before speaking again.
“Two days ago, at the western border, the fire clan attacked the village my daughter was living in. All of the villagers were horribly wounded, but one of the men carried my daughter here to me as she was not dead yet. She isn’t getting better my Lord. In fact she is much worse, on the brink of death now.” The woman clenched her teeth and took a couple of short breaths before continuing.
“I have heard the rumors that the young Lord can... can save my daughter, heal her wounds...“I am nothing but a mere peasant, but if my Lord can save my daughter... I will offer everything I own!” She threw herself down into the dirt again, tears streaming down her face.
Kaito tightened his jaw, but replied evenly,
“Take me to your daughter. I’ll see what I can do.”The woman looked up to meet his eyes with hers.
“Yes!” She jumped to her feet, and hurried down the road. Kaito followed her swiftly, and the stunned girls exchanged a confused glance before hurrying after him.
“Where are we going?” Ayako demanded turning around to look back at the castle.
“There’s been a change in plans. You three go back though. You can see the castle from here, and I’m certain that the guards will recognize you.”
“But you haven’t explained the situation!” Ayako protested.
Mika glanced at Kaito’s set face. “What’s going on?”
“I do not think this is a very good idea,” Kana said slowly.
Kaito glanced over her. It was clear her brain was working hard to decode the situation, and knowing Kana, she would arrive at the conclusion very soon. Then he heard Kana inhale sharply.
Yep, he thought grudgingly.
“Kaito wait!” she said in an alarmed whisper. “You can’t do that.”
“I can,” he contradicted stiffly. “And I will if that’s what it takes.”
“Do what?” Mika and Ayako said simultaneously turning toward Kana for an explanation.
They arrived at the small house breaking off the girls’ conversation. The woman led them hastily through the door and small, open livingroom. At one end of the room was another doorway which led to a bedroom as near as the girls could figure. The older woman hurried into the bedroom and knelt beside the figure laid out on a padded mat on the floor. She pulled the sheet off of her daughter carefully as if just that simple movement might break her. Kaito could already see where the blood from the girl’s wounds had seeped through the white sleeping garment she was wearing.
She was in bad shape, anyone could tell that. Her face was pale, and she was covered in a clammy sweat. Occasionally she would groan and shift uncomfortably in her semi-conscious state.
Kaito could feel the trio staring at him in a silent protest, Mika and Kana in concern, Ayako in irritation because she was ready to go back to the castle.
“Alright,” Kaito said slowly as he ran his eyes up and down the girl’s body trying to assess the worst damage.
“I need you to take these three girls and sit with them in the other room.”The woman hesitated clearly not keen on the idea of leaving her daughter alone.
“Go,” Kaito restated.
“I need space to do this properly.”That seemed to sink in.
“Of course my Lord,” she said with a bow.
“Whatever you wish.”“Stay with her,” Kaito instructed the trio. He could feel the intake of breath that generally accompanied a protest. “Go!” he ordered more sternly.
Kana turned slowly and dragged Ayako along behind her after the woman who was waving for them to follow. Mika cast one last look in Kaito’s direction and followed her other two friends.
Kaito took a couple deep breaths in mental preparation and removed the cover around the girl. Then he untied the sleeping kimono that she was wearing. He shifted the cloths around until he could see several of worst wounds plainly. They were quite severe. A deep gash which appeared to be from a bite covered the majority of her left side and various other claw marks were etched around her stomach. She had a couple of burns on her arms and legs, but they were minor compared to the aforementioned wounds. It was amazing that a weaker demon such as herself had survived as long as she had.
Alright... here it goes. Kaito moved his now-glowing hand over the bite mark, and winced as pain shot through the left side of his body.
Ayako paced restlessly around the small room. There were no chairs so Mika and Kana sat down on the hard dirt floor. The woman had tried to start up a conversation with them, but they couldn’t understand her, and she couldn’t understand them, so the room had fallen into an uncomfortable silence.
The sky was black by the time Kaito emerged from the room. The woman perked up in anticipation, and Kaito’s eyes softened on her.
“I’ve done what I can,” he told her.
“I can’t cure the fever, but at least the physical wounds are gone. Her survival now depends on her own will and determination.”“I can never repay you my Lord,” she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sack of coins.
“I know it is not much but – ”“Keep your money. You need not pay me for something I did of my own free will.”
“But my Lord!”“Take care of your daughter.” With that, Kaito turned from her and exited through the door.
The trio trailed behind him in a tense silence. Finally Mika spoke up to ask, “How are you feeling?”
“Wretched,” he muttered slightly irritated. He was exhausted, and it was taking the majority of his willpower to keep himself on his feet and moving forward in the direction of the castle. He didn’t have any spare energy to waste on arguing with the girls. “Any more questions?”
Mika fell back a step and was silent trudging along beside her friends. The walk back seemed to take twice as long. Kaito’s vision kept going fuzzy, and he occasionally had to blink several times to clear it once again. Half-way to the castle, it got so bad that he stopped for a moment and leaned against a tree to keep himself from collapsing.
“Kaito!” Mika shouted in alarm. As she moved over to him, she noticed how pale his face had become. Sweat covered his body, and his right arm covered his left side as if that would block out some of the pain.
“I’m alright,” he muttered as he pushed himself off the tree and continued on his way. Just a little bit farther and he could crash on his bed. By morning he knew he would feel significantly better. Kaito paused only once after that, at the castle gates, to collect himself, and then strode forward as best he could in his normal demeanor. His room had never seemed so far away, but at last he did reach it and pushed the door open.
“Ah, Lord Kaito, you’re back,” Agatha greeted.
“I laid out a few extra sleeping mats for your human friends.” Her smile immediately faded as she glanced at Kaito. His best acting skills had never been enough to fool her keen eye.
“Goodness my Lord, what have you gotten yourself into this time?”Kaito waved off her concern.
“I would like a hot bath Agatha. It’s been a long day.”“Very well Lord Kaito.” She bowed stiffly and headed toward the door, as she passed the girls she whispered, “Keep an eye on him. He’s in pretty bad shape despite what he wants you to think.”
Mika nodded numbly and watched as the maid left the room. After a few minutes, she migrated over to the futons that Agatha had set out and sat down. They were fluffier than they looked which was good for her as it was the only thing between her and the hard stone floor.
Kaito headed over to the couch and lay down slowly, careful not to irritate any of his injuries. It seemed to take forever until the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.
“I thought there wasn’t any running water,” Ayako said glancing in the direction of the bathroom.
“There’s not. It’s just pressure and mechanics.”
“What do you mean by that?”
With a sigh, Kaito explained. “There’s a large basin a in the basement. You light a fire under it and when it’s warm enough, there’s a piece of metal that you lower into it to move the water up a pipe. The pipe connects to the bottom of the bathtub.”
“I still don’t get it,” Ayako said shaking her head slowly.
“Then figure it out on your own time,” Kaito replied as he stood up, walked over to the bathroom and shut the door with a loud bang.
“Are we gonna get to take a bath too?” Ayako asked breaking the silence. “It’s been like, two days since I’ve had a shower. My hair is all greasy and –”
“Even if we could, there’s no real shampoo here,” Kana reasoned. “I don’t know what they make soap out of but...”
Ayako groaned and laid out on the bed mat she had claimed. “We seriously need to introduce modern appliances to these people.”
The door to the bedroom creaked open and the girls turned to see Agatha walking in with a bowl of some sort. She set it down on Kaito’s desk and addressed the girls in the best Japanese she could manage. “Make him eat it. He will recognize it the scent, and know what it is. He probably will make excuses, but it helps.”
“What is it?” Mika asked.
“Medicine from herbs,” Agatha responded. “Tastes horrible, but is good for healing injuries.”
Mika nodded. As Agatha turned back toward the door, Mika couldn’t help but ask, “How long have you known Kaito?”
“For many years,” Agatha said staring off in the distance as if she were remembering something from the past. “I have been the personal maid of his ever since he came here as a young child.”
“You know him really well,” Mika said with a kind smile.
“I feel that I do,” Agatha agreed. “But the young master is always surprising me. For example, becoming friends with three humans. You also know him well, yes?”
“I don’t really know...” Mika admitted honestly.
“You do,” Agatha insisted. “He opened his heart up to you humans, and for reasons I don’t know, Lord Kaito trusts you.” Agatha bowed and exited the door leaving Mika with a spinning head.
A few minutes later, Kaito emerged with his usual white cotton shirt and baggy sweat pants. Immediately, Kaito’s eyes wandered over to the bowl sitting on his desk.
Leave it to Agatha to bring me this wretched stuff.“Agatha-san left that for you,” Kana said following his gaze.
“Hm...” was all he said as he sat back down on the couch.
“She told us to make sure you took it,” Kana added.
“She worries unnecessarily. I don’t need it. That stuff tastes horrible anyway.”
“She also said that you would make excuses not to take it.”
Kaito rolled his eyes. “Yes, and she is
all knowing.”
“When it comes to your wellbeing she does seem to be,” Kana agreed lightly. “In any case, can you really afford not to be in your best condition considering the state of everything?” Her eyes met Kaito’s over the rim of her glasses.
“Have I told you that you need to go into the medical field Kana? You’d make a pretty darn good doctor I imagine.”
Kana dropped her gaze. “I’ve only watched my parents,” she said softly.
“Don’t you want to be a veterinarian though?” Ayako asked breaking into the conversation.
Kana gave a small nod. “I would like to be, but I am also open to other things.” When they elapsed into silence, she turned back to Kaito and said, “If you were trying to distract me, it didn’t work.”
“Alright, alright, fine.” He hauled himself off the couch and walked over to the bowl. Images flashed in his mind of the last time he’d had to take this junk. It was a long time ago, but it was still clear as day in his mind. Unfortunately, the taste of the herbs was something he’d become way too familiar with.
Kaito held his breath and downed the thick, dark green liquid in one gulp. Despite the holding of his breath, the scent filled his nose and burned the back of his throat making his eyes water slightly. He held back a gag as he walked over to the glass doors and threw them open letting the fresh air of the night clear his senses.
“That bad, huh?” Ayako asked.
“You have no idea,” Kaito mumbled back without turning to face her. “When I said it tastes horrible I wasn’t kidding. It’s wretched bile wrung from the worst tasting plant in Akukai.”
“I think you’re exaggerating,” Ayako said doubtingly.
“Well one day I’ll let you try it then,” Kaito said as he walked back into the room.
“No thanks. It might be poisonous to humans anyway.” Ayako held back a yawn as she finished her sentence.
“It’s late, go to bed,” Kaito suggested.
Ayako needed no further invitation. She curled up on her fluffy mat and was out in the matter of a minute. Mika and Kana also laid down, but they didn’t go to sleep immediately. Kaito headed over to his desk, pulled out several sheets of parchment and began scrawling on them.
“You’re not going to sleep?” Mika asked after a moment. The bed she had been left with was the one closest to Kaito’s bed, closest to the lit candle.
“Paperwork,” Kaito said with a wry smile, “probably the most enlightening aspect of my position.”
“I see...” Mika wished she could help him out, but she knew that was impossible. At least the color had returned to his face and he seemed to be feeling much better than earlier. Whether it was the bath, the herbs, or simply the passing of time, she wasn’t sure, but she was glad for it. Mika was lulled to sleep just minutes later by the scrawling of Kaito’s quill across the parchment.
A/N~ To answer the poll question, you have now read 372 pages, so only one person got it right. Doesn't feel like that much does it? It's good though that I've managed to keep your attention for this long, and hopefully, I'll continue to have it for a while yet.
<==Chapter 42
