The air was thick, stiff, unwavering in the face of confrontation. Kazuha began to panic; he had nothing to say that would coerce Scaramouche into looking at him just one more time.
When they were younger, it took a lot of fabricated situations to convince Scaramouche into spending time with him. Whether it be sword practice, village errands, or asking for help with cooking, Kazuha used any excuse he could find to be around his new friend.
It's not like you created situations, you just asked him for help instead of Tomo. Kazuha shook his head, placing his hand over his forehead to cover the shadows that loomed over his brain. This was an excuse he told himself, he could have done those tasks alone yet, he was drawn to a boy he barely knew.
"You don't belong to anyone Kunikuzushi. You're free."
"Free?" Scaramouche scoffed. He had not moved an inch since stepping away. Although he held himself with the same prestige as always, there were aspects of him that began to waver severely. His hair still shone a deep purple, reflecting moonlight in the most paint-worthy sense. It was shorter now, but Kazuha still believed it to be suitable for him. He had not grown much in terms of height, but his ability to shut people out was as strong as ever. Scaramouche's eyes were more mesmerizing than any electro-crystal the wanderer had ever come across, and the way they painted those 'false stars' was surreal. Yet, to Kazuha, there was nothing that appealed to him more than his voice. There was something incomprehensible about it. Whether it be the fierce tone or the way it got carried through the wind, he was unsure.
The things that changed, the parts of him that were lost, were all of the best parts of him. He was never truly lacking in compassion, just a method of expressing it. His outlook on the road ahead was no longer optimistic, but burdensome.
Like he had no intention of continuing down it much longer...
"Do not look at me with pity, I do not need it." Scaramouche had interrupted Kazuha's train of thought, his hand cutting through the air, dismissing whatever thoughts he had.
"I didn't intend to-"
"It matters not your intentions Kaedehara. I am in no need of a savior." Scaramouche had started putting more distance between them, his silhouette aligning with a nearby tree. Within moments, he reached up for a branch at his side, pulling it down to cover the top half of his body. Kazuha began to reach his hand out, longing for it to be met by any part of him.
No. Not again. This was his trick, something he used to show off when they were kids. Further...
Scaramouche released the branch, causing a vagrant of lavender melons to fall to the ground, their heavy bodies meeting it with force. Kazuha stared at them for a moment, using their muffled sounds to pull him from the trance he spiraled into. Once he looked up, there was nothing, only an empty path.
He's gone... again.
*****
"So what do you think?" The replay of that night was continuously on loop in his head. "Kazuha? Kazuha!" They yelled, their voice echoing against the walls.
"Hm?" He asked, his chin resting firmly on the palm of his hand. He had been stuck in that exact position for hours, replaying their conversation in his head over and over.
"Is everything okay? You seem to be a little... how do I say this..." they trailed off, their ears slowly drooping the more he spoke.
"Out of it?" Kazuha finished. He was responding to the boy in front of him but was not enticed by the conversation. "I'm sorry Gorou, I'm just distracted. Don't worry about it." Kazuha looked up, closing his eyes and offering a warm smile to keep any further interrogation at bay. He knew Gorou would not be settled with one small smile, so instead he said: "The thunder is making me uneasy, I am a little on edge." It was no lie, he hated the lightning, the way it pierced through the sky abruptly, striking the ground with no regard for what it hit.
"Ah, I see," Gorou's ears perked up, his tone becoming a little lighter. Kazuha knew what he would say next, offering a moment alone where he would sit patiently and listen to whatever it was the samurai wanted to say.
"It's alright, I'm fine." He offered one last smile and stood up, straightening the wrinkles that formed at the hem of his pants. As he brushed them away, he caught a glimpse of the bandage wrapped around his hand. He had not changed it since that night and it was beginning to fall apart. Yet, he was unable to bring himself to do it.
It's filthy. If you don't re-wrap it soon, you'll get a rash. His voice had gotten louder since seeing Scaramouche. No matter what he would read or sing, or how long he would sleep, it echoed constantly.
"We need to figure out how the treasure hoarders discovered our supply route," there was a lengthy pause, keeping Gorou intrigued by what his friend would say next; "We told no one but the soldiers and whom we traded with. Someone has to be feeding information out." His eyes scanned the floor before him, intricate patterns of swimming fish sewn in delicately.
Gorou stood pondering with one arm folded over his bare chest and the other bent slightly, resting on the nook of his hand. "You think we have a mole?" He asked.
"It seems so, though the problem is not necessarily who but, finding them without spooking them. People act rashly when they feel targeted."
Are we speaking from personal experience or observation?
Kazuha rolled his eyes, releasing an inaudible sigh.
"That does tend to be the case..." Gorou trailed off, his eyebrows sitting furrowed. It was easy for Kazuha to read him, to read anyone, but due to his poor choice of coping mechanisms, his senses were slightly dulled at the moment. After Scaramouche disappeared, he spent the majority of the night traveling back to Watatsumi island. Normally, he would not take too much time making it back to camp but he did not want to bring down team morale. He would stop any chance he got to explore small villages and temporary hideouts, even those that had been abandoned for some time.
It's not like you have the right to feel abandoned. Kunikuzushi had no commitments to you.
"We should um," Kazuha faltered, his words coming out slowly. "We should send out the recon team, see if they can't keep an eye out for suspicious trades of information between our troops and suppliers. I'll ask Thoma if he can snoop around Ritou for intel as well." Kazuha reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small leaf. A few words had been etched into it, slowly fading out of focus the longer he stared.
He kept tabs on you for work, nothing else.
Kazuha nodded, placing the dainty leaf in the palm of his hand. Soon after, he brought forth a small gust of wind, letting it pick up what was left of that one summer, and set it free into the morning sky.
