Starlight (Kojiro Nanjo)

Chapter Thirteen: On The Horizon

        Acting as Cherry's plus one meant dressing the part. After leaving the beach, the pink haired man brought the both of them back to the inn they would be staying at. There was a little bit of time to kill before he would have to be meeting with the the people responsible for him coming down. So, each of them took a shower to wash away the sweat of the beach. Hoshiko carefully brushed through her hair, noticing the kimono that Cherry had laid out for her; it was cute. White with black floral designs sprinkled about. She returned from the restroom feeling refreshed.

"A perfect fit." He complimented, sending her a sure smile as he patted the floor in front of him. "Come here. I'm going to tie your hair back."

Doing as instructed, Hoshiko took a seat in front of Cherry. Pushing all of her hair into the back so he had easier to access to it. He ran a couple fingers through the locks, collecting a couple of the locks before beginning to braid them. It was oddly comforting. Cherry was always so sure in his movements, like he never questioned anything he did. Always just knew it was the right thing. How wonderful that must've been.

"Something been wandering that mind of yours?" He prompted, breaking the silence between the two of them. "You've been acting a little out of the ordinary these last couple days. Not my fault, is it?"

"No, not at all." She couldn't help but chuckle at the implication. To him, her genuine response was reassuring. He really had felt guilty for leaving behind the other night. He hadn't expected Hoshiko to harbor any resent for it, that wasn't like her, but he couldn't help but worry. "Actually, sort of had a question. I guess."

"Is that all it is?" He hummed, fingers continuing to separate and tie together strands. "If I knew a simple question would help snap you back to reality, I would've answered it sooner. So what is it?"

"Has Joe always been like this?"

"Asking about the Gorilla, I see." Cherry replied, cracking a subtle smile she couldn't see. "Interesting."

"You know, forget it." Hoshiko stammered back, fidgeting anxiously with her fingers in her lap. Stuck helplessly waiting for Cherry to finish her hair before she could escape. "It doesn't matter much anyway."

"No, no. It's fine that you're asking." He nodded. "If by 'always like this', you mean; an idiot. Then, the short answer is yes."

"Very funny, Kaoru."

"Hoped you would think as much."

"Not sure it answers my question though, now does it?"

"Suppose not the way you were wanting it to." He continued. draping the lose braid over her shoulder. Showing off the finished product. "I meant what I said, he is definitely an idiot. So that means you'll have to make things blatantly obvious in order for him to understand. There is no picking up on hints with him. They all go over his big head."

"That why you're so cut throat with him all the time?"

"My patience with him ran thing a long time ago." He grumbled back, rising from the ground while holding a hand out to Hoshiko to help her get up as well. "Afraid we're running a little late. Perhaps we can continue this conversation another time?"

"Maybe." She hummed in response, taking his hand and slowly returning to her feet. "Thanks, Kaoru."

Making sure she appeared presentable, Hoshiko took one final look over in the mirror before following close behind Cherry's careful steps. Keeping her hands to her sides, she stayed silent while he conversed. He was receiving an abundance of appraisals, something she knew he no doubt had earned. Each of them had settled to their knees in front of the calligraphy piece he had so perfectly crafted for them. It read; "A true man loves the mountains. A wise man loves the sea. To each his own."