BROTHERS I: 'Steam I - Fire', a short Samurai Spirits fic

As told by Kazama Kazuki to Galford:

"The wilderness is a great place to lose yourself in, you know? Just
wandering in the trees, waiting to happen upon something interesting.

I wasn't expecting...

No. Lemme think this through. I was just there, okay? It wasn't my idea. It
was...I don't know. Fate?

Sure, fate. Something somewhere hates me.

It was evening, I was walking along the river, kinda looking for a place to
stop for the night. I knew there was a waterfall up ahead, thought maybe a
bath would be a nice change from smelling like a dog. Road dust, you know.

So I turned the bend, and saw someone was there before me. Someone with a
much-too familiar splash of hair sprouting from the back of his head. What
were the chances? Just in case, I sneaked a little closer. Blue-violet hair,
crescent moon sword...it was Sougetsu all right.

My brother. My worst enemy. We're gonna kill each other someday, but right
then, right then was not the time. I couldn't just let the opportunity to
spy pass me by, of course, so I ninja-footed my way up the incline and
crouched in the rocks just overhead. I should've just left.

He was doing just what I wanted to do--setting up camp, cooking some fish,
you know, that sort of thing. The smell was very, very tempting, but I
couldn't just walk in and say, "Hey, Sougetsu, how's it been? Still hunting
me down? Yeah, wanna share some food?" Tantamount to suicide, right? So I
sat and just watched.

I've always enjoyed watching him. He moves like water, slow and graceful.
His eyes, when he's happy and relaxed, are half-closed, with the green just
sort of glittering through. He's got perfect skin, moon white without the
red tone or the persistent tan that I've got. It's embarrassing to say it,
but he's beautiful. Of course, the part I always liked best about him was
watching him kick the asses of anyone who teased him about his hair. Got
even better as he got older and stopped being skinny--just whipping that
blade around like an extension of his arm...yow.

Tonight, though, tonight he was quiet. I thought he might just eat and
sleep, and I could sneak away quietly and call it good.

Funny tricks the mind plays. He started doing something I'd never actually
seen before. He started untying his hair. I knew it was long, I mean, it's
gotta be pretty long to be folded in thirds and still reach to his waist,
but this one just got me blind. And he was just sitting there on a stone by
a river, and unfolding foot after foot of silky hair.

I just wanted to touch it. Mine's thick and spiky, and I keep it chopped
pretty ruthlessly so it won't get in my way. His runs to the ground, and a
little beyond, like a slippery river. Then he..aww...

Even thinking about it now is embarrassing, you know? He's my brother!

He stripped down. I swear I stopped breathing when he left the firelight and
it was just the moon glowing down on him. He was cradling his hair in one
arm so it wouldn't drag on the ground, and man, that left nothing, nothing,
NOTHING to anyone's imagination as to what kinda shape he's in.

He's a little sleeker than I am, just a bit less bulky, more refined. His
legs are longer, too. ...I don't wanna think about it.

He walked as far as he could into the river without being dangerous about
it, and dropped his hair. Just standing there, waist deep in water. He
tipped his head back and just let the current sweep him off his feet. I just
about panicked right there, but I know he can swim like a fuckin' fish when
he wants to. Sure enough, he floated right to the surface and paddled back.
What I wanna know is how he didn't get tangled in all that hair.

I'm not interested in girls, much. Even Shiki, who's pretty hot, I gotta
admit, doesn't do a thing for me in that way. Don't look at me like that.
I'm not gonna jump you. But, man, watching my brother just play in that
river, then walk out, his hair playing peek-a-boo with his skin, it gave me
the WORST...what? Come on, Galford. Don't pretend you aren't laughing at me.
Shit. Shitshitshit. Aww, man. Why'd I even try? Crap. Nakoruru would have
been a better person to talk to. Then again, she's got that sister..."

As the redhead babbled on, cursing, the blond ninja just shook his head.
Some things, it seems, were better left unsaid.

-end, Brothers I: Steam I - Fire

Epilogue:
"Ah~! What am I worried about? You're the one who runs around wearing
fishnet, not to mention that dog!~"
"You leave Poppy out of this!"
~etc.