Three days later, Genrou couldn't help but be impressed by Kai's resilience. Though he was moving a little more slowly than usual – something the other bandits didn't seem to mind – he was back to doing laundry, serving dinner and drawing water from the well with his good arm. His fighting practice was less successful; with his good arm injured he wasn't able to swing his sword or fire an arrow. If it got him down he didn't show it. Instead, he worked as hard as he could and didn't complain.

Even though he wasn't able to fight, Kai insisted that he could work down on the road with Nami. Genrou had expected the much larger bandit to say he wasn't about to babysit Kai but he'd said he'd keep an eye on him. Now that it was time to get to work, however, the leader was wondering whether or not it was a good idea. He walked toward Nami and Kai's room, fully intending to tell the boy that he should stay at the fortress another few days.

"There you are," Nami's voice said on the other side of the door. "That should do it."

"It's going to take some getting used to," Kai said, his voice muffled. "But it's a lot more comfortable than I expected."

Genrou was curious to see what they were talking about and his question was answered a moment later when the door opened. When Kai stepped out of the room, Genrou was stunned into silence. With the leather armor he was wearing, along with his hair pulled back in a ponytail that had gotten longer since he'd first arrived, he looked a little like Hakurou, their old leader. A much smaller version, of course, but Hakurou just the same. Kai looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong? I look stupid in this, don't I?" He held his arms out as if displaying the latest fashion and sighed. "I told Nami it was too much."

"No, that ain't it. It's just that-" Genrou stopped short and shook his head. "I'm glad you're wearin' some kinda protection. I dunno why we didn't have it on ya before." Kouji came down the hall behind him and smiled when he saw Kai.

"Hey, good idea." He looked at Genrou. "Kinda looks like Kashira in that, huh?"

"That's just what I was thinkin' actually," Genrou said, glad that Kouji agreed with him. It gave him a reason to continue looking at Kai, and he was suddenly taken aback by this thought. Why do I wanna keep lookin' at him? "Where'd ya get the armor?" He already knew the answer to this question but he wanted something to say.

"Nami Aniki found it for me," Kai said with a grin up at his roommate. "I was half-hoping he wouldn't find any that fit me."

"You gotta wear something," Kouji said. "And trust me, lookin' like Kashira is a good thing. He was a great man." Kai looked curiously at him and Kouji put an arm around the boy. "C'mon, I'll tell you about him on our way down."

"Really? Thanks!"

As they walked out of the fortress, Kouji regaling Kai with tales of the bravery and honor of their former leader and Kai listening to him intently, Genrou lingered behind them. There was something about Kouji's arm around Kai's shoulders that he didn't like. It was just a friendly gesture and he knew he should be happy that his best friend had warmed up to the kid but it still bothered him.

Once they were down on the road, all thoughts of Kouji, Kai, and Hakurou were brushed out of his mind by the work ahead of them. It seemed like everyone in Konan was passing through the mountains and there was the usual crop of guys who were trying to steal or sneak through without paying to deal with. Genrou and Kouji stayed with Kai and Nami to make sure nothing happened to the defenseless boy and to give them some backup.

They sent Kai running to the restaurant a few times to gather information, and his speed seemed to have been unharmed by the injury to his arm. Before they had time to do more than comment on this, he was back and telling them that some loan sharks were on their way through. They'd flashed a lot of money around at the restaurant and were talking about how to con their way through the mountain pass when they came across the bandits.

"We've gotta knock 'em down a few pegs," Genrou said when Kai reported this. "This' a perfect example of the kind of guys we take for everything they're worth."

"I wish I could help," Kai said with a sigh and Genrou patted him lightly on his good arm. He'd managed to keep from slapping him on the right side of his body after the first time.

"Ya already did." The look on Kai's face clearly said that this wasn't the type of help he wanted to provide and Genrou grinned at him, hoping to put him at ease. "C'mon, we hide in the bushes 'til they get through here. Gives 'em a false sense of security. Nami'll go out first and block their path, Kouji'll grab their horse, and I'll step out and give 'em a chance to come clean."

"What do I get to do?" Kai looked out at the road as they went into the bushes in a group. The flattened grass suggested that this wasn't the first time someone was lying in wait there.

"Watch and learn," Kouji said with a smile. "Soon as that arm gets better, you'll be dealing with some of the big fish out here too. We're not always gonna be around to help you out, so you'd better take notes."

"Yes, Kouji Aniki!"

Before long, the loan sharks showed up and the plan went smoothly. Nami blocked most of the road when he stepped out in front of the horse pulling the wagon and before they could even begin to go around him, Kouji had grabbed the reins of the horse and held it firmly in place. Their prey immobilized, Genrou started out of the bushes, motioning for Kai to follow.

"Hey there, nice to see ya," Genrou said, waving at the man who had just had the reins taken from him. "Hope ya enjoyed your meal down at our place." The second man who was sitting beside the first glanced at him and a look of realization came over their faces. "Good, you've figured it out. We can forget the small talk and get down to takin' a cut of your stuff."

"We're not carrying much of anything," the first man said, smiling apologetically. "We spent almost everything in the restaurant. You see, we're on our way to Souun to-"

"-take some folks for all they're worth after ya loan 'em money?" Genrou finished for him. He folded his arms over his chest. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kai put his hands on his hips, most likely in an attempt to look serious. "We've heard all about ya, there's no use pretendin.'"

For a moment it looked like the loan sharks were going to pay the toll quietly. The first man climbed down from the wagon and opened his money pouch. "How much is the toll?"

"For guys like you, a third of what you're carrying," Kouji said. "We're havin' a special today."

"A third?" The man looked at him in surprise. "But we aren't carrying that much!"

"Then it won't be much of a loss."

"Forget it!" The man pulled out a knife and lunged at Kouji. After that, everything happened quickly. The second man jumped down from the wagon just as Kouji stepped out of the way of the first's small blade. Nami grabbed the second man by the front of his tunic and held him off the ground like a rag doll. Genrou stepped forward, ready to fight, then stopped when he saw Kai was trying to follow behind him.

"Nope," he said, pointing at the bushes. "Stay back here." Kai's mouth opened to argue but he narrowed his eyes at the boy and he closed it again. "It's an order," Genrou added, just in case Kai was still thinking of arguing.

By the time he got over to it, the scuffle was over and Kouji and Nami were the clear victors. The loan sharks were tied together with a length of rope that Nami had on his belt and tossed unceremoniously into the bushes while the bandits went through their things. As soon as Genrou pulled the blanket off the pile of goods in the back of the wagon he grinned.

As he'd expected, there was quite a haul. Several locked chests were in the wagon, along with clothes and a pair of small chairs on their side. He turned back to tell Kai to come see and was surprised by the fact that the boy was already at his side.

"Thought I told ya to stay back."

"The fight was over, so I came to see what they had." Kai shrugged and Genrou sighed. There was no point in scolding him, he'd grown a thicker skin than he had when he first arrived. "What are we going to do with all this stuff?"

"We'll get some other guys to help us carry the chests and stuff up to the fortress." Genrou lifted a shirt out of the wagon and held it up. "This looks like it might fit ya. Want it?"

"All right," Kai said eagerly. Genrou handed him the shirt and he tossed it over his shoulder like a towel. "Can I help?"

"Sure, if ya don't strain yourself." Genrou expected him to take one of the bundles of clothes and he turned to go over to the loan sharks. They were struggling against their bonds as he'd expected. "Because we're such nice guys, we're gonna let ya keep your horse and chairs. Everything else is ours now, ya got it?"

"We're sorry," the second man said. "Can't you let us keep some of our things?"

"Ya ain't sorry," Genrou said. "You're just sorry you're losin' your stuff. Just sit there for a while and be quiet." With that, he turned and stepped out of the bushes, only to see that Kai was once again doing exactly the opposite of what he'd told him.

Kai lifted one of the chests out of the wagon and Genrou saw pain flash over his face for an instant. The chest dipped slightly to the right and he knew it was where the arrow had hit. The boy regained his composure a second later and went back to his usual struggle of lifting heavy things but it was too late. Genrou went to Kai, scowling.

"You're just beggin' to make that arm worse, ain't ya?" He took the chest out of Kai's hands without giving him a chance to say yes or no. "You ain't gonna be any good to us if you're injured all the time, y'know."

"I-I can carry it," Kai said, hurrying along behind him. "My arm's fine."

"Oh it is, huh?" Genrou set down the chest and reached for Kai's arm as if he was going to grab it. Instinctively the boy flinched away from him and he raised an eyebrow. "Then how come ya don't want me grabbin' it?"

"That's not it. It's just that it's, uh, it's kinda-"

"Yeah, yeah," Genrou said, cutting him off before he could flounder further. "C'mon," Genrou said, motioning for Kai to follow him. "We're gonna take ya down the mountain and get a doc to look at it. It looked pretty deep and I don't want ya to get an infection."

"No!" Kai's eyes widened and he shook his head. "I'm fine, I don't need a doctor." There was a look on his face that was approaching panic.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of doctors," he said. Kai nodded vigorously.

"That's right, I don't like them," he said, backing away from Genrou with his hands up defensively. "I had a bad experience when I was a kid and now I can't handle them. I'll take it easy with my arm, all right?"

"What kinda man is scared of gettin' patched up?"

"People are afraid of all sorts of things," Kouji said, stepping in with a shrug. "Some people are afraid of snakes. Hell, some people are even afraid of big breasts." He gave Genrou a knowing look that didn't escape Kai's notice.

"Breasts?"

"It's nothin,'" Genrou said, turning away from him. "Just a stupid kid's joke. Besides, I ain't afraid of anything anymore."

"Except maybe breasts," Kouji put in, grinning. It made Kai laugh a little and Genrou punched Kouji in the arm, which only made him start laughing as well. "Oh man, it's too bad you didn't know him when he was a kid, he was an even scrawnier thing than you."

"Who was scrawny?" Scowling, Genrou folded his arms over his chest. "Ya weren't that much bigger'n me." He turned his attention back to Kai, who had gone from panicked to laughing and decided that dragging the boy to the doctor wouldn't help anything. Still, he wanted to do something about Kai's arm. "Okay, let's see here. Nami, ya wanna start carryin' those chests back up to the fortress? Kouji, since you're havin' such a great time with the kid, ya can hang out here with him and help him with any other travelers."

"Where are you going?"

"I've got some business to take care of," Genrou said with a shrug. "Don't worry, I'll be back before too long. Just hang out and try not to tell him too many embarrassing things." He started down the road, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. "And ya can untie those guys and send 'em on their way if ya want. Otherwise they're just gonna make noise and scare off other people."

"Gotcha." Kouji turned to Kai, taking the knife one of the men had brandished at him and handing it to Kai. "You can do the honors. Try not to cut 'em too badly," he said with a grin. Kai returned it and Genrou looked away from them, heading back down the road. His business was waiting for him, after all.

000

The sun had made its way across the sky and was slipping down into the mountains by the time Genrou made it back from town and the other bandits were going up to the fortress to relax before dinner. He went up with them, congratulating them on a job well done, and when he didn't see Kai he went to his room and knocked on the door. No one answered and he knocked again.

"I don't think he's in there," Goh said on his way past. "Whichever of 'em you're lookin' for I mean. Nami's still on the road and the kid was on his way up the path last I saw him."

"Up the path?" Genrou frowned. Where the hell is that kid goin' now? "Thanks," he said to Goh, then turned and went back out of the fortress, trying to think of where Kai could have gone. Something popped into his head and he turned on the path and walked toward the place he'd taken him once before. It was the only place that seemed even remotely possible and he looked up at the sky. It wasn't dark yet, but it would be past sunset soon.

He supposed he could just wait for Kai to come back. It was almost time for him to start making dinner and no matter how scatterbrained he was, he never skipped out on his chores. Genrou didn't really want to wait for him, though, especially now that he was sure he knew where Kai had gone.

When he walked up to the shrine he was relieved to find that he had been right. He could see Kai in front of the shrine, his hands pressed together in front of him in prayer. He couldn't hear what Kai was saying but it was obvious that he had taken Genrou's earlier lesson to heart.

There was something peaceful about the boy, and it wasn't only Genrou who saw it. A small bird fluttered down to peck at the ground around Kai's feet, then was joined by several others. Kai opened his eyes and looked down at them in surprise, then knelt down. All the birds but one flew away, and the first to approach him was the one that stayed. Kai put a hand out and, much to Genrou's disbelief, the bird hopped onto his finger.

"You're a brave one, huh?" Kai held the bird up to his face and it cocked its head at him. It made Kai laugh, just a bit, and Genrou blushed deeply, though he wasn't sure why. "Go on now," Kai said, raising his hand. The bird flew away as smoothly as a hawk from its handler and Kai watched it go before turning to walk back to the fortress. As soon as he did, Genrou jumped behind a tree. He didn't want Kai to know he'd been watching him, and for that matter his face was still red.

Moving as silently as the wolf he was named for, Genrou ran ahead of him through the trees and footpaths, only stepping out when he was sure he could intercept him without looking like an idiot. After years in the mountains, he knew exactly where the holes and uneven patches were and avoided them easily, unlike Kai who still had to be careful even on the well-worn paths.

"Where've ya been?" He spoke as casually as possible and Kai looked surprised to see him.

"Just paying my respects," Kai said with a curious look on his face. "What are you doing out here, Kashira?"

"I was lookin' for you, wasn't I?" Genrou folded his arms over his chest, hoping this made him look authoritative. "I told ya about goin' off on your own with that arm, didn't I?"

"My arm is fine. I swear."

"Here." With a sigh, Genrou took something out of his pocket and tossed it at Kai. He realized as he did that it was probably a bad idea, something that was confirmed when Kai flinched when he stretched out his arm to catch it. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Kai said, looking at the small jar. "What's this?"

"Medicine. For your arm. I got it down in the village from the doc." He shrugged as if this was no big deal. "I said I didn't want your arm to get infected and I meant it." Kai looked at him in surprise again, then back down at the jar, which had a small piece of cloth covering it and held down with string. "Figured it was the least I could do since ya got hurt savin' me."

"It was nothing," Kai said, turning the jar over. "I'd do it again in a second."

"Y'know, ya could just say thanks," Genrou said, and Kai turned his attention up to him. He met Genrou's eyes with his own and for the first time the leader realized that they were a deep green. It made him blush again and he cursed himself at the same time he hoped Kai wouldn't notice.

"Thank you, Kashira," he said with a smile that sent a blossom of warmth spreading from Genrou's stomach to the rest of his body.

What the hell is this? Why am I getting all red over a guy?

"Are you all right?" Kai looked at him with concern and he took a step back with a nervous smile. "Kashira?"

"I'm okay," he said, grinning harder. If Kai had noticed how strangely he was acting, he definitely needed to hide it better. Hide it? What do I have to hide? "C'mon, let's get back to the fortress before it gets dark." He started down the path and Kai trotted after him to catch up. "I'm gonna hold ya to what ya said earlier about takin' it easy with that arm, or you'll hafta stay back at home."

"I will," Kai said, and there was something in his voice that told Genrou he wasn't just saying it this time. For whatever reason, Kai was actually taking him seriously and he relaxed. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, then Kai looked up at him with a smile. "You didn't have to come get me. We aren't that far from the fortress. I would have been fine in the dark."

"It's my job to watch out for ya," Genrou said, not looking at the boy in an attempt to keep himself from blushing again. "Besides, there's wild animals out here at night and ya don't have any weapons right now."

"I have the knife Kouji Aniki gave me," Kai said, taking it out of his belt. "He said I could just keep it since it's probably small enough that I can use it without hurting myself." He chuckled. "He's really funny. I got to hear all kinds of stories about you."

"Don't believe any of 'em," Genrou said, rolling his eyes. They were within view of the fortress now and he was glad to see it. "Just outta curiosity, what kinda stuff was he tellin' ya?"

"Let's see," Kai said, holding his chin thoughtfully with his left hand. "He said you used to be pretty small too, so I shouldn't worry. Then he said you had to fight someone named Eiken to be the leader, then went on a long trip. Oh, and he said that you once beat the leader of the Mt. Kaou bandits."

"Thought he was just gonna tell ya about Kashira," Genrou said, rubbing his temples. He was at least grateful to Kouji for not going into the specifics of his 'trip.' "I had no idea he was gonna tell ya my life story."

"It was interesting," said Kai. "Besides, if I don't know how you got to be leader I'll never be able to challenge you for the throne."

"Oh, now you're gonna challenge me?" Genrou stopped and put his hands on his hips and Kai hurried ahead of him, laughing, just in case he got the urge to smack him. Genrou walked faster, and with his longer stride caught up to Kai just as they were going through the gates. "You're ten years too young to even think about it, kid."

"At least I have something to look forward to." They walked down to the leader's room where Kai gave a brief wave to Genrou and started toward his own room. Before he opened the door he turned back and looked at Genrou, holding up the jar. "Thank you again."

"It was nothin.'" He waited until Kai was safely in his room to go into the leader's room, where he closed the doors and immediately leaned back against them with a hand over his face. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

000

In her room, Kai sat on the bed and looked down at the jar. He'd brought it to her because he was worried about her arm. The idea that he was really that concerned about her made her happy in a way that she wished she could express. She hoped that he'd understood just how much she meant it when she thanked him earlier.

Kai leaned against the wall and rolled the jar between her palms. This must have been his business in town. If he'd gotten it from the doctor in the village, it meant he'd gone down to see him, told him what had happened, waited for the doctor to make the medicine, paid for it, then looked for her so he could give it to her. It seemed like a lot of effort for someone who he thought of as just one of the guys, but she shook her head as soon as she thought this.

Don't be silly, she thought. The only reason he did it was because you saved his life. Don't start seeing things that aren't there or you're going to let your guard down. Then it'll be goodbye Kai, nice knowing you.

The door opened and Nami came inside to take off his armor. He looked at his bed and shook his head but Kai didn't notice. She was still looking at the jar of medicine as if by staring at it she could understand Genrou's intentions.

"What's that?" Nami joined her at the side of the bed and pointed at Kai's hands.

"Medicine," she said, her eyes on the jar. "Kashira gave it to me." Carefully, she untied the string and took off the cloth cover. A strong medicinal smell rose from the jar and she pulled away with a grimace on her face.

"Don't tell me I'm gonna have to put up with that smell until you're healed," Nami said.

"Kashira gave it to me," Kai repeated, untying the sash that held her shirt closed. "I have to use it." She paused. "Is the door locked?"

"It is now," Nami replied, reaching back to bolt the door. "Can't you just tell him you used it and spare us both that stench?"

"Nope," Kai said, shrugging off one arm of her shirt so she could unwind the bandage from her wound. "He was nice enough to get it for me, so I'm going to make sure I use it." Her earlier struggle with the chest had opened the wound a little again and she dabbed the medicinal paste on it. It stung slightly but she didn't flinch. "Help me rebandage my arm, please?"

"That means I've gotta get close enough to smell you," Nami said, coming over anyway. He carefully put the bandage back on her and tied it. Kai put her shirt back on over the bandage and flexed her fingers. "There."

"Thanks," she said. "Maybe this will make me heal faster."

"Let's hope so. If for no other reason than to get that stuff outta our room." Nami started taking off his armor and Kai continued to sit on the bed, feeling the sting as the medicine worked its way all the way into her skin. It wasn't entirely unpleasant and once again she found herself thinking about Genrou and his gift.

It's his job to take care of us guys, she thought a little glumly. Just like he said. Her eyes strayed to the jar on the table by the wall and she picked it up again. But he gave me this. If he wasn't at least a little worried about me he wouldn't have done it. Right? So maybe he-

"Are you gonna sit there the rest of the night holding that jar or are you gonna get down to the kitchen and start making dinner?"

"Oh!" Kai sprang up from the bed and set the jar down on the table. "Sorry!" She darted out of the room and to the kitchen, dodging other bandits along the way. The last thing she wanted to do was to make anyone wait for dinner, especially Genrou.

With her usual speed, she made the dishes and got them out on the table just as the others were sitting down. Genrou and Kouji were sitting together as always and she paused in the doorway just long enough to smile at them before going back for another plate. She held a plate with her left hand and hugged two bottles of sake to her chest with her right, then went back out. After setting down the drinks, Kai leaned over to set a plate down between Kouji and Genrou.

"What is that smell?" Kouji looked suspiciously at Kai, who blushed a little.

"It's medicine I put on my arm," she said. "It does have kind of a strong smell."

"You're usin' it, then?" Genrou grinned at her and she nodded, blushing deeper. "Good. The doc said it'd heal ya up fast. And don't let these guys give ya a hard time about the smell. That just means it's workin.'"

"Oh, so you're to blame for this?" Kouji sighed. "I should've known."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kai left them to their banter and finished serving dinner, then sat beside Nami and ate her own dinner while she stole glances at Genrou. He and Kouji were laughing and pouring each other drinks and she found herself wishing she could sit closer to him. She contented herself with the happiness she'd felt when he gave her the jar of medication and smiled at her rice.

A moment later she looked up and her eyes met Genrou's. They held each other's gaze for a long moment that made all the sound disappear from the room, then Kai looked back down at her plate with her cheeks on fire. Nami saw her and gave her good shoulder a shove. She looked up at him, frowning.

"What was that for?"

"Stop acting like such a kid," he growled, but they both knew he meant 'girl.' Kai turned away from him and finished her rice. "You're such a brat," he muttered. "Get me some more rice, will you?" Without arguing, Kai got up and took his bowl to the kitchen.

He's right, she thought, refilling the rice and going back out to the dining hall. I can't let this get to me. It's a sure-fire way to get myself kicked off the mountain. I just can't seem to stop looking at him.

Kai brought the rice to the table and sat it down in front of Nami, then dropped heavily into her seat. Much to her relief, Goh started up a conversation about when she would be able to practice archery again. While she talked, she made a conscious effort not to pay any attention to the leader at the other end of the table. If she tried very hard, she thought she could almost make it happen.