Hey again. Ok, so let's see…Just a couple quick notes:
First, in Japan, it is considered polite to only knock twice. Any more than that and it's considered rude. It's like an unspoken social rule, or something to that effect. I'm glad someone told me about it truthfully, or I might have been toast…
Second, if I haven't said anything about it before, let me just state here that it is absolutely taboo to NOT take your shoes off before entering a house or building. Of course, most modern buildings don't require you to do so, but most other places do. Also, there is specific etiquette for what foot gear you're supposed to wear (or not, incidentally) when. On tatami floors, usually only socks are acceptable. Sometimes bare feet (i.e. dojos, etc.) Do not ever walk on someone's tatami in your slippers, as I am quite sure that it's unacceptable. In someone's house, at an inn, or school, you ALWAYS wear slippers. And in some restaurants too, strangely enough. There's a really good Okonomiyaki (like a cross between a veggie and meat and other stuff omelette and pancake….tasty! You eat it right off the burner!) place that makes you take off your shoes. There are no exceptions to this. Believe me, I tried, cause slippers here prove to be dangerous to my health. They never stay on my feet and I'm always stumbling or slipping. It's also impolite not to use the slippers your host has laid out for you if they do lay slippers out. Although sometimes it's ok to bring your own. And you absolutely do NOT wear indoor shoes, socks, or slippers out of the house, etc. Ever. It's completely taboo. And God help you if you don't change into the toilet slippers, and nothing can save you if you wear said toilet slippers out of the bathroom cause you forgot to change. Seriously. ALWAYS REMEMBER TO CHANGE INTO AND OUT OF YOUR TOILET SLIPPERS…what a pain in the ass…
Ok, sorry if that was random. Rant done. On to the good stuff.
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"Autumn deepens -
the man next door, what does he do
for a living?"
Basho
Edo
Yohji sauntered down the upstairs hallway at a leisurely pace, winking at a flustered looking maid as she hurried past. She blushed and averted her eyes, nearly tripping and falling down the stairs. He chuckled to himself and brushed an errant lock of dark brown hair behind one ear as he approached the door that supposedly belonged to one Fujimiya Ran. He knocked twice politely, and waited for a response.
The man who answered the door looked thoroughly irritated. Violet eyes beamed intensely in a pale face framed by crimson hair. The features were fine and perfectly set in an almost delicate kind of beauty, and Yohji found himself rather enjoying the view.
"I told you, I don't need any—" the growl died on pale pink lips as he caught sight of Yohji standing in his doorway instead of whoever he had expected it to be. Yohji quirked one dark eyebrow in interest.
"Actually, I wasn't here to give you any, but if you want to talk about that—" he crooned. The red head looked bewildered for a second before the full meaning of Yohji's sentence caught up with him. He promptly scowled murder at Yohji. Yohji only smirked and waved at him merrily.
"Who the hell are you?" Ran bit out, folding his hands into his maroon haori sleeves. He stood askance, eyeing Yohji with no small amount of suspicion and anger, using his full body to block the doorway and any view Yohji might have had of Ken. He didn't know much about Ran, but if the man was standing in defensive position at this stage in the game for Ken, Yohji liked him already.
"No one you need to worry yourself about. I was just coming to check up on a young man Yuriko left in your care?" he intoned smoothly, crossing his arms over his chest as well, although in a more casual manner, as he leaned against the doorway. Ran's eyes narrowed to slits, and he studied Yohji slowly, not bothering to mask his suspicion.
"What's he to you?" he growled out. Yohji raised an eyebrow.
"I found him, you know. And I was taking care of him yesterday morning." This only seemed to upset Ran further. His scowl darkened.
"You did a fine job it too, seeing as how he wandered into a bar and punched the first man he saw." he growled. "What were you thinking leaving a sick and injured man alone?" the corners of Yohji's smile sagged downwards. He was starting to get irritated.
"I did what I could under the circumstances. I had a very important engagement to attend." Ran snorted but didn't say anything for a moment.
"Why do you want to see him? What do you care?" he finally growled. Yohji sighed dramatically.
"I want to see how he's doing. Why are you being so possessive?" he replied calmly, a smirk gracing his features as violet eyes widened and then narrowed.
"I'm not being possessive. I'm merely showing concern as the only one who's bothered to take decent care of him after he attacked me without provocation. He should have been under a doctor's care." Ran shot back. Yohji's smirk widened.
"Then why isn't he now?" Confusion flashed across stoic features and Yohji's smirk widened another centimeter, close to becoming a full-blown smile. Ran looked at a loss for words and he finally reached out and grabbed Yohji by the collar, pulling him in roughly and slamming the door shut behind them.
"Leave your shoes in the entryway." he grumbled, stalking over to sit in a defensive position on the floor beside a futon. Yohji noticed he had his sword at ready. Who the hell was this guy? He dropped his shoes casually in the entryway and slid across the worn tatami to sit directly across from Ran and next to the futon. Ran stiffened, but said nothing. Cautiously, Yohji peered at the blankets. He was rewarded with a glimpse of brown hair peeking above their hem. He smiled slightly despite himself. It appeared Ran was taking stellar care of Ken if the five or so blankets were any indication. Glancing around casually, he noticed the remnants of a bowl of broth, half eaten rice, several empty cups of what had probably been herbal tea, as well as several medicinal implements arranged neatly on the floor for easy access. Beside the futon was a large earthen mug full of water. Ran watched him with barley contained anger the entire time.
"Well?" he finally growled out. Yohji offered him a cheeky smile.
"I see you're taking excellent care of him." he said amiably. Ran snorted as if insulted and said nothing, turning his gaze to the figure snoozing beside them. Yohji sat comfortably in the silence, waiting to see what would happen. He wasn't disappointed.
"When he…punched me…I…" the slightest flinch came over Ran's features. "I got him right in the gut with my sword hilt. I—didn't know he was injured at the time." he mumbled. Ahh. Yohji raised an eyebrow. Feeling guilty was he? All this over a little guilt? It seemed a bit farfetched to Yohji.
"It was an understandable mistake. He must have looked like a bum." Ran nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Yohji was willing to bet he had expected some kind of confrontation over that admittance. Perhaps this man took things far more gravely than most. He certainly looked like the type.
"You've done a pretty good job. I'll take him off your hands now so you don't
have to worry about it. Sorry he was so much trouble to you." he pressed on. He had no intention of taking Ken, but he knew Ran wouldn't have let him anyway. Yet again, Ran didn't disappoint. The red head scowled at Yohji full force and his sword arm stiffened.
"Absolutely not. I won't leave him in your care. He'll wind up dead or worse." Yohji swallowed the insult, allowing enough of it to hit that it painted his face in insulted irritation.
"Will you stop saying that already? It couldn't be helped I told you. I couldn't leave him with a doctor!" he snapped out. Ran suddenly became quiet.
"He's in trouble, isn't he? You couldn't take him to a doctor because you don't want him to be found. Why?" he asked softly. Yohji's eyebrows raised in surprise. Smart too huh?
"Yeah. You could say that. I don't know if he's in trouble. But I figured that if no one else survived that attack on the village, there was a reason. So I figured to keep him hidden just to be safe." he replied. Ran nodded in understanding. He looked up suddenly and eyed Yohji sharply.
"What were you doing that you found him?" he growled. Yohji's eyes widened fractionally before a lazy grin spread across his face.
" Why, going for a walk in the woods, of course." at Ran's somewhat baffled, irritated expression, Yohji leaned forward conspiratorially and gave Ran a Cheshire cat's grin. "It's a wonderful place to explore the pleasures of the flesh, you know. Romance and moonlight and all." He murmured huskily. A blush bloomed across Ran's cheeks without his consent and he jerked back as if burned. His expression melted into one of disgusted anger.
"There's no way I'm sending Ken off with an irresponsible pervert." he ground out. Yohji let loose a loud laugh and leaned back again, eyes twinkling.
"You are far too easy to rile. And too much fun as well. Although I will insist on taking Ken. He's my responsibility after all." the blankets on the futon moved sluggishly, and a muffled voice moaned. Ran glared death at Yohji before turning towards the futon's occupant, and pulling the covers back gently.
Ken still looked fevered and in bad condition, but even considering these things, he looked much better than when Yohji had last seen him. The bandages were crisp and white, and the coloring on the bruises was just starting to turn, indicating the start of the healing process. Inwardly, Yohji nodded in satisfaction. This man really had done a stupendous job.
Ran behaved as if Yohji was not in the room. With great care, he lifted Ken onto one arm and levered him into a partially sitting position. Ken's head lolled and came to rest against Ran's stomach, and brown eyes fluttered momentarily before he moaned again. Ran reached down and pulled up a smaller mug full of water that Yohji hadn't seen before. He pressed it to Ken's dry lips and tilted it slightly.
"Drink, Ken." he commanded softly. Ken grunted and his head turned slightly, trying to avoid the cup. Ran sighed in irritation. "Ken. It's water, not tea. I promise. You need it. It's going to make you feel better. Drink." This time, when Ran pressed the cup to Ken's lips, they opened eagerly, and brown eyes opened the slightest bit to study Ran's face with a fevered vacancy. When he finished and Ran seemed satisfied that he had drank enough, he set the cup aside. Gently, he lowered Ken back onto the futon and peeled back the various bandages, checking the wounds. When he had satisfied himself with that, he refreshed the compress on Ken's forehead and pulled the blankets back into place, tucking them securely around him. Ken sighed from somewhere beneath them and rolled onto his side towards Ran.
When Ran turned back to Yohji, Yohji's eyebrows were about at his hairline. Ran scowled again.
"What?" he ground out.
"Nothing. Just looks like you two have gotten awfully close." Yohji replied, the smirk finding its way back on his face. Oh yeah. No way was he taking Ken out of here. If anything only out of curiosity to see what happened between the two.
Ran's scowl darkened, accompanied by a hot red blush. "He's injured. That, by default, means he needs care. That's what I was giving him. If you're surprised by that display then I'm not surprised you just left him." he growled. Yohji ignored the spark of guilt in his stomach. He'd had no choice. But he wasn't going to start that dance again.
"Well, sir, it seems we have a problem. Ken is my responsibility. If I have to carry him out of here, I will. I've never met someone so stubborn over trying to keep such a burden. " he said firmly, verbally prodding at Ran.
"You will not take him anywhere." Ran snapped out, rising to one knee with his hand at ready over his sword handle. "You will have to fight me for him, and I warn you I am a skilled swordsman." Yohji's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected display.
"This man is a stranger to you! Why the hell are you getting so uppity about it?" he replied, rising to one knee defensively as well.
"Because I don't trust you. You're crass and obnoxious. You left an injured man on death's door by himself for long enough that he wandered off on his own. And you left an incapable and busy woman to keep tabs on him. You only stumbled upon him because you were having a fucking tryst. Why should I let you take him back? So you can foist him on that poor woman? Why should I trust that you want him back for pure reasons? No. I will keep him beneath my care where I know he will be safe. I owe it to him." Ran spat out.
"Why is he so important to you?" Yohji's reply was smooth and calm, the intonation purposefully drawled in a lazy way. Ran blushed like a cherry and looked down at the futon quickly. When he dragged his gaze back up to meet Yohji's, only a slight pink tint remained spread across his nose.
" He has suffered much. And we have suffered the same. I will be damned to hell before I let the same things that befell me befall him. And I wounded him further. It is my responsibility to make sure he is properly cared for. " Yohji gave Ran a hard glare of his own, its presence surprising on the handsome, arrogant face.
"Understand this. Financially, I am in a position to provide for him. You cannot care for a man if you cannot afford to. Whether you like it or not, at the very least, I will keep after the two of you." at Ran's menacing glare, he pressed on more passively, "At least allow me to give you money, to assure that he is cared for. He will need clothing at the very least. And you're going to have to pay room rental for two now. Whatever your job may be, you won't be able to do it for at least a good week and a half." he finished softly. The scowl on Ran's face disappeared momentarily into a look of utter surprise. Reluctantly, he moved his hand down and sat once more. Yohji followed suit. Ran eyed him suspiciously, but at least this time death was not present in the gaze.
"I do not require payment in lieu of caring for this man." he grumbled, insulted. Yohji shook his head.
"I wouldn't dream of insulting you that way. I mean merely to help with caring for him." Ran looked away again. Finally, just as Yohji wondered if he was being ignored, Ran turned back to him grudgingly. He didn't look at Yohji, however, and simply stared at the floor between them.
"Perhaps…it would be a good idea." he murmured softly. Yohji smiled.
"Of course it would." He reached into his left sleeve and pulled out a small purse, which he handed directly over to Ran. Ran accepted it with both hands gratefully, bowing, and politely set it in front of him. The smile remained on Yohji's face.
"I wish neither of you any harm. If you won't let me take care of him, at least let me make sure he's cared for. I'll be in touch." he said merrily, standing to leave.
"Wait!" Ran's hand on his sleeve stopped him. Yohji turned curious emerald eyes to meet hot violet ones.
"If I think, for even one minute, you're putting him or myself in danger, I will not hesitate to see that we are cleared of that danger. By any means necessary." he spoke firmly and emotionlessly. Yohji studied the stoic expression before him, but only an idiot would have missed the threat in Ran's eyes.
"I've already told you that won't be a problem. And understand if I think for one minute you can't care for him properly, I won't hesitate to pull him right out from under your nose. Name's Yohji, by the way. I'll be in touch. Ja ne." Yohji strode out soundlessly, his own threat hanging in the air of the room. Ran scowled at his closed door and turned to stare thoughtfully at Ken. He should have known this was going to be far messier than suited his tastes. He should have known. But now, after last night, Ran could not simply let Ken wander off out of his sight. The brunette needed him. He remembered dead brown eyes and frowned. Yes, Ken definitely needed him. Not some flake with an over active libido. For all Ran knew, Yohji could've had his perverted sights set on Ken for a purely personal reason. He shuddered at the thought of it. Beneath the blankets, Ken stirred, moaning softly.
"Ryuuta…kun…" Ran frowned at him and then sighed heavily, leaning forward to put a hand on Ken's forehead. He seemed to settle after that. Ran continued to frown thoughtfully at Ken until a maid interrupted the reverie, entering with more broth, rice, and water for tea. She cleared the dirty dishes and bowed, excusing herself shyly. Ran turned towards the tray and began preparing another round of medicinal tea, trying to think of a way to get Ken to drink it as he worked.
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Botan looked at Yohji expectantly as he strolled in to the izakaya like a man who was on top of the world. Yohji winked at him and called for a waitress. He ordered another bottle of hot sake and didn't speak until he'd had the first shot. Botan only shook his head and grinned at him.
"You're something else, you know that Kudo?" Yohji winked at him again.
"As a matter of fact, I do. All the ladies seem to think so anyway." Botan rolled his eyes.
"And Ken?" Yohji's expression stayed merry, but his eyes sharpened slightly.
"He's under good care. Seems little Ranny boy is on some kind of guilt trip for hitting the guy in the gut when he punched him. Tried to fight me when I told him I was going to take Ken." Botan looked surprised.
"He tried to fight you? What happened?" Yohji nodded.
"Yeah. Said something about he and Ken having suffered the same. Ken's in good hands. They'll both be after Takatori when he's recovered; together it looks like. I left him some cash so he could buy the guy clothes and the rest, and verbally left my foot in the door." Botan nodded in satisfaction.
" Excellent as always Kudo. I'm hungry. Whaddya want to eat?" Yohji grinned at him.
"Actually, I have a hankering for some soup suddenly." Botan only shook his head again, and called for the waitress.
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Manx walked down the hall of the lavish tea house with purpose. Dressed as a wealthy geisha, the fine painting on the silk her silver and pale blue kimono was of a flock of small birds soaring through rolling clouds. She strode all the way to the end of the hall where a set of large double washi sat shadowed by an alcove. Only one pair of slippers rested outside the door. Smiling softly to herself, Manx slid out of her shoes and stepped up onto the hard wood flooring gracefully. Sinking to sit on her knees before the doors, she lifted a hand and gently knocked twice against the wooden frame.
"Enter." a deep voice within commanded. And Manx smiled the smallest of smiles as she slid the door aside and bowed.
"You requested my presence this evening, lord?" she intoned softly. There was a hint of mockery in the voice, but it was subtle; only detected by one who had heard that same phrase repeated often.
"Yes. I did. Please come in and close the door." Manx did as the man bade and stepped inside, sliding the door shut behind her. She knelt across a small lacquered table adorned with lavish food dishes and decorations, and waited, hands calmly in her lap. Across from her, Takatori Shuuichi smiled warmly.
"Hello, Kitada. It's good to see you again." he spoke softly. This time, Manx smiled at him fully.
"I could say the same for you Shuuichi. Much has happened in the short time we were apart."
"Then I am glad that I extended my stay here in Edo before returning to the palace." he replied warmly, although there was a graveness to his expression that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Tell me all. I am anxious to hear it"
"Like you haven't already. I know Botan has already been here once. And Omi as well" Shuuichi smiled, his expression softening at the mention of his son.
"Humor me. I like listening to the sound of your voice. " Manx blushed prettily but proceeded to retell the events surrounding Ken's sudden appearance and his current circumstances with Ran. Shuuichi listened intently, like a man puzzling out a riddle, and he sat for a moment in silence once she had finished. Finally, he met her eyes, and spoke softly.
"I approve thus far, of this plan. Have Yohji and Omi keep an eye on them together. There will be times in which Yohji will be in my brother's attendance, and unable to do so. Omi will be good in that role. He has a more trustworthy, open appearance. Have them steer Hidaka and Fujimiya towards our missions and see how they handle them. Eventually, if things are feasible, we will try to draw them into our cause. " Manx nodded.
"I figured you'd say as much. I've already put it into action." She replied with a smile.
"Then let's enjoy the rest of the evening. A toast, to your remarkable skill and service Kitada." Shuuichi said with a smile, raising a small sake bowl. Manx smiled, blushing, and lifted hers as well.
"A toast, to the man who dares to fight for what he believes in, no matter the consequences." she replied softly. The light in Shuuichi's eyes turned loving as he leaned towards her, sake forgotten.
"A fight I would lose if you weren't by my side." he whispered into her ear. She had the grace to stop smiling as his lips touched hers.
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Yeah yeah. I know. But if you didn't see that one coming I don't know what to tell ya. It was pretty obvious to me in the series that they had feelings for each other. I just played that out. grin Ok. So Ran and Ken are together. Kritiker has them under it's wing, and things are moving right along. The next chapter is probably going to be some Ran/Ken fluff. Without them being romantically involved….fully. Should be fun to write…Perhaps some Schwartziness.
Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Again my apologies for the lack of specific thankyous, but things are getting pretty busy around here...I'm really sorry about that. But thank you again so much for reviewing. It really makes my day. :)
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