Date

Sasuke left Kai's room just as I returned with black nightclothes, a few towels, and a lot of blankets. I had changed into the kimono and pants that I had worn last night. I felt a pang of jealousy as I realized that he had a bond with her that I did not – could not – understand, but I kept my face impassive. The ninja eyed me with a dangerous look on his face. "Try anything and I will murder you," he said in a low voice, so only I could hear. Then he was gone.

"Hey." Kai said, her face whiter than a sheet and her teeth chattering.

"Hey." I worked fast, getting her as dry as I possibly could without undressing her or doing anything else that Sasuke would deem inappropriate. My fingers brushed against her frigid skin, an electric spark instantly igniting and staying there long after I had withdrawn my hand.

She leaned as close to me as she could without getting me wet, whining at the loss of heat. "You're so warm." she sighed.

I smirked and handed her the nightdress and a black brassiere and panties. Don't ask me where I got them. "Here, put these on." She looked up at me, a desperate, unsure look in her eyes. It dawned on me that maybe she didn't want me to leave. "It's okay. I'll be right outside." I turned and left, closing the door firmly behind me and standing with my back facing the door. Once I heard the door slide open behind me, I turned. Kai stood in the nightdress, which was a new English style of night clothing. It was black silk, with slim straps over the shoulders. It fell to the middle of her calf, almost as long as her duster. Her damp hair hung in curls around her face, framing it. "It's not straight anymore." I murmured, fingering one.

She shrugged. "It's naturally like this. But because my aunt didn't like the way it looked when it was wavy like this, I developed a method to make it straight like it was before."

"I like it like this." My statement surprised me with its boldness, but Kai didn't seem bothered.

Instead, she eyed me curiously. "You really do?" She ran her fingers through it, combing out all the tangles.

I nodded. "Yes. It's new. I don't know many girls, and those I do know all have straight hair."

"Oh, really?" Kai sat down on the futon, patting it so I would sit down next to her. "I thought that you would have girls lining up to meet you, seeing as you're a daimyo and all."

I chuckled. "I most likely would, but I don't have the time nor the patience for romance, especially at times such as these."

"What's going on?" Kai asked, leaning back until she was staring at the patterned ceiling.

I sighed, doing the same. "A new threat has arisen. He has a huge army and has been destroying everything in his path. He locks the villagers in their homes and sets them on fire, and if there are any survivors he kidnaps them and takes them as his prisoners of war. He's on a murder spree."

Kai turned to me, a look of pure fury on her face. "How dare he? What kind of human being could be so cruel?"

"One that is pure evil. He isn't like Oda or Hideyoshi, who wanted to rule Japan. He wants to destroy it, and us along with it. He wants to make us suffer." My fists clenched in rage.

Kai was livid, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I am going to kill him." She stopped and looked at me, silently daring me to contradict her.

I did the opposite. "That's good, actually. I've seen you in action, and even wounded, you were my equal while we dueled. It's good that we have you on our side."

Kai smiled. "I was kind of getting tired of being a solo act." We talked about everything we could possibly think of. She told me her life story, and I told her mine. We learned so much about each other that I felt like I had known her for years. We spoke late into the night, and it was around midnight when I finally realized that little fact.

"It's late, so I guess I should let you sleep. You can meet everyone else in the morning." I stood and turned to go, but something held me back. I turned to see Kai's pale hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Stay." she said, looking at the floor, a dark blush on her face. "I didn't have any night terrors when you held me last night. It was the first time in four years." She let my wrist go. "You can leave if you want to. I don't want to trouble you."

I smiled. "No, it's okay. I didn't have any night terrors either." I laid next to her and buried us in the blankets.

Kai turned to face me. "Don't you want to take off your eye patch?" I stiffened. The mere thought of her seeing the monstrosity under the patch was horrifying.

"No." I whispered. In reality, the patch was very uncomfortable to sleep in, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

"Liar." she whispered. Her hand darted to the back of my head and she swiftly undid the knot and pulled the patch away. I gasped and tried to grab it, but it was too late. I turned my face away from the moonlight streaming in through the window, plunging my face in shadow. Kai gently turned my face back to the light, and I braced myself for her look of horror, for her to tell me to get out, but what she did next surprised me. She ran her fingers across my face, brushing them over my newly exposed skin. "It's not horrible, Date. It makes you who you are."

She leaned in, her face less than a centimeter away from mine. Suddenly she stopped as she realized what she was doing. Her eyes widened and she blushed, exhaling lightly. Her breath ghosted across my lips, and I decided that I wanted this. She tensed and started to pull back, but I put my hand on the back of her neck and stopped her. I closed my eye and leaned up until our lips met. She immediately responded, moving her mouth against mine hesitantly.

I reluctantly pulled away, staring into her eyes. "That was my first kiss." I confided.

She smiled. "Mine, too."

I wanted to kiss her again, but Sasuke's disapproving face popped into my mind. "Sasuke will kill me."

Kai laughed quietly. "Well, that's just too bad." She kissed me again, but this time it was different. It was passionate and fiery. I kissed back with just as much fervor. I felt the burning in my heart intensify, and I knew that I loved Kai. I loved her so much it hurt.

Once the need for oxygen was made known, we came up for air. Kai was blushing and her lips were slightly parted as she panted lightly. She smiled and curled up next to me. I wrapped my arms around her and just held her, wondering how an angel like her could love me even after she saw how disfigured I was. I shook those depressing thoughts out of my mind and reveled in the memory. If Sasuke killed me when he found out, if this truly was my last night on earth, at least I got this moment. "Good night, Kai." She smiled and snuggled closer, and I slipped into darkness, truly content for the first time in my life.