When Kazune was ready, he descended the stairs and found that Karin was already finishing up her breakfast. She glanced at him as he approached, drank down her milk and stood up to leave the room. Kazune watched her as she left. He sighed and sat down to eat alone. One of the maids brought out a plate with mouth-watering hot food. Kazune looked at the food before him and was amazed at how kind a breakfast Michiru planned. There were fried eggs with bright yellow-orange yolks sprinkled with pepper. On the side he saw 2 strips of bacon, 2 sausages, fried tomatoes, mushrooms and a potato cake. He was also given a tall glass of milk to tie everything together. He could hardly contain his excitement as he grabbed his fork and began to eat. Last night had made him very hungry. He was amazed that he hadn't realized until food was in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Michiru move into the kitchen and begin talking to the maids. Kazune heard laughter and the sound of coffee pouring into a cup. Michiru then came and sat at the table with Kazune. He stared as Kazune wolfed down the food but, he said nothing. He just sipped at his black coffee, savoring the warmth.
Kazune was almost done when Karin called into the hall that she was going into town to do laundry.
"If you have anything to wash, give it to me."
Kazune stopped and hurriedly chewed up the food in his mouth.
"I'll come with you!" He called, making Michiru glance up at him.
"No you won't!" Karin yelled back.
Michiru laughed a bit while Kazune looked upset at the blunt response.
He turned to Michiru and said "I am going whether she likes it or not."
"Are you going because of what I said? How overprotective of you." Michiru laughed again.
"She got kidnapped once; I'm not going to let that happen again!"
"Yes, yes, I know. I certainly understand."
Kazune left Michiru in the room. He quickly found a coat in one of the closets and found a hat in another room. Looking at himself, he looked different. The long dark blue coat and black hat highlighted his hair and eyes though. Stuffing his hair up into the hat as much as possible, Kazune thought he could pass for a random stranger. Before he could find more clothing to disguise himself he heard Karin call out again that she was leaving. To the best of his ability with his cane, Kazune rushed down the stairs, careful not to let Karin see him.
He counted to 100 before opening the door into the city. He could see Karin's form well down the walkway from the palace. Walking briskly but staying far behind her, he followed her into the town. Once again he was taken aback by the mass sea of people that swarmed in the kingdom's valley. He could still see her weaving between the people so he picked up the pace. Kazune then found himself coming into an open part of the crowd and saw Karin dip behind lightly sun-colored walls. There was somewhere behind the buildings that was bright so Kazune approached carefully.
He peaked around the corner ever so slightly and saw a cobblestone courtyard with a fountain in its center. The red brick walls, void of plaster, had vines of ivy and morning glories snaking up the walls. He saw Karin sitting at the fountain, beginning the laundry. Her bright golden hair fell over her shoulder and he watched as she removed he cloak to reveal an off the shoulder top tucked into a high-waisted skirt. His kiss marks were plainly visible.
Kazune found himself almost drooling at the sight. She looked gorgeous sitting here all alone with the calm scenery behind her. She leaned over the fountain to dip the clothing in the water. Kazune nearly held his breath when her white top nearly dipped into the water. Karin began scrubbing the cloth against the washboard and she added a little bit of soap. Each push down and recoil of her body made her breasts swing. Her slender arms were covered in a light coating of shimmering bubbles. At one point she pushed her hair up and out of her face, making a seductive stretching motion.
"Damn" Kazune thought. "No wonder she's attracting attention from other men."
Just as he thought those words, Kazune saw a man walk around the corner opposite from him. He was shorter with black hair cut into a perfect almost bowl cut. It was cut much shorter in the back than the front. He looked kind and timid. The man approached Karin and they seemed to know each other. Straining his ears, Kazune heard Karin greet him as Yuuki. He bent down to talk with Karin as she continued washing. As she finished, she would hand Yuuki wet clothing and he would turn and hang it up along the wire line above them. They were chatting pleasantly and Kazune was trying to not judge the situation harshly.
"I won't interfere unless Karin is in danger" he repeatedly told himself as if meditating to those words.
As he watched Yuuki and Karin he became less worried about them. Yuuki was keeping a distance from Karin that made Kazune think that they were just friends. Unlike with Michiru, Yuuki was not touchy or overly friendly. Karin was making no motions that looked like she was interested in him either. Once all the laundry was hung, they sat on the edge of the fountain and chatted as the clothing dried in the afternoon sun. Kazune saw Yuuki's face turn to one of concern as he reached out and lightly touched one of the bite marks on Karin's shoulder.
Kazune was ready to pounce but held back to see what he would do.
Karin seemed to get a little flushed but mostly just hung her head into her palm and shook it.
"Kazune was being dumb and thought it would be a good idea to mark me." She said in an exasperated tone.
Yuuki looked at her with worried eyes. "But you are not an object, why did he feel he should do so?" Yuuki questioned.
"Because..." Karin trailed as she looked up towards the sky. "He is worried about me."
Kazune was interested in their conversation. While he disliked that Karin thought his gift was dumb, he was surprised by how accepting Yuuki seemed to be.
"I just got back here from being kidnapped so, Kazune wants to ward others off by showing that I have someone close enough to do these kinds of things." Karin sighed again.
"I guess I understand, but I do not think that would stop someone if they really wanted to kidnap you. I mean, even married women and children who are too young get kidnapped sometimes." Yuuki said facing forward. He had a pained expression on his face.
"If your boyfriend is so worried, why does he not come out with you?"
"Ah, well, I am mad at him so I told him not to come along." Karin smiled sheepishly and let out a forced laugh.
Yuuki reached over and put his hand on Karin's head.
"I am glad that we met. You are an interesting person." Yuuki said, not loudly but confidently.
Karin laughed as she reached out to touch the fabric of the clothing to see if it was dry yet.
Kazune's legs were getting tired from standing this long. He was almost ready to just go back home but he was still interested in their relationship.
"Are they really friends or does he have a crush on her?" Kazune wondered. Certainly it could be that, Karin was very beautiful and kind to those who don't see her stubbornness.
He looked around the corner again and saw that they were taking down the clothes. Yuuki and Karin were neatly folding side by side and filling the basket that Karin had brought with her. At one point, Yuuki's hand touched Karin's and he stopped short, blushing a little, looking sideways at her. Karin did not seem fazed by the encounter. She continued folding.
Smirking at the boy, Kazune decided that it was time to tease him a bit. He gathered himself up and tried his best to portray a manly posture.
"Karin!" Kazune called out from behind the wall as he walked around the corner.
Karin and Yuuki looked up suddenly and looked surprised to see Kazune walking over.
"Kazune! I thought I told you not to come out? How did you find me?"
Yuuki looked at Kazune and then back at Karin and back to Kazune.
"I followed you. I wanted to make sure no one took you again. Michiru said you had been gaining the interest of this town's men so..." Kazune smiled at Yuuki with a smile that was a little intimidating.
"Well I'm fine! So go home!" Karin was annoyed. She knew what he was doing. Before she could say any more, Yuuki stood up and walked up to Kazune.
"It is nice to meet you, Kazune Kujyou, I am Yuuki Sakurai. Karin has become a dear friend of mine. He held out his hand.
Kazune looked at him before taking his hand a squeezing harder than usual.
Yuuki let out a little squeak.
"It is very nice to meet you." Kazune said with a cat smile.
Have you been meeting up with Karin every day since you've met?" Kazune asked.
"N-no, just the days she comes to town and sometimes I have work so I cannot visit."
"Kazune, stop it, you're scaring him." Karin yelled.
"No, Karin, I am alright. I am very glad to be able to meet the one you love so much... I am very glad..." Yuuki trailed off. His face went sour momentarily.
Kazune looked over Yuuki's shoulder and saw Karin return to putting the last of the clothing in the basket.
"Yuuki" Kazune spoke.
Yuuki straightened up and looked him dead in the eyes.
"You do realize I cannot let you fall in love with Karin, right?"
Yuuki's face went red.
"I'm not, I swear it to you!" He looked like he had become terrified. Karin must have told him about how upset he'd gotten at the governor.
"Hey, calm down! I don't blame you if you did... she is very beautiful... but I think you are a timid, shy boy so I don't want to have to fight you later."
Yuuki looked at Kazune with large eyes.
"Karin likes you it seems, I would rather not ruin your friendship but if you do not think you can forget the beginning of your love for her, I suggest not interacting with her any further."
Yuuki looked at Kazune for a few moments before he spoke. "If Karin wishes to stay with you, I will not intrude. I am not someone who would take someone away from their loved ones... but if Karin decides she likes me, even a little bit more, I will not hesitate to allow my love to bloom."
His words were spoken calmly and with a grace that Kazune was not used to. Something about Yuuki made Kazune less upset and acknowledge his feelings.
"Can we become friends as well?" Kazune asked surprising himself and the approaching Karin.
Yuuki looked a little shocked and was unsure how to answer.
"Karin and I will be moving outside the kingdom's walls very shortly. We plan to live in the forest just beyond so we will come back here frequently. I'd like to get to know you better and I am sure Karin would appreciate keeping your friendship." Kazune glanced over to Karin's face. She looked leery.
"Take your time to answer. Karin, are you done with the laundry?"
Yuuki turned and saw Karin nod her head. He then looked at Kazune, taking in his form.
Kazune was a good head taller and his build was not huge, but he still looked like he'd be more muscular than Yuuki. The sun beam hair and sapphire eyes shone brightly. Kazune had not seemed rude to him and he even wondered if he could have done everything Karin said. Was this really the man that killed Governor Jin, given Karin all those bites and spoken with harsh, grating words? He did not appear any more possessive than an average boyfriend would. Kazune did not seem scary.
"I will try to get to know you." Yuuki responded to Kazune.
"Yuuki, you really don't want to get to know this guy, he's super touchy!" Karin warned with a stunned voice before Kazune shot her a glare.
"Karin... I could be a lot more upset at you for keeping your new friend a secret..." his voice got husky and low. "I'm honestly not more upset because Yuuki seems harmless and even if he did try something..." Kazune looked at Yuuki's face as it grew more worried by Kazune's next words. "It would not be so hard to put him in his place."
Kazune's words sounded sharp to Yuuki's ears. He suddenly got a feeling of dread and almost lost all interest in affiliating himself with Karin and her boyfriend. He held himself strong. He would not, could not show weakness here, that is what Kazune wanted. He was being tested, he was sure of it. He would not try to take Karin away, it would not benefit him.
"Since you are done, I'll walk back to the palace with you." Kazune spoke.
"I am not going right back, I have other things I need to do. Why don't you go back now that you've had your little spy adventure?" Karin said curtly.
"What do you have to do? Certainly that laundry basket is too heavy and full to go grocery shopping with." Kazune smiled and reached out to touch her, pulling her closer by the back of her neck.
"I'm going to find myself new clothing because you ripped my kimono back then and I only had 3 outfits. I am lucky that the maids at the palace were kind enough to lend me clothing this past month."
Kazune had forgotten that he'd ripped her kimono... he also realized he ripped the buttons of a borrowed dress last night.
"I'll pay for the clothing I ripped and the buttons I popped off." Kazune said rubbing the back of his head with a guilty face.
Yuuki was still standing there, watching their interactions. Kazune ripped off clothing? He wondered with a lightly flustered face. As he had been thinking, Karin turned to him with a defeated face.
"I'm going shopping with Kazune; I'll see you the day after tomorrow when I go buy groceries. Would you like to come along for that? We can meet by the fish stand."
"Y-yes, I'll meet you then." Yuuki stuttered checking to see if Kazune looked angry.
"Okay, see you then!" Karin called as she turned and walked over to where Kazune was standing. As soon as she got within arm's reach, Kazune had wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in very close. They walked side by side till they vanished behind the walls.
Yuuki was left feeling uncertain about his new acquaintance as he turned to go back to his workplace.
Kazune held Karin close as he thought about Yuuki's words. He was surprised that he did not go off on him, knowing that Yuuki likes Karin. Maybe he really was maturing.
"Kazune, I want to get an outfit from here" Karin said motioning to a store they'd almost passed.
He looked in the window and saw simple dresses of varying patterns. They went inside and the sales woman approached Karin, asking if they could help her find anything. Karin explained that she was looking for a practical dress that would be easy to move in and still look nice. The lady showed her to a back section of the store while Kazune sat with the basket of clean laundry. He glanced around the store and saw a few girls but most were middle-aged women. Why was Karin shopping here? She'll look like an old maid in these clothes.
Karin came out from the back of the store and walked over to Kazune wearing a prospective dress.
"What do you think?" she said as she spun around.
"Why are you buying such a plain dress?" Kazune asked bluntly.
"This dress isn't for wearing out, it is for doing chores in and getting dirty if it needs to, now answer me. Does it look good or not?"
The dress was a mossy green with brown floral patterns along the hem. It was very similar to the kimono that Kazune had ripped so he guessed it was fine.
"It looks good, as long as you like it." He would have preferred something more youthful on her.
"Good! I will get this one then. We'll go to a different store for daily wear." Karin went to the back again to take the dress off. After Kazune paid, they left and continued down the road. Across the street, Kazune spied a store that looked like it was swarming with young women. The clothing in the window looked beautiful and a little fancy. He pulled on Karin's arm and walked her towards the shop.
"Kazune where are you going?" Karin looked ahead. "That shop is expensive! We shouldn't buy something there." Kazune didn't listen.
"Even if it is expensive, it still might be fun to try it on." He winked back at her.
They reached the store front and walked inside. A bell jingled overhead.
"Hello! What can we do for you today?" The sales woman asked.
"She is looking for a new dress to wear to special occasions." Kazune replied before Karin could open her mouth. "We don't have a huge budget but we are willing to spend up to $200."
Karin let out a heavy breath.
"Of course, sir, one moment, let me see what we have." The sales lady left them.
"$200?" Karin breathed. "That is way too much. I don't have that kind of money, neither do you!"
"We didn't stay in as many Inns as I thought we would on this journey. I have the money left over from that. Even if I treat you to this, I will still have enough to pay for the buttons and a more casual dress. We're living off Jin's money right now so it isn't like we have to be frugal."
Karin was flustered. There was no way she could accept this. The woman came back with a rack of dresses.
"There are more in the back so if you do not find one that you like, I can bring out 2 or 3 more racks like this one. I guessed at your size, you look like your dress size is a 4 or a 6... However that bust-line of yours is maybe a 10. We do alterations for free if the dress is more than $150." The sales woman giggled.
"Look through them and pick whichever you like. Don't look at the price tag." Kazune smiled at her with a warm glow.
"But..."
"Here, this one first." Kazune had grabbed one off the rack and handed it to her.
Karin reluctantly took it and went to the changing room to try it on. A few moments later and she had not left the changing room yet. Kazune heard her call to him so he got up and wandered over.
"It is a little tight..." She said through the curtain.
Kazune stuck his head in and saw her. The dress was a strapless corset bodice in a dark wine color. The skirt reached the floor and had a few layers of draped fabric wrapping around her hips and down where her thighs would be. The top of the bodice was struggling to keep her breasts in and it did look very tight.
"Well, I like it." Kazune said with a grin.
"It's too revealing! Can you get me the dark blue one?" Karin was trying to breathe.
"Alright, one moment."
Kazune walked back and found the dark blue one she was talking about. This one had long sleeves and a V cut neck. The skirt was full and had matching lace covering it.
"This one is too old fashioned" Kazune thought as he handed it to her through the curtains.
Karin called out again when she was done putting the dress on. It did look nice on her but Kazune still thought it was too hard to get off.
"Try something younger looking." Kazune whined.
"Why?" Karin asked
"Because, someday you're not going to be able to wear younger clothing, and this kind of dress will suit you perfectly."
Karin was a little surprised. She had never thought about the fact that she would not always be able to wear whatever she wanted. Maybe he was right.
"Okay, you pick the next one... but please keep in mind that I don't like tight clothing."
Kazune brought Karin many dresses to try and there was always something either he or she didn't like about them. It was getting late and they'd already gone through 2 of the racks. The sales lady brought out the last rack and there were significantly fewer dresses on this one. Kazune's eyes caught one of them, however; and he took that one first.
"Karin, try this one."
"I'm getting tired of this, we should just find a different store." She said sounding exhausted.
"Just one more, please. I think you'll like this one."
Karin's arm stuck out of the curtain and waited for the dress. Kazune handed it to her and listened to the shuffling of fabric.
"I'm done." Karin called out.
Kazune peeked through the curtains again.
The dress was a pearly light blue, almost white with a scooping neck that had loose folds around the top midline of her bust. It showed off just enough cleavage for Kazune's liking. The rest of the dress was long and draped over Karin's body like the Greek wet drapery style of sculpture. It highlighted the curve of her thighs and waist without bringing too much attention to her butt and lower legs. Over her shoulders were wing like tails of sheer fabric that resembled shimmery ice. There were thick straps rather than sleeves so her arms were bare but her legs were covered until she walked, which allowed for her feet to be exposed.
Karin looked absolutely stunning.
She looked like she was a goddess but at the same time could put goddesses to shame.
Kazune could only stare.
"Well..." she asked bashfully."What do you think of this one?"
"We are done." Kazune said hurriedly. He reached into the dressing room and tore the price tag off the dress, disappearing behind the curtains.
"Kazune!" Karin called out. She moved after him only to be greeted by the stares of every woman in the store. The sales lady was ringing up the sale and Kazune was already paying. Karin felt uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her.
"Kazune." she called out quietly. "This is too much... I feel too fancy."
Finishing the sale, Kazune strode back over to her, all eyes following his movements. Some whispers began to swirl as the young women commented on how handsome and beautiful they were together.
Kazune reached out for Karin's face and kissed her passionately on the lips. She was dipped backwards while he held onto her arm and behind her back. A small gasp and giddy laughter rose from the crowd.
"Take it off, we're going back home. You can wear it later." Kazune was sparkling with enthusiasm.
As they left the store it was already evening. By the time they would be back at the palace it would be dark. The other shops were closing up.
"Kazune... how much was that dress?" Karin asked with a shivering voice.
"No more than $200. That was the budget after all." Kazune avoided the question.
"How much was it?" Karin asked again a little louder this time.
"It was worth seeing you in it." Kazune answered again with a more exasperated tone.
"When will I ever wear something that fancy?" She called out.
"Who knows, it is good to have just in case." Kazune had a grin on his face that seemed to be hiding something.
Karin fell silent for the rest of the walk home. They were greeted by Michiru when they reached the palace doors.
"You two were out for a while!"
Karin pushed past and almost ran to her room.
"Kazune-chan, is Miss Hanazono alright?" Michiru asked with a concerned look.
"She's fine, I just spent a little more money on her than she would have liked."
"Oooh, and what did you buy?" Michiru sounded like a girl about to get a juicy gossip story.
"Something I hope she wears for me when the day arrives" Kazune said as he looked into the future he was imagining.
"I see. I won't tell Miss Hanazono. That'll be your job." Michiru said with a smirk.
