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31_days2010-03-20 11:30 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2010-03-20 11:30 pm
20 March/Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover/Twice the River 19/?
Title: Twice the River 19/?
Series: Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover
Day/Theme: 20 March/Running from every corner of this world and sky
Caught like fish in a net.
Touya paused to make a mental readjustment that the previous thought was not merely a Go manoeuvre but literal, after he, Shindou and Sai were standing on solid ground again. The contraption that had saved them from a long drop down the waterfall had disappeared, though Touya was unable to get the image of an oversize sieve out of his mind. He stamped on the grassy river bank a few times, not liking the way water had collected in his shoes.
"Are you okay, Touya?" Shindou asked.
"Touya-kun?" Sai followed.
"I'm fine," Touya said, realising with surprise that it was so. The weariness from the long climb down the cliff seemed to have been washed away in the time he was floating down the river. "How about you?"
"I'm all right," Sai said, then looked down uncomfortably at himself. "If still wet."
"Yeah!" Shindou said, shaking his hair out of his eyes, the blond hair in front that always made outsiders see him as a punk. His eyes brightened suddenly. "Hey, I've seen this on TV! What we should do, is find some branches from the trees"--he gestured as the nearby vegetation--"and start a campfire--"
"There will be no need for fires," someone else said.
The voice sounded like it came from an old man, but there was surprising vitality in it.
"Who's that?" Shindou asked, startled, turning his head this way and next to look for the speaker. "Touya, Sai, did you hear that?"
Touya nodded, and he glanced around as well.
"I heard that," Sai said.
Shindou blew out his breath. "I thought it was just me, hearing things. But who--"
"You mean me?"
A man came into view where, moments ago, he had not been there. He was dressed in tunic and pants, as some farmers in the countryside still did a century ago. He was barefoot. His hair was thinning and like his stubble, both were silvery-grey. Despite that, Touya noticed that his back was straight, and he moved with ease, like a young man rather than the old man he appeared to be. But far stranger than that was his face, which was thin and lined with wrinkles.
Touya had to admit to staring, and Shindou's mouth had fallen open.
Predictably, Shindou was the first to exclaim, "Kuwabara?" He collected himself a split second later, only to say, "I mean, Kuwabara-san?"
The old man did not answer, but instead said to them, "You will need no fire to make yourself comfortable again." And as he said, Touya noticed more water was dripping off him faster than ever, and in a few seconds even his shoes felt dry.
Shindou looked a little strange as his hair dried and tried to fluff up, while Sai's eyes grew rounder.
"Um, how did you do that?" Shindou asked. "And why do you look like--"
"And now I'm sure you would like to meet your friend." He pointed and Touya turned around to the nearest tree.
He was not surprised to see Ogino already standing under it--she had been ahead of them, after all--nor to find that she looked fresh and dry as she had been before the start of their entrance into this world. He was only surprised that for the first time since he had met Ogino-san, he saw her smile without strain, as she looked at the old man.
"Thank you for rescuing them," Ogino-san said with a deep bow.
"No thanks are necessary," the old man said. "I remember your help in the past with pleasure, when everyone ran from me as a stink god."
Ogino-san shook her head. "It was what I should do," he said.
He said to her, "I understand you are searching for the young one who has lost himself."
"Please, can you help me?" Ogino-san asked.
The old man said, "Part of his waters were diverted into mine, but it has been so long that nothing remains of him with me. You have come far, but you must seek further."
Touya thought he saw her shoulders slump at that, but only for a moment, for Ogino only nodded. "How?"
Instead of answering her immediately, the old man looked from her to Sai, Touya and Shindou. "So that's how you came here again," he said to them.
Sai glanced at Touya and Shindou, before he nodded. He said, "I hope we have not offended by doing so."
"Not while you're still in the game," the old man said.
There was a silence while Touya, and he was sure, Shindou as well, tried to make sense of that.
Sai, however, seemed to have no problem. "I understand you, sir. I know what to do." He then bowed to the old man, and after a startled glance at him, Shindou did so as well.
But the old man was already turning to Ogino-san. "The river here runs from every corner of the world and sky," he said to her. "Use that."
Series: Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover
Day/Theme: 20 March/Running from every corner of this world and sky
Caught like fish in a net.
Touya paused to make a mental readjustment that the previous thought was not merely a Go manoeuvre but literal, after he, Shindou and Sai were standing on solid ground again. The contraption that had saved them from a long drop down the waterfall had disappeared, though Touya was unable to get the image of an oversize sieve out of his mind. He stamped on the grassy river bank a few times, not liking the way water had collected in his shoes.
"Are you okay, Touya?" Shindou asked.
"Touya-kun?" Sai followed.
"I'm fine," Touya said, realising with surprise that it was so. The weariness from the long climb down the cliff seemed to have been washed away in the time he was floating down the river. "How about you?"
"I'm all right," Sai said, then looked down uncomfortably at himself. "If still wet."
"Yeah!" Shindou said, shaking his hair out of his eyes, the blond hair in front that always made outsiders see him as a punk. His eyes brightened suddenly. "Hey, I've seen this on TV! What we should do, is find some branches from the trees"--he gestured as the nearby vegetation--"and start a campfire--"
"There will be no need for fires," someone else said.
The voice sounded like it came from an old man, but there was surprising vitality in it.
"Who's that?" Shindou asked, startled, turning his head this way and next to look for the speaker. "Touya, Sai, did you hear that?"
Touya nodded, and he glanced around as well.
"I heard that," Sai said.
Shindou blew out his breath. "I thought it was just me, hearing things. But who--"
"You mean me?"
A man came into view where, moments ago, he had not been there. He was dressed in tunic and pants, as some farmers in the countryside still did a century ago. He was barefoot. His hair was thinning and like his stubble, both were silvery-grey. Despite that, Touya noticed that his back was straight, and he moved with ease, like a young man rather than the old man he appeared to be. But far stranger than that was his face, which was thin and lined with wrinkles.
Touya had to admit to staring, and Shindou's mouth had fallen open.
Predictably, Shindou was the first to exclaim, "Kuwabara?" He collected himself a split second later, only to say, "I mean, Kuwabara-san?"
The old man did not answer, but instead said to them, "You will need no fire to make yourself comfortable again." And as he said, Touya noticed more water was dripping off him faster than ever, and in a few seconds even his shoes felt dry.
Shindou looked a little strange as his hair dried and tried to fluff up, while Sai's eyes grew rounder.
"Um, how did you do that?" Shindou asked. "And why do you look like--"
"And now I'm sure you would like to meet your friend." He pointed and Touya turned around to the nearest tree.
He was not surprised to see Ogino already standing under it--she had been ahead of them, after all--nor to find that she looked fresh and dry as she had been before the start of their entrance into this world. He was only surprised that for the first time since he had met Ogino-san, he saw her smile without strain, as she looked at the old man.
"Thank you for rescuing them," Ogino-san said with a deep bow.
"No thanks are necessary," the old man said. "I remember your help in the past with pleasure, when everyone ran from me as a stink god."
Ogino-san shook her head. "It was what I should do," he said.
He said to her, "I understand you are searching for the young one who has lost himself."
"Please, can you help me?" Ogino-san asked.
The old man said, "Part of his waters were diverted into mine, but it has been so long that nothing remains of him with me. You have come far, but you must seek further."
Touya thought he saw her shoulders slump at that, but only for a moment, for Ogino only nodded. "How?"
Instead of answering her immediately, the old man looked from her to Sai, Touya and Shindou. "So that's how you came here again," he said to them.
Sai glanced at Touya and Shindou, before he nodded. He said, "I hope we have not offended by doing so."
"Not while you're still in the game," the old man said.
There was a silence while Touya, and he was sure, Shindou as well, tried to make sense of that.
Sai, however, seemed to have no problem. "I understand you, sir. I know what to do." He then bowed to the old man, and after a startled glance at him, Shindou did so as well.
But the old man was already turning to Ogino-san. "The river here runs from every corner of the world and sky," he said to her. "Use that."