KINTSUGI ⊳jin sakai x yuna

じゅうきゅう (nineteen)

Again, SUPER sorry for the wait. I'm overflowing with ideas for these two and this fic but I physically don't have enough time to put them to paper at the moment. Life has been crazy, but I'll try to keep updates frequent!

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Freedom comes in many forms, and on this day, it tastes like fresh, cutting winter air combined with the woodiness of cedar.

The monks offer to carry Yuna once Jin makes his way out of the cart and turns around to pick her up. He kindly declines. The last thing he needs is for them to carry her away from him, and for her to wake up the kami know when, all alone.

Kenji finds a way to keep himself busy, by helping the monks unload what little sake he has brought and carrying it down to the pagodas.

Just as he wants to ask for guidance, a voice grabs Jin's attention.

"Lord Sakai." He'd recognize those soft tones anywhere. "You made it out alive." Norio.

At what cost? He wonders, keeping those thoughts to himself. Norio doesn't need to know all about his inner turmoil.

"Barely, but yes." Jin states plainly, readjusting his hold on Yuna. "If you and the other monks can spare a cart, I'll be gone before the sun sets."

"Me and the other monks are not about to shun you like a rabid dog that's stumbled into the temple." Norio says as he nods for Jin to follow him down a narrow, rocky path. "The samurai have already come looking for you here, this morning. This is the place they least expect you to be."

Norio's not wrong. Spending the night here, catching some final proper rest before leaving might be wise. He needs to hatch up a plan, and think of where to go next. A warm temple in which he can do so without the biting cold sounds perfect.

"Do you have somewhere Yuna and I could spend the night?" Jin asks, giving in to Norio's proposal.

He nods. Perfect.

A distant caw of a crow can be heard while Norio falls silent and shakes his head. "I'd like to ask you to stay longer, but..." He sighs, though it's barely audible. The warrior monk is almost as trained in the art of containing emotions as Jin is. With a few exceptions. "It's probably for the best you don't stay in Kamiagata for longer than you need to."

"I know," Jin answers. "Samurai from the mainland were in Jogaku too. I had to sneak out of there."

Norio turns to look at them over his shoulder as he least the way; his eyes linger on Yuna with worry.

"How did they catch her?"

He too would wonder how a group of samurai managed to catch one of the most skilled thieves on this island.

"They didn't. Not today, at least. We had to fight our way out of a conflict with a family of samurai while we were headed to Jogaku."

"I see." Norio stops in front of the temple that lays right beside the frozen lake, and slides the shoji door open for Jin. As he steps towards the entrance, Norio offers him a soft, warm smile with only one corner of his mouth.

"She's lucky to have you care for her, you know."

Jin knows, he knows, that those words have no purpose other than encouragement, but it feels like they're rubbing salt on a wound he can't quite locate.

She's not lucky, Jin wants to say. Her brother is dead, because of me, the samurai are looking for her, because of me, she's hurt, because of me.

And the only reason he is still standing and alive is because of her. If anything, he's her bad luck charm. If she were to run for the hills the second she woke up, he wouldn't stop her.