"Rukawa, do you have a planned destination?" Asked Sendoh, turning his attention back from the departed boat.
Rukawa shook his head and gave a sleepy yawn.
Sendoh sighed in defeat. "You've been sleeping ever since you stepped in my boat; haven't you had enough?"
"No," Rukawa replied, raising one eyebrow at the questioner. "The boat, was it really yours?"
"In theory, it is." Sendoh grinned. "It was given to me by the Aida family as a birthday present, but I'd hardly ever used it. Instead, Miss Yayoi seemed to develop a fondness of it while traveling by water for her family business; it might as well be hers."
Rukawa yawned again, "fondness of the boat? Fondness of the owner of the boat is more likely."
Sendoh couldn't resist to give a short laugh, "didn't think you were the nosy type."
"I'm not." Rukawa shot him a cold glance.
"If you say so." Sendoh shrugged, "I'll be traveling west towards Shoyo. Where are you headed?"
"Nowhere in particular."
"So you're just wandering around the land?" Sendoh eyed the other strangely. A skilled swordsman at such a young age, roaming freely at his will... Seeing Rukawa nod at his question, not at all embarrassed at his rash remarks, Sendoh grinned: why not take him along? A partner in traveling won't be bad at all...
"If you don't have a particular destination, how about traveling with me? I'm going to westward to Shoyo." Sendoh offered.
Rukawa thought for a short while, and nodded in agreement.
It was getting dark, the nearest town was Takezono.
To the two newcomers, Takezono is a small town buzzing with culture. No matter if it's the attire, the equipments, or the buildings, everything is different than what they were used to. However daily activities had already seized since it was already night, so they stopped by a small inn for lodging.
"You're lucky," the storeowner told them, "there's still one room left."
"Only one?" Sendoh asked, a bit surprised at the flourishing business this small inn has.
"It's the festival time of the year," the owner answered as-a-matter-of-fact, "many tourists would come from places near and far from our town."
"How could I have overlooked this!" Sendoh exclaimed, chuckling at his own ignorance. "It's the Festival of Seven Twilights, right?"
"Right! It's the custom of our town that these seven days are what the Goddess of Clemency had blessed us mortals with. In the light of these days, love or friendship can be found or renewed, brotherhood or sisterhood can be forged or strengthened, and enmity or hatred can be resolved or lessened. We are at the last two days of it."
"What? There's only one more day left?" Sendoh felt disappointed.
The owner laughed and replied, "be glad that there's still one more day left! You can try to wake up early and go to see the sunrise tomorrow---many young lovers will be confessing their love to each other, bathing in the twilight of the rising sun."
"That would be interesting indeed!" Sendoh was quite excited by this piece of news. "Thanks, we'll now take the room."
"So you're actually going?" Rukawa frowned. He has no problem with getting up early; in fact he was very much used to getting up before sunrise, practicing his sword under the first streak of light of the dawn.
"Why not?" Sendoh sat by the table, sipping at a cup of jasmine tea, which was a common refreshment in this particular town. "It sounds interesting, doesn't it?"
"You have no lover to confess to." Rukawa pointed out.
"What does it matter? We're here to entertain ourselves, to see a world different than the one we lived in." Sendoh shrugged carelessly. "Besides, didn't you hear that 'brotherhood can be forged'? We can just pretend to have forged a pact of brotherhood..." He paused upon seeing Rukawa's obvious distaste, and smirked devilishly, "Or of course, we can pretend to be lovers..."
Rukawa raised his eyes upon Sendoh. But unlike what Sendoh had expected, he examined Sendoh like he was accessing the quality of a merchandise. It was Sendoh who grew uncomfortable under his silent action.
"You wouldn't make a very believable girl." Rukawa finally concluded.
Sendoh cracked open a laugh, but in truth he was at loss of how to react. "I never planned to," he managed in the end, then gaining back his wit, he retorted, "in fact, you might be more fitting in a woman's clothes than me." Taking another look at Rukawa's cold eyes, he feigned a sigh and shook his head, "no, your eyes are too sharp, and your build is too tall..."
Rukawa's eyes warmed a little.
Sendoh continued on, "but if you soften your facial features, perhaps..." He stopped abruptly: what was he trying to achieve? Saying Rukawa could pass for a woman would be an offensive and untimely remark.
"Never mind." He grinned brightly at the other. Pointing at the bed, he changed the topic, "Let's resolve this problem instead---who should take the bed?"
Indeed they were fortunate to catch the only available room in the inn, but there was a problem---there was only one bed. It was designed to be single bed, but two might squeeze onto one.
Rukawa glanced at the bed, "you can take it."
"And where will you sleep?"
"On the bench you're sitting on right now."
"How is it possible to sleep on this?" Sendoh was taken aback by the answer.
"I could, but it'll be uncomfortable." Rukawa stated as-a-matter-of-fact. "Or on the floor."
"We're on the first floor, which means the ground will be damp and cold at night. On the floor is not a good idea."
"Then what do you suggest?"
Sendoh eyed the single bed for a while and proposed, "suppose we try to squeeze into that one bed?"
Sendoh stared at the back of the Rukawa's head in frustration. He was not used to feeling another's body heat pressed against him; where he grew up, he never had to share a bed with anyone. Stiff with discomfort, the desire to toss and turn on the bed intensified, especially when he had to give consideration to Rukawa's sleeping state. In the end he tried to shift slightly to adjust himself into a more comfortable position, which in truth was non-existent for him. After some time-he wasn't sure how long had passed, it could have been minutes, though to him it felt like hours-he gave up and started tossing on the bed, trying to stay in that little share of space he had.
This of course aroused his bedmate from sleep. Without any forewarning, Sendoh felt an obtuse pain resulting from the other's elbow connecting with his stomach.
"Ouch!" He groaned in pain, "what're you doing!"
"Death to those who dare to..." Rukawa grumbled sleepily. Sendoh waited, but the sentence simply trailed off to silence.
"Hey, Rukawa!" Sendoh poked at Rukawa's back. Since he can't sleep no matter what, there would be no reason that the reason why he couldn't sleep could sleep so soundly.
Tbc...
Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but the truth is I wasn't sure how to continue... The next few chapters will (or should) focus on senru, but I need to think about how exactly sendoh and rukawa will develop their relationship. Most likely the next update will be during summer vacation--- forgive me please...
p.s. in this part senru slept on the same bed... potentials potentials ;p