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It was late at night and the rain was pouring down in streams. Sometimes shouts could be made out behind the noise of water hitting the ground, but mostly the shivers of the boy next to him in the barn were the only thing that caught his attention.
Daiki groaned and propped his head on an empty palm. What did he get himself into this time?
Just when he had finally outrun his troubles, he had stumbled straight into new ones. Looking back, he scolded himself for being so naive as to think that his stay in Edo would run smoothly. Of course it wouldn't. He was too soft. Just like back then with Satsuki, or Tetsu, or that bespacled ronin whose name he couldn't remember. Come to think of it, there were a lot more. He leaned back against the wall and sighed loudly.
The boy next to him flinched, hugged his knees tighter, hid his face further.
"We should leave as soon as the rain dies down a bit," Daiki whispered. "Can't take a chance of being found by whoever lives here."
The boy nodded into his knees, still shivering as a result of his drenched kimono. Daiki stared at him. He was nothing but skin and bone, malnourished, but tall. He was probably older than he looked, but in this miserable state Daiki couldn't name him anything but a boy.
They had introduced him as Tiger Lily. Ridiculous. Always these flower names. Daiki couldn't see anything in that boy that he would associate with the flower's meaning of wealth. But maybe it was a twisted joke by his owners, how the first character of this name shared the same brush strokes as a demon's. Daiki knew by the boy's earlier outbursts that there was more to him than he was willing to show.
"What is your name, boy?"
"Tiger Lily, danna-sama."
"No, I mean your real name."
The boy raised his head from his knees, stared ahead in thought. His eyes were swollen, traces of dried tears on his cheeks. "It is Kagami Taiga, danna-sama."
Daiki involuntarily hissed. "Stop calling me that. I'm not your patron anymore."
Silence took over the barn again, or rather the noise of the heavy rain.
"So, how old are you?"
"Barely eighteen."
"Why are you so skinny?"
"To anger my owners."
"I see." Daiki mumbled more to himself than to the other. "That explains the bruises."
The boy's head snapped towards him, his eyes wide.
"You know," Daiki started, loud enough for the other to hear. "It's none of my business what you're doing or what you have done, but now that I got marked a criminal again, I would at least like to know if it was worth the trouble."
Silence again, the boy stared down at his knees. "There's a man I love."
Daiki sighed loudly. "Of course there is."
Again he turned towards Daiki, his face downright furious this time. Then he squeezed his eyes shut, bit his lip, and continued in his ever so calm tone, as though the other had never mocked him. "He's a noble samurai but he was forced to follow his master to the north."
"And you honestly believe he will wait there for you?"
"He loves me!" The boy spat.
Without sparing him a glance, Daiki let out a soft laugh. He could feel the boy's anger flaring up in the air. Maybe the boy would finally toss the cover he was taught, revealing who he really was. Daiki heard the wet fabrics clinging to the other one's body move.
When he looked, the boy was bowed down on the ground next to him, a pouch placed right in front. "I know this isn't much, but please, take me to him."
Daiki picked up the pouch to peek into it. Some useless coins, a comb decorated with jewelry. "This doesn't even cover a meal."
"Then... I offer my services." He pleaded into the ground.
Daiki scrunched up his nose. "Ew, no. I didn't free you to make you a whore again." He groaned and tugged at the other one's arm. "And please get up, you look ridiculous."
The boy sat up, still shivering, his teeth chattering, looking down at his knees.
Why was he doing this again? Daiki took off his outermost garment and wrapped it around the boy. "Don't worry… I won't leave you to your fate now that you're free. I kinda feel responsible for you."
A barely audible 'Thank you' left the boy's lips, he pulled the thick cloth closer to his body.
Daiki listened to the noises outside. The rain finally started to weaken, the shouts of guards had vanished.
"You reminded me of him."
"So I have a look alike? Cool."
"No… The way you walked and talked. You looked me in the eye with such kindness. You touched me with such care."
Daiki groaned again and covered his face with his hands. If only he hadn't earned that much for his last job, if only he hadn't decided to indulge himself in the delights of Yoshiwara, if only he hadn't let his curiousity lead him to the boy instead of the girls as usual, if only.
"I shouldn't have said that. I apologize."
"No, it's okay, boy."
"Thank you for freeing me."
"Yeah, yeah." He sighed. "Can you walk?"
The boy nodded.
Daiki stood up, adjusting the sword on his hip, and made his way towards the entry of the barn, peeking outside. "Good. Until the sun rises, we need to get as far away from here as we can."