The thought had not even occurred to me as to whether or not Kassashimei and I were worthy enough to have a guardian. During the old era, chienkuu ko were a prized commodity amongst the tea houses. So much so, that they were often victims to kidnappings. Warriors were often hired to protect them. But now, such occurrences were so rare, that guardians became nothing more than a form of decoration, a symbol to enhance the prestige and worth of the children they escorted. Because of the large amount of money it typically cost to hire them, most children had no guardian at all, but the ones that did often curried the most favor and the highest paying employment among the top ranking people in society.

"My name is Ren Tzu," the warrior said in a strong, but soothingly meditative voice. He gave a small, respectful bow, which surprised both Kassashimei and I. No one had ever greeted us with a bow before, and for him to do so, made me feel all the more unworthy of his services.

"Ren Tzu has been assigned to watch over the both of you," Miss Nishio said. "He will be staying here from now on. Everywhere you go, he will follow. Do not make his job troublesome, or any harder than it needs to be. Do you understand?"

"Yes Miss Nishio," I answered reverently.

"Good. The more people who notice your guardian, the more respect this house shall receive; and perhaps, with enough luck, more business. Be mindful of what you do, for there is no shame that you can hide from this man's eyes."

Because of my newly acquired license, the Guild was quick to make sure that the Tiger Lily Tea House appeared on the employment registry. Meng had told me that, before my arrival, the tea house was not registered at all. I asked her why. Certainly, Lai and Mai were licensed and recognized by the guild, just as Kassashimei and I recently were, weren't they? She was slow to answer. And when she did, she only mentioned a proverb that many of us learned from our teachers and elders: Good fortune only follows those that do not fear opportunity.

Barely a week had past, and already a shipping captain was interested in contracting the skills of a certain silver-eyed boy and his ambitious shyo mah. Miss Nishio was quick to negotiate and even quicker to have Kassashimei and I sit in the room with her during her discussion, so that Ren Tzu would be proudly displayed beside us. Simply having our guardian with us, with his regal, calm demeanor and grand-looking swords was enough to sway the captain's thoughts in our favor. Every now and then, while he sipped his tea, his eyes lingered for the briefest of moments towards the imposing warrior sitting across from him. Miss Nishio seemed to have a cunning glow about her, knowing that such distractions made discussing the terms that much easier. She was careful to hide the fact that I had hardly any experience. Finally, the deal was made and after everything had been arranged, Kassashimei and I donned our bamboo hats and made our way to the docks. Along with our guardian, Miss Nishio personally watched over us, letting Madame Quoli run the tea house while we were away.

As was tradition, a group of monks awaited us at the ship, where they performed a short ceremony consisting of prayers, chants, and bells meant for blessing us with a safe journey. On any airship past and present there could always be found a certain number of monks, for their spiritual connections were considered good luck on voyages. They also cared for the cleanliness of the ritual decks, as well as for the well-being of all the shyo mu and shyo mah onboard.

With us, were the other contracted chienkuu ko. It was typical for a ship to contract at least six to ten pairs of us, depending on the length of the voyage. Each pair served on the ritual deck, changing shifts every few hours. Most of them regarded Kassashimei and I with envy, for many of them did not have a guardian, just an elder or some adult from their respective houses.

Though there was some pride to be had with Ren Tzu around, he seemed indifferent about his job. He barely spoke and hardly showed any expression at all. Whatever he was thinking, he made sure to keep it hidden behind an impenetrable mask. Even though he had his own quarters, he used them only to change his clothes. The rest of the time, he spent near the quarters assigned to both Kassashimei and I. He guarded the entrance to our room diligently. Even at night, while everyone was asleep, I remember cracking open the hatch, only to find Ren Tzu kneeling on the ground in some sort of light meditation. His hands were resting on his lap, near the hilt of his swords.

Such a strange way to sleep.

Still, he seemed all-the-more alert, like some predatory beast in a trance, waiting to feel some sort of disturbance in the air.

"Is everything all right?" Ren Tzu said without opening his eyes.

I gasped and quickly shut the hatch.

I was awed by the man's unflinching discipline. Although, how Kassashimei reacted to him couldn't be more different. Now and then, she dragged me along on what she called, games. She made us hide in various nooks and corners along the ritual decks of the ship to see if we could lose him, yet every time, she'd find herself frustrated when he inevitably found us only a short moment later. She and I discovered in the ship's dining hall that he would only take his meals when my shyo mah and I were eating, and that no matter how little food he ate, he'd leave the table at the same time we did.

Giving in to her curiosity, Kassashimei made me swear not to eat for two days. So we went hungry while she tested to see if the warrior's appetite was stronger than his devotion to his duty. Even though we tempted him by passing the dining hall several times, he remained loyally at our sides. I was nowhere near as mischievous as my partner and immediately gave up. She blamed me for being weak when I eventually dragged her back into the dining hall, which allowed our guardian the opportunity to also fill his belly.

Since Miss Nishio spent most of her time on the upper decks, she at first did not notice Kassashimei's games. But when she did, she blurted angrily at how insolent we were being and confined us to our quarters, letting us out only to eat and to perform our tasks in the ritual room.

Our services were called twice a day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening. I was nervous at first, watching the other children carry out their duties with such calm and undistracted determination. But when my turn came, I was surprised to see that I was performing just as well and with equal skill.

Any doubt I had before, quickly disappeared.

From the moment that my tamma was placed atop the pedestal before me, to the respectful bows I gave to the next group of children relieving me, I felt an inspiring radiance emanating from within. Every practiced motion of my body, every watery-like detail laid out in the ether; it was as if these were the things I had already experienced in a past life. Sometimes I imagined myself as some sort of sea creature, commanding every wave with the stroke of a flipper or tail and reveling in the ribbon-like wakes I left trailing behind.

The voyage lasted a week. We traveled from one end of Rui Nan to the other, passing over oceans, several mountain chains, villages and cities and a myriad of tiny islands. In that one single trip, I learned how powerful and inspiring just a small glimpse of the world could be.

When we returned home, I was not ashamed to tell Miss Nishio that I wanted more, that I wanted to fly again, to soar as many times as she would allow me. She looked at me as if I had just asked her for money. She placed both her palms on my cheeks and presented a stern gaze.

"How can you be so carefree, so naive," she uttered ", when you have eyes as strange as these? Do not think for a moment that you are any more special or that your future is any more favorable with such things."

She took a deep breath as if emerging from some trance, then looked away, ordering me to go to my room. For the next few days, I was unsettled by her words. But I was a determined child then and eventually looked upon my future with more hope than I ever had. I was quick to forget the uncomfortable feeling she gave me as I excitedly took each to new chance to fly the stalwart ships of my country.

Week after week I took to the skies, sometimes for a day, sometimes soaring along the ether for half a month without ever setting foot on the Earth. Miss Nishio seemed especially pleased, seeing as the contracts came one after the other without end. Madame Quoli, even with all her pride, seemed to tolerate me a little more. After all, though she probably wanted to, she could not protest the amount of money Kassashimei and I had been making for the tea house.

We flew ships of every kind, some not much larger than a fishing boat, others as large as a castle. Because every airship was built from the hulls of sea going vessels, there were some voyages where we would ride the ocean for a time, then take to the skies afterwards, only to return to the ocean again the next day. For many poorer captains it was often cheaper to contract fewer children and sail the ocean for a certain distance instead, rather than ride the sky permanently the whole trip. Much to Kassashimei's delight, she learned that I was easily prone to sea sickness. And so, to my dismay, I found myself listening to her relentless teasing throughout many of our ocean-going trips.

Most of the time, we were contracted to carry cargo from one place to another. Although, sometimes, we flew in passenger vessels. There was even a time when we were fortunate enough to be contracted by a rich governor from a neighboring province. We were to serve aboard his personal ship where he was having a fireworks viewing party in celebration of his birthday. Dignitaries from all over the city as well as Miss Nishio were invited to attend.

The ship itself was as long as the tallest pagoda at the Imperial Temple, and as it floated regally in the bay, moored to one of the docks, I found myself captivated by how pristine and luxurious it was. The fine, black lacquer that colored the rims of the decks were without a single scratch and the red wooden hull boasted an unblemished polished sheen against the warm, red glow of the evening festival lanterns that hung across its length.

I wondered if the ship had ever sailed at all.

Kassashimei and I arrived with Ren Tzu and Miss Nishio, dressed in the finest clothing I had ever worn. With the money we were earning, Miss Nishio was no longer hesitant to decorate us with more presentable clothes, and for this occasion, she made sure that Kassashimei and I stood out, not only among the aristocratic crowd, but also among the other chienkuu ko as well. To Miss Nishio, everyone at the party was a potential customer.

I felt awkward at first. I had never worn a male kimono before. The thick cloth seemed to smother my body and weigh down my shoulders. When Ren Tzu dressed me, he said that this was the reason why the emperor had such broad shoulders. If I wore such things long enough, I too, would have a proud stature similar to his. Even though it was heavy underneath its many layers, the silk felt smooth and cool against my skin. All throughout my robe were various shades of bright and dark blue, while Kasshimei's clothing glimmered with threads of gold. Our approach was difficult to ignore as the metallic-looking thread in our clothing caught the lantern lights in such a way that we must have glowed like fire bugs. Even the wide-brimmed hats we wore were of the same material, emblazoned across the top with the tiger lily symbol of our house. The hats were much larger than I was used to, and the fact that they hid our faces made us all the more mysterious in the eyes of curious onlookers.

I felt that it was all too much. But I remembered Miss Nishio mentioning that gatherings such as these were nothing more than a means to show off one's status.