Ack! I posted sans-haiku! Please forgive the slight!
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"Along the mountain road
Somehow it tugs at my heart:
A wild violet."
Matsuo Basho
Edo
Interlude Ken
Ken moved through his forms like the wind winding its way through the sugi over his head, exhilarating in the feel of his body moving so freely at his command once again. There was pain, but it was a mere shadow of the pain it had been, and hardly enough to make him flinch as he tossed himself about, performing elaborate rolls and falls. His weapons were mostly lined up nearby; where he could have his choice of them easily, and despite the steady, icy rain that had been falling all day, Ken had moved through each of them several times. He moved swiftly; silent and focused as he slipped into each form, and strove to keep his mind clear.
Not for discipline, for it helped to be able to fight when one's mind was occupied, but simply because Ken did not care to dwell on his current comrades and the emotions they stirred within him.
As it turned out, Omi had been a wise person to trust on Ken's part. Ken knew the youth was keeping secrets, and he even had a good idea of what kind, but this did not irk him as much as it irked Ran in that Ken knew Omi's character was not as depraved as it could have been.
His three-sectioned bo, in staff form, turned smoothly over his head and then down at an angle against an unseen foe, as his mind paused to consider Omi carefully. Yes, the youth was definitely hiding something, but he was not of the morally corrupted-sort to be harboring sinister intent for Ran and himself. The fact that he had not only allowed Ken to live, but also saved his life and provided him safe-harbor for healing attested to this fact. Convincing Ran of that fact was going to prove slightly more difficult than discovering the truth of the youth's intent itself.
Down. Block. Upward-thrust.
That was , of course, if Ken could ever get past the new fog in his brain that seemed to settle on it whenever Ran was nearby. It was really starting to aggravate him. He'd slipped away early this morning to avoid having Ran spend the day with him just so he could have some time to think. Not that he didn't mind Ran's company, or sparring practice, but Ran had been nothing if not his shadow over the past few weeks, and Ken desperately needed some time to think things out without the red head's influencing presence nearby.
Thrust side. Thrust front. Back step. Two-handed block.
Most of those things directly involved the red-head himself. Ken knew for certain that the man was attracted to him; he'd have to be stupid not to see the desire and tenderness burning in those eyes when Ran thought he wasn't looking. But what perplexed Ken was Ran's failure to act upon those emotions. Once Ken had recovered more or less, he was almost positive that he hadn't given Ran any signs that the attention would be unwelcome. Indeed; it was just the opposite. Ken had done his best to keep his body language open to Ran without openly forcing the issue. He was monumentally grateful that Omi was pretending to be blissfully unawares. He had a feeling that strangers pressing the issue would shut Ran off to it completely.
Weapons change. Bo dropped, bladed fan in hand.
He wondered, not for the first time, if perhaps Ran was hedging around the issue so much because he either hadn't ever been exposed to the idea of that sort of thing with other men, or if he was opposed to it. Just because Ken enjoyed the company of both men and women didn't mean everyone else had to.
Open. Slice. Swipe. Shut.
For himself, he knew Ran to be quite easy on the eyes and pleasing in the body. There were other, deeper emotions there too, but Ken reserved those for perhaps a different time when they could be examined at length and in safety. Most of them involved the memories of him unable to stand and care for himself and a tender look and touch in violet eyes and pale hands in soft lantern light.
Thrust. Block. Open. Upwards slash.
As it stood, Ran had done Ken a priceless service, and Ken would willingly give his loyalty and his life to stay by the ronin's side and see his debt repaid. He didn't give a good damn what Ran said. There was a debt and it was in Ken's honor to restore it. And the thought of parting from Ran, of leaving the man alone; somehow it wounded him. Ken didn't like the thought of the ronin wandering alone and comfortless for the rest of his days. He had failed his clan; failed Kase. He'd be dammned if he failed Ran too. Hell, he didn't much like the idea of wandering around alone and comfortless himself either.
Falter. Slice. Slash. Slice. Falter. Shut.
Ken knew that Ran wanted his company at least for now, but the why and how of that were something that he couldn't fathom. Although if Ran kept giving him any more of those oblivious, searing looks, Ken might just be pushed to do something stupid and break the fragile balance between them as it existed now.
Open. Block. Block. Shut. Thrust. Thrust. Open.
As he paused in his exercise, he realized that it was getting dark and it had stopped raining. A rustle in the sudden quiet had him spinning, bladed fan open and ready for business.
Omi emerged from the trees and into the dim late-afternoon light of the setting sun, his fair features cast into a burning blood red. His hands were up in a gesture of peace, blue eyes turned purple and squinting against the burning light.
"Only me, Ken-kun." he called out softly into the darkness. Omi had started tacking 'kun' onto the ends of their names shortly after they had finally settled for a bit, and for the life of him, Ken couldn't figure out why, since he and Ran were both Omi's elders. Although by the tone in which it was used, it sounded more like a term of friendly affection than a superior addressing an inferior. Ran, however, got irked every time he heard it, and would grumble a reply about 'not working for the damn boy…' , trailing off unhappily, arms crossed, glower firmly in place although not so severe.
Ken chuckled, snapping the fan shut with a skilled, practiced movement and tucking it into the waist of his hakama as Omi approached slowly, hands still up defensively in a gesture of surrender.
"Aa. I can see that. You can put your hands down now, I'm not gonna kill ya, ya know." Ken's teasing remark was ended with a racking cough that had Omi starting forward like a nervous rabbit.
"Ken-kun! It's freezing out here! And where's your gi and haori! Ken! You're soaked! And half naked! What is wrong with you?" he admonished, nervousness of one kind turning into another easily. He hurried forward, chattering like a squirrel, and Ken chuckled again, even though he was indignant at being mothered.
"Relax, will you? I'm fine!" As if to mock him, another cough burst from his chest. Omi looked doubtful as he cast his gaze around, searching for the missing articles of clothing. His frown doubled in intensity when he saw them laying on the wet ground nearby. He walked over and gathered them up, expression turning exasperated as he regarded the soaked, icy fabric that was slowly freezing.
"Ken-kun…" he began slowly, his voice even with a more serious anger, "You've been practicing in that ice-cold rain all this time?" the end of the sentence rose in volume. Ken frowned. He didn't need Omi to scold him like a little boy.
"So? I said I was fine! I wasn't even cold!" he shot back, frowning angrily. Omi rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"Ken-kun, for the gods' sake, you're going to have a relapse! Ran-kun is going to be livid!" the youth growled fiercely, temper now serious. With short, angry movements, he jerked the outter haori from his body and stalked over, thrusting it at Ken.
"Put it on. Do. Not. Argue." He grumbled. Ken stared at the offending object gloomily, but obeyed, thoughts of an angry Ran already dominating his brain. It wasn't his fault the ronin had the patience of an old miser. He thrust his hands into the sleeves but made no move to fasten it shut. He snorted when Omi did. It was too small for him, and what should have been long, elegant sleeves looked rather awkward when all that material stopped at his forearms. Omi didn't seem to notice that it probably would not have fastened shut if Ken had been wearing anything else under it.
"Maybe you were ok before, when you were working-out and had some energy, but you're going to cool down really fast, and so are the sweat and all that water on your body." he grumbled. "Let's get going, it's going to get dark soon and we'll miss dinner." Ken obliged, gathering his weapons and stowing them on his person. To his chagrin, Omi wouldn't let him carry his partially frozen gi and haori. Rather than start an argument, however, Ken simply told himself that this was Omi's particular way of being thoughtful, and let it slide. He liked Omi, and couldn't really keep temper against the youth no matter what he was doing. Maybe Omi wouldn't tell Ran that he'd been practicing in the rain…
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Next up, 'Let's Get Together, Yeah Yeah Yea, We'll be Havin' Lot's of Fu-un!' :)
Finally.