After the long train ride we’re finally here… we gather our things and get off the train.
I look around but a train station at night isn’t the best way to see a city. It feels familiar here, though…
I look over at Hajime. “Do you know a place where we can find a room?” I ask. Despite catching some sleep by his side earlier it’s still been a long day. “Or are you hungry?”
Tuesday, June 16, 1885 – Evening in Kyoto
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“Do you know a place where we can find a room?”
She looks tired… I flick a match and start to smoke. It -was- a long train ride and even my neck is a little stiff. I walk ahead slightly carrying our bags and look around. Kyoto will always be one of those places stuck in time at least in my opinion.
“Let’s get a room first before it gets dark. Then I’ll get you something to eat.” I tell her. Looking back towards her I wait for a moment and decide it’s probably best to hire a carriage to save time and have a few moments to rest.
She gets on the carriage and so do I.
“Take us to Higashiyama driver and be quick.”
Settling back to my seat. I watch her shadowed face.
I smile over at Hajime in the carriage before looking back out the windows. “I keep looking… even though there’s not too much I can see right now.” I say, turning back to him.
Let’s get a room first before it gets dark. Then I’ll get you something to eat
I nod, “I did have one of those cakes Saya sent…” I stretch slightly, sitting for so long isn’t something I do too often.
“I keep looking… even though there’s not too much I can see right now.”
“So stop straining your eyes… You’ll see enough tomorrow.”
It’s not a long carriage ride since we are just going to Gion. I’ve been staying around the ryokan’s in higayashima since it is close to where the Chief of Police lives.
“The Gion festival will start soon…” I blow little clouds over my head.
So stop straining your eyes… You’ll see enough tomorrow.
I laugh a little, feeling myself relax a little… I didn’t realize how tense I was… As the carriage travels through the city, I ask, “will we be staying near the river?” I think of another ryoken by the river…
The Gion festival will start soon…
“Ah, yes…” One year I’ll have to bring Makoto for some of it. Anything she’ll see in Ito pales in comparison to Gion in Kyoto. “Still a couple of more weeks.”
“will we be staying near the river?”
I quirk my eyebrow and tap the ashes out the window.
“Is there anything you want to see there? Rivers are…”
I like the sound of the water as it rushes pass my ears..
I pause and continue, “a favorite of the Kyokuchou…”
Still a couple of more weeks.”
I nod in agreement. I told the battousai once that ten years were hard to live through… But I must say, I was wrong…
Rivers are… a favorite of the Kyokuchou..
“I remember something about that… and something someone else said about how a river is… how it flows and winds…”
He seems lost in thoughts…
I look over across the carriage at Hajime and get up to settle next to him. “We both have heavy memories here, ne?” I look at him for a long moment, and lean up to kiss his cheek. “But of all of this… I’m glad to have you with me now,” I say in a soft voice, my eyes still on his face.
“I remember something about that… and something someone else said about how a river is… how it flows and winds…”
I just chuckle at that… “It does…”
She gets up to sit beside me and kisses my cheek.
“But of all of this… I’m glad to have you with me now,”
I look down at her and steal a look out the window. “We’ll be there soon but…”
Bending down I bring my lips on hers. Tracing my fingers along the lines of her neck while I sweep my tongue on her smooth lower lip.
We’ll be there soon but…
Closing my eyes, I part my lips under his, my tongue searching out his, while my hand goes to rest on his shoulder and then the the back of his neck, urging him closer. Yes we’re in a carriage… but as is often the case I’m swept away by this.
Suddenly I’m no longer tired.
“Mmmmm…”
I flick my tongue against hers in an effort to tease. She closes her eyes but I don’t. I want to see the woman I’m with and who she really is. Why the difference now…
Sliding my left hand out of my glove, I slid in inside the small opening of her kimono to feel the skin beneath it. I like what I find there of course, just like the other night and I smirk through the kiss and decide to pinch the tip of her breast.
You need to stop ahou…
But -I- don’t want to…
Breaking the kiss I turn her chin up so I can have better access to her neck.
Through the kiss I gasp as his hand moves inside my kimono. At his pinch I feel that delicious mix of pleasure and pain…
As I feel his lips on my neck I try to hold back a moan… my hands move to his back, restless, wanting… I move to where I’m sitting in his lap as I direct his head to move lower down my neck …
And the carriage comes to a stop. “You’re right… we are here soon,” I sigh, knowing I should move away but not doing so -yet-.
The carriage stops and I scowl.
Just when things are getting good. Typical…
I alight the carriage and pay the driver after he settled our bags in front of the Ryokan.
“Follow me.” I tell her and head up the pathway. “This is the Tamahan… A very -private- Ryokan here in Higayashima… I stay here because the proprietors know to leave their guest alone… And they have -decent- Kyoto food.”
His scowl… I understand it all too well, feeling rather frustrated myself.
I follow Hajime up the path. It is indeed private…
I stay here because the proprietors know to leave their guest alone… And they have -decent- Kyoto food.
“Both very good qualities,” I observe, catching up with him at the top of the pathway.
“Yes it works for me.”
The attendant receives our bags and guides us to a room. He eyes the woman I’m with and I narrow my eyes slightly. Of course I always came here alone that he is probably surprised.
“Thank you for visiting again sir.” He says as I take back our belongings, “I hope you and your wife enjoy your stay.”
“She’s not my wife.” “Bring dinner soon. Any house specialty will do.” I scoff and closed the door on his face. I place our bags on one corner and proceed to sit on the tatami stretching my back.
She’s not my wife.
No. Of course not. But I hate the way he says that…
I stand there for a moment as he sits on the tatami. I watch him as he stretches and I feel stuck to the floor.
I sit on the floor in front of him and bring my lips to his, briefly. “Now… where were we?” I say, smiling slightly as I break away, placing my hands on his.
“Now… where were we?”
She kisses me but I think we lost the moment.
“That ahou…” I say more to myself and light another cigarette.
I look back at her, “I’ll be leaving tonight after dinner by the time I return I want you to be asleep. You have a big day tomorrow.”
I keep my face impassive as he rejects me, feeling the sting of it, something familiar. No… not rejecting… is it? I get up and turn to the corner.
I’ll be leaving tonight after dinner by the time I return I want you to be asleep. You have a big day tomorrow.
I nod, and go over to my bags, pulling out a ribbon I shake my hair down from the pin that holds it up… I feel rather a mess and the events in the carriage and its interruption are -not- helping that.
“I wanted to fall asleep beside you again,” I say, and then I shake my head, realizing how I must sound like a pouting child. “Ah, sorry. I -know- you’re here for work.” I smile and wish I didn’t say such things.
“Thanks again for letting me come along.” I sit back down near him.
We sit in silence as I smoke. I consider her words carefully about falling asleep together and waking up together. I’ve not done that in quite a while, at least not in it’s entirety with Tokio. When it did happen it was usually some woman I do not know… Not that I know Hide really… She’s so different from that person I met years ago…
My thoughts are interrupted when a knock disturb the silence. Getting up I open it and let the girl enter.
“Place it by her.” I indicate to the side of the table where Hide is seated. She does so, bows politely and leaves.
“You of course know Kyorori…” I look the dish over and a little note says it’s a “sakura” meal. I scoff, the names people give dishes now a days… I sit across from her and puff on my cigarette waiting for her to eat.
“Yes of course…” I look into the various bowls and plates, taking some. I look back over at Hajime. “Are you going to have something? Or are cigarettes enough for dinner?” I ask with a bit of a laugh, smiling at him across the table. “I would say that they are not…”
I take a few bites… it’s nice to have true Kyoto food again, and not the imitations and variations that I find in Ito. Some of the tastes cannot be replicated anywhere else.
“Are you going to have something? Or are cigarettes enough for dinner?”
“In a minute… Cigarettes are quite an expensive vice.” I take a few more drags and consider which dish I shall try later.
“When you are done, you should take a bath. It’s just down the hallway to the right.”
When you are done, you should take a bath. It’s just down the hallway to the right.
“Ah… good idea. It was rather warm on the train today.” I look down at my food… it’s not doing much for… I put down my chopsticks and stand.
I dig a yukata from out of my baggage. I stand behind him and bend down behind him, taking a deep breath near the skin at the back of his neck to take in that smell that’s still him… something that hasn’t changed. “You should see to a bath as well,” I whisper into his ear.
It strikes me how forward I’m being… when he -already- made it clear…
Finally finished with the cigarette, I start with the tofu first and then some fish. While I ate, I watch as she took out her yukata obviously to follow my suggestion.
Good…
I focus on eating and take note of the time. He should be home by now and I should leave, but I’m a bit surprised as I feel her breath on the back of my neck.
You should see to a bath as well,”
My neck bristles slightly and I start to feel a little… Bah… I need to focus. I take a quick drink of the water to cleanse my mouth of the fishy taste and then stood up.
I push her slightly towards the wall and settle my body against hers. Kissing her deeply for a moment, I realize how much I’m torturing myself by doing this.
Discipline Saitou… Remember she is not to be toyed with…
SHaking my head, I smirk suddenly.
“Sorry about that. I should go and get my business over with…”
Then I can… No… Not really…
Taking my hat I leave. What was that again?
Never mix business with pleasure…
Right…
Moving quickly I find myself out of the Ryokan, but I look back.
I could… Of course I could. It’s not like she’s fended me off -yet-.
But it’s not right…
Shaking my head, I leave towards the heart of Gion to Toshio.
(OOC: Wolf exits for now)
He leaves me, breathless against the wall as he exits. Feeling a little foolish but his touch was sincere…
The door closes and I look down… yukata. Bath. Excellent idea.
I scrub myself down and wash my hair before sinking into the warm water. It’s then I remember that bathtime usually involves Makoto, her splashing around and how some of the best talks we’ve had are during our baths. I miss her terribly… tomorrow morning I should go out and get her a present before I go see my family. This isn’t the first time I’m apart from her…
Makoto… water… I’m still a little rattled by what happened at the pond Sunday. She’ll be fine. Saya is taking good care of her, and I’m sure Hiroku-san has her eye on her as well.
Finally feeling relaxed I get out of the bath, drying off and changing into my yukata, and sit for a while, drying my hair and plaiting it into a loose braid to keep it out of my way and set out some of my clothes, fussing a little over the kimono I’ll be wearing tomorrow. That’s easier to fuss over than the other things on my mind right now. Hajime. Makoto. My family.
I turn off the lights, and stare at the ceiling. Sleep is escaping me in this strange place, even if it has been a long day…
I rested so well earlier… in the arms of the man I love. I’m hit with a wave of longing for him again… longing for him in so many ways.
Sighing, I close my eyes, drifting in and out of sleep.