Malachi's POV
After days of traveling, we finally reached the Chugoku border. It felt nice to see a town finally. And the one we saw seemed to be quite lovely. "You held up remarkably well on our travels, Malachi." Mitsuhide commented, his signature smile rested on his features. "I.. I guess I did." Our journey had been..memorable to say the least. Except for the large swaths of it I certainly did NOT want to remember.
Mostly Mitsuhide's teasing. He'd gotten quite a bit of mileage out of that fancy costume of his. No surprise there though. He looked strangely good in it! And then there was the night he learned of my sleeping issues and pretended to haunt me.. "Has something caught your eye?" "Not you, no worries. So, what're we supposed to do now that we're here?"
"I had Kyubei make arrangements ahead of time. Our companions should be here soon." Mitsuhide spoke. Uh.. Companions? Suddenly, an oddly cheery voice spoke at the right moment. "Well met, travelers! Might you be Mitsu and Malachi? We've been waiting for you!" A jolly man who appeared to be in his early 40s dressed in clothing no less colorful than ours came striding our way.
Glaring at Mitsuhide from the corner of my eye, I spoke- "Ahem.. Do you mind explaining, 'Mitsu?'" "That is the leader of our troupe, Kamekichi." Our troupe..? So seems we aren't a solo act then, good. "Smart.. We're less suspicious in a crowd." I muttered. "Yes, that is correct. Now, neither the troupe members nor Kamekichi know our true identities. From this point on, we must keep in character." I sighed, "You got it, Mitsu.."
"You two came to our attention at the perfect time! We'd just lost a couple of members, but now we don't have to stop the show!" Kamekichi smiled brightly. I attempted to return his smile, "We hope we can be of service, Master Kamekichi." "My dear, you bless our audience and our troupe with your presence!" Kamekichi spoke, then turned his attention to Mitsuhide. "..You're a lucky man, Mitsu, to have such a beautiful wife!" "I thank the stars every day for her."
I kept my expression calm, but inside I was fuming. Did.. Did he just call me Mitsuhide's WIFE?! "Two new performers is a lucky break, but a husband and wife duo? You two will be a hit at the festival!" "That would be wonderful." H..Husband.. He just called Mitsuhide my husband.. "But I'm sure you need rest after all that travel! I'll show you to where the others are." Kamekichi, with his big and friendly smile, walked off. I grabbed Mitsuhide's collar and yanked him back.
Mitsuhide's eyes widened at me, "Is something the matter?" My expression was no longer calm nor friendly, I knew with Mitsuhide that I didn't have to hide my anger. "..Can we talk, 'Dear?'" Mitsuhide leaned down and I whispered to him in as controlled a tone I could manage- "You told this fool that we're married?! I never even agreed to be your fake fiance!" "Oh, did I not mention that part? We're joining the troupe as a married couple. Now then, back to 'being in character.'"
I couldn't believe the audacity of this man. First, he was my instructor. Then my lover. A sudden marriage proposal in front of his boss. And now, he's my husband. How the fuck did this whole mess happen WITHIN A MONTH? I shot Mitsuhide a harsh glare, but he returned with a smile more amused than any I'd ever seen before. "I hope to be a good husband to you, Malachi."
I am so going to kill him one of these days..
