Chapter ten

Oh man, she would never let him live this down.

He looked thoughtfully at Mayumi, who was on the other side of the camp, tending to some of the wounds that his men acquired after play fighting with each other.

He didn't think that his story was that funny, he thought, okay so it was funny the first time that you hear it, but it's been a couple of days, she should get over it already. It wasn't that funny anyway!

Kouji must have noticed the I'm-giving-up-on-that-woman-I-don't-like-women-anyway look. He stood beside said and said, "something on your mind, Genrou?"

"That," he said, nodding in Mayumi's direction, "is what I get with women."

Kouji looked confused. "What do you get?"

"Mayumi!"

"Yeah?" asked Mayumi, who turned towards him. In a few seconds a smile formed in her face as she quickly turned around, no doubt to hide the big grin that would be forming in her face.

"That," said Tasuki, pouting hard, "that's what I get."

Kouji looked amused. "That's what you get?"

"Hmm."

"You told her your baby story, didn't you?" he asked shrewdly.

Tasuki looked quite scandalized. "I didn't think it was that funny!" he exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was funny the first time you hear it, but it's been two days already and she's still laughing!"

Kouji had a smile in his face. "That's because it happened to you, Genrou," he said, "to you it was a highly embarrassing moment in your life that you would just rather forget and the fact that you still manage to show your face in public is quite the accomplishment."

"I appreciate your support, Kouji," growled Tasuki sarcastically.

Kouji bowed slightly. "You're very welcome," he said, "to the rest of us, who grew up in ways that our mother didn't suffocate us while breast feeding us, this is quite the amusing tale."

Tasuki glared at his best friend, and whipped out his fan and was getting ready to flame him.

Kouji on the other hand, had a very big grin in his face and was hastily forming a white flag to wave right in Tasuki's face.

But before Tasuki can attack or Kouji can wave the flag that came out of nowhere, one of their men came running to them with a very excited look in his face.

"Hey, Genrou! Kouji!" he said, panting a little, "some of the guys saw a bunch of travelers in the main road and it looked like they have a lot of treasure in them!"

Tasuki's eyes sparkled. It's been a while since a bunch of travelers came this way, they must be foreigners, and by the sounds of it, they're loaded.

"What's going on?"

Mayumi had joined them, probably attracted to the excited voice of their comrade. She looked interested, though her fingers were bloody and there was a nice sheet of sweat in her face and forehead.

"Hard time?" asked Tasuki casually.

She did look exhausted. "You have no idea," she said, "those guys really have some deep cuts in them."

Kouji looked concerned. "You can fix it right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Oh yeah, they'll survive," she said, wiping some of the blood from her fingers in her clothes. Tasuki smirked.

"What?"

Tasuki nodded. "Nothing," he said. Tasuki can't help but be reminded that Mayumi was quite different from other girls. For one thing, girls he knew way back when would never ever wipe blood in their dress. They wouldn't even let blood run in their fingers, and here was Mayumi, for all the world to see, a girl, wiping human blood off her fingers and into her clothes.

"Mayumi," said Kouji, "your clothes –"

Mayumi waved it off. "That's no problem," she said, "I can fix that. Anyway, what's up? What's going on?"

Kouji grinned. "There's a group of foreigners traveling in the main road today," he said, "we'll see if we can get richer from them."

Mayumi grinned back. "Okay," she said, "can I come?"

At this Tasuki looked surprised, Mayumi was eagerly waiting their response. Kouji looked at Tasuki, after all he was the leader of the group and it was his decision. He had never had a girl in any of their expeditions before, and he wasn't about to start now.

"No."

Mayumi looked incredulous. "What?"

"I said no." said Tasuki, firmly.

Mayumi's hands went to her hips, causing her clothes to have bloody oalm prints all over them. "And why not?"

"Because I said so, that's why."

Mayumi's eyes narrowed in his direction. "That's a stupid reason."

Tasuki looked at her. Her hands were still in her hips, and there was an accusing look in her face, her eyes narrowed at his direction. "I'm leader here and I say no."

"Some leader you are," she said, crossing her arms.

At this Tasuki frowned at him. "What the hell makes you say that!"

Mayumi didn't answer him. She glared at him, "I can help." She insisted.

"I don't care," he said.

Him and Mayumi glared at each other silently for a few seconds.

"Let me come."

"No."

"I want to come."

"I said no."

"I can help."

"I don't care."

Mayumi and Tasuki glared at each other.

Kouji turned quickly from Mayumi to Tasuki, back to Mayumi and then to Tasuki.

"I don't like you."

"Who says I like you?"

"I want to come!"

"I said NO!"

Mayumi gave him a final glare and stalked off, muttering something about men and their stubbornness.

Tasuki watched her stalked off and muttered, "Women."

Kouji could do nothing but grin.