Waaahhh! Ok, so the trip to Iwasaki was canceled, due to the train lines not running. So, here's another installment. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers! You help to keep me inspired.

And yes, if you have a request for me, I will take it and work it into the story if I can. Also, if anyone has a request for maybe another short story, or something along those lines that isn't a part of Edo, that's fine too. Right now I have another story in the works that will hopefully turn out to be a Weiss/Saiyuki parody. Body swaps anyone? KK, enjoy the show!

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"no rolling waves –

no wind in the wheat

but a dry whisper."

Richard Stevenson

Edo, Chapter 8B

Ken sat at the low wooden table, his back to the early-morning sunlight that was pouring in through the open shoji. It warmed him through the dark material of his gi, making him feel safe and at peace. Outside, the sounds of early-morning bird calls mixed with those of the morning cooking fires and the chatter of villagers was a welcomed white-noise. It was shaping up to be another beautiful spring day.

Ken took a deep breath in slowly, savoring the crisp smell of fresh, young blossoms and newly melted snow. And of course, the smell of an expertly prepared breakfast. Ken grinned as he looked at the fare spread before him.

The breakfast his mother had carefully set for him was laid out neatly before him; an emperor's banquet if Ken said so himself. There were at least three or four bowls, not including the customary miso and rice bowls, and Ken anticipated roast salmon beneath the lid on the small plate off to the side. He stared at all the covered bowls and dishes, watching wisps of steam escape them, and wondered eagerly which he should eat first. He decided at last on the bowl directly in front of him, and pulled off the top enthusiastically.

What he saw inside made his heart sink in fear, and his stomach sink to his knees. This was not his mother's cooking.

It was a stew of some sort, but not a stew at all. Not one that Ken had ever eaten anyway. The broth was a thick and clotted crimson, and floating inside of it were chunks of flesh that were charred and raw looking. The smell was horrible. It was sweet and slightly smoky, but rotted. Like the stench of a burned animal left in the August sun for many days. He swallowed convulsively and scooted back from the table, not even wanting to know what was beneath the rest of those lids.

As he watched, the crimson liquid from the bowl began to ooze over the edge and make its syrupy-slow way onto the table top, as if it had a mind of its own. He choked, staring in horror at rest of the dishes as more crimson oozed from their lids and began to pool together onto the floor with a slight splattering sound, leaking towards him slowly. He continued to back up until he felt the wall beneath his gi as he watched it advance towards him. A searing pain lashed across his flesh as his back made contact with the wall. Ken cried out and looked down in alarm as splotches of crimson bloomed suddenly over his gi. Ken remembered from somewhere that he had been badly wounded. From far down the hallway, footsteps sounded.

"Ken, are you alright?" his mother's voice. Oh gods, she was coming down the hallway. She was coming, and Ken didn't want to see her, he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. He was terrified. This was all so very, very wrong.

He opened his mouth to tell her he was fine; to stay away, but found he couldn't speak.

"Ken? Ken!" the footsteps got closer. Ken started to panic, his breath coming in short, quick gasps.

"Ken answer me!" right outside the door. Oh Gods, no.

"KEN!" the door slid open with a bang, and Ken squeezed his eyes shut and shot forward over the table, over the crimson, unable to cry out, hands outstretched in hopes of barricading the door closed…

"GODS, DON'T TOUCH ME!"

…The first thing he became aware of was how still everything was. He remained frozen, panicked, the only sound his labored breathing, his hands outstretched and touching nothing.

"…Ken…?" the gentle, soft calling of his name from right beside him scared Ken so badly he jerked wildly, sending another wave of pain to ripple over his body. Ken ignored it. Cautiously, he opened one eye, afraid of what he would see…

…Soft lantern light. Red hair. Violet eyes. Pale skin.

Ran. Oh, Gods, it was only Ran. Without thinking, Ken leaned forward and grabbed onto the man's collar, burying his face into the front of Ran's gi. Ran smelled like musk and a slight sweat; not anything at all like charred, rotting flesh, and Ken found himself sobbing silently in relief before he could help himself.

"Oh Gods, it's only you, just Ran. Only Ran…." he crooned over and over, nuzzling the rough cotton that covered Ran's chest. "Thank the Gods…" Ken was still panting hysterically and Ran frowned as he let the man gather his bearings. He was slightly surprised when he felt the brunette start to sob, and far more surprised when his own arm came down around Ken's shoulders reassuringly. He watched his hand rub gentle circles on Ken's back idly. Wasn't he supposed to be angry at having his honor abused still?

No. Ran didn't think anyone could be angry at a man shaking and crying like this. Ken carried on for a few more moments before sniffling and seemingly drawing himself together. But he still did not stop shaking, nor did he pull himself away. Ran allowed him to remain close, and did not remove his arm from Ken's shoulders, although his hand ceased its movements.

"…Ken-san? Perhaps some tea? " Omi suggested from somewhere beside them. Ran narrowed his eyes and pulled Ken closer, giving in to the absurd subconscious urge that he should shield Ken's vulnerable and rather embarrassing state from any who might see. He succeeded in getting his sleeves to hide most of Ken from view.

"And how do we know it isn't poisoned?" he growled out. Omi smiled sincerely despite the barb and reached into his sleeve, pulling out a small pouch full of tea.

"Because I carry my own kind of tea with me always. I'm very fussy about it." he replied with a grin. Ran only narrowed his eyes further. Omi sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, I'll make some and take the first sip." he said in exasperation, turning to make preparations. "He needs to drink something. When was the last time he had any medication?" Ran's frown turned thoughtful.

"Probably about three hours ago." the hoarse voice startled them both. Ken's hair was ruffled and stuck out at odd angles as his head came into view over Ran's arm. He looked bleary-eyed and gloomy, but at least interested in the thought of some tea. "Not that I mind…that stuff tastes horrible." he added. Ran huffed and rolled his eyes in exasperation, and Ken grinned up at him weakly. "Hey, nobody said I had to like it." he quipped. Ran only snorted.

"Hn." Omi smiled at the two of them and added more water to the pot. He pretended not to hear the soft conversation going on behind him.

"Are you alright?" Ran's deep baritone prodded. The soft sliding of cotton against silk indicated the two men pulling apart slowly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about that. Forget about it, ok? That was so damn embarrassing." Ken's reply was quick and laced with self-anger. Omi could almost hear Ran's frown.

"You should stop worrying about something so foolish. Things like this are to be expected." Ran's response had a slightly exasperated undertone to it, as if he were getting tired of having conversations like this so frequently.

"I guess so. Still-"

"Good, then stop apologizing for yourself. It's getting annoying." Ran's voice effectively halted anything else Ken had been trying to say.

"Well excuse me if I fucking wanna—" Ken's aggrivated reply was cut off mid-sentence by a soft, deep chuckle.

"Hey! Are you laughing at me now?" his voice had taken on a distinctly bristled, indignant tone, fear and self-hate forgotten. Omi had a feeling that had been Ran's goal in the first place. He'd heard their argument outside the door before he had come in, and it looked as if Ran was now the one trying to use anger to distract Ken instead of the other way around.

"Of course not." the mirth in Ran's voice was purposefully ill-disguised confirming Omi's suspicions. He smiled to himself.

"You are!" Ken was definitely getting angrier.

"I am not." Ran's voice was still full of mirth. Omi did his best to contain his own smile as he heard Ken splutter angrily and turned with two steaming tea-cups in hand before the argument could get any worse.

"Tea's ready!" Ran and Ken fell into silence, thanking Omi as he handed them each a cup of tea. The room remained silent for several more moments save a few quiet and satisfied sighs as the tea found its way down three rather parched throats.

"This tea is great Omi, thanks." Ken finally broke the silence. Omi nodded.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. I thought you needed to drink something at least." Ken nodded in return and continued sipping his tea. The silence became awkward suddenly. Despite everything happening around them, the three men seemed to be unable to find anything to discuss.

Just was Omi was clearing his throat to try a tentative conversation, a slight noise down the hall had all three of them snapping to attention. Well, Ken as much as he could snap to attention in any case. Ran looked at Omi and he nodded. The two of them put down their tea fluidly and rose as one, weapons at ready as they cautiously slid Omi's door aside and slipped out into the shadows of the hall. Ken watched them until they were gone and set his tea down as well, reaching for the hand-claws he'd palmed into his yuukata sleeves. He slipped them on and slid beneath the blankets of Omi's futon, pulling them to his chin and giving the door his back as he blew out the lantern. He gripped three shuriken between his fingers beneath the pillow and forced himself to slow and even out his breathing. From down the hall came several soft noises of a struggle coming from the room he'd shared with Ran, but Ken paid them no mind. They were not important to him.

After several moments of laying in silence, he was rewarded with the soft sound of someone sliding the door open carefully. Two someones to be exact. He could hear two different sets of muffled footsteps. They paused inside the darkness of the door for a moment, obviously searching for something.

Me. Ken thought grimly. He hadn't told Ran and Omi that they had probably seen Omi come in to warn Ran and Ken, and as a default would attack both rooms. Ken had conceded the battle to let them investigate without him because it meant they would be out of harm's way. He forced himself to continue breathing evenly. He did not have long to wait.

The first attack came quickly and Ken rolled onto his back, shocking his opponent as he caught the blade of the long sharp dagger between his hand claws. Using his uninjured leg, he kicked into the man's gut with all the force he could muster, and was surprised to watch him stagger backwards across the room. Taking advantage of the shock of his enemies, Ken forced his tired, battered body up and forward. Two of the shuriken slid from his fingers as easily as drops of water and landed in their exact targets: one in the eye and one in the heart. Whatever damage the blades did not do would be taken care of by the poison Ken had fused within the points himself.

Unfortunately, finishing off one opponent had given the other time to gain his wits and Ken found himself flying into the nearby wall. He cried out reflexively as the shoulder that one of the foreigners had dislocated popped back out of place. He could feel the stitches pulling angrily at the awkward stretch of skin and muscle. His enemy let loose a curse and lunged forward, intent on killing Ken before his comrades could get to the room now that there was a chance they had heard the cry. Ken managed to get his hand claws up in time to deflect a deadly blow from a katana, but he found himself hard pressed between the wall and the blade shortly after, the strength in his arms wilting away at an alarming rate. He stared in a detached fascination as the blade came closer and closer to his face. His shurkien….if only he could just…

The blade was coming closer…

And then it stopped. Ken blinked in utter surprise as the weight of the man was lifted off of him and looked searchingly into the shadows. His assailant was spun around viciously and another katana flashed sliver in the dim moon light shining through the shoji. There was the sharp clang of metal against metal as his assailant tried to defend himself. And Ken finally saw the man holding the other katana.

Ran. It was Ran. The ronin's teeth were bared in a feral snarl, and his violet eyes nearly glowed in rage. Ken was surprised to note that his attacker was a much larger man than he had thought, and that was clearly the only reason that Ran had not run him through already. Despite his size, it was all he could do to keep Ran at bay. The redhead hacked at him mercilessly with a strength that amazed Ken. Ran moved gracefully in the dark, sliding in and out of the shadows like liquid; silent and flowing so that it was difficult to tell where his shape ended and the surrounding shadows began. Every strike and thrust was executed with a beautifully deadly elegance and precision, and Ken's eyes traced every movement hungrily, unable to get enough. He wondered, vaguely, if he looked anything like that when he fought. Probably not.

Just as his eyes were beginning to imagine the delicious movement of muscle beneath skin that was more than likely occurring under Ran's clothing, Ken was shocked back to reality as he heard Ran bark his name in an angry, desperate tone.

"KEN!"

But Ken's attention was now focused on the large shadow that had somehow escaped Ran's assault and was lumbering towards him like a boulder rolling down a mountain.

Shit. Ken winced, bringing his hand-claws up defensively and bracing for impact. He wasn't disappointed. He felt himself shoved violently against the wall with a loud, sickening crack, and his assailant seemed to have somehow gotten all his weight onto the dagger that was suddenly dangerously close to Ken's throat and closing in quickly. That was assuming that it didn't force his own hand-claws to do the job first. Ken cursed fluidly under his breath repeatedly, grunting and shaking with the strain of just keeping the man off of him. He could feel stitches straining and wondered absently if he'd torn any. The pain screaming through his muscles seemed to think so.

Just as suddenly as the assault had started, it stopped. The man's weight still leaned against him, but there was no longer the pressure of force on the dagger, and Ken looked up, almost afraid of what he would see.

A rage-filled violet eye set in a quarter of a pale face, hair red as the blood on the katana now protruding through his attacker's chest. The sight of Ran over the man's shoulder was both welcomed and terrifying. Ken hoped he would never be the recipient of that glare for any reason. A sudden jerk of the body in front of him had Ken's attention back on the large man who'd nearly succeeded in making Ken a bloody smear on the wall. He was grunting, blood spattering from his mouth onto Ken's face and neck as he tried to move himself, katana and all, towards Ken again. Ken was about to move forward to push him off when the faint tinge of something sharp and painful pricked the center of his chest. He looked down in surprise at the blood-smeared katana protruding from the man's chest.

Oh crap. Ken swallowed carefully and sucked in his breath, trying to put some space between himself and the sharp sword. He only succeeded in allowing the blade to move forward the slightest bit, making it so he would risk being stabbed if he dared to breath again. Well this was a problem.

"Ken. Don't move." Ran's voice was stoically calm despite the rage on his face. Ken obliged him and didn't dare to even blink.

"B-bastards….you haven't seen…the last of….Takatori…." the attacker spluttered, suddenly falling to his knees as Ran wrenched the blade from his back. Ken released a ragged breath and slumped heavily against the wall firmly at his back, and he simply stood, panting and trembling with fatigue, shoulder forgotten, arms still raised in defense, as his gaze met ghostly pale violet in the dark. For a moment, time seemed to stop as he watched the rage in those eyes soften slowly into anger and concern. The silence pressed heavily, and Ken found he could not speak or move, only stare, lost in those eyes. The spell was broken when Ran looked down in disgusted contempt at the man on the floor at their feet.

" I knew Takatori was behind this. Fucking disgusting, attacking a wounded man. " Ran hissed. Ken jerked, startled. Somehow, he hadn't expected Ran to speak. The lantern was lit suddenly, throwing the room into brightness. Ran was just as suddenly standing before him, rather close, and Ken felt himself blushing again, for reasons he couldn't fathom. He allowed the red-head to lower his arms gently and grab hold of his injured shoulder, caught up again in the increasing amount of concern in those beautiful violet eyes.

"Hold still. This will hurt." he barely had time to register the meaning before Ran lunged forward and popped his shoulder back into place. Ken cried out and fell forward against Ran's chest.

"Like a bitch." he muttered into the fabric of Ran's gi, not noticing the slight blood splatters in the rough linen; the spell had been broken once again.

"Thanks the Gods you're alright. I don't know how we were so stupid about this. Gods, we should have stayed with you." Ran murmured above him. He felt arms gently encircle his shoulders. His stitches were throbbing, and Ken felt exhaustion consuming him. So many things had happened to him in he past week, and he was suddenly overwhelmed, leaving him feeling sapped and lifeless.

"Don't beat yerself up about it." he mumbled, suddenly finding himself falling asleep against Ran. He felt the warmth of Ran's arms holding just a little tighter; keeping him steady. He stood for a moment in the blessed silence, in the comforting warmth of someone who wasn't asking anything of him or accusing anything of him. Ken could hear Omi moving about the room in the background, somewhere near where the first body had fallen, but he allowed the noise to fade into the background as he simply shut himself down, relaxing against Ran completely.

"…You knew, didn't you?" Ran was talking to him, quietly. Ken struggled to make sense of the statement in his sleep-hazed mind.

"Mmm…knew..?" he managed groggily.

"You knew they were going to attack Omi's room too. Didn't you?" Ran repeated, clarifying. His voice was so quiet, Ken almost couldn't hear him.

"Hn… ' suspec'td. " Ken grunted, fast losing the battle to stay awake.

"Why didn't you say something?" still so very quiet.

"…'cuz they wouldna' come if they knew you guys were still here…" he mumbled.

"Is that the only reason?" Ran's voice reminded Ken of a lake in winter.

"…'course not." had Ken been awake, he might have chose to censor himself a bit better.

"Then why else…?"

"…'cuz then nobody gets hurt. Better you n' the kid take on two guys 'n'stead of four right? Definitely better than an ambush…" Ken's body shuddered at the last word, painful memories invading for a moment.

"And if you'd been the one hurt? Or killed?" The tone had stiffened somewhat. Make that an iced-over lake…

"Leas' you n' Omi wouldn't be….'s my fault anyways, you know, that you're in trouble n' th'first place…" Ran's entire body stiffened at Ken's response, but he remained silent, much to Ken's relief. He was so tired he was sure he was going to fall asleep mid-question. What was with this interrogation anyways? Couldn't the man just be quiet like before, and let Ken get some friggin' rest? After a moment, Ran stiffened further, and Ken heard him murmuring something that he couldn't distinguish. Ran's deep, baritone reply rumbled soothingly in his chest against Ken's ear, but he had lost the ability to distinguish what was being said. Not that he cared any longer. He was warm, and the immediate danger had passed….for now. And suddenly all he could think about was sleep. He gave in willingly, a small smile on his face as he slumbered against Ran's chest.

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Omi was impressed. Unlike Ran, he had anticipated an attack on Ken in his own room as well as in the room that Ran and Ken had shared. He had known that in order to draw the attackers out, he and Ran would have to leave Ken alone and seemingly vulnerable. What he had not counted on, was the amount of time it had taken to dispatch with the first attackers. They had been ready and waiting for Ran and Omi to come in, and so it had been more of a battle and less of a sneak attack. Ran had fought like a man possessed, however, and their assailants had hardly stood a chance against him. A red eyebrow had raised at Omi's obvious skill in dispatching the second man, but thankfully, Ran had been cut off from making any comments by the sound of Ken's faint cry down the hall.

Omi didn't think he would forget the look on Ran's face at the sound of that cry for a long time. The man had gone paler than his usual white and there had been a raw fear behind the rage in those violet eyes. He wasn't sure just what Ken was to Ran, or visa/versa, but it was something that was fast moving beyond camaraderie. Omi had a feeling Ran and Ken didn't really know what was going on between them either, which made things slightly more amusing to him.

They had flown down the hall and Ran had slid the door open with surprising care to be as soundless as possible before closing it just as silently after them. Although the room was dark, the shapes of two figures struggling against the far wall could be seen; one clearly pinned and struggling beneath the full weight of the other. Omi had been surprised to see Ken so adamantly fending off his attacker, and even more surprised when he had nearly tripped over a body lying on the floor in his haste to reach him. Ran had gotten there first, and without hesitation, he had ripped the man away from Ken violently and proceeded to attack him with a finesse Omi didn't ever think he could accomplish. He supposed that came with having Ran's sort of temperament.

He'd had his shuriken ready just in case, but Ran seemed to be doing fine, and Omi took the second opportunity to judge the man's fighting skills for Kritiker. The battle ended in a hair-raising moment when Omi was certain that Ken was going to wind up dead anyways, but before he could have reacted, Ran had run the man through with his katana from behind; a surprising action for someone who seemed to cling to Bushido so adamantly. Stabbing one's opponent in the back was not exactly the most honorable way to kill them. For a moment Omi had been worried that he was going to skewer Ken as well, but he didn't. Once the man was dead, Omi had turned on the lantern.

Ken had been panting heavily and sweating from the exertion, but Omi had left him to Ran. He tuned an ear into their conversation as he checked the first dead body, impressed with the skill that Ken had used to dispatch the man, despite such debilitating injuries. He winced in sympathy as he heard Ran relocate Ken's shoulder. Apparently such abilities had come with a price for the ninja. Omi patted down both bodies after that, finding only two small purses with money and a pipe and tobacco. He pocketed the money but left the pipe. By the time he had finished, he looked up to see Ran regarding him with a serious expression, Ken fast asleep standing up against the man's chest.

"You will tell me everything you know, and you will leave nothing out. Ken and I are in grave danger, far graver than I had previously thought, and I know that you have some of the answers that I—we are looking for. I don't know who you are, and I trust you little, if at all, but I know that you are more than you have led us to believe." he spoke simply. There was no menace, nor sympathy in his tone. Omi felt his respect for the man rising quickly. His fighting skills had certainly been impressive to see.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you everything. Not until I know if I can trust you. But I can tell you a few things. Takatori is hunting Ken. Ken is only a minor threat to him at this point, but once he recovers, he will be more than that. As a result, Reiji wants Ken dead. Now. Since you are with him, and have been seen with him, you have also been targeted. I know something of Reiji's movements, and came here to keep a watch against him." Omi began, choosing his words carefully. Ran's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Who do you work for?"

"That is what I cannot tell you…yet. Simply know it is an organization that seeks to end Takatori's corrupted reign of terror. Ken is not the only victim of Reiji's greed. Not by far." Omi was careful not to mention his knowledge of Ran's own history with Takatori. "We seek only to weed out the corruption that exists within the Shogunate as it is now." Ran continued to study him.

"And how do you go about this 'weeding out'?" he growled, his embrace tightening subconsciously around Ken. The brunette mumbled something indicernable in his half-sleep and let out a heavy sigh. Omi sighed heavily.

"It is not how you think Ran. If we are seeking to end corruption, do you think we would do so with more corruption? We simply seek to stop it at its source."

"By killing?"

"Yes." Ran was silent a moment, but it was more a thoughtful silence.

"Look. We don't have time right now. We need to get both you and Ken, and now myself, to a safe place out from beneath Takatori's gaze. Then we can discuss this at length. In the mean time, do you think you can trust me enough to let me get us all away from here?" Omi finished tiredly. Ran looked at him closely. Below them, the sounds of the staff stirring began. Omi pressed on urgently at the sound.

"Ran, they've been woken. Soon they're going to come up here and find dead bodies, and then it will be too late. You don't have much choice." He didn't like to corner anyone like this, but there was no time anymore.

"Fine. Two conditions." Ran bit out, looking rather disgruntled. Omi nodded patiently.

"Number one: I never leave Ken's side. He will stay with me no matter what. You will take him nowhere, nor do anything to him without my consent." Omi nodded easily.

"Done."

"Number two: Ken and I reserve the right to walk away from you and your organization at any time. Vow both conditions on your sword, and you will have my trust and full support." Omi frowned.

"Number one is done easily enough, but number two is complicated. I can concede this : you and Ken can walk away at any time provided you do not ask questions or become any more deeply involved in our organization. Once you know enough, we will not be able to allow you to simply walk away. It presents great danger to us." Ran frowned, but the sounds of yelling downstairs did not give him time to think.

"Fine. Accepted. Swear it on your sword." Omi nodded, and did so. To his surprise, Ran pulled out his sword and swore upon it that He and Ken would not pry into Kritiker, nor cause trouble or betray their aid. Once they had finished, Omi leapt to life and pulled two large cloth bundles from the closet. He walked over to the shoji and slid it open, throwing them outside gently. They landed without sound. He turned and looked at Ran, who was trying to gather the medicinal sack, and hold Ken at the same time.

"Here. Let me. Just get him outside." he murmured, removing the cloth from Ran's hands. Ran nodded wordlessly and moved to the window while Omi gathered the medicinal supplies and Ken's various weaponry that had been scattered with grace and efficiency. He blew out the lantern just as he heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and into Ran and Ken's room. Thank goodness he had been able to convince them to come to his room earlier. The staff wouldn't think to come here just yet. When he turned towards the window, Ran and Ken were nowhere in sight, and he smiled to himself. Carefully, he climbed over the sill and slid the shoji shut after him.

The air outside was damp and chill, and a three-quarter moon shone murky silver light from behind a veil of wispy grey clouds. The sounds of crickets and nearby frogs filled the air heavily, sounding almost ominous. At first, he could see no sign of Ran or Ken anywhere. In fact, the bundles he had thrown out were gone also.

"Here." the whisper was so quiet he almost didn't hear it, and he turned just in time to see half of Ran's face emerge from the shadows as if from thin air, illuminated eerily by the moonlight. He nodded and moved forward.

"Wait here. I'll get the horses." Ran frowned.

"Won't riding horseback be obvious?" he grunted. Omi shook his head and gestured to Ken.

"We'll get caught if we try to go on foot and drag him along. Not to mention what kind of things that sort of trip will take out of Ken. I know the back roads and forest paths. We must travel quickly." Ran nodded and pulled back again, melting into the inky blackness of the shadows like a wraith. Omi turned quickly and went off in search of the horses he'd had stowed just for this purpose.

There were three. A larger, sturdier horse to bear the weight of both Ran and Ken, his own chestnut, and a smaller pack-horse. They were already saddled and waiting, courtesy, no doubt, of Botan. Omi smiled when he noticed saddle bags already attached to the saddles loaded with food for the journey. He mounted his own horse and rode quietly through the small path that wound through the underbrush surrounding the inn back to Ran and Ken.

He dismounted as Ran emerged from the shadows wordlessly, supporting a groggy, staggering Ken, but an awake Ken none-the-less. When he saw three horses, he paused.

"I think it's better if Ken rides with me." he said simply. Omi nodded, smiling.

"I thought so too. The small one is a pack-horse. The big one is yours." Ran nodded, and Omi helped him get Ken up to the horse and onto it. Ken was surprisingly helpful and able to more than both Ran and Omi had anticipated. Once they had mounted, Omi quickly and efficiently loaded the pack-horse and mounted his own. He turned his horse to face Ran's, the pack-horse trailing behind him, reins fastened to his saddle.

In the moonlight, he could make out Ken's form leaning against Ran's chest, and he could see Ran had already draped his haori over the man to ward him from the night's chill. Ran nodded to him.

"Let's get out of here. The sooner we leave the sooner we can get out of this cold, clammy weather." he grumped. Omi saw through the grumbling to worry for Ken and smiled a small smile that Ran could not see in the dark. The sound of Ken's even breathing reached his ears as he nodded his agreement. Without another word, he turned and spurred his horse into a canter back down the path, his ears assuring him that Ran was close behind. They slid through the dim light of the night and into the dark shadows of the forest. Omi smiled, relieved that things had gone so smoothly. Manx would be pleased.

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Ok, end of another chapter! Yay! Schwartz and Takatori next I think. And… dun dun DUN! Get ready for the return of Kase…

Once again, I DO take requests, but I ask that you give them to me far enough ahead so that I can try to work with them.

Jan a!

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