Chrome Heart 1

Spring consumed the forest. The plants were soft and young, their buds tipped with purple and pink. White butterflies moved like clouds through the trees and crickets sang by the hundreds. Hermes loved it all, the fresh spring air sliding over his wind shield, the smell of flowers and the taste of earth beneath his wheels. He could hear the rustling of wind through the leaves and the faintest sigh from his rider.

They slowed to a stop and Kino demounted, holding the handlebars and leading Hermes off the path.

“Kino, where are you taking me?”

“To the water. Can’t you hear it?”

Hermes listened and heard. They traveled some yards further and reached a clearing of smooth, dry stones. Sunlight glittered on the stream and warmed the stones in patches beneath Hermes. He noticed an old campfire near the clearing’s edge.

“This is a nice place to wash up,” Kino commented. She polished Hermes until his chrome looked like a knight’s armour. Soon Kino had moved to the water’s edge where she shed her clothes and waded in.

“Aah, it’s colder than it looks,” Kino said with a shiver. Hermes looked over her guiltily. She was so beautiful; her childish shape had become curvy and feminine though the years and Hermes couldn’t believe any man could still mistake her for a boy.

Hermes watched with mixed feelings. He was blessed to be so intimate with her, yet he was insulted that she didn’t care. Sometimes he felt like a dog; no one cares if a dog sees them undress.

Bubbles meandered down the stream as Kino bathed herself. “I wonder what country we’ll find next,” she said casually as she ran a shaver over her leg. “The last was rather depressing, wouldn’t you say?”

Hermes laughed but stopped suddenly at a sound from the road. “Kino, someone’s coming,” Hermes said quickly. Kino hurried from the water and clothed herself, buttoning up her blouse just as two scruffy men stepped into the clearing.

“Eh, sorry ta disturb you, misses,” said the first. “We usually stop ere when we pass.”

“We ne’r seen another traveler here b’fore.”

The taller man looked at the shorter, “We should get.”

“No, please stay,” Kino insisted as she pulled on her jacket. “I was just finishing.”

“Well why dun ya stay, then? I cook a mean trout!”

“If you catch a trout,” said the taller man with a laugh.

The men caught their fish, and settled in. To Hermes’ dislike, they both began drinking from flasks and seemed to be getting rowdy. Kino kept them occupied, though, exchanging stories over the fire.

“So you’re coming from the opposite direction,” Kino commented, “Are there any countries close by?”

“Sure,” said the shorter man, “it’s a couple days’ to The Land of the Full Moon.”

“Tell me there aren’t were-dogs there,” Hermes blurted out.

“I think you mean werewolves,” Kino murmured.

The shorter man’s eyes traveled to Hermes and he grinned. “You didn’ mention you had a Motorrad. He’s a quiet thing, ain’t he!” The man’s eyes grew wider and he whispered to the taller man. The taller man laughed and he turned back to Kino. “You two ought to be specially inter-stid in The Land of the Full Moon.”

“Why is that?” Kino asked.

“Well, ery month on the full moon, somethin’ spectacular happens. Them witches over there got it all figured out. What a party!”

“What’s all figured out?” Hermes asked. The shorter man had a bottle to his lips and the taller seemed distracted with Kino. He had been staring at her a little too long.

Kino must have noticed. “I think it’s time Hermes and I went on our way. I want to pass a few more miles before the day’s end.”

Hermes and Kino rode from the forest to a wheat field just as the evening sun was sinking into the distance. Kino rolled Hermes off the road into the field and unloaded.

“I was worried when those men began drinking so much,” Kino said.

“You were worried? I was more worried!” barked Hermes, “What’s a Motorrad to do in a situation like that? What… What’s with this?” Hermes complained as Kino set the bike on its side before laying out her blanket.

“I thought we could lie together, like old times,” she said, smiling into Hermes’ headlight.

Hermes was silent as he focused his thoughts. “I was…” He looked away from the girl, settling on the almost-full moon. “As I was saying, you should be more careful in situations like that! You should have whacked them up side the head with their frying pan and run for it!”

“I think it went well as-is.”

“Still, they knew you were a girl from the very start! What does that say? You aren’t pulling off the boy-look anymore! It’s because…”

Hermes stopped himself, embarrassed as the memory of Kino in the stream slipped into his mind. He glanced at Kino who had an odd expression on her face. “Is it because I’m not flat chested anymore?” Kino’s expression softened and she looked at the stars. “I know I have to do something about that… maybe bandages.”

“No, it’s not that! Well, not just that.”

Kino chuckled. “What, then?”

Hermes’ judgement was growing cloudy under the girl’s gaze. “It’s because you’re so pretty,” Hermes said seriously. He immediately regretted using that tone. Everything would go down hill now. Everything would…

Kino kissed him on the headlight and smiled, turning over and wrapping the blanket around her. “Good night, Hermes.”

Once again Hermes was left brooding and consumed with mixed feelings. The warm kiss lingered on the glass and flooded all the way to his core. It was an internal heat, of course, something Kino would never feel. The simple gesture was so craved yet hurt him so much. Kino would never be so bold if it were a man she really admired. Yet, how was Hermes to know? It wasn’t like Kino was a man eater.

There was that Shizu, though. Hermes hated Shizu. He remembered that day three months ago when they stumbled into each other for the first time since the coliseum. It was the old traveler’s custom; set up camp together, share a meal and chat.

Shizu stood from his place by the fire and offered to get water from a lake. It was only a five minute walk through the woods but Kino wanted to go with him, leaving Hermes with the wretched talking dog.

For the first fifteen minutes Hermes was only annoyed with being left behind, but the dog made everything worse.

“I think they like each other,” he said.

“Where’d you get that stupid notion?” Hermes spat.

“The way they look together.” The dog said. “I think they would make a good couple.”

“No way.”

“I think so. The four of us would travel together.”

“Shut up. You’re just a stupid dog who licks his butt! What do you know about love?”

“Haha. You think you know more about love than I, Motorrad?”

“Maybe.”

The dog paused, “You like her, don’t you!”

“Kino? Never!”

“Yes you do. I hear it in your voice. How pitiful, a Motorrad in love with its rider! You should forget about it. How could you ever do anything for her? You can’t even drive without a rider.”

Hermes felt trapped. He wanted to get away, to drive as fast as he could from there. He wanted to move. He wanted to hold Kino’s hand. He wanted to make love to her.

Suddenly the two humans returned. First was Shizu, looking disgruntled and uncomfortable followed by a very flushed Kino. Her blush deepened when she looked at her Motorrad.

Hermes noticed that neither of them had brought back any water. “What happened?”

“Nothing, Hermes. It’s time for us to go.”

Shizu was busying himself with the fire, keeping his back to Kino as she mounted Hermes and took off.

“Kino, what happened?” Hermes asked again as they raced down the road. “What did he do to you?”

Hermes pulled himself from thoughts of Shizu and stared at Kino sleeping in the wheat. He wondered if she would ever tell him what happened.

TBC. Please Review!