Cherry Blossom | | Ikemen Sengoku | |

Chapter 16: Spies from Echigo

"Get me water to rinse this off, Sasuke." Kenshin sits down in the middle of the room, answering Sasuke with a command.

"Yes, Kenshin-sama." Sasuke picks up a towel and a basin of water that were on a table at the corner of the room.

Kenshin picks up the damp towel with his long fingers and starts scrubbing the powder substance off his face, revealing his white bare skin underneath.

"Kenshin-sama, you should not head out without your Ichimonji Himetsuru again." Sasuke respectfully lay down a long sword on the mat, next to Kenshin. "Though I'm against you carrying a weapon around in town, I'm afraid I don't have the ability to keep it protected for 24/7."

"You're the only one I trust to guard Ichimonji Himetsuru, Sasuke." Kenshin returns a satisfied smile because of Sasuke's splendid work on keeping his blade safe. "I have to keep a low profile. Isn't that what you always say? Sasuke."

Kenshin removes the bun that hold his hair together. His smooth silky hair falls down elegantly on his flawless feature.

"Though he might be too dense to suspect anything." A small smile leaps on Kenshin's lips when he thinks of Y/N.

"It's rare for you to show interests in someone, Kenshin-sama." Sasuke takes a seat before the man. "That man must be good at swordsmanship."

"Interests." Kenshin caught himself with Sasuke's word, realizing he had been thinking about the young boy more than necessary. "Don't speak nonsense."

His eyes narrow, signing Sasuke to not talk about the subject further.

"What brings you back early today?" The young ninja changes the subject back to the earlier topic.

"Hideyoshi." A smirk shows itself on Kenshin's lips.

"Hideyoshi? Nobunaga sent his right hand to this festival just for security?" There is a small hint of curiosity in Sasuke's monotonous tone.

"That's right. We can positively say there are more snakes lurking in the shadow." Kenshin speaks with certainty.

He takes the haori from the hanger and throw it on himself.

"Get Yukimura. We will be leaving sooner than planned." Kenshin places the sword to the side of his waist.

"Understood, Kenshin-sama." Sasuke leaves through the window in search of his samurai friend.

Being Kenshin's right hand, Sasuke knows Kenshin hates having hostages in his war, he hates having women and children being pulled in. As much as he loves fighting, he hates having hurdles in the way just as much.

"It ruins the fun of the battle." As Kenshin always says.

Kenshin pulls out a small pocket bag that he took from Y/N before he disappeared on her. It is a sweet fragrant pocket bag that Y/N claimed she had made on her own.

Unknowingly to Kenshin, a smile of amusement leaps on his lips again at the thought of the young boy he spent 2 days with.

"L/N Y/N..." He mutters upon seeing the name sewed on the bag, his smile never fades from his lips. "What a stupid man."

Knowing that they will never meet again, he slides it underneath his belt, telling himself it is a small souvenir he got from the boy, even though he literally took it without the boy knowing.

At Yahiko's restaurant, Y/N looks diligently throughout the small room in search for her fragrant pocket bag. She had noticed it is missing from her belt ever since she got back to Yahiko's restaurant. Though she is curious about Shinji's sudden disappearance, she can't do anything about it since she does not know where he is staying. She can only hope that she will be able to see him again before the festival ends.