ᴡɪɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴡs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴄʜɪᴍᴇs|| h. haganezuka

ⓒⓗⓐⓟⓣ.③|| 候鳥

The sweet smell of rain was what woke you up. It wasn't your phone's alarm or the symphony of an unknown forest, no it was a smell.

Rain brought you back to a more familiar place, it brought you back to stormy afternoons spent hunched over your computer, it brought you back to splashing puddles alone in a bright yellow raincoat and ugly little boots, or watching the fat droplets race down your car window during long road trips to places you didn't care about. The rain just seemed to remind you of home. It was persistent in a comforting way. No matter where you moved, lived, or stayed, the rain would always be there, eventually.

It was funny to think, that even now, after defying all senses of logic, with people you don't know, a place you've never been, the rain still pitter-pattered in its familiar song.

There, as the silent rapping against your window almost lulled you back to sleep, a soft knock sounded on the door. You thought to just get up and open it, but the fat cheeks of the pink mask stared at you from your little nightstand and you groaned as you fastened it to your face.

That woman from last night, Kiyoko you recalled, was standing with some breakfast in hand. She was speaking to you, probably a good morning or a greeting. You offered her back a "Good Morning Kiyoko! Thank you for the meal... and the nice place to sleep... and the clothes...". It didn't dawn on you how much she and Tadashi helped you out. You would still be debating on eating slugs if it weren't for the two of them, and it seemed like Tadashi put his neck out for you last night...

'I wonder what I can do to thank them.' You thought, as you set the food down and started eating. A simple porridge, yet it was still delicious. Surviving off of blue box mac n cheese for the past 3 months was torture.

Resigning yourself, you pulled your hair back and tied it away under a bandana, like how Tadashi had it when he first found you, strapped your mask back onto your face, and caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror tucked away in the corner of the small room.

Your clothes hung loosely to your frame, swaying as you moved, patterned with little pink checkered squares. The mask was a bit jarring in contrast, but all in all, you marveled at how comfortable you were.‌ Something was nagging at you, something familiar about the garb. You took a class on historical fashion, and the simple clothes reminded you of some pictures you saw in a book. "What period were they from?" you wondered aloud.

'Kinda weird the clothes they wear here are from an older period.'

As a small thanks, you wanted to completely clean after yourself, and return the dishes you used for breakfast. So you picked up the tray of dishes and headed out of your little room.

The inn started to truly come alive in the time since you woke up. People rushed around with baskets of laundry, food being carted toward rooms, and jovial conversation poured from every room. It made you smile. To think about all the life this one building has within it. It's like a real home.

It certainly made you look out of place as you awkwardly gripped the tray with your dirty dishes, second-guessing yourself at every turn (literally). You tried asking for help but your abysmal Japanese only got you curt responses and people outright ignoring you. So there you were, awkwardly twiddling your metaphorical fingers since your hands were full, as you stood in a dusty corner with a tray in your hand.

Truly a sight to behold.

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Kiyoko laughed a bit as she saw the nervous young lady's mental breakdown in progress. Truth be told she'd been watching her since she left her room, as a test of sorts. She appreciated the girl's enthusiasm at least, and although she had obvious navigational issues (seriously the kitchen was two doors down from the old servant's quarters), there was some potential here.

She approached the girl and offered to lead her to the kitchen, and after choking out a weird string of syllables, obliged and followed Kiyoko. It seemed like she was awe-struck, Kiyoko noted. Her eyes lingered at every turn, staring at cooks preparing meals, servants washing dishes, and the common busyness of the kitchen after the morning rush. Kiyoko liked that sparkle in her.

A servant took the tray from the girl's hands and Kiyoko took her arm.

"A proper tour is in order I‌ suppose, since by the looks of it you'll be staying with us after all," Kiyoko said to her, a confused tilt of her head gave Kiyoko all the indication that this language barrier nonsense will not do. "Ah, well we'll have to do something about that now, shall we?" and she held the young woman's hand and brought her out to the outside courtyard.

The rain lessened slightly too faint sprinkles then, and Kiyoko expertly weaved through the maze-like layout of the house. She stopped in front of a room that opened outside to a veranda, with bamboo flooring, cozy decorations, and most notable of all, bookshelves that lined every wall. There, in the middle, sat a low table with some pillows for seats. Kiyoko gestured to the girl to sit, which she did while staring at her as Kiyoko started to pull some books from her shelves. Kiyoko used to study here when she was younger, at a time when she was just starting to fit into the responsibilities she had. The mantle of 'Lady of the house' was a large one to fit in. It was here she learned how to balance ledgers and practice arithmetic, recalling the late nights and ink smudges of yer youth. She found a strange sense of nostalgia in seeing this young woman, who reminded her so much of herself, sit in the same spot as she once did.

Kiyoko sat and taught her some basic phrases for the rest of the morning, touching on greetings and some visual pointers. It's incredibly difficult to teach someone a new language, especially when you can't communicate otherwise, but this young woman.

Kiyoko could tell she was incredibly intelligent, at the very least a quick learner, and by noon the girl managed not only to repeat but understand some basic phrases. It was s but awkward, how the Japanese seemed to stumble through her thick accent but Kiyoko figured if she got this much in an afternoon she would be conversational in no time.

'Where ever she came from, whoever her family was must surely be missing her.' Kiyoko thought, and the selfish idea of keeping her flashed briefly throughout her mind. Kiyoko always wanted a daughter, maybe...

"I wonder how someone as bright as you managed to stumble here," she said. The village was abuzz with the new visitor. People actively avoided her for fear of her being a demon or flat-out ignored her. Resolving to whisper about her instead. Kiyoko was the only person to interact with her aside from Tadashi and Kotetsu, who mentioned that he would pop by this afternoon.

Suddenly, the young woman created a small commotion by the bookshelves, before racing towards Kiyoko with a book in her hands. It was one of Kiyoko's fathers, and it was written in a language from out west.‌‌ She seemed very excited by its contents and plopped herself down to continue reading and started taking notes.

The way her mind seemed to fly from place to place fascinated Kiyoko. One moment, absorbing all that Kiyoko has to teach her, the next jotting down notes, and ideas, all while silently observing her surroundings. Kiyoko saw every twitch, every small glance the girl gave to passersby, to the noises, the commotion of the bathhouse. Kiyoko was a perceptive woman. A skill that was refined by the crafting blade of age and experience.‌‌ The perception that saw itself reflected in the hunched form of this young woman. It did not escape Kiyoko's radar, that's for sure.

All with a mask, all without knowing Japanese.

Where did she come from?

Geniuses were common here. Intelligence and creativity oozed from every house, every person.‌‌ It was the inherently unique quality of the swordsmith village, and yet Kiyoko noticed this one was special. She wanted her to stay.‌

'Like a bird, a bird of passage.'

"Kouchou. From now on, as long as you stay with me, I will call you Kouchou."‌

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(a/n: this one was a doozy to get out, plans changed and my beta suggested that I slowed down the pace a bit so here is some Kiyoko buildup! I'm happy with how you can see the start of their relationship here, she makes me so happy. also, I refuse y/n, it is the devil and I will never put it anywhere near my work, but it's a bit exhausting to call you 'the girl' and 'the young woman' constantly, so you have now been nicknamed, congratulations. feel free to look up what the kanji means you smart bean, you :))