Taming Frenzied Butterflies #1: Close Quarters

They had barely left Ueda, and already Saizō contemplated murder.  In great detail and vivid colour, because the brat was simply too annoying.  He clung like a limpet... well, not literally.  Kamanosuke actually hated to be touched, but he clung just as effectively.  And without Sanada or one of the others to distract the redhead, the constant attention made Saizō's head ache.  It was almost as irritating as travelling with Isanami.

The woman commented on every damned thing she saw – and quite a few she didn't – and demanded food and home comforts at the most inopportune moments, while Kamanosuke....

"Saizō, I'm booooored!  Let's fight!"

...Kamanosuke whined and wanted to fight.  Saizō scowled and slumped in the saddle.  He knew what the redhead was like, so why had he agreed to ride north to find a healer with Yuri Kamanosuke by his side?

He'd done it for the old man, of course.  Or maybe Rokurō, whose life hung by a thread.  Saizō respected the quiet brunet who guarded Sanada.  Rokurō was loyal and Saizō understood loyalty. It pleased him, too, to see that the Lord of Ueda returned the sentiment.  Since the attack on Rokurō, Yukimura had barely moved from the man's side.  He had fought like a tiger to combat the effects of the poison Anya had used. And when he had asked if Saizō would ride north, the samurai had not thought twice about accepting the errand.

"Saizō, come and look!"

The eager voice set Saizō's teeth on edge.  The pup hadn't stopped yapping since they left the castle, and Saizō wished for the peace of a roof, an empty road or one of Sasuke's oak trees.

"Saizō!"

Saizō sighed.  Clearly, there was no peace to be had on this road.  He swung down from his mount, caught the reins of the redhead's horse, which the idiot had just left to wander, and hobbled it alongside his own. No doubt, Kamanosuke wanted him to watch another demonstration of his prowess.  Not for the first time Saizō wished he'd kept his mouth shut.  Calling Kamanosuke's battle tactics clumsy had been a bad move.

A trail of snapped twigs and torn leaves led into the undergrowth and Saizō followed the signs of the redhead's careless passage.  How Kamanosuke had survived for so long was a mystery to the Iga nin. The brat was loud, impatient and completely heedless.

When he found Yuri, the redhead stood at the edge of a clearing.  Saizō stepped closer and the green eyes lit with excitement.  Then the kusarigama's chain whirled, turning the sickle into a wheel of destruction.

"Saizō... watch!"

Kamanosuke called his special wind technique, wrapping the clearing in a maelstrom of strong gusts, but barely touching the leaves on the trees.  "See," he gloated, "strong and accurate.  How will you attack me now?"

Without a word, Saizō spun alongside Yuri's unprotected flank and put a kunai to his throat.  "Like this?" he suggested.

"Bastard," Yuri snarled.  "I was demonstrating an attack!"

"Don't assume that anyone at your back is your friend."

The redhead froze at the words.  The wind attack faltered and died, and the kama dropped to Yuri's side with a soft swish and a clink of chain.  "I don't need you to tell me that."

The pain in the low, soft tones – so unlike Kamanosuke's usual shouts – stunned Saizō.  But before he could figure out what to say or do, the redhead slid out from between Saizō's body and the knife and stalked away, spine stiff and shoulders around his ears.  

Saizō ground his teeth in frustration.

Now what?

For the next hours, Saizō had the silence he craved.  Kamanosuke sat his mount, back straight, neck tight and eyes distant.  Every now and then, one of his hands would clench around the reins until the knuckles shone white and the horse sidestepped nervously.  And Saizō concluded that riding beside a silent Kamanosuke wasn't peaceful.  It was uncomfortable.

The question was what he should do about it.  Ignoring the incident was clearly not an option.  Kamanosuke had a past, and Saizō had trespassed where he wasn't wanted.

By late afternoon, they reached a settlement almost too small to be called a village.  A few houses lined the road, but one of them was an inn.  Which suddenly looked very inviting.

"We'll stay here overnight," Saizō said and pulled his horse up.  Kamanosuke didn't argue.  He didn't comment.  He merely jumped off his mount and reached for Saizō's bridle, while Saizō entered the building to find the proprietor and bespeak dinner and a room for the night.

ooo XXX ooo

The room was larger than Saizō had expected from such a small, out of the way place, and he began to understand why the owner demanded almost double the standard room rate. Saizō haggled, but more for appearance's sake. Sanada had handed him a generous travel allowance and told him to use it. The inn was clean and peaceful and their room all ready to be occupied.

Two thick futons were laid out on opposite walls, pillows stacked and blankets neatly folded, and Saizō gratefully dropped his pack beside one of them.  The shoji screen to his right opened onto a small terrace, beyond which lay a rock garden. Miniature maple trees grew in shallow stone containers and water trickled down a carefully sculpted cascade.  It was unexpectedly elaborate for an out-of-the-way inn and Saizō was grateful he had chosen to stop.

"Do we have to stay here?"

Saizō turned, surprised by the unease he heard in Kamanosuke's tone.  "It's better than camping in the rain."

"It's not raining."

"It will be."

"You can't know that," Kamanosuke scowled, pointedly ignoring the line of dark clouds along the horizon and not moving from his position by the door. "We have an errant in the north and the old man told us to make haste.  You're wasting half the afternoon by stopping here."

The brat was right, of course, but Saizō wasn't going to say so. Neither was he going to admit that he wanted to give Kamanosuke a chance to snap out of whatever dark mood Saizō's comment had put him in.  Though judging by the scowl and the tension in the younger man's shoulders, the offer of a night of comfort and uninterrupted sleep wasn't doing it.

Well, Saizō wasn't going to give up so easily.  Nobody who'd met him would fault the kid for his dedication.  Yuri was a plucky fighter with enough nervous energy for three men and he trained almost constantly.  A challenge should be an easy way to get his attention.

With a last wistful look at the tranquil rock garden, Saizō made sure all his weapons were to hand and turned towards the door.  "Are you coming?"

"What?" The redhead looked up, green eyes suspicious.

Saizō relaxed his stance and let a grin curl his lips.  "I thought you wanted to work on that new technique of yours."

"I did..."

"Think you could tighten it?"

"Into a blade! And then direct it where I want it?" Kamanosuke straightened, suddenly excited.  "I battle your sword with a blade of air!"

"Hardly," Saizō scoffed, caught up in the younger man's enthusiasm.  "You might be able to turn a spinning kama into a blade, but direct it quickly enough?"

Kamanosuke was keen to prove him wrong. Without further argument, he crossed the room, dropped his bundle beside the other futon and followed Saizō out of the inn and into the nearby woods.  They faced off in a small clearing and Saizō dropped into a fighting stance.

"Now, let's see you focus that air."