"So we meet again…"

Stepping out of the blacksmith's workshop where his new body was born, the Uchigatana was greeted a young boy dressed in black standing outside as though waiting for him. Even though they no longer retained their original forms, for some reason he recognized the small figure of a Tantou now gazing at him with a confident smile.

"…It's you…"

"Yes, it's me," the boy took a step closer towards him, "Though, just like before I still look much smaller than you."

"You look fine the way you are," with a subtle smile drawn on his face, the Uchigatana shook his head. To his words, the black Tantou simply laughed.

"If you say so, then I have nothing to complain," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"What do you mean?"

"No…" this time, it was the boy's turn to shake his head, "I simply thought that in this form, you look even more beautiful than before."

To these words, the smile on the newly forged Uchigatana vanished. Though he was happy to receive such compliment, when he recalled how his previous Masters had taken away his freedom by using his beauty as an excuse…

"…Do you, too, wish to rule all that is under heaven?"

The Tantou's grayish purple eyes went wide. For a moment, the Uchigatana was afraid he might have offended the feeling of his long-known comrade, but to his surprise, the boy simply laughed once again and casted him a gentle look.

"I hope to get along with you."


"…-san… Nii-san?"

"…?! Ah, sorry. What is it, Sayo?"

"Are you…alright?" despite his monotonous voice, Sayo stared at his older brother in both curiosity and worry. Souza, on the other hand, looked as though he had just been splashed awake with cold water. His heterochromatic eyes returned his little brother's gaze in confusion.

"No, no, I'm alright. Sorry," the pink hair smiled apologetically, scratching the side of his face with the tip of his index finger, "What was it that you were trying to say?"

"I… I was just wondering if it would be alright if I stay over at a friend's place tonight," casting his gaze down as if he was being scolded, the blue-haired boy answered in a small voice, "Imanotsurugi invited me to play at his house yesterday, but I haven't had the chance to ask you."

"Imanotsurugi-kun? Of course, it's alright. This is the weekend, after all," surprised at how simple his brother's request actually was, Souza couldn't help but smile, "But be sure not to cause him too much trouble, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Then that's fine," he gave the boy a pat on the head, "Do you need me to take you there?"

"I will be fine. Nii-san…should rest. This is the weekend after all…" repeating the words he'd just said not even a minute ago, Sayo's blue eyes casted a meaningful look at his older brother, in which Souza responded to with a chuckle.

"You're right…" he sighed, "I will help you prepare your clothes at the very least."

"Actually, I have…"

"Huh?" not understanding the meaning of those words, Souza's eyes followed the direction which his brother was looking at and found the boy's bag lying on the floor. From the way it bulged from the inside, there was no mistaking that Sayo had packed everything he needed in it. "…You really were planning to go even before I said yes, weren't you?"

"Sorry…"

"Nah, it's alright," the pink hair shrugged and smiled once again, "I'll see you off."

When Souza had just stood up from his seat, all of a sudden the bell rang, signaling that they were having a guest. Throwing each other a look of confusion, the two brothers hastened their steps and were soon taken aback upon seeing the figure standing beyond the door.

"Yo, it's me."

"Yagen?!"

It was no other than the person whom Souza met, or rather, was "tricked" into meeting only several nights ago. Now dressed in a casual outfit, Yagen's tall figure looked brighter and fresh compared to the mature appearance he had when he was donned in his formal outfit before.

"Why were you so surprised? I did message you, saying that I'll be coming over," the black hair replied, slightly furrowing his brows.

"Oh… Sorry, I… I didn't see it…"suddenly struck with guilt, Souza looked down unconsciously.

"No worries. It was a sudden plan, so I won't blame you," said their guest with a casual smile. His grayish purple eyes were then drawn to the small figure standing next to the pink hair. "Oh? Sayo Samonji, right? It's been a long time. You, too, didn't change at all."

At first, Souza was worried at the sudden remark of nostalgia being thrown at his little brother. However, before he could say anything, the blue-haired boy simply nodded calmly.

"You also didn't change, Yagen-kun. But you do look bigger than before," Sayo said with straight face.

"Wh— Sayo, you—?!"

"Huh… So you still remember me. That's great," Yagen laughed happily while patting the boy on the shoulder, pushing aside Souza's obvious surprise. Sayo, on the other hand, shifted his gaze to his older brother with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Nii-san…" he muttered, "You seemed like you didn't remember, so I kept quiet."

"But— Why? How? Since when?"

"It's alright, isn't it, Souza? No need to panic," stopping his burst of question, Yagen chuckled and smiled at him before looking back at the boy, "By the way, Sayo… Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes. To Imanotsurugi's place," the blue hair answered.

"Really?" at those words, Yagen's eyes brightened, "Well then, here, take this."

As he said it, he handed a small plastic bag to the boy. Apparently, there was a box of dango inside and when the two brothers looked at him at the same time, Yagen could only scratch the back of his head with an awkward laugh.

"It was supposed to be a gift for you guys, but then again… You wouldn't mind if I give this to the kids, would you, Souza?"

"I… I don't mind…" with his feeling now already settled down, the pink hair slowly shook his head at the question. Still, he threw a look of confusion towards his little brother who was already preparing to leave. "But, Sayo… You really shouldn't just keep quiet like that if something happened. Next time, be sure to talk to me, alright?"

"Alright," the boy nodded, "Then… I'm going."

"Take care."

"Give my best regards to Imanotsurugi, will you? If he remembers, that is…" Yagen waved a hand at the blue-haired boy with the corners of his lips drawn into a cheerful smile. To his request, Sayo nodded firmly but still, even then he remained staring quietly at their guest and it took awhile until the black hair noticed what he meant. "Don't worry. I will take good care of your brother while you're gone."

"…Thank you, Yagen-kun…" shifting his gaze away, finally the boy took off. Of course, Souza did not miss the rare smile faintly drawn on his brother's face as he left, but he had no opportunity to say a word.

Now left by himself with the other man, Souza began to feel a tinge of nervousness creeping into his heart as he watched his brother's back growing further and further away. Unconsciously trying to avoid contact with those grayish purple eyes, he awkwardly shifted inside and invited his guest in.

"W-Well then, Yagen, please come inside," he said, stuttering with his own words.

"…Yeah. Pardon the intrusion."

He wasn't looking at the black hair's face as the man answered. However, as he walked ahead of him, Souza was suddenly pulled by the wrist right after the door closed. In the next second, he found himself already trapped between the other man's arms.

"Y-Yagen?!"

"Sorry…" a low, heavy voice whispered in his ears, "Could we stay like this for a bit?"

He could feel Yagen's warmth tightening around him; his breath grazing the skin of his neck as the man buried his face on his shoulder. It felt as if his heart was about to burst from both embarrassment and surprise, but feeling no hidden intention from the way he was being embraced, eventually Souza felt at ease and returned the hug although rather awkwardly.

"You've…really become much taller…" he mumbled under his breath, touching the other man's back.

"Well, in this world, it turns out that I was born ahead of you," without letting go of the slender body in his arms, Yagen laughed softly, "But I have no complains. Otherwise, I won't be able to hold you like this."

"I can't breathe— Hey…"

"Sorry…" once again, the black hair whispered, "I just miss you so much, Souza…"

"You've said that, too, when we met at the hotel back there," – was what he was about to say, but Souza decided to swallow back his words. For a reason even he didn't know, a subtle smile rose to his lips as he saw this striking, good-looking man acting like a child who wouldn't let go of his mother. Touching the arms surrounding his body, he slightly chuckled while looking into those grayish purple eyes. "Well, I'm happy to hear that, Yagen. But you weren't planning to come here just so you can stand in the doorway, were you? Though… Even if I'm inviting you in like this, there's nothing I could show off to you in this house."

"No, that's alright," finally loosening his embrace, Yagen returned his smile, "It is already an honor for me that you even accept me into your home."

At that answer, Souza found himself at loss of words. How was he supposed to respond when the other person said such a thing with a genuinely happy smile? Even saying a simple "Thank you" made him felt like all the blood would rush to his face.

"Why are you always saying embarrassing things out of the blue…" he mumbled while turning his back and walked on ahead, not wanting the other man to see his reddening cheeks.

Unable to find a sofa small enough to fit into their humble living room, Souza had no other choice but to let his guest sat on a cushion on the tatami floor. After serving a cup of tea for the both of them, he, too, settled down a small distance away from him. Yagen, however, didn't say a word and remained sipping on his drink. In times like this, Souza really hated himself for never being able to think of anything to start a conversation.

"You're quiet as always, aren't you?" in the midst of his self-hating, all of a sudden the black hair chuckled. When he looked up, Souza found those grayish purple eyes already gazing at him. "I suppose it's not only your appearance that hasn't changed."

"I can't really help it…that I'm this kind of person…" replied him, slightly averting his gaze, "And aren't you also a smooth talker as always, Yagen?"

"Why, thank you."

"That's not even a compliment, really you…" furrowing his brows, Souza could only sigh at such a calm reply, "So… Why do you come here?"

"Obviously, I come to see you."

"Enough with the embarrassing talk already."

"No, really. Why else would I come here if you weren't here?" with a wide smile plastered all over his face, the man answered without hesitation, "But first thing first… I already said this before, but I'm sorry for the treatment you received that night. It was Midare and his twisted joke as always."

"That… I told you it's alright," shaking his head, Souza threw him a subtle smile as he answered, "Now that I've remembered him, too, I know that he meant no harm."

"Even though you were terrified enough that you were about to cry…" Yagen exhaled a long sigh, but at the same time he seemed relieved. Putting the tea cup on the table, he casted his gaze down for a brief moment before asking another question. "How much do you remember, Souza?"

"Eh?"

"How much?" he repeated his words. As he looked into the other man's eyes, Souza couldn't really tell if he was merely curious or if there was another reason.

"I remembered…that we weren't humans in the past," replied him in a small voice, "…and that we were then granted with the body of a human upon being summoned by that person."

"I see… Then, about me. What do you remember about me?"

"That you were a small little sword who became a handsome little boy afterwards," knowing that the person in front of him wouldn't like this answer, Souza put a hand to his mouth, struggling to hold back laughter while savoring the sight of this grown-up Yagen Toushirou frowning in dissatisfaction.

"Just so you know, I'm not your 'handsome little boy' anymore," he said, pursing his lips.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just kidding," still restraining his laugh, Souza thought it would be best not to tell him straight out that he'd actually become even more handsome than before, "Well, putting our past memories aside, if I may ask, what are you doing now, Yagen?"

"It was…the usual job," with uncertain voice, the black hair averted his gaze, "Nothing's special about it."

"Liar… That was a five-star hotel that your brothers invited me to."

"Are you saying people with the usual job can't afford a five-star hotel even once?" he retorted, but soon admitted defeat upon finding those pair of heterochromatic eyes clearly doubting him. Letting out a long sigh, Yagen brushed the black strands of his hair back with his fingers. "…Fine, I'll confess. I run the place."

"What?"

"What?"

"Wha— I mean… That hotel belongs to you?" Souza stared at him in disbelief.

"Well, yeah… Though I run it together with my brothers," once again, the black hair avoided to look at him in the face.

"That's… That's amazing, Yagen…" without taking his eyes off him, Souza backed down slightly, "Now I feel really bad for making you sit on this dirty floor."

"Stop saying things like that. It's exactly the reason why I didn't want to tell you."

"But—"

"It simply means that my— Our hard work pays off, that's all," replied him firmly. As though trying to cut off the conversation directed at his success, Yagen looked back at the pink hair and returned the question. "And? What about you?"

"Me? Well, I…"

For a brief moment, Souza found himself at loss of words. Just like with his brothers, he couldn't possibly tell Yagen what he'd been doing every night to obtain money from those men who'd become his patrons.

"Souza?"

"I'm…just a simple waiter working at a simple bar," he said with a bitter smile, "It's nothing worth mentioning, really."

"Don't say that. It's nothing to be ashamed of," dismissing his timid remark, Yagen firmly gazed into his eyes without even the slightest bit of pretense in his voice, "At the very least, now you have liberty to choose what you want or don't want to do. You're free."

"If you put it that way, I suppose…"

Souza's words trailed off into the distance. Compared to his life centuries ago, indeed there were no more cages barring him from seeing the outside world. However, he wondered if he really had obtained freedom as Yagen said. While he wouldn't say that he had no other choice but to sell his body, right now it was the only thing he could do to keep on living without putting too much burden on his older brother who was already struggling for the three of them.

"Surely… Even now I..."

"Souza?"

"…?! Ah, I'm sorry, I'm— Eh?" startled by the sudden call, an apology blurted out of his mouth before he could even think, but his next words were stuck in his throat upon realizing how close the black hair had shifted towards him.

"What were you thinking just now?" the other man asked, ignoring his bewilderment.

"No, I… It's nothing."

"Your eyes said otherwise though…" as he said this, Yagen inched closer once again. Slowly, he lifted his hand and touched the side of Souza's face. The pink hair quivered at the cold sensation of those fingers and at that time, their eyes met each other's. "Souza… May I?"

"...!"

It wasn't a forceful act, and the black hair didn't really put any strength in his touch either, but for some reason Souza found himself unable to move. Before he could say anything else, his lips were soon sealed as the other man laid a gentle kiss on him.

"Nngh…" shutting his eyes tight, Souza's hands unconsciously reached for the other's arms; his fingers clutching onto them. Up until this point, he had lost count on how many men he'd exchanged kisses with, and yet this was the first time he didn't feel any repulsion building up in the pit of his stomach when their lips touched.

"Do you…hate it?" the black hair asked.

"S-Something like that… H-How do you expect me to answer?" Souza turned his face aside, realizing very well that he was turning red up to the ears.

"If you don't hate it, then… Is it okay to continue?"

"Conti— What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"It's not sudden," letting out a soft sigh, Yagen shook his head and casted a sincere look at the pair of green and blue colored eyes before him, smiling gently, "Always, since a long time ago, I've always been wondering when I will ever be blessed with a chance to hold you in my arms. Now, in this life, I finally found it – the chance I've been waiting for."

"…?!"

"Souza… I want you…"

Again, too often had he heard other men saying such a thing, that they desired him so much they could lose their mind. Now that he thought about it, some of those men actually seemed quite serious, but even then he never felt anything. Therefore… Why was it that now it felt as though his heart just stopped the moment he heard those words leaving this person's lips?

"Yagen, why…?"

And yet he never had the chance to utter that question. Cupping his face in his big hands, the black hair once again closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together. Even though he was already surprised enough a moment ago, Souza could feel shiver running down his spine right now, more so when he noticed Yagen's tongue carefully slipped through his slightly opened lips. However, when he unconsciously tried to back away, those arms held his back and hips in place so that he couldn't move. It was the first time he actually felt passion burning up his entire body from the inside out while engaging in such an act, and perhaps taken aback by how he himself reacted, the pink hair didn't realize he'd been slowly been pushed down until his back was already on the floor completely.

"Y-Yagen, are you going to…?"

"May I?" the black hair repeated his question. It was already stunning enough to see that dashing face beginning to be dyed by lustful frustration, and listening to his husky voice whispering close to his ears made Souza's slender body trembled. To his lack of response, however, Yagen stroke the side of his face lovingly and showered him with soft kisses.

"Nnn…"

On the forehead, on the eyelids and on the tip of his nose… The black hair treated him so gently like a fragile piece of jewel. If this was just another one of those men, he would've covered up his disgust by telling them that it was alright to go ahead and take him so it would be over as soon as possible. But right now he was too flustered to even say a word when he saw his shirt slowly being stripped open, exposing his bare skin right under the gaze of those grayish purple eyes.

"Is it okay…to ask you something?" Yagen said; his fingers tracing the lines of his neck and collarbone. Upon finding the pink hair looking back at him with confused face, he leaned in closer as though trying to lie on top of him and whispered. "Will you promise me not to let any other people to see you like this?"

At that moment, Souza could feel his entire body turning cold all of a sudden. He hoped that Yagen wouldn't see the expression on his face, but he was sure he must've turned pale right after hearing those words. Rather than like being slapped across the face, it felt as though he was being stabbed right in the heart. If… If Yagen were to know the truth about him…what would he do?

"Souza?" with a questioning look, the black hair remained hovering on top of him, not making any further movement as though waiting for permission. But when silence hung heavily between the two of them, a bitter smile was soon drawn on his face as he laughed softly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you something like that. It's no different than trying to take your freedom away."

"W-Wait!" when the other man was just about to raise, for a reason even he himself didn't know Souza grabbed the clothes of Yagen's upper arms in an attempt to stop him. Until a mere second ago, he was still in the midst of battling with his inner self, but when his eyes caught the sight of him growing further away, his body moved on its own before he could even think. "Wait…a minute…"

"It's alright. You don't have to force yourself to comply with my wish. Like I said, it was the same as taking your freedom away by binding you to myself," Yagen let out a forced laugh. Did the remaining uncertainty he still had left was shown in the reflection of his eyes, Souza wondered. But still, for some reason, he didn't want to let go of this man as he kept clinging onto him, hiding his face in the crook of the other's neck. When Yagen saw this, he stroke those strands of pink-colored hair with his long fingers and smiled again.

"Souza, if you do something like this, you're going to get my hopes up," he said in a gentle, yet restrained voice, "I mean, I wouldn't mind if you need some times to think it over, you know?"

As he said this, he kissed the top of Souza's exposed shoulder. The pink hair flinched slightly when those lips touched his skin, but he didn't move away. Seeing this, Yagen carefully laid him back down to the floor while nibbling at the side of his neck.

"—Ack!"

All of a sudden Souza felt his skin being bitten. There wasn't too much force put into it, but the feeling of fangs about to sink into his flesh still hurt nonetheless. Yagen licked at the red mark he'd left there, and repeated the same action over and over again as he slowly shifted down to the collarbone and chest. When his tongue ran over the soft buds protruding on the pale surface, Souza's slender body jolted as he clawed into the other's arms.

"Are you sensitive over here?" seemingly trying to reassure himself, Yagen licked on it again and the pink haired quivered. It was enough of an answer for him and after witnessing this reaction, Yagen leaned in again and wrapped his mouth around one of those.

"Not…that…" with breathless voice, Souza tried to push him away, but the other man purposely pinched the other one with his free hand. A sweet cry spilled out from Souza's thin lips, but at that very second, he immediately covered his own mouth.

"This voice… I'm…"

"Were you worried that your neighbors might hear?" completely unaware of how he was feeling, Yagen grinned mischievously. However, in reality it was far from it. Souza had even completely forgotten whether the building had thin walls or not. The moment he heard his own moans, a completely unpleasant feeling immediately rose amongst the pleasure building up inside him.

It was guilt.

"Yagen…? What are you doing?"

"Nothing. This part here seems to want some attention, too," the black hair replied casually, already positioning himself between his legs. Souza knew very well that his lower part must've responded to the stimulation he'd been receiving, but he had no idea when exactly Yagen had been there and removed his briefs. Even more than that, he was mortified to find out what this man intended to do by placing himself over there.

"No, wait! You can't do that. Yagen, sto— Ah, ah!"

His late warning didn't reach him, and the consequence was more and more of those obscene voices left his lips the moment that warm and wet sensation surrounded his most sensitive part. However, the deeper his body drowned into that pleasure, his heart was tortured by an even heavier guilt. At this moment, listening to the indecent voices he made, Souza couldn't stop himself from seeing the sight of those strangers overlapping with Yagen's figure. This, no matter how he tried not to think about it, was how he'd always offered himself to his customers.

"Stop… Please stop…" he pleaded in a small voice between his erratic breathings. The feeling of those grayish purple eyes watching him from below drove him even closer to the edge, but while it would definitely feel better to let it all out, Souza closed his mouth tight with his own hands so that his cries wouldn't come out.

But still, no matter how hard he tried to withstand it, eventually his body gave in to the intoxicating pleasure and his hips buckled as he found release. Instead of relief, however, all the guilt building up until now suddenly came crashing onto him at that very same second.

"…Souza?" with a rather breathless voice, Yagen wiped the white remnants off his lips and rose to check up on him, "Souza, why are you crying?"

One drop, two drops… Tears began to fall from his heterochromatic eyes. It was painful, like his heart was being crushed into pieces, but there was nothing he could do to stop it even though Souza knew very well what the cause of it was. Although the man didn't say it directly, he could tell that Yagen was very sincere when conveying his feelings for him, and the more he thought about it, the happier he felt. Perhaps he, too, had been drawn to this person since a long time ago, or perhaps he was simply glad to know that someone else thought of him as precious. But at the same time, it was also the sole reason why he was now tortured by so much guilt.

After all, how could he let the person who treasured him this much to touch his body that had been dirtied by other men?

"Did I go too far? Sorry…" with an apologetic look, Yagen pulled him into his arms, "I'm sorry, Souza. Please don't cry."

"…s not…that…"

"I'm the one who should say sorry," was what he wanted to say, but his sniffles prevented him from properly speaking out his thought. The black hair embraced him tight, but along with the comfort he received, a part of his heart still felt that he didn't deserve such kind treatment.

"Geez, you… If it's not because of me, then why are you crying all of a sudden?" Yagen ask, but the tone of his voice signaled that he didn't require an answer for that question. Instead, he gently stroked Souza's back, kissing the strands of his pink-colored hair and let him cried on his chest. "You should get some rest, Souza. You look tired."

Despite not knowing why this man would say such a thing, in the following silence Souza felt those long fingers kept stroking his hair quietly. It truly was comforting, and before he knew it Souza had closed his eyes, resigning himself to the warmth surrounding him. He never noticed this before, but he thought Yagen had a very soothing scent. Even though just a little bit, it felt like the pain in his heart was eased.

"If only I could just forget everything and stay like this forever…"

"…Souza?" eventually looking down at the slender body in his arms, the corners of Yagen's lips were then pulled into a subtle smile as he let out a sigh, "What? You just fell asleep like that?"

He did tell him to rest, but he didn't expect the pink hair to really fall asleep while still in his arms. Still, when he took a peek at his face, he really didn't have the heart to wake him up because under those eyes, hidden beneath the traces of tears, were very noticeable dark circles. Yagen scolded himself for not noticing it earlier and went ahead of himself.

"Sorry, Souza… I shouldn't have made you even more exhausted," he whispered in an apologetic voice.

As he carefully laid that slender body on his lap, he caught the faint sound of buzzing and his eyes were then drawn towards a small object lying on the floor, not far from where the pink hair had previously been lying. It was Souza's cell phone, and from the way it kept vibrating in regular interval, it seemed that there was a call coming in.

"It probably fell when I pushed him down," Yagen thought as he picked it up, intending to put it on the table. However, when he caught the caller's name written on the lit up display, he couldn't help but stare at it as the call remained unanswered.

"Red…Carnation?"

As if it wasn't enough of a mystery, when the phone eventually stopped buzzing, what was written on the screen was even more startling that Yagen couldn't help but wonder. Even though he couldn't open the lock screen, a small pop-up showed there were dozens of missed calls and unread messages in that single phone.

Still… Upon seeing the numbers of those notifications, for some reason his mind was once again drawn back to the name of that caller he just saw.