"You are to stay with Tenka until he wakes up. I apologize for the...disaster last night, I assure you that was not the Tenka that his brothers and I know. Remember, you are not to speak of last night's events to anybody. You are an outsider, you really think anyone will believe you? When he wakes up, alert me."
Itsuko sat beside Tenka as he laid unconscious, while Shirasu was outside talking with Chuutarou. 'So this is Tenka Kumo... What even was that thing I saw last night? It didn't seem human. Despite appearances, Kinjou-san can be very fearsome.' She looked at her lap, thinking. Whilst in the middle of her contemplation, she did not notice Tenka waking up.
"Soramaru," he whispered. Itsuko's head shot up and she sprinted outside to tell Shirasu. He and Chuutarou seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with the latter failing to cover something up.
"Kinjou-san, Tenka-san's awake."
"Soramaru..." The trio turned around and found Tenka standing behind them.
"Finally awake I see." He turned around and was about to leave when Shirasu stopped him.
"Let's leave them alone," Itsuko whispered. Chuutarou nodded. "What were you and Kinjou-san talking about?"
"N-nothing!!"
"Uh huh... Why are you so intent on hiding what's in that shed?"
"I-I... T-there's nothing in there! I swear! I just really like it!" From the way Chuutarou was acting, he was hiding something.
'I do hope we find Soramaru... His brothers are worried.' She felt a drop of water and heard the pitter-patter of rain hitting the ground. Itsuko looked up and saw Shirasu leaving, already in a different outfit.
"I'll be back before you know it."
"So, who are you? Why were you at the shrine last night?" Tenka asked, looking at Itsuko.
"She came by yesterday~! She wanted to talk to you, Ten-nii~!"
"Hello, I'm Itsuko Saito. I'm a nomad and was wondering if you would allow me to stay at the Cloud Shrine for the time being until I leave. For payment for my stay, I will help around the shrine."
He chuckled. "Of course I'll let you stay! I just can't leave a cute girl like you out in the open at night where you could be hurt! You can take the guest room to the right and you can help Shirasu with the house."
"Thank you, Tenka-san." She bowed.
"No problem~ And don't be so formal, you can call me Tenka."
"Okay, Tenka-s—Tenka. By the way, could you look down..."
"Why? Is something wr— Oh... Sorry 'bout that." He scratched his head sheepishly.
"Yay~! Itsu-nee is staying with us!" She chuckled and patted Chuutarou.
"Could I talk to you in private?" Itsuko nodded and they moved away from Chuutarou's prying ears.
"About last night..."
"Never saw or heard anything. Will never speak of it. My lips are sealed."
"Thank you."
"It's the least I could do."
Soramaru finally came back with the help of Shirasu. It turns out he was at the Condemned Gate Prison but for what reason? Tenka stood out in the rain and gave him an...interesting welcome. Itsuko and Chuutarou stood outside, sweeping the yard. 'Okay, I'm finished..' She gathered the trash and threw it away, putting away the broom and parasol afterward.
"I'M NOT SAYING THAT!"
'Is that Soramaru?'
"SORAMARU IS LEAVING THE NEST!"
'Is every Kumo brother this loud? Man...so melodramatic...' She walked to the back of the house only to see Soramaru running out, dragging the visitor away with him, with Chuutarou popping out of nowhere clinging to his brother's arm.
"Think you'd be able to let go?"
"It's lonelier than I thought it would be. Oh, Itsuko! Didn't see you there."
She walked out from her hiding spot behind the wall. "Hi..."
"Come, come. Sit down. Let's talk,"
She came over, sitting in front of the duo. "So...what do you want to talk about?"
"First things first, how long will you be staying here?"
"Haven't figured that out. I guess I'll leave when I feel like it."
"Well, since you'll be staying here for quite a while, why not learn about our newest addition to Oumi."
"What do you want to know?"
"Why'd you start traveling?"
"That's a personal matter but long story short, the relationship with my family became more and more strained with the exception of my older brother. I couldn't take it anymore so I just left when I turned eighteen."
"How old are you now?"
"Twenty-three."
"Two years younger than me and a year younger than Tenka. You have been traveling for five years, then?"
"Yep."
"Have you talked to your family since then?"
"No, it'll be awkward...and it's probably better if I don't talk to them."
"Okay, moving on... You've been traveling for five years, right? You have plenty of stories to tell don't you?"
"Lots of them but they're mostly about the towns I've visited. My actual travels aren't particularly interesting. Maybe I'll tell you about them later."
"IT'S FINE! I WANT TO SLEEP LIKE THIS!"
"ME TOO!"
"IT'S TOO CRAMPED! EVEN AT THE BEST OF TIMES, CHUUTAROU STILL MOVES AROUND LIKE NO OTHER!"
"IT'S FINE, GO TO BED!" Itsuko heard a large thud.
"Hey! SUMO, IS IT?"
"I'm going to join in, too...."
"Chuutarou, don't get carried away..." Laughter was heard from the brothers' room.
'The Kumo brothers are loud as always... Wonder if I'll get used to it....?'
Night had fallen and the Kumo brothers had decided to sleep in one room for the night but that didn't sit well for Soramaru, causing raucous sounds to come from their room. Itsuko and Shirasu were in the room across, folding the laundry. Shirasu had his eyes closed, a pleasant smile on his face as he did the task, being used to the brothers' antics.
"That's the last one, you can go now, Itsuko. Y'know it's nice having someone to help me. Sleep well."
She bowed. "Thank you, Kinjou-san. You too." She walked out the room and made her way to the guest room. She laid down, staring at the ceiling. 'Day Two, huh? Oumi seems to be a nice place. The Cloud Brothers and Kinjou-san are very friendly. Maybe I'll stay here for a while but why do I feel something's going to happen. Does it have to do with that thing? It's probably nothing. Wonder how Aki-nii's doing? Maybe he's traveling like me, gaining more knowledge... As if Father would let him leave. He's of age, he's the head of the house now. Sigh, I should probably sleep now. Ever since I've left, I've become restless.' Itsuko closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her.
YOU ARE READING
Wandering
FanfictionItsuko Saito is a roamer. She wanders from place to place, never staying in one location for long. When Itsuko stops by the town of Oumi, she decides to stay after running into the Kumo brothers. No one knows who she is, no knows where she even came...