Shining 7

 After he told her of the impending visit from a friend, Elly left to catch a fresh fish for the stew she was preparing. While she was gone, there came a heavy knocking on the door and a great laugh.

"Hey, mate, let me in!"

"All right, calm down." Aizawa opened the door with a wry grin. "You act like you haven't seen me in a year."

"Almost one and a half, this time!" The man that stood there with a huge smile had long, plaited blond hair that swung down his lower back. He wore a brown weathered cloak and carried an extremely large leather pack on one shoulder. His hazel eyes sparkled gold, then green - dazzling, ever-changing colors that matched his personality.

"Wait a minute, that smells way better than anything <i>you</i> can make." He pointed at the pot on the fire. "I swear you burned water once."

"I did not!"

"And your place looks different. Nothing too noticeable... oh. I've got it!"

"At least sit down before you start bugging my ass," Aizawa grunted.

Hizashi whistled lowly and sat. "You're with someone! Where'd you find a lady, in town? I thought they didn't like you that much."

"She sort of found me."

"She what?"

"She washed up from a storm on the beach. She'd put her clothes up to dry, and someone stole them." He coughed uncomfortably as he realized this was admitting he'd seen her naked. "I helped her, and she decided to stay. That's it."

"Yeah, but she decided right then and there to share your bed?" He blinked, amazed. "There's no new one or anything, so you have to be laying together!"

Aizawa choked.

"You get a sex spell from the local witch or something?!"

This time he shook his head, his face flushing a dark red color. "Hizashi!"

"I heard that." Elly poked her head in the front door with a wry smile on her face. "He doesn't need any spells," she proclaimed firmly. "And, besides, we're not together in that way."

Aizawa turned his flaming face to the wall and kicked it.

Hizashi looked more than amused at the turn of events unfolding in front of him. "You've caught his eye though, surely," he chuckled. "The mere mention of you and he's tongue-twisted and red in the face."

"As always, you exaggerate."

"If you'll excuse me," Elly grinned, lifting a large, freshly gutted fish in one hand as she passed between them. "I need to get this in the pot or we'll be eating veg stew instead of meat."

"And now you've met Hizashi," Aizawa sighed and turned to his friend. "This is Elly."

"The naked lady," she added unnecessarily, causing Aizawa to glare at her. She dropped a mocking sort of curtsy as she popped the fish in the boiling stew pot.

The blond-haired man laughed. "I like her, 'Zawa," he proclaimed loudly with a slap to his leg. "She'll definitely keep you on your toes!"

"Hizashi is the merchant I was telling you about." He gestured to a heavy pack slung in a corner. "He sells oddities around the country."

"Oddities?" She passed them both cups of ale drawn from the cask in the corner.

"Yeah, well... strange stuff I find in my wanderings."

"Huh." She looked interested but dropped the subject in favor of paying more attention to their dinner, a choice that paid off well in second helpings that night.