The Wings of Dreams

intelligent as well.
    “Whoa, I’d watch it if I were you.”
    Shushou literally jumped at the voice, casting a hasty look over her shoulder. A man wrapped in a poncho was standing there.
    “A bite from him is just as likely to take off your whole arm as the tips of your fingers.” In contrast to the words, though, an affable smile rose to his face.
    “Is this your kijuu. It’s a suugu, right?”
    The man looked to be in his early twenties, even younger when he smiled. His dress was a cut above the average, a good match for the suugu. “I’m impressed. You know what a suugu is.”
    A suugu, after all, was not the kind of kijuu that ordinary people saw everyday.
    “I like kijuu. Do suugu bite?”
    “Depends on the temperament. Not often, but I wouldn’t say never. Better to play it safe and keep your hands off.”
    “No petting?”
    The man smiled and knelt down next to the suugu. He put his arm around its neck and said with a nod, “Go ahead. You must really like kijuu.”
    “I really do,” Shushou said, stroking the suugu’s broad forehead. The hair was stiffer than it appeared.
    “I see. So that moukyoku is the young lady’s?”
    Shushou glanced at the man’s cheerful face. “No, he belongs to my master. His name is Hakuto.”
    The man laughed softly. “What an interesting girl. She introduces her kijuu before herself.”
    “What’s wrong with that? My name is Shushou.”
    “This guy is Seisai.”
    Shushou grinned. “That’s a neat name. What about yourself?”
    “I’m Rikou.”
    Looking into his bright, friendly face, a thought struck her. “Are you from around here?” She spied the bags next to the suugu. “No, probably not, considering your bags.”
    “I’m a traveler.”
    “Are you staying in this town?”
    “That was my intent.”
    “I have a request. You do seem a man of good character.”
    “Do I now?” He responded in a voice both curious and amused.
    She raised her upturned eyes to his. “My master needs this kijuu delivered right away, but the thought of finding an inn at this hour leaves me ill at ease. It would seem awfully strange for a small girl like me to show up with kijuu in tow. Last night, all the inns turned me away.”
    “How awful! No inn on a cold night like this?”
    “Yes, indeed. I slept in the crawl space of the cemetery shrine. Pretty pathetic, don’t you think?”
    Rikou’s eyes grew a little wider. “That’s crazy! Don’t you know that youma are popping up all over the place?”
    “But I didn’t have anyplace else to stay.”
    “You’re a gutsy young lady. What would you do if you were attacked by a youma?”
    “It hasn’t happened so far. I must be doing something right and haven’t done anything to jinx it.”
    “I don’t think that’s the actual problem here.”
    “Spending all my time worrying about it won’t accomplish anything. But if I keep on sleeping in cemeteries every night, my luck’s bound to run out.”
    “I wouldn’t disagree with you on that. How far are you going?”
    “Um, to Ken.”
    Rikou couldn’t hide his surprise. “You mean all the way to the Reiken Gate? That Ken?”
    “Yes.”
    “You really are testing your luck. By yourself?”
    “It’s what the job entails, so I don’t have a choice. You’re staying in an inn, right? You’ll need stables for your suugu, right? I don’t suppose I could accompany you? I’ll pay my half, of course.”
    “Eh?”
    “Um, well, I had a letter of introduction from my master introducing me as a servant in his household who’d been asked to deliver his moukyoku—so please set your suspicions aside—but I, um, lost it.”
    “You don’t say.”
    “In any case, if I had to turn back now, my master would give me an earful. He is a really scary man. There is no telling what awful fate might befall me. But without that letter of introduction, none of the inns will take me seriously. And so I find myself in a real bind. Please help me out.”
    “Huh,” Rikou said, regarding Shushou with unfeigned delight.
    “If not, if you simply cannot agree, then take Hakuto. I will sleep in the stables with him. And if that is not acceptable, I’ll do whatever—”
    Rikou suddenly laughed. “I understand. A simple enough request. How about I call you my traveling companion?”
    “Really? Thank you. I am much obliged.”
    Rikou grinned and nodded. He stood up. “We’d better get going before the city gates close.”
    “Yes, yes,” said Shushou, racing back to her