Providence: Book One

Chapter Eighteen: The Silver River

Chapter Eighteen

The Silver River

When Rio woke up, Kotone and Suzu had gone to find Yoshi and tell her that Naoki had gotten better. Naoki himself however refused to leave her side. He watched her with smouldering eyes, willing her to wake up. When her eyes finally fluttered open he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Naoki?" she asked.

"Do you remember anything?"

"I remember speaking with Ekirei...but nothing else, it was like I was locked in my own mind."

"You were," Naoki told her everything, excluding the part about the kiss, which he felt was hardly relevant. At the end of his story he produced the beads from his pocket. Rio reached her left hand out to grab it but he knocked it aside. "I don't think this can hurt me any more." he took Rio's right hand and slid the bracelet down on her wrist. When he looked at her, he was surprised to see tears spilling over her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away with the heels of her hands.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm just so happy you're okay." Naoki felt heat flood his cheeks and he hurriedly stood up and walked to the corner of the room, busying himself by looking at the dried herbs.

"Me too."

~x~X~x~X~x~X~x

Yoshi was astounded by Naoki's seemingly miraculous discovery. By the time the four of them were ready to leave she had convinced herself that she had magical powers. No one bothered to correct her. It kept the Emperor off their trail.

Yoshi sent them off with a weeks worth of food and some money, more than was expected of her. They thanked her and promised to come see her if they were ever in Guze, though Honestly Rio would be happy if she was never in the dingy dirty city again.

They took their time heading towards Shangishima port, allowing for Naoki who was still a bit weak. He was in a far better mood now though, and actually sought out conversation with Rio while Suzu and Kotone exchanged knowing looks.

Rio was also bright and cheerful,asking Kotone endless questions about plants she found and playing word games with Suzu.

Shangishima was only a half a day away from Guze, with any luck, they would be on the boat to Himan by the next day.

~x~X~x~X~x~X~x~

Rio couldn't keep her eyes off the ocean. She had never seen anything so beautiful and vast. The moon hung full and bright in the sky and cast its silvery reflection across the indigo waves. Rio shivered in the chill salt air and wrapped her arms around herself.

Suzu darted off to play in the waves and came back giggling and squealing about how cold it was. Despite the lateness of the night the Shangishima market square was busy and bright with paper lanterns. Consorts roamed the streets in trailing kimonos of beautiful flower patterns to determine their rank in the brothel. Men juggled flaming sticks in the centre of the market on a raised bamboo platform. And in a small hut covered with dark purple silk a man showed off all number of oddities, mermaid scales and dragon eggs, some fake, but some swimming with power.

The four of them had been roaming around for hours just looking at things when Suzu pointed out a trio of beautiful dancing women. They twirled and leaped in intricately embroidered kimono, occasionally tossing flowers to the crowd that surrounded them, while another woman passed around a clay teacup for people to put money into.

One of the women broke away from the others and began talking to the audience.

"Does anyone know how to dance the Silver River?" the crowd fell silent, looking for anyone who might know. Suzu raised her hand, and pulled Rio's sleeve, motioning her to raise hers too. The woman grabbed each of them by the sleeve and pulled them into the ring of people. Naoki reached out a hand to pull them back but it was too late. The woman was given a Shakuhachi and she began to play a beautiful, slow melody.

Together Rio and Suzu began to move, slowly and smoothly, their sleeves trailing behind them. The crowd was in awe of their intricate dance, and they began to clap as the woman began playing faster. Suzu and Rio leapt and whirled in tandem with one another, like competing hurricanes. Rio was performing excellently, and her confidence was growing. She undulated and flowed like the river. The crowd grew silent as the woman began the high, shrill end note and the two girls stopped. Breathing heavily with arms outstretched.

In the lamplight Rio's eyes burned like fire.

~x~X~x~X~x~X~x~

Naoki scolded Rio and Suzu silently as the crowd dispersed. But Rio couldn't bring herself to feel ashamed, she had never felt more alive in her life and she loved it. In the back of her mind Ekirei hummed to the music of the dance.

The four of them were so lost in their own world that they didn't see the shadow slowly break off and dart away into the night.