Author's Note: Thank you guys for being patient with this chapter! Sorry about it being one day past the normal update! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Five: 9 Years Old
Ruka frowned as she spotted many additional servants huddled around each other, whispering and lightly chuckling at something. She carried the bucket of water and rags around them, having no real desire to hear what they would be gossiping about as she had more about the estate to clean. Her mother had advised her to avoid gossip, knowing it would lead to trappings and breaking trust among others.
"Ah, Ruka-kun," one servant called out and she paused, knowing she should continue forward but the one had already placed a hand on her shoulders pulling her to the group. Many of the women giggled and some looked flustered, perhaps talk was of something embarrassing.
"Did you hear?" The one with tied-up brown hair spoke and leaned down to her. Her eyes narrowed while the others continued to giggle as if they were telling a joke.
"The first son of the estate is rumored to have found a new lover." One whispered and she merely blinked, not sure why she was told this, "Someone said they spotted a woman leaving with him privately in another nearby village."
She merely blinked at this and stared at them, as they began to whisper under their breath again.
"…is there a reason I should take interest in this?" She countered and a few of them blinked, confused as to why she had no desire to talk.
"Eh? Well-" One began until soft padded footsteps appeared behind the group, causing them all to turn and see a different servant. A young woman, likely in her late teens, blinked with cloudy gray eyes at the appearance of all the servants gathered about. She had on a simple purple yukata with a black obi tied around her waist, which Ruka noted it was loosely put on but made no comment. Her long brown hair was simply tied up into a bun which revealed her pale neckline to them and she clasped her hands tightly together, where noticeable scars littered her hands, and clearly concern plastered on her face at them all gathered together.
"Um, is something going on, Sayuki-san?" The woman asked and the others looked between each other before ushering her forward, The woman glanced at Ruka but her attention rose up to the other woman who smiled.
"Junko-san, there is a rumor going around that the first son has found a new lover!" One called out and she stared at them before blinking.
"A new lover?" She questioned and they all nodded besides Ruka who merely observed the young woman in interest, noting some sweat on the back of her neck.
"Yes! Someone from cleaning told it while traveling back to their home for the day." Another commented and Junko could only nod.
"May I leave to finish my round of the house?" Ruka interrupted, deciding now would be a good chance to depart, and the others stared before nodding, ushering her away.
"Um, Kūran-kun, would you mind if I join you?" The voice of Junko spoke and Ruka stopped, turning her head towards the young woman who looked desperate to escape. She nodded and the young woman smiled at this before she offered a goodbye to everyone there and walked side-by-side with Ruka. Her face looked much paler now that she was next to her and worry could be hinted at in her eyes.
"Thank you, Kūran-kun." Junko spoke and Ruka nodded, eyes gazing forward to see the impending engawa she would have to step down from, "I do not favor gossip. It's rude to imply something that may not be true."
Ruka blinked and looked up to her in slight surprise since nearly all the servants in the estate partaken in gossip. Junko sighed and rubbed at her hands, eyes drifted downwards to her in dismay.
"I agree." Ruka spoke and the young woman looked down at her in shock, "My mother has warned me to not partake in any gossip and I have no desire to hear anything that is not true."
Junko giggled lightly at this and said, "Right, your mother has probably told you of all the warnings you should be aware of. You must have a good head on your shoulder."
A light blush dusted on her cheeks at the compliment before stopping at the engawa, knowing where she had left to finish cleaning the wood.
"Kūran-san!" The voice of Shinjurou called and she looked over her shoulder to see him, looking drenched in sweat and holding a wooden boken in his hand. He smiled at her and she could only blink before her gaze looked further to see his eldest brother alongside him. He hardly looked as exhausted as Shinjurou but perhaps training with his brother was exhausting in other ways. The shelves of his yukata were pulled up by the tasuki and displayed muscles that were lined with light scars and one that stood out more on his upper forearm.
The two young women bowed to them and Ruka lifted her head up, staring at Shinjurou as he continued to grin at her.
"Good afternoon, Rengoku-dono. You look hard at work." Junko spoke and his gaze turned to her, eyes narrowing as he had no idea who she was. Her eyes turned towards to older brother who did not look at her, a scoff apparent on his features, and she smiled at him.
"Good afternoon to you as well, Rengoku-sama." She said to the older brother and he looked to her for a second, before offering a brief nod and turning back to the courtyard.
"Stop fooling around, Shinjurou. You have more training to cover today." His brother called and Shinjurou's eyes narrowed at his brother's statement before sighing.
"Yes, nii-san." He spoke and his brother's eyebrows twitched at this, while Junko merely smiled at this reaction.
"I am going finish my duties elsewhere, Kūran-kun. Thank you for talking with me." Junko spoke and Ruka merely nodded. The young woman then made her way directly towards the brothers from the engawa, passing by slowly. Her eyes stared at the elder brother, something hinted in them that Ruka could not tell, before her gaze drifted back forward, leading herself to the east side of the estate. Ruka frowned before she got on her hands and knees to begin scrubbing the wood, knowing that the sun beating down would take her longer than usual to clean. She continued on, overhearing the talk from the brothers as they trained, noting that the older brother sounded far more relaxed than she had heard him in the past.
What changed?
Her eyes narrowed as she ducked the rag in water and pulled it up, squeezing it out, and continued onwards.
"Oi, girl."
She paused and turned to face the brothers, noting Shinjurou heaving for breath on the ground while the eldest merely stared at her with his boken resting upon his shoulder.
"Watch over him for a few minutes." He demanded and she blinked once before nodding, placing the rag on the side of the bucket as he departed off to the east side of the estate. She stared above at him as he looked to her now and he sighed, slowly moving up and he remained silent. She tilted her to the side, curious what was on his mind, and he frowned, turning to where his brother disappeared to.
"…he's been acting weird lately." Shinjurou said and she blinked, still curious as to what he meant, "He's been helping me out more in training and not been so…disappointed in some my failures."
She narrowed her eyes at this before wondering, "…could he be in a better mood as of lately?"
He blinked and then he nodded as he remembered his brother had been in a sad and distant mood since his wife's and child's passing but lately his mood has greatly improved.
Did something happen?
"…I guess." He mumbled and tried to recall anything that meant be relating to that but fell short besides the fact that his brother appeared to be leaving the estate far more often, "He leaves the estate more now. Otherwise, that's it."
Ruka nodded and a gentle wind gust wrapped around them, offering to cool them down a bit. She sighed and he looked back to the estate, eyes narrowed as a strange thought passed through his head.
His brother hardly interacted with the servants.
"Do you know the name of the woman who was with you, Kūran-san?" He asked and she frowned, curious as to why he wanted to know but she could hardly refuse his question.
"…I believe it was Junko-san, Rengoku-dono." She answered and he only nodded, keeping that information tucked away in case he needed to remember it for later.
"Thank you." He said and pushed himself up, wiping at the sweat on his forehead. He turned to his boken and gripped it tightly, imaging the stance he needed to get into for Third Form. His soft expression changed to something far more fierce and his grip grew, shifting his hips back along with his boken.
He wanted to impress his brother by properly learning Third Form.
He wanted to showcase to that man he was going to be strong.
He breathed deeply in, trying to clean his racing heart as he attempted to focus and clear his mind, and he positioned his hand better on the blade. He raised the blade up, ready to swing it down before he stopped for a moment and glanced over his shoulder to see Ruka observing him. He gulped, realizing that she was right there and watching him, and he froze before remembering his brother's words.
Your friends will see these sides of us too.
He cleared his head again, looking back forward and imagining a Demon reaching out to attack him. It had been scary and one he could remember his brothers' detailing of killing.
"Third Form," He began and could feel the heat trickle into him, arms raised up to perform it, "Blazing Universe!"
He swung the boken downward in an arc and Ruka merely stare at him in wonder. His foot faltered a bit and his eyes grew wide as the arc twisted awkwardly down, making the boken accidentally hit the ground with more force than he intended too. The boken broke and splintered up, he shielded his eyes from the wood and fell backward.
"Rengoku-dono!" Ruka called out, shock plastered over her features, and her heart raced in terror at seeing this. The wood tackled into his skin and he didn't wince at this, landing on his butt, as he breathed in and released the boken from his grip.
"Are you alright?" Ruka asked and dared to wonder if she should go and consult him but he was already beginning to stand up, shaking his head to clear any of the wood that had gotten in.
"…I am fine." He mumbled and stared at the blistered now littering his skin, scowling at the sight.
Suddenly, her hands pulled up to her face, with her now directly in front of him, staring at the small wounds. He blinked at this and his face flushed at such a personal reaction, not expecting her to do such a thing. She saw the red marks on his skin, knowing that it was definitely painful, and she lowered his hands before realizing that he should be brought to open of the housekeepers or onboard nurses.
"Is there somewhere I may bring you to get treated, Rengoku-Dino?" She asked and he blinked, looking back to his hands and forcing them out of her grasp. She looked confused at this and he gripped his hands tightly, before shuffling away from her in concern.
"…it's ok." He said and then hid his hands behind his back, offering an appreciated smile, "I'll be fine, Kūran-san. I appreciate your concern."
She stared at him, eyes narrowed in disbelief, and she stepped away, knowing that she had directly overstepped his boundaries.
"…ok, Rengoku-dono." She mumbled and approached the engawa again, looking at the dirtied clothes she now bore. She frowned at this and dusted them off as best as she could, ready to step back up on the engawa but stopped when she heard the shuffling.
"What the hell happened?" His brother hissed as he now returned, looking at them with could be bewilderment. Shinjurou gulped, trying to keep his heart from racing out of control at the sight of his brother's return, and Tsuyojurou scowled, stepping down the engawa to approach him. His eyes wandered over the broken boken and he swore again, looking to Ruka with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you down here?" He hissed and started to approach her, ready to ask more of her before something stopped him. He froze and looked to see his brother reach out, grabbing at his hakama. His red and blistered hands were now open to his brother whose expression softened a bit and Shinjurou stared up at him.
"She was trying to help me, nii-san. Don't be angry with her." Shinjurou tried to explain with worry wrought on his features, "I attempted to perform Third Form and I swung the boken to low and splintered it. She was concerned about the blisters."
Tsuyojurou stared at his brother's hands before sighing and turning back to Ruka, clicking his tongue.
"…can you bring him to the infirmary? They'll be able to handle the wound." Tsuyojurou answered and she stared for a second before nodding.
She bowed to him and said, "Of course, I bring him there, Rengoku-sama."
He nodded and she walked back to him then offered her hand for him to grab onto. He stared at it before hesitantly reaching to it and she offered a smile of reassurance to him, causing the older brother to blink at this before the two began to move off.
Alone, by himself, Tsuyojurou sighed and rubbed his face, glancing back to where they had disappeared to.
"…does she even realize that he can't get close to her?" He mumbled and looked back to the broken boken, kneeling down at the splattered wood.
"Rengoku-sama, is everything alright?" The sweet voice of Junko asked from behind him and he turned to face her. Her face hid no ill intentions and she looked to him with honesty as he nodded, approaching the engawa again. He stared up at her, a halo of light shining down over her from the sun's rays glistening down, and he blinked to clear the image from his head.
"Everything is fine, Juno." He said and filled his chest deeply, knowing he shouldn't suggest what he was going to say.
But he needed it yet again to feel down to earth.
"…I am glad to hear that, Rengoku-sama. I wanted to inform you that your brother and Kūran-kun have made it to the infirmary." She told him and he blinked, before muttering thanks to informing him. She bowed to him and began to shuffle away before stopping momentary, seeing something troubling on his mind. She approached him and knelt down, as he looked back at her.
"…I shall be staying the night at the nearby town in their one inn." She muttered to him, barely even a whisper, and his eyebrows shot up at this, before he could say something to her, she was already down to engawa to finish the remaining work for it.
Dare he indulge himself?
He breathed in deeply and looked to the splintered wood again, kneeling down and picking up a piece. He grasped it tightly and opened his palm again, noting the wood had turned to dust.
One more night would not hurt.
EndNote: And it appears that rumors might be more truthful than thought! Anyways, I wanted to explore a bit more of Tsuyojurou's personality in this chapter to help give him more characterization.
In the next chapter, Shinjurou struggles with thinking if he too should give Ruka a gift for her birthday!
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the story, and please stay safe!