Kikuyo carried the tray of freshly made breakfast down the hall. She had awaken from her slumber, as she did every morning, from the chest that resided at the furthest end of the minka. There, she manifested in her hinnagami form and grew into a far more human height as the sun rose.
A routine she had done for hundreds of years, and now, with the sons of her original master who had now been placed in her care, she continued the same pattern for a hundred plus more. One would see her as nothing more than a robot at this point. Her joints and body parts resembling that of a doll, but her younger masters; Mitsuaki, the eldest son, who inherited the mighty mountain from their late father, and Takaharu, the still, budding youngest son, view her as more.
Kikuyo felt warmth pool within her wooden chest as she pulled the partition door open.
"Today will be another morning where I serve the household dutifully. Young Master Takaharu is always extremely hungry when he first wakes up, so I made sure I cooked enough for three grown men this time!"
Kikuyo nose flared with pride at the thought.
"Young Master, I've arrived with your breakfast—"
Before Kikuyo knew it, her body moved already.
Kneeling at the side of Takaharu, she cradled him, her red eyes frantically scan all over him.
If only she was capable of shedding tears.
"Young Master?! What has happened?!"
There, the young faced boy laid unconscious upon the table, his back heaving rapidly. His usual light brown hair that faded into turquoise had been washed out. His fair skin, grey as hers if not more.
All of him was monochromatic. As if someone took an eraser and removed the color from each part of him.
She pressed the back of her wooden palm against his forehead.
He was deathly cold.
'I must retrieve the Master immediately, I've never seen something like this before! But.. I cannot leave the Young Master here on his own! I have to carry him!'
One would expect a hinnagami as old as Kikuyo to be gifted with the powers of ether, yet, hinnagami are only as powerful as the wish they are given.
Kikuyo could not be more worthless then the age old wood she was originally crafted from.
Regardless of this fact, Kikuyo, with creaking joints, slid Takaharu onto her back and rushed outside.
'Master is still at the Flowering Mansion, he will not be home until the afternoon. I will take the Young Master to the Old Man of the Lake, he will be able to care for the Young Master till I return home!'
Past the koi fish filled pond, the blooming hydrangea where that shy zashiki-warashi occasionally came out to say hi after fresh rain, and through the curved, tall blooming Sakura trees that fell gracefully upon the path, that is where Kikuyo creakily hurried down.
When the sakura trees ended, revealing large rocks and stones, a beautiful segway of small ponds that gathered together to lead to a massive lake. Gushing water reverberated.
"I can hear the waterfall! I'm getting close!"
There, the Old Man of the Lake came into view and Kikuyo eyes widened with hope.
"Lord Kunio! Please, Lord Kunio I request your assistance!!"
Kikuyo's foot slammed against a stone, the sound of her wood cracking, and she felt herself falling forwards. With the weight of Takaharu on her back and her momentum, there was no way she could catch herself.
She squeezed her eyes shut tight, bracing for impact.
Yet she felt only the embrace of moistness.
"Eh?! I was sure I was cracked for sure?"
"Kikuyo, little doll, are you alright?"
The gentle and warm voice made her open her eyes, she glanced up, realizing she was being supported by none other than Kunio.
He was far taller than her, as expected of an Dragonlord, and he was soaking wet. Kunio's neck long, deep blue and sea foam colored hair was against his face, the bangs parted slightly enough to match eyes with Kikuyo. She perked up at his rescue.
The Young Master always spoke of how kind the Old Man of the Lake was, if she was capable, she would flush at being able to experience the rumored treatment finally.
"Ah! You saved me! Thank you, Lord Kunio!"
Kunio smiled softly at her before his expression going serious, "Yes, though, you called out for me to help, is everything ok?"
He helped stabilize Kikuyo on her feet, his lower half sinking back into the lake, where a long, double finned tail peeked out from the glittering, clear water.
"Y-Y-Young Master Takaharu! Something is wrong with him!" Kikuyo revealed the mysterious, sickly state of the young boy.
Kunio facial expression remained the same, as if unphased, but he placed a finger to his chin as he contemplated the illness Takaharu was under.
"How bizarre, it's been a few years since I've seen such a thing. I believe there may be something sapping the Young Boy's life force." Kunio emerald, slit eyes then flickered up to Kikuyo. "Does Mitsuaki know of this situation?"
"N-No..". She answered in a low voice, "I am always to serve the Young Master first in the morning and.." Kikuyo looked down at her cracked, twisted wooden ankle.
Following her gaze, Kunio eyebrows raised at the sight of her injury, he then studied Kikuyo's expression. Her face, clear with worry, but no sight of a pained wince.
"It looks like she doesn't feel anything at all. I guess being a hinnagami comes in handy time to time. Though, she must have sustained the injury when she tripped earlier, despite it, she made sure to bring Young Boy Takaharu to me just so he's safe. What a devoted little doll."
The Old Man of the Lake let out a soft sigh, resting his chin in his palm and supporting his elbow with his other.
"Unfortunately, I am no Dragonlord of healing. I can temporarily fix your wooden crack, long enough for you to retrieve Mitsuaki and I will watch over the Young Boy. Ok?"
Kikuyo nodded her head. "I will retrieve wood for you if need be, Lord Kunio."
"There is no need." Kunio waved her offer away with his hand. "Come, let us do this quickly."
She obeyed his request, lifting her black dress up high enough to keep it from getting wet, Kikuyo stuck her cracked ankle out to Kunio. With a clawed hand, Kunio took a finger and poked it. A bright blue light emitted and the smell of fresh rain filled the air.
The blue light took on the shape of clay, molding itself into the crack of Kikuyo's ankle. As it entered, Kikuyo's broken, twisted ankle reversed itself. Returning to its original, fixed state.
She moved it around, flexing it and feeling it. Gazing upon it with awe.
"Its almost perfectly fixed! The power of Dragonlords are truly impressive…"
Before Kikuyo noticed, the Old Man of the Lake had already carefully placed the Young Master's sickly body onto a large stone within his lake.
She spotted what seemed to be a dozen or so iridescent, sparkling fishes that swam around the stone. He looked like a washed out dot amongst the brimming colors from the lake.
"Young Master told me that the Old Man of the Lake was a father to the fishes in the lake. Those must be his daughters.."
"Go ahead and retrieve Mitsuaki, I assure you the Young Boy is safe with my daughters and I, little doll."
Kikuyo mushed her lips together at the nickname. If only hinnagami's were capable of blushing. She gave a fervent nod of her head, bowed respectfully, and hurriedly turned the opposite direction in which she came. Kunio pushed himself away from the edge, flowing deeper into his lake and swimming towards the stone in which Takaharu rested atop of.
As he approached, the bubble popping noises of his daughters sung around him. They rosed to the top, squirting water from their mouths to make the squeaking, popping sounds. Noises of excitement or curiosity, likely chance of it being both.
They too, were eager to learn of what ailed their frequent visitor.
Kunio had been alive for a very long time, with that, he seen many things. He was called Old Man of the Lake not because he appeared as an elderly man (which he looked the furthest from), but because of his wisdom and longevity. Being around since the very first drop of water that touched Rukaba could have its perks.
Taking a web-clawed hand, he brushed a piece of his wet hair behind his sharp ear. Worry began to worm its way into his heart, the symptoms his favorite Yokoyama son had come down with was something that should not be around anymore.
Or perhaps, it was merely forgotten in its slumber.
Gently, he scooped one of his daughters from the water. She had been pushed to the surface by the rest of her grouping sisters, caressing her body that resembled a koi. All the beautiful hues amongst her scales had been absorbed. Left a vacant, ashen palette of life.
'What are the chances of it being who I think it is..'
He submerged her back into the water then glanced back at Takaharu's body, he watched as his side heaved up and down rapidly, the same rate as his daughter.
'That boy, Mitsuaki will not be happy about what has occur to his younger brother. Though it's the motivation needed to make him deal with this.. incident.'
Kunio felt himself sulk at the thought of hearing Mitsuaki go off in his poor ears. The boy had inherited the mountain from his late father but wanted none of the responsibility that came with it. The only time he ever got up and dealt with something was if it impeded him or his family.
It was excruciatingly annoying.
But, this person must have wanted his attention if they managed to get Takaharu involved. The question is, were they prepared to deal with the consequences of Mitsuaki?
Yes, dealing with Mitsuaki is almost always a consequence.
Kunio wondered as to how the hinnagami dealt with the boy who seemed to consecutively wake up on the wrong end of the bed, regardless to how well he may have slept before.
He tilted his head and wistfully looked up at the sky, a finger placed on his chin.
"At least I won't be on the short end of the stick this time."
He whistled lightly to himself, and melted back into the lake, waiting for Kikuyo's return.