Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou Fan Fiction ❯ Alpha's Travels ❯ Kamakura ( Chapter 2 )

Alpha pulled the small cart along the road past tree after tree trying not to get it stuck in the ruts and rocks that dotted the once perfectly paved road. It was hard to maneuver the pull cart down the rocky road but it was the only way that she could see taking the heavy pack with her. Coming to a T in the road Alpha saw small wooden sign stuck in the ground. Each side of the sign had an arrow that pointed in two different directions. To the right was the familiar Asahina pass. To the left was the more unfamiliar Kamakura. Alpha had her first choice to make on her journey. Placing her hand on her head to hold down her hat Alpha looked at the sign and weighed her options.

 

To the right Alpha could go and visit Kokone and all that was familiar and safe. To the left Alpha could see something new and exciting. The left was an opportunity to take a chance and do something she had never done before. It was an opportunity to meet new people and make new memories and experiences. The right was a flat rocky road with ruts and cracks. The left was a downhill adventure to something new and exciting. Alpha was tired of pulling the small cart and turned it around. Placing one foot on the small platform, she turned the cart to the left, looked at the sign once more, and pushed off as though she were riding a soapbox scooter.

 

“Yo!” Alpha said as she passed the sign.

 

Alpha smiled as the wind rushed past her face and began to whistle a little tune. The little pull cart succumbed to gravity and began to fall down the hill going faster and faster. Alpha began to giggle with innocent joy as she watched the scenery rush by her. The trees became a blur as she picked up speed. Alpha could feel the wind push her hat back and reached up to hold it in place. As the hill ended Alpha felt the cart begin to slow down and let out yet another laugh. Keeping the cart turned around Alpha pushed off with her foot once more treating it like a simple child's push scooter.

 

The travel to Kamakura wasn't very far at all. Alpha had been to the road that overlooked the Kamakura bay once before to watch fireworks with Takahiro and Ojisan. Letting out a small chuckle, Alpha recalled the attempt made by one of the council members to get her to drink alcohol. Alpha had the odd tendency to dance around when she drank too much. She had politely turned down his offer and told him the reason for doing so. The look on his face had said it all. The council wanted to see Alpha dance yet again and knew alcohol was the key. The council was certainly an odd yet funny group of older people who meant well with their offers of alcohol.

 

Giving the pull cart another push off with her foot Alpha continued around the curve in the road and caught sight of what was left of Kamakura City. Like everything else in the old Kanagawa prefecture most of Kamakura was under water. There were spots here and there where dry land existed but a fair amount of the city rested deep beneath the waters of Kamakura bay. Alpha could see signs of damage from Typhoon Meihou and knew her café wasn't the only thing to suffer damage. There were trees down and damage to the rails on the side of the road. Alpha figured if the landscape had received damage then there were buildings in need of repair as well. Maybe I could find a place where I can help with repairs to the building and possibly get a job, Alpha thought.

 

“That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get a job in Kamakura. Somebody out there just has to have work for a robot like me.” Alpha announced to the flora and the fauna around her.

 

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Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou

Alpha's Travels

Chapter Two: Kamakura

 

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Nobu and Kimiko Yamato ran a modest little restaurant in Kamakura City. It was located not that far from what once was a beautiful shrine. When the bay had encroached on the city during the great floods, the steps leading to the shrine on the hill ended up under meters of water. The proud red torii gate that stood as entrance to the steps of the shrine barely peeked over the top of the water and was now a place elegant water birds, such as the heron and the egret, roosted when not hunting for food. The little restaurant was on one of the small patches of dry land away from the hills and was accessible by boat.

 

People coming to the restaurant the old couple ran by boat was not a new site for them. One of Nobu's friends, an elderly fisherman named Akira, would often ferry people over to the restaurant in his long wooden boat with its decades old outboard motor. The sound of the motor putting and sputtering through the water was a welcome sight for the elderly couple. It brought with it not only Akira but also customers for the day. However, in the days since Typhoon Meihou the customers weren't coming to the restaurant as often as they used to. The tiny restaurant had suffered damage from the storm and it was hard for the elderly couple to make repairs to their business.

 

When they heard the sound of the outboard motor announcing Akira's arrival that day Nobu and Kimiko expected him to be alone as he had been since the storm had ended. However, what they saw was a sight the elderly couple had not seen in person. Sitting in the boat wearing a long pink vest, tan pants, a white shirt, and a stone colored hat upon her head was green haired woman. The elderly couple knew no one who colored their hair green or knew where to get green hair color. The woman in the boat had to be a robot. The couple had heard about robots in production when they were younger but this would be the first time they would be able to see one up close.

 

“Akira, it's good to see you again today old man!” Nobu called out with a wave.

 

“Nobu my old friend I believe I have the answer to your prayers right here in my boat.” Akira responded with a jolly smile.

 

Nobu's wife Kimiko smiled and looked the woman over before commenting about her, “Why Nobu look. It's a robot in that boat with Akira. I've only seen concept drawings of them in articles when we were first married and now here one is right in front of us.”

 

Nobu looked over at his wife and smiled as she straightened out the kerchief on her head and the white apron she wore. He could tell she was trying to have a good first impression for their robot visitor. Letting out a chuckle, Nobu turned his attention back to his friend and the robot woman in the boat. Out of the corner of his eye, however Nobu saw Kimiko give him a glance only a loving wife would give her husband of many years.

 

“Nobu Yamato you find my wanting to look neat and tidy for a customer silly?” Kimiko wondered with a straight face.

 

“Not at all my dear wife not at all.” Nobu replied telling the small lie of a loving husband before fixing his own hat and apron.

 

When the boat docked at the tiny pier in front of the restaurant the robot woman got out and pulled a small pull cart from the boat. Tied to the cart was a rather full looking pack. The woman placed the cart down upon the pier and pulled it towards elderly couple. A moment later Akira climbed out of the boat and tied it to the pier before he joined the robot woman near his dear old friends.

 

“Nobu, Kimiko this young woman here says she's looking for work and a place to stay for a while. I thought you two just might have something for her.” Akira explained.

 

The robot woman smiled and bowed slightly to the couple before introducing herself to them, “My name is Alpha Hatsuseno. It's a pleasure to meet you both.”

 

“The pleasure is all ours.” Nobu replied.

 

“Please, why don't you join us inside.” Kimiko offered.

 

Alpha smiled and followed Nobu and Kimiko inside the small restaurant. She could see it was nice and cozy like her café had once been and that it was in need of repair. Looking around she saw a place where Nobu did the cooking and where Kimiko took the money and the orders. Alpha hoped the elderly couple would allow her to work for them and pay her whatever they could for her services. Looking up Alpha saw a hole in the roof and figured it had come from the storm. Alpha wondered why the hole was still there and looked to the elderly couple for the answer to her questions.

 

“Excuse me but why haven't you fixed the hole in your roof?” Alpha asked politely.

 

“My wife and I are getting on in years and don't have the strength to climb up on the roof and make repairs.” Nobu explained.

 

Alpha smiled and looked to the roof once more before looking at the elderly couple yet again. She figured it wouldn't be hard to fix the hole in the roof and anything else that needed repairing. Walking over to the counter Alpha looked at Nobu and Kimiko and gave them her offer to work for them.

 

“If you wouldn't mind having me here I'd like to help out around your restaurant. I can help you repair things and I'm good with serving people. I had my own café until the typhoon came along.” Alpha offered.

 

“If you had your own café why aren't you back home fixing it?” Akira wondered from behind her.

 

“I need money for supplies to rebuild so I'm traveling around looking for work to earn what I can.” Alpha explained.

 

Nobu looked Alpha over for a moment considering her offer. He then looked over to his wife and saw that she was doing the same thing. Kimiko was a good judge of character, which was one of the things he loved about her. Fifty-two years of marriage to her had proven this quality time and time again.

 

“What do you say dear wife shall we let Miss Alpha work for us?” Nobu asked his wife softly.

 

“She appears to be a very polite and well mannered young woman. We do need the help with the repairs to the restaurant. The least we can do is let her stay in the spare room for a bit until the work is finished.” Kimiko responded.

 

Alpha looked at the couple waiting for their decision. It was the first time in her existence that she had ever depended upon someone else for a job. Running the café was the only thing she had done to earn a living. Being her own boss was all Alpha knew. Now she would learn what it was like to work for someone else just like Kokone did at the delivery service. I'll be like Kokone now, Alpha thought.

 

“Well, are you going to give this young lady a job or not?” Akira asked voicing the question on Alpha's mind.

 

“Be patient Akira, my husband was just about to tell Miss Alpha his decision.” Kimiko chided softly.

 

“Miss Alpha we would be honored to have you work for us.” Nobu announced.

 

The smile that was on Alpha's face grew larger. For the first time in her existence, Alpha had a job working for someone else. Alpha tried hard not to rush over to Kimiko and give her a big hug. However, try as she may Alpha couldn't contain her excitement any longer and rushed to give the elderly woman a rather large hug.

 

“Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you very much! You don't know what this means to me Miss Kimiko.” Alpha cried out as she continued to hug Kimiko.

 

“Please Miss Alpha Kimiko will do just fine. You need not be formal with my husband and me. Nobu and Kimiko will suffice.” Kimiko replied as she returned the rather large hug.

 

Nobu looked over at the pair of females and smiled. There hadn't been another body living with them since their son had left home to travel to Yokohama for a job of his own. It was going to be nice to have someone else in the small apartment above the restaurant again.

 

“Kimiko, would you please show Miss Alpha where the spare room is while I pour my good friend Akira a nice cup of coffee.” Nobu said breaking the silence in the room.

 

Kimiko looked over at Nobu and smiled before taking Alpha's hand in her own. The elderly woman led Alpha to the back of the restaurant and out the door to where the stairs were to the small apartment she shared with Nobu. While the two women were gone, Nobu poured Akira a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter to where Akira sat.

 

“You know I never thought I'd see the day when a robot would come to you for work Nobu. I thought they'd all be in the big cities like Yokohama.” Akira commented before taking a sip of the hot coffee.

 

“Miss Alpha took me by surprise too Akira. With her around, I think Kimiko and I can get the restaurant back in working order. We were lucky all the typhoon did was put that hole in our roof.” Nobu replied.

 

Nobu began to wipe down the counter as Akira slowly sipped his coffee. The fisherman had been the only steady customer Nobu and Kimiko had to their restaurant. While he was a welcomed sight having more people eat at the restaurant would mean a return to normality for the elderly couple. Their lives depended upon the restaurant and unlike Alpha; a day without customers meant a day without money for food and other necessities of life.

 

Kimiko returned to the restaurant with Alpha close behind. Alpha had removed her long vest and replaced it with one of the aprons she had packed for the journey. Alpha didn't know if she would need the apron or not but was glad she had decided to bring it with her. Walking over to the counter Alpha went behind it, smiled at Nobu, and took the cloth from him.

 

“I'll clean the counter for you Nobu.” Alpha offered.

 

Nobu decided to let Alpha work behind the counter and see just how well she could handle things. Not knowing where she was from or how many customers Alpha had each day Nobu could only judge how well she did the job based on how she worked in the restaurant that day. Alpha smiled at Akira as she finished the job on the counter that Nobu had begun. When the counter was clean, she walked back over to Akira and looked at the cup of coffee he was drinking. She then turned around, took the coffee pot off the warming plate, and brought it over to where Akira sat.

 

“Would you care for some more coffee Mr. Akira?” Alpha asked him with a smile.

 

Akira looked down at the cup of coffee and then looked over at Nobu and Kimiko. Looking back at Alpha Akira gave her a hearty smile.

 

“Why I'd love to have some more coffee in my cup Miss Alpha.” Akira replied.

 

“You can call me Alpha.” Alpha told Akira as she poured the cup of coffee.

 

Akira smiled and finished the second cup of coffee. With the cup empty, the elderly fisherman placed it down upon the counter and stood up. He then walked over to the simple register and pulled out a few coins from his pocket. Sifting through them, he placed what amounted to eighty yen on the counter next to the register.

 

“That's sixty yen for the coffee and twenty more for the beautiful service.” Akira said.

 

“You never left extra for the service before.” Nobu commented.

 

“You never bothered to pretty yourself up until today.” Akira retorted.

 

Alpha and Kimiko began to laugh at the response Akira had given his old friend. They knew the real reason for the extra money was Alpha. The two women couldn't help themselves and laughed even harder when they saw the face Nobu gave Akira in response to his remark.

 

“Ah go back to your fish you smelly old codger.” Nobu remarked playfully.

 

“I'll see you three the same time tomorrow then.” Akira said with a smile just before heading out the door to the restaurant.

 

It wasn't long before Alpha found herself in a nice routine with the Yamatos. Each morning she would help the elderly couple set up the restaurant for the day's customers and then she would work on fixing the roof. Alpha would come down from the roof when she heard the sound of an outboard engine and don her favorite apron. Just like at the café Alpha would get joy from seeing customers come to the small restaurant.

 

At first people would come to the restaurant to see a robot up close. Not many people in Kamakura had seen a robot before and Alpha became a bit of a curiosity to them. Once the curiosity of the situation wore off Alpha's personality and way with the customers drew people to the restaurant. They enjoyed having a leisurely meal or cup of coffee as they talked to Alpha about where she from and the people that lived near her. Alpha enjoyed the conversations with the people who came to the restaurant as it gave her an opportunity to meet new people.

 

Akira, the old fisherman, came to the restaurant each day like clockwork. He came to enjoy Alpha's company just as much as he enjoyed being with Nobu and Kimiko. On one such day Akira came into the waterfront restaurant to find Alpha seated at one of the tables with a cord in her mouth, a strange looking device on the table, and her eyes closed. Walking over to her Akira placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to gain her attention. As Alpha opened her eyes she saw Akira with Ojisan seated atop his tractor pasted on top of him. Pulling the cord out of her mouth Alpha once again saw only Akira standing near the table with a small smile on his face.

 

“Good morning Akira.” Alpha said with a smile upon her face.

 

“Morning to you too Alpha. Sorry to have bothered you but I've never seen a device like that before. What is it?” Akira replied.

 

“This is my most prized possession. It's my camera. It was a gift from Owner”

 

Akira looked the camera over. It had a sleek looking body with what looked like a human eye for a lens. Looking at the back of the camera Akira saw no way for someone to look through the lens. He wondered how any normal person was supposed to take pictures with the camera if they couldn't see what it was they were shooting.

 

“How are you supposed to take pictures with something like that? Why back in my day cameras had eye pieces you looked through to see through the lens.” Akira wondered.

 

“You see this cord here. I place this in my mouth and I can see everything the camera sees.” Alpha explained.

 

Akira wasn't about to get into the how and the whys of the way Alpha's camera worked. If she were able to see what it was she was taking a picture of that was fine by him. As long as there was a way to share the images she took with her camera, Akira didn't care that only Alpha could use the camera to take pictures.

 

“As long as you can make pictures out of the film inside it doesn't matter that only a robot can take pictures with that camera.” Akira commented.

 

“The cube inside my camera can't really be turned into a picture someone can hold in there hands unless I were to give that information to another robot who could draw.” Alpha explained, “If I want to let others see my pictures then they would have to be another robot or there would have to be a way to see what was on a photo cube and put it on the wall for everyone to see.”

 

“Ah, well then right now your camera is your precious memories for you Alpha.”

 

“Yes and when I look at the pictures on my camera I feel like I'm back at the moment I took them. When I opened my eyes and looked at you for a brief moment you had the image of Ojisan, the man who runs the gas station back home, over you.”

 

Akira blinked for a moment not fully understanding what it was Alpha had seen. He just knew that there were some things robots could do normal humans couldn't. With a smile on his face, Akira walked over to his favorite seat at the counter and waited for Alpha to come over and serve him his morning cup of coffee. Alpha smiled, placed her camera in the gun holster she kept it in, and went over to serve Akira his cup of coffee.

 

As Alpha poured the cup of coffee, Nobu walked into the restaurant and got a sly little smile upon his face. He loved to tease Akira about anything and everything he could. The pair had known each other for well over sixty years and watched each other fall in love, get married, have children, and even deal with the death of a spouse. It was a very good friendship; one that Kimiko would at times call a blessing and a curse. Since Alpha's arrival at the restaurant, it had been more of a blessing than a curse.

 

“I knew something smelled fishy in here.” Nobu commented with a grin and a chuckle.

 

“Yeah you.” Akira came back.

 

Alpha let out a giggle at the way the two old men took the opportunity to tease each other. She never had someone in her life like Nobu or Akira with whom she could poke fun at and expect to be poked fun right back. The two elderly men had a good laugh for a moment before Nobu went behind the counter to where Aloha was standing. With a smile on his face, Nobu took the coffee decanter from Alpha.

 

“Alpha why don't you go work on the roof for a while I can handle this old skin flint.” Nobu told her.

Alpha nodded, smiled, and went out the back door to the yard behind the restaurant to begin her daily work on the repairs to the restaurant. The hole in the roof had turned out to be just one of several things wrong with the roof the typhoon had created. There were missing roof tiles and leaks that needed fixing. It was a hard job but Alpha was glad for the opportunity to do it.

 

Akira hadn't forgotten the day he Alpha showed him her camera and had arranged something special for her one day. It was a month after her arrival in Kamakura. Alpha fixed the hole in the roof along with the leaks and all that she needed to do was replace the broken and missing tiles on the roof. The Yamatos gave Alpha opportunities to explore Kamakura City when she would go into town with Kimiko to get some supplies for the restaurant. It was a lot like the times she had gone to Musahino to get coffee for her café. The suppliers to the restaurant owned small mom and pop stores that weren't very large. While she was able to see the city, Alpha had yet to take pictures of anything she saw. Akira wanted to see to it that Alpha had memories of her time in Kamakura with her.

 

“Alpha my dear today you and I are going out to look at the birds.” Akira announced.

 

Alpha didn't quite understand what Akira had meant by “look at the birds” but she was certain she would soon find out. Akira wanted to give Alpha a day she would never forget. He wanted her to have memories of Kamakura and the people, places, and things that made it special. One such thing was the many water birds that roosted on the old poles and torii gates throughout the flooded parts of the city. Akira enjoyed spending time sitting in his boat watching them as they would go from roost to water to look for their meal.

 

“If you're going to look at the birds with me Alpha you'll need your camera with you.” Akira added when he saw the puzzled look on Alpha's face.

 

Alpha patted the holster attached to her belt and smiled. She always had her camera with her in case she wanted to get a special shot for her to remember later.

 

“I always have my camera with me Akira.” Alpha told him with a tiny giggle.

 

Akira finished his cup of coffee for the morning and paid before heading to the door and his boat. With a smile on his face, Akira motioned for Alpha to follow him through the door. The female robot smiled, waved to Nobu and Kimiko, and followed Akira to his long wooden fishing boat. Once inside the boat the pair was off to see the water birds that inhabited the trees and bushes that lined the shore along Kamakura Bay. As they putted slowly along the top of the water, Alpha began to snap photos of the beautiful creatures.

 

“What's that?” Alpha questioned as she pointed to a beautiful white bird with long black and yellow legs.

 

“That Alpha is a Snowy Egret. It's hard to believe a long time ago before you and I came to be people would use their long feathers to decorate hats.” Akira explained

 

Alpha took a picture of the elegant bird sitting in the bush and noticed another beautiful bird sitting on the low branch of a tree. The bird appeared to be a grey blue color with a long slender neck that supported a white head with black markings around its eyes. Again, it was a creature Alpha had not seen in the tiny bay near her home and didn't know what the bird was.

 

“And what's that one over there in the tree?” Alpha wanted to know.

 

“That is a Great Blue Heron. It is a most magnificent bird to look at. I've seen them stand in the water for hours barely moving as they wait for the right time to eat.” Akira told her.

 

Placing her cord back into her mouth Alpha pointed the camera at the heron and took a photo of it. The color of the feathers and the gentle grace the bird possessed was something Alpha would never forget. In fact, all of Kamakura would be a place Alpha would not forget. It was a thought that ran through her head as the fishing boat made its way past the red torii gate. Alpha took a picture of the very first thing she had seen upon arriving at Kamakura preserving yet another special memory.

 

“I'll never forget this beautiful place.” Alpha commented.