Touch the Sky

Safehouse (Chapter 3)

"It's just through here," Melody leads Bankotsu through the trees to the shed.

"This is where you came through?" he asks. "How?"

"I don't know if I'm being completely honesty," she says. "I was on a hike and the wind threw me inside. I was unconscious when Inuyasha found me."

"That's freaky," Jakotsu looks over the structure. "It doesn't look so special to me. Just a shed."

"Yeah I know," she muses. 

"Do you think it'll send you back at some point?" Suikotsu prompts.

"Maybe," Melody replies.

She steps inside with Bankotsu and a light blinds them.

"What the hell was that?" Bankotsu steps outside and the rest of the Band of Seven are gone. "Where did everybody go?"

Melody follows him out and spots her hiking path. "We just got sent back to my home." She takes his hand, "Follow."

He rolls his eyes and smiles, "You know I've killed people for ordering me around like this?"

"Please?" she returns the smile. "I'll make you food."

He chuckles, "Alright."

They walk down the path until a small house comes into view.

It may have only been a few weeks since she'd been home, but it felt like months.

Melody goes inside and kicks her boots off.

Bankotsu follows and pokes his head inside, "This is pretty nice."

It was a simple, traditional style Japanese home with a small kitchen and a living area. There was a separate room with a piano, cello, guitar, and a couple instruments with a bookcase, a bathroom, two bedrooms, and an outside sitting area.

She takes his hands, "Come in."

He lets her lead him inside, takes her in his arms, wrapping them around her waist and kissing her.

Melody leads him through a sliding door to a room with a bed on the floor.

She opens a closet and grabs some clean clothes and a towel.

"Get comfy," she says. "I'm taking advantage of being back and having a bath."

"Do whatever you want," Bankotsu assures her. He flops onto the bed, "I'll be here."

Melody fills her tub and slips out of the kimono she'd been wearing. She looked herself over and couldn't tell what stains were dirt or blood.

"Gross," she says as she runs her fingers through her hair, feeling how greasy it was. "Wonder how long it's been?"

She cleans herself off at the free-standing shower, scrubbing herself with soap and a scrubby. The water running down the drain was black.

"Eww," she grimaces. "Too long."

Melody gets her shampoo, forgets there's someone in her house and starts singing in the shower.

"There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando!" She sang loud so her voice bounced off the walls.

A chuckle from the other room reminded her she wasn't alone, so she quiets down.

"Don't stop on my account," Bankotsu says loud enough for her to hear him. "I was enjoying whatever that was."

Melody bites her lower lip and responds, "When was the last time you had a bath?"