Red West II.

Chapter four - Queen City

Each tiny drop sparkled shortly during its fall, before it reached the half-frozen ground with a soft splashing sound, creating an atmosphere of rain despite the morning sky up above Leadville was crystal blue. The warm beams melting the hoarfrost covering the needles of trees all around were the cause of that beautiful natural shower.

The sun, which bobbed up on the sky an hour ago and soothed the still sleeping city with its early spring power, had already also touched the spacious balcony of Slabtown's Tavern. The wooden platform with high railing was facing the woods behind the back yard of the building, so it was hidden from of any curious looks from the street.

A pretty woman entered the balcony, carrying a plate with two tall glasses of water, and two mugs for coffee, which was hidden in the huge kettle made of strong ceramics. She placed everything on the small table and walked away, leaving two young black-haired men, who were very similar to each other, alone again.

The Akanishi brothers kept their silence for a little while longer, before the younger of them reached out for the kettle and poured the steaming liquid into both mugs.

"Thanks," Jin nodded gratefully, taking one cup from the table to warm his cold and numb hands. The coffee was hot, strong and very good.

Everybody else was sleeping in the room downstairs, just under the balcony where the two brothers settled themselves, after even Ryo lost his fight against tiredness and started snoring lightly in his chair, with his head laying on the table. The bar was closed, as the owner of the tavern hadn't get up yet either, so it was Leo's girlfriend, as Jin had assumed about the woman to be the one, who prepared some early kick off for them, not commenting on their decision to sit outside, wrapped in their coats.

The drams and beer they had drunk during the welcome party had already lost almost all their effect in the freezing morning and the coffee helped to clear their minds as well. It was a long and funny night. Jin was introduced to all present companions of his brother; they drank a lot and laughed even more, but in an unspoken agreement, they all carefully avoided any serious subject for discussion.

The brothers were now alone, but neither Jin nor Leo knew how to start, so they were sitting in silence, observing the awakening nature.

"It's been a long time..." it was the younger one, who spoke first in the end, keeping his voice as neutral as it was possible.

"Yeah, more than two years," Jin agreed, feeling a hint of sadness. Somehow, he really regretted losing those years in the life of his sibling. For him, it was still the same Leo, that man sitting next to him, but he had changed more than Jin would have expected. The younger one was no longer that stubborn boy, whom he knew before...

"So... You came to scold me just like the last time?" Leo asked half-joking, half-serious.

"No," Jin frowned. "I came because I was worried."

"You saw the poster then?" the younger brother asked, staring at the surface of his coffee.

"It's kind of impossible to overlook them," the older Akanishi reacted. "They're in each city, little Brother, attracting quite an attention with that ridiculously high reward."

"You're also eager for my head now?" Leo asked with a strange smirk.

Jin's coffee lost its taste after he heard that remark.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" he snapped. "You're my family in case you forgot!"

Leo's grin changed into a fleeting smile: "Just kidding, Brother..."

"It's not funny!" Jin was still pissed. "They put a price on your life in the value of three-thousand dollars; and I'm supposed to be amused by that?!"