He didn't know how, but he somehow gained his conscience back while still submerged beneath the dark waters. It was deathly quiet now and the waters around him were completely still. He didn't act until he felt the weight around his shoulders be lifted off and he turned his head upwards to see Koharu floating away from him. He activated his arms and legs to quickly maneuver back towards her and pulled her close before rushing back to the surface. He finally broke through the surface with a sharp inhale that was cut off abruptly by a series of cough. He had not properly gotten to take a deep breath before he was pulled under. He turned his gaze before him to see what they over came and could still see the rapids before him connected to a small waterfall where the violent waters were reduced to tranquility once they had passed over. He turned away and quickly began swimming to shore, having not heard or feel Koharu take a breath.
As soon as his feet touched solid ground, he pulled her more securely in his arms and rushed out of the freezing waters. He knelt down with her on a drier patch of ground and lay her completely on her back. He directed her face to his while pushing the long strands of her wet hair away that were clinging across her face. "Koharu?" He panicked and went to brush his own hair from his eyes when he felt a thicker substance running down his skin. He pulled his hand away to see blood on the fingertips. The pain from hitting his head was brought to life and he began to see black blotches start to fill and overtake his vision. He fell to his side nearly passing out, but he forced his arms to keep him held up so he wouldn't black out again. Koharu was about to die if he didn't do something now. "Kohar-" he sat up, but could barely muster the strength to even try to call her back to him. He sat his palms over her chest and pressed his weight into his hands repeatedly to try and force the water out of the lungs. If he had not properly gotten to take a lungful of air, he doubt she got any air at all before they were abruptly pulled under. He didn't even know how long they were under water before he gained his conscience back. It could be long too late for her.
Even as he tried to revive her, he strangely heard Shishio's words enter back in his head. The strong lives. The weak dies. The words seemed to be more of a taunt now, trying to discourage him from saving her. For a moment, he almost gave in, seeing how she clearly was weak. She shouldn't be alive after that.
Wouldn't it just be easier if she just stayed dead? A part of him argued. She has been nothing but trouble since the beginning. Why did you really take her with you in the first place?
I went back for her to discover the truth. That's the point of this journey. Ignoring her cries would have been what Shishio would have done. He would never have given them another thought. But they kept pulling at me until I turned around. I brought her with me to know the truth about the weak. So I could understand why she was affecting me in such a way.
So you were just using her.
No!
If she dies, it's because she deserved it from the beginning. She was never meant to be live. The strong live, after all, and the weak die. Why do you think you've lasted this long? Shishio was right after all.
"No!" He yelled out loud this time. At that last thrust of his palms into her chest, she finally reacted by hurling a decent amount of water, but that was all she did. She still wasn't breathing.
Then he heard her voice argue back with the words that had been inculcated into him. I'm alive because the stronger ones protected me.
Then why aren't you coming back?
"Come on, Koharu!" He suddenly cried out. "You want to prove me wrong about the weak I need you to wake up!" It was a sudden burst of emotion, one that he had never felt before. At the moment, he didn't know or care to categorize what caused him to scream out. He just knew he had not felt it when he killed his family, when he had taken the lives of others or when he had even lost Shishio and Yumi. It was an emotion that was hurting him the most.
Her death would add truth to Shishio's words that the weak weren't meant to live in this world. He found himself not wanting that to be true anymore. He never wanted it to be true. Her death would mean accepting that truth all over again just as she was starting to break him free of it.
He followed his cry of despair by giving in to the last attempt at saving her. He pinched her nostrils shut before he brought his mouth against hers to force the air back in her lungs.
She gives me hope. That's why I am fighting for her life. It's why she makes it worth it to have her around despite her carelessness.
He felt her body convulse and pulled away in time as she choked and spat out the remaining water in her lungs. "Koharu?"
Her head shifted slightly as she softly moaned, causing him to close his eyes in relief. At the sound of her returning to life, it shattered his belief in Shishio's words for good. It was as if he had been free of a curse.
Koharu shifted her head back, trying to focus her eyes on him. "Sou? Are you smiling?"
He opened his eyes, hoping the tears of joy were being masked by the rest of the water still dripping down the ends of his hair and skin. Not only was Koharu alive because of him, but she had destroyed a truth, no, a lie Soujiro had needed to be destroyed if he were to truly be happy. Yes, she makes me happy. That's why I like having her around. "Hai.…" He was still sitting over her when he attempted to move aside, but collapsed on his side when he became dazed in the head again.
"Sou!" Koharu cried out as she leapt over to be by his side. For a moment, she thought he blacked out again. She could have cried seeing the blood running along side his face and staining his white shirt mostly. The gi he wore had long fell loosely below his shoulders from the rushing waters. "Oh no! This is all my fault!"
"I won't deny that," he suddenly uttered as his eyes opened halfway again. She breathed in relief seeing him still somewhat alert.
"There's so much blood," she panicked. She raised a hand towards the head wound, wanting to do something. She had to do something. "What do I do? Tell me what to do!"
"I'm not sure." He knew he had to at least move. The air was still fridged, but he could hardly feel it anymore. He felt his eyes wanting to close and had a feeling that if he did, he wouldn't wake back up. Either because of the head wound or nearly freezing to death, he wasn't sure where to put the blame. What will Koharu do then? At that thought, he forced himself to sit up.
"Sou! Stay still!" She shouted, still in a state of panic. She tried to force him back down, but he blocked her attempts by keeping his arm up in front until he was sitting upright.
"No. Koharu, do me a favor and make sure I don't fall asleep instead."
"Why? You need to rest-"
"Just do as I say. Come on, help me up."
She obeyed as she set his arm over her shoulder as he used her to lean on until he got his feet beneath him. He grunted in effort as his body protested against his efforts to move after having been content just laying on the cold ground. Koharu continued to hold his arm around her shoulders as he slowly started to make the long trek back to where they first camped out. Even as he started trudging back up the river, his vision became hazy and he stumbled to his knees. "Sou," Koharu questioned. "Are you sure about this?"
He nodded and got back to his feet. "You're supposed to not let me fall asleep." He at first said in a serious tone.
"I don't know what that means exactly." She started to panic again. "What do I do?"
She was thrown off when he smiled down at her. "What you always do. Keep me company. Talk." She looked all the more confused. She had thought all her talking during the journey is what sent him over the edge and distant him from her. She looked away from him, still hesitant to speak because she was afraid of upsetting him somehow. He almost seemed to be back to his normal, happy self somehow and she was afraid of losing that from him again.
"Why don't you tell me why you were in the river in the first place?"
Her feet froze in place, causing Soujiro to look back down towards her in concern. She had just remembered that she had lost all their money and now had to face telling him. Tears started to fill her eyes because she could barely take disappointing him anymore.
"Koharu?" He questioned.
"I lost it, Sou." She cried out softly. She even dropped his arm from around her before he might get the chance to do so once she admitted her faults. "I lost all our money."
He started to speak but was cut off.
"I wish there were words better than sorry. I just wanted to do something for you," she cried out as she continued distancing herself from him while tugging at her loose braid. She was already picturing those disapproving eyes upon her. "You were looking so sad. I thought if I went fishing instead of you, you might smile again. But then that stupid bag got away from me. I tried going after it. I really did. I just couldn't bear to upset you again. I. Am. So. Sorry. Sou."
"Fishing?" He questioned out loud. He took a moment as he fit the rest of the puzzle pieces together. He had to suppress a look of amusement. "Koharu, were you trying to fish with my sword?"
"Of course I was! Isn't that what you do?" There was a moment of silence until she recognized the soft laughter of his voice reach her ears and only get louder. She was flabbergasted when she turned to face him in disbelief he was actually laughing at a time like this. He even fell to his knees, mainly from his lack of strength at the moment, but still held his sides as he continued laughing.
He needed it. If anything, it's what saved him that day. Even as he laughed, color seemed to reappear back on his face and he wasn't even thinking about the pain anymore. "Let me know if that ever works," he continued laughing.
It almost angered her this time because she had been content with just seeing his smile again , and now he was laughing and she couldn't fathom what caused either for him. She had almost rather him be angry for what she had cost and put him through. It was what she deserved. Yet, here he was, laughing heartedly.
"You're supposed to be mad!" She yelled angrily, giving his shoulder a shove. "I'll never understand how you work. How do you fish then?"
He settled down before he continued speaking. "Don't doubt I wasn't angry, Koharu." That was before you nearly died. "Look, I just use my hands to fish." He raised them up as he spoke. "But when I saw the fast current and the rocky surface, I knew it wouldn't be safe. Even for me."
"You just use your hands to fish?" That seemed even more impossible than with a sword.
"Hai. It can be done with a lot of patience," he said, then added, "and being quick helps."
It was strange to think he had found such an important truth because of her ignorance and it had nearly cost them both their lives. But in the end, it had oddly been worth it. He found out what she had come to mean to him, despite her in all her carelessness. He finally found flaw in Shishio's belief that the strong live and the weak don't. He had even found out he could use a form of the shukuchi underwater. He didn't know if it was even something worth perfecting, but it had been a neat discovery, despite it nearly killing him. He smiled thinking how strange it all was. How he should be angry still, but he wasn't.
He was still smiling when he gathered his strength to stand back up. It was when Koharu threw her arms around his waist, nearly making him collapse back on the ground. Her tight hold on him is probably what prevented it. "How many times do I have to tell you not to-"
"Please don't lose that smile again," she begged, her forehead pressing into his chest. "Not that I want you to pretend, but I feel so useless to you already. I can't bear to see you that way because there's nothing I can do. Just let me know what to do next time."
Soujiro couldn't help but note how she was trembling from the cold and she could still be at risk of falling sick, or worse. His face softened at her words, however. "I never meant for you to feel that way. I just have a lot in my mind." He wanted to comfort her just like she had done for him, but he still wasn't sure how to do so, let alone care for her. She was not afraid to throw herself at him, even when he rejected her affections. Even now, he felt he should be doing something more than just standing there as her arms wrapped tightly around him. His arms were still raised awkwardly around her, unsure of where to place them. "You're not useless to me," he tried to continue. "You..." He closed his eyes unable to form the words. If only if she knew what she had just done for him and what she had done to him since they first met.
"What?"
It would take too long to explain and he wasn't sure if he could get her to understand. His concern now was to get her back near the fire he had made so she could start getting warm. "I'll tell you some other time, I promise."
As quickly as he could, he collected their things on the way back, including his sword he had left out on the boulder in the middle of the river. His strength had somewhat returned to where he felt it worth trying to recover the sword. Koharu had begged him to leave it at the risk of him falling in, but he reminded her he never fell in in the first place. It didn't ease her nervousness as she had to watch him climb back down and leap across rocks to collect his sword. He retrieved it with relative ease, only slipping once as he was making the climb back up. The sight had terrified Koharu that when he finally made the climb back up and out of breath on his hands and knees, she clutched at the collar of his shirt. "You're stupid! Don't risk your life for something stupid like that again.
"Hey, we're in this predicament because you risked your life for a bag of money," he reminded her.
Her hold loosen on his shirt. The words suddenly made her feel even smaller than she had already felt. A bag of money had nearly led to both their deaths. "...I guess you're right. So I guess another apology won't make up for it?"
Soujiro felt his words might have been a little harsh to her, so he just smiled to try and make up for it. "What's done is done. There's no use dwelling on it. Just don't ever risk your life for something like that again. It isn't worth it."
Don't apologize. Just do as he says, she reminded herself. "Okay, Sou."
Due to the day's events, Soujiro knew they wouldn't be making any progress in their journey that day. But the thought had barely bothered him. He had already accepted that they probably weren't going to get much further than they were now and they needed to focus now on trying to find a more permanent and safe place to reside through the winter, especially if he couldn't find her a better home.
He speedily got the fire burning again and made Koharu sit as close as she could manage without burning herself. She had not stop shivering even when he sat directly beside her to try and offer his own warmth and soon started sneezing.He could better relate to her feelings now when she had mentioned she felt useless to him watching him suffer emotionally. He felt absolutely useless to her as of right now as she suffered physically. He didn't know what more he could do for her. His mind was thinking it over on how to help her get the proper warmth and care, but no one was poor or homeless because they wanted to be.
He was pulled from his anxious thoughts when he felt her tug at his arm and looked down to see her resting her head against it. He shouldered her off.
She bitterly sat back straight, taking the hint and not wanting to risk making him angry all over again. The was before he finally got the courage to bring his arm around her trembling shoulders. The action surprised her so much, that she looked back up at him to make sure he really was allowing her to be that close. "Is it that bad?" She asked when he clearly revealed he was uncomfortable with the action.
"That's the problem. I'm not sure," he blushed, keeping his head turned away. "I don't know what else I can do though."
"You really worry too much about it," she mumbled as she gladly curled against him. "You can let me sleep." His arm lifted off slightly as she had no problem clinging to him for the extra warmth. He had never been coddled, let alone, coddled anyone else and the action alone was strange. Still, as he contemplated whether it was right or not in how he was caring for her, he soon realized her shivering had stopped. Within minutes, she had fallen asleep. She really has come to see me as her own brother, he thought as he looked away from her to the flames. He had come to care very much for her, but he still wasn't sure if he had come to view her like she had him. Seeing her like that, as his own sister would make it that much harder to leave her. But the damage was already done. Koharu had adopted him as her brother since nearly the beginning when he first mentioned the idea of it. Leaving her was going to be hard for her to accept whether it was going to be for him or not.
About an hour went by before he finally started to feel somewhat comfortable keeping his arm rested upon her. How wrong is it if it's all I can give? He had questioned.
Just as he could finally relax, a scream of terror echoed through the woods and woke Koharu from her sleep. She shifted her head around. "What was that?"
"Sounds like bandits threatening some travelers," he spoke like it was a normal thing to expect. They had stuck near the main road, after all. Koharu pulled away from his side so that he was met with her worrisome eyes. He smiled with a nervous chuckle. "You're right. Maybe that is a sign we should press forward."
She stared in disbelief at him and clutched his arm when he tried to stand. "Sou, I'm concerned for the travelers, not us. Shouldn't we try to help?"
"By we, you mean me. And no."
"But it's within your power to help."
"It's not my problem," he argued back. He could hardly believe they were starting to fight again. He pulled his arm free from her grasp and stood to start collecting their few items.
"Is this anything to do with your belief about letting the weak die?" She spat out.
"Of course not!" He attached the sword at his side and placed his hat back on. "It's not my problem. That's all there is to it."
"You're supposed to be changed!" She stomped her foot childishly.
"Koharu, just because I no longer operate as an assassin doesn't mean I jump to the other end of the scale and be some...some defender," the idea sounded preposterous to him. Maybe it's because it was what Kenshin would do .
Koharu saw differently. "You are a defender of the weak. You saved me!"
"Only you! You're the only person I've ever saved and willing to protect. That alone is a full time job for me. Now, come on." He urged her in the opposite direction.
Koharu stayed where she was, glowering at him. Then she curled her lips. "Then I'm only just the beginning, Sou."
"What was that?" He turned to face her to find her digging in the leaves until she pulled forth a rock about the size of her hand.
"Come on! You're talents are going to be wasted if your don't use them for something!" She didn't wait for him to respond and turned on her heel towards where they heard the scream.
"Koharu-" He started to go after her, but paused when he heard the poor girl coughing as she ran to trouble. That can't be a good sign.
Koharu ran into the main road confident Soujiro would be beside her. He had done too much now to just simply abandon her because of acting for the sake of good. She spotted who had initiated the scream, in which had been an older woman, at least in her fifties that was being guarded by her husband, Koharu assumed. There was also an older horse that clearly belong to the couple, but all three were being threatened. They were being faced with two bandits in rags holding a simple farm tool, a nata, that looked more like a hatchet. One had the couple cornered while the other was rummaging through the bags and supplies the horse was carrying.
"Hey! Kisama! (rude way of saying you)" Koharu yelled, as she tossed her rock in the air to catch again. "You want a real fight? Pick on someone your own size!"
The two thugs turned their attention from the older couple to see the small girl standing down the road from them.
The old man guarding the woman stepped forward in concern. "Young girl, what on earth are you think-" He was cut short when the bandit closest to him thrust a punch to his abdominals.
"Masumi!" The woman cried out as she grabbed at him protectively to keep him from sinking to his knees.
"You must be confused about your size, little girl," the other bandit sneered, already raising his nata threateningly to her.
"Um, well," she stepped back while looking over her shoulder having been expecting Soujiro to at least be in view. She had been referring to Soujiro when she had mention them picking on someone their own size.
"And gender," the other commented on her clothes.
Koharu glowered at them. "Hey, watch it!" She coughed out loud. She looked around one more time for Soujiro, but he seemed to be no where in sight now. "I know you're out there, Sou. And I know you're not going to let anything happen to me." She whispered to herself, which gave herself the needed courage. She stepped forward, clutching her rock to be ready to throw. "Why don't you even find out if you're a match for me instead of tormenting those poor... old... people?" Her voice broke before she started breaking into a series of coughs.
"Old?" The woman took an immediate offense.
"Ayaka, please," the man muttered to her before looking back at Koharu, who clearly revealed she was not well physically. "Girl, please run while you still-" He was cut off when the thug shoved the man into his wife against the tree. He reached down clutching the man's throat as he sat the nata against his neck. "She's a no body. Kill the brat. I'll deal with these two."
"No! Just let her go!" The man yelled.
"Unless you want to share her fate, you'll hand over your money and jewelry," he looked at the woman.
While her opponent was distracted, Koharu ran first towards him before hurling her rock. By the time he turned his attention to her, he was struck square in the face due to her stunning aim. Koharu pointed a finger as she cackled out loud. "Bet you didn't see that coming, baka," she chortled. She then stopped, perturbed by her own behavior. "I'm a little too proud of that."
The woman was clearly showing how appalled she was with Koharu's behavior and speech.
"You little brat! You're dead!" The man stumbled into a run after her while leaving a trail of blood from his shattered nose.
"Uh-oh." Koharu darted in the opposite direction. "Okay, Soujiro! You can stop hiding now!" She cried out.
She didn't have to travel much further before she heard him land softly behind. She whirled around to finally see him standing between her and her opponent. She had been right that he was watching very closely and from the tree limbs above, though she didn't know how he still wasn't seen by anyone with the tree limbs being bare now. He was turned away slightly so not to make the thug aware of the weapon he was carrying.
"Where the hell did you come from?" The thug came to a halt, keeping his little farm tool raised.
"What was that about you never undermining what I say?" He ignored the thug and questioned her while keeping his eyes on his opponent.
"Come on, Sou!" She pouted. "We both know if you really wanted to stop me, you could have."
"I guess that's true." He looked over at her with a smile. He took off his hat and passed it to her. "Can you hold this for a minute?"
She took the hat.
The thug never saw Soujiro with his sword by how he concealed his weapon and lunged at him when Soujiro looked away. Soujiro instinctively twisted out of the way of the nata and thrust his sword out from the scabbard just enough so the hilt struck upwards and struck the man's jaw. He was thrown back to the ground from the surprise attack. He would wake up later to find he had both suffered a broken nose and sword never even fully left the scabbard. He slide the sword back in as he faced her. "I do expect you to listen to me without me having to chase you down."
"I knew you could use your sword without killing!" Koharu shouted proudly, completely disregarding what he last said.
They heard the woman's scream fill the air again and were forced to direct their attention back to the older couple. The remaining bandit was dragging her by her hair in the middle of the road and held her down as he brought the nata against her neck. "Drop your weapon or I kill the broad!"
The woman continued screaming, reviving Soujiro's headache that had just recently began diminishing. It was more shrill than having to listen to Koharu whine or cries all the time. And that was saying something.
"Fine by me." He was already positioned to turn around and leave her at the mercy of the thug.
"Sou!" Koharu hollered as she clutched at his sleeve. He turned to see the disapproving eyes she was, for once, giving him. They were clearly screaming: Do something! He knew he was becoming soft when he he couldn't tell those eyes no.
He gave out an exasperated sigh as he turned around to face the helpless couple and raised his hands calmly. "All right," he said to the thug. "I'll drop my weapon. You win." He pulled the sword from his sash and started to lower it towards the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?" Koharu yelled angrily. She should had known he had something up his sleeve.
Soujiro was really getting into a lowered stance to prepare his attack. He held the katana clearly in view, one hand on the hilt and the other resting on the scabbard to add to the act he was slowly putting the sword down. Before anyone could blink an eye, he fully twisted on his back foot before swinging the sword back in front, while releasing his hand over the scabbard in his finishing stance, almost like he was striking someone right in front of him. Koharu didn't even understand what he did until she noted that the scabbard was no longer covering the blade. She looked back towards the thug and saw he had been thrown on the ground, completely blacked out with Soujiro's scabbard lying beside him. The thug didn't even know what hit him. The woman was still crying out loud unaware what had been done, while Koharu and the man stared with their mouths agaped.
Soujiro relaxed his stance, resting the naked blade against his shoulder as he looked down at Koharu. "Happy?" He chuckled softly at her expression that clearly revealed her admiration for him. Usually, he was feared for what he could do. It left him with a completely different feeling then when he had been feared as the Teken.
Koharu closed her mouth as she gazed back at him with a proud smile. "I knew you couldn't kill if you really wanted to."
He grinned. "Well, I really can't when there's witnesses."
That earned him a frown from her. He was kidding, of course.
Their attention was directed to the older couple as they carefully were approaching him. The man had picked up Soujiro's scabbard after getting his wife to calm down and approached them to return it back to him. "I owe you my thanks, young man," he gave a respectful bow to Soujiro as he held his scabbard out to him. He looked at Koharu and acknowledged her with a bow. "And to you too, young lady." That made her giggle.
"What are you thanking him for?" The woman cut in. "He only intervened when the girl was in trouble."
"Ayaka, please show some respect," he said in a firm tone of voice.
"She's right," Soujiro admitted. He had not yet recovered his scabbard from him so not to come across as accepting his thanks.
"Sou!" Koharu whined. She truly wanted them to see the good person she knew he was.
"Either way, we're alive and not a thing was stolen because you bravely intervened in this girl's behalf. Please just accept our thanks." He bowed again, holding the scabbard out.
For both the man's and Koharu's sake, Soujiro paid the man with a respectful bow and accepted the scabbard back from the man. Koharu spoke up to break the awkward silence. "This is my brother, Seta Soujiro. I'm Seta Koharu." She bowed.
There was a loud thud when Soujiro dropped his sword trying to slip it back through his sash. His eyes widened at Koharu audacity to just take and use his name. Then again, he knew he shouldn't have been. He had just never imagined them being introduced in such a way. He ignored the stares and bent down to retrieve his sword.
"Of course! I do see the resemblance." The man continued out loud.
Soujiro didn't feel the sword fall from his grasp the second time before he even stood back up. It was a bit overwhelming to hear was all.
"Quite clumsy for a swordsman, are you?" The wife assumed, turning her nose up at him. "Aren't swords illegal to carry?"
"Only if you're caught," Soujiro mumbled as he was able to finally return the sword back by his side, but she had heard his words. It had almost sounded like a threat.
"I'm Ochi Masumi and this pleasant woman here is my wife, Ochi Ayaka. Pardon me for asking, but do you two need some help and perhaps a place to stay?"
Soujiro was at first confused by how he worded the question.
Koharu's eyes lit up, whereas Ayaka looked mortified. "Masumi, have you lost your mind? They look no better than those thugs!" Ayaka ranted.
"He's clearly hurt." Masumi argued back.
Soujiro touched the side of his face when he remembered his head wound had been left to bleed. It had slowed to just a slight trickle, but his skin and shirt had been stained heavily and visible for all to see. "Arigato. But no," He said firmly as he held up his hand. Koharu's shoulders dropped. "We're just going continue..." He stopped as he realized he was momentarily turned around. "...that way." He quickly picked a direction, but it was too late.
"Oh for goodness sake, Ayaka. The poor children are lost too!" He stepped forward with a smaller bow. "I insist, Seta Soujiro. That looks pretty bad. You can stay as long as is needed until you're well."
"You're too trusting!" Ayaka argued.
He wasn't thrilled at being referred to as a child again, but he had heard Koharu call them old. He guessed it made them even. He was still ready to deny the offer until Koharu sneezed as she hugged her arms trying to warm herself again. He looked down at her as he was reminded of her weakening state also. He was about to deny her a place where she could be warmed and fed, which just moments before he wished he could provide for her. The moment his face softened and showed signs of relenting, Masumi sealed the decision be forcing Soujiro around and leading them down the path again. "I insist. It's the least I can do for you two brave youths." When he urged Soujiro around, he also came to realize his clothes were wet and then looked at Koharu to see her clothes were wet too, and she was clearly shivering again. Soujiro at first had been irritated at being manhandled, but now he felt a little self conscious being seen this way with Koharu. "You two must be freezing!"
Soujiro really didn't want to give the details, but saw the wife's eyes narrow upon him as she judged for herself what happen. "Did you drop your sword in the river too?" She was still painting him to be some sort of klutz.
Before Soujiro could try to defend himself, Koharu spoke up, having had enough of her attacking him. "I fell in! He saved me and got hurt in the process. He just saved your life too, lady!"
It was noble on Koharu's part to defend him openly, but in a way, still disrespectful how she spoke to the woman. This time, Soujiro didn't bother to correct her. He didn't care that much about manners, but he did care about wasting time. He rested a hand on her shoulder which caused her to look up at him. He shook his head, suggesting she needed to be quiet before it got out of hand. He spoke up. "I think we should just leave. Clearly, this is going to be a problem." He started to shoulder past by the man.
Masumi raised his arm to block Soujiro from leaving. "Ayaka, get the blankets off the horse and give it to these two," he said, then turned to face her. "And then I want you to apologize and make our honor guests feel welcomed. We'll be no better than those thugs if we send these two away cold and hungry. Then who are you to say those thugs are in the wrong when we're no better?"
It was hard to argue with those words, even for her. She glowered for a moment, but proved to be a loyal wife when she promptly turned on her heel and approached the horse to fetch the blankets for them. Once she collected the blankets, she forced out a belligerent apology to Soujiro and gave the blankets to him. It was still tempting to just turn around and leave, but if he was honest with himself, he knew they were in desperate need of aid and warmth. He passed a blanket to Koharu, who had a smug look upon her face after finding satisfaction in seeing the wife being forced to apologize to him. He elbowed her to get her to stop. It was awkward enough for him.
"Ow." She frowned at him as she rubbed her arm that he had hit. She quickly got over it when she snatched the blanket and got to bundle herself into it.
Soujiro looked behind him wondering where the couple had been traveling from. There must be civilization nearby for them to be traveling with such fresh supplies. He decided to ask. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you two travel from?"
"Kofu." Masumi replied as he took the blanket from Soujiro, seeing how he was still finding it difficult to accept his generosity. "It's about a day's journey from where we live." He said as he then tossed the blanket around his shoulders for him so that Soujiro was force to catch it and hold the blanket to keep it from falling. He was being treated as a stubborn child. He figured maybe he was being a little stubborn. He had not want to save these people in the first place and he had made that clear, and now it felt like he was taking advantage of them and Ayaka was seeing right through it.
He was reminded why he was subjecting himself to this when he felt Koharu risk grasping at his hand. He looked down towards her as she leaned into his arm. Her hand was unusually warm and clammy against his. For once, he allowed her to hold his hand as he used the back of his other hand to touch her face. She was burning up.
"Sou?" She asked when she saw his eyes turn into ones of apprehension.
"Is everything all right?" Masumi stepped forward in concern.
Soujiro didn't respond right away. It was a moment before he could will himself to look back at Masumi, trying to find a way to phrase his next words carefully. "She's sick," was all he could manage to mutter out, but Masumi saw the distress in his eyes that spoke louder than his two words.
"Don't worry, Seta. We're not too much further from home," he grabbed the reins to his horse. "I'll make sure you're both taken care of. Let's make haste."
Soujiro hated to admit it, but he was glad Koharu had driven him back to help these people. She had been right, again.
AN: Believe it or not I'm almost to the Tokyo scene you read in the first chapter!