Chapter 3

The Rainclouds Gather

For the next few days, Koichi made a speedy recovery and was finally able to stand and take short walks, with the help of Tsuyoshi.

 
The two men had bonded really well, finding the other’s company pleasant and relaxing. Tom, though he had his doubts in the beginning, had warmed up to Koichi as well.

 
Koichi was now complaining as he walked beside Tsuyoshi to the local market. “Why can’t they just deliver? Why do we have to go get the pork ourselves? Can’t they give the pigs directions to your shop?”

 
Tsuyoshi hummed a tune, pointedly ignoring the whining samurai. “Tsuyoshi-san~,” Koichi whined, flopping his weight on Tsuyoshi’s back.

 
“Oi! What do you think you’re doing?” Tsuyoshi stopped walking, turning his head slightly to find a pouting Koichi staring back at him with the widest eyes possible.

 
“I just recovered. I need to take it easy,” Koichi mumbled, draping one arm over Tsuyoshi’s shoulder.

 
“If you’re not feeling up to it, you can wait for me back at the shop,” Tsuyoshi said worriedly, slipping his arm across Koichi’s waist and supporting his weight.

 
Koichi made a face. “And get glared at every 5 seconds by Tom-san? No way. I’d rather burst a wound,” Koichi huffed, nudging Tsuyoshi to start moving.

 
Tsuyoshi shook his head. “Why can’t you two get along?”

 
Koichi shrugged. “I’m not the one calling names and glaring.”

 
As they walked along, Koichi took notice of the townsfolk. Mothers would catch a hold of their children and maneuver them away from the duo. Young women would cover their mouths behind their hands and look curiously at them.

 
Koichi opened his mouth to ask Tsuyoshi about that when Tsuyoshi beat him to it by saying, “They don’t like me.”

 
Nodding his head, Koichi patted Tsuyoshi’s head. “That’s alright. I like you.”

 
Tsuyoshi gave an embarrassed laugh, turning his blushing face away. “We’re here,” he said, pointing to the butcher’s.

 
After they, or rather Tsuyoshi, had chosen the parts he wanted, they made their way back to the ramen shop. By this time, Koichi had managed to throw both arms around Tsuyoshi’s neck and get himself dragged along behind the younger man.

 
“You’re heavy. Get off,” Tsuyoshi panted, stopping by the lake. Koichi shook his head, but straightened when they came to a halt.

 
Close to the shore, a fish jumped out from the water. Tsuyoshi’s eyes widened. He grabbed Koichi’s sleeve. “Fish!”

 
“So?” Koichi asked, confusion on his face.

 
Tsuyoshi bounded off to the riverbank, breaking two branches and handing one to Koichi. Koichi took the branch, still looking very perplexed.

 
As Koichi turned the branch around, wondering what it was for, Tsuyoshi had run off and found some dried long grass. Tsuyoshi began tying the strands to the branches, too excited to notice Koichi’s bewilderment.

 
“Uh… Tsuyoshi-san? What are you doing?” Koichi asked, waving his branch lightly.

 
Tsuyoshi turned back to him and gave Koichi a look at begged the question ‘Are you stupid?’. “Fishing, of course!”

 
“And why are we fishing?” Koichi prodded.

 
“If we catch some fish, we can make a special ramen! And fish are good for wounds.”

 
Koichi found a small smile creeping onto his face. Tsuyoshi was still finding things to help accelerate his wound healing.

 
Koichi settled down, propping himself up against a tree trunk. Soon, the swaying willows and cool breeze lulled him into a slumber.

 
A steady thumping jolted Koichi awake, his hand immediately settling on the hilt of his katana. He awoke to find Tsuyoshi running at full speed towards him, one hand held high above his head.

 
“I caught one! I caught one!!” Tsuyoshi hollered, coming to a stop in front of Koichi. Tsuyoshi had a bright smile on his face, and he promptly hid it from Koichi’s vision by shoving a fish in his face.

 
“Ooooh…” Koichi moved his head back, wary of the flopping fish. Tsuyoshi grinned like a little boy with a new toy, giving Koichi the fish and running back to his fishing spot.

 
******************

 
Hours later, both men were enjoying a hearty bowl of fish ramen and sashimi. Arriving back late in the evening, both of them were subjected to Tom’s grumbling. Tsuyoshi had felt really guilty, until Koichi started to made funny faces and gestures behind Tom’s back.

 
“Aah~!! That was good,” Koichi said loudly, giving an appreciative burp.

 
Tsuyoshi merely nodded and began clearing the dishes. “The fish will help your wounds heal faster. And there won’t be any scars either.”

 
Koichi nodded drowsily, sipping his tea. At the side, Kenshiro gave a pitiful whine. Tsuyoshi looked over at his dog.

 
“I think he wants to go for a walk. Will you let him out?”

 
Koichi groaned, but got up and unleashed Kenshiro, taking him out back for a game of fetch.

 
Tsuyoshi looked fondly at the stranger that had appeared on his doorstep, and had quietly made a place for himself in Tsuyoshi’s life.

 
******************

 
The next day, Tsuyoshi and Tom were very busy at the front of the shop. Koichi tried to help, but was shooed away. Tom thought he was clumsy, while Tsuyoshi set about lecturing him about agitating his wounds and dying in the middle of the shop.

 
Left with nothing to do, Koichi was now in the backyard of the ramen shop, playing a game of fetch with Kenshiro. Kenshiro now spends most of his time with Koichi, making Tsuyoshi jealous.

 
Koichi would only laugh and tease Tsuyoshi more by calling Kenshiro over as soon as the dog trotted over to Tsuyoshi.

 
As Kenshiro returned with a stick in its mouth, Koichi’s ears pricked up. He had heard the rustling of some bushes at the end of the alley. Curiosity overtook caution as he slowly made his way to the source of the sound.

 
Pressing his back to the wall and wincing as his wounds stretched; Koichi could make out two voices.

 
“He could not have gone far with those injuries. Lord Kitagawa is getting restless. It’ll be our heads rolling if we don’t find him soon,” a voice that Koichi recognized spoke.

 
Peering out, Koichi could make out two figures huddling together, both of them unmistakably his samurai kouhais, Takizawa Hideaki and Imai Tsubasa.

 
They must be looking for him. He could not afford to stay any longer if Lord Kitagawa had issued an order for him to be found.

 
Koichi sneaked back down the alley, ignoring the stinging pain from his wounds. Beside him, Kenshiro whined, wondering why Koichi had ceased to pay attention to him.

 
Koichi patted the dog absently, leading it to the room. There, he leashed Kenshiro, giving the dog a good pat before saying his quiet goodbye.

 
Koichi considered informing Tsuyoshi of him leaving, but he knew the younger man would insist on him staying until he was fully healed. Furthermore, he really did not want to endanger the lives of kind people like Tsuyoshi and Tom.

 
Making a decision, Koichi took his katana and silently left. He did not spare a second glance back, though he felt guilty for leaving Tsuyoshi without a word. He could already see the pout on the younger man’s face.

 
******************

 
Koichi gasped, leaning heavily against the tree. He was soaked to the bone. He had not traveled far, in his condition.

 
The rain had begun soon after he left the outskirts of the village. He had tried looking for shelter, but could find none.

 
He was beginning to miss the warmth of Tsuyoshi’s small room, and the hot baths that Tsuyoshi insists on preparing for him daily, saying the hot water would help his wounds heal faster.

 
Heck, he was even beginning to miss Tom calling him a freeloader. And, of course, Kenshiro’s adoration for his every move.

 
Letting out a frustrated growl, Koichi shook his head to clear his thoughts, causing his wet hair to fan out and stick to his face.

 
Grunting, he pushed his heavy body off from the tree, only to be faced with Kenshiro trotting up to him, tongue out and tail wagging. Koichi looked at the dog with a confused expression, before a pair of feet came into his vision.

 
Slowly raising his eyes, Koichi found himself staring at a very wet and very angry Domoto Tsuyoshi.

 
No words were exchanged for the longest time, just the steady rush of rainfall echoed around the two men.

 
Koichi broke eye contact, making a move to leave. “Why?” A single word, barely audible over the rain, made him stop dead in his tracks.

 
He couldn’t find the words, so he opted for silence. Kenshiro whined, nosing his knee.

 
“I said, why?” Tsuyoshi repeated, his fists clenching and unclenching by his side.

 
Koichi looked back at Tsuyoshi, noticing that the younger man was shivering and a deathly pale color from the extended exposure to the cold rain.

 
“I had no choice,” Koichi offered.

 
Tsuyoshi was still seething. “Bullshit! You left because you think I’m a freak! Just like everyone else! You think I’m crazy!” he shouted, warm tears mixing with the rain.

 
Koichi turned back, utterly confused. “What are you talking about? Of course I don’t think you’re a freak. You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever come across.”

 
Tsuyoshi looked up with red, puffy eyes. “You didn’t leave because you overheard them yesterday?”

 
“Who’s them?” Koichi asked, if it was possible, becoming even more confused.

 
“The townsfolk, they think I’m a threat to the community because I’m different from them. And they say I’m a freak, because they don’t understand the way I sometimes think,” Tsuyoshi explained, his face matching Koichi’s confused expression. “Isn’t that why you left?”

 
Koichi felt the tension wash from his body. He let out a small laugh, which escalated into a full blown laughing fit.

 
“What’s so funny?” Tsuyoshi pouted.

 
“Ahah! I knew it! You’d pout! Gods, how did I guess that?!” Koichi exclaimed, pointing a finger at Tsuyoshi.

 
“Okay, first off. Pay attention! My question was WHY, so answer that!” Tsuyoshi shot back, failing to see the humor in two grown men, soaked to the bone, arguing far out of town.

 
Koichi lost his smile, his demeanor becoming serious almost immediately.

 
“I’m a deserter. I left the services of my lord, for whom I had sworn my life to. I am a disgrace to samurais everywhere. And now, my lord requires my death. I’m being hunted down by my own friends. I really do not want you to be caught up in it.”

 
Tsuyoshi took a few seconds to digest the information that Koichi had just told him. “So, the first day we met? You had been in a fight?”

 
“To terminate my services, I had to battle all the samurais in my lord’s care. I managed to defeat them, but my lord was not pleased with the outcome. He demanded that I commit an honorable suicide to atone for my disobedience. I refused. And I escaped from him.”

 
“And what’s this about being hunted down by your friends?”

 
“My lord doesn’t take humiliation well, especially if the one to defy his orders is a lowly samurai. Yesterday, I overheard two of my samurai kouhais saying my lord has issued orders to have me captured and brought back to him.”

 
“That’s why you ran away from home?”

 
“Home? I have no home. I’m destined to be a wanderer, living in constant danger.”

 
“But your home is with us now! You, me and Kenshiro. Aren’t we almost like a family?”

 
“I wouldn’t know. I can barely remember my parents. They were killed when I was only two. Lord Kitagawa took me into his care, educated me and brought me up. And then I betrayed him by defying his wishes.”

 
“Nonsense! Every man has a right to his own destiny. No one has any right to another man’s life!” Tsuyoshi said vehemently.

 
Koichi chuckled sadly. “You live in an ideal world. You have not seen men kill each other for no reason, except that they were told to.”

 
“You’re proof enough! You saw the inhumanity. You made a choice to stop being a monster. You made that decision yourself.”

 
“Perhaps. But it is still unacceptable. Now, I don’t want to spend too much time arguing with you about this. They could find me. And I’m in no condition to defend myself.

 
Tsuyoshi reached out and grabbed Koichi’s sleeve. “Then come back with me. You can hide out at my place. You’ll be safe there.”

 
“I cannot risk endangering you. You saved my life. For that I am eternally indebted to you. So you understand why I cannot stay.”

 
“I don’t understand! You are willing to risk certain death by traveling in this condition and death by strangers, but you won’t stay with me, where it is safe?” Tsuyoshi asked incredulously, throwing his hands up.

 
Koichi nodded sadly. “You have been a wonderful friend, and for that I am eternally grateful. But because of that, I cannot allow harm to come to you.”

 
“Then I’m going with you! Because you’re hopeless at taking care of yourself,” Tsuyoshi said, a nod punctuating his decision.

 
“WHAT?!”