"Hey, Kai, can I talk to ya for a minute?"
"Huh?" Kai looked over his shoulder from his place at the washtub and saw Genrou standing in the doorway. "Uh, yeah. Sure." He stood up and dried his hands on a nearby shirt, grateful for the break from washing clothes. Part of him wondered what the leader could want with him, and a seed of dread that he was going to be told that he was being sent back down the mountain unfurled in his head.
"C'mon." Genrou motioned for Kai to follow him and Kai looked back at the laundry, wishing for the first time that he could go back to it.
"Kashira, if this is about the plates I already feel stupid enough. I swear I'll pay for them out of my, uh, my earnings. As soon as I get some, I mean." Genrou looked at him and he held up his hands. "N-not that I'm trying to say I should get out and earn something! I don't mean to rush you or anything!"
"I ain't mad about the plates," Genrou said. "I guess I'm kinda impressed ya actually told Kouji about 'em instead of just hidin' 'em." He looked at Kai closely. "How come every time ya do somethin' stupid ya think I'm gonna get rid of ya?"
"Because it seems like I'm always doing stupid things," Kai said before he could stop himself. This made Genrou laugh.
"And everyone else around here doesn't?" They walked together down the hall and Kai looked up at him, smiling behind his back. He turned to look at Kai, who turned his eyes away and blushed. He really hoped Genrou didn't see this last thing. "I know you're still learnin' with the bow," Genrou said, leading him to the weapons room again. "But I want ya to learn how to do somethin' that's more close range." He held a slender sword out to Kai. "This one's yours. Keep it with ya. Don't ever wanna be stuck without somethin' to protect yourself if someone gets in close."
"Thank you, Kashira." Kai reached out to take the sword and as soon as Genrou let go of it, the blade fell forward and hit the ground while Kai attempted clumsily to lift it. His arms wobbled as he pulled the sword's tip off the floor, then knelt down to make sure he hadn't made a dent. "Sorry," he said, blushing harder than when he was watching Genrou. "It's, uh, it's heavier than I expected."
"It's the lightest one we've got," Genrou said, shaking his head. "You're just gonna have to get used to it. Start by gettin' it off the ground, then Nami can help ya learn to fight with it." He grinned at Kai good-naturedly. "Maybe one of these days ya can even challenge me and Kouji."
"Then that's what I'll aim for," Kai said, forcing the sword upward. It swung wildly and Genrou took a quick step back.
"Hey, ya tryin' to kill me or somethin'?"
"Sorry," Kai said again, letting the end of the sword down again. "Maybe I should just practice by myself for a little while. After I finish the laundry," he said quickly, not wanting Genrou to think he was shirking his duties.
"Probably a good idea." Genrou stepped around Kai, giving him a wide berth just in case he tried to swing the sword again. Kai sighed and looked down at the sword.
Great, he thought. Another thing around here for me to be lousy at. Maybe I'll just forget about fighting and be their housekeeper.
"Hey," Genrou said from the doorway, and Kai looked up quickly. For a moment he wondered if he'd spoken aloud and his heart thundered in his chest. The last thing he wanted was for Genrou to think he was giving up. That would be worse than failure. "You're doin' fine," he went on encouragingly. "Nobody picks all this stuff up in a couple of months. Just be glad your food ain't givin' anybody stomachaches anymore and be happy."
"Yes, sir." His advice dispensed, Genrou went on down the hall, not knowing he had made Kai's face burn again. The younger of the two watched the older go until he could no longer see his bright orange hair with a sigh.
Kai wanted desperately for Genrou to understand how much he admired him, how much he wanted him to be proud of his progress, but the progress seemed unwilling to come. He tried to lift the sword, another gift from Genrou, again and managed to get it off the ground for a few seconds. I have to do this, he said, all thoughts of giving up chased from his mind. I can't let Kashira down. Genrou's praise made him dizzy with happiness and he wanted to get better at archery and sword fighting so he could hear more of it. Kai hefted the sword onto his shoulder and carried it in the direction of the laundry room. There were still a lot of shirts to wash.
Once he was finished and everything had been hung out to dry, Kai dragged his sword into the yard and over to Nami, who was sparring with another bandit. He watched closely as their weapons clashed, hoping to somehow pick up pointers.
"What do you want?" Nami asked his question without so much as turning to Kai, who held up the sword as best he could. "Where'd you get that?"
"Kashira gave it to me. He wants me to learn to fight with it."
"And I guess he wants me to show you," sighed Nami. "All right," he said, lowering his weapon. "Bring it over here and let's see how you swing it."
"I'm not-" Kai looked embarrassedly from one bandit to the other. "-I think I need to work on getting it off the ground first."
"Aw, c'mon," the other bandit said, grinning. "Let's see what ya can do, kid." With both of them staring at him, Kai swung the sword clumsily and to his horror, the grip slid through his fingers and the sword went flying. Nami sidestepped it just in time for it to plant itself point-first into the hard packed ground. There was a long silence into which Kai ventured a sheepish smile.
"I think I need more practice." He went over to the sword and began trying to pull it out of the ground. It was stuck firmly and he tugged as hard as he could to no end.
"You ain't kiddin' about that," Nami said, plucking the sword out as easily as a blade of grass. "You're gonna kill someone with skills like that." Kai resisted the urge to tell him that he'd said he needed more practice and continued to smile his shaky smile.
"I'm sorry, Aniki."
"How about this? You pick up and put down that sword a hundred times, that'll get your arm muscles stronger." It seemed like a reasonable suggestion to Kai and he nodded vigorously. "Okay, then get to it."
"Right!" Kai immediately began raising and bringing the sword down while Nami and the other bandit watched. They weren't the only ones, either. Genrou watched from the porch with his arms folded over his chest and smiled, then went inside to find Kouji. He wanted him to see this.
000
The next day was an important one for Genrou and Kouji. It was time for them to go down the mountain to Souun with some of the non-monetary treasure they'd collected as tolls and "liberated" from unscrupulous businessmen and money lenders that had the bad fortune of crossing the path of the Mt. Leikaku bandits.
"You think two horses are gonna be enough?" Kouji stood with Genrou at the window, looking at a long piece of paper with strings of characters written on it. "We could always take the wagon."
"Yeah, I don't think we hafta go that far. Next big market day we can take more so we get a better price for those textiles." He looked out the window and over at the stable, then frowned when he saw Kai standing in front of it with a horse that looked like it would rather be back in the stable.
After considering the horse, which was tied to a post, Kai picked up a saddle and took it over to try and put it on the horse. A look of surprise crossed his face and it was obvious it took a good deal of effort to pick it up. Nevertheless, he tried to heft it up on the horse only for it to miss its mark and fall on the ground. Glancing around to see if anyone was watching him, Kai dusted off the saddle and went back for another try.
"Are you seeing this?" Kouji jerked his thumb at the sight out the window and Genrou nodded, leaning against the windowsill.
"Saddest thing I've ever seen," Genrou said, watching Kai attempt again to throw the saddle over the horse's back. Just as he got it up high enough, the horse stepped sideways and the saddle ended up on the ground again. "I thought when he was gonna hit me he was stronger than that."
"Me too." They watched in silence as the boy picked up the saddle again, this time dusting it off a little more before going over to the horse to try again. This time he brought the horse over to the side of the stable so it couldn't step away from him and used one knee to help him get the saddle up high enough. Genrou was impressed with his balance and he decided the boy just needed some training to get stronger. "What's he up to this time?"
"You've gotta give him credit for not givin' up," Genrou said. Kouji nodded his agreement.
"Yeah, no kidding. There's plenty of guys who would've given up by now. Doesn't make it any less painful to watch. I'm gonna go pack up the stuff. I'll meet you outside." Genrou nodded and Kouji took a last look out the window and shook his head.
Once Kouji was gone, Genrou watched Kai a little longer. There was definitely something interesting about the boy. He was hardworking and eager to please, but more than that he seemed intelligent in a way that reminded him of Hakurou, the man who had led the Mt. Leikaku bandits before him. If anything were to happen to him, Kouji would be the one to take over, but he could see Kai being the new second-in-command easily.
Outside, Kai had finally managed to get the saddle on the horse and was examining the straps to figure out how to secure it. No one was coming to help him but he seemed to be doing all right on his own. Genrou was half-certain that when he tried to get on the saddle it was going to slide right off but that was for the boy to learn.
Genrou leaned on the windowsill as he looked out at the battle going on between man and beast. Kai's face was red with effort but still he worked on, bringing out the harness and trying to get it on the horse. The horse wasn't having any of it, though, and kept shaking its head. Refusing to give up, Kai moved in from another angle but he was just too short for the horse he had picked and Genrou straightened up, checking to make sure his tessen was hanging it from his belt as he went.
When he made it out to the stable, Kai was still trying to get the harness on the horse with little success and the leader grabbed it from his hand as gently as he could without startling the boy.
"Here," he said. "Lemme help ya with that."
"My arms are just a little tired from sword practice," Kai said, his tone defiant. "I can do it." Genrou laughed.
"Yeah, I've been watchin' you try and do it. You've gotta learn how to pick your horses," he said, easily harnessing the horse and settling the bit in its mouth. "Though I guess we don't really have any horses your size."
"I don't need a smaller horse," Kai said, looking off toward the stable petulantly. "This one's fine."
"You've got the strap under the saddle twisted too," Genrou said, ignoring him. "And ya hafta make sure the stirrups are fastened securely." He pointed out the errors in the saddle, noticing that Kai's face fell a little with each direction. For some reason this made him feel guilty. "It's all right," he said hurriedly. "It's your first time, right? Nobody does it right their first time. At least this way ya won't go slidin' off the side."
"Thank you, Kashira." Kai's voice was quiet and Genrou was struck by a sudden burst of inspiration.
"Hey, you wanna come with Kouji and me into town?"
"Me?" Kai looked at him, shocked by his words. Genrou nodded.
"Yeah. We've gotta take some stuff down to sell. Ya may as well learn how to haggle for a good price if you're gonna be with us." All the uncertainty had disappeared from Kai's face, replaced with an excitement that was expected but still good to see.
"You really don't mind taking me along?"
"Nah. Ya better bring your sword, though." Kai gave him a dubious look and he shrugged. "Who knows, ya might be able to whack someone on the head with it or somethin.' Or just throw it at them. You're pretty good at that."
"It's just heavy," Kai said defensively. "I'll get it, though." He left the horse with Genrou, who immediately started setting the saddle up properly. Kouji came outside with a sack in each hand and watched with interest as Kai ran past him. He joined Genrou by the horse and nodded toward the door where Kai had disappeared.
"What was that about? You make him cry or something?"
"I told him to get his sword and come with us." This earned him a raised eyebrow from Kouji, who handed him one of the sacks. "He's been workin' hard, I figured he earned himself a break." Genrou led the horse back to the stable and tied it up so he could get his own horse. He could feel Kouji's look as he loaded the saddlebag. "What?"
"Just wondering why you're so interested in this kid."
"I ain't interested in him," Genrou said, rolling his eyes and tightening the strap on the saddlebag. "But he's gotta learn to do stuff around here other than chores." He smirked. "I still ain't forgotten how miserable it was bein' the new guy."
"You were about as pathetic," Kouji said, loading up his own horse. "At least Kai started out being able to steal stuff. You didn't have anything but a bunch of dirty clothes and an attitude problem." The door to the fortress slid open again and Kai came out with his sword strapped to his back and a grin on his face.
"I fixed your horse for ya," Genrou said, pointing to the horse Kai had been trying to saddle. He put his foot in the stirrup and tossed his leg over the horse, noticing that Kai was somewhat hesitant. Something occurred to Genrou and he narrowed his eyes. "Have ya ever actually rode a horse before?"
"N-not exactly," Kai said, rubbing the horse's neck nervously. "But it can't be that hard, right? I mean you just get up in the saddle and hold on."
"Here," Kouji said, taking pity on Kai and holding the horse still so he could get on it. Kai got his foot in the stirrup but was having trouble pulling himself up. With an impatient sigh, Kouji laced his hands together and held them out for Kai to use as a step. "We oughta make you run laps or something to get stronger."
"Sorry," Kai said, taking the reins. "I'll work harder, I promise."
"Don't kill yourself," Genrou said as Kouji mounted his horse. "The last thing we want is for ya to drop dead in the middle of the yard." This made Kai blush and Genrou nudged his horse forward. Kouji rode alongside him and Kai brought up the rear, watching the backs of the two men in front of him. Once they were outside the gates, Genrou looked back at him. There was something unsettling about having the boy behind him. "You doin' okay back there?"
"Yeah," Kai said with a thumbs-up and a smile. "It's even easier than I thought."
"Don't let your guard down," Genrou said. "Otherwise we're gonna be pullin' ya out of the bushes when ya get bucked off." This was a possibility that hadn't occurred to Kai and he suddenly looked alarmed. "Don't worry about it, you'll do fine."
It was a proclamation that turned out to be correct for the most part. Kai's horse had a habit of gaining on the other two, making Kouji's horse step faster when it was surprised. When he pulled back the reins to make it go slower, the horse stopped altogether and he had to kick it to make it go again, which meant it bumped into Kouji's horse again and started the process all over again.
They finally made it down to the road to Souun and Genrou turned to Kai.
"Once we get down here it's a little smoother. We'll be in town in another couple of minutes or-" A sharp twinge went through his body and he frowned. Someone was nearby, close enough to the mountain that he could feel it. He pulled up his horse short and Kouji and Kai did the same.
"What's wrong?" Kouji watched as Genrou looked around the road. He dismounted and walked carefully toward the bushes. Something was moving there and he held up a hand to Kouji and Kai. He pushed the bushes aside and stepped into them, taking his tessen off his back as he did. Anything could be lurking inside and he wanted to be ready.
But instead of a wild dog or cougar there was only a man who looked like he was waking up from a long sleep. He groaned and Genrou put his tessen back on his back and knelt down. "Hey, what happened to ya?"
"Huh?" The man opened his eyes just as Kouji and Kai came through the bushes, completely disregarding his orders. As soon as he saw Kai's sword, he sat up and crawled backwards away from them. "More bandits! I swear, I don't have any more money!"
"More?" Kouji and Genrou exchanged a look. "Are you saying that someone hit you over the head and took your money?"
"Yes! So please, don't hurt me!"
"We're not gonna hurt you," Kai said kindly, leaning down. "What happened to you?" There was obviously something soothing about the boy's voice because the man relaxed visibly and Genrou was grateful to him for that.
"I was walking down the road to Souun to buy a gift for my wife. It's our anniversary and I'd been saving all year to get her something nice. There were some men by the side of the road and they stopped me to ask if I was going into town. When I answered that I was, one of them grabbed me and held me while the other one went through my pockets. When I called for help, he hit me on the head and I guess he dragged me into the bushes."
"Dammit," Genrou said, shaking his head. "Must be the bandits from Mt. Kaou. I'm sorry about that," he said to the man. "We're from Mt. Leikaku and that ain't how we operate." He gestured to Kouji, who seemed to know immediately what the leader wanted. He went back to the horse, leaving Genrou and Kai with the man. "Don't ya worry though, we'll help ya out."
"Y-you will?" Kouji came back through the bushes and held out a hand to the man, who held out his palms cautiously. With a serious look on his face that didn't match Genrou's grin, he dropped some money and a string of pearls into the man's hands.
"That should buy your wife somethin' nice," Genrou said. "If ya wanna walk with us to the city ya can. We'll keep ya safe."
"Thank you," the man said incredulously. "Are you sure you're bandits?"
"Yeah," Genrou said, his grin widening. "We're the good kind."
They rode the rest of the way to Souun with the traveler walking alongside their horses. He looked a little uncertain but seemed to believe that they weren't out to hurt him. Kouji turned to Genrou, lowering his voice so the man and Kai couldn't hear them.
"Looks like they're up to their usual tricks," he said, nodding at the man. "They're gettin' bold, comin' over into the main road like this."
"I thought they were done for after their last leader dropped off the face of the earth," Genrou said. "Just goes to show ya some guys'll take advantage of anyone if they get the chance. Dunno how they always end up in those mountains, though."
"It's 'cause we take all the decent guys," Kouji said. "Good thing Mt. Leikaku's closer."
"We're gonna hafta put extra guys down here on the road to make sure the travelers don't get taken for everything they've got by these guys." He sighed. "I've got a bad feelin' about this." Kouji nodded and they both automatically looked back at Kai. The man they'd rescued was walking by Kai's horse and the two of them were chatting pleasantly. "Kid's got a way with people," Genrou said. "Maybe we should put him out on the road."
"Already?" Kouji frowned. "He's not even trained to do anything but the laundry and if he doesn't kill himself trying to swing that sword he'll probably manage to break his leg on one of the footpaths."
"So we'll train him. Put him down here with Nami, that'll keep him safe enough. And he made it up the mountain without fallin' in any holes or traps, he can't be that clumsy." They looked back at Kai again and the boy looked at them curiously. As if on cue, the horse's hoof clipped a rock and sent it flying, causing Kai to grab his horse's reins in terror. The horse stopped in its tracks and the traveler looked at him uncertainly.
"I'm okay!" Kai kicked his horse, which moved forward before he was fully ready. He slid sideways on the saddle but pulled himself back quickly and grinned at Genrou and Kouji, who exchanged a look.
"Maybe he ain't ready after all."