Chapter 4

The Sunshine After The Rain

“WHAT?!”

 
Tsuyoshi had a determined look on his face. “You heard me. I’m going along with you.”

 
“Which part of ‘I don’t want to endanger you’ did you NOT understand?”  Koichi raised an eyebrow at the ramen shopkeeper.

 
“And what about your shop? And Tom-san?”

 
Tsuyoshi put a finger on his chin, looking thoughtful. “Tom-san can keep the store running while I’m gone. And the townspeople don’t really like me, so they’d be happy to get rid of me. I have everything I need right here, and I’ve always wanted to travel.”

 
“So you’re going to come along whether I like it or not, right?”

 
“Of course, unless you want to go back and have a hot bowl of ramen and a warm bath…”

 
Koichi shook his head. “Why can’t I ever win against you?”

 
“That’s only because you have a soft spot for me,” Tsuyoshi grinned, stepping next to Koichi and slinging the older man’s arm over his shoulder.

 
“Shall we go?”

 
Koichi sighed, nodding his resignation to Tsuyoshi’s stubbornness. Both men headed back to town, bickering over who would get the bath first. Kenshiro was happily following behind when he stopped short and pricked up his ears.

 
Turning back to look down the road, Kenshiro took a few sniffs and growled menacingly.

 
“Kenshiro!” The dog turned back when he heard Tsuyoshi call him. Looking back and forth between his master and the unknown danger down the road, Kenshiro didn’t budge until he heard Koichi whistle.

 
“You’ve turned my dog against me!” Tsuyoshi exclaimed indignantly, seeing Kenshiro running after them immediately after Koichi whistled.

 
Koichi smirked. “Guess he knows who wears the pants in this family.”

 
Tsuyoshi pouted and slipped away from under Koichi’s arm.

 
“Hey! I’m injured here!” Koichi protested, left standing alone as Tsuyoshi continued on his way home.

 
Tsuyoshi turned back, a mischievous grin on his face. “You got yourself all the way out here… You can get yourself back.”

 
“Tsuyoshi-san~” Koichi whined, putting on a pitiful expression.

 
Tsuyoshi rolled his eyes, heading back over to help the samurai. “Honestly, no one would believe you’re a samurai. You’re such a big baby…”

 
******************

 
“Will you hurry up?” Tsuyoshi hollered, his teeth chattering. Koichi had spent the last 20 minutes in the bath. Tsuyoshi was sure he would turn blue by the time Koichi came out.

 
“But I’m still frozen!” Koichi hollered back.

 
Grumbling, Tsuyoshi slammed the bathroom door open. “Then what about me? I’m not the one hogging the hot water.”

 
“I did ask you to join me earlier,” Koichi said, slightly annoyed.

 
Tsuyoshi sputtered. “The bath’s not big enough for two! And besides, the water will spill out from our combined weight.”

 
“Oh, fine. Have it your way,” Koichi sighed, standing up immediately, not bothering to cover himself with a towel.

 
Tsuyoshi yelped in surprise, turning around and covering his eyes with his hands. “You idiot! You’re naked! Are you trying to sexually harass me?!”

 
Koichi let out a laugh. “Oh come on, we both have the same things. There’s nothing to be shy about.”

 
Tsuyoshi suddenly felt a light breath behind his ear. “Open your eyes and look at me,” Koichi whispered, his breath sending shivers along Tsuyoshi’s spine.

 
“Pervert!” Tsuyoshi yelled, running out of the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so cold anymore. And he was sure his cheeks were a bright red color.

 
“So I get another few minutes?” Koichi asked from behind the door, the amusement evident in his voice.

 
“Baka!”

 
******************

 
“One chicken teriyaki ramen,” Koichi hollered the order to Tsuyoshi, who replied with an energetic “Coming right up!”

 
Koichi had spent the last week hiding out in Tsuyoshi’s room, both men on the alert for anyone who came around asking about a wandering samurai.

 
Other than the few times when Sakamoto had sent over two of his goons, Miyake Ken and Okada Junichi, there hadn’t been much trouble. Instead of money, they always returned with bruises and rotten vegetables stuck in their hair.

 
The week had passed quickly for the Domoto men, despite the tense situation. Tom had yelled “Freeloader, move your ass and help us out here!” a few times towards the back room, only to be shushed by Tsuyoshi’s glare.

 
Tsuyoshi had also made a few detours to the community board to see if there were any posters for Koichi’s arrest when he went to choose the supplies for the shop.

 
After one week of nothing, both men decided that the samurais had probably moved on to the next town in search of Koichi. Tsuyoshi had then asked Koichi to help out at the shop, on the basis of paying off his debt.

 
Koichi had grumbled a bit, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing. Besides, he found meeting people fun. He had never had to chance to interact so casually with commoners.

 
As a samurai, he had always been treated with fear and respect. No one had dared to speak to him without being spoken to first. And even then, all he heard was “Yes, of course, sir.”

 
“Ko-chan! Take our order!” a group of giggling girls called from the far corner of the shop. Koichi gave them a smile. He was heading over to their table when a loud crash was heard in the open kitchen.

 
Tsuyoshi had his finger in his mouth, a small trickle of blood at the corner of his lips. Koichi rushed over.

 
“Are you alright? Let me see that,” he said, pulling Tsuyoshi’s finger out and taking a close look at it.

 
Tsuyoshi quickly withdrew his hand. “It’s nothing, just a small cut,” he muttered, turning back to the stove.

 
Koichi frowned. He wanted to protest and insist Tsuyoshi let him have a look at it when the customers called out again.

 
Taking another look at Tsuyoshi’s back, Koichi reluctantly headed over to the customers.

 
******************

 
Koichi wolfed down his bowl of ramen. He was exhausted after a long day. “Mm ner hepng nou wer ngen,” he said, his mouth full of ramen.

 
“What?” Tsuyoshi looked over his bowl of ramen.

 
Koichi slurped up the last bit of ramen and soup. “I said, I’m never helping out ever again.”

 
Tsuyoshi shrugged. “Guess you’ll owe me for the rest of your life then.”

 
Koichi was about to lie down when he jolted back up. “A samurai always repays his debt.”

 
“Good. Then you’ll help out again tomorrow,” Tsuyoshi said, finishing his soup and began clearing up the dishes.

 
Koichi nodded determinedly. “Of course I will.” As soon as the worlds left his mouth, Koichi blinked a few times. “You! You did it again! You manipulative, sneaky, confusing… argh!!” Koichi groaned, holding his head in his hands and dropping onto his back.

 
Tsuyoshi smirked, completely ignoring the whining Koichi.

 
******************

 
“Prince Ko-chan?” Tsuyoshi raised an eyebrow, garnishing the ramen. He passed the bowl to Koichi, who was waiting by the counter.

 
Koichi shrugged. “Not my fault I’m dashingly good-looking,” he winked.

 
Tsuyoshi rolled his eyes. “Oh, how modest of you, Koichi-san.”

 
“Only in your eyes, Tsuyoshi-san,” Koichi laughed, picking up the ramen to serve the customers.

 
Tsuyoshi watched as Koichi brought the ramen over to the designated table. The group of young females had shown up at the shop every day since Koichi began helping out.

 
Every time, they would come up with some sort of nickname for the samurai. It began with ‘Koichi-sama’, which then evolved to ‘Ko-chan’ and ‘Ouji-sama’ (Prince). Today, the latest evolution had become ‘Prince Ko-chan’.

 
As Koichi passed the bowls around, most of the girls flirted with him. Some batted their eyelashes at him, while others placed their bosoms suggestively on the table. Some even took the chance to touch his hand as he put the bowl in front of them.

 
Suddenly, the shop echoed with uproarious laughter. Koichi and a particularly pretty girl shared a joke, laughing merrily. Tsuyoshi looked away. A funny twisting feeling had suddenly settled in his stomach.

 
Maybe I’m coming down with something, he thought, placing the back of his hand on his forehead, testing his temperature. Feels fine…

 
“Hey, are you okay?” Koichi’s voice cut through his thoughts. Tsuyoshi turned back and nodded. “Yeah, I think so…”

 
“Well, if you’re not feeling well, you should take a rest, aikata.”

 
Tsuyoshi turned his attention back to Koichi. “What did you say?”

 
“Aikata?” Koichi cocked his head to the side.

 
“Yeah. What’s that?” Tsuyoshi mirrored Koichi’s posture.

 
“It’s aikata,” Koichi’s answered simply, as if the word was the answer itself.

 
Tsuyoshi gestured vaguely with his arms, signaling Koichi to elaborate.

 
Koichi sighed. “Aikata. It means ‘partner’. Fits us perfectly, wouldn’t you say?”

 
Tsuyoshi nodded slowly. “But why did you think of it suddenly?”

 
“I didn’t. Kyoko-chan thought of it. She said we looked nice together. And since we have the same surname, the term fits us perfectly.”

 
Tsuyoshi looked over at the table of girls. The pretty girl, Fukada Kyoko, gave him a smile and a slight wave.

 
Tsuyoshi bowed slightly, a small smile on his face.

 
As they were about to leave, Kyoko hurried over to the counter and slipped a piece of paper to Tsuyoshi before skipping out of the shop.

 
Tsuyoshi opened the paper curiously. On it was written,

 
It should be 愛方 (aikata = beloved), not 相方 (aikata = partner). I hope you realize that!

♥ Kyoko

 
Tsuyoshi found a smile creeping on his face.

 
“Oooh… Did someone get a love letter?” Koichi teases, reaching over the counter to grab the piece of paper.

 
Tsuyoshi quickly kept the paper, sticking his tongue out at Koichi. “None of your business!”

 
Koichi was left hanging halfway on the counter, whining “Tsuyoshi-san~~~”

 
The bell at the entrance jingled, signaling the arrival of customers.

 
“Welcome!” Tsuyoshi called out.

 
Koichi hopped off the counter, turning to the entrance.

 
“Welc…” Koichi stood rooted to the ground, words left unsaid as he stared at the customers.

 
“Koichi-senpai…” Takizawa Hideaki began.

 
Koichi narrowed his eyes at his samurai kouhais. “Takki. Tsubasa.”

 
Koichi’s eyes darted to the back room, calculating his chances of reaching his katana before he was held at knifepoint of the other two.

 
“Can we… talk?” Tsubasa asked, removing his katana. Both Takki and Tsubasa set their katanas on the nearest table.

 
Koichi relaxed visibly, his shoulders loosening. He gave a curt nod, gesturing to another table at the other end of the shop.

 
Tsuyoshi grabbed Koichi’s sleeve as the elder moved. “Are you in danger?”

 
Koichi saw concern and fear swirling in Tsuyoshi’s brown eyes. He gave the younger man a small smile and a reassuring pat on the hand. “I can handle it.”

 
Koichi’s features hardened when he turned back to the duo. He took measured steps and sat opposite them.

 
Takki and Tsubasa bowed slightly when Koichi sat down. Koichi gave them a nod in response.

 
“How did you find me?” Koichi asked.

 
Tsubasa looked taken aback by Koichi’s directness. Takki cleared his throat and answered, “We didn’t. We stumbled on your whereabouts a few days ago as we were looking for lunch.”

 
Koichi’s eyes darted to the entrance. “How many of you are there? Is Lord Kitagawa here?”

 
“No one knows,” Tsubasa said hurriedly, reaching over the table.

 
In a flash, Koichi had Tsubasa’s throat in an iron grip, while his other hand held a pair chopsticks at Takki, who had moved on reflex as well. Tsuyoshi’s steps approached them hurriedly, stopping a few feet away.

 
Tsubasa gulped nervously. “No one knows, Koichi-senpai. We didn’t tell anyone.”

 
Koichi watched both men warily. “Why?”

 
“We thought you looked happier here,” Takki answered, his hand resting on Koichi’s arm that held Tsubasa. Applying a slight pressure, Takki tried to get Koichi to release Tsubasa.

 
Koichi’s grip remained steady. “Explain.”

 
Tsubasa breathed out uneasily. “We had never seen you so happy in all the time we had known you. You rarely smiled when you were under our lord’s care. But here….”

 
“…here, you laughed, Koichi-senpai. For the first time ever, we heard you laugh. And that was reason enough for us to let you enjoy your life here,” Takki finished Tsubasa’s sentence.

 
Koichi released Tsubasa slowly, a short laugh escaping his lips. “You’re still the same. Finishing each other’s sentences like twins.”

 
Takki grinned. “And you’re totally different. You actually whine now. That’s priceless!”

 
Koichi grinned back, gesturing Tsuyoshi to join them. “Boys, meet my aikata, Domoto Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi-san, meet Takki and Tsubasa, two of my most annoying kouhais.”

 
The three men exchanged bows.

 
“Domoto?” Takki asked curiously.

 
Koichi shrugged. “Pure coincidence.”

 
“Oh. I thought you got married for a second there,” Tsubasa sighed. He hid behind Takki when Koichi shot him a warning glare.

 
Takki laughed, shifting slightly to cover more of Tsubasa. “You should know Tsubasa means no harm, Koichi-senpai.”

 
Koichi shot another glare at Tsubasa before relaxing. “So what brings you to these parts?”

 
“We were sent to search for you. When we returned with no news, Lord Kitagawa was less than pleased. Now we’re stuck with protecting the local regent here,” Takki made a face.

 
“Takamizawa-san?” Tsuyoshi inquired.

 
“Yeah. Seems he pissed certain people off with his makeover scheme. Some local thugs sent him a threatening letter,” Tsubasa explained.

 
“But the man has style!” Takki said.

 
“Oh please! Sequins and glitter on everything? If you ever wear something like that, I’ll personally rip it off you,” Tsubasa rolled his eyes at Takki.

 
“Not that you haven’t been wanting to do that for forever,” Koichi muttered.

 
Takki gave him a blank look. Koichi waved the comment away.

 
“With you gone, who are lord Kitagawa’s bodyguards now?” Koichi sipped the tea Tsuyoshi brought out.

 
“Nagase-senpai, Mabo-senpai and Yamaguchi-senpai.”

 
Koichi sighed. “I would hate to meet those three.”

 
“But why? You’re so much better than them,” Tsubasa asked, confusion expressed on his face.

 
Koichi took another sip. “We go back a long way. They’re practically like my blood brothers.”

 
“Then let’s hope you’ll never meet them in battle,” Tsuyoshi said quietly.

 
Koichi nodded thoughtfully. “Though, I do owe them a thorough ass-whupping for accidentally burning my beautiful artwork of Lord Kitagawa’s sister.”

 
“You draw?” Tsuyoshi asked, amazed.

 
While Koichi nodded enthusiastically, Tsubasa shook his head vigorously and Takki banged his head repeatedly on the table.

 
“I’ll show you later,” Koichi promised.

 
******************

 
“Lord Kitagawa, there is someone here who claims to have information on Koichi’s whereabouts,” Nagase bowed low, not daring to look at his lord in the eye.

 
“Bring him in,” Lord Kitagawa said, waving a hand to dismiss Nagase.

 
Nagase left immediately, returning a few moments later with a man behind him.

 
The man did not bow in the presence of the shogun, merely nodding in Lord Kitagawa’s direction.

 
“Insolent pig! Bow your head!” Mabo said, unsheathing his katana an inch.

 
“I don’t have time for this,” Kitagawa waved Mabo off. “What is your name, commoner?”

 
“Sakamoto Masayuki.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* end of chapter*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*