Disclaimer : If I did, they would be frolicking like bunnies all day.
The colour red.
It surprises me how my blood ran cold when I remembered those days before I break free from their grasps. Red reminds me of all the blood when Kanda Yuu, the samurai lashes his sword to all those innocent villages. In hindsight, gallivanting with Kanda was never a good choice.
"You are one to talk," sound a voice in my head.
I had laughed then.
Japan during the Meiji Empire unravels the birth of a new era. The Japanese pledged their lives to Meiji and act on their own accord. Their graceful strides has always struck me as odd as being Geishas, you cannot be surprised on anything anymore.
I remembered that it was raining in the evening. Being a European has its cons. In a country such as Japan who valued their country's men, I was a threat though I was a woman. The girls at Yamamoto's had always bullied me into doing their chores. In one of my errands, I did not notice a bulky figure on the gravel road before I tripped over it. The figure grunted as I stared at him, shell-shocked.
"S-sir, are you okay?" asked myself worriedly.
He stared at me straight in the eyes with that fiery look all over his face. Relief flooded into me and I crept closer to him for inspection. He cringed over my touch and spat colourful profanities in a language I knew so well.
"Do all samurais speak fluent English or are you the only one who could?" . My dutch bravery took over. It must have been due to the sake given by one of the customers. I was quite famous you see.
"Kanda Yuu"
"What?"
"My name, lady. Kanda Yuu," he replied succinctly.
I had cocked an eyebrow on his accent. It does not sound Japanese as they were no hints of the slang in his English. He was so infuriating and yet interesting. I have never question my actions after that when I took him to my home at the outskirts of Tokyo.
"If he refuses to comply, I'll just leave him to his death bed here. Stupid, arrogant, long-haired man!" I had thought.
Kanda seemed capable enough to stand all by himself and I draped my arms around him as we walked back home quietly.
The days which came after had been humorous. The rain languidly subsided and the sun shone persistently every day. Kanda was getting used to this new environment as I was tending to his wounds. He did not give in anything about himself and I did not either. We had come into a mutual (and yet silent) agreement on things. The villagers never asked about the man who was living with me at that time. I thank the Lord profusely for being ignored all these years as it had certainly made things easier for both me and Kanda.
A few years have passed and both of us still live together. Run ins with a couple of old acquaintances of Kanda's were easily settled in ten seconds but when he kissed my eyes and said goodbye, I knew that something horrifying were about to happen.
I came to know about his background when both of us was slurred into a drunken stupor after a stupid fight we had in the early years. I have accepted him on who he is (or was) and he had accepted mine. On that day, however, Kanda did not say a thing as his emotions would betray him otherwise. I knew him too well, I guess.
He left me alone after that unfateful night. I have missed eating with him and his childish display when I took his beloved Mugen away during one of our games. I missed his laugh and his angered scowl. I missed playing with his long hair and his snores when he sleeps.
Tears were threatening to flow down as I was trying to remember his face. Two calloused hands reached down onto my cheeks and wiped them away before it had its chance to fall. I blinked my eyes a few more times before I can recognize that darkest shade of blue in his gaze.
"Stupid," he muttered.
Ahh. There he is.