Ink Stained

58: kyoto, day one*

京都市、一日目

She woke from a dreamless blank slate the next day to an incessant knocking on her door.

Groggily, she pushed herself up, bracing her arm behind her, blinking the sleep away. She stared at the crashing waves painted on the wall of her room as her blearily vision finally started to clear, wondering why the hell she was awake when her bones remained heavy with sleep.

She scrubbed a hand over her face as she yawned and called out, "Coming, I'm coming!"

The knocking finally stopped.

She grumbled to herself as she flopped back on her futon, blinking blearily up at the light fixed in the ceiling. She stretched herself as she lay down, the joints in her arms and legs creaking as she pushed them out to their limits. Then she forced herself to stand and stumbled over to the door, leaning heavily on it for three full seconds to gather her sleepy wits about her.

When she slid the door open, it was to reveal Shiori standing on the other side. She was dressed in comfortably loose skinny jeans she'd owned for more than a few years, Pai was sure, and a baggy dark pink and orange t-shirt that looked two sizes too big for her. She was bright-eyed and grinning toothily, entirely too lucid for Pai's liking.

"I'm still not used to seeing you with black hair." She informed her as soon as the door was open all the way.

"Neither am I," Pai grouched as she sagged on the wall again, blinking sleepy-eyed as she tried not to fall right back to sleep where she stood. "And my body is telling me it is too early for you to be knocking doors down."

"Now that's on you, not me."

"Whose phone were we watching anime on all night?" she shot back, narrowing her eyes.

Shiori gasped dramatically, hand over her heart in mock offence. "Nurarihyon would be disappointed in you, Pai-chan!"

"After or before Hagoromo Gitsune stabbed a hole through his chest to get at his heart? I am not sure I needed to see bloody before going to sleep, especially when I actually like the character."

Shiori laughed. "Okay, case in point."

"I thought so."

"He didn't die though."

"Beside the point. What time is it?"

"Six thirty." Shiori replied, still with the biggest smile on her face.

"Why," she groaned in despair. "Why are you waking me up so early?"

"One reason, one very good reason." Shiori replied as she skipped into her room and flopped down on the ground next to Pai's futon, splaying her legs and arms out as she grinned at the ceiling. Pai closed her door and followed her, laying herself out on her stomach on the futon. Her muscles went lax as she settled in again.

"Mm." She mumbled sleepily, eyes sliding closed as she laid her cheek on her pillow while facing Shiori. Maybe if she did her humming-at-the-appropriate-moments thing she could get away with falling asleep again. "What is it?"

"D'you want to go to the tree Hiyori ate the cherry fruit from thousands of years ago?"

Sleep? Sleep who?

Pai bolted upright and propped herself on her elbows as she blinked owlishly at Shiori. "Repeat that, please." There was no way she heard that right.

Shiori turned her head so that she was beaming at Pai.

"Do you want to go to the sakura tree Hiyori ate the cherry fruit from thousands of years ago? Oh yeah, that reminds me, I wanted to tell you that I won't be able to go out with your tomorrow because apparently I have to be there with Kouta and his father for the signing of the treaties, which is going to be boring as hell. Now that I am officially the Koki Sakura Hime, I should be there. Kouta told me just a couple of minutes ago, which is why I want to go there with you today because tomorrow – "