a.k.a. Katana

Chapter Thirteen

"Katana, wake up. It's time to go." Kokin rasped shaking her shoulder. He had already gotten up and went out onto the deck to smoke a cigarette and come back.

Katana moaned and rolled away. "Come on, Katana. We gotta go. You'll sleep again eventually." He reasoned with her. "Noooo..." She whined into the pillow. Kokin sighed and rubbed his face. He pulled the blanket off of her in one quick motion and then pulled her up by her hand. The top half of her rose up from the bed and her large grey eyes blinked owlishly. Her hair was messy and fell into her face and her shirt was all bunched up around her shoulders, revealing her thighs.

Kokin wished for the hundredth time since he'd met her that he had more time alone with her. At least he had gotten her this far.

"Katana, are you crying?! There's no time for crying. We have to go." Kokin snapped at her. She only cried harder and fell back into the covers and pillows. He started shoving different things into his bags and tossed them toward the door. He then turned back toward Katana and picked her up, sheets and all and took her to the door, where he deposited her on the floor feet first. He steadied her as she stood up, but she continued to lean against his chest with her arms around his neck while she whined.

Kokin pet her hair and waited as patiently as he could until she stood up on her own. She smoothed her shirt down the rest of the way and stepped out of the blanket her legs were tangled in. "Better?" He asked. "Better than what?" She asked looking around the room. "What are we doing? Are we leaving?" She croaked, her voice still hoarse with sleep.

Kokin raised an eyebrow then nodded slowly. She helped him carry the bags out to the deck where they climbed into the little boat and rode it down to the water. Getty sat in the end of the boat so that he could drive it back after Kokin and Katana got out. "No one else is coming?" Katana asked curiously. Kokin shook his head and searched his vest pockets for his cigarettes.

"Getty's staying at S'Nekka in case someone needs doctoring. He has minimal nursing skills. Should be good enough for a few days." He lit his cigarette and Katana wondered if the tiny bit of fire kept him warm. She hugged the fabric of the shirt closer around her. Seeing her discomfort Kokin pulled her closer to him and put his arm around her slender shoulders.

Her thoughts drifted to the journey ahead. Kokin had given her few details and hadn't said why exactly she was to go with him. She didn't want to stay on the boat with nothing to do though, so she hadn't protested. They would take the transport there and back and might only arrive a day or two after the boat anyway. Last time the topic of J'Adok's condition had come up, Kokin seemed agitated, so she hadn't asked any questions about it.

The ride to the docks was quiet. Kokin and Getty squeezed each other's arms at the docks and then parted ways, muttering goodbyes. The day had turned grey and cold and threatened rain. This was a much smaller town than the one Kokin had first found Katana in. There didn't seem to be any forethought to the town's layout. The main road was a straight shot through the middle of town with short buildings situated around it. The main attraction seemed to be the transport station itself.

The station was located at the very end of the road a short walk away. Kokin and Katana walked quickly into the relatively large, shiny building just missing the rain. Inside, it was quiet. No one spoke unless absolutely necessary and the creaking of seats and sliding of doors were the predominant sounds echoing off the sparsely decorated walls.

Kokin grabbed Katana's chilly fingers in his warm grip and pulled her to the counter with him. He spoke to the ticket man in S'Ana. Katana noticed that the desk top was similar to the one at the library and was lit up with bright blue and purple icons, letters and symbols. She sighed thinking of all the work she had ahead of her: reading and writing a new language, reading clocks, working technology. She could barely use the phone.