Unexpected Arrivals In Unexpected Places (Senshi)

The forest was his home.

She understood that quite immediatly. She sat back down and watched him plucking the chicken of it's feathers. Tossing the feathers into the bag where it would be used for something else. Down for a blanket or pillow. Or any number of things. She had read once about how people had kept warm in days when cotton was not easily come by and when manufacturing plants didn't exist. Feathers of any kind were used because they insulated so well.

Kimber got her pen back up and she then drew a skyline of a city. Her city. Give or take the placemenet of the exact buildings. Her own building was drawn with precision. She drew a tall building with lots of windows, she almost wished she had colors because it would be beauiful if she had, but she did not and there was no reason to worry about it. She continued to draw while he plucked and then she showed him.

She pointed to the very top of her building. Where she lived, and she pointed to herself. Then the building. Then the sign for sleep. So he would know that she lived in the giant building, at the very top. That was where she played her music, on the roof top that she actually owned. There was a garden up there as well.

She drew out a small garden, with flowers and vegetables. In a little green house, and then she pointed from it, to the roof top where she lived. Explaining that she had a garden up there as well. She wanted to share herself with him, whatever she could of herself and she hoped that he was understanding, with a smidgeon of communication and a bit of drawing they seemed to be evolving in their ability to communicate. Perhaps it was just that they were finding ways to enjoy themselves.

Then she drew a picture of her violin, on a different page. A crude image for the beautiful instruments that she owned, taking up a whole walk in closet in her apartment. But, that wasn't the point. Next to it, she drew a basic image of paper money. Then an equal sign between them. Showing him what she did for her job. Hoping that it would help him to understand her. She wanted to tell him so many things but of course the length of drawing and miming took a lot longer than just being able to come right out and say it.

When she got home. She was going to have to figure out how to learn to write Japanese so that she could at least write him notes...

The chicken was taking time even though he seemed to be moving at a rather fast pace and it gave Kimber time to draw what she needed to. If someone told Senshi a few days ago that he would find someone who could not speak or write his language and that he would not only find a way to talk with them but also want to be with them this badly then he would have laughed. However here she was drawing on her pad while he cleaned dinner and he had to admit that he wouldn't have it any other way.

She brought the pad over again and he took a good look at it as she showed him the city she came from and the building where she lived. He had seen tall structures before but never had they been so many and so closely grouped as they were in her city. He had to wonder where in all of it they had a place for nature to blossom. He took it in and nodded his head in understanding as she quickly set to scribbling again while his hands set to the task of finishing up the chicken. The picture of the city skyline was very well drawn and beautiful and he decided that he wanted to see it in person sometime.

She showed him a garden that she kept at the top of the building and smiled as he pointed to it and them himself before making the sign for same. He was not a tree but a plant by all rights and he wanted her to understand that fully before they continued in what they were doing. He knew she was not stupid and could see that he was very much not normal but he did have an oddly human look about him from a distance and it was easy for people to think of him like a human with some oddities.

The violin and the money were easy to understand he had guessed as much by the way she had played in the house the other night. She was a brilliant artist who in his opinion was unrivaled in talent. The way she played the strings really gave the listener an image within the mind that conveyed everything she was trying to get across with her song. He smiled to her and cleaned his hands as he stopped plucking the chicken not and took the pad before starting to draw. His hands moved quickly as he seemed to know exactly what he wanted to say in this drawing and a few minutes later he handed her the pad.

Upon it was a picture of japan with him standing in the center and then a picture of america with what must be Kimber standing in the middle. He drew and arrow from himself over to america and next to her. He looked to her as if expecting some kind of an answer to a question he was asking. He decided that no time was better then know to ask if she would let him come with her and be with her in america.

Kimber watched as he made a sign.

From himself to her drawing of the small garden of plants that she had on her roof. Same. So he was not so much a tree, as he was... a... plant? A tree was a plant. so perhaps that actually made more sense than him being a tree. He had leaves, but he didn't have LEAVES. He didn't have branches. They were more like his hair was vines. His skin was almost wooden like, but it could also be the tough skin of a stem, she supposed. She could see a lot of different things in him so perhaps that was the case. Perhaps it was, the fact that he was a plant and not a tree.

She nodded.

He then took her pad and she waited while he drew. The children were still running around like crazy having fun until the sun would set and drive them all back into their houses for dinner. They needed to get the dinner started soon if they were going to eat in a while. Her attention was caught again by his pad and she took it from him. Showing him in Japan, and then her in America, and ... an arrow in between. She looked wide eyed up at him.

He wanted to visit?

She was.. grateful to say the least. Excited for sure. She just, hadn't expected him to want to go all the way over there. She hooked the index and middle finger of her hand, into a claw like shape. The rest closed in a fist. And moved the sign from Japan to America. Travel. A new sign. Travel or transfer.

She smiled and nodded happily. She would love to have him come and visit her in America. She would love to show him where she played her music and where she lived. How she spent her days and everything. She would love to share her world with him as he was now sharing his world with her. After that was settled they headed around into the house.

All ready the stove was set, and Kimber put her pad down and began to slice up the herbs and get ready to stuff them into the chicken. At home, she did all her cooking on her own. With no real friends, and no family worth their weight in gold, she spent a majority of her time alone and was used to cooking. So she had no problem sticking her hand right into the center of that chicken. Using a knife she sliced the skin just slightly so that she could work her hands between the skin and the bird and stuff it full of more seasoning. She wasn't sure if either Senshi or the woman knew these tricks but the seasoning would be through the meat completely.

She put it into a pan, with just a little bit of water and some more herbs sprinkled within before she put it in the oven and went to the sink to wash her hands from the chicken. The woman had already taken care of the vegetables and rice which were cooking on the stove top, so now they just had to wait.

She seemed excited at the prospect of him going to America with her and as she made the sign for travel he took it as the sign for moving. That was what he was technically asking her so he assumed that she was showing him how to say it. He knew that he would have to return to Japan near the end of his life cycle but he had no idea how long that was going to be and he decided that he wanted to spend as much time with Kimber as he could until that day came. He was not going to worry about things that could happen tomorrow or next week he was going to live in the here and now.

As he finished cleaning the chicken and prepping it he cleaned both of his blades and his hands before turning in the direction of the house with Kimber. Once inside the woman took the chicken from him and Kimber seemed to want to help with the cooking so she headed into the kitched which left Senshi alone for a time. Ge turned and walked back outside watching the children play and then looking up to the sky. It was a clash of colors all mixed together to form a beautiful evening sky which he simply stared at for a good few minutes.

Koutai jumped up to the middle of his back and climbed onto his shoulder before looking up as well and the two just stood in silence as they gazed upwards. A smile found its way to Senshi's face as he thought about how that silence seemed to natural and comfortable to him now. He had been dealing with it all night and now all day and it was something that he was finding to be enjoyable beyond words. Maybe it was because it was the fact that the silence came from Kimber that made it all the more beautiful or perhaps it gave him the chance to really think he did not know.

He picked up a piece of wood from the ground and smiled as he looked it over before moving to sit upon an old stump. Taking his dagger out he pressed it to the wood and began to shave pieces of the wood away slowly. He was absent of mind as he thought about his day and the time he was able to spend with the beautiful woman from another place. He also smirked as he thought about this evening and being with her in that room holding one another once more. The smirk turned into a full blown smile as he thought more about it.

Kimber finished working on the chicken, and the rice and vegetables were going. She sat down to enjoy the nice fire inside. Senshi was outside, and she knew that he was probably enjoying the sunlight while there was still some left. If he was part plant, or tree, or whatever she had no doubt that he needed that sort of thing. She on the other hand, had enough of the chilly weather outside and preferred to stay in the room for the time being.

The little girl had gone upstairs and brought down with her Kimber's violin case. Her eyes pleaded what her words could not say. Kimber could not help but smile as she pointed to one of the pillows on the floor and the little girl eagerly took a seat. Kimber smiled softly as she opened the case and she pulled out her violin listning it up to her shoulder again, as she had the night before.

She decided to do something a bit fun.

Nothing she herself had composed, which is what she normally played. She wanted to play something that the little one could dance too. They had seemed to enjoy that yesterday and she wanted to make sure that they had fond memories of her since she was impossing on them to stay here with Senshi while she was lost.

So she began to play a lively tune of which she could not remember the name of. The song was filled with light and laughter, and even though she herself had not written the song the feelings of love and happiness still filled the room as the little girl got up and began to dance around as she had the night before with Kimber's music.

She was laughing and dancing. Even the mother, who was cleaning the house and hanging yesterday's laundry close to the fire place to dry, was moving with a little bit of beat because of the music. Kimber was thankful that she could offer something to the women that were taking care of them like this.

When the song ended the little girl began chattering away to her mother about how she wanted to learn how to play beautiful music like the pretty lady. Kimber got up and put her violin away, and began to help the woman clean up from the day. Sweeping the days dust and dirt from the floor boards and swishing it outside so they wouldn't have to worry about it later. Dinner was almost ready by the smell of it.

As Kimber worked within the house all the children except for the little girl who lived within decided to run up to the samurai and start asking questions. He smiled to them all and answered them as quickly as he could and then asked them all to sit down while he spoke. He seemed to be teaching them in a class like structure as he picked up a stick and began to draw on the ground using the art of calligraphy to show them something. The kids looked as though they were bored with is until Senshi said something and the bigger of the boys stood up with his bokken (wooden sword) and seemed to ready himself for an attack.

The child came in with a slice and using just the stick the woodling made the same motion he did when he was drawing upon the ground. The boy lost a hold of his sword and it went flying into the air. Senshi caught it in his right hand and pointed it at the child's throat with a smile before flipping it and handing it back to him handle first. He spoke again after the clapping stopped and seemed to point from the doodle on the ground back to the stick that he was carrying to disarm the boy. He paired the children off and watched as they all started to practice.

For the first time Senshi's voice carried a hard and uncompromising tone as he drilled them and the children seemed only more determined each time he yelled at them. He would step between them when he saw an issue in the way they held the fake weapons and correct them with an explanation and a smile before going back to walking and drilling them. They were not born into the class of samurai but Senshi believed that it was better they learn to defend themselves then to look down on them over class or social standing. Everyone deserved to learn but only if they had a passion and drive for it.

Kimber was standing outside as she swept the house and sent everything out the door and he smiled to her brightly. He Yelled out to the children and they all stopped and turned to him. They bowed low and he returned the bow as they ran off in the direction of the city while he walked over to her. He reached both arms out and pulled her into a tight hug before kissing her cheek with a smile and nodding in the direction of the house. Making the sign for food he reached his hand down in an attempt to lock his fingers with hers and head inside for dinner.

It looked as though Senshi was holding a class. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him with the children. A hand of firmness and sweet at the same time. She could only imagine him being so with his own family. With his own children someday. She wondered, curiously, if he could even have children. Getting pregnant, was not something she had thought about the other night. If it was something that happened she would figure it out when it did.

Senshi called the children to stop, and they gave a bow. She smiled warmly watching him as he walked over to her. Without pause, she hugged him. Burrowing warmly into his taught hard chest. Feeling his arms envelop her and enjoying the way it felt as always to be curled into his arms. She found herself actually looking forward to the night time when they would be sleeping in the bed again. Arms around one another. Legs entertwined.

They headed inside for dinner, which the woman, who said her name was Yuki, short for something had already set the table. The little one, was waiting on her cushion patiently as the two took their own seats. As they all set down, nodded to one another, they began to eat. Tonight's fare was amazingly flavorful. The women were talking about the chicken and how the herbs had really seeped through the meat and Kimber promised to show Yuki how to do it. If she understood their crude communication properly.

As the dinner reached it's halfway point, there was a double knock on the door. Two small pieces of mail slid underneath the door. Since it was not Kimber's house, Yuki rose to get the mail. She read the one for Senshi, and saw the english on the other assuming it was for Kimber. She gave each one their post card.

Kimber took hers, and looked down. Firstly to see who it was from. There was no such return address on that side of the postcard. She looked over at the drawing, an old town, and what not. Then there was the writing, she began to read it and the room began to tilt, and to fade, her eyes paniced and sought out Senshi's. Wondering if this was how she was getting home. Or if, this was some sort of dark magic at work... she couldn't ask the question and soon the world was just a swirl of color.. as it faded.

Following Kimber into the house he couldn't help but hold her hand in his own and as the crossed the threshold of the door the smell of the food poured into his nostrils. He had never eaten like the rest of them did but he did smell things every day and the scent of what they cooked was perhaps one of the more pleasurable ones he had ever experienced however it ranked low on the list when compared to the scent of the woman who's hand he still held. A fast bond had formed between the two and he was more then happy for it as he had experienced more happiness in the past two days then he could ever recall.

Sitting down at the table with everyone he nodded his head as the customary glass of water was set before him and a pitcher for refills sat next to it. Once everyone began to dig into the food he lifted the glass and sipped from it happily while the three ladies spoke with one another. He remained silent through the discussion as he had come to enjoy the silence that Kimber had brought into his life and found that it gave him a kind of clarity that he had not experienced before. Everything seemed more serene now then it was when words were flung around carelessly and without though.

The woodling caught the sound of footsteps before the postcards had slipped under the door and into the room. He had drank his water normally but both he and Koutai were visibly ready for action upon catching the footsteps. Miyuki excused her self and went to the door to retrieve the items that had been slid under the door and Senshi focused on a gong that hung on the wall across from him. The image was blurry but he could see her moving in the direction of the door and his hand slid to rest upon the hilt of his sword.

When she moved back into the room he went back to his water as normal until a postcard was placed before both him and Kimber. He picked it up and read the words to himself and when he did he felt the tug of magical energies upon his body. He stood as the world began to melt around him and calmly rose to his feet while adjusting his blade to rest upon his right hip now for a faster draw. Reaching out his hand he took hold of Kimber's own and reality began to fade into a beautiful blend of colors.

He held her hand tightly enough that she would know that she was not alone as the world crumbled around them and took on the shape of a street and buildings. He watched as it was blurry but slowly began to come into focus around them and suddenly they stood near a sign and a bench within a world that seemed so real but was far to quiet to be the norm. His eyes looked about and the first thing he looked for was Kimber who was standing next to him and he smiled glad that she was okay.