Disclaimer: After many, many weeks, I finally found the time to write part four. Whew! All credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. I'm a little shaky with the translations, it's been a while so I apologize if something seems to be off or awkward.

逢瀬日和

A Fine Day For A Rendezvous

Part Four

Gorouza x Kasane

"Huh…?"

Approaching an unfamiliar road, Kasane frowned.

She gazed at the scenery around her; the road was definitely different to the one she had passed through.

"Go-Gorouza-san…"

She weakly called out his name.

Obviously he didn't answer back. By this time, Kasane felt like crying at this helpless situation.

(I'm such a huge idiot~!)

Because she was in a daze with all the shops around her, she soon came out to this weird area.

Kasane thought she could fix this problem she got herself into, but alas, in the end she couldn't. She cradled her head, blaming her stupidity.

"Uuu.. What should I do…"

This era doesn't have any cell phones and it's pretty embarrassing to say that she's a lost child, plus she feels guilty for piling up more trouble for Gorouza….

Anyway, it's best to look for that road again!

Kasane began to wander around the town. It would be nice if she could possibly find a familiar path….

"Uufpt…!?"

"Ah? The hell?"

Just as Kasane's gaze turned aside, she had accidentally bumped into someone.

She frantically regained her posture* and quickly apologized.

"I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention…." She bowed her head in repentance.

As Kasane studied the stranger she bumped into, she also noticed that he was accompanied by numerous physically well-built men.

...T-this is pretty scary….

As if measuring her value, the group started at her so intently that she unconsciously backed away.

"I-is it alright to go off on my way now…?" Kasane thought as she shuffled her feet to retreat from the group. Even she finds it nerve-racking when a group of men looks down on her.

"...U-um. I'm sorry. I-I have to look for someone so…"

Just as she began to leave the area, one of the men grabbed her arm, preventing her escape.

"W-what is it…?"

"Young lady**. Why don't we help you look for this person of yours?"

The group surrounded and smirked a belittling smile down at her. The man holding her arm had no intentions of letting go.

Somehow their stares were extremely uncomfortable...

She never felt these stares back at the castle.

The feeling that their tongues were running over something, the sensation of their eyes crawling all over her clothes; an unpleasant and lewd gaze.

An instinct-like aversion for these men jittered out of her.

Even though they were offering her help, the instinct that told her to run away alarmed loudly in her mind.

"I-I can't let you do that…! We, we've just met… Be-besides, I feel bad for making you…."

"I told you it's fine."

"Bu-... I-I don't even have anything to give as a sign of my gratitude…."

"What~ something like a gift of gratitude isn't much, right?"***

The man whose hand was still clamped over her arm exchanged knowing looks to the others. They smirked and faced her with wretched smiles.

"You can pay us back later. Oi, ain't there a good place 'round here?"

"Somewhere outside this area is an abandoned temple. Isn't that good enough?"

"Ah, that's right. If it's over there, no one can hear anything."

"Hear that? Shall we go, young lady?"

"O-ow...!"

The group circled around her, intending to block her way if she escaped, and pulled her along the road.

Even though Kasane did her best to resist and break out of the man's grip, she could not win against the physically strength of a man.

Just as she felt tears coming out, Kasane turned to look around her. Though pedestrians met her gaze with pitying looks, someone stopped to help her.

She could hear whispers of "How pitiful..." and "Those guys again…"

(No… What is this… I'm scared...)

As of now, Kasane knew she was truly in an unbelievably bad situation. These men will take her to a place where no one will around. Though they didn't directly state intention, even she understood exactly what they were going to do.

(M-my sword…!)

Stretching a hand to the usual spot at her waist where her sword should have been, she realized nothing was there.

Remembering this afternoon's conversation with Gorouza, she paled.

(That's right...My sword… is at castle….)

What should she do…!?

With a befuddled and panicked mind she frantically planned to break out of this situation. She desperately tried many times to plant herself to the ground in order to halt their tracks, but the men swiftly continued to drag her away without mercy.

"N-No…! No! Please let go of me ! !" she finally screamed.

Before she thought it wouldn't be good if she made a scene since it might make the situation worse so she kept quiet, but now she couldn't do anything alone.

Yell. That was the only action she could think of that could possibly have someone save her.

"Someone! Gorouza-san! Gorouza-san…! !"

"Oi, behave yourself!"

"Umpf!?"

"As long as you listen to us we won't do anything too bad."

Having her mouth restrained by another man, she couldn't find another chance to scream.

No. No. Scary. Scary.

She was so scared that tears ran down her face.

Just how did this happen?

As she thought of her future fate, Kasane felt fear take its grip.

No. Not like this…! Even though she decided that she would do it with the person she loves…!

A certain young man with a gentle smile came to mind. Her first time, which she devoted to that young man, was now going to be taken by these men.

Gorouza-san…!

Apparently impatient by her unwilling pace, the man lifted her up and plopped Kasane over his shoulder like a sack.

Carrying her with ease, they picked up the pace.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"...What are you doing?"

A still voice resounded the place.

At the sound of that voice, she snapped her eyes open.

"Who the hell are you."

"...Having a face like a woman… Such a delicate-looking man."

(...Heh?)

Kasane was then lowered to the ground.

However, she was still securely detained by that man.

"Go, Goro-..."

There, standing before the group, was Gorouza.

The usually gentle look on his face seemed like a lie compared to the harsh gaze he was giving to the men now.

"Oi, oi, it's best if you don't do anything stupid right?"

"That's right, that's right. It's dangerous young lady~."

As the men bantered back to Gorouza, they guffawed amongst themselves.

Kasane felt her rage rise at their loathsome attitude towards her companion.

It angered her that they would underestimate Gorouza based on his womanly features.

"I would appreciate if you let go of her."

Unbothered by the men's behavior, Gorouza slipped through the group.

She had never heard such a scathing tone from him before.

"This isn't funny. You think of snatching her from us?"

"Even though we were going to have fun after this."

The man, who was still holding on to her, then began to pat her body in an overly familiar manner.

Kasane fidgeted as goosebumps sprang up from her skin. Meanwhile, Gorouza's expression became more and more fierce.

"Stop it."

"Ah?"

"Don't touch Kasane-dono so familiarly." Gorouza scowled at them.

"Shut up already! Let's beat him up!"

"Yeah!"

For a moment, as if they were trying to gloss over the fact that they felt threatened, the group moved to cut Gorouza down.

Without thinking Kasane raised her voice, "Ah!"

However Gorouza repelled a man's charge by countering his force, which allowed him to sweep his opponent's legs from under him and face-plant himself to the ground.

Today Gorouza wasn't carrying his large sword with him.

Therefore he picked up the sword his previous opponent had dropped.

"You…!"

One of the other men brandished his sword to him.

Gorouza parried off the weapon and slammed the hilt of his sword into the man's abdomen.

"GAH…! !"

The man unconsciously crouched down to the ground and groaned.

Though all the men were of strong physique, it seemed as if Gorouza was instead facing a group of children as his opponents.

Finally his gaze turned towards the man who was still keeping Kasane captive.

The man leaked out a high-pitched, "Ekk."

It seems that he finally realized the difference in their strength.

"M-my bad… Here. You wanted this woman right? I-I'll transfer her over to you, boss…."

The man released her without difficulty and offered her to Gorouza.

Gorouza caught her and finally met her gaze.

It was back to his usual tranquil expression.

"Please wait a little bit okay?" he softly told her before he edged up to the last man.

The man showed his back to them as if he was trying to run away, but couldn't. ...In short, he was paralyzed with fear.

"...I would appreciate it…" As Gorouza approached closer to the man, he muttered, "...if you don't put me on the same level as animals like you…!"

"...! ! !"

And in that position, Gorouza swung up his right arm and punched the man's face with all his might. The crack of the impact resonated through the simpleton. As if in slow motion, the man slumped towards the ground and lost consciousness.

...Surely that was the sound of bone breaking, wasn't it….

Kasane nervously thought to herself.

Still filled with rage, Gorouza first regained control of his breath before turning back to face Kasane.

"Are you unharmed Kasane-dono…!? I'm sorry for straying away from you…!" Gorouza hurried over and sincerely apologized. His expression was twisted with bitterness and anxiety.

He was back to his normal self. The gentle, warm… strong man.

"I-I'm so sorry Gorouza-san…! ! !" After enduring such an overwhelming fear in those moments, Kasane felt so relieved to be by Gorouza's side that, in spite of herself, tears flowed down her cheeks. In response to her state, he became increasingly flustered as he expressed his regret.

"I am seriously sorry… Are you fine…? They didn't do anything weird to you, did they…?"

"Go-gorouza-san is-isn't the one at fault here…! I-I'm the one who got separated from you…!" As she sniffled, Gorouza took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry… for causing you so much trouble…!"

"I have never once thought of Kasane-dono as a burden…"

She felt more tears spilling out as she heard those benevolent words.

"However, I'm glad that nothing horrible has happened to you, Kasane-dono…. When I think if by chance I didn't make in time…" As Gorouza tenderly comforted her, the populace approached them.

"Thank you so much! Those guys were really bothering us!"

"Yer' pretty story aren't ya, young lad! Here's a gift from us! Take it!"

"With this, even those guys would learn their lesson!"

"Eh? U-um…"

He expressed confusion towards the crowd's reaction.

The man who dealt in some sort of business, pushed his goods onto Gorouza as gratitude.

"Go-gorouza-san!?"

"Ka-kasane-dono!"

As the crowd pushed in, Kasane started to drift away from his side.

Gorouza reached through the mass of people and grabbed hold of Kasane's arm.

There was no way he was going to get separated from her again.

"Make sure to tightly hold onto my hand, alright?" With a wide smile, he squeezed her hand to his. With that smile and the warm touch of his palms, Kasane felt her heart beat faster than ever.

"Pardon us!"

"Uwa!?"

With Kasane in tow, Gorouza pushed and weaved his way through the masses and left the area.

TBC

*It says here that she fixed her posture, I'm guessing she nearly toppled over when she bumped into the guy.

**Here it literally translated to 'The young lady who is looking for someone'. So I just shortened it.

***Urgh I added in a bit too much context here. What he literally said what something 'oh? Gratitude, right?' but his tone is more like 'Gratitude? We've got one alright, am I right boys?' kind of feeling. (-v-;)

So I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. The next/last part is a bit short, so I might be able to upload it tomorrow... If I can. Have a nice day!