A Trip to Zipangu - Chapter 4

[Helios Leinheart]

I suppose I'll try to work on it tonight. A good amount of part 3 was done a long time ago.

[Helios Leinheart]

That's enough with the parts. I'm now treating this story with the respect it deserves. It is now officially my third continuous story project. So please enjoy chapter 3.

http://www.themonstermultiverse.com/for ... =534#p3491

Btw, awesome new format and chapter titles are awesome.

[Creator_Drake]

Very nice chap there, well-written and very flowing. Character interaction was superb, but more importantly, was believable.

[Helios Leinheart]

Very nice chap there, well-written and very flowing. Character interaction was superb, but more importantly, was believable.

Thank you muchly. Was there anything you weren't very fond of?

[Creator_Drake]

Besides the fact that I wish to read moar now?! lol jk. Nah, there isn't really much at this time, it's still only the third chap, and its pretty solid in make.

[revanwolff]

That is a great read makes me wish to high heaven that I was there. If anybody offered me some tickets to Zipangu I'll be heading there inside 2 hours or sooner. Anyway Great story can't wait to read more.

[Helios Leinheart]

I need a good (original) name for a harpy that is expecting chicks. The title of the next chapter is "The Warm Feathers of ..."

Anybody have any good suggestions?

[Creator_Drake]

Any defining traits of said expectant mother? Personality quirks and the like?

[Helios Leinheart]

Any defining traits of said expectant mother? Personality quirks and the like?

Let me just say some words that come to mind.

Gentle, soft, caring, softspoken, warm, mellow

That help?

[Creator_Drake]

Hmm.... well, I've got a couple here.

Tamiras

Kuusha

Namira

Shalora

Hope this helps at all. If none of them seem to fit for you, I can come up with more.

[Hood]

Gentle, soft, caring, softspoken, warm, mellow. That help?

Fluffy?

[revanwolff]

How about these names.

Aurora

Summer

Talia

Tamar

Tamia

Ruby

Harmony

Serenity

[Helios Leinheart]

Hmm.... well, I've got a couple here.

Tamiras

Kuusha

Namira

Shalora

Hope this helps at all. If none of them seem to fit for you, I can come up with more.

Oh, I like this one. The "sh" sound fits well and "Kuu" sounds cute. I'm really into auditory aesthetics, so I think this one works fine.

[Creator_Drake]

*pumps fist in air* ALRIGHT! That's awesome, glad you like it. Feel free to use any other names there, or if you need another set, just let me know.

[Helios Leinheart]

Sorry it took so long. In case I didn't already say, the harpy is a tribute to Feathers out of respect for the loss of his pet. Hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 4 - The Serene Village and Kuusha's Crisis

Spoiler: show

A Trip to Zipangu

A Story by: Helios Leinheart


Chapter 4 – The Serene Village and Kuusha's Crisis




There had been a couple occasions in the past where I had stayed in a hotel while on a business trip. For some reason, I never could sleep in a hotel. Whether it was because of the strange surroundings or my suspicion of the sweaty sins that had likely been committed on my bed, I never knew. But I can certainly tell you that I have become intimately familiar with many terrible late night television shows. Not for lack of trying. My brain just simply would not allow sleep to come when it knew I was in a hotel.

And yet, I had no issues with sleeping in the Fluffy Sheep Inn. For the entire night I slept soundly beneath a comforter that I could have sworn was hooked up to an electrical outlet. I awoke to the sensation of warm sun on my face and opened my eyes to see a beautiful blue sky looking down at me from the window. There were tiny specks of pollen floating through the air that was lit up by the sunbeam shining down on my bed. After a luxurious yawn, I turned over and discovered what was causing the comforting warmth. And it wasn't an electric blanket.

"Whoa!" I had shouted accidentally when I turned over and saw the wooly inn keeper laying next to me. The girl opened her eyes sleepily and looked up at me with a carefree smile.

"Good morning." she said drowsily.

“Good god woman! What are you doing in here?” I replied in a flustered fit. I hadn't been drinking the night before and I wasn't under the influence of any drug. How the hell had she gotten into my bed?

Please don't think I was being mean. It's just that when you wake up with a raging … ahem … completely natural morning event, you certainly wouldn't want some strange girl being there to see it.

“Oh dear. I'm so sorry. I was just checking the halls last night to make sure everything was alright and I heard you twisting and turning in your bed. I feared you were having a bad dream, so I used my fleece to calm you down. I guess I must have been so tired that I fell asleep in your bed.” she said with a gloved hand against her cheek.

I didn't have any recollection of having a bad dream at the time, but the twisting and turning she was speaking of might have been my natural aversion to hotels and such kicking in.

“What's so special about your fleece?” I asked curiously.

“I don't really know. It just puts people to sleep for some reason.” she replied just before she was overcome by a long yawn.

“That explains a lot.” I said as I fumbled to get out of the bed. After awkwardly asking the inn keeper to leave the room and silently locking the door behind her, I made my way towards what I had assumed to be the bathroom. And what a bathroom it was. There was no shower. Instead there was a large wooden basin carved out of the wall just like my bed. Running down the wall and ending in an opening at the bottom of the tub was a makeshift pipe. Running from the top of the wall down to the floor was a cord made of rope. I stripped down and approached the tub with confusion. It was unlike any setup I had ever seen.

“I guess...this?” I had muttered as I reached for the cord and gave it a jerk downwards. The cord gave and brought a gush of steaming hot water rushing through the open pipe and into the tub. The cord shook after a click came from above my head, stopping the flow of water. I pulled it again and more water entered the tub.

“Oh. It's like a pulley action pump. I get it.” I said, marveling at the ingenuity that didn't require a single watt of electricity. It was at that point that I realized. Zipangu wasn't behind the times in terms of technology. It was just a place where nature and engineering came together as one. A very noble notion I thought. The modern world could use a bit of that.

After I had bathed, brushed my teeth and changed into some jean shorts and a polo shirt, I exited the room and made my way downstairs into the main lobby. I wasn't sure if I should have expected Nasha to be waiting for me or not, but I wasn't surprised when I didn't see her in the lobby. She had likely moved on to her shrine without me.

“Oh well...” I mumbled with disappointment as I approached the inn keepers desk to see if she was around. Sure enough, there she was in her little carved out bed. Snoozing on her back with one of her hands over her head with the other resting on her stomach. No wonder she had an easy access bed right next to her desk. If not, she would have just ended up sleeping on the floor.

“Excuse me?” I said quietly. Honestly, I don't know why I bothered. She didn't even twitch from the sound of my voice. Suddenly, the shrill sound of a whistle broke the peaceful silence of the lobby and caused me to nearly jump out of my sandals.

“You can't be worried about being rude with her. She'll never hear you otherwise.” came the familiar voice of Nasha from across the room. I looked and saw her standing in the doorway that led to the dining room. Relief filled my soul as I laid eyes on the serpentine shrine maiden. Turns out she hadn't abandoned me after all.

“Oh, Nasha. Good morning.” I said, trying to hide the fact that I had been so bothered by the thought of her leaving me behind. The inn keeper had fully woken up and was looking up at us confusedly. I realized that I had forgotten about her and returned my attention to the desk.

“Sorry, I just wanted to ask if there was breakfast here.” I asked apologetically.

“Of course. Topaz is sleeping at the moment, but you are free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” the fluffy inn keeper replied kindly. I thanked her and quickly moved towards the kitchen so she could return to her beauty rest. Perhaps it was just me, but I thought I noticed Nasha become a little uneasy as I approached her. Yesterday she had been so kind and respectful, albeit with a slight wild side hiding within her. Today she seemed nervous. Like she was afraid to make eye contact.

“Hey. How are you?” I asked kindly. If she was still uncomfortable about Topaz's comment the night before, then I would have to try and help her try and forget it.

“I am well. Would you like to join me for breakfast?” she asked while keeping her eyes just slightly averted.

“Sounds good.” I replied, following her back into the dining room. We gathered some fixings for breakfast, including a loaf of bread, a jar of jam and some fruits from the kitchen. The food was pleasant enough, but I just couldn't take how uncomfortable it was to sit with Nasha and not have her say a word. Regardless, I kept my mouth shut and remained hopeful that patience would make everything better in due time.

“You are still welcome to come see my shrine if you wish.” Nasha said after we had finished our meal.

“Definitely. How far away is it?” I asked curiously. Nasha smiled and finally looked me square in the eyes. A great sign!

“It is a two day walk. One day to reach the karat mountain and another to scale it. There is a beautiful lake at the top where my shrine rests in the middle of. It is an astounding sight, but few venture there because of the long journey required.” Nasha explained. A two day walk didn't sound very appealing at first, but then I realized that it would be a great opportunity to see more of Zipangu and its fascinating citizens. And I definitely didn't have a problem with spending more time with Nasha.

“Are you still willing to accompany me?” she asked. No doubt she expected me to change my mind after hearing how far away it was.

“Even if I wasn't interested in seeing your shrine, I wouldn't let you travel that far by yourself.” I said. Perhaps a little more bold than was necessary, but it truly was how I felt.

“I appreciate that. Thank you James.” said Nasha with a respectful bow of her head.

It didn't take long for us to gather the things that we would need for the journey. Nasha took care of gathering food while I packed some clothes to take with me. I was curious why Nasha had collected such a small quantity of food, but she explained that nature would provide everything we would need for the trip. I was doubtful, but I didn't have any reason not to trust her. Zipangu was her home after all. Who was I to question her?

After packing my clothes into a small rucksack that Nasha had procured for me, we were ready to depart. I wasn't about to lug all of the things I had packed with me on a two day hike, so I asked the inn keeper if I would be able to leave them in my room. My worries were relieved when she said that it wouldn't be a problem at all. She waved goodbye with a mild mannered smile as me and Nasha approached the door.

“We must walk to the other end of the village to get on the right trail.” said Nasha as we stepped out of the inn and into the pleasantly warm air. Not a single cloud was in the sky and the breeze carried the smell of the ocean all the way to the village. A beautiful day for a walk.

“That's fine with me. I was hoping to see more of the village before we left.” I said. I was excited to see what other kinds of unique citizens inhabited the village.

And so Nasha acted as a tour guide while we made our way to the other end of the village. The village had such a lively atmosphere. Kind of like what you would see at a renascence fair. I saw a woman who was sewing a set of robes with very fine thread. Only the tread wasn't thread. It was silk that came from the abdomen of her bottom half, which was that of a green spider. I waved back at her when she looked up from her work and waved at me kindly, but Nasha hurried me along before I could do any more.

Further on, we passed by a street show that was surrounded by a crowd of cheering men and monster women. I looked at Nasha like a child asking for an expensive new toy. She sighed and allowed me to squeeze through the crowd so I could see what was going on. Once I got through, I saw a pair of what looked like female ninjas in matching purple suits and masks covering their mouths. One ninja was holding a series of kunai throwing knives in her hands while the other was holding a length of extremely thin metallic wire. I nearly swallowed my own tongue when out of nowhere, the ninja holding the knives threw one at her partner.

How silly I felt when I realized that it was all part of the show. The ninja with the metal wire maneuvered her hands with expert dexterity and before my eyes could even register what had happened, the kunai was hanging on the wire from a small loop on the handle.

“Now that is amazing.” I said out loud, not realizing that I had spoken way too soon. Turns out that what I had just seen was merely the preview. The two ninjas nodded their heads to each other to signal that they were ready to begin. The kunai wielding ninja reeled her arms back and started sending a constant barrage of kunais at her partner. I couldn't image what kind of training they had gone through to get so good. Every knife that was thrown quickly found itself dangling from the length of cord. I tried my best to catch the motions, but her hands simply moved too fast. She would twist and turn her body in a kind of dance while her arms moved gracefully and without any wasted motion. It was like watching a mesmerizing ballet.

After every knife had been thrown and caught on the wire, it was time for the grand finale. The ninja with the cord began to twirl it above her head like a lasso while her partner drew a katana sword from behind her back. The ninja with the cord then released one end and hurled all ten kunais at her partner in a straight line. Her partner whacked every knife out of the air with her sword, sending each one soaring into the air. Once all ten had been deflected, she threw her sword up into the air with them. I looked up and saw the knives coming back down between the two. Each one of them dug into the ground where they landed, ending with the sword which landed at the bottom of a shape. The shape of a heart formed out of knives.

I cheered loudly along with the crowd. Not even the most skilled circus performers could ever pull off a stunt as flawless and dangerous as what these two skilled beauties had just performed. The performers took a bow and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. I then felt Nasha's hand on my shoulder and understood that it was time to go.

There was so much that I wanted to stop and see, but Nasha kept reminding me that time was of the essence if we wanted to make it to a safe checkpoint by nightfall.

“Zipangu may seem like a peaceful place to you, but it does have its dangers. And those dangers often prefer to come out at night.” she explained while she pulled me away from a snowy faced woman who was showing off a collection of ice sculptures at a table. And I was so looking forward to asking her how she managed to keep them from melting in the direct sunlight.

“Not that I don't believe you, but what kind of dangers?” I asked curiously. Nasha shook her head.

“If you have a chance of getting through your time here without ever witnessing them, then I would just as soon prefer not to tell you.” she said respectfully. It was a response I could tolerate, but it really only made me wonder even more. After a few more minutes of walking, we found ourselves nearing the gates that led to the outside of the village. Just as we were about to cross the threshold into the wilds of Zipangu, a voice came from behind us that caused both of us to sigh in despair.

“Where ya goin?” came the familiar voice of the sexy fox, Firoa. I turned around and saw her in a new attire. She was wearing a set of orange robes that fit loosely on her body and allowed for much higher mobility than her tight china dress. The neck was widely cut and came dangerously close to slipping down over her heaving breasts. The sleeves and ankles of the robes were similarly cut, allowing the wind to easily find its way into her robes and causing it to flutter in the breeze. Naturally, there was a hole cut in the back of the robes to allow her fluffy tails room to expand.

“We are going to my shrine, and I'm afraid you are not invited.” Nasha huffed with her nose turned upwards at the fox. Was there some kind of natural hatred between snakes and foxes that I was unaware of? Or was it something else?

“Silly Nasha, I'm not interested in your crummy shrine. All I'm interested in is this handsome young man here.” Firoa said as she came closer. Her face was calm, but I had a feeling that there was anger rising with her. One spark and I would have to run to get clear of the blast radius. Either way, I figured it was time I finally said something. Nasha had been “fighting” my battles for me too much already.

“Ma'am, I have to ask. You're a very beautiful woman. So why are you so interested in me? In all honesty, I'm not much of a man.” I said truthfully.

Firoa studied me for a moment. Her eyes softened and she smiled warmly. She no longer appeared aloof and sexy. For at least one brief moment in time, she appeared to be compassionate. You know, instead of just passionate.

“We youko are renowned for our ability to see into the souls of men. You probably think that I'm just a lustful fox demon, but there's much more to my interest for you than just that. From the moment I saw you when you first arrived in Zipangu, I was smitten with everything about you. I know without a doubt that you are the only man for me, and I will not stop following you until you feel the same way.” said Firoa. She placed a hand on the side of my face and held it there while she spoke. Relaxing heat radiated from her hand. Like her feelings were traveling through her skin and into my own body.

“Firoa, I know for a fact that you said the exact same thing to the last man you set your sights on.” Nasha said with her arms crossed. I looked over at Nasha in wide eyed surprise and back at Firoa who was blushing fiercely. Had she really just...

“Whoops.” she said with a coquettish grin.

“Oh god. I can't believe I almost fell for that. Lets go Nasha.” I said as I returned to the shirohebi's side. We exited the village and walked down a dirt path with Firoa apologizing profusely while she followed stubbornly. We might not have been able to get rid of her, but at least we could ignore the trickster. A sly fox indeed.

***

“So Nasha, are there any others of your kind that live out here in the woods?” I asked while we walked next to a riverbed with trees on either side. The air was thick with the smell of pine trees and there was plenty of pollen floating around. I took a puff on my inhaler to help my breathing. It was a beautiful place, but that didn't change the fact that the air was murder on my asthma.

“My kind?” she asked with a grin. She must have known I was trying to be polite.

“Well, you know. People like you two.” I asked, pointing at her and Firoa. Firoa took the opportunity to answer.

“There are many uncivilized breeds that prowl at night, but there are plenty of docile dwellers as well.” said Firoa. It was then that I heard the sound of rustling grass and leaves coming from the woods. The trees were too thickly clustered for me to get a clear view.

“You hear that?” I asked, scanning the trees for what could be making the noise.

Before either Nasha or Firoa could respond, a strange girl with gray, fur covered limbs and odd yellow clothing burst from the trees and skidded to a halt in front of us. She had mouse-like ears and pointy buckteeth that jutted from her lip. A wormy tail waved behind her with a white and purple egg wrapped tightly in the coils. She appeared to be very surprised by our presence.

“Uhh...hi.” I said, raising my hand in greeting. I must have said something terrible in those two words, because the mouse girl leaped in shock and immediately bolted down the path that we had been taking. The egg bobbing lightly behind her. The way she ran on all fours and bounced her front and hind limbs up and down really reminded me of a real mouse.

With my attention diverted to the scampering mouse, I failed to see the mass of purple feathers charging directly at me from the trees. Apparently the creature didn't see me either, as I was quickly beset upon by the fluffiest battering ram in existence. It hit me so hard that both of us went tumbling into the quietly flowing river.

“James!” I heard Nasha shout from the riverside as I tried my best to get my bearings. Which was difficult, considering the squealing and flailing feathered girl that had her, what I assumed to be wings, wrapped around my neck in a panic.

“It's alright. Calm down.” I sputtered as I tried to swim back to the riverside. Thankfully we had floated down to an area where sand led from the water up to dry land. I kicked our way over to the sand until my feet met solid ground. It's difficult enough to stand when up when your clothes are soaking wet, but it's even more difficult when you're carrying a girl covered in wet feathers. At least she had calmed down a bit, though she was still extremely upset over something.

“Alright.” I muttered once we reached the grass. I laid the girl down and brushed off the numerous feathers that were stuck to my face and clothes. The poor girl looked so pitiful laying in the grass with her coat of feathers looking an utter mess. She looked up at me shyly while I tried to tidy myself up a bit. Nasha and Firoa came running down the path with worried looks on their faces.

“I'm fine. I'm fi...” I tried to say, but was interrupted when Firoa pounced on me and smooshed her enormous breasts against my face. She hugged me so tightly that I felt like an orange being squeezed for its juice.

“I was so worried.” Firoa said in a valiant, yet still unsuccessful attempt at sounding genuinely concerned. Thankfully Nasha stepped forward and pulled the clingy youko off of me so I could breath again. She then placed a hand under my chin and looked me directly in the eyes. The same way she had done on the plane when I had started to panic about it crashing. Under her ruby red stare, I felt my heart begin to calm down and my tenseness start to loosen.

“Are you alright?” she asked concernedly. With her, I believed it.

“I'm just fine, but I'm worried about her.” I replied, nodding my head at the still nervous looking bird girl.

“Well how about that. It's a harpy. I haven't seen one in quite some time.” said Firoa as she looked over the distressed girl. I walked over to the harpy and crouched down next to her.

“If you're concerned about running into me, you don't have to worry about it. Are you okay?” I asked her, offering my hand to help her up. The harpy looked at my hand and appeared hesitant, but she eventually took it and allowed me to hoist her up onto her clawed feet. She was surprisingly light. She must have inherited the extremely low bone density that most birds possess.

The girl remained silent, but then Nasha came up to me an put a hand on my shoulder. She then whispered into my ear.

“That mouse was carrying an egg in its tail. Do you think it might belong to her?” she said. It made sense, so I focused my attention back on the harpy.

“You wouldn't happen to be missing an egg would you?” I asked softly. With that, the harpy eyes instantly began to swell with tears. She lunged forward and threw her wings around my chest. She buried her face in my chest and started crying into my shirt. She had a high pitched voice that sounded like squeaking as she sobbed. I was initially surprised, but I eventually put one of my hands on her head and patted it comfortingly. The poor girl.

“Hey, it's alright. We'll get it back for you.” I said cheerfully. The harpy looked up into my face with surprise.

“We saw were that mouse went. You just wait here and we'll get it back. How about it? We have time to help her out don't we?” I asked Nasha and Firoa. While Nasha still appeared to have her reservations about not reaching the safety of the mountain in time, she still nodded her head in agreement. Even Firoa, whom I never imagined would ever be interested in anything other than bed-top sports, agreed to help.

“Umm...” the harpy murmured shyly just before we could start our search.

“Yes?” I asked.

“I'm...Kuusha. Thank you for helping me.” she said quietly with her eyes averted. She really was quite the shy one.

“Nice to meet you. We'll introduce ourselves when we get back.” I said before turning to run in the direction that the mouse had fled.

“Do not fret. We shall return with your offspring soon.” said Nasha confidently with a wave of her hand before she followed behind. She could move surprisingly fast for somebody with coils instead of legs.

“I don't suppose we'll get a reward for this?” Firoa asked as she dashed after us with the speed of a nimble fox.

[DogKama]

haha Firoa. The jester she'll always be XD

[Helios Leinheart]

I'm not surprised that my post on the other site recieved no replies. They don't give a shit anymore. But here, I am extremely dissapointed that there haven't been any replies. Extremely dissapointed indeed.

It takes weeks to write this stuff. It takes you less than five minutes to leave a constructive response.

[Feathers]

I've been on vacation and was taking a break (I spent at least 70% of it hanging/working on TMM for 15 hrs a day though). I will read this of course now that I'm back plus continue working on your Spotlight. Thank you for making this. ^^

(I will edit this post after I finish reading)

EDIT: For one I like the idea of fluffy innkeepers, nice way to get a guaranteed night's rest without having to worry about being raped since she watches your back..and other things..heh

Admittedly the story didn't pick up for me till I saw Kuusha (for obvious reasons) join the plot. I wonder what's up with that (dirty stinking thieving) mouse and why it would steal a harpy egg? REALLY good idea giving special detail on the egg, I never thought of that before! I wonder if the egg is fertilized or not? Maybe she is just pretending it is because she's lonely? Kuusha seems sweet so far, I'm just dying to see more of her dialogue!

Thanks for the tribute man it picked up my bad day.

[Helios Leinheart]

The original concept for Kuusha's appearance was going to be much different. She was trying a build a nest and was having issues. I wasn't feeling it so I came up with a crisis that had to be dealt with, along with a new personality for Kuusha.

Sorry that there wasn't very much harpy in this chapter. She should be the focus of the next.

[Vendettadabeast]

just finally read the whole story up to the latest update, and i love it,the character i like the most (so far) is Firoa. She i like how much of a trickster she is and that she tries any sly method to get James. Its always funny with her and Nasha's lamia jealousy kicking in everytime she comes near him.

i rarely get to read any of the new fics now a days and i have to catch up on ones i haven't read in a while, so i was glad i was able to catch this one.