Keepsakes
Chapter 4: Unintentional Intrusion
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Author: Jun-I
Warnings:
-Spoilers within. Written with the assumption that readers have already seen the anime.
-Characters change gender. Heihachi and Kyuuzou are female.
Disclaimers:
- Don't own Shichiroji, Heihachi, or any of the S7 charas. For fun, not for profit.
- Opinions expressed by characters do not necessarily reflect author's opinions.
Shichiroji got up very early the next morning. He wanted to use the public bathhouse before anyone else got there. The aide had been so busy since they came to Kanna, he had not taken a bath yet. But after all the drama and stress of the previous night, Shichiroji thought he deserved to pamper himself with a small luxury.
When he arrived outside the bathhouse, he listened for the sound of voices or splashing water. There was only silence. No one was in there. The samurai stepped boldly in. Then he froze.
Heihachi was sitting in the tub. Her back was to him and her arm was raised. The mechanic was in the middle of examining the angry dark bruises on her right wrist and hand. His finger marks.
Shichiroji immediately threw his hand over his eyes. "I'm so sorry!" he said.
The other samurai turned at the sound of his voice, but not fully. All Shichiroji could see through the gap in his fingers were Heihachi's bare back, her soft profile and her wet, glistening red hair.
"Don't worry about the bruises. I'm fine," she answered.
"I mean, I'm sorry for intruding," he said awkwardly. He removed his hand from before his eyes but quickly redirected his gaze to the floor.
The flame-haired samurai raised her eyebrows.
"And I'm sorry about the bruises too," Shichiroji added as he blushed. "I did not know I was gripping you so hard. I did not mean to hurt you."
"It's all right," she said kindly, "I bruise easily, that's all. I know you did not mean it."
There was a moment of awkward silence as the woman waited for Shichiroji to leave the room but he did not. The handsome blond just stood staring at the ground, as if he did not know what to do next.
"Are you waiting to use the bath house?" Heihachi finally asked, "I'll be done in a few minutes, if you could wait till then."
"Er... yes, of course. I apologize for the intrusion." Shichiroji stammered. Then he turned quickly and made his way outside.
He did not know whether is was their confrontation in the village square or their unexpected meeting in the bath house that caused them to cross the line from mere acquaintances into friends. They were never particularly interested in each other's company before.
Heihachi was somewhat embarrassed by her public outburst that came to naught, and Shichiroji still felt awkward about his foolish behavior in the bath house. Each would have liked to explain things more fully to the other, but neither knew the other well enough to do so. So, without realizing it, the two samurai made the decision to try to know each other better.
Sometimes, the aide and the mechanic took their lunch breaks together, sharing a few rice balls and a good conversation. Pretty soon, the blond and the redhead came to enjoy each other's company. For Heihachi, it was not difficult to like Shichiroji. No woman could look upon the charming young man without at least a small degree of favor. The handsome blond was kind, considerate, and ever the peacemaker. As for Shichiroji, he had always liked hanging around the cheery tomboy . Yet he could never remember the exact moment when he started seeing her as a nubile young woman instead of a chummy 'male' comrade.