A/N: Just a few quick notes.

Updates: I'm going to try to update this story every two weeks, give or take a few days. Summer is especially busy for where I work, but I'll do my best!

And okay, Watsuki has obviously never had much experience with fashion (have you guys really looked at the Westernized Akabeko uniforms? Bleh). I know there's nothing I can do to change what's already been canonized, but since I have a shot to classy-up the Akabeko through Sou's uniform, I'm doin' it.

Google double-breasted waistcoats when you get a mo. They are hawt.

And now end of the blabber.


Chapter Two - A Wrench in Clocks

Yahiko followed Tsubame into the restaurant, reaching back to scratch his head with one hand. "Look," he began, before Tae could speak. "Nothing was going to get out of hand, Tae-san. I was just talking to Yutaro - "

"You said that last time, after the shoji was sliced in half," Tae interrupted dryly. "Were your swords drawn when you were 'talking?'"

He scowled. "No."

Tae crossed her arms and turned to Tsubame. "Were they?"

"Hey, you don't believe me?" Yahiko rounded on Tsubame, who was looking embarrassed to be at the center of attention. "Tsubame, don't tell her anything," he warned her.

Tsubame blushed scarlet. "Well, the swords might have been... a little bit..."

Tae raised her eyebrows knowingly as Yahiko groaned. "I thought so," she said, hiding her smile as Yahiko rubbed his hand into his hair again, making his wind-blown style look even more kinetic. He had been tenser than usual these days, ever since Yutaro had returned from Germany quite the playboy. Every once in a while, when Yutaro thought Yahiko's guard was down, he flirted with Tsubame, playfully hoping to steal her affections right under Yahiko's nose. Most of the time their competition over the oblivious Tsubame was amusing, except for the time when Yahiko really did destroy one of the shoji in the front entrance. Yahiko had apologized and paid for a new door, but Tae still liked to tease him about it.

"I have something I need you to do, but first I have an introduction to make." Tae glanced at Soujiro, and the look on his face as he gazed at Yahiko was as inscrutable as ever. "This is Soujiro-san. He will replace Kanako-chan as a waiter in the Akabeko."

"Soujiro, huh?" Yahiko looked him up and down. "You don't look too old - "

"I'm older than you," he said lightly.

Yahiko's mouth twitched. Tae had known him for so long that she recognized his tell of secret amusement when she saw it. "Why d'you want to work at the Akabeko?"

"It sounds like fun."

"Yeah?" Yahiko crossed his arms.

"Yes, and I need the work. But don't worry - " He smiled sunnily at Yahiko " - I'm not here to take your girl away from you."

For a long moment, no one spoke. Yahiko appeared thunderstruck, and Tsubame looked between Soujiro and Yahiko, wide-eyed. Tae glanced sidelong at Soujiro, watching his unwavering smile.

What a strange person he was.

The moment lengthened and Tae saw Yahiko swallow hard. It seemed as though he wasn't sure whether to be affronted or entertained. Tsubame was looking at him, her hand hovering just above his arm, waiting for a sign to either comfort or placate him. And Soujiro was just smiling, simply smiling.

Tae sighed internally. It was up to her, then, to defuse the situation.

She put a hand over her mouth, forcing out a giggle. The three of them turned to look at her as she laughed, pushing the sound into an effortless cascade of good humor. Then, after a pause, Tsubame joined in, her light voice a perfect harmony.

Yahiko's wrinkled brow smoothed and he nodded once. "Yeah," he said, "Yeah, I guess you're alright." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking over at Tae. "So, uh, what did you need me to do?"

She met his brown eyes coolly. "Clean out the storage room upstairs," she said casually. "Soujiro-san is going to live there now."

"What?" Yahiko demanded, turning back to scowl at Soujiro.

"A man's got to live somewhere," he quipped blithely.

"But after what you just said - !"

"I told you, that's not my reason for being here." Soujiro shrugged, as if his explanation was the simplest thing in the world. "So you don't need to worry about it."

Yahiko held Soujiro's gaze for a moment longer, looking unconvinced. Then a slow, awkward chuckle came out. "Well... at least you're honest," he said eventually. "Alright, Tae-san, I'll clean out the room after I get something to eat."

"Oh!" Tsubame snapped her arm out, automatically gesturing for him to sit down at one of the tables. "Tell me what you want and I'll get it for you!"

"Wait just a moment." Tae shook her head. "Tsubame, you haven't eaten, right? I think this could be a good teaching opportunity."

"Eh?" Tsubame blinked.

"You mean..." Yahiko rubbed his neck again, his face reddening. Tae turned to Soujiro with a wide smile. "We have two guests who are hungry. Please invite them to sit."

Soujiro blinked at her. "...ah." He bowed politely to Yahiko and Tsubame, playing along. "If you wouldn't mind - "

"Oh, but... I mean, really, you don't have to - I could help - " Tsubame twisted her hands together, biting the corner of her lips nervously.

"Tsubame, sit down. It's training." Yahiko reached up and tugged Tsubame down into the seat across from him. His hand lingered on her wrist a few seconds before he slowly pulled away. Tae, watching him, smiled.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Soujiro asked courteously.

Tsubame smoothed her apron over her lap, her fingers light and nervous. "Ah! Um - well -"

"Tea," Yahiko broke in. He raised an eyebrow at Tsubame. "You have to be more decisive, Tsubame."

"Sorry, Yahiko-kun." She ducked her head shyly, biting her lip again. Yahiko's eyes softened, watching her, and he sighed.

Soujiro bobbed his head smartly. "Coming right up!" He exclaimed and spun on his heel, whisking into the kitchen. Tae followed a little slower, a few steps behind.

He had already pulled out a teapot and was filling it by the fireside by the time Tae came to stand in the kitchen doorway. She looked on silently as he pulled out a tray and set two small cups on the side. He placed the teapot beside them and paused.

"Is... something wrong?" She asked, glancing from his motionless hands to the profile of his face.

"No," he replied.

She linked her hands behind her back and leaned against the doorframe. "You haven't forgotten anything," she said after a long moment, wondering if his stillness stemmed from a sudden uncertainty of what to do next. "All you have to do now is take it out to them and ask for their order."

"Yes."

But Soujiro didn't move. Tae watched him, wondering if something else was the matter.

He spoke without turning. "You laughed."

She raised her head a little. Soujiro's voice had been soft, but she had heard it nonetheless. She examined the lines of his face, searching for any emotion there - whether he was confused, amused, questioning, skeptical - but she could see nothing that indicated one way or another.

When his head turned slightly toward her, she realized he was expecting a response. "Yes," she said, not knowing what else to say. "It was funny."

Soujiro was still for a moment longer, then he picked up his tray and turned to face her. "Yes," he said with a smile, "it was, wasn't it?"

He brushed past Tae and out of the kitchen, leaving her wide-eyed in surprise. Behind their counter, Nizuno and Urato were looking at her with twin expressions of bemusement on their faces.

"What was that about?" Urato said, arching one eyebrow.

"Not sure," Tae replied, glancing over her shoulder toward the main room.

"Well, the kid has a point - your laugh is kind of funny," Nizuno said, a shrug in his voice.

Tae gave them a withering look before returning to the restaurant. When she reached Soujiro's side, he was taking their order.

"You do it this time," Yahiko told Tsubame. "And chose fast this time."

Tsubame nodded firmly. "Okay, um - scallionsmushroomsandnoodles!"

"Uh..." Yahiko couldn't quite keep the grin from his face. "Not that fast, Tsubame, you'll need to give Soujiro some time to write it down - "

"No need," Soujiro interjected brightly. "I caught it all: scallions, mushrooms and noodles. I'll be just a moment!" He bowed crisply and strode away, just as fast.

Yahiko smirked up at Tae. "What an amateur. You really need to break him in, Tae. If this were in the middle of lunch or dinner - "

She shrugged. "He'll soon get the hang of it. I'm going to put him on the floor tonight."

"Huh? All by himself, so soon?"

"Sure. If you wouldn't mind shadowing him - "

"What? You want me to follow him around?" When Tae only nodded, Yahiko sat back with a groan. "But I already have to clean out the upstairs room - "

" - Or I could pair him with Tsubame." She smiled sweetly at the abrupt scowl on his face. "Your choice."

Tsubame glanced from Tae to Yahiko. "I don't mind helping - "

"Shut up, Tsubame." Yahiko glared at Tae. "I'll do it."

"Thank you," she said smoothly.

They waited for Soujiro to return with the food. After a few moments, Tsubame ducked her head. "Um... Yahiko-kun, do you know what this reminds me of? It sort of feels like we're eating at a restaurant together somewhere. You know? Just you and me. It's - It's fun." Her eyes darted up to meet his, then quickly looked away. "I mean... I think it's pretty fun..."

The annoyed look on Yahiko's face faded. "Yeah, I guess so," he said, turning his head away. Tae tugged down the lace cuffs of her dress, hiding her smile.

"Please forgive the wait." Soujiro appeared beside Tae and she started a little. He bent his head apologetically, squatting down by the table.

"Oh - no, no." Tae shook her head. She pressed out the wrinkles of her dress as she sank gracefully to her knees. "Kneel down at an angle to the table, like this. Pay extra care to the plate in your hand so that the movement is seamless; you would not want to lose balance and tip the food."

"Like this?" Soujiro knelt down beside her, his faded hakama a stark contrast to her midnight-blue uniform.

"Exactly so," she said, nodding. "And when in the role of a server, apologize for your actions; tardiness or a long wait is not something you can presume to ask forgiveness for from the customers."

"I suppose that makes sense. Sorry, Tae-san."

"Of course, when an egregious error is performed - you mix up the plate, or you spill something - that is when it is fitting to ask to be forgiven."

"Or when you speak from your heart," Soujiro added.

It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did, Tae froze. Suddenly she remembered in exact detail what Soujiro was referring to.

The heat in her cheeks, a dead giveaway she was blushing. The pounding in her ears, as her heartbeat threatened to drown out all rational thought. What had she done? She had said too much. She wanted to take the words back, wished she hadn't been so careless -

But there he was, he was staring at her, waiting for her to explain. And she couldn't - what could she say? That she had broken the most important rule of service? That she'd been distracted and spoke without thinking, caught up in wishing things she shouldn't - couldn't - think?

She fought the inclination to bow. No, pretend she had meant it. Pretend she still had command of herself, of the situation. Pretend an easiness she didn't feel.

She could feel her lips trembling, but she smiled. "Forgive me," she murmured, and she was both relieved and heartened with how sure of herself she sounded. She continued slowly, cautiously, measuring each word with care. "I... did not mean to speak my heart aloud. I do at times wish for a distraction, that is true. But by no means did I mean to imply that I wished you to provide a - " She stumbled on the wording, but caught herself in time "- a distraction."

Her eyes flickered up to meet his. His dark blue irises were fringed with pale grey, giving his eyes the look of deep ice in winter. No - they were like snow in a cloudless evening, she corrected herself, watching as his eyes darted back and forth, gazing into her own.

Such beautiful blue eyes.

Shamed, she did bow her head this time. He might have seen the growing awe in her expression, or read too much into her words. Perhaps the apology was doing no good after all, and he was thinking that she was only wasting his time. Or, worse, if he could read her ki and understand -

She shut her eyes, banishing the thought. "I sincerely apologize," she murmured, hoping with all her heart that he would soon forget this grave mistake and it would all be over.

And yet he had not forgotten. Not for five years.

Tae spread her hands flat against her thighs. She could feel Soujiro's eyes on her now - not expectant, but calmly waiting, as if simply observing her to see what she would do next. She swallowed. "That is true," she admitted softly. "When serving, it is the concern of our customers that we must seek to remedy, never our own."

"What would make someone talk about themselves?" Soujiro asked, sounding only mildly curious.

Yahiko raised his cup to his lips, glancing over at Tae. "Any sorts of things," she replied, wondering if Soujiro meant for the question to be about her general instructions, or the first day they'd met. "In some cases things have turned out well, but more often than not..." She glanced over at him and smiled. "Well, you understand - please try not to let that happen."

He blinked at her for a moment, then smiled back. "Of course not, Tae-san."

"Very well. Pour the ingredients in." She watched as Soujiro tilted his hand just right, so the shiitakes and chopped scallions fell into the pot in neat little piles. "Perfect," she commented.

Soujiro beamed.

She patted her knees once, briskly. "And that's all you need to do."

"Oh? That's all?" He looked up at her as she rose to her feet.

"The pot will cook the food, and the customers have the ability to make it as raw or cooked as they wish. Of course you'll be walking back and forth through the restaurant as you help your other tables, so you'll be hailed with questions or requests every once in a while." She dug into the pocket of her apron and pulled out her small notebook. "Which is why," she said, handing it to Soujiro, "you will need one of these."

"Oh no, I can remember just fine - "

Yahiko scoffed. "You idiot. You don't even know what it's like to be a server on the floor. Sure, your memory's fine with just one table to take care of. But what about six? Ten?" He nodded to the notebook in Tae's hand. "If you know what's good for ya, you'll take it."

Soujiro gave the paper a look, but didn't say anything.

"You don't have to use it if you don't want to, but have it with you just in case." Tae waggled the notebook enticingly but Soujiro still didn't move. Stifling a sigh, she dropped it into his lap. "A third of the restaurant is a large percentage to be responsible for," she said, "and it'll help. You'll see."

"A third..." His head whipped around. "You are not a waitress, Tae-san?"

"Not anymore." She looked toward the screen at the front of the restaurant - her usual post during the meal hours. "I'm the hostess. I seat the customers, handle the payment, and sometimes I do help with the tables, but that's what the waitresses are for."

"And waiter!" Tsubame put in brightly.

"And waiter," Tae amended.


During dinner, Tae spent every spare moment watching how Soujiro was doing. Tsubame had halved her section with Soujiro, and he moved from table to table tirelessly, constantly smiling with no effort at all. Yahiko trailed behind Soujiro a step behind, arms crossed and looking stone-faced. Every once in a while, when they came close enough and Tae wasn't busy, she could hear the conversation that they seemed to be carrying out in a soft monotone.

"You don't need to follow me so closely, Yahiko-san," Soujiro protested once, early on.

"Yeah, I do," Yahiko grunted. "I need to make sure you don't make a mistake."

"I won't. But having you so close is a little strange."

"Deal with it."

In between seating some newly-arrived customers and giving change for the dinner, Yahiko said, "did you have to stand there and watch as I moved all the boxes out of your room?"

"You didn't ask for any help," Soujiro responded innocently.

Yahiko's only reply was a sigh of disgust.

A little while later, Soujiro said, "you look like a bodyguard."

"Why d'you say that?"

"Because you do. Your arms are crossed and you look angry."

"Whatever. I don't care." But the next time Tae saw him, a few minutes later, his hands hung down by his side.

After that, things got quite busy. Tae had to help Hana carry extra trays of tea to an especially large party, then plates of food after that. Then a small child at one of Kanako's tables dropped their chopsticks and Tae went to fetch another pair from the kitchen. As she approached, she heard Soujiro's soft voice coming from just inside.

"You seem pretty irritable, Yahiko-kun."

"Yeah, well, I am."

"At me?"

"At Tae-san, but she pays me, so I'm taking it out on you."

Soujiro laughed a little. "That's a silly thing to do. Being angry wastes a lot of energy and time."

"Shut up, I don't need advice from you," he ground out peevishly.

Trying not to smirk, Tae swept into the kitchen. "You should take his advice, Yahiko. You never know when your employer might be walking past."

"You see?" Soujiro grinned serenely at Yahiko, who was torn between embarrassment and annoyance. He picked up his tray and swept out, followed by Yahiko, who sent a glowering look over his shoulder before he, too, left the room.

"I like the new guy," Nizuno declared, as soon as they were gone.

"Oh?" Tae went to their stash of chopsticks and plucked a pair at random from the pile.

"Yeah, and he's bold enough to goad the boy who's caught a thousand blades," Urato added, elbowing Nizuno in the stomach. "Not many people try to mess with Yahiko nowadays."

"It's like the old days," Nizuno said, sharing a look with Urato.

"You two make no sense sometimes," Tae said. She rolled her eyes, heading for the door.

"I'm serious," Nizuno called to her. "Yahiko's gonna want to fight the kid someday, believe me. And that's something I wanna see."

"What?" Tae stopped with her foot on the threshold. She twisted around to look at them. "It won't ever come to that. They'll get along, you'll see."

Urato shook his head. "Not like that, Tae-san. Fight. To test your worth against someone else. Not because you hate each other , but because you have to."

"D'you think Soujiro's been trained in a style of swordsmanship?" Nizuno mused, raising his eyebrows.

"I guess we'll find out eventually."

Tae was looking at them with the best unimpressed expression she could muster. "Fight 'not because you hate each other, but because you have to'?" She echoed flatly.

"Sure," Urato said. "It's a man thing, Tae-san. Obviously you wouldn't understand."

"Obviously." She looked between the chefs, an arched eyebrow the only sign of her displeasure. "But I'm sure it won't come to such extreme measures," she said, her tone allowing for no further discussion. "This is a restaurant, remember, not a dojo."

Nizuno and Urato had no reply for her - not that she expected one. She swept out of the room, leaving their silly conversation and pointless conjecture behind.


Tae is an interesting woman.

Soujiro watched her in small, stolen glances. She had waited to eat until the main floor of the restaurant had emptied, waited until the rest of her staff had filled their bowls before serving herself. It was a conscious decision, he knew, to deprive oneself of the needs of life - to ignore the hunger that gnawed at the stomach and stretched the temper thin. He had been in many situations like that himself in the past few years, when his coin became scarce and food scarcer. But her self-mastery was not what interested Soujiro: it was the way Tae was still so generous, so unerringly polite. The way she still smiled.

And it was that smile that both intrigued and unnerved him.

He had overheard many times what people thought of his smile. During his travels, he'd heard merchants comment, "what a nice young man," and innkeeper's wives confess, "he just seems like someone I can trust," and "how rare to meet such a kind stranger!"

And even before that, when he was with Shishio-san, things were similar. When meeting the members of the Juppongatana for the first time, he was initially met with a scattering of derision, disbelief - or awed adoration, in Kamatari's case. But his favorite remark came from Sadojima Hoji, when Shishio-san first introduced them.

Soujiro had watched silently as Hoji's polite expression swiftly changed from cordiality to shock. "T-This is Seta Soujiro?" Hoji had asked, glancing quickly back at Shishio to see if he was joking. Which was silly; Shishio never joked about the strength he possessed.

"That's right," Soujiro had chirped, watching the man curiously as his face turned steadily paler.

"B-But..." Hoji looked from Shishio's coldly amused expression back to Soujiro. "But... that smile...!"

Which Soujiro supposed summed up his expression quite nicely.

Tae's chopsticks were halfway to her mouth when the noodles slithered out of their hold and plopped back into her bowl. She gaped at her empty chopsticks for a moment - just long enough for the chefs, Tsubame and Yahiko to burst into laughter - before sighing good-naturedly and fishing for them again.

Soujiro followed the movement of her hands, noting how they were graceful without meaning to be. Some people - very few people - were obliviously kind by nature: gentle and nonjudgmental from birth, without even trying to be. Tsubame was a little bit like that, Soujiro thought; with a naivety that shone on her face, it was clear she could not feign cruelty even if she tried. That sort of purity was what drew Yahiko to her, Soujiro supposed, along with all the other young men Tsubame unwittingly attracted.

Soujiro had tried very much to appear that way all his life, and to maintain the illusion of simple brightness. He was not naturally benign to begin with, though. And neither was Tae.

But Tae wasn't like him. We aren't similar, he told himself. In no way are we comparable.

Yet his mind thought back to when Tae had laughed, defusing the tension he had created in his first moments with Yahiko - the first impression he had nearly ruined, he reminded himself, because he hadn't anticipated how his blithe teasing might unnerve the boy. Tae had laughed, calming everything. Not because she thought it was funny, as she'd claimed, but to manipulate the situation. To change Yahiko's perception of him. To fix things.

Soujiro had felt the shifts in her ki, understood the pretended humor too well because he had done the same.

He was pretending the charade, every day.

Tae was not like him. Not in any way.

But in her smile...

"That smile...!"

Soujiro lowered his eyes. He brought his teacup to his lips and drank slowly. He would simply have to observe her more, he decided. Perhaps there were more reasons he couldn't see or didn't understand yet. It was only his first day, after all. It was too soon to be able to comprehend the mechanics behind people's actions.

It was true, but didn't make him feel any better.

A distant shoji slid open then closed from the front of the restaurant, and Soujiro's head snapped toward it before he could catch himself. He saw from the corner of his eye that Yahiko had turned in the same moment and they glanced at each other, Yahiko in surprise, Soujiro ruefully.

"I'm back!" A voice called, and Soujiro identified him as Sekihara Kosuke, Tae's father.

Tae hurriedly put down her bowl and rushed to the kitchen door to meet him. "Welcome back, Otōsan," she said, bowing respectfully.

His cheeks were pink with exertion and the cold. He bowed back to Tae, a little awkwardly around the broad box in his arms. "Thank you," he said. "I apologize for missing dinner."

"Oh, don't worry, I've saved you what's left," Tae said, motioning to a gently steaming bowl beside the tea kettle.

"You are too kind." His ki was clearer now, Soujiro noted with an internal smile; it seemed that all that walking around had helped make him sober.

"Ah, but before I forget - " Kosuke nodded to Soujiro " - I've come back with your new uniform. Here." He held out the paper box. "Go try it on and show us how it looks."

"You are too generous," Soujiro murmured, stepping forward to accept the box. It was light, as he expected, but he waited until he was in the privacy of his new chamber before opening it to see.

They were Western clothing pieces, just has he had feared. The starched, collared white long-sleeved shirt wouldn't be a problem - he quite favored those, actually - but it was the double-breasted waistcoat, black fitted pants and dress socks with matching leather shoes that worried him. Soujiro held up the pants against his legs, unable to prevent the small frown from crossing his face. He supposed he would get used to it - Hoji had once mentioned that after wearing them for so long, he preferred the Western trousers to hakama - but he didn't particularly want to.

Well. If this was what he had to wear to stay at the Akabeko, then he would wear it.

When Soujiro reappeared in the kitchen, the conversation stalled as everyone turned to look at him. Sekihara Kosuke flashed Soujiro with a satisfied smile. "Ah, yes. The tailor did a fine job, didn't he?" He stepped forward and tugged on one snowy sleeve experimentally. "Yes, very fine. I've requested a few more matching pants and shirts, but they won't be ready for a few days. What do you think, Soujiro-san?"

He pulled down at the charcoal-grey waistcoat. It was a little big, but he didn't mind the extra room. "It's a little different than what I'm used to, but I suppose I'll manage. Thank you, Sekihara-san. You are too kind."

"The kid'll fit right in," one of the chefs commented.

"In more than one way," he thought he heard the other mutter.

Soujiro looked up at Tae in time to see her wipe a pensive look off her face. Soujiro started to wonder what the chefs meant and then realized: Tae's uniform was navy blue, while the three other waitresses wore crimson. If his uniform matched anyone's, it was Tae's.

As if reading Soujiro's thoughts, Kosuke asked Tae, "and what do you think?"

She bent her head. "Very fine, Otōsan."

"The waistcoat does need to be adjusted, don't you think?" He cast her a sideways look.

Tae bent her head again and silently walked around behind Soujiro. He felt her hands fiddling with the strap behind his back - a detail he had noticed in passing, but hadn't thought of since.

"I suppose I didn't bother to fit it to my size once I put it on," Soujiro explained, glancing over his shoulder. "I'm sorry about that."

"I don't think you can actually fit it to yourself while you're wearing it," she murmured, focused on the task. "Try that - still too loose?"

He rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms. "Yup."

The crowd in the kitchen lost interest and began to talk amongst themselves. Yahiko was speaking to Tsubame in an undertone, while Kanako was relating some earlier event with a customer to Hana, the two chefs, and Tae's father.

"Western fashions are a funny thing," Tae remarked softly. "They reveal so much of the shape of our bodies. They were strange at first, but I'm almost used to it now."

"Is that so?" He hadn't really noticed it, but he could see what she meant.

"Yes. I mean, I wouldn't have realized that you're so fit, Soujiro-san, unless..." She sucked in her breath in mortification, her fingers suddenly still against his spine. Speaking from the heart again? Soujiro wondered musingly.

"Well," she said a moment later, "you know what I mean."

Her hands were warm against his back. It was an odd feeling, knowing that it was Tae who was standing so close, touching him. He hadn't been touched for a long time. "I do," he replied lightly.

Tae paused for a moment longer, then gave a final tug on the fabric. "How's that?"

He rotated his arms, testing that the fabric didn't cling too close to his chest. It didn't. "You made it just right," he said, turning to face her. "Thank you very much."

Soujiro half-expected Tae to be blushing, but any sign of self-consciousness at her blunder was gone. "No need to thank me," she said, offering a small smile. "The uniform makes it official, now."

Official indeed, he thought, and smiled.


That first night in the Akabeko was strange for Soujiro.

The room alone would have delayed his sleep; with all the boxes removed, it was quite bigger than he had originally pictured and he was aware of all the empty space that was his now. That would be something to get used to.

No, it was the knowledge of the other occupants in the attic rooms that kept him staring up at the ceiling beams hours after everyone else had dropped into sleep. It wasn't just their strong ki, even in sleep - it was that he knew Tsubame, Hana, and Tsubame now, so they weren't just people he could ignore. It had been several years since he had slept near people that he was familiar with: several years since he hadn't needed to be on his guard, aware of the possibility he might be found and killed in the night.

And he wasn't used to being so close to another person. Soujiro rolled onto his side and stared at the wall that separated his room from Tae's. She really was quite near. Even in sleep, her ki was almost burning in the stillness. If he focused hard enough, he wondered if he could sense her breathing in the darkness

Soujiro sighed discontentedly. He supposed that was just something else he would have to get used to.

It was many hours before he was finally able to fall asleep.