Kanbei left Ryuuo's room after making sure the younger man was safely in bed and no longer a danger to himself. He walked slowly down the hallways, not paying any particular attention to where he was headed. It was nice, to relax everyone once in awhile. Being relaxed,though, and slightly less than sober made him a little dull to his surroundings, so he wasn't aware of the movements of the shadows behind him. He entered his room and sat on his bed with a sigh. This had been the most excitement he had seen in a while which, in a way, made him both happy and sad. It was good because he was getting older, but bad in that he was beginning to itch for excitement. He ran a hand part-way throughhis hair and looked out the window, simply enjoying the silence.
In the doorway was a darkness deeper than the shadows, and the faint outline of a humanoid figure could be roughly discerned. Hungry, waiting eyes took in Kanbei's profile, the way the light played on his features, and his movements. Just before Kanbei registered its presence, it stepped back and faded into the shadows.
Kanbei looked over his shoulder, mildly puzzled. he thought he had felt someone there briefly. he scanned the area carefully, but found no one, so blamed it on drink. He took off his indoor slippers and flopped back on his bed, and closed his eyes.
Time and again you look in on him, and yet you do nothing. Why?
That was a very, very good question, and one Kyuuzou had no definite answer to.
He sat behind the chair of the Lord he was serving under, and found it intensely ironic. He was protecting a person of the same line that he had killed. He couldn't stop a wry smile from touching his lips. He listened to the conversations with half a year while looking around. Everything was still the way he remembered. He still knew every passage within the building. It was pathetic that others hadn't found all of them. It was only when Kanbei's name came up that he paid attention to the conversation.
They were debating about promoting him to a post of officer. Kyuuzou knew that the man would hate it, but he too felt that he deserved it.
"Do it," he said softly, so that only the Lord heard it.
This was mildly startling, considering Kyuuzou rarely ever spoke, so his opinon held a little more weight, and so decided the situation.
Kanbei was to be promoted.
Kyuuzou couldn't suppress a small smile. This meant that Kanbei would have a room to himself, away from the majority of the men.
Which was fortunate.
Kyuuzou watched over his Lord until his Lord retired for the night. Kyuuzou then allowed the other bodyguard to take over. He turned a corner, then dissapeared into a secret passageway which would cut his travel time to the soldier's wing in half. He stepped out into the hallway where Kanbei's room was situated, and saw his door open, people talking animatedly at him as he prepared to move.
It was unexpected, for Kanbei, and very much unwelcome. Those he had come to befriend and know well weren't surprised though, and rather glad for him.
"Now we get to see the real extent of your skills, Shimada-san."
Kanbei gave those gathered a wry smile. "You make moreof my skills than they are."
Kyo gave a disbeliving snort. "Not many people can take on Kyuuzou and survive."
"He let me live. I was fully expecting him to kill me." But he came back for me.
"That's depressing to think about. Let's talk about something else."
Kyuuzou walked over tothe door and took off the hood to his cloak, and let the shadows simply hang about his shoulders, hiding most of his body beneath their folds. He saw Kanbei look up, feeling his presence, and watched as he discreetly looked around. Kanbei's eyes eventually wandered over to the doorframe and caught Kyuuzou's. After Kyuuzou was certain that Kanbei had registered who he was, he turned, pulled up the hood to his shadow cloak and walked away.
Kanbei didn't see Kyuuzou for a few days, even though he wanted to ask the younger man quite a few questions. He was kept busy, though, as he adapted to the new roles he was expected to fill. One night, about a week ;later, Kanbei was sitting on the floorof his room, looking over some recently gathered information, and frowned. The problem that the report spoke of would have to be taken care of soon, lest it gather too much backing and spiral out of control.
"What would you do?"
"I don't know enough yet. This information gives only a sketch. I need more indepth intellegence before I can decide anything."
He had felt someone enter a while ago, but had paid it no attention. It wasn't a threatening presence afterall,and now that he heard the one who had entered speak, he knew he was in no danger.
"I have quite a few questions I'd like answered."
He felt Kyuuzou wait, ready to answer, but not always in the way Kanbei would like.
"I've heard it said you had something to do with the death of Lord Ryuu. Is this true?"
"Yes."
"How? Lord Ryuu was a very careful man, and you tend to stand out. How'd you manage?"
There was a long pause, and Kanbei guessed that Kyuuzou was trying to either find a way to avoid answering, or finding the best way to answer. He only barely managed to catch a nearly inaudible sigh, and a murmured, "Only because it's you asking" before Kyuuzou said in his normal voice, "Come."
Kanbei turned and saw Kyuuzou standing in frontof a now-open hidden doorway. Once he saw Kanbei find him, he entered the passageway and began toguide Kanbei through a myriad of hidden pathways that had been obviously unused for a while from how much dust he and Kyuuzou were kicking up as they walked. Kyuuzou stopped and pulled back a curtain and pushed out whatwas behind the curtain, opening up a doorway. He exited, and Kanbei followed, the door closing silently behind him. They walked down a hallway that hadn't seen much human movement in some time.
"This was the women's quarters."
Kanbei didn't fully understand the significance of the remark, but that would explain the lack of life. Not many women lived in this Lord's household,save daughters, a wife, and the Lord's mother. They abruptly left the dim hallway into a cleaner, better lit one, the contrast jarring. Kyuuzou opened a door and entered, and Kanbei followed,and closed the door behind him. He watched as Kyuuzou set his swords down and pried up a tatami mat, revealing a small compartment beneath.
"You want to know how I killed Ryuu."
"Yes."
"Watch."
Kyuuzou pulled out a few objects from the compartment, but Kyuuzou's room was surprisingly dim for how well lit the hallways were, so Kanbei couldn't make them out.
Kyuuzou took off the cloak that seemed more shadow than cloth, then removed his trenchcoat. He pulled off his chest brace, then the shirt beneath it, leaving his top bare to Kanbei's approving eyes. Kyuuzou picked up a piece ofcloth and wrapped it around his chest, before shrugging on a yutaka. A heavier piece of clothing went on over that, to be tied tightly around his waist by a sash. Kyuuou knealt, and did something that Kanbei couldn't quite make out before Kyuuzou stood, back still to him.
"It isn't exactly the same, but you'll understand. Open the door."
Kanbei turned and did so, letting a flood of light in before turning again to look at Kyuuzou.
If the eyes had not been the same, Kanbei would have believed he was looking at an entirely different person.
Kyuuzou knew that not even Kanbei would be able to see how badly he was shaking, because while it felt obvious to him, he knew that his training and pride wouldn't have it known toanyone else. So many memories! and none of them pleasent. He felt like he was suffocating,and that Kanbei's presence, which he usually ignored or simply acknowledged, suddenly felt malign.
'No,no, Kyuuzou. This is not all those years ago. And he is not Ryuu.'
"Understand?" he heard himself say is his usual non-chalant, flat, emotionless voice.
Kanbei nodded. Kyuuzou turned again and quickly divested himself of both the shameful memories and the clothes. It was only when he had wiped his face clean and shoved everything back into the hole he had taken him from did the tension and the memories fade.
Kyuuzou led Kanbei silently back to Kanbei's quarters and the door closed behind Kanbei, fading into the wall so completly that Kanbei would never have guessed it was there. Once he was certain Kyuuzou was nowhere near, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"I don't believe myself. I fell for the same person twice."
He picked up the discarded papers and placed them in a drawer of a desk he had been given.
"Still, that's a credit to Kyuuzou's skills. That he would fool such a good samurai into thinking..." he shook his head in amusement. "Well, that settles more than one question. I finally found out why I kept on feeling that I knew his name, his ki, from somewhere before we fought."
Author: You must excuse me for being vauge. Because the other story that chronicles Kyuuzou and his previous experiences in this particular setting is not finished yet, I must be vauge. If you read that story and then come back to this chapter, you'll understand. Sorry for the out-of-order-ness.