Post by saki on Aug 27, 2010 11:56:27 GMT -5
Saki had just been evicted from yet another village that day. Forget that she had managed to save both the headman's wife from bleeding to death during her delivery and the baby - who had arrived quite early - she had youkai blood, so obviously she was planning on eating them for supper. It was all fine and dandy to have her there when the poor woman was all but on her deathbed and the doctor was no where to be found; that, of course, changed once she was no longer in danger. Her husband hadn't even thanked the hanyou! He had just said, "You best get out of here before the men get riled up." That thinly veiled threat alluded to that Saki's life would be in danger if she didn't leave. It was almost laughable that a mortal should threaten her. Not that she didn't bleed just like everyone else, but that he believed that they would be able to kill her.
But in the end she had left. The men twisted their hands around their weapons while the women shooed the children inside, all the while trying to sneak peeks at the hanyou. Some looked at her with fear, others with hatred, but their was one or two faces that had contained a mixture of pity and gratitude. Of course, those expressions had come from the headman's wife's dearest friends; everyone else seemed to have preferred the alternative. Before she had left, though, a young terrified maid asked her to slip into the other woman's room. Saki had acquiesced and gone to see the new mother. The woman had greeted her with cautious warmth and, babe clutched to her breast, thanked her again and again for her help. Saki modestly waved them, saying it was only what she should have done, causing the other woman to look quite puzzled. Saki didn't bother to explain it and left after that.
She set about wandering throughout the nearby forests, unsure of where to go. She had been hoping to be offered a soft bed and a warm meal in exchange for her services, but, of course, that hadn't happened. So she had scouted out a safe place to rest - the whole area ought to have been safe for few demons lived there - and, much to her delight, had found a hot spring. She weighed her options: Either she could eat first and then bathe; or she could bathe then eat. Her stomach growled angrily at her, so she opted for the first choice. She settled down some yards from the springs and arranged her few belongings she carried with her: A few scrolls, some ink and a brush. She liked to draw contours of objects; she was an abject failure at truly painting, yet she did it anyway. She pulled out a small bag and deposited some of its contents on her hand. Small plums fell onto her palm before rolling off onto the dirt. She hastily picked them up, then wiped them off before putting most back in the bag. She lifted one to her mouth and bit into it. It was delicious and sweet, and its juice ran down her chin. She rolled open a scroll with her free hand to reveal the lovely outline of a woman flying through the sky with her face turned toward the moon. Saki considered the inked sketch, trying to decide whether she should chance it and color it or leave it as it was.
In time, she finished off a couple plums followed by a few handfuls of a variety of berries. She also nibbled on some dry meat - what it was she wasn't certain - and in that time she decided the drawing was well-enough as it was. She rolled up the scroll then placed her belongings underneath a tree whose roots had created a sort of cavern beneath it. Saki stood and went over to the spring. The steam quickly made her uncomfortable; she undressed, placing her clothing carefully on some branches to keep dirt off of them. Naked with arms crossed over he torso, she gingerly waded into the spring. A sigh escaped her as she settled down on the soft bottom. It felt so good it was almost painful; her muscles began to unwind, allowing to fully relax. She leaned her head back on a rock and slid in deeper until her nose was barely above the surface. Her knees protruded from the water; her hair floated about her, glowing almost white in the light from the rising moon. The little red crescent on her forehead shown like a beacon; the pale skin and hair magnified its brilliant color.
She closed her eyes, thinking to herself that she could almost fall asleep like that. She wouldn't, for that would be asking for trouble, but she permitted herself to kind of doze, her attention splintering as she fought against sleep. Saki tried to think of where she should go next, but she kept getting distracted by thoughts of the headman's wife and her baby. She hoped they would been fine, and she had treated them to the best of her abilities, yet she worried that she had missed something critical, that the woman and the baby would still die. It brought about an oddly helpless feeling as well as guilty ones. She might have done what she could for the woman, but would it be enough? Saki supposed she'd never know.
It was always like this, the fear that someone she had helped would have done better without her interference. She was aware of her talent, knew she was a good midwife, but the doubts lingered. The fear of failure was an old friend to Saki, albeit an unwanted one. She couldn't get rid of it anymore than she can prevent the sun from rising. Saki sighed again and dipped her head underwater. When she came up her hair was plastered to her head. One clawed hand raked the hair away from her face before she leaned back onto the rock. She wrapped her hands around her waist and stared blankly ahead.
Words: 1024
Status: Open!
Tags: N/A
Notes: This was long -_-
