the first of many road trips
May. 7th, 2012 12:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shishou_xiiiDate: June 12, 2043
Time: Morning
Place: A village in Hunan province, a few hours drive from Xiangtan
Characters: Hiko, Kenshin
This person, this 'Shintaro' was supposed to have shown up nearly an hour ago. He was late. Hiko glanced down at his watch irritably, then shifted his weight against the wall to get more comfortable. At least he was in what passed for shade. This fact didn't stop the bead of sweat that trickled down his neck, disappearing into the collar of his shirt. It was hot already, and the haze on the horizon, filtering out the sun and only intensifying the humidity, promised even more heat before the day was done. There were times when Hiko sorely missed his home in the mountains, where the air was clean and it never got this thick and uncomfortable.
If only the pub was open this early. Apparently, the people in this village didn't believe in drinking before noon. So he made do, leaning against the wall of the pub, which so happened to be on the shady side of the narrow, dusty street. How convenient. An old lady stumped past, a basket full of herbs strapped to her back. She gave him a curious glance. Hiko narrowed his eyes in a glare, and the woman averted her gaze and picked up her pace. Why this village of nosey folk had been chosen was a mystery to Hiko. It was out of the way, yes, but as the morning dragged on, more people were going to be out and about.
The car he'd been issued was parked around the corner, fueled and ready to go. He still couldn't figure out why he was needed to babysit an assassin. As far as he knew, they were supposed to be quite capable of caring for themselves. Traveling alone, working alone, dying alone, if things went wrong. So why an escort? Xiangtan wasn't hard to find. It was well connected with roads and even some of the remaining railways. It wasn't a tiny berg like this little pit of hell in which he was waiting.
Hiko shifted his weight again, but realized with a grimace that that had been a mistake. Moving away from the nail poking him in the back, he repositioned himself against the wall to a less dangerous spot and crossed his arms over his chest. He squinted up at the hazy sky and wondered if it would rain. The pollution was thick even this far outside the city, and sometimes it was hard to tell the dirt in the air from the clouds. Rain would be nice, he decided. If nothing else, it would be a change.
Time: Morning
Place: A village in Hunan province, a few hours drive from Xiangtan
Characters: Hiko, Kenshin
This person, this 'Shintaro' was supposed to have shown up nearly an hour ago. He was late. Hiko glanced down at his watch irritably, then shifted his weight against the wall to get more comfortable. At least he was in what passed for shade. This fact didn't stop the bead of sweat that trickled down his neck, disappearing into the collar of his shirt. It was hot already, and the haze on the horizon, filtering out the sun and only intensifying the humidity, promised even more heat before the day was done. There were times when Hiko sorely missed his home in the mountains, where the air was clean and it never got this thick and uncomfortable.
If only the pub was open this early. Apparently, the people in this village didn't believe in drinking before noon. So he made do, leaning against the wall of the pub, which so happened to be on the shady side of the narrow, dusty street. How convenient. An old lady stumped past, a basket full of herbs strapped to her back. She gave him a curious glance. Hiko narrowed his eyes in a glare, and the woman averted her gaze and picked up her pace. Why this village of nosey folk had been chosen was a mystery to Hiko. It was out of the way, yes, but as the morning dragged on, more people were going to be out and about.
The car he'd been issued was parked around the corner, fueled and ready to go. He still couldn't figure out why he was needed to babysit an assassin. As far as he knew, they were supposed to be quite capable of caring for themselves. Traveling alone, working alone, dying alone, if things went wrong. So why an escort? Xiangtan wasn't hard to find. It was well connected with roads and even some of the remaining railways. It wasn't a tiny berg like this little pit of hell in which he was waiting.
Hiko shifted his weight again, but realized with a grimace that that had been a mistake. Moving away from the nail poking him in the back, he repositioned himself against the wall to a less dangerous spot and crossed his arms over his chest. He squinted up at the hazy sky and wondered if it would rain. The pollution was thick even this far outside the city, and sometimes it was hard to tell the dirt in the air from the clouds. Rain would be nice, he decided. If nothing else, it would be a change.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-09 04:02 am (UTC)That glare. That ki. Hiko blinked in surprise as he felt a wave of anger that certainly wasn't his own wash over him. Not his own, but familiar all the same. This kid was strong. He watched, both horrified and fascinated as leaves swirled around the little boy. So strong. What a goddamned waste.
A child. The government had sent him a child to escort to an assassination. Petty irritation over a lost hour was burned away in an instant by utter, complete rage. It was one thing to invite grown men into an experiment. He was capable of making an informed decision. A child? One so young couldn't hope to understand the implications of entering into such a program. He hadn't even understood the implications, not really. Not with the lack of information. He was fairly certain no one had known how it would turn out. He hoped not, at least. That hope, that he and his comrades hadn't been lured in like lambs to slaughter by a group who knew exactly what would happen kept him sane.
That hope died as he stared at the angry little boy approaching him. The scientists might have been ignorant of the consequences when he signed up for the program, but they knew now. Everyone involved knew. To use children… It was an atrocity Hiko could barely comprehend.
His voice rougher than he'd intended, Hiko called across the short distance, "Oi, you Shintaro?"
He watched a moment longer as the leaves swirled, pointedly ignoring the sheathed dagger in the kid's hand. The idiot didn't even have the sense to hide it. On what planet was using children a good idea? This one was all impulse and no common sense. "Quit showing off. We're late." Hiko closed the distance between them, intending to lead him to the car parked around the corner.