~Notes~
I swear ToaLW 22 is NOT a filler despite all appearances..so don’t give me those looks! >.>

Warning: Minor sexual references. Viewer discretion is advised.
Episode 22 The Sauna and a Familiar Scent?!

Kunai, Ryuu, Ayame, Ivy, and Sasha stand blinking stupidly before the entrance of a large complex built in the shape of a gigantic tree, with thick boughs overhanging across the night sky, obstructing the stars from view.

Ivy holds her hands up to her eyes to gaze awestruck at the impressive sight in front of her, though it is rather unnecessary since there is no sun. “Wow! This place is huge!”

The gigantic tree-shaped structure stands in the middle of a desolate land, composed of nothing but blackened, cracked land and hills swallowed up by fire. Pits of open ground five or six feet deep lay in scattered intervals surrounding the tree, each of them filled with bright red, molten lava.

“What did you say this place was again, Sasha?” Kunai murmurs, dwarfed by the immense size of the tree root he is leaning against.

Sasha leaps onto the root and takes a seat on it, laying her Berzerker carefully down next to her. “They call this place ‘The Sauna Tree.’ I’ve never been, but it’s a great vacation getaway for people in big cities like Skylark and Queen’s Port. This place where it’s built is very dangerous, but it also happens to be a very large hot spot of geothermal energy, meaning that they’ve built huge saunas inside this place.”

Ayame scratches her forehead, blinking perplexedly at the shape of the building. “But why did they decide to build it in the shape of a tree?”

Sasha shrugs, hopping off the root to join the others as they make their way into the building through the front door. “Beats me.”

Ryuu rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Big tree, and a sauna…this sounds familiar too.”

Once inside, the group enters into a large, brightly lit circular lobby. At the center of the room stands a round counter with several clerks sitting behind them, some typing on computers while others are conversing with visitors.

At the back of the room is a large metal cylinder, with a sign over it that says ‘Elevator.’ The ceiling hangs low overhead, with glittering chandeliers set in groups of four scattered around it.

Ryuu folds his arms grumpily as Sasha and the others proceed towards the clerks sitting behind the counter. “Hmph. I thought we were supposed to be out looking for the Third Phoneme. What are we doing here anyway?”

“Don’t be silly, Ryuu!” Ivy smiles, “We might be able to find some people here who could give us some information!”

“I doubt it,” Ryuu grumbles.

“Well, we could always just relax and treat ourselves to this just once,” Ayame replies, “we have been working hard the last few weeks anyway. Especially all this walking we’ve been doing lately, it’s been a demon to my beautiful feet.”

“You just wanna go try the saunas,” Ryuu mutters irritably.

“Hey, hey!” Ayame titters, “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

“Yes, I do…” Ryuu mutters darkly.

“Well too bad!” Sasha, Ivy, and Ayame yell at once. Ryuu sighs exasperatedly.

The door into the men’s sauna slides open swiftly, and Ryuu and Kunai enter the boiling hot sauna, dressed in their appropriate Blue Sauna Robes. The sauna is completely empty except for a man in his forties with a very hairy chest. He is standing in the middle of the sauna, with his robe draped very loosely around himself.

Ryuu stares at the man as he enters. Attempting to ignore the sight, he turns to Kunai and takes a seat on the provided seats and stares up at the ceiling, then blinks in surprise.

There is no ceiling; instead, the sauna opens up into the dark night sky outside. With none of the branches of the tree blocking the way, the moon shines a soft glow of light into the sauna, illuminating it slightly as puffs of hot, steaming air glide serenely by.

The walls are composed of thick bamboo branches held together by strong, binding lengths of wire. The sauna itself consists of several wooden benches built around the immediate area, with an adjacent pool of a hot, bubbling bath.

Ryuu slides into the bath, and stretches his arms out behind him, laying his head on top of them. “Well, I have to admit, this is pretty relaxing…”

“Heh,” Kunai mutters, testing the water with his toe, “I wonder if the girls’ sauna is just as good.”

“Enjoying the sauna, boys?” the middle-aged man asks them from the center of the sauna.

Ryuu blinks at him, unsure of how to respond. He nods halfheartedly. “Uh…would…would you like to sit down instead of standing around in the middle of the sauna?”

“No thanks,” the man replies calmly, “I have a severe case of hemorrhoids on the left buttock, you see. I rather not see what it is like to sit down in a hot sauna just now.”

“O-Oh,” Ryuu mutters perplexedly.

“Would you like to see?” the man asks suddenly.

Ryuu nearly leaps up from his seat in the sauna. “N-No thanks!”

“Suit yourself,” the man answers nonchalantly. He suddenly begins stretching by attempting to touch his bare toes with his fingers.

Ryuu shifts uncomfortably in his seat and turns away from the man back to Kunai. He sighs, a nostalgic glaze hovering over his dark green eyes. “Heh. You know, this place sure is a step up from the Sleepywood Sauna. It seems like ages since we’ve been there.”

“Yeah,” Kunai replies reminiscently, “remember the last time we were there? That was the time Arai dressed us up as girls and helped us sneak in. Too bad our stay there got interrupted by the Myougun.”

“Arai…” Ryuu murmurs softly. “That name seems so nostalgic, like it’s from a time and place that’s already passed long ago. That idiot. Just like him to go and get himself killed. No consideration about how we’d react.”

“No kidding,” Kunai answers gravely, “I wonder just how he’s doing now…in the afterlife.”

“Speaking of which,” Ryuu replies, “he’s probably in the Underworld by now.”

“The Underworld?” Kunai blinks. “Didn’t you mention that as one of the worlds that the Dark Lord ruled over?”

“Yeah,” Ryuu grunts, “that’s where all the souls of those who’ve died go. He’s probably made his way there by now, the idiot.”

“I miss Arai,” Kunai mutters, “if he were here right now, he’d probably be eating a cookie and getting crumbs all over the sauna floor!”

Ryuu smirks, laughing slightly despite himself. “Yeah. Sounds like him all right.”

“Although now that you mention it…” Kunai murmurs, sniffing the air slightly, “it smells kind of like cookies…”

Ryuu stands up as well, allowing the water of the sauna bath to drip all over his soaked sauna robes. He sniffs the air, following the wafting scent of cookies in the air. “Yeah. It definitely does…chocolate cookies, Arai’s favorite. Could it be…?”

“They’re coming from here!” the man with the hemorrhoids, who has joined the hunt for the source of the cookies. He crouches down over one of the bamboo wall partitions. There is a little hole carved out of the wall, and he peers into this hole rather excitedly.

Ryuu and Kunai stride over to join the man, who begins to look more and more excited by the second. Ryuu makes a disgruntled sigh as the man does not say anything. “Well? What the hell are you looking at?”

The man titters, then steps back to allow Ryuu a peek. Ryuu squats down and looks through the hole, then widens his eyes in surprise. “What are you, a moron?! This is the girls’ sauna room!”

“Yes, but they’re starting to get undressed!” the man titters joyously.

Ryuu sighs exasperatedly. “What are you, a peeping tom? Give me a break.”

Suddenly a soft wind from above blows by, allowing the scent of cookies to be carried to Ryuu’s nose. He takes another whiff of the air, and peers through the hole again, taking in the entire scene before him this time.

Many girls, including Ivy, Ayame, and Sasha, dressed in their appropriate Red Sauna Robes are gathered in a sauna room very similar to the one Ryuu, Kunai, and the hemorrhoid man are in. For some strange reason or another, there is an attendant standing in their midst with a tray full of cookies.

“Damn them!” Ryuu growls under his breath, “Why does the girl’s sauna room have attendants carrying cookies for them? All we get is a guy with hemorrhoids.”

“Hey!” the hemorrhoid man shoots back, “Don’t make fun! Besides, I want another look! They’re probably all naked by now and doing explicit activities.”

“Keep your fantasies to yourself you moron,” Ryuu growls angrily. “But why do they have cookies? For a second, I almost thought that…”

Suddenly a girl’s shriek rings loudly from within the girls’ sauna. Ryuu jumps back in alarm. “Whoa!” he cries, stepping back.

“What’s wrong?” Kunai asks, turning to Ryuu.

“They noticed me!” Ryuu shouts in alarm.

Ryuu makes another flying leap backwards as the partition made of bamboo is knocked down and sent crashing to the floor with a bang. Now, completely revealed, is the girls’ sauna, with a horde of angry women glaring at Ryuu.

“There he is!” one of them cries, pointing at Ryuu. “The peeping tom!”

Ayame folds her arms, glaring at Ryuu angrily. “Ryuu! How dare you peep into the girl’s sauna?! I thought you were better than this!”

“I-I-It’s not what you think it looks like!” Ryuu cries. “Right, Kunai, hemorrhoid guy?”

Ryuu turns his head to either side of him, but realizes too late that his two companions have deserted him. “Those damn bastards!” he mutters to himself.

“Let’s neuter him!” one of the girls suggests very loudly.

“YEAH!” the others agree, and pounce on Ryuu.

“So!” Ayame smiles, clapping her hands together, “Did everyone have fun today?”

Kunai, Ivy, Ayame, and Sasha stand gathered around the entrance of the gigantic sauna tree again, having dressed into their traveling garments once more.

Only Ryuu remains lying down on a stretcher, bandages wrapped around his forehead, arms, chest, and legs. He grunts weakly in response, while everyone rings in with a chorus of “Yes.”

“Good!” Ayame replies cheerfully. “Well then, visiting the sauna certainly refreshed me. I feel like I could walk a thousand miles today. Don’t you, Ryuu?” She slaps him on the chest rather forcefully, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Y-Yeah…” he mutters weakly in response.

“What’s that? I didn’t hear you,” Ayame replies, that sinister smile still playing about her lips. She taps Ryuu roughly on the shoulder, causing him to moan in pain again.

“Why don’t you just finish the job that so many of my enemies couldn’t complete already…” Ryuu groans.

“Because peepers should learn their lesson,” Ayame answers, “right, Ryuu?”

“Whatever. You’ve done enough damage for fifty years.”

Next Time: Episode 23 The Center of the World

Otis: Ouch! Take that, you big redheaded gorilla!

Kunai: You’re not supposed to comment on this episode…you’re supposed to comment on the next one!

Otis: I’ll do my job the way I want to!

Arai: Next time…an old friend returns! Yay! I wonder who it is?

Otis: It’s someone cool!

Episode 23 The Center of the World coming soon!