Requiem, a land of the dead, lies between the living world and what most consider the true afterlife. Lost and damaged souls frequently come to Requiem to recover before continuing on to the afterlife and yet some... some choose to stay. One such so...
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He watched her for a moment, observing her movements. They were fairly clean. She could easily a kill a man, something that he didn't know how to feel about. On the one hand, it was a relief that if something happened she could defend herself but... on the other hand, if he angered her enough it might be his head that rolls. Not that he expected that to happen. Coughing quietly, he elected to stop contemplating it and returned to his laundry. He finished washing, hung it up to dry, and stretched. Walking over to where Yura was practicing, he leaned against the wall and took a deep breath in.
"Good morning, Yura-hime."
The bamboo blade stopped dead mid-swing as she turned to look at him, holding it in one hand as she slowly lowered it. Grabbing a towel from off to the side and wiping away her sweat, she gave a polite if not surprised smile.
"Good morning, Hanbei-san. You know, it is perfectly acceptable for you to drop the -hime. I won't be bothered."
"Very well, Yura-san. Your skill with the sword is fairly impressive. And, uh, thank you for the clothes. Might I ask... are they Sakakibara-san's?"
"Yes but please don't worry about it. It is good for them to see some use. There aren't many, though, so if you would like we can go and find some that suit your preferences this evening," She offered, seemingly studying him with that neutral look in her eyes.
"I appreciate that but I can go on my own. I feel much better now and there are some places in town I would like to explore. Would you mind if I went?"
"Not at all. You can take some money, it should be under the floorboards in the room by the garden. Don't worry about how much. Get some yukata, maybe try getting yourself a backup blade. I know you have a sword but it is always safe to have another. I would let you use Uejitsune's but he was much taller than you, I fear the length would be improper," Yura admitted, getting a nod from Hanbei as he headed back into the manor to find the money she spoke of.
He didn't particularly want to spend her money but he figured he would take it with him and find a way to pay her back later. Walking down to the town, the summer sun beating down on him in a strangely pleasant way, Hanbei knew exactly what he needed to do. Without his mask in public, as he was so used to wearing it all the time, he did feel somewhat naked but he wasn't going to let it bother him. Waltzing into the shop that clearly sold kimono and yukata, he glanced around and looked for whoever ran it.
"May I help you?" A woman's voice called, Hanbei turning to see a woman with wavy rust-colored hair and eyes to match. "Oh! You're new, aren't you? Kuroda Keiko, at your service. I own this shop."
"Takenaka Hanbei. I was wondering if you have any sort of payment plans available or if I could work in exchange? If not, I have money," He stated calmly, watching a series of expressions flicker across her features.
"Where are you staying, Takenaka-san? I haven't seen you around before."
"The manor on the hill, with Yura-hime," He said, reverting to the more formal form so that this woman wouldn't assume they were friends.
"Oh! You're one of Yucchan's? Why are you trying to find a payment plan, don't want to spend her money?"
"... Correct," He mumbled, ashamed that she seemed to know right off the bad and a bit surprised that she called the princess Yucchan. "Are you two friends?"
"Yep! If you're one of Yucchan's, I'll make you a deal. I have a couple of custom kimono that I need to deliver. Do that for me and you can grab two of whatever free of charge, sound good Takenaka-san?"
Hanbei agreed, delivering the three different kimono to opposite ends of the own. There was blood on his hand from the coughing fits that interrupted him, which he washed off at the river before returning to Keiko with the payments he had received. Being an errand boy was demeaning and he knew it was beneath him but... he ended up with two yukata and he hadn't spent any of Yura's money. Which was good, since he needed it for other things. She was right about getting a backup blade, especially since his lovely sword wasn't exactly inconspicuous. Yura had mentioned that to him once, told him if he ever went anywhere besides their town with a blade like that there would be problems. So he stopped in to talk to the smith. He got a new sword, discounted yet again because of Yura's influence, then went looking for someone else.
Asking around, he found the man who most often built and repaired homes. It didn't take much convincing for that man to agree to return to the manor with Hanbei and fix the floor for Yura. After all, she had said she wanted to have someone fix them. He had the floor fixed and the work paid for without Yura ever seeing the man enter the property. That evening, as he explored the manor, he stumbled into what looked to be her library. Books and scrolls from various eras filled the room. Sitting on the table, next to an unlit candle, was an incredibly old looking text. Carefully lighting it, Hanbei began to read what sat before him. It was the poem, Iroha, one that Hanbei knew quite well.
Even the blossoming flowers [Colors are fragrant, but they] Will eventually scatter Who in our world Is unchanging? The deep mountains of karma— We cross them today And we shall not have superficial dreams Nor be deluded.
As he was about to blow out the candle, he heard the floorboards creak and looked up to see Yura standing in the doorway with a tray of food. She was looking at him with a stunned look on her face. Giving her a faint smile, Hanbei sat down at the table and pointed to the poem.
"You like Iroha?" He asked.
"It's my favorite poem but ignoring that, Hanbei-san, did you fix the floor?"
"I got that guy from town to do it, thought I should be useful. What are you doing?"
"I knew you were somewhere down in this wing so I brought you dinner. T-thank you... for fixing the floor."
"You're giving me a place to stay, clothes to wear, and food to eat. It is only right that I try to do something for you in return," He stated dismissively.
"Regardless, it is appreciated. Would you mind terribly if we ate together?" She asked as she set the food down in front of him.
"No, I don't mind."
Hanbei, eating his food with Yura by his side, was reading texts from before and after his time by candlelight. He and Yura, engaged in quiet intellectual discussion, shared new perspectives with one another. She helped him understand more modern words that he had never heard before, explained some of how the world changed since when he was alive and how one day, as she had, he would get to see it.
"You mean... I can see those things called movies one day? Travel in an airplane?" He asked, getting a nod from Yura.
Sighing, he put the books away and blew out the candle. Collecting the dishes to clean as he usually did, he laughed and left the room with a quiet murmur. Yura, who remained sitting at the table, just barely heard him utter it.
"It feels like a fever dream when you say such things, Yura-san, always leaving me wondering when I will wake up."
As intrigued as he was, as much as part of him wanted to go and see how time had altered the world he knew, he just wanted to see Hideyoshi. He wasn't able to begin letting go... not yet. He wanted to know how seeing other times worked, especially considering he was dead, but his most pressing question was one he knew she couldn't... or wouldn't... answer. When would he be able to see Hideyoshi again?
