Authoress' notes: Thanks RahabsRehab! (sweatdrop.) (laughs stupidly and changes preferences.)
Thanks also to GothGirl04. I appreciate your comments!
Wayward Ransom, chapter 12.
Akiko's guard made her constantly hover between relief, concern, and sheer terror. The gossip she heard about him from the guards who brought her to the cottage rang around her head. Their words about his demonic-level physical power worried her, and to see her old acquaintance so changed was greatly disturbing. To hear about the reputations of those he associated with after quitting the military with was even more frightening.
"Bankotsu?" Akiko pried courageously. "Did they do something to you?"
Bankotsu physically recoiled from her comment. Trying not to be overcome with anger talking about himself or his life in the military or his training, Bankotsu made his way over to the desk where she had been working. He picked up a random parchment and held the symbols up to her. "Is this his name? Huh?" he said with an angry expression.
Akiko was torn again. Now all she wanted to do was laugh out loud, but forced herself not to. The young man that guarded her forced her to feel so many things at once. It was overwhelming.
He noticed that she had a most contorted expression on her face. "Um, no...that says 'Cherry Blossoms and Lilies'. And it's upside down, too," she said from halfway across the room.
After a momentary expression of shock, Bankotsu looked like he wanted to do the running away, this time. He got quiet again, and with a slight reddening of his cheeks, closed his eyes. His face was hot with embarassment as he placed the parchment gently and silently back on the desk.
Akiko leaned toward him, gazing at him intently and his almost irresistible flushed expression. "You...can't read?"
Bankotsu was silent. His cobalt eyes flicked up at her from above his red cheeks.
It was Akiko's turn to get angry. She was starting to understand things about Bankotsu's military life, despite his refusal to discuss it. "I thought...because of your armor that they schooled you too. You're dressed almost like nobility. But they never taught you how to read? All they did was train you and train you and didn't teach you anything like that?"
Bakotsu dodged her questions again by answering with a simple "yeah". He turned again toward the parchments on the desk. "So...what are you writing here?"
"Oh, that's a story I'm working on."
Bankotsu was relieved that his attempt to change the subject worked.
"I started it a while ago when I worked for Daddy, but because of the government bumping me around I had to stop working on it," she continued. "I didn't know how long I'd be here so I figure I'd bring my stuff here and do something fun in the meantime." She gestured towards the outer room, smiling. "The pictures of the phoenix in here really inspired me."
Finally losing the flush in his cheeks, Bankotsu smiled. "Read it to me," he said softly.
Akiko was taken aback at his request. "Um...sure. Let me get the papers together," she quietly said. She padded over to the desk and picked up a few parchments. Bankotsu walked through the doorway to the front room, and before sitting back down, started to make himself a little more comfortable, taking his armor and wrist and shinguards off, setting it away from him near the little cupboard with the candle on it. That heavy stuff, including the Banryuu, was alright for the battlefield, but now it was all a bit much. Even if anyone did attack, he wasn't all that concerned about himself or Akiko getting in any trouble. Yeah, the opposing daimyo could send as many men as they wanted, but he was sure he could take care of however many there would be easily. He had already taken out entire squadrons with his bare hands.
Akiko soon came out of the separating doorway, shut the screen, and sat against it, quite a distance away from Bakotsu, and at a right angle to him. She began telling her story, and soon her guard's eyes were shut and his hands were lazily entwined behind his head.
Not too long after reading what she already had written, she stopped and looked over to the dark young man across from her. She allowed herself to laugh a little bit, as Bankotsu pretty much looked asleep. She figured she'd bored him, decided she'd let him be, and got up on her feet quietly. She was planning on retiring to the rear room and write a bit more.
Suddenly, Akiko heard a slight "hn?" in back of her.
She turned around and Bankotsu's eyes were open, looking at her questioningly. "Isn't there any more?" he asked quietly.
Shocked that he was listening all along, she ruffled the papers in her hands. "There is a little more, but I'm not sure if I'm going to change anything about it or not."
"Oh," Bakotsu simply said.
After a period of silence that neither one found particularily uncomfortable, Akiko nervously looked toward the front door. "It'll be dark very soon. Let's take a walk. I'd really like to get out of here for a moment now that I have someone to accompany me."
Bankotsu immediately got up on his feet, headed over to the door, and slid it open. Akiko appeared behind him, after quickly running back to her writing room to get her outer kimono. She threw it lightly around her shoulders.
They both stopped, and gazed at each other for a moment, though Bankotsu really didn't know what to make of her expression. After a pause, he murmered an "after you," and they both made their way out of the door toward the forested area surrounding the abandoned town.