[Kino/Jing] Fool's Gold :: Chapter I
Title: Fool's Gold
Fandom: King of Bandits Jing/Kino no Tabi
Author: inksmears
Word Count: 1,954
Rating: PG
Summary: I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason.
Author's Notes: This fic is pretty old, but I decided to try and finish it. Touched up the first chapter and BAM. ... idk I haven't tried writing anything in forever that wasn't original or The Twelve Kingdoms. lulz.
There was no time to welcome travelers into this country. There were priceless artifacts and ancient treasures that needed protecting. There was gold to polish and stone to whitewash. In this country, there was always something to do and always treasures to take care of. This was, after all, the Country of Gold and it got its name for a reason. In this single town alone, all the greatest treasure had gathered here from all over the world. So as you can imagine, security was extremely tight and the people were suspicious of every new face that walked through the gates.
Kino discovered this first hand, for upon coming down the road towards the gates she was quickly pulled aside and forced to undergo a rigorous screening process. They asked her so many questions that Kino wondered if she would get inside before sunset. Luckily, she was released after about an hour and half, and it only took that long because she had to reassure them her weapons were only for self-defense purposes. When the gates finally swung open to let her pass, Kino just wanted to go to bed.
"What took so long?" Hermes demanded as Kino wheeled the motorrad onto the cobblestone street.
"They were making sure I wasn't a thief," Kino replied. "I guess better safe than sorry."
"They can't stop a thief from thieving," Hermes snorted. "A tiger can't change its spots."
Kino paused for several seconds. "You mean a leopard?"
"That's what I said."
As they pushed towards the center of town, there was suddenly a tremendous uproar. Kino stopped at the sight of a giant crowd gathered around a fountain. At the top of the fountain stood a tall and skinny man in fine clothing and a top hat almost as tall as him. His nose was long and crooked, at the end of which sat a small pair of half moon shaped glasses. He was holding up a lengthy scroll and shaking it furiously at the chattering crowd.
"This is an absolute outrage! We will not stand for theft in this city, you hear me?! Henceforth, the gates will remain closed and locked until we find the one responsible! No one will be allowed in or out!"
The crowd's chattering grew louder and angrier in protest. The man gave the crowd a stern look and waved the scroll at them again. "That's final!"
"Uh-oh, Kino," Hermes chimed in over the roaring crowd. "What if it takes longer than three days to find the thief?"
"Dunno," Kino replied, turning Hermes left to avoid the mob. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"I guess their screening process isn't as good as they wish."
Kino and Hermes made their way down a long road until they reached the end of it where a giant building stood. It was clearly ancient on the outside, but the inside was kept nice and clean. The floors were made of polished wood and the atmosphere was very homely. Kino couldn't help but smile as they entered, looking around with content. It was a very nice inn. As she approached the desk, a door near by opened and an old man with a long, white beard and a hunched back stumbled out. His cane bumped into Kino's leg, causing them both to stop.
"Oh, sorry," Kino apologized.
She couldn't see the old man's face as the white hood of his clothing covered it. The man didn't reply, merely waved his hand at her in a dismissive manner and limped by towards the door. Kino watched him leave over her shoulder with an oddly blank expression.
"Can I help you?" the woman at the desk interrupted.
Kino turned her attention back to her and nodded. "We'd like to stay for three days, please."
"I'm sorry, but the gates are closed now and we have no idea when they'll open. It might be best to book for a little longer than that."
Kino smiled. "Three days is fine."
The woman hesitated, but nodded and gave Kino a book to sign her name in. After paying for the room, Kino and Hermes entered. It was just as homely as the rest of the inn and although small, it had a fireplace on one end and a fairly large bed at the other. A large window with billowing curtains overlooked the back end of the city, which spilled out into a sea of green hills. The sun was setting by now, so the hills were colored in shades of orange and yellow.
Satisfied, Kino propped Hermes up near the fire and removed her coat. After her nightly ritual of getting food and admiring the scenery, Kino went to bed. That morning just before the sun rose, Kino kept to her ritual of practicing her drawing. Aiming at her reflection at the window, Kino placed her gun in its holster and then pulled it back out instantly. Back and forth she did this until the sun could just be seen rising on the horizon.
"Are we going to explore the city today?" Hermes piped up once Kino had placed her gun away for good.
"Well… yes and no," Kino replied. She slipped on her coat and took Hermes by the handlebars. "I thought maybe we should look for that thief."
"Huh? Why?"
Kino left the room, giving a nod towards the woman at the desk as they passed. She gave them a small smile as they passed through the door and back into the street.
"Kino, why are we looking for the thief?" Hermes pressed. "That's really not like you."
Kino looked around, scanning the various people milling around. Hermes got the sense she was looking for something specific. The thief? Or maybe something else? The motorrad was annoyed either way because she was ignoring him. They continued down the street and as they rounded the corner, they came face to face with the old man from the other day.
Kino smiled. "Hello again."
The man didn't say anything, merely moved to walk around the two travelers. In a subtle motion, Kino's foot shot out into the old man's path right as he was passing. In an equally swift movement, the man dodged it. He moved much too quickly for a man his age and the limp he was walking with disappeared for a split second. Kino smiled again and turned around, facing the man's back.
"I thought so."
The man suddenly straightened and the hump on his back moved down, revealing it to be a black bird with a red bandanna. The bird shook himself, grumbling under his breath. The old man turned and, unsurprising to Kino, wasn't an old man at all. His face was youthful and his gray eyes shone with a mischievous twinkle. The eyes of a thief, Kino decided.
"Jing, what the hell?" the bird complained, fluttering up to perch on the boy's shoulder.
"That bird talked!" Hermes exclaimed. "It reminds me of that dog."
Kir blinked from his perch. "What? Hey, who said that?"
"You're observant," Jing said, returning Kino's smile.
"It was a good disguise," Kino chuckled. "And I suppose otherwise I wouldn't have noticed, but… I can't leave until you return what you stole."
"It's not nice to label people like that."
Kino paused, looking thoughtful. "I can't imagine any other reason you'd be wandering around in such an elaborate disguise. Can you?"
"I suppose not."
A loud cry rose up from across the street. Kino and Jing turned at the same time as a great explosion of smoke shot outward from one of the buildings. Kino recognized the building as one of the storage places for the treasure here. It had been featured in the travel book in her room. The distraction was exactly what Jing needed. The smoke fanned out across the street, quickly hindering all visibility. Kino quickly pulled the collar of her coat across her nose and mouth, closing her eyes against the stinging smoke.
Jing ducked, reaching up to hold Kir on his shoulder in case the albatross lost his hold in the confusion. Quickly the bandit ducked into the nearest alley, moving quickly to the very end. He stopped at a four-way intersection and let out a small sigh. Kir coughed loudly on his shoulder.
"Oi, what the hell was that?" Kir complained.
Jing pulled off the white sheet and the albatross landed on top of a nearby stack of boxes. He ruffled his dark feathers in irritation.
"That wasn't our trap, was it?"
Jing rolled up the white cloak and discarded it in a near by trashcan. "I think we've been upstaged, Kir."
"Whaaaaat? No way! I can't believe anyone else got that treasure before us."
"I wonder…"
The thief began down the alley, tucking his hands into his pockets as he went. Kir flew after him after a moment of hesitation, wondering what his partner was thinking.
"That guy blew our cover anyway," He scowled. "Now what? They'll catch us!"
"Patience, Kir. Something weird is going on here. We're going to have to find out what if we want to get out hands on that treasure."
Kir gave an exasperated sigh and settled onto Jing's shoulder as he stepped back onto the streets. No one was paying attention, so he slipped out and down the sidewalk completely unnoticed.
"What a pain," the albatross grumbled.
When the smoke had cleared Kino found that the boy she had been facing was gone and the streets were crowded with people running both away and towards the building. Remnants of the smoke still spread across the town but it was no longer so unbearable. Kino coughed and blinked as she noticed the windows of the storehouse had all been shattered from the force. Police officers were frantically running about, trying to control the crowd and assess the damage.
"Kino, how are we going to leave in three days? At this rate we'll be stuck in this country forever."
Kino gripped Hermes' handlebars and backtracked her steps, turning the motorbike around to find a different route to tour the city.
"I guess we'll have to use our two days to find the thief, then," Kino replied.
"You can't just find thieves."
"No? Just keep your eyes peeled."
Once they were clear of the crowd, she mounted the bike. Pulling down her goggles, Kino took one last glance at the panicking crowd. Then with a kick the engine roared to life and she headed down the road before them at an ease pace.
"We can always sneak out like a thief," Kino suggested.
"I think they'd hear us."
"You're right. I'll have to leave you behind."
"Kino!"
Kino laughed. Inwardly, however, she was debating with herself. She didn't get involved in the business of the countries she visited. But this felt different somehow. It was almost like a sensation of being tugged in a certain direction. She had no words to describe it, only the keen awareness that she had to follow it. Gripping the handlebars, she sped up slightly.
"Where are we going?" Hermes finally asked.
"The museum," Kino replied. "Let's play detective, Hermes."
The motorrad wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, honestly. He always thought Kino was smart but she was only human. He sighed. "You're way too old to be playing pretend."
Fandom: King of Bandits Jing/Kino no Tabi
Author: inksmears
Word Count: 1,954
Rating: PG
Summary: I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason.
Author's Notes: This fic is pretty old, but I decided to try and finish it. Touched up the first chapter and BAM. ... idk I haven't tried writing anything in forever that wasn't original or The Twelve Kingdoms. lulz.
There was no time to welcome travelers into this country. There were priceless artifacts and ancient treasures that needed protecting. There was gold to polish and stone to whitewash. In this country, there was always something to do and always treasures to take care of. This was, after all, the Country of Gold and it got its name for a reason. In this single town alone, all the greatest treasure had gathered here from all over the world. So as you can imagine, security was extremely tight and the people were suspicious of every new face that walked through the gates.
Kino discovered this first hand, for upon coming down the road towards the gates she was quickly pulled aside and forced to undergo a rigorous screening process. They asked her so many questions that Kino wondered if she would get inside before sunset. Luckily, she was released after about an hour and half, and it only took that long because she had to reassure them her weapons were only for self-defense purposes. When the gates finally swung open to let her pass, Kino just wanted to go to bed.
"What took so long?" Hermes demanded as Kino wheeled the motorrad onto the cobblestone street.
"They were making sure I wasn't a thief," Kino replied. "I guess better safe than sorry."
"They can't stop a thief from thieving," Hermes snorted. "A tiger can't change its spots."
Kino paused for several seconds. "You mean a leopard?"
"That's what I said."
As they pushed towards the center of town, there was suddenly a tremendous uproar. Kino stopped at the sight of a giant crowd gathered around a fountain. At the top of the fountain stood a tall and skinny man in fine clothing and a top hat almost as tall as him. His nose was long and crooked, at the end of which sat a small pair of half moon shaped glasses. He was holding up a lengthy scroll and shaking it furiously at the chattering crowd.
"This is an absolute outrage! We will not stand for theft in this city, you hear me?! Henceforth, the gates will remain closed and locked until we find the one responsible! No one will be allowed in or out!"
The crowd's chattering grew louder and angrier in protest. The man gave the crowd a stern look and waved the scroll at them again. "That's final!"
"Uh-oh, Kino," Hermes chimed in over the roaring crowd. "What if it takes longer than three days to find the thief?"
"Dunno," Kino replied, turning Hermes left to avoid the mob. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"I guess their screening process isn't as good as they wish."
Kino and Hermes made their way down a long road until they reached the end of it where a giant building stood. It was clearly ancient on the outside, but the inside was kept nice and clean. The floors were made of polished wood and the atmosphere was very homely. Kino couldn't help but smile as they entered, looking around with content. It was a very nice inn. As she approached the desk, a door near by opened and an old man with a long, white beard and a hunched back stumbled out. His cane bumped into Kino's leg, causing them both to stop.
"Oh, sorry," Kino apologized.
She couldn't see the old man's face as the white hood of his clothing covered it. The man didn't reply, merely waved his hand at her in a dismissive manner and limped by towards the door. Kino watched him leave over her shoulder with an oddly blank expression.
"Can I help you?" the woman at the desk interrupted.
Kino turned her attention back to her and nodded. "We'd like to stay for three days, please."
"I'm sorry, but the gates are closed now and we have no idea when they'll open. It might be best to book for a little longer than that."
Kino smiled. "Three days is fine."
The woman hesitated, but nodded and gave Kino a book to sign her name in. After paying for the room, Kino and Hermes entered. It was just as homely as the rest of the inn and although small, it had a fireplace on one end and a fairly large bed at the other. A large window with billowing curtains overlooked the back end of the city, which spilled out into a sea of green hills. The sun was setting by now, so the hills were colored in shades of orange and yellow.
Satisfied, Kino propped Hermes up near the fire and removed her coat. After her nightly ritual of getting food and admiring the scenery, Kino went to bed. That morning just before the sun rose, Kino kept to her ritual of practicing her drawing. Aiming at her reflection at the window, Kino placed her gun in its holster and then pulled it back out instantly. Back and forth she did this until the sun could just be seen rising on the horizon.
"Are we going to explore the city today?" Hermes piped up once Kino had placed her gun away for good.
"Well… yes and no," Kino replied. She slipped on her coat and took Hermes by the handlebars. "I thought maybe we should look for that thief."
"Huh? Why?"
Kino left the room, giving a nod towards the woman at the desk as they passed. She gave them a small smile as they passed through the door and back into the street.
"Kino, why are we looking for the thief?" Hermes pressed. "That's really not like you."
Kino looked around, scanning the various people milling around. Hermes got the sense she was looking for something specific. The thief? Or maybe something else? The motorrad was annoyed either way because she was ignoring him. They continued down the street and as they rounded the corner, they came face to face with the old man from the other day.
Kino smiled. "Hello again."
The man didn't say anything, merely moved to walk around the two travelers. In a subtle motion, Kino's foot shot out into the old man's path right as he was passing. In an equally swift movement, the man dodged it. He moved much too quickly for a man his age and the limp he was walking with disappeared for a split second. Kino smiled again and turned around, facing the man's back.
"I thought so."
The man suddenly straightened and the hump on his back moved down, revealing it to be a black bird with a red bandanna. The bird shook himself, grumbling under his breath. The old man turned and, unsurprising to Kino, wasn't an old man at all. His face was youthful and his gray eyes shone with a mischievous twinkle. The eyes of a thief, Kino decided.
"Jing, what the hell?" the bird complained, fluttering up to perch on the boy's shoulder.
"That bird talked!" Hermes exclaimed. "It reminds me of that dog."
Kir blinked from his perch. "What? Hey, who said that?"
"You're observant," Jing said, returning Kino's smile.
"It was a good disguise," Kino chuckled. "And I suppose otherwise I wouldn't have noticed, but… I can't leave until you return what you stole."
"It's not nice to label people like that."
Kino paused, looking thoughtful. "I can't imagine any other reason you'd be wandering around in such an elaborate disguise. Can you?"
"I suppose not."
A loud cry rose up from across the street. Kino and Jing turned at the same time as a great explosion of smoke shot outward from one of the buildings. Kino recognized the building as one of the storage places for the treasure here. It had been featured in the travel book in her room. The distraction was exactly what Jing needed. The smoke fanned out across the street, quickly hindering all visibility. Kino quickly pulled the collar of her coat across her nose and mouth, closing her eyes against the stinging smoke.
Jing ducked, reaching up to hold Kir on his shoulder in case the albatross lost his hold in the confusion. Quickly the bandit ducked into the nearest alley, moving quickly to the very end. He stopped at a four-way intersection and let out a small sigh. Kir coughed loudly on his shoulder.
"Oi, what the hell was that?" Kir complained.
Jing pulled off the white sheet and the albatross landed on top of a nearby stack of boxes. He ruffled his dark feathers in irritation.
"That wasn't our trap, was it?"
Jing rolled up the white cloak and discarded it in a near by trashcan. "I think we've been upstaged, Kir."
"Whaaaaat? No way! I can't believe anyone else got that treasure before us."
"I wonder…"
The thief began down the alley, tucking his hands into his pockets as he went. Kir flew after him after a moment of hesitation, wondering what his partner was thinking.
"That guy blew our cover anyway," He scowled. "Now what? They'll catch us!"
"Patience, Kir. Something weird is going on here. We're going to have to find out what if we want to get out hands on that treasure."
Kir gave an exasperated sigh and settled onto Jing's shoulder as he stepped back onto the streets. No one was paying attention, so he slipped out and down the sidewalk completely unnoticed.
"What a pain," the albatross grumbled.
When the smoke had cleared Kino found that the boy she had been facing was gone and the streets were crowded with people running both away and towards the building. Remnants of the smoke still spread across the town but it was no longer so unbearable. Kino coughed and blinked as she noticed the windows of the storehouse had all been shattered from the force. Police officers were frantically running about, trying to control the crowd and assess the damage.
"Kino, how are we going to leave in three days? At this rate we'll be stuck in this country forever."
Kino gripped Hermes' handlebars and backtracked her steps, turning the motorbike around to find a different route to tour the city.
"I guess we'll have to use our two days to find the thief, then," Kino replied.
"You can't just find thieves."
"No? Just keep your eyes peeled."
Once they were clear of the crowd, she mounted the bike. Pulling down her goggles, Kino took one last glance at the panicking crowd. Then with a kick the engine roared to life and she headed down the road before them at an ease pace.
"We can always sneak out like a thief," Kino suggested.
"I think they'd hear us."
"You're right. I'll have to leave you behind."
"Kino!"
Kino laughed. Inwardly, however, she was debating with herself. She didn't get involved in the business of the countries she visited. But this felt different somehow. It was almost like a sensation of being tugged in a certain direction. She had no words to describe it, only the keen awareness that she had to follow it. Gripping the handlebars, she sped up slightly.
"Where are we going?" Hermes finally asked.
"The museum," Kino replied. "Let's play detective, Hermes."
The motorrad wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, honestly. He always thought Kino was smart but she was only human. He sighed. "You're way too old to be playing pretend."