Inn owned by Midori. It is one of the best inns in town and offers single rooms up to suites. There are even bathes here.

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*Aki brought Hiaburi to the inn. A woman, not the owner, asked them what they wanted. Aki asked for a room with two beds and the woman showed them the way. She pointed that the baths were down the hallway and to ask her if they needed anything.*

*Aki shook his head and handed over the money for the room with a bit of a grumble.*

*The woman took the money and smiled.*

The woman stared at the mud Hiaburi was trailing across the inn's nice wooden floor, but her expression quickly went back to hospitable once aki handed her cold, hard yen.

"..." she looks down at her self, having long since ceased sobbing and having only a gentle ache inside she was now at the point where she realized that what she looked like was a street urchin.

"I should... really... really...really take a bath..."

"Exactly how do the baths here... work? I don't mean just the baths... the... arrangements too. Is it seperated by a wall? Where are towels?" she tries her best to be polite with the young-ish hostess.

Yes, they're seperated by a wall. Would you like me to help you. *She offered, though only out of politeness.*

Well, if you're going to help her, I'll just go get ready for bed. *He decided he'd go take a bath in the morning, he needed one as well, but sleep sounded better right now.*

o.O she quickly shook her head in a slightly overanimated fashion.

"No... no, I think I can handle it myself... arigatou," she bows to the woman and heads off to the woman's side of the bath where she proceeds to spend the next several minutes prying the mud/grime off her skin. Unfortunately I'll need some new clothes... these rags I... aquired are far beyond repair.

*Aki went into the room and took off his long coat. It fell to the ground with a clunk as he dropped it. He sighed. He so badly wanted to sleep, but didn't want to sleep before Hiab got back. How had she let herself get so bad? He couldn't help but feel that part of this was his fault. Had they stayed together so long ago...*

Once all the grime was totally off her skin and most of the mud was out of her hair (there were still little specs stuck in her hair... but she'd need a brush or comb and she didn't have any on hand) she toweled off and put her tattered clothes back on before finally returning to the room she'd seen aki enter into a few minutes earlier, she sees him standing near of the back of it with his eyes sleepily focused on the door as she comes in and slides it shut behind her.

She smirks for a moment. "I'm not your little sister... you don't have to wait up for me..." she didn't really mean it, but the situation was still far too embarassing for her to bear being honest.

*When he heard the door slide open his eyes came back into focus and he looked up at her.* Oh, I just wanted to make sure you made it back alright. *Aki kicked his boots off and made his way over to his bed.*

Hiaburi hesitates a moment then soft-walks up behind aki and lands a kiss on his left cheek before turning and curling up in her own bed.

"Aki... you should stop drinking," she mutters before her own exhaustion catches up with her and dreams slowly take over her vision as her breathing slows to a steady rhythm.

Try as she might she still sleeps with mostly nightmares and a few salty tears soak into her pillow. She is taken fully into unconciousness and in the back of her head... feels more secure somehow.

*Aki looked back at her and blushed slightly.* Maybe I'll stop drinking one of these days, but not soon. *He then noticed she was already asleep and sighed.* Good night. *Finally, he laid down in bed and closed his eyes. He had no dreams, he was too tired for them this night.*

She slowly shot immediately upright and jumped out of bed, the unfamiliar surroundings set off alarms in her head that she'd recently acquired during her long ordeal... her hands slipped into their opposide sleeves and came out with kunai in reverse-grips.

Where...

She was panicked, her eyes were darting all around the room and her emotions were overriding her common sense. She says aki stir in his bed out of the corner of her right eye and immediately jumped to her left several feet, turning towards him.

*Aki turned in his sleep, sighed, and continued sleeping. His breaths were soft and quiet. Purple hair stuck out in odd angles where his head had been laying on the pillow. The blankets were nearly completely off of him, as he'd kicked them off during the night.*

who...?

Her arms dropped to her side and she collapsed to her knees as she dropped her kunai. Hiaburi's head was spinning, her memories flashed back after a moment and she brought her hands to her face and sobbed at what she had been doing only seconds before.

If I hadn't been startled... I might have lunged at him... what then... would I have killed aki in his sleep without even knowing it...?

She collapsed forward, unable to keep herself upright, and continued to sob.

*Hiab and the kunai dropping to the ground seemed to be enough to wake the sleeping Akisu. He turned back over and his eyes openned. In the dim light he saw Hiab's form crying on the ground.* What's wrong?

*He sat up, pushing what was left of the covers off of himself and crawling across the floor over to her.*

She brought her moistened eyes up to meet his for a brief moment, but couldn't bring herself to tell him what had just almost happened.

I can't tell him... I've been through so many bad times with aki, I don't want him to think I'm dangerous... or ungrateful...

She did manage to bring herself closer to him, at a fairly slow crawl and continued to bawl in his lap for the time being.

*Aki patted her back as he sat there and let her cry on him. He looked from her, to a shape he saw out of the corner of his eye.*

*The kunai lay there on the ground near where Hiab had been. Aki could think of a few possibilites for why Hiab would have had her kunai out, none of which were good.*

Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help. *He spoke softly to her.*

"I..." Hiaburi was shaking now.

mustn't... tell him...

She shook more violently as her crying continued for violently for another fully minute before she told him in between much more measured, controlled sobs; "I... I was... startled... I was panicking... I think... I think I was going... to... hurt you..." she slowed her breathing and her faced relaxed, still in his lap, as the pathetic remnants of her sobs quietly petered off.

*Ah, so that explained why the kunai was out. He frowned a little and continued patting her back.*

Don't worry about it. You stopped yourself and that's what matters. I know what it's like to be on edge and have to worry about someone slitting your throat while you sleep. *He wondered if he might have to worry about that with her around.*

She just lay there for a short time, doing that sad hiccup so many people have after sobbing. And then she looked up at Aki.

...I... I don't want him... to... be afraid of me...

She reaches her arms around his waist and hugs him tightly as she quickly looks away from his gaze, the expression on his face bringing her discomfort all on its own.

"I.. don't want to do that... again..." she paused for several seconds before adding; "Aki."

*That made Aki frown even more. He didn't want Hiab to be afraid of being around him for fear of hurting him.*

I don't think you will. Just calm down. *The best way of figuring out what was wrong would be to figure out what had made Hiaburi act like this.*

What... what happened to you after we broke up? *Aki asked quietly.*

"I..."

She struggled with her memory for a moment and her head shook, sending her hair into her eyes.

"...just wandered around the city... I didn't eat or drink anything... I stopped by... our roof..."

She choked as she forced herself not to begin crying again.

"I broke down... and then I can't remember much after that... it just reminded me of rougher, but... more pleasant times..."

The old wolf entered the INN from the back door with a Daisho that wasen't his own and a pair of wounds bleeding through make shaft wraps from the Gi of a fallen Samurai. Kiyoshi cursed at himself for leaving the Mori no Miyakowithout his weapons and without Magena.

Looking around the place a little Kiyoshi realizes that he hasen't evr been inside this INN before. It must be the best public INN that he has ever laid sight on. After a short period of getting lost the old wolf could hear people comming from the next area.

"I'm sorry but I haven't seen a man like that."

"You better not be lieing to us, he has killed at least three of Moritsume-sama men already. If you are housing him we will burn this place to the ground!" The room fell silent and shortly after Kiyoshi could hear a group of men walking out of the INN and back into the streets.

The old wolf felt bad and knew he couldn't let anyone see that he was here. But the name Moritsume ecchoed in his mind, he knows he heard it somewhere before. He shrugged it off for now and did the best thing he could think of, search for medical warps, herbs and powders. After he finaly found them in one of the back rooms he girned and gave himself medical treatment stopping the bleeding completely.

Now to find someplace to rest He thought to himself as he grabed as many wraps and powders as he could fit inside a small brown bag he had found. When the bag was full he tied it to his belt. And when he went to open the door to leave the door slid open almost byitself.

On the other side of the Door was a one of the Maids that worked at the INN. The two glanced at each other for a second before she started to yell. "Thei~!" and then was silenced by a quick jerk to the back of the neck causing he to slup to the floor. Kiyoshi feld out the back entrence that he used to come in and vanished into the night.

Tsunami was dead tired. Tired of moving, tired of fighting, tired of running. Trudging down the street, she had told herself that she'd lay low for awhile, maybe get herself a decent job. She stood in the middle of the road, looking about, "Where to work, where to work..." She murmered outloud to herself, not loud enough for others to hear, however. They'd probably think she was crazy!.

Her aquamarine eyes settled on an inn. Eyes, moving up and down she studied it then a smile stretched her perfectly sculpted lips into a slow smile, "Perfect." She took two steps then stopped, her body stiffening. Blood was in the air. She looked about her, seeing no disturbance she was even more agitated. She followed her nose, forcing her raging instincts to run. Maybe they'd think she was responsible.

Nonsense, her reasonable side interjected, You had nothign to do with it. You've retired, right? Her walking became less mechanical and she moved towards the inn, it was comgin from that direction. At the back she spotted the unconcious girl and knelt next to her, toucching her neck. The girl stirred and groaned then was still.

"Poor girl, saw somethign you shouldn't have hmm?" She murmered sympathetically. She put up the cowl of her long coat, covering raven black hair, an angelic face, and slanted aquamarine eyes with oddly shaped pupils and scooped up the girl effortlessly. She needed to find the owner of the inn and inform him or her that this unconcious girl was behind their business...then she'd ask for a job.

*He closed his eyes and patted her back as he hugged her.* I'm sorry... *This was his fault, he was certain of it now. Part of him wondered if he should just go before hurting her more or actually try to help her through this, which might in the end hurt her even more.*

*Aki sighed. There were no easy answers and he was tempted to run away from the problem. It was something the younger Aki would have done, but now...* Let's talk about this later, you should get some sleep now. We both could use it.

She looked back at him, smiling somewhat happilly as a few tears made thin streaks down her cheeks.

"I... suppose you're right, Aki," she nodded once, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

She fell against him, long past the point of her endurance, unable to even remain concious... she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

*Aki held her for a moment until he was certain she was sleep. He then set her down on her bed and threw the covers over her. It brought up old happy memories, which only made him feel even more guilty about what had happened and had caused Hiab to be like this. He went back to his bed and stared up at the ceiling for awhile, lost in thought for some time before sleep finally took him.*

((Omg, you guys aren't dead! YAY!))

Tsunami pushed the door open and looked around. It was very quiet in teh inn, no one was about, "Hello?" She called, "Hello, is anyone here?" She set the girl down on a chair, "Is anyone alive...?" She muttered.

*Aki woke up a few hours later. It wasn't yet sunrise, but light could be seen off to the eastern horizon. He looked across the room, seeing Hiaburi still sleeping. That was good at least, she probably needed it more than he did.*

*Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep anytime soon, he got up as quietly as he could and wrote a little note for Hiab stating that he was going out for a small walk and would be back in an hour or two after sunrise with breakfast. He left the note on the table, then snuck out the door and out into the streets.*