Ok, here's the next chapter. Sorry, be warned, it ends in a bit of a cliffie, but I was rather pressed for time and trying to build suspense….(Also had to set some things up…)

So gomen gomen in advance!

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"How fishy they smell!

On a waterweed,

Dace entrails."

Matsuo Basho

Edo, Chapter 11B

Ran awoke to the silence of winter and the feeling of a toned body stretching languidly against him. He smiled a bit to himself as he felt Ken settle beside him once more with a loud yawn. A cold nose pressed into his chest as he felt the ninja curl back around him. Once again, the redhead found himself awed and thankful that the brunet was so open and unafraid of the way he felt.

Turning his head slightly, Ran looked around the room they shared, studying his surroundings in the pale light filtering through the shoji. Everything appeared to be in order; his sword was still where he had gotten up in the middle of the night and laid it beside the bed. Everything seemed peaceful.

At last, his gaze came to settle on Ken. The ninja was dozing serenly beside him, not quite asleep, but not quite awake either; lashes dark against bronze cheeks. His breathing hissed in and out of his lungs in a regular, calm pattern and it took Ran a moment or two to realize that the irregular, rasping sound that signified a cough was nearly gone. He smiled in relief and reached down, smoothing a stray hair from the brunet's brow, trailing his fingertips along a strong cheekbone and down onto a stubborn jaw. Ken nuzzled at the futon beneath his face briefly, smaking his lips and making a small noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a whine. He squinched his eyes shut and tried to burrow further into the blankets to avoid the early morning light.

Ran chuckled softly, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on one elbow to get a better view. Perturbed by the sudden lack of warmth, Ken inched forward until he was once again pressed flush against Ran's body, this time pulling the covers over his head. Ran raised an eyebrow at the sound of indiscernible muttering from beneath the blankets.

"If you're awake and talking to me Ken, you're going to have to pull your head out from those blankets so I can hear you." the ronin murmured against the shell of one perfect, albeit chilly ear. He smirked as he felt a slight shudder pass through the body pressed against his own.

"mmmsaid…" Ken began sleepily, poking his head from the covers, hair wild and poking out at all angles, "iz too damn cold t' ge'up yet…'time izzit 'nyway?" Ran chuckled and leaned down, unable to resist placing a soft kiss on the ninja's forehead as he tried with little success to smooth Ken's hair back into some state of order.

"It's early." he said simply. Ken grunted and smaked his lips again, burying his nose between Ran's side and the futon. Ran jerked slightly at the feeling of the icy appendage. As Ken's even icier feet came in contact with his body, the ronin's soft smile turned into a scowl. "And you're freezing." he grumped. Ken sighed contentedly beside him.

"'At's why I said iz too cold t'ge'up…" he mumbled, body already settling and drifting back into slumber. Sighing, Ran lay his head back down, settling himself beside Ken. The brunet needed more sleep, and Ran didn't think he'd ever seen Ken this willing to do so since he'd known the ninja. Usually, Ken was up with the sun and pushing to practice. This morning, however, the brunet seemed bent on sleeping the day away. Not that Ran minded. At all. Wrapping his arms around the ninja, he settled himself in and closed his eyes, ignoring the early morning sunlight. Let it shine. They had nowhere to go. No pressing business to attend. Ran felt himself drift back off to sleep as Ken settled more comfortably in his embrace.

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Omi yawned hugely, and stared at his unmade bed longingly, wondering where Ran and Ken were. Breakfast was in a half hour and Omi hadn't seen hide nor hair of the two. Usually by now they'd be up and arguing; Ken wanting to practice and Ran bellowing that Ken needed to wait until he ate and digested first. This morning, however, only peace and silence pervaded the inn.

Fearing the worst, the youth finished dressing, hastily tying his hakama. Had Kase snuck in during the night? Omi had fallen asleep faster than he'd realized. One moment he had been staring at the ceiling moodily in the darkness, and the next he was pulling the covers over his head to hide from the sun. That meant he had probably slept like the dead; something Omi rarely, if ever allowed himself to do. Apparently his body hadn't listened to his commands last night, even despite the disturbing thoughts of a reunion with Kase.

Sliding his door open and hurrying down the hall, feet shuffling along polished wood, Omi came to Ran and Ken's door and paused outside, listening. When absolute dead silence greeted his ears, he slid the door open cautiously, palming a few shuriken between his fingers. Taking a quick peek around and seeing nothing immediately out of place, Omi let himself in and shut the door softly behind him. It was in the silence of the next moment that he heard the deep, even breathing of two people sleeping. One of which sounded closer to a snore.

Wide blue eyes swept across the room to the far end, where two futons had been pushed together. Cuddled into the center was one large lump, burrowed beneath the blankets to ward off the mid-December chill. Omi squeaked, suddenly profoundly embarrassed, and put his shuriken back out of sight.

Ran and Ken were safe. They were sleeping. Together. In the same bed. Sort of. Snuggling like an old married couple. Omi wasn't sure if he should laugh or turn red. Currently both reactions were fighting for dominance at the same time, and the youth was afraid he would wind up laughing while he blushed red as a tomato. He was saved from doing either as Ran suddenly shot up, quick as lightening, katana in hand and waiting to be drawn. Omi might have been afraid for his life if it wasn't for the sleepy, altogether unaware expression on the swordsman's face. The urge to giggle was suddenly winning out.

He was saved from such a reaction again as Ken suddenly shot from the bed. Without warning or even a sound, Omi found himself pinned against the wall, Ken's hand claws bared dangerously at his throat. Ken was squinting at him with a sleepy, irritated expression, his dark hair sticking up at all angles from a severe case of bed head.

"Omi…? What the fuck…?" he grumbled, pulling the claws away. He unstrapped them and let them fall to the floor at his feet unceremoniously. Ran frowned, putting his sword down slowly, expression becoming more alert as well as far grumpier-looking.

"Ken, you're going to ruin the tatami. Omi, what the hell are you doing here?" the redhead grunted. Omi wanted to answer that. Really, he did. He didn't want to anger them any further. But his brain was slow in functioning suddenly. Because he realized, as he was staring at Ken, that the brunet was quite completely naked. And Ken seemed perfectly comfortable that way, walking back towards the futon. Ran raised an elegant eyebrow at the ninja as he walked back, the smooth appraisal in his expression obvious. Ran was naked too. Although thankfully he was still beneath the covers.

Normally, Omi would not have been so embarrassed. He'd seen naked men before. Yohji slept in the buff all the time. Even answered the door that way occasionally when he was hung-over. But seeing the two men together, naked, in bed, was almost like walking in on them actually having sex.

Which Omi also did not have a problem with, except that he didn't want to be walking in on it. So, when Ran's impatient, alert gaze settled on him, he felt his mouth open and shut like a beached fish.

"U-uhhh…S-so sorry to barge in on you guys….I j-just…" Ken smirked at him and Omi felt himself flush. He frowned, sending them an embarrassed glare. "Well usually by now you've woken the entire inn with your arguing, so when I woke up and it was dead quiet I figured something had happened. I came here straightaway only I found out that you guys…umm….were just sleeping." Somehow, despite the innocence of the word 'sleeping', Omi did turn red as a cherry as it came out. Both Ran and Ken's expressions had gone from irritated to amused. Ken smiled softly, and made to get out of bed once again and approach the youth, but remembering his state of undress thought better of it.

"Sorry to shock you kiddo. Ran and I….stayed up late talking last night, so we wound up sleeping in. D'we miss breakfast?" he asked softly. Grateful for the change in topic, as well as the excuse, transparent though it was, Omi shook his head.

"No. Breakfast is in about fifteen minutes. You might want to get dressed or you'll miss it. I'll see you down there you two. And next time, warn a guy, ok?" he replied, amusement lacing itself into his tone as well. Ran's eyebrows went up.

"You want us to tell you when we plan on having an active evening from now on?" the ronin asked smoothly. Omi blushed to the roots of his hair, his mouth once again falling open and shut.

"Relax kiddo. I get the picture. Go eat breakfast before you give yourself a hernia….or worse, before we give you a hernia." Ken cut in, smirk widening into an arrogant grin. Omi only shook his head and let himself out, closing the door behind him.

He sighed as he wandered down the hall. He was happy that at least Ran and Ken had gotten it together enough to finally see the need they had for each other. It was a painful thing for him to see, and it made him long for his own relationship, but the sensation did not cut him deeply. By now, Omi was well used to a life alone.

However, he did not think Ran or Ken would ever adjust well to life by themselves, and began to fret over the consequences of Kase's reintroduction into Ken's life. Would the ninja abandon them for a past obligation? Would Kase destroy the delicate shell of confidence Ken had built around himself since the massacre? Or worse, would Kase accomplish any sinister tasks he had set to undertake?

Omi knew Ken was still vulnerable enough to crumble at a few well-placed accusations. But he didn't know if Kase was smart enough to know that. The youth was hoping he wasn't. He would rather pick up the pieces of an angry Ken, a Ken who knew the truth, than a Ken who believed the devastating lies.

When the pair came down to breakfast, he had every intention to warn them of Kase's presence, and the man's true sins. At the very least, Ken could try and prepare himself. At the very most, Ran would be completely prepared and ready to commit murder if necessary. Omi had come to know certain portions of Ran's personality over the past month very well. The foremost being if Ran even thought there was a threat to Ken's well-being the man was instantly hostile and on-guard. When Omi managed to reveal the truth about Kase, no matter how badly Ken may fall apart, Ran would stay together and assure that Kase didn't do any further damage against the ninja.

He was sitting and staring into his tea, contemplating the best way to discuss Kase with the two, when a young servant approached him hesitantly. Omi gave the youth a friendly smile to put him at his ease.

"U-umm….are you Tsukiyono Omi, sir?" the boy asked, licking dry lips nervously. When Omi nodded the youth pressed on quickly, the words coming out in a rush. "There's a tall man with blond hair an' green eyes out back. He says that a Balinese wants to talk to ya. It's real important, he says." the youth finished his statement with another nervous lick to his lips, a puzzled look coming over his features. Obviously he didn't grasp the message quite well. But Omi only nodded, smiling, and rose to follow the boy. What on earth was Yohji doing here? So suddenly and without notice? Omi felt the unease turning his stomach. He hoped desperately that he wasn't going to be getting any more bad news than the news he'd already gotten….

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When Ran and Ken finally made it down to breakfast, Omi was nowhere in sight.

"Huh. Maybe he got sidetracked…" Ken mumbled. He sat himself down at the table the innkeeper's wife indicated gracefully and began removing the covers from the various bowls in front of him. Once the innkeeper's wife had brought them two bowls of steaming rice and another two of miso-soup, Ran and Ken began eating, murmuring the traditional thanksgiving as they picked up their chopsticks. They ate in silence for several moments before Ran began a quiet conversation.

"Ken…"

"Yeah?"

" I wanted to get some paper and ink today. Maybe look around town. Would you like to go together?" the ronin asked softly, studying his steamed spinach as he carefully maneuvered it from the dish to his mouth. Across from him, Ken paused, pulling his chopsticks back out from his mouth and swallowing an entire mass of fish without hardly working his jaw. Ran tried hard not to stare incredulously. He supposed he should have seen that one coming after the previous night's events, but watching Ken swallow a chunk of roasted salmon practically whole was still a little amazing.

The ninja swallowed once, hard, and then managed to get in a reply before shoveling his mouth full of rice.

"Sounds good. Bet they got good fish around here…" he trailed off. Ran stared openly, breakfast forgotten as he watched Ken eat his own breakfast with gusto. The food in Ken's bowls was rapidly disappearing, and Ran realized he'd never seen Ken eat with such an appetite before. He also realized, with a pang, that Ken probably had eaten that way every meal before he'd lost his clan. The ronin found the over-healthy appetite endearing. Ken paused suddenly, another hunk of salmon frozen in mid air, inches from his lips.

"…What?" he asked defensively, staring at Ran. Ran shook his head, chuckling.

"Nothing. You just seem very hungry this morning, that's all." the red-head replied with a smirk. Ken shrugged and resumed stuffing his face. It was amusing to note he didn't spill a single drop of anything, and despite it all, seemed to eat with a natural grace.

"Yeah well, a guy's gotta keep up his strength…I love salmon, and besides, there's spinach here too…" the ninja explained briefly before taking a bite of said spinach. The innkeeper's wife was also watching him affectionately; obviously pleased her guest was so enamored of her cooking.

Ran himself felt something in his stomach unclench as he heard Ken mention keeping up his strength. If advancing their relationship further had been the key to helping Ken handle his demons, then Ran would have given in to his desires long ago. He was startled from his thoughts as Ken suddenly gestured to the plate sitting in front of him, salmon untouched.

"You gonna eat that, or what? It ain't getting' any deader." The brunet said briskly. Ran realized that Ken had finished and he'd hardly started. He scowled at the brunet and nodded darkly.

"Yes, I fully intend to eat all of my breakfast." the redhead replied forcefully. Ken shrugged.

"Yeah well, you were just sittin' there starin' into space so…" he trailed off for a moment, a spacy look coming into his own eyes. "You'd a' gone hungry if you were growin' up in my house. Everyone else would have eaten your breakfast for you." he turned back to Ran again and grinned, eyes lucid, and Ran smirked.

"I'll try to remember not to tempt you in the future." he replied in amusement, proceeding to attack his own salmon. He scowled as he saw the innkeeper's wife bring Ken another plate of fish, smiling with a mother's affection.

"Such a strong young man! What a healthy appetite! Here, there's extra…" she crooned. Ken only grinned back at Ran arrogantly and bowed his thanks to the woman before digging in.

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When Omi and Yohji strode back into the inn an hour later, Omi only picked at his cold breakfast, and Yohji wound up 'helping' him finish it. Not that the youth cared. It sounded like there was serious trouble brewing with this 'Schwartz', and Omi was concerned about what that could mean for Kritiker, and at the moment, Ken, if it was so believed that Schwartz had sent Kase after the ninja.

Yohji, on the other hand, appeared to be in an annoyingly good mood. Until both he and Omi discovered that Ran and Ken had gone out to walk around the town after breakfast. He and Yohji had armed up and then split up, desperate to find the two before Kase did. Omi had not liked the seriousness in Yohji's expression, and he felt the meager breakfast he'd managed to eat threaten to come back up as he ran through the streets frantically. His weapons jolted dangerously in his gi, along with several vials and pouches of healing medicines. He'd wanted to be prepared for anything. He was expecting the worst.

Please Ken….just be ok…

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Ken was bored. They'd been nearly everywhere in this sleepy little town, and hadn't found anything of much interest. The locals wouldn't chatter to strangers, and Ken really didn't think any gossip would interest him since it was too far removed from his own little village. Which wasn't around anymore anyways. He pointedly ignored the little twist in his heart. He was determined to keep-up his good mood.

Waking up in Ran's arms had felt so incredibly wonderful. Fuck, everything about the previous evening had been wonderful. Even his lapse into crying. It had brought he and Ran closer together, and Ken was sure he could endure a great many embarrassments for such a cause.

A quick sideways glance revealed the ronin to be standing next to him, arms crossed, scowling in irritation as they waited in line at the tako-yaki stand. As they moved forward, Ken shifted his weight, feet beginning to ache from the combination of walking all day and standing still for several minutes. As he did so, the feeling of Ran's bamboo ink vial bumped against the bare skin of his chest, weged behind one of his bladed fans that had been strapped into the inside flap of his gi. The bamboo was smooth, its polished surface warm with the heat of his own body, and Ken found it somehow endearing to have something of Ran's so close to his heart. He'd only learned today how important the ronin felt the written word was, although Ken himself had never put much stock in it. Things written in ink meant one more finger pointing back to you after a crime committed. But Ran had wanted it, and with the paper taking up such a vast amount of space in his gi, Ken had simply taken the ink and put it into his own, along with a small set of vials containing various types of dye; meant for paper, but able to serve Ken's purposes well enough until he could procure better tools. He fully intended to teach Ran a few tricks of his trade in case they ever got into trouble or separated.

The thought of separation from Ran made his heart squeeze, and he looked away from the redhead for a moment to clear his head. He had been successful, and was turning back to see their progress in line when he caught sight of someone he had hoped never to see again; dead or alive. He wanted to keep those ghosts locked in the closet of the deepest recesses of his mind.

But he couldn't. Not with him standing right there, leering, waving, and motioning him over as if they were old childhood friends running into each other at market. Ken felt his entire body shut down, frozen, while his stomach stretched itself; trying to get to his feet and out of his mouth at the same time. His breath slowed, ragged, and his vision seemed to dim and blur around the edges, the one man in the middle so lucid it hurt. Ken couldn't say his name.

He felt his hand take Ran's upper-arm in a vice-grip, squeezing painfully.

Still, he couldn't say that name, the one name. He was dreaming; this was a nightmare, and he had to wake up, he had to wake up now.

Ran's scowl deepened as Ken took a painful grip on his arm, but as he turned to glare at the ninja and tell him to be patient for the hundredth time that afternoon, he felt the words leave him, along with his breath, at the sight of Ken's face. Instantly, his hand was on his sword-hilt, thumb pushing the deadly steel an inch from the sheath, readying it to be pulled out completely at a moment's notice. He had seen that look on Ken's face before, and whoever had put it there was going to die slowly when Ran caught hold of them.

He had seen that look. It was an expression he had hoped never to see again; worn only when Ken was captive in the worst of his nightmares. Sharp violet eyes scanned the crowd as he yanked Ken out from the tako-yaki line and into the relative safely of a building shadow. Ken's wide, terrified eyes never moved. He followed their gaze to a dark-haired man. A man who was leering at them and motioning Ken over as if they were close companions. Ran grit his teeth and pulled Ken behind him.

"Who is it?" he growled angrily. Ken didn't respond. Ran snapped his head around to face the ninja. "I said ", he began again, but stopped when he saw Ken's jaw working slowly. The brunet mumbled something, eyes still wide with shock, still looking at the stranger, and Ran couldn't make out what the brunet said.

"Ken, look at me. I can't understand you." the fear was pushing anger to the surface, and he grabbed hold of it desperately. Ken made one or two more attempts, wide-eyes on Ran's face now, although vacant; as if he wasn't really seeing the ronin at all. The redhead leaned closer, and felt his blood chill and his anger die when he finally understood.

"Kase."

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Bwahahahaha! couchcough Uhhh…yeah, sorry about the cliffie but I didn't have time to get anything else done. Too much work to do today. I'll try and post the rest on Friday! Ja na!