Innocence

Chap 3

A few hours later

Shin was sitting at his desk strumming his fingers, for once he had nothing to do, and he didn't want to leave in case Kala woke up and she didn't know where she was.

Behind him he heard her heavy breathing, when it stopped suddenly, he turned to see her stirring in the bed. She let out a quiet moan and sat herself up, she was feeling better. Shin could tell from her expression that she didn't have a clue where she was, she was still drowsy. He placed the palm of his hand on her forehead and she let out a small gasp of surprise "it's ok, it's only me" he said calmly, she smiled with relief.

"Hmmmm" he said "your much cooler, your temperature has gone down." "Goody" she said

She turned around so her legs were dangling over the edge of the bed, smiling.

" I feel great" she said stretching and yawning loudly

"I'm glad" he said, "is there anything you want?"

"Erm..." she thought, "well I am hungry, but.."

"I'm glad you said that because come to mention it so am I" Shin interrupted. "Come on then, lets go get something to eat" he took her hand and gently pulled her off the bed.

"Where are we going?" she asked

"The kitchens" he replied

"But I thought you could just order anything you wanted from here" she said now very confused.

"I can" he said smiling to himself "but I want to get out of this room, I've been staring at these four walls for the past two days."

"Lucky you" Kala chuckled sarcastically.

As they were walking along with Shin holding Kala's hand he was doing two things, one doing what her mother should have been doing and warning Kala of any obstacles in her way such as pillars, walls and things on the floor. He did this because he didn't think she had been to the Palace Kitchens before.

Another thing he was looking out for was Kala mum, he didn't think he could get within ten feet from her without wanting to Ki blast her, but as yet she was no-where in sight. As they were making there way down the corridor that led to the kitchens a large male Kai stopped in front of them, he was wearing the uniform of the Palaces guards, so Shin stopped. Kala was about to ask why they had stopped when she heard a voice she didn't recognise.

"Excuse me sir but may I be so bold as to ask where you are going?"

"You may "smiled Shin "and we're going to the kitchens" he put emphasis on the word WE'RE.

"But sir, it is not meal time yet, and the kitchen is closed."

"Would you then please kindly ask them to open it for a short while, if it's not to much trouble that is" Shin smirked. "For you see, this poor child needs nourishment, and would you like her death from starvation on your conscience?"

"Err, no sir" stammered the guard.

Then right on cue, Kala's stomach let out a large growl

"oops" she blushed "sorry."

"See" smiled Shin "this poor child needs sustenance"

"Erm, ok sir, right away sir" and he bolted down the corridor.

Kala had to stop herself from laughing out loud, she could just imagine the look on the guards face.

"Your mean" she giggled at Shin

"I know" he laughed "but I've never liked that particular man, the way he acts sometimes you would think he was Supreme Kai" he paused "the seriousness of this place can get you down sometimes, everybody is so dull, and so willing to please me, I just feel I need someone who will just tell me things straight."

"Like me" she piped up

He looked down at her and gripped her hand tighter. "Yes child, just like you"

When they reached the kitchens it was quite an amusing sight, all the chefs were running around like mad people, you would think they had just been told they had to prepare a banquet for a thousand people in the next five minutes he thought people sometimes don't half over react.

He crouched down next to Kala and whispered in her ear, "give me some sort of signal as to whether you think something smells good and I'll order it, ok?"

She nodded happily.

As they walked through passed all the assorted foods she either gripped his hand tighter if she thought is smelled good or loosened her grip slightly if she thought it didn't.

After some time they were eventually done.

One thing that had made Shin wonder about Kala since he had first met her was how she got around the palace so well by herself so he decided on the way back to find out.

As they made their way back to Shins private quarters he slowly let go of her hand, he was slightly anxious though, he guesses it was similar to watching a child take their first steps because he had never seen her outside his quarters before.

As they kept walking he noticed that they were heading closer and closer to the walls along side, he was about to point this out to Kala when he saw her arm shoot out side ways. The palm of her hand was right up against the wall. As they headed toward a small flight of stairs Shin was just about to grab her, but he was too slow. She had walked down them before he could reach her.

Incredible he thought, she had walked down them as if she could see. Again at the bottom she managed to find the wall and continued in the right direction.

"Nearly there" she called

How does she know? he thought.

When they reached his quarters she placed her hand on the door frame and smiled "yep, we're here." She stepped into his room and walked toward the direction of the bed, about three inches or so from it she stopped and leapt onto the bed she landed in the middle.

"Amazing" he said

"what is?" she asked

"You" he replied

she giggled "why thank you"

Shin didn't get the joke at first but finally he got it "very funny, but really Kala how did you know where to go?"

She jumped off the bed and walked over too him. She took his arm and felt her way down it until she reached his hand. Then she took him outside again and some way along the corridor, then she stopped and pushed his hand onto the flat hard wall. She smiled to herself as if she had just taught a three year old quantum physics. When she didn't get a response from Shin she asked him if he felt anything, he had to admit he didn't. She pulled him back and began to explain to him.

"You see sir every wall in this palace is different somehow, some have cracks in them, others have dips or small chunks out of them, she put her hand on the wall again, this particular wall has a groove stretching from the Kitchens to your quarters" she grinned "the door frame of your quarters in case you are wondering has a small hole just about the same height as my eye level."

Shin was stunned "ok clever clogs, how did you know exactly where my bed was from the door?"

"That's easy" she said grinning again "I just counted how many paces it takes to get there from the door" she grinned again and walked back inside.

Shin was sitting at his desk with Kala sitting on it when food arrived, he told the guy who brought it to place it on the floor by the bed, he did as he was instructed and left without saying a word.

Shin walked over to it with Kala crawling behind following her nose. When she reached the tray Shin began to read out the long list of assorted food that was there, with Kala smiling a little more after each item.

"So what would you like?" he asked politely.

Kala thought back over the fifty something food items and said "erm, what was the forth one you said again?"