The rainy season always slowed down the bandits' "work," and with most of them staying indoors, Kai had extra work doing chores. Laundry suddenly piled up because he couldn't hang them out to dry. Calls for food weren't limited to mealtimes, and he was forever running to get another bottle of sake for his seniors. To make matters worse, all the extra running around he was doing combined with the rain made it impossible to practice his archery.
"Stupid rain," Kai said as he stood over the wok, stir-frying vegetables. In the two weeks he had been with the bandits his cooking skills had improved significantly, and while he was far from being an expert cook, he had at least achieved a level that kept the others from asking if what he made was going to kill them.
He had also gotten faster getting the plates on the table, so he was actually able to have meals with the rest of the crew once he had served them all their drinks. It was a nice feeling, sitting around the table with them and listening to their stories, though it did make him a little jealous that they were all out having adventures while he was stuck sorting laundry and scrubbing dishes.
Once he was finished eating, Kai got up to take the plates into the kitchen. There was a full load as usual and he started washing them right away in the cold water from earlier in the day. He had drawn it in the morning before the rain started and wasn't about to go out to fetch more in this weather.
"Why'd I have to come up here during the rainy season?" The water was cold enough to send a shock of pain through Kai's hands and he winced. He started scrubbing in the hopes his hands would either go numb or warm up quickly.
Kai finished the dishes in record time and set them out to dry. He was thinking it would be nice to have some warm sake after that unpleasant experience and had just about decided to take some to the rest of the men when a knock on the door that led from the kitchen to the outside caught his attention. Without hesitation, he went to it and opened it. There was no one out there, only a curtain of fat droplets of rain. Kai stepped out under the overhang so that he was protected and looked around.
"Is somebody out here?" No one answered and he took a step further. "Hello?" The door slammed behind Kai and he sighed heavily as he went back to it. Should have known. "Come on guys, joke's over. Let me back in," he said, banging on the door. There was no answer and the door wouldn't open. "Guys! Dammit!" Kai slammed his hand against the door and leaned back on it to look out at the rain. Great.
With the door shut, there was no alternative but for Kai to walk around to the front. He tried his best to stay under the overhang but it stopped at the corner of the building and the porch didn't start until the other wall. Not that he would be able to get up on it with the boards slippery from the rain. Kai sighed again, ducked his head, and ran for the front of the fortress.
By the time he made it back inside the building, his clothes were soaked and his hair was plastered to his forehead. The sound of laughter somewhere in the fortress followed him down the hall and he wondered if they were laughing at him or something else. It sounded like it was coming from the direction of the kitchen and he had a pretty good idea about which one it was.
"Never gonna live this-" His head was down, so when he bumped into someone, he didn't realize who it was right away.
"Watch where you're goin,' huh?"
"Sorry, I-" Kai looked up and realized he'd just bumped into Genrou, who was smirking down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Kashira! I'm so sorry! I didn't, I mean, I'll watch where I'm going. Sorry, sir." Kai bowed repeatedly and Genrou laughed, shaking his head.
"No need to freak out on me or nothin,' I'm just givin' ya a hard time." He looked out at the rain, which was coming down in sheets now. "I remember when they locked me out in the rain. Seems a lot funnier now that I'm older."
"I'm glad I could amuse you," Kai said before he could stop himself. He half-expected another whack on the head but was relieved when it didn't come. What is wrong with you? Can't you just keep your mouth shut for once?
"'S what you're here for," Genrou said with a smirk. "You're probably gonna wanna get outta those clothes before ya catch a cold," he went on. "Check in the storage room, see if there's somethin' ya can wear in there."
"Yes, sir." Kai walked past him in the direction of the storage room, his eyes on the floor. He was aware that Genrou was following him but was afraid of asking him what he was doing. For an instant Kai wondered if maybe he thought he was going to steal something. After all, he had proved that he was a good thief. But Nami hadn't followed him into the storage room, so it had to be something else. He kept walking until they reached the storage room, then pushed open the door.
Leaving wet footprints on the floor, Kai trudged across the room and started sorting through the pile of clothes. There was a long, high-necked top, a black shirt and some pants that actually looked like they'd be a better fit for Kai than the ones he was wearing, all of which he took.
"Ya should probably get some boots instead of those shoes," Genrou commented. "Once we get ya runnin' up and down the mountain those shoes ain't gonna hold up." He looked around. "What about those over there?"
"I'll try them," Kai said, picking up the black boots. "Thank you for your help, Kashira."
"It's nothin,'" Genrou said with a shrug. "Least I could do to keep ya from gettin' sick. Then who'd we get to take care of all the chores around here?" For some reason these words stung Kai. Even though he knew that the chores were his and his alone, he had hoped that Genrou saw him as more of an asset to the group than that.
"I'm just going to go change," Kai said. "I'll be sure to put my things in the laundry so they're not dripping all over the place." He headed for his and Nami's room, careful to hold the fresh clothes away from his body so he wouldn't get them wet. Once again he noticed that Genrou was following him and he decided that this was because his room was on the same end of the hall as the leader's room. Without a word to the man behind him, he went into his room and closed the door.
Dry clothes replaced the wet ones quickly and Kai stepped into the new boots, half-expecting them not to fit. When they did he was pleasantly surprised and walked around the room in them to get the feel of them. They certainly felt sturdier than his current shoes and he made a mental note to thank Genrou when he saw him again.
When he stepped back out of the room with his wet clothes in a ball, he was once again surprised to find Genrou leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.
"Took ya long enough," he said.
"Sorry," Kai said, holding the wet clothes away from his dry ones now. "I'm just going to go put these with the other laundry. Thank you for your help, Kashira. I really appreciate it," he said honestly.
"Don't take everything so serious, kid," Genrou said, pushing himself off the wall and walking beside Kai. "I was just kiddin' with ya about the chores. We got 'em taken care of before ya showed up, we'd get 'em taken care of without ya." This clarification only made Kai cringe more and Genrou seemed to notice. "That didn't come out right. Well, ya know what I mean."
"Not really," Kai said, pushing open the door to the room where all the bandits tossed their laundry. It was a mountain of dirty clothes, some stained with food and others with blood or dirt, all of which Kai would be washing when the rain let up. It was true. He really didn't have any idea whether Genrou was saying that they needed him or not.
"What I'm sayin' is that we'd miss ya if ya got sick, but if ya do we can handle it without ya so ya wouldn't hafta worry about it."
"I'll do my best not to get sick," Kai said. "I can't imagine what this place would look like without my particular brand of care." Instead of tossing his laundry on top of the rest, he unrolled the ball and carefully put his clothes on the table. "It'd be a travesty."
"A what?"
"Something bad."
"Oh. Makes sense." Genrou grinned at him. "Where'd ya learn to talk all fancy like that, anyway?"
"I went to school when I was younger," Kai said, turning back to the leader. "And I enjoy reading." He smiled. "A lot of times, I would steal books from the sellers at the market, then return them after I was finished. Most times they wouldn't even know they were gone."
"I ain't surprised. You're pretty quick. I guess part of that's 'cause you're small. I was pretty impressed when ya tried to hit me. If it'd been just about anybody else, you probably would have given them a good one." He was still grinning and Kai returned his smile, happy to hear it. "Ya know, the way ya talk reminds me of a friend of mine."
"A good friend?"
"One of the best," Genrou said. "He was real cultured, and a hell of a nice guy. Pretty much always calm and collected, one of those guys." There was a hint of longing in his voice and Kai watched his face closely. "He talked a lot like ya."
"Was?"
"Yeah," Genrou's smile faltered. "He was killed during the war with Kutou. By one of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi."
"Oh," Kai said, not knowing how else to reply. "I'm sorry."
"It's been a long time," Genrou said with a shrug. "No point in gettin' all worked up over it now." He looked around the laundry room. "Kinda lettin' it get away from ya, aren't ya?"
"It's raining," Kai said defensively. "What am I going to do, hang them all up in here? I'm sure that'd be great while we're playing cards."
"Yeah, like you ever play cards."
"I might if someone asked me," muttered Kai. It was a sore spot with him that no one ever invited him to play cards or gamble with them, and that it seemed only grudgingly that some of the bandits let him drink with them. Genrou raised an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, fine, ya wanna play cards?"
"I don't know how."
"Then why're ya complainin' about it?" Genrou smacked him on the back of the head, a gesture that actually made Kai smile once he got over the shock. He turned to Genrou with a scowl. "Next thing ya know, you'll be askin' me to pour drinks for ya."
"Of course not," Kai said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not that kind of guy."
"What kind is that?"
"Never mind." He pushed a pile of laundry with his foot, wondering as he did when the rain was going to stop, then went toward the door. He didn't want to look at it longer than he had to. It only made him depressed, thinking about how much work he had cut out for him when the sun came back out. Genrou went out first and Kai followed close behind him. He wanted to talk more to Genrou, even if he sounded like an idiot, and came up with something he hoped would lead to a longer conversation. "So what do we do when we're not stealing things?"
"Don't say it like that. We protect this mountain," Genrou said. "The leader before me said that Mt. Leikaku sees the good and evil of the people who pass through it. It's our job to make sure the good people pass through safely and the evil ones surrender their things."
"Oh," Kai said, turning this over in his head.
"If ya think about it another way, it's like the mountain could see your intentions and let ya come up here. So the mountain picked ya, just like it picked me and probably the others too." This was a comforting thought to Kai, who was still in awe of everything he saw. Genrou leaned against the wall with his arms over his chest and looked outside. It was difficult to make out the mountain through the rain but he stared at some far-off thing. "Just, y'know, keep it in mind."
"I will." Kai watched his face as he looked out into the rain and wondered what he was thinking. He wanted to ask but knew it would sound insolent, and he didn't want to spoil the precious time that they were spending together. "So you got locked out in the rain, too?"
"Yeah, some of the guys that were here when I first came to the mountain are still here and they probably thought it was funny to lock ya out too." He turned back to Kai and smiled. "Ya better get used to it and watch your back."
"I will, believe me." They were silent for a moment, then Genrou spoke again.
"What do ya think so far? We ain't scared ya off yet, I guess, since you're still hanging around here. Ya think you've got what it takes to make it as one of us?"
"Maybe? I mean, I still can't shoot an arrow without being close enough to the tree to pick off a leaf and I've never done anything besides wash clothes and dishes. I hardly think that qualifies me to be a bandit." Kai was aware that his tone was drifting into dangerous territory but Genrou didn't seem to mind it.
"Guess ya got a point there. But we can't letcha out into the mountain without bein' able to defend yourself. Unless ya can take care of yourself, you're stuck in here for the time bein.'" Seeing the look on Kai's face that his words caused, Genrou shrugged. "Sorry, kid. I had to go through the same thing when I was your age."
"I'll practice more," Kai spoke up. "I'll get faster with my chores so I can have more time to practice my archery. Then will you let me help protect the mountain?"
"Oh, ya think you're gonna protect the mountain, small as ya are?" Genrou put his hands on his hips and leaned toward Kai, smirking. "Ya might be able to protect a tree or two but ya got a long time before you'll be any good to the mountain."
"Just watch me!" Kai put his hands on his own hips and leaned toward Genrou. "I'm gonna be the best bandit you've ever seen!" With that he strode away from the leader toward his room, leaving Genrou standing by the window, still smirking.
If there's one thing the kid's got goin' for him, it's guts. Can't remember the last time a new guy talked to me like that.
Shaking his head, Genrou went back toward his room and found Kouji knocking on the door. He decided to interrupt his friend's comedy routine before it could get off the ground and tapped him on the shoulder. Kouji looked back at him in surprise.
"Where were you?"
"Went to the storage room," Genrou replied honestly. "Somethin' was buggin' me about the silk we took from that merchant that was usin' his business as a front. Turns out it wasn't silk, it was just real nice quality material."
"Nice enough to sell?"
"Sure, but we ain't gonna be sellin' it as silk." They went into the leader's room together and Genrou flopped back into his chair. "Should still get a pretty decent price for it, though." He jerked his thumb at the window. "Soon as this rain lets up we're gonna have to check all the traps. Half of 'em are probably layin' in the mud right now."
"At least no one's really comin' through the mountains right now," Kouji said. "At some point we've gotta get down to the city and pick up supplies." Genrou nodded and looked up at the ceiling. He'd been doing it for more than a decade but sometimes being the leader was kind of tedious. There were hundreds of things that he had to deal with that had nothing to do with demanding tolls or sword fighting, or whatever else he'd imagined when he first thought he'd be a bandit. An idea came to him suddenly and he sat up straight, something that didn't go unnoticed by Kouji. "Somethin' wrong?"
"Huh?" Genrou looked up at him, then leaned back in his chair again. "It's nothin.'" For some reason Genrou didn't want to tell Kouji that he'd talked to Kai in the hallway. He didn't know why; he rarely kept anything from his friend and hadn't since they were teenagers. There was just something about Kai that he wanted to keep to himself. "What were ya comin' to talk to me about?"
"They said the emperor was plannin' to come through the mountains to the Souun palace. With your, y'know, history and the Mt. Kaou bandits actin' up, I didn't know if you'd want us to act like an advance guard for 'em."
"Yeah, that'd be a good idea. Send a message to the palace and tell 'em that the Mt. Leikaku bandits will make sure they make it through the mountains safely." Kouji nodded his agreement, then excused himself to write the letter and draft someone to go out in the rain and take it to the castle.
As soon as he was gone, Genrou got up and went to the table by the window. There was a small, carved wooden box on top of it and he opened it up. Inside was a litter of jewelry that he rarely if ever wore, something that looked like a broken seashell, and a strange thing he had been saving for years. It was this last thing he picked up, sliding the jewelry off it carefully.
It was a piece of shiny paper that, impossibly, bore his image as well as the images of the rest of the Suzaku Shichiseishi and Suzaku no Miko, Miaka. It had been taken by an odd box that Miaka had called a 'camera' before they boarded the boat that would take them to search for the relics that would allow them to summon Suzaku and protect the country.
Carefully, so as not to damage the well-worn picture, Genrou ran his thumb over the faces that smiled out at him. It was the last time they had all been together. Nuriko was alive and putting on his best coy smile, Chichiri was wearing his fox-eyed mask, and Miaka was smiling in that open, optimistic way that only she had.
A stab of loneliness went through his chest at the same time a smile worked its way across his face. They were the best friends he'd ever had, even closer than Kouji because they had shared so much, had been through so much. He'd even traveled to the world of the Mikos once with Chichiri to help Tamahome and Miaka fight the final battle against Seiryuu. Everything they'd done was part of his destiny and as painful as some of it was to remember, he would never regret any of it. Especially meeting her.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky outside the window but Genrou didn't take his eyes off the photograph. He wanted to remember it all right now, even the painful parts. Though thoughts of the Suzaku Shichiseishi were never too far from his mind, there was something about the way Kai talked that reminded him of Hotohori and Chiriko. He wasn't showing off when he spoke in his almost-refined way just like they had never been either. It was just the way they spoke and sometimes it made him feel a little stupid, but he loved them just the same.
Unbidden, Kai's face appeared in his head, and his smile became wider. The boy couldn't seem to decide if he was nervous around him or wanted to talk back and the disparity actually made him happy. He didn't want subordinates who never questioned him, that had been Eiken's sole domain. Hakurou would never have wanted it either. Either way, living with the bandits was definitely rubbing off on him.
Maybe I'll go down and visit Kashira, he thought absently as he put the picture back in his jewelry box. Haven't been down there in a while. He closed the lid carefully and went over to his dresser where he took off his outer shirt and tossed it over the rack. Remembering how Kai had walked in on him, he automatically turned to make sure no one was in the room before he took off the shirt underneath and folded it as carefully as he knew how, then put on a plain white shirt and a pair of beige pants, his usual sleeping attire.
Out of nowhere he wondered if Kai was already asleep. After hauling and washing dishes, then getting stuck out in the rain, he supposed the kid must be tired. From what Nami told him, Kai fell asleep almost instantly at night, covered by the blanket he'd given him on the first night and stretched out on the floor. Genrou remembered those days well and hoped the boy had enough sense to get another couple of blankets from the storage room.
He blew out the lanterns in his room and lay down on the bed but didn't go to sleep. The red character was glowing on his arm again, likely from his memories of the past but he hardly noticed it. He was more interested in thinking about his friends and about her.
I'm glad she's happy, he thought. So how come I feel so lousy?
In the room down the hall from Genrou's, Kai curled up under his blanket on the floor. Its hardness was dampened by two folded-up blankets he'd gotten from the storage room. The original blanket was still the one Genrou had given him and he hadn't washed it for fear that the leader's scent might be lost. He couldn't very well ask for another so he took care of it instead, knowing that eventually he would have to wash it.
"Comfortable down there?" Nami asked this from his place on the bed, not even rolling over to address Kai. The boy nodded in the darkness and hugged his pillow. "Ya sleepin' already?"
"Not yet," Kai said.
"You're usually snorin' by now," Nami observed. "Somethin' buggin' ya?"
"No," Kai said. "And I'm sorry. I didn't know I snored." There was a snort from the bed and Nami rolled over. It was still too dark to see him but Kai knew he was facing him by the sound of his voice. "How long have you been a bandit, Aniki?"
"About five years now."
"And Kashira was the leader the whole time?"
"Uh-huh. Why?"
"Just wondering." Kai sat up and looked in Nami's general direction. "Do you think you'll be a bandit forever?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just asking," Kai said, backing away from the annoyance in his roommate's voice. "I plan on staying here for the rest of my life. I was just wondering if you felt the same way." There was no answer and he laid back down. "I feel safe here. Maybe for the first time in my life. There's no way I'm ever leaving you guys."
"Great. Thirty guys in this place and I get stuck with the one that can't shut up at bedtime." Kai heard Nami roll over and the bedclothes rustle and he sighed.
"You're the one who asked," Kai said, nettled.
"I didn't ask for your life story," he said impatiently. Kai laid back down and pulled the covers up to his chin. He didn't know why he thought he should share this with Nami but there was something about the older bandit that made him want to open up. Not that he could tell him everything, but he wanted him to know something about him.
"Sorry, Aniki," Kai said to Nami's back. "I'll try to wake up and be out of your way in the morning before you wake up."
"Don't bother. I can just step over you. You're like a twig." There was no response to this from Kai and Nami seemed to relent. "Just go to sleep, willya?"
"Yes, Aniki." There was a long silence between them and before too long, Kai was snoring lightly again. Nami sighed heavily. This had been the longest two weeks of his life so far and it only looked like it was going to continue.
Thanks a lot, Kashira.