Even the Sky Cries

Chapter 2

Hearing footsteps from behind, he nonchalantly climbed into the nearest tree.  He watched as yet another group of soldiers ran past.  ‘I wonder who they are looking for.  Whoever it is, I feel sorry for them,’ he though to himself.

Once he was sure that the guards were gone, he jumped from the tree to the ground.  Without seeming to care about what happened to his hair, he carelessly brushed the leave from his hair.

After looking around her sprang off to the right, knowing it was best to avoid the soldiers, whether he was in trouble or not.

Locating a stream, he followed it downstream from along the banks.  He momentarily froze when he spotted a form underneath a tree on the opposite shore.  However, once he saw that the figure in question was not a solider; he became curious and went to investigate.  It was a girl, black hair tangled and stuck to her face, she barely seemed alive.  She was covered in apparently self-made bandages that were either dirtied or falling off.  The girl seemed to vaguely detect his presence, for she stirred as he approached.  Smiling, he said softly, “So you’re the one everyone’s been looking for.  How about coming with me?”

Without waiting for any sort of response, he lifted the girl from the base of the tree.  Holding her, he began to make his way out of the forest.  For the most part, Hirui tried to avoid the paths and roads; he concealed himself in the trees and bushes whenever someone passed by and remained there.

Once he had cleared the forest, he came upon a small town where shops were opening for the day and children were running through the streets, playing games.  Not wanting to be seen by the people, Hirui slipped into a nearby alley.  Making his way through the many twists and turns, he found himself at his destination, a small tavern run by his uncle.  Both Hirui and his uncle lived upstairs in small yet pleasant rooms.

Hirui went around to the side door and entered.  Stepping into the middle of the kitchen, Hirui shut the door carefully and caught sight of his uncle immediately.  When his uncle saw what he was carrying, he rushed over to find out what was going on.

“What are you doing, boy?” his uncle hissed under his breath.

“Uncle, please stop.  She needs our help.  Now, would you please get some clean bandages and a bowl of steaming hot water?  Then, if you don’t mind, please start running a bath for the girl, so she can wash herself off.  I’ll take her upstairs and get some of my old clothes and some food for her to eat,” Hirui said in a commanding tone, immediately taking action.

Hirui’s uncle nodded, knowing that what Hirui said was true and rushed off in a flurry of motion to get some water boiling and trying to find clean cloth for bandages.  Hirui, using passageways that were closed to customers, climbed to the second floor.  On the second level there was a short corridor with four doors along the hallway and a fifth at the end.  Hirui entered the second door on the right and set the girl down on the bed.

It was a nice room, even though it was on the small side.  The bed was fairly large with only white cotton sheets; anything else would be unnecessary in the hot summer weather.  There were two moderately sized windows on either side of the bed, which was pushed up on the wall opposite the door.  To the left there was a medium table with a small mirror hung over it.  IN the upper right corner of the room was an extremely intricate changing screen.  Further down the same wall was an empty chest of drawers made of what appeared to be oak.

Walking to the table, Hirui sat down in the only chair in the room, and waited for his uncle for a moment.  His uncle came in, without a word, and set a bowl of steaming water, along with several healing items, a sponge, and many bandages.  Leaving, he went to the bathroom across the hall, where he began to fill up the bathtub for the girl.

Hirui, who had decided it was best not to leave the girl alone, had nothing else to do other than sit and wait, so he began to inspect her wounds.  She was absolutely covered in bruises; they were on her arms, legs, almost everywhere.  Her arms and legs a few minor cuts, which looked like they were made from glass shards, and there were three or so larger cuts as well.

Finished with his task, the uncle came back to the room that now belonged to the girl.  Once he saw what Hirui was doing, his uncle asked, “How is she?”

Hirui shook his head.  “Not so good.  Whatever happened, she is probably still in serious trouble.  It might be best if we did not tell anyone about her,” Hirui replied without looking up.

“Is the city guard after her?” his uncle asked.

When Hirui shook his head, a sense of relief began to fill the uncle.  However, Hirui began to speak again.  “House Guards were after her.  I couldn’t tell which House; I didn’t exactly want to get close.  Many of them were well trained, but I don’t believe that it could be House Tenkai.  The uniforms were dark, but I’m not sure which color they were.  I have a feeling they’ll be after her,” Hirui said softly.

“Then what in Gaia possessed you to bring her here?!” the uncle shouted.  Instead of answering, however, Hirui just pressed his finger to his lips and then said, “I’m going to get something to eat.  Call me when she wakes up, alright?”

With that, Hirui casually strolled out of the room, leaving his fuming uncle behind.  Entering the door that was right in front of the girl’s, Hirui quickly washed his face and then headed off to breakfast.  Since he had known Cook since he was just a small child, Hirui was allowed to, and did, enter through the back.  As he pushed the door open, the heat from the ovens threatened to suffocate him.  Drawing in the warm air with one deep breath, Hirui began to scrounge around the kitchens for any extra breakfast food.  Grabbing a sturdy wooden plate, Hirui managed to find some biscuits, eggs, and sausage.

Clearing off a space at one of the many counters, Hirui pulled up a stool and began eating.  Starting with the eggs, Hirui quickly worked through the entire plate of food.  Looking around, he spotted a large pitcher of cool water.  Hirui grabbed a nearby mug and swallowed down a couple glasses of the icy liquid.  When he turned around to leave, Hirui saw his Uncle rushing towards him.

Reaching his nephew, his uncle began to say, “She finally woke up, so I went her to take a bath.  Get some food to take to her and help her with the bandages.  I need to get back to work.”

Nodding, Hirui got a new plate and, after a moment of thought, a bowl and a spoon.  Locating a pot of soup on one of the stoves, he ladled some of the broth into the bowl.  Relocating the biscuits, Hirui grabbed two of them.  Last of all, he got another glass of the cool water.

Walking carefully, and somewhat slowly, Hirui carried the plate, bowl, and glass, upstairs.  Since the door to the room was already slightly open, Hirui pushed against it with his foot, causing it to open.  The girl, who was sitting curled up with her knees pulled to her chest, snapped her head in Hirui’s direction, which made him stop dead in his tracks.

“I’m sorry if I startled you, but I brought something for you to eat.  Do you mind if I come in?” Hirui asked in a respectful tone.

The girl merely nodded; she still had no idea what was going on.  The last thing she remembered was falling asleep by a tree.  She watched with large, unblinking eyes as he approached the bed.  Handing her the bowl, Hirui set the plate and cup next to her on the bed.

“My name is Hirui,” he said gently, sitting down next to her.

Ever so softly, she answered, “I am Aimee.”  Growing hungrier and hungrier by the minute, Aimee began to eat.  While she ate, Hirui moved the table with the bandages and bowl of still hot water over to the bed, so that he could easily take care of Aimee’s wounds.

Once he was done, Hirui sat back down on the bed.  As she ate slowly, Aimee glanced up and caught Hirui staring at her.  “What is it?” she asked softly, yet sternly.

Undaunted, Hirui replied, “When you are done eating, I can put these bandages on your wounds, if you don’t mind, of course.”

“Let’s just get it over with,” Aimee suggested and set the food on the table.  After rolling up the loose blue sleeves, Aimee leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Hirui began to dress her wounds.  After slipping a small square of cloth in the lukewarm liquid, Hirui pressed the first of Aimee’s wounds with it.  Aimee took a deep breath when he pressed the material against her skin, for it stung.  Hirui then wrapped one of the long strips of cloth around, securing the square underneath.

Hirui repeated the process over and over again, until all of Aimee’s wounds were taken care of.  Sitting back, Hirui reported, “All done.”

Quickly inspecting his work, Aimee nodded slightly in satisfaction.  “Thank you,” Aimee said sincerely.

“You’re welcome,” Hirui replied swiftly.  After an odd moment of silence, Hirui cleared his throat and asked, “Do you want to eat some more, or should I show you around?”

“Um… if you don’t mind, I would like to look around some,” Aimee replied uncertainly, asking more than telling.

“That’s fine with me,” he replied.  Getting up, Hirui swiftly moved the table back to where it belonged and then waited by the door for Aimee.  With a grace that normal humans seemed to lack, she slowly slid off the bed and made her way to the door.

They entered the hallway and Hirui began to speak.  “The door at the end of the hallway leads to the library.  It doesn’t have much, but what is there is pretty reliable.  In the room across from yours is the bathroom and my Uncle’s room is next to it.  The other room is mine.”

Hirui then lead Aimee downstairs and showed her around the tavern.  Since it was not yet noon, there were no customers, but the bar was still filled with people cleaning the tables and floors, preparing it for later in the evening.  Even in the back, the kitchen was starting to cook food for those who usually ate lunch in the tavern.

Taking Aimee to the kitchens, Hirui decided to introduce her to the Cook.  Leading her through the great swinging doors that lead to the kitchens, Hirui quickly located Cook, who was shouting orders to approximately five workers, who were trying to do the work of a crew twice their number.

“Cook!  This is Aimee, she will be staying here for a while,” Hirui interrupted respectfully.

“It’s nice to meet you, Aimee!  Can you cook?” she greeted, not pausing her cooking activities.  With one hand she kneaded dough for bread; in the other she sampled some of the warm soup.

“A little, but I’m not that great,” Aimee replied with an unsure look on her face.

“That’s good enough for me,” Cook declared happily.  Soon enough, she had Aimee chopping spices, making biscuits, and other such tasks.  Hirui worked in the kitchen as well, and kept an eye out for Aimee.

Aimee found that, as she was working, her energy kept dwindling away.  Soon her face was a ghostly white and she was having trouble breathing.  Swaying, Aimee grasped the edge of the counter to steady herself.  Hirui saw her out of the corner of his eyes and dashed to where she was standing.  Resting a hand on her back, he asked her, “Are you okay?  You look like you need to lie down.”

In a hoarse whisper that was practically inaudible, she replied, “I need to lie down.”

Nodding, Hirui led her out of the kitchens and back up the stairs.  They moved at a snail’s pace, for Aimee did not have much energy and Hirui did not want to press her too hard.

Once they got to her room, Aimee wordlessly climbed back into her bed.  She watched Hirui as he collected the plates she had used earlier and smiled slightly at her.  “Go to sleep,” he directed her gently.          Walking out of the room, Hirui shut the door behind himself.

Aimee curled up and closed her eyes and it was not long before she was lost to the darkness.

_________

A couple hours later, Aimee stirred again.  Opening her eyes, she discovered that the sun was relatively low in the sky and sinking fast.

Getting out of bed, Aimee decided to look for Hirui.  Gracefully, Aimee sprang down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen.

When she did not see him, Aimee asked Cook, “Do you know where Hirui went?”

“Hirui?  You should probably check out back.  But wait, try this first please,” Cook held out a small berry-filled pastry for Aimee’s approval.

Taking the still warm pastry from Cook’s outstretched hand, Aimee quickly devoured it.  “It tastes wonderful!” the girl exclaimed.

“Why, thank you.  Run along now, and find Hirui,” Cook commanded.  Without waiting for a response, Cook immediately reemerged herself in the activities of the kitchen.

Leaving the kitchen, Aimee walked through the near-empty hallway.  Most of the people who worked at the tavern were either in the kitchens or serving tables.

After a little walking, Aimee saw a small wooden door that had been left slightly open.  Guessing this was where Hirui must be, Aimee pulled the door fully open.  Immediately, she was bathed in the warm orange light of the setting sun.  There were a few trees with many green leaves inside an older wooden fence, which was lined with bushed and flowers.  Hirui was standing in the middle of the enclosure.  His back was to Aimee and his right hand grasped a sword.  After taking a deep breath, Hirui began elaborate patterns that consisted of many thrusts, lunges, sidesteps, and other such techniques.

Leaning against the door frame, Aimee watched interestedly.  For ages, she did not move; she just watched the gleaming metal spin through the air.

Soon, though, the sun sank low enough that Hirui could no longer see well enough to practice.  As he sheathed the blade, Hirui asked, “Well, are you going to say hi to me, or are you going to stand there all day?”

Jumping, Aimee flushed and stammered nervously, “I’m sorry.  I was just trying to find you and when I did, I couldn’t help but watch.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind if you watch, but you could have said something,” Hirui told her calmly as he walked over to where Aimee was standing.

Though he was only a couple inches taller than her, Aimee still had to look up at him to look him in the eyes as she spoke, “How did you know I was here if you never looked over here?”

With a crooked smile, Hirui replied, “That door always creaks when it’s opened.  I keep forgetting to oil it.”

This brought a smile to Aimee’s face and she laughed a little.  However, she stopped laughing and clutched at her head as it suddenly demanded rest.  Giving her a worried look, Hirui asked, “Do you need to go lay back down?  You’ve had a rough day today.”

Aimee simply nodded in response.  Hirui led the way, remembering to keep a slow pace for Aimee.  As they walked, Aimee asked quietly, “Where did you get the sword?”

Hirui’s grip tightened on the pommel of the sword as he replied stiffly, “My mother left it when she left me behind with my uncle.”

Aimee looked at the floor and let out a small, “Oh.”

They walked the rest of the way back to the rooms in silence.  Every once in a while Aimee looked up at Hirui, but he was too busy lost in unknown thoughts to notice her.

Eventually, the two got back to the area where the rooms were located.  Aimee started to go into her room, but instead turned and said, “Hirui, do you have some extra clothes that I could use to sleep in?”

Hirui looked at her and nodded once, slipping into his room.  It did not take Hirui long to sift through the clothes and find some that would be suitable for nightclothes.

When he went back to Aimee’s room, Hirui found her standing by the window.  Tossing the clothes on the bed, Hirui walked over and inquired softly, “What are you looking at?”

Staring out the window, Aimee replied distantly, “Oh, nothing in particular.  Just the people.”

Watching her, Hirui leaned against the wall.  Outside, two little boys were playing fetch with a small brown dog covered in occasional white spots.  After a moment of brief silence, Hirui finally decided to ask the question that had been bothering him for the longest time.  “So where are you from?”

Instead of replying, Aimee bit her lip and looked at the floor.  Then her eyes darted up and met his, gazing at him pleadingly.  After studying her for a moment, Hirui sighed and told her, “I guess you can tell me later, but I would really like to know.”

Suddenly, Aimee could not help but feel incredibly guilty.  Hirui had helped her in her time of need, yet she refused to tell him where she was from.  No longer able to look Hirui in the eyes, Aimee looked back out the window.  The children had gone home for the night, and so had the dog that had been with them.

Hirui watched her for a moment before saying.  “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.  Good night.”

“Good night,” Aimee replied, still not looking at him.  As h left, Aimee squeezed her eyes shut and when he was gone, she slowly walked over and latched the door after closing it.

For a little while, Aimee paced around her room restlessly, thinking to herself, Hirui.  I just know I’ve heard that name before.  It sounds so familiar, I feel as if I’ve forgotten something very important.  Where could I have heard it from?

Aimee spent almost an hour trying to remember where she had heard the name Hirui from, but she was unsuccessful.  Finally, she decided that if it was something overly important, she would remember it later.

After changing into the clothes that Hirui had given her, Aimee climbed into the bed.  Though she had planned on letting her mind wander before going to sleep, the soft sheets and warm clothes persuaded her otherwise.  Smiling softly to herself, Aimee was soon fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Hirui unlatched his windows and opened them, allowing the breeze to flow through his room.  The white curtains danced in the occasional light wind, but Hirui paid them no mind.

After setting his sword on the table, Hirui quickly changed clothes.  Then, rather unceremoniously, Hirui threw himself on the bed.  Closing his eyes, he though to himself, Why did she leave me here?  She must have done something wrong, or else she would not have left behind her son and a sword.

Sighing, Hirui finally decided that it would do him no good to dwell on questions that could not be answered.

Moving quietly, Hirui went to the bathroom and washed off.  On his way back to bed, Hirui spotted his uncle.  Whispering, his uncle asked, “How is she?  Is she asleep?”

“She just headed to bed.  I believe that she’ll be fine; she just needs to rest for now.  In a couple of days, she should be pretty much back to normal,” Hirui responded.

After a moment of talking about how his uncle’s day had been, Hirui went back to his room and shut the door gently.  Climbing into his bed, Hirui pulled the blankets around himself.  Closing his eyes, Hirui felt himself fade into the night.

AN: Hey everyone!  I know it’s been a while since I posted, but I’ve been so busy…  Blame school.  They give us work to do over the summer!!  Like we don’t get enough of it during the school year!!  Anyways…  I didn’t know if I should name the Cook or the uncle, since they are kinda only minor characters.  I mean, they are there for the first couple of chapters, but that’s about it.  Do you think I should name them?  VOTE!!  [If you think I should name them, it would be really nice if you gave name suggestions *hint hint*] Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers!! *huggles them all* I’ll be working on the next chappie and have it posted as soon as I can!!