Kyuuzou's POV:
I was sitting outside Ayamaro's room in the inn, right behind our 'wise' leader. My tired mind was thinking about Kanbei, Ayame, and a dozen other random things when Ayamaro's voice brought me back to the present. My former employer was telling Kanbei, "Every public action Ukyo performs in Kougakyo appears to be done with the welfare of the people in mind. But he secretly eliminates any who dare to oppose him. All the words he told you were lies, I'm afraid."
"Talking about liars, I know one myself." Kikuchiyo broke in, while turning to fix his mechanical eye on our 'noble leader'. "To win a fight, he will stoop to playacting. That is why he always ends up winning!"
I almost jumped. I knew Kikuchiyo was not talking about me. But the robot's words hit me right in the gut. Lying and playacting were not things I did. Not until Shimada Kanbei came along. That old sinner had dragged me down together with him. I had fallen after him into the dark depths of ambiguity.
End Kyuuzou's POV
After Ayamaro had retired for the night, Kyuuzou quietly made his way to the kitchen. There, a short old lady sat reading by the yellowish light of an electric lamp.
"Nanami oba-san?" Kyuuzou ventured.
The elderly woman gestured towards a covered tray of food sitting on the table beside her. "The food's turned cold. You can reheat it in the microwave if you wish." She yawned.
Kyuuzou lifted the lid of the food tray. Inside were tempura vegetables, fried shrimp, steamed fish and broiled octopus arranged rather artistically. A barely perceptible smile ghosted across his pale features - those were the same items that had been served to Lord Ayamaro.
Nanami's hard narrow eyes watched Kyuuzou slowly and methodically work his way through the entire tray of food and its accompanying bowl of rice. "You're a virtuous child," The old hag nodded with approval when she saw that the thin samurai had completely cleaned out the rice bowl. "Young people nowadays are so wasteful. It is rare to see a clean bowl without any grain of rice left within after a meal. Would you like more rice?"
Kyuuzou shook his head politely, setting down his bowl. In truth he did not mind eating more, but the disciplined martial arts practitioner had the wisdom not to over-indulge himself. Despite his hunger, Kyuuzou had deliberately kept his eating speed slow. After nearly a week on a near-starvation diet, a sudden eating binge would sicken him.
"Now that you've eaten, let me show you to your room," The shriveled crone put down her book and rose to her feet. "It's two doors down from the room occupied by the other samurai."
--
"The proprietess of the House of the Fireflies seems to be the sort of person who knows a guest's needs without needing to ask." Kyuuzou thought gratefully when he retired for the night.
Yukino did not assign him to the same bedroom shared by the rest of the men. The quiet androgyne was given his own little bedchamber, something he appreciated. Kyuuzou had not slept under a roof for weeks, not to mention in a real bed. As he laid himself down on the soft bedding, he was quite certain that he would sleep very well.
But that was not to be. Before the scarlet-eyed samurai had been asleep for even three hours, he started having a most troubling dream. In his dream, Kanbei had entered the room and slipped under the covers with him. "Leave me alone!" Kyuuzou yelled. He knew this had to be a dream because if it was waking life, he would have done more than just yell. The dark samurai ignored Kyuuzou's demand and rolled on top of him. The angry young man fought back desperately, but to no avail. Kanbei was stronger. This was certainly not real! In real life, his wits and skill always won against stronger opponents.
As Kyuuzou struggled ineffectively against the strong body pressing down on him, he felt an unfamiliar and yet not unpleasant sensation build within himself. "No! This cannot be happening!" The crimson samurai almost screamed his thoughts as the older man's mouth covered his own. This was definitely a nightmare! Kyuuzou stopped trying to buck the bigger samurai off and started fighting to wake up.
After a few agonizingly suffocating moments, the determined warrior threw off the shackles of that oppressive dreamscape and opened his eyes, relieved to be back in the waking world. Kyuuzou sat up in bed. That was when he noticed the subject of his nightmare standing in the doorway of his room.
"What are you doing here?" Kyuuzou snapped.
"I was on night watch when I heard you cry out. I thought you might be in danger." Kanbei answered, taking in the sight of the breathless, sweaty samurai sitting under the moonlight.
"I am alright. You can go," Kyuuzou said curtly. Instead, Kanbei stepped into the room and slid the door shut.
"I said I'm fine. I am not in danger." Kyuuzou's eyes narrowed.
"Is that so?" The dark intruder knelt down beside him. Kanbei was close, close enough for Kyuuzou to feel the heat of his body.
"Leave me." Kyuuzou commanded in a dangerously low tone that would have cowed lesser men.
"In a moment," Shimada answered. Then he leaned in and pinched Kyuuzou's nose firmly. When the stunned young man opened his mouth to breathe, Kanbei kissed him. As the kiss rapidly crossed the line into 'very unchaste', the shocked samurai regained his senses enough to push the older man away.
"Next time, you will lose whatever you put in my mouth!" Kyuuzou spat disgustedly, glaring at Kanbei.
"I was just returning the kiss you bestowed on me in Kanna, in case you had forgotten," the seasoned veteran smiled mockingly. Then he rose to his feet in one fluid motion and left the room.
Long seconds passed before Kyuuzou, still trembling with rage, raised a hand to his still burning lips. "Has Kanbei seen through my pretenses?" he wondered. In the darkness, he could still feel the lingering blush on his cheeks, a teasing reminder of his weakness.