*Bump*
Shiro winced as the cart lurched once more on their rogue walk along the road. He rotated his shoulder to adjust his gripping upon the handle of the cart as he kept moving forward.
*Crunch* *Snap*
Beneath them, loose branches broke under their feet, and the leaves performed a symphony of noises worthy of a chorus.
Besides him, the man looked better than he was. Ryūchirō seemed like he could go another 10 miles, not even looking the slightest in exhaustion.
As the silence of the two men got the better of him, Ryūchirō broke the silence.
"So… Shiro? Where do you live?"
Shiro caught his breath as he formed out some words.
"I live on the Coast in the Bay area. I used to live with my relatives in Ayase before my family moved to get closer to my other relatives in the States I guess.."
Ryūchirō looked at him confusingly as he tilted his head.
Apologies, but I've never heard of these places before…"
Shiro gaped at him in shock. "Never heard? Goddamn. Either that guy dropped me off pretty goddamn far away or this guy is just really isolated from the real world…"
The exchange was short as he looked away quickly. Silence fell once more, letting the sound of the cart and distant animals travel its ways towards his ears.
. . .
*Huff* *Huff*
After a period of time, Shiro was about to collapse. His body's injuries may be nonexistent, but it didn't mean that he wasn't exhausted. Currently, Shiro felt like he was dying.
His shoulder ached and his arms felt like lead, but he managed to form out a coherent sentence.
"How much further?" he gasped.
Ryūchirō chuckled amusingly.
"Don't worry, we're almost there." He glanced at Shiro and smirked. "For a traveler, you don't seem to be in top condition right now…"
*Huff* *Wheeze*
Ryūchirō sighed and stopped. Shiro nearly stumbled forward as he caught himself just in time. As he looked at the man in the kimono with confusion on his face, the man waved his hand at Shiro.
"I'll drag the cart the rest of the way. You seem exhausted, so it's wrong for me to push you like this."
!!!
Shiro nearly fell to his knees and worshipped the man. A few minutes and he would've been a cold corpse on the ground. Later, his tombstone would have had the description: "Died because he was a weak bum and couldn't drag a cart."
He bowed at the man and earnestly spoke. "Thank you."
Ryūchirō adjusted his straw hat and grabbed the other end of the cart and pulled. Soon, it was only the rugged man pulling the cart while Shiro trudged on the dirt next to the man.
Time passed once more and finally, in the distance, a house came into view.
From the chimney, a pillar of smoke rose out and faded within the sky. Shoji doors covered its front while the windows were wide open letting the sound of laughter seep out.
As Shiro and Ryūchirō approached it, a small head popped out the window. The child's face brightened and retreated back into the house. Soon, two children pulled the Shoji door to the side and ran towards them.
Shiro stopped and held his knees while the man next to him slowly set the cart down. Ryūchirō smiled and knelt, opening his arms to let the little critters jump into his arms.
"Papa!" "Your back!"
As they laughed within his arms, Shiro took in their appearances.
One of the children was a little girl, who wore a small purple kimono and sported a hair ornament which bundled her hair neatly in a small bun. Next to her, a boy laughed within Ryūchirō's arms as he also had the same style of clothing as his father. Small straw hat, ruggedy Kimono, and even dirty pants.
Shiro blankly stared at the children as he looked towards the entrance of the house. A woman stood leaning on a wooden support of the house as she crossed her arms within her long sleeves and stared amusingly at the scene. She wore a spotted brown and yellow kimono while wearing a Kappōgi which covered her hair.
Ryūchirō gave each of his children a small noogie, earning a wave of giggling from the kids. He stood up as his wife approached him.
"So… Who's this?"
Ryūchirō gave her a small kiss on the cheek and glanced at Shiro. The children sported looks of curiosity as they stared at him with their small beady eyes.
"This is Shiro. He's a traveler from a distant land who got lost. I led him here so he can get to the village next to us."
The women smiled.
"I see."
The children took their friendliness as a cue to approach the tired boy.
They grinned brightly and collectively spoke over each other.
"Hi mister!" "Hello mister!" "You look terrible!" "Why were you lost?" "Those are some strange clothes!" "Why are your pants ripped? "
Shiro flinched as the children nearly sprouted furry tails and wagged them. They eagerly spread their eyes wider while their smiles spread in fascination, nearing closer and closer to him.
He gently coughed and stepped back. He looked towards wife and husband who had looks of amusement on their faces. He brought a fist to his mouth and lightly coughed.
"Hello. I assume your Ryūchirō's family? I was on my way to…
"...."
*Ahem*
"I was on my way when I seemed to have lost my sense of direction. Just like he said, I met Ryūchirō and he was kind enough to direct me towards the nearest village and led me to his house as a guide."
The women nodded and approached the children to hold them back from launching at him. "Apologies for their behavior… I am Ryūchirō's wife Haganezuka Myumin.
These are our children: Hagenezuke Myūchirō and Kyumin."
"Hi!" "Hello there!"
Shiro nodded, unknowingly taking another step back from the sunshine radiating out of the small kids.
"Say.. you guys wouldn't happen to have a phone would you? It would make my time much easier rather than traveling to the nearest village."
?
4 heads tilted in confusion.
"Pone?"
Shiro: "...."
The boy clutched his head in exhaustion and murmured. "Never mind."
Myumin glanced at Ryūchirō and nudged his arm. In return, the man gave his wife a look of confusion.
She glanced at the house and back at Shiro.
"Oh!"
Ryūchirō nodded and gestured towards Shiro who brought his attention back towards him.
"If you're not in a hurry, you're more than welcome to stay here for the night. We have plenty of room for a guest."
Shiro widened his eyes and shook his hands.
"Oh no! I can't afford to bother you further even after you helped me! I will go on by myself."
"Are you sure? Myumin clutched her hands to her chest worriedly and glanced towards the sky. "It is getting pretty late…"
The boy paused and glanced at the sky. Sure enough, the sun was beginning to set.
"...."
"..On… Second thought, I can't afford to refuse such a gesture of hospitality. I accept your polite invitation."
Myumin giggled and gestured towards the house.
"If it doesn't bother you…. You can help me cook."
The children brightly grinned at him and retreated back into the household, dragging their father amidst playful protests from the man.
Shiro sighed as one end of his lips slightly curved upwards.
"This family is quite a handful…"
Before he followed them into the house, Shiro paused for a moment.
A thought passed by his head as he glanced at their clothes one more time. The wooden house styled in Japanese architecture, the cart fitting that of a farmer, and the colorful trees that stood out from the world he knew.
Shiro glanced at the sky as the sun set in the horizon.
A voice spoke out from the house.
"You coming Shiro?"
"....."
"Yeah. Coming."
He sighed and walked towards the opened Shoji door.
"I don't think I'm getting that phone call…"