Underneath the Red Trees

CHAPTER 22: RYO & YUUKI

Ryogetsu stood in front of the shoji screen, listening to the laughter coming from inside Yuuki's quarters. After two weeks of forced rest Yuuki had recovered well. Ryogetsu was proud of himself for committing to taking care of Yuuki.

Ryogetsu slid open the door and found Keijiro and Ourei sitting by Yuuki. Yuuki looked somewhat relieved to see him. Keijiro bowed his head in a respectful greeting. Ourei, however, gave him a momentary glance before she turned back to Yuuki.

Ryogetsu gave them both a once over before his eyes landed on Yuuki. 

There was something about Yuuki that both attracted and infuriated Ryogetsu. It could have been his red hair, or his stubbornness, or how he would flinch away when someone tried to touch him, or how attractive his face was. Wait, no!

Why did he keep thinking about Yuuki's face? He never did that when they were boys. It was a recent thing. Yuuki's face, his voice... really everything about him occupied Ryogetsu's mind for hours on end. Something had changed since their reunion. Ryogetsu did not know what it was, but there was something different.

Ryogetsu's bare feet thudded against the tatami matting. Yuuki looked down at his hands. That was another thing! Yuuki was never able to hold eye contact for long. It frustrated Ryogetsu relentlessly. He wanted to look at Yuuki's eyes longer than five seconds.

"What is it?" Yuuki asked.

"How do you feel?"

"Better," Yuuki said.

Ryogetsu nodded. "Good." He grabbed Yuuki's wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Come."

"What are you thinking?" Ourei asked.

Ryogetsu did not answer her. He was not in any mood for her lectures.

He dragged Yuuki out of the room and through the halls of Naguchi Castle. It did not take Yuuki long to stop pestering him and let himself be lead.

There was a group of men on horseback outside. They greeted Ryogetsu when he arrived. Ryogetsu made an abrupt stop and released Yuuki's wrist. "What is this?" Yuuki asked.

Ryogetsu smirked at him. "We are going on a hunt." 

The leaves of the wood were a rainbow of warm colours. The canopy the trees provided, blocked the harsh sunrays from pestering their eyes. Today had been quite warm for autumn but now the weather had cooled.

Soon winter would rear her head to erase the beauty of autumn and cover the land in a blanket of snow and cold.

A hunt was conducted in teams of two. Whoever caught the best prey would be rewarded. Ryogetsu had picked Yuuki as his hunting partner, to the amazement of Kou and many others. Yuuki had never hunted before. What was going through Ryogetsu's head?

They trudged through thick underbrush. Yuuki heard the flow of water and the deeper they trekked through the woods, the louder the sound became.

A flash of light pulled Yuuki's attention away from the sound. A black longbow had materialised in Ryogetsu's grip. Yuuki followed Ryogetsu's gaze to the small deer grazing several paces away from them.

Ryogetsu put a finger to his lips. He pulled the string and an arrow appeared. Ryogetsu's aim fixed on the deer. Yuuki regarded the precision in Ryogetsu's movements intently.

The arrow pierced the deer's throat. Its body hit the ground with a muffled thud. The longbow dissipated. Ryogetsu grinned triumphantly.

Yuuki's heart fluttered.