Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Koi wa Kurushimi ❯ I have measured out my life with coffee spoons; ( Chapter 6 )

Koi wa Kurushimi
By Djinn Hashiba-Maxwell

And indeed there will be a time
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?" --
Time to turn back and descend the stair

- The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
- T.S. Eliot

* * *

"We're closed!"

The pounding continued.

"Damn it! I said we're closed!!"

Just more pounding.

Letting out a curse, the old owner of the inn went to the door and unbolted it, throwing it open in annoyance. "What is it??" He demanded.

The black haired man in the doorway blinked at him, once, and then softly responded "Nasutei, please."

* * *

"Ryo-chan," the green-eyed waitress Touma had flirted with only the day before commented, "are you quite all right? You don't come here for something small." She poked one dark bruise curiously. "I heard that you were captured by Aito-kyo. At least, Touma-san certainly seemed to think it was you."

"It was." Ryo confirmed, waving her prodding hands away.

"Oh! So Touma-san rescued you?" She giggled, clapping her hands together. "How romantic!"

"Nasutei ..." Ryo warned.

Nasutei huffed and settled herself into the nest of blankets on her bed. "Jaa, why are you here, then? I assume it wasn't because you wanted to have some fun ... it's a little late for that, and besides, you've never needed my help in getting your rocks off."

Ryo snorted. "Nasutei-san, you're a better thief than you are a lay, and we both know it."

She smiled pleasantly. "Ne, a girl has to make a living!" She replied. "So where is Touma-san?"

"Back at the compound." Ryo sighed. "And if the scene when I left was any indication, he's currently fucking the captain of the guards. Who also happens to be Akuko."

"Hmm." She smiled. "Never a dull moment with you two. Well, how can I help you?"

Ryo scratched the back of my head. "I figured we'd need to get out of Gifu. But we don't have tsuukou tegata."

Nasutei hopped off the bed. "Somehow, I'm less than surprised by that." She commented, before heading over to a locked chest and opening it. "Well, I suppose I have one that might get you through ... only if you don't put everyone on high security, though." She replied. "And they aren't free. Though, since we're friends, I suppose I could give you a discount ..."

"I'll need two." Ryou said quickly. Then he laid a pouch on the table. "Is forty ryou enough?"

Nasutei blinked, her eyes traveled to the pouch, and she practically drooled. "Ryo-chan, I ..." She swallowed, looking away. "Ryo, you know that these are not worth that much. Half that will suffice."

"Take all of it." Ryo replied. "God knows I don't need this much. And ... well, you've done us favors, Nasutei-san. Consider this thanks."

"I don't want your money, you fool!" Nasutei sighed and emptied the pouch, counting out twenty ryou and replacing the rest. "That you actually care is thanks enough. Now go and get Touma. And get out of town before you get in trouble, ne?" She advised as she handed him two wooden passes and the now half-empty money pouch.

Ryo grinned, and leaned over to give the elder girl a quick peck on the lips. "How will I ever repay you, Nasutei-san?"

"Heh." She smirked. "Marry me someday."

He grinned back. "Deal." And then was gone.

The redheaded woman sighed as she settled back into the twisted mass of bedcovers, nightgown pooling around her. Her eyes caught her own reflection in the mirror over her make-up stand; thin, pale, with long strait hair and wide, dark green eyes, clad in pale silk and frilly lace, an elaborately garbed specter. She sighed and fumbled in the bedside table for a cigarette and a half-empty bottle of lukewarm saké. "Marry me someday ..." She murmured, "... if I live that long."

* * *

Touma stumbled into the ruins with only the clothes on his back. No surprise; poor and injured was more or less his standard condition. The pure adrenaline that he had been running on was gone, and it had left him more tired than before. It was very trying to even move.

"Touma! You're here!" Ryo exclaimed, sounding relieved, and shocking Touma so badly that he nearly fell over. He must have been very injured indeed, to fail to notice that he was not alone. But he had, after all, been running himself ragged for days, and he was still injured.

"Ryo." A weak smile, teeth glinting white in the moon. "Waiting for me?"

"I ..." Ryo paused. "I have passage. For both of us." Ryo held up the two wooden passes. "We can leave Gifu, no trouble."

"Aa." Touma replied. "Good." And promptly collapsed.

* * *

The horse Ryo had stolen was far from a thoroughbred, but it would serve. It was not fast, but it was hardy slow, and had no trouble carrying him and Touma, along with their rather meager baggage. Ryo, while trying to stave off complete boredom, had decided to name the horse after fire, since it was a rather attractive roan. It's name was now 'Rekka'.

Ryo was trying to stay off the main roads; even with tsuukou tegata, there were definitely suspicious looking. And it would be hard to fight their way through any blockade or police force with Touma unconscious as he was. So they used the back roads and forest passes, Ryo in the saddle with Touma in front of him, heavy against his chest as the younger boy slept. Ryo could feel the breath against his throat, and the steady rise and fall of the other boy's chest. It was reassuring; it meant that Touma was still alive. Otherwise he wouldn't have been sure, so still was the other.

They were already well out of Takayama when he saw the lights. And there were a lot of lights. Enough to indicate and entire encampment, and in this remote of an area, it must be the military.

"Fuck." Ryo cursed. There were probably scouts around here already ... had they already been spotted? He reined in the horse and pulled Touma closer to look around. He didn't see anyone ... but there were lights getting closer. Stand or run? They did have tsuukou tegata, there was really no reason for them to be stopped. Running would be too suspicious. He held firm.

"Who goes there?" A gruff voice called.

"Just two travelers." Ryo called back, watching the lantern bob in the darkness.

"Why do you travel the back roads?"

Ryo paused. "We ... got lost. We are not from Gifu."

There was a pause, and then three men in imperial livery appeared. They looked over Ryo and Touma carefully. "Is your friend injured, niisan?"

"Er ... hai." Rather pointless to lie, with Touma looking as wretched as he did. "We were looking for an inn when we lost our way."

The man with the lantern, their obvious leader, looked thoughtful. "You should come back to the camp with us; we will take care of your friend's injuries, and give you a place to sleep."

Ryo swallowed hard, but he saw no way he could reasonably refuse. "Arigato ..."

* * *

"Sir? Mouri-san wishes to see you."

"Tell him I'm busy." Shuu grumbled.

"He is very insistent, Shuu-sama." The young enlisted man said nervously, glancing over his shoulder. A bellow in a language Shuu only slightly understood came from outside. Shuu sighed heavily.

"Well, all things considered, you'd best show him in."

The moment the British naval captain entered the translator had to struggle to keep up.

"Shuu-sama, Mouri-san says that a group of the scouts had returned, and they brought two travelers with them, and they look like - like -" the term Shane used was 'highwaymen', but it didn't translate well, "ruffians, and he demands to know what you will do about it."

Shuu sighed and stood. "Tell Mouri-san that I will look into it."

The gaijin seemed amenable to this, and left the tent with the translator in tow.

Shuu indicated for the enlisted man to leave, and then made for the scouting station. The lantern were lit and there was a noticeable extra shadow inside. There was one of the travelers ... where was the other?

"Sir!" the sentry exclaimed, jumping to a salute. Shuu waved away the respect, and pulled aside the tent flap. "Officer! Who is this man?"

"Ah!! S-Shuu-sama! Well, you see ... er, that is ..." the man flushed. "His-" pointing to the black haired man, "friend was injured. We thought ..." He indicated the unmoving blue-haired form on the futon, "that we should offer them assistance."

"Well I ..." Waitaminute - blue hair?? "Rowan??"

The black haired man's blue eyes snapped up in alarm. "You, uh ... you know Rowan?"

Shuu gave him a funny look. "Oh course I know him. He's my cousin, after all."

Ryo nearly fell over. He knew that the alias Touma used was supposed to be Shuu Rei Fuan's cousin, but saying that was a far cry from having Shuu Rei Fuan himself verify a story Ryo knew to be false.

"Er ... I see." Ryo coughed.

"Move Rowan to my tent immediately. What is wrong with him?"

"Shoulder wound and exhaustion." A man informed. "Nothing critical. Sir, shall I ... ?"

"No. Thank you." Shuu lifted Touma himself. "As you were!"

* * *

"Ugh." Touma felt like he had fought with a brick wall and lost. How long had he been unconscious? Where was he? "Ryo?" He remembered seeing Ryo before he passed out. "Ryo? Kimi wa doko desu ka?"

"Tou. You're awake." A familiar voice said. It was not Ryo.

"... Shuu?" He figured, quite reasonably, that he must be hearing things.

"Aa. How are you doing, Touma-chan? You've been asleep for several hours. It's past dawn."

"Shuu." Touma said, brow furrowed. "You're really here?"

Shuu laughed at that. "You and your friend stumbled into my camp."

"We did?" Touma asked curiously. "Where is Ryo?"

"If that is your black-haired friend, he is asleep. We'll have to wake him soon, though ... we're turning back to the Gifu convent to get you medical aid." Shuu replied.

"Aa." Touma relaxed and closed his eyes. "The Gifu convent ..." Then he sat up, muscles screaming from the sudden movement. "The Gifu convent?! Shuu!!"

From out of his western-style jacket Shuu pulled a sealed letter. "This is for you, from Sister Mary Francis." he said. Touma looked at it as if it carried plague. Shuu sighed. "The least you can do is see what the lady has to say!"

Touma glared in response, and snatched the letter out of Shuu's hand. He examined the seal - a nondescript cross pressed into the wax - before breaking it open. As he unfolded the letter something small and shiny fell out, into Touma's lap. A necklace, Shuu noted. A cross.

The letter was written in neat lines of roman letters; calm and precise, like the author. Touma frowned as he read it, eyes dark, but after a few moments he folded the latter again, and lifted the cross from where it had fallen in his lap. It was silver, only a few shades lighter than his skin. He fastened it around his neck slowly. "Thank you, Shuu, for delivering this." He said morosely. He handed the older man the letter. "Please burn this."

Shuu looked at the letter; the roman characters meant nothing to him, but they obviously made sense to Touma ... Shuu already knew that Touma spoke French. "What did she say, Touma?"

"That is between us, Shuu." Touma replied. "I would not feel right in sharing."

"I ... wakarimasu." Shuu nodded. "You and the sister have much history."

"Indeed." Touma laughed, tucking the cross necklace inside his kimono. "Indeed!"

* * *

Djinn: There has been a misunderstanding ...

Kaiya: What you mean is a purposeful equivocation!

Nai: Djinn, you little liar!

Djinn: I didn't lie! I do have the whole story written! ... I just don't have the whole story typed.

Kaiya: See, what did I tell you?? Equivocation!! The best line since 'it depends what your definition of 'is' is!!"