"What a life it must be to be able to come and go as you please… not to mention the money that comes with it,” they said to themselves. After walking for a bit more, they stopped in their tracks. "Hold on a minute… I can do that…!” they realized, "If I can hide myself in crates outside a restaurant, waiting for them to close, why wouldn’t I be able to do the same on a ship!” Their sudden moment of clarity boosted their mood, and almost as if it was a sign from the heavens, they heard a foreman shouting "Over here! Bring those crates here, they’re going to Shanghai!” waving over to his crewmates.

"When the opportunity presents itself…”

They casually made their way over to the dock where the ship was sitting, taking a seat on some nearby barrels, and waiting for their opportunity to sneak aboard.

“I've seen farms with more security…” they said, walking down into the storage keep. It was packed tightly with crates of all sizes, many of them being quite substantial.

"These are pretty big containers for a small ship… not that any ship is ever really small…” they said, tracing one of the crates. They walked to the back corner of the room, finding a small spot on top of some crates, mostly hidden from the entryway. "I should be able to stay right here and not have to worry about getting caught…or getting crushed.”

They climbed up and nestled themselves in the corner, getting as comfortable as they could.

"I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I closed my eyes for a bit… it’s been a while since I had a closed space to sleep in…” they thought, closing their eyes and quickly dozing off.

A sudden jolt awakened them, causing them to hit their head on the ceiling upon getting up.

"Eh?” they remarked, "Something doesn’t feel right,” and it wasn’t just the newly formed knot on their head. What they expected to hear upon awakening was the great bustling of Shanghai. Certainly, they heard the yelling from the crew above them as they worked to dock the ship, but otherwise, it was a far cry from what they expected.

"Did I dream that the ship was going to Shanghai,” they questioned, "No… I'm definitely sure this was the one!” they hopped down from their spot, carefully walking around the storage keep, peering around before moving to their next spot. They heard a grinding noise to their left, turning their head to see what it was, being faced with a falling crate.

"Fuck…!” they exclaimed, quickly throwing themselves backward, falling into another crate in the process, knocking the lid off slightly. They lifted their hand upon noticing the top had moved, and, letting their curiosity get the best of them, looked inside at its contents. Suddenly, their eyes widened, and they took a step back, "What the hell is this…” they uttered. It was a large metal creation, far larger and likely heavier than any human should be able to carry. "Is it… some sort of cannon?” they wondered. Turning back around to the box that had nearly fallen onto them, it had all but smashed, leaving rounds of ammunition littering the floor.

"What was that noise?” they heard someone say from above them.

"Shit…!” they exclaimed. Frantically looking around for a place to hide, they darted to their left in a tight out-cove between some crates.

"I know I heard a noise down here. Did something fall?”

"Over there, some of the ammo crates.”

"Shit… the boss isn’t gonna be too pleased about this.”

Yukie felt an itch under their nose, "Fuck…!? The gunpowder?! Hold it in, hold it in…!”

"Nothing else is damaged, right? It looks like generic bullets. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem to explain.”

"Let’s hope so…”

"Achoo…!”

The two men stopped in their tracks. "Fuck… I've really done it now…” they muttered, reaching to their left side for their makiri.

"Show yourself!” one of the men called out, while the other made his way to where Yukie was hiding. Immediately before he reached them, Yukie jumped out first, brandishing their dagger, and startling the man. Using this moment to catch him off guard, they kicked him in the stomach, getting him to double over, grabbing his arms and pinning them behind him, holding the knife up to his throat.

"Take me to your boss right now, or you’ll have a bigger problem to explain,” they demanded. It was all a ruse, they had no intention of harming the poor guy any further, let alone with something as important to them as their makiri. Still, it was working, the other crewmate seemed apprehensive, backing away slightly. "Didn’t you hear me?” They repeated, "I said take me to your–” They were suddenly cut off by the presence of someone behind them, attempting to overtake them too. Quickly enough, they let the other man go, ducking out of the way of the second. Unfortunately, they ducked right into another crate, their momentary daze causing them to get them apprehended.

"There were more down here…?!”

The first man walked back over to them, crouching down in front of them, "Not a problem, we’ll take you to the boss, alright.” the man leered.

"I have a feeling I've gotten myself involved in something I shouldn’t have…”

"Get the fuck off me!” they called out over and over, rocking the small boat they were taking to the shore.

"Keep moving around and you’ll be seeing your god before the boss,” the man said, "And you certainly won’t be taking this with you to your meeting,” he added, reaching for the makiri that was sitting on the bottom of the boat, dangling it in front of them.

"Put it down.” they ordered, suddenly putting out a much more threatening air. It got to the man, who apprehensively set it back down. The boat suddenly rocked harshly, then stopped, signaling their arrival on shore. Two men took hold of Yukie again, pulling them out of the boat as they fell into the water, desperately trying to get away and managing to get one arm free before a third man came to restrain them.

"You’re putting up more of a fight than you should be, you’re just making it harder on yourself,” the man said.

"Eat shit,” they spat out.

"What is going on over here?” a voice spoke. Yukie peered around their captors, searching for the source of the voice, assuming it to be this "Boss”. All they saw before them were four abnormally broad and tall men, with a much smaller – and not just by comparison – man dressed in black standing in the middle of them. Suddenly, they burst into laughter. Everyone in attendance turned to look at them, a reaction completely unbefitting of the situation.

"What…?!” the man in black seethed, "What is so funny…?!”

"You– you’re this “boss” everyone keeps talking about…?!” they got out in between breaths of laughter, "You gotta be kidding me…! This guy’s less threatening than a puppy!”

His face contorted in embarrassment and anger, "You…! You have the gall to try and humiliate me…?!” he yelled out, reaching for the gun in his shirt, and pointing it at Yukie.

"Woah…! Easy boy, I was just teasing. No need to brandish your fangs at me… not that it’s all that scary,” they quipped.

"You…!”

Enishi made his way over to the shore, greeting the foreman and confirming the shipment. He couldn’t ignore the commotion that was taking place not far from him, as much as he would’ve liked to. Passing the receipts back to the foreman, he decided to check in, albeit begrudgingly.

"Heixing, what’s going on over here?”

"Boss, as you can see, there was a rat on board,” he said, barely retaining his composure, and gesturing over to the person currently being restrained by four crewmen now.

"Get your hands off of me! I'll bite them off if I have to!” they yelled, kicking and struggling to break free. Upon hearing the word "Boss” uttered, though, they came out of their fit.

"Boss…? So, you’re the one in charge and not this oddly aging child?” they said, earning a lunge from Heixing, but Enishi put up his hand before anything further could commence. Enishi stared at the person in front of him, still slightly wiggling to try and break free.

"Who are you?” he interrogated.

"What’s it matter to you?” they shot back.

"How did you get aboard my ship?” he asked again.

"I dunno, pretty much waltzed right on. You’d think an illegal arms dealer might have better security,” Yukie noticed a twitch in Enishi’s eye, "Ooh, did I hit the mark?”

Enishi looked at them for a moment longer, saying, "Heixing, get rid of him,” before beginning to turn away until they caught his eye again. They were staring back at him with the most unfazed expression, not even bothered that his life was just ordered to be cut short. Enishi wanted to shake that look out of his mind, but it was difficult. Still, he walked off.

"Go ahead and kill me, I'll bet you’ll get knocked back by that pistol before the bullet even fires!” he heard them taunt. "Faced with death and they still continue to remain unbothered…” he thought to himself.

“I'll shoot your earrings off one by one the longer you keep running your mouth!” Heixing yelled out.

"Try it! I'll make you play fetch with them if I survive!” they returned.

"You certainly don’t often find someone willing to challenge the Shanghai mafia like that…” he continued to think. The image of their expression, completely unfaltering, kept reappearing in his mind. It was a face almost familiar to him, though he couldn’t pinpoint from where. Somehow, it was enough to make a pit form in his stomach. Suddenly, a gunshot rang clear through the open air.

"You missed,” Yukie remarked, though that was not necessarily the case. Enishi turned back around to see droplets of blood being absorbed into the sand, and a latent instinct in him kicked in as he stormed back over to the scene.

"Heixing. Don’t you dare make another move, or your blood will stain the sand next.” the man suddenly ordered.

"But boss–”, he uttered.

"Didn’t you hear me? Don’t. You. Move.”

Yukie thought they had caught a glimpse of something near the man’s eye, but they were still just far enough away that they couldn’t tell. Heixing backed away, and Enishi made his way forward, starting to get a better look at the situation. A small streak of blood trickled down their neck, but no discernable wounds, at least not that he could see right now.

Soon, he was standing before the stowaway again, saying to them, "What is it you want?”

"What?”

“I'll pay you to get back on this ship and go back to where you came from.”

"You’re asking a lot from me. I don’t exactly have a place to go back to.”

Enishi stood silently for a moment, shocked at their words.

“I'm doing you a favor here by sparing your life.”

"Are you really? Or do you just feel like you are?” Yukie called into question, "Did you ever stop to consider that maybe I had a motive for getting on your ship that didn’t involve sabotage? I could seriously care less about your business, all I heard was that this ship was going to Shanghai, and I finally saw that as my ticket out of that hellscape.”

Enishi recognized those words and feelings all too well, the hatred of Japan that made him leave as well. He couldn’t know their personal reasons behind it, but it developed the smallest bit of camaraderie.

"So, what? Do you want to go there instead?”

"Not anymore.”

“‘Not anymore?’” he repeated, “I'm trying to honor your requests.”

"The only thing you’re trying to do is protect your integrity.”

"Is this the same stubbornness that’s kept you alive thus far?”

"Now you’re starting to get it,” they quipped back. Pausing for a moment, they played their last card, "Let me stay here.”

"Absolutely not.”

"I don’t see what the problem would be. It won't be forever, just until I decide where I wanna go.”

"And I should let you reside here with nothing in return? I almost wish I'd never gone back on my order.”

"Not for nothing in return,” they said, "I can work for you.”

"Forget about it,” he said, "You’ll be leaving as soon as the cargo is unloaded. I'll drag you back on the ship personally if I have to.”

"It took four of your men to just barely hold me back, you think you’d be able to do it on your own?” Suddenly, Yukie twisted their arms free, jolting forward to stand in front of Enishi. The crewmen moved to grab them again, but Enishi put up his hand signaling to stay put.

“I'm not smart enough to help with your business, but I can cook a damn good meal. You don’t look like you eat all that well,” they added, looking at him up and down, "You can’t weigh much more than I do, which is saying something. I somehow doubt that you’re the type of guy who has a personal chef or anything like that.”

"My answer remains the same. You can try and plead all you want, just know it’s falling on deaf ears.”

"Do you know how to cook?” they pestered.

"What?”

"It’s a simple question, idiot. Can you even make anything worthwhile to eat?”

Enishi stayed silent, but Yukie continued, "I know I'm right, you really can’t. I'm perceptive with these kinds of things.” Yukie walked closer to Enishi, “I'll make a deal of my own: you let me stay here as your live-in servant, you don’t have to pay me, just give me a room, doesn’t have to be a nice one either, and access to the kitchen. If you’re worried about me leaking information about your business, I don’t know anyone, let alone even how to read or write.”

Enishi noticed another drop of blood fall to the ground below, something that they almost seemed unaware of, and it was making Enishi more and more sick to look at. Not being able to look at them any longer, he had no choice but to concede.

"Fine,” Enishi huffed, "But under one more condition: don’t bother me.” he enunciated.

"Deal,” Yukie agreed, "Now… how do you even get up there?” they said, gesturing up toward the mansion on the cliff. Without speaking, Enishi turned around and began walking. "Hey! Are you gonna tell me or not!?” Yukie yelled to him, huffing and pouting before running over to follow him, leaving all who witnessed their exchange in shock.

The two walked in silence up the rocky and uneven path to the mansion. "Hey, boss man, is this seriously where you live? And do you seriously not have a maid or anything like that? I was just saying things in hopes one of them would hit the mark, but you agreed to my totally bogus deal, so I have to be right… right?” they pestered, with Enishi still not answering. "Are you listening to me? And how much farther is it? Since you can’t cook, do you even have anything in your kitchen? I was too busy trying to plan my escape that I didn’t see if there were any fish in the cove, but I'm sure if I–”

Enishi suddenly cut them off, "Were you listening to me at all? The one and only rule I set was not to bother me, and you’re doing just that.”

“I'm doing you a favor! I'm offering— “

"No, I'm the one doing the favor here,” he reiterated, "I could’ve let Heixing do away with you and toss your body to the sharks.”

"But you didn’t,” they reminded him, "So why?”

Enishi stopped in his tracks for a moment, before casting a sharp glance back at them, "It’s not something I have to explain to you,” he continued walking again, leaving Yukie for a moment to try and process what he meant, before continuing as well.

"We’re here,” he announced shortly after.

It was a Western-style mansion with a yellowish-cream exterior and green accents. A large balcony stretched off of the west side. It wasn’t incredibly opulent like it had seemed from down on the shore, but it was still unlike anything Yukie had ever seen.

"Are you just going to stand there and gawk or are you ever going to take care of that blood on you?” Enishi barked, interrupting said gawking, which is exactly what they were doing.

"Blood?” they questioned, raising their hand to their face and feeling for a wound, eventually figuring out what he was talking about when they saw their fingertips stained with red after touching their right ear.

"Did they seriously have no clue?” Enishi thought to himself. "I missed what happened for them to bleed like that, but still… to not even be aware of it? What’s up with this person?” he pondered, certainly being the last person to question others like that. "Go wash yourself off, I'll get you bandages if you need them.”

“I'll be fine, just show me where the kitchen is,” Yukie said. Enishi looked at them with prying eyes, but knowing he wasn’t going to but knowing he wasn’t going to find out anything further. "It’s straight back,” he answered shortly.

Yukie grabbed a knife from the block, using it as a makeshift mirror, "It doesn’t look like it’s ever been used…” they thought aloud. Tilting the knife to see their ear, they pushed their hair aside, strands stuck together with dried blood. "Aah, so that’s what happened…” a chunk of their ear had been shot off, along with whatever hair had been in the way, making their already uneven and disheveled haircut even more so.

"Any further left and my entire ear probably would’ve been blown off, or at least enough to cause some damage,” they spoke as if they weren’t now missing the outer cartilage of their ear.

"Better look for a washcloth or something…” they mumbled, rooting around through drawers until they happened upon a small hand towel. "Hope he wasn’t attached to this,” they said, soaking it before beginning to wipe the blood off their face, hair, and clothes. Enishi watched silently from around the corner, his face contorting as he desperately tried to make out the character of his new housemate. Suddenly, he tossed a roll of bandages onto the counter.

"Here. Use those,” he spoke harshly. Yukie whipped around to face him, "Ah, don’t worry about it! It’s stopped bleeding already!” they exclaimed as they pushed their hair out of the way to reveal their gnarled ear. Enishi quickly turned away, attempting to contain the disgust he felt rising in his gut.

"Why is it that I can’t bear to look at them?”

Yukie looked on at him in confusion as he stumbled away without a word.

"What a confusing man…” they set the blood-stained cloth onto the counter and walked out into the opulent mansion. It was decorating with a mix of Chinese and Western furniture, creating the atmosphere that they were in a brand new country. Granted, they didn’t know where they were in the world, but nothing they could see reminded them of Japan. “It might not end up being so bad here afterall,” they thought. Taking a seat on a less comfortable than it looked lounge chair, they laid back, enjoying a level of silence and safety they thought they’d never experience again.

"Just open it.”

Yukie still stared at Enishi, refusing to touch the package, "Do you really have to watch me open it?”

"I need to know if I have to send it back.”

"Send it back? The hell did you get me?”

"Open it or that’ll be the last time I get you anything,” he huffed.

"It’s not like I asked you to do this in the first place…” Yukie grumbled, finally untying the knot of the gift. Slowly unfolding it, they were stunned to see each pattern that was revealed. Holding up the first item, it was a beautiful deep purple cheongsam, adorned with gold threading along the collar, a subtle floral pattern covering the fabric. "You didn’t have to–” Yukie started, before being cut off by Enishi.

"I couldn’t stand seeing you in that ratty robe anymore, it’s a wonder it’s still holding up.” Yukie looked down at the clothes they were wearing. As rude as his statement was, it was true, the hem of their robe was obviously fraying and was discolored as a whole; no matter how intently they washed it every day, it had long since served its purpose. It held far too many memories that they didn’t need to be reminded of.

"If you don’t like that one, there’s a few more,” Enishi said, turning around to walk out of their room. "Try them on and I'll send back whatever you don’t like,” he implored, shutting the door behind him. Yukie continued looking through the clothes, the second one being a set of a cream-colored changshan shirt and black pants, not unlike Enishi’s. The third was another set, this one featuring a more feminine cheongsam-style shirt. The final item at the bottom was much more familiar: a Japanese yukata. It was a dark blue, decorated with purple, pink, and blue morning glories, and a crimson sash that seemingly went with it. They laid out each garment on their bed and began trying them on.

A knock at the door startled them slightly, accompanied by a voice, “I'm coming in.”

"Wait a minute!” Yukie urged, desperately trying to fasten the last clasp on their shirt. After a few seconds they said, "Alright, you can open the door.” Enishi entered apprehensively, seeing Yukie still fiddling with the closure. They were wearing the changshan, with Enishi admitting, "It looks nice on you,” hoping Yukie wouldn’t notice the slight blush that crept onto his cheek.

"You think? It’s really comfortable… it’s the same type of shirt you wear, right?”

"Hm? Yeah, it is… why?”

"I was just curious,” they snapped. Ignoring their shortness, he asked, "Did you try on the other ones yet?”

"Yeah, they’re nice… I think the dress is too tight on me though.”

Innocently, he asked, "Can I see it?”

"Pervert.” they shot back.

"That’s not what I meant. The dress itself,” he said, obviously ticked off. He moved over to their bed to pick up the cheongsam, holding it up next to Yukie and glancing between them and the dress.

"I should kill you for eyeing me up like that,” they snarled.

"That’s the last thing I want to do. You can tell me your measurements instead then.”

"Pervert,” they repeated.

"You’re annoying,” he spat out, "Don’t expect me to do something like this again,” he retorted, setting the cheongsam back down on the bed before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

"I told you. I didn’t ask you to do this in the first place…” they said aloud, hoping he could hear them.

Enishi walked back inside the mansion, tired and hungry from training, and decided to drop in on the kitchen, only to see Yukie already preparing dinner.

"That’s the one you decided to wear?” he exclaimed, noticing Yukie jump slightly.

"Don’t sneak up on me like that, I have a knife,” they warned, "And what’s with the tone? You picked it out thinking I would like it, and I do.”

Enishi looked vaguely annoyed, "It was just an afterthought. I saw it and figured I should get Japanese-style clothes too.”

"Huh? It wasn’t ‘cause of the morning glories?” they questioned.

"Why would it be?” They both paused for a minute, before Yukie looked away, going back to chopping, "Never mind…” they said. Enishi stared at them, completely puzzled. He walked over to them, peering around to face them, "Do you like morning glories?”

"I warned you! I have a knife!” they shouted, getting flustered at the sudden closeness. "What does it matter to you, anyways?” they pouted.

"Because I don’t know anything about you.”

"Hah? Aren’t you the one who’s been trying to convince me not to get close to you?”

"Clearly my attempts haven’t been working.”

"So, you’re just gonna throw all caution to the wind now?”

He shrugged, "Might as well. Maybe you’ll be less inclined to poison my food that way.”

Yukie stared at him, perplexed, "I don’t get you at all,” they scoffed, "Never in my life have I met someone who’ll admit he’s killed people, and then the next week ask me my favorite flower.”

"So, they are your favorite?”

"Eh?!” they exclaimed, "I guess… there just used to be a lot of them around where I grew up.”

Enishi hummed in acknowledgment, moving his gaze to the cutting board Yukie was working at. Their hands moved quickly with the knife but still sliced the radishes into perfectly even slices. He remembered how Tomoe had the same knack for cooking.

"What are you c–”

"Get out.” Yukie snapped, pointing the knife just inches away from Enishi’s face, "Or poisoning won’t be the only thing you’ll have to worry about.”

Enishi carefully backed up and out of the kitchen. "Ah,” he thought to himself, "I should’ve asked where they were from…” he looked over his shoulder to Yukie, angrily throwing ingredients into a pot. "Yu–”

They slowly turned their head around, "Enishi…” they leered, "Didn’t I tell you? Bother me again and you’ll find out what else this knife is good for.”

"Scary. Truly nothing like my sister.”

Every day had more or less followed that pattern. It wasn’t hard work by any means, in fact, it could be quite enjoyable at times. Breaks in the schedule were a breath of fresh air, like when the ships would come to drop off more “merchandise”, but more importantly, new ingredients Yukie could cook with. Most everyone was kind to them, even the workers that Yukie had scuffled with a few months back. Note the word “most”; today was a day when the Pomeranian was also visiting. His obedient Dobermans were following in tow, as if the two people on this island had any desire to scrap with him. Well, that might not be entirely true, given that he was the reason Yukie was missing a chunk of their ear. Despite their personal feelings, they would greet Heixing with the utmost hospitality, enough to make him cringe, where any discomfort on his part brought Yukie unimaginable joy. Heixing was not the only annoying thing about today though. Enishi had been snappy as of late, and as soon as Yukie caught a glimpse of orange out of the corner of their eye, they tensed up and prepared for what else today might bring.

“Yukie, why haven’t you made any tea yet?”

“My apologies “boss”, I’ll get right on that,” they said sharply. Enishi already wore a furrowed brow, as if he had woken up like that. Yukie headed into the kitchen to prepare the tea tray, trying to curate a blend that might make both men look at them with something other than disdain. A few minutes later, they emerged, set the tray between them, passing out cups and pouring as needed, before they bowed and retreated back to the kitchen. Barely one foot was through the doorway before they heard a yelp from a kicked puppy and the crashing sound of china breaking. “What a fucking moron,” they thought, instantly knowing what had happened. They grabbed the broom and dustpan and made their way back out.

“You need to give your maid a lesson on how to treat your guests,” Heixing chided.

“Maybe you should think twice about drinking tea you know I just made,” Yukie shot back.

“Don’t forget that I showed you mercy back then.”

“Shut up, both of you,” Enishi interrupted, “Finish cleaning that up and make yourself useful elsewhere.”

“We’re not even using my name now, huh?” Yukie thought. They finished collecting the broken pieces and wandered off again to the kitchen and out to the back. “Do this, do that, no “thank you” or a single pleasantry from anyone. I’ll just wait hand and foot for men born with a silver spoon in their mouth and both hands. Don’t worry about Yukie, they’ll just keep doing it because they’ll die back on the mainland. Would it kill you to ask if I might feel like shit here too?!” they ranted on, kicking a branch out of the way and they walked. “Two months of this and you’d think you’d be a little nicer to me by now. But noooo… Every. Single. Day. I work without being asked about anything beyond menial small talk. He was nicer to me when I first got here than he is now.” They continued walking around to the front of the mansion, eventually deciding to go sit on the beach for a while. Some of the crew was still on shore, enjoying a bit of downtime before they too would have to go back to being ordered around. The view was gorgeous, and despite Enishi’s threats of shark-infested waters, they still hadn’t been able to see one up close. “It must suck being used as leverage to keep others in line, huh?” they thought aloud, “You build a bad reputation just from the word of a few people who don’t know what they’re talking about, who don’t know how important and skillful you are.” They stood up, tying their yukata just above their knees so they could wade out into the glistening ocean. The water was cool enough to provide some relief on such a warm day, but not enough to bring their temper down.

In due time, Yukie saw the enormous figures of the Si Shen emerge from the treeline, signaling the lapdog’s departure. They didn’t feel any duty to see him off, so they started back up the trail to the mansion. Upon arriving, the air inside felt stagnant and heavy. As expected, Enishi was sitting on one of the lounges, glasses in one hand and his other rubbing at his temple. Yukie didn’t feel the need to exchange words with him either and continued through to the kitchen, with only the intent to start doing anything after some sort of reconciliation. They heard Enishi get up, expecting to see him enter the kitchen, but instead just heard footsteps heading up the stairs. “Whatever. If he wants something, he’ll make it known.”

Hours went by and Yukie carried on with their tasks as normal, taking frequent breaks to walk around the small gardens outside or to just lay down. When it came time for dinner, they considered caving in, but they knew it would only make way for more instances like this to occur. Instead, they make some rounds, checking out the state of the manor and making themselves look busy.

“Hey,” a voice called out from the office. Knowing it had to be addressed to the only other person in the house now, they walked in, making sure their annoyance was visible.

“I’m sorry, have you forgotten my name already?” they gawked at Enishi’s abrasive tone, “You had no issue bothering me constantly a few weeks ago, but now it’s like I’m a stranger again.”

“I’ve just been busy, it’s nothing you need to be concerned with,” he started.

“So why are you treating me like this?! If it’s nothing I’ve done, why are you acting like such a pathetic child!?”

“I don’t need to explain that to–”

“Then don’t, see if I care! You and this same, unspeakable reason for everything!” Yukie was yelling, so much so that they felt their throat immediately becoming dry. “Don’t expect a single thing from me. Don’t ask for me to make anything, don’t ask me to clean, don’t ask me to take care of your clothes, don’t speak– don’t even look at me! I’m fine with that! I’m fine with being treated like nothing, but I know that’s not something you can bear to deal with.”

Yukie stormed off, slamming the door behind them hard enough that some books became dislodged from their shelves. Enishi hadn’t once moved from his desk, and carried on with his work as if nothing had happened. On the other side, Yukie found tears welling up in the corner of their eyes, but for what reason? They already knew half of the reason; her soft face was constantly staring back at them whenever she passed through the great room. She didn’t know who the woman was yet, but whoever she is, she weighs heavily on Enishi’s mind. A mother, perhaps a lover? Not that the specifics mattered in this moment. She made her way downstairs to speak with her, as if she was a deity that could provide some divination.

Her pale skin contrasted hauntingly with her jet black hair and eyes. She was beautiful, there was no arguing on that front. There was no semblance of a smile on her face, but she gave off a warmth of love through the canvas. Yet still, Yukie felt a distinct coldness when standing in front of her, not unlike the harsh cold that clung to their skin when their father died. Yukie knew that the woman and herself shared something that Enishi was trying to cling onto, and that something was why he was acting this way. Visually, they looked quite different, save only for their dark hair. With how elegant and put together she looked in the photograph, certainly they couldn’t share any personality traits; there weren’t many women, let alone people in general, who were as crass and ill-mannered as Yukie. The only thing that could possible come to mind was how Yukie cooked for Enishi, which only made them want to stop cooking for him altogether.

“I don’t know how you ever could have dealt with him,” they said aloud.

“Dealt with who?” a voice called out from the stairwell, causing Yukie to jump more than they would have liked to.

“Jerk.” they snapped back, “Who else would I be talking about,” they scoffed as they headed back towards the kitchen.

“My sister,” he stated.

“What?”

“She was my sister.”

Was. The thought of the woman being deceased had crossed their mind, but of course they had no way of confirming anything until now. Yukie slowed to a halt, but didn’t turn back to look at him. “She must have been important to you for you to have such a painting of her.”

Enishi didn’t particularly want to divulge these sore wounds to them, but felt he didn’t have a choice after how he had been acting as of late. “I… She was murdered in front of my own eyes. By a man she never should have trusted.” Yukie felt their stomach drop at the revelation.

“So what, you clawed your way up the Shanghai mafia to get revenge on her killer?”

Enishi stared back silently and nodded. “Geh?!” they exclaimed, jumping a bit again, “you’ve got to be kidding me.” Enishi shook his head. “You’re serious!?” He nodded.

Sighing, they continued, “I’m sure you have your reasons, and I won’t begrudge you for it. However,” they pointed an accusatory finger at Enishi, “that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like some lowly servant, when you, yourself, already proved to be more interested in me than I’m interested in you. Like I told you when I got here, I don’t really care about your personal life, business, whatever. I just expect you to treat me a little better than what I had gotten used to.”

“I’ll do my best,” he replied.

“Wrong answer,” they objected, “you’re going to do more than your best, because I’m not cooking for you.” Enishi furrowed his brow. “The only possible similarity between me and your sister has to be our ability to feed you, because there’s no way such a pretty lady is capable of treating you the way I do.” There was no arguing with that, though Enishi had his own opinions on who might be considered pretty as well. “You’re going to learn how to cook, and you’re going to learn right now,” she declared.

“Fine, fine,” he gave in. If it meant keeping Yukie close, he would oblige. Deep down, he knew exactly why he was treating Yukie the way he was, stretching back to when they first met. It all had to do with Tomoe, whether either of them would come to realize. Even now, her presence, in whatever form it may be, was guiding the two of them together.

Enishi’s voice from behind startled them, having no clue he was right there, "We’re still technically in Japan, of course, it would snow here.”

"Shut up! How am I supposed to know it can snow this far south?”

"By the fact that we’re only some 150 kilometers from the mainland.”

"You say that like it’s a hop, skip, and a jump away…” Yukie muttered under their breath. They sighed, admiring the small flurry that was building outside. Their breath blew steam onto the window they were looking out of, and they drew a small circle in it with their finger. Enishi walked up closer behind them, "Didn’t you say you were from Hokkaido?”

Yukie turned to look at him with a sour look on their face, "When did I ever tell you that?”

Enishi returned the attitude, "Just a few weeks ago. You were complaining that it gets too warm here and that it should already be snowing.”

"Oh. I guess I did say that… Still… he remembered something like that?” they thought, “It would be though. You usually see the first snow in early November, and by now, it would be reaching its heaviest." In between looking out the window, Enishi peered around and took a small glance at Yukie, who was wearing an almost solemn look on their face. "Do you miss it?” he asked.

Yukie was taken slightly aback at his sudden interest in this topic. "I guess. I haven’t been there in years, I feel like I might die from the shock of the cold if I go back now.” Any other time, a comment like this would’ve been followed with a stifled laugh from Yukie, but not this time. They were in mourning over their home. "Sorry, I guess the snow is making me depressed,” they said, apologizing for the imagined discomfort they were causing. They leaned away from the window and stretched. “I'm gonna go make some tea,” they said before walking away. Enishi wasn’t quite done with the conversation, but he would wait to finish it later.

A handful of minutes later, Yukie was walking back with the tray of tea. “He’s probably in the drawing room right about now,” they thought to themselves. Knocking on the door before entering, they were right. Enishi was at his desk, writing something, probably business-related. Yukie stopped trying to ask what he was doing, for one reason being that they, by their admission, wouldn’t understand anything, and another being that Enishi would tell them it was none of their business anyway. They set the cup of tea down on his desk and poured it full, walking away after receiving no acknowledgment from Enishi, as per usual, until they reached the door again when he called out, "Wait.”

They froze in their tracks, mind racing with a million things he might have found out they did. Slowly they turned around, staggered to see Enishi looking back at them with a sympathetic look on his face. He had his hand on his temple, rubbing it as if this was something painful to say.

"Do you… want to go back to Hokkaido…?”

Yukie was shocked by his words. “Go…back…?” Quietly, they uttered, "I don’t…”

Not hearing them, Enishi cut them off, "I can arrange for the next relay ship to take you back. I'll be going to Shanghai for a week at the same time, so it all works out.”

“He’s lying, there’s no way he’d just let me go back so easily…” they thought. And they were right, but not for the same reason; Enishi was lying about his feelings. The whole time he spoke, he kept his head down, scribbling down words just to make himself look busy, and to hide his troubled, blushing face. Not only did he not want to send Yukie back at the risk of the mafia being exposed, but because he’d grown accustomed to living with them. It was the small things that made him feel alive again; hearing them hum to themselves while cleaning, noticing how focused and determined their eyes got when cooking, and seeing their smiling face bringing him tea every morning, which they had just done with a blank and sorrowful look instead, causing Enishi to bear a sharp pain in his chest.

"Ainu o hoppa…” Yukie muttered, just loud enough for Enishi to hear. He finally raised his head, looking at them with confusion.

“If you punch your wife before leaving, she won’t miss you. That’s what you’re trying to do, right?” Enishi stared at them in shock. They continued, "If you go to Shanghai and at the same time you send me to Hokkaido, you think it won’t hurt as much then.” They began walking over to Enishi’s desk, almost stomping. They slammed the tea tray down, their face contorted in anger, "Well you’re wrong!” they shouted. Still, Enishi couldn’t do anything but look at them in bewilderment. "Did you forget how stubborn I was the first time you tried to get rid of me?! You really think that’s gonna work a second time?! I told you right then that I can’t go back, not to Japan and especially not to Hokkaido!” Tears began welling at the corner of their eyes, "There’s no place for me there… not anymore…”

No place for me anymore. That was the exact feeling Enishi held after Tomoe died. When he fled Japan, knowing that it wasn’t worth living in a country where his sister was murdered, made to be by the man who killed her. He wondered, “What have they gone through that I don’t know about?”

Yukie’s head dropped, gritting their teeth, desperately trying to keep tears in. Then, before he knew what he was doing, Enishi’s hand reached out to push Yukie’s hair back, but they jumped back in surprise before he could. He was caught in the act, but he kept his composure and slowly let down his arm. Yukie almost thought they were hallucinating.

They stood in silence for a while, not sure whether or not they should acknowledge what just almost happened. After what felt like an hour, Yukie was the one to break the stalemate.

"Of course, I wanna go home, don’t get me wrong, but… I don’t wanna go back like this.”

"What do you mean like this?” Enishi questioned.

Yukie averted their gaze to answer, "Like… by myself…” they uttered. Enishi felt a different sharp pain in his chest this time, accidentally showing it on his face. “They can’t mean…”

Yukie noticed, shouting out, "It doesn’t matter! I'm not going back! You can have fun in Shanghai or whatever, but I'm staying right here!” They turned away to finally walk out of the office, slamming the door behind them. Enishi let his head fall into his hand, covering his face even though there was no one to see it. “What’s wrong with me lately…” he wondered.

On the other side of the door, Yukie was thinking the same thing.

"It’s snowing again!” Yukie’s voice rang through the mansion to Enishi, who was just waking up and walking downstairs. "Ah, good mornin’!” they called out upon seeing him. Enishi nodded in response, "Good morning.” He wanted to remark how it seemed like they felt better from their conversation the other day, but held his tongue in fear it might reopen a wound for either of them. "I already got breakfast made, it’s ready if you want any,” they said. "Thanks,” Enishi responded. Just as they were about to walk out of sight, once again he called out to them, “Yukie…”

"Hm? What is it? He never calls out just my name…”

Enishi felt his words getting stuck in his throat, but managed to croak out, "You don’t have to do any extra work today. You can take a walk in the snow if you’d like.” Yukie stared at him, offended. Enishi didn’t know what he’d said wrong. "I was planning on doing that anyway, whether you told me to or not,” they said, storming off. But not before Enishi grabbed their wrist, with Yukie immediately pulling it away. "What’s the big idea?! You’ve been weird lately!”

"Let me go with you.”

Yukie's face displayed simultaneously pure horror and astonishment, materializing with a strong blush. "Hold on a second–!”

"That wasn’t a request, I'm going with you.” Enishi walked off to get his coat, leaving Yukie to try and process what just happened.

The two walked through the woods together, with Yukie almost falling down the path twice. “I'm still not used to this terrain here…” they thought.

Eventually, they made their way out and onto the beach. The sky was a bright gray, with the snow falling heavier and faster than it was when they had left. The snow wasn’t sticking very much to the sand, but it didn’t matter to Yukie. They were a far cry from the solemn person they were the other day, back to their normal, ever-cheerful demeanor. They stuck their hand out to catch a snowflake and, upon doing so, brought it close to their face to try and examine its shape before it melted. They did this for a while, catching each snowflake they could and taking note of its shape. Soon enough, a light dusting of snow could finally be seen on the sand. "Enishi! The snow’s finally sticking!” they called out. He smiled to himself, knowing he was standing far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to tell. Eventually, he made his way over to them to see what they were doing, which was placing their hand to leave a print in the snow. They smiled and laughed to themselves. "Hey, you do it too,” they urged. Enishi complied, crouching down next to them and placing his hand in the snow right next to theirs. Their hands weren’t all so different in size, but Enishi’s fingers were longer than Yukie’s, which were shorter, but more slender even than Enishi’s.

"Back home, my father and I would compare our hand sizes in the snow every day, but mine were hardly ever half the size of his,” they said, letting out a grin. "But that didn’t ever stop me from trying to use his makiri that I could barely wrap my hands around.”

"Makiri?” Enishi questioned.

"Ah... it’s a short knife. When a man carves a makiri, it’s a great show of their craftsmanship and ability to provide,” they paused to look up. "He carved one for my mother when he was courting her, now it’s the only thing I have left of either of them.” Enishi could see the sorrow building up in them.

"You have your name.”

“...what?” Yukie looked startled.

"Not long after you came here, you said your name meant ‘an era of blessings’, that your father gave you that name.”

"Yeah…” they drawled out, taking a moment to decide if they should continue, “...for a second… I thought you meant my real name, and I knew I'd never told you that before. I woulda thought you were seriously weird if you happened to figure it out somehow.”

"Your real name?”

“Yukie is my Japanese name. My father thought I could live a more normal life with a Japanese name,” they admitted, leaning back slightly, "I guess normal is subjective, ‘cause this is the most normal my life has been since then.”

Enishi began piecing the bits of information Yukie had dropped to him over the past months, finally understanding something about them, "You’re an Ainu?” he asked.

"What? You didn’t know…?” they said, cocking their eyebrows.

"You never said it outright. I figured it out based on the things you’ve been saying.”

Yukie looked astonished, turning back away from Enishi and fiddling with their hair, clearly waiting for him to say something else.

Enishi tilted his head to try and meet Yukie’s eyes, "So, what’s your real name?”

Time and time again, Enishi’s forwardness was catching them off guard, and time again they had to avert their gaze to respond.

"Ruyanpe.”

"Rui–”

"Ru-ya-n-pe. It means rain.”

"Ru-ya-n-pe. Ruyanpe.” Enishi continued sounding it out. "Ruyanpe… if it means rain, what’s snow?”

"Upas.”

"Upas?”

"You got it!” They smiled at Enishi, warming him slightly from the cold.

After sitting together in silence for a while, Yukie broke it once again.

"Gyahh!! It’s cold out!” they said, standing up and holding their arms across their body to warm up. "I should’ve grabbed something heavier…” Enishi stood up as well, once more letting his body act before his mind. He grasped one of Yukie’s hands, bringing it up to his mouth to blow hot air onto it. This time, Yukie didn’t retract their hand, simply because the cold matched with the complete and utter disbelief left them frozen in place. Enishi kept eye contact with them the whole time, looking over his glasses to ask, "Better?” before dropping their hand and walking past them. "I have things I need to do; I'm going back.” Snapping out of their trance, they ran after him, but not before scooping off some snow from a nearby tree branch and shoving it down his coat. "What was that for?!” he demanded.

"You know damn well what that was for!!” a blushing Yukie shouted back, pointing an accusatory finger at him. A bloom began to show on Enishi’s face as well, so he quickly turned away. They both stood there for a moment, unmoving until Yukie walked in front of Enishi.

"You coming or not?” they barked back to him, "You said you had things to do, and now you’re cold and wet. It’s just gonna freeze if you don’t get a move on.” they started up the path without him, but it wasn't too much longer before he was right behind them. He took his coat off and placed it on top of them, obscuring their vision. "You can forget what I said about doing extra work today, wash that when we get back,” he badgered. Yukie snapped back, "I was gonna do that anyways, whether you asked me to or not.” He didn’t look at their face, but he knew they had a smirk on it, as did his own. It was becoming increasingly clear to him that the next week without Yukie was going to be more difficult than he wanted to admit.

Yukie jumped slightly at the sudden sound of his voice, “What does it look like, dumbass? I’m making you something to eat, obviously,” they barked back.

“Like hell you are. Go back to bed,” he ordered.

“I feel perfectly fine now! If I don’t cook something for you, you’re just gonna waste away to nothing! You can’t just keep training for hours upon end without a break!” they yelled, before doubling over and breaking into a coughing fit.

“What good will that do if I get sick from your cooking then?” Enishi said, walking over to them, ignoring their completely justified concern.

“Why are you suddenly insulting my cooking?” Yukie retorted.

“I mean from you coughing and sneezing all over it,” Enishi corrected himself.

“Then stay away from me if you’re so worried about catching my cold!” they continued.

“Not gonna happen,” he said, crouching down in front of them, before suddenly picking them up and throwing them over his shoulder.

“Wha–?! Put me down, asshole!” they scolded, kicking and hitting him on the back, to which Enishi remained completely unfazed.

“Keep moving around and I’ll drop you,” he warned.

“Go ahead! I didn’t ask you to carry me like a barrel of tofu back to my room!” they spurred on. Enishi suddenly loosened his grip on Yukie, who instinctively grabbed Enishi’s jacket to hold on tighter.

“Oh?” he sneered, “so you don’t want me to let go of you?”

“Shut up…!” they hissed, “You’re the reason I get myself sick," they muttered. They were barely glad Enishi was carrying them this way, otherwise he’d be able to see the growing blush on their face. They tightened their grip on his jacket as he carried them up the stairs.

After a few moments of silence, Enishi spoke again, “What were you even making?”

“...Jī yā xiě tāng,” they uttered.

“Jī yā xiě tāng? Where the hell did you learn to make that?”

“I asked one of your ships’ guys to bring me back a cookbook the last time they were here, and obviously some ingredients. I still can’t read Chinese very well, so I was guessing a lot of the directions and stuff… but I just thought you might like to have some Shanghainese food for a change…” they admitted.

“So you settled for chicken and duck blood soup?” Enishi questioned.

“It sounded the most similar to an Ainu dish,” they protested, “and apparently it has medicinal value, which I figured would help you since you’ve been training so much.”

Enishi sighed, “You’re always worrying too much about me, that’s why you always get sick,” he insisted.

“I am your maid, that’s like my entire job,” they pointed out.

“Right, my maid… that’s all they are to me,” Enishi reminded himself.

Finally reaching Yukie’s room, Enishi readjusted Yukie to be able to open the door, earning an involuntary yelp from them, which Enishi felt his heart jump at.

“We’re back at your room,” Enishi announced, turning the doorknob and walking inside.

“Thank god, I thought you were never going to put me down,” they exasperated, moving to break free from Enishi’s iron grip on them.

“Wait, let me–” Enishi was cut off by Yukie accidentally pulling him forward as they tried to get down, forcing Enishi to act in a moment's notice, catching them and falling forwards onto their bed, their faces just inches apart. One of Enishi’s hands was bracing their back and the other was placed firmly beside them to break his own fall.

“I was going to set you down on the bed,” Enishi huffed.

“Let go of me,” Yukie chided, not listening to what Enishi had to say for himself.

“You’re the one who’s still holding on,” he informed them. Their arms were wrapped around his neck, holding on even tighter than they were when he joked about dropping them, almost pulling his jacket off his shoulders. Yukie’s face was flushed a slight shade of pink, just enough for it to be noticeable. They were obviously embarrassed, but, for once, they were keeping their eyes locked with his. Whether it be a sign of protest at the situation they were stuck in, or a show of their bullheaded will, Enishi would just find it endearing. Eventually, they loosened their grip on his clothes, dropping their arms from around him.

“Can you get up now?” they pressed, turning their head away from him but still keeping sure to maintain eye contact. Enishi pushed himself back off the bed and started out of their room, figuring it to be best if he didn’t say another word. Shutting the door carefully behind him, he took off his glasses to let his head fall into his hand.

“There’s seriously something wrong with me…” he thought to himself, “but… I wasn’t imagining that, was I?”

He called back to the instant he caught Yukie, who, despite their squawking, had immediately pulled themselves back into Enishi’s shoulder as they realized they were falling. And when they pulled back, Enishi could’ve sworn he caught them glancing between him and his lips, before they finally locked their eyes with his.

From the other side of the door, Yukie was sorting out their own recollection of what just happened. They moved fully onto their bed, resting the back of their hand on their forehead. “Damn. Now I’ve really caught a fever ‘cause of this guy…” they thought out-loud.

Shortly thereafter, a raucous sneeze echoed through the downstairs of the mansion.

"What do you want?” he groaned.

Their face suddenly dropped into one of admonition, "Since you’re apparently in a sour mood or whatever, never mind,” they said, beginning to walk away.

Enishi sighed, giving in, "Wait– fine,” taking a deep breath to amend his attitude, "Is there something you need from me?”

Yukie turned back into his room, still with a slight glare. "Better than your first response at least,” they conceded, "I wanted to ask if the packages you left in the kitchen are supposed to be mine or something.”

"Why do you always think everything’s for you?” he sneered.

"I don’t know, why do you insist on constantly buying me things every time you come back from Shanghai?” they shot back, "Maybe if you didn’t bring me back something every time, I wouldn’t have this expectation. If I didn’t know any better, I'd assume this was your way of trying to court me.”

Outwardly, Enishi frowned at that statement, "You’ve already made up your mind that it’s yours, why don’t you go ahead and open it?”

"Maybe I will!” they responded, "Don’t complain if it’s actually some secret weapon or something that I wasn’t supposed to see.”

"I could say the same for you,” he mumbled as they walked out.

Yukie made their way back downstairs to the kitchen, untying the boxes that sat next to the sink. Their face immediately flushed pink as they saw the contents of the package, "That asshole! Making me think it wasn’t for me… he’s a terrible liar.” Once again, Enishi had brought back an assortment of clothes from the mainland. Shuffling through the clothes, they pulled out one blue kimono with a familiar design.

"I told him I like morning glories once and he’s run with it ever since…”

They glanced over at the last package, seemingly kept purposely separate from the rest. "I guess this one goes with the others…?” they thought out loud, untying it.

"Enishi…?” Their voice rang through the hallway yet again.

"What is it this time?” Enishi answered, raising his head from whatever he was working on to find Yukie in a set of terribly familiar clothes.

"It was with the rest of the clothes, but I think these are supposed to be yours…” they said meekly, completely uncharacteristic of them.

Enishi’s face contorted into an embarrassed shock as he looked on from behind his desk. Suddenly, he got up, walking over to stand in front of Yukie, as they were still examining how the clothes fit them. The familiar orange and blue pattern flowed over them, the sleeves much too long and the shoulders much too broad. Despite them not being too terribly different in size, Enishi’s style of clothing just wasn’t suited to Yukie’s features.

"Cute…”

Enishi didn’t even realize the words he believed to have kept in his head escaped his mouth, but Yukie realized for him.

"Eh?!” they yelled out, "Wh-what did you just say–?!”

"What did I say…?” Enishi questioned.

"You definitely just said something right now! Are you deaf!?”

"Are you losing your mind? I didn’t say anything.” Enishi deadpanned, finally grasping the situation, but choosing to keep up the charade.

"You’re a bad liar, you know that?! And you’re seriously one to talk!” Their face was getting progressively more and more red as the exchange went on. “I’m gonna go take them off, okay?!”

“No you’re not,” Enishi said, moving to sandwich them between him and the wall. “If you were that interested in wearing my clothes, you could have just asked,” he teased. He was clearly enjoying this more than he initially let on, and Yukie was the unfortunate victim in all of it.

"You’re cruel…” they said, leaning away from him. There wasn’t a shade of red or pink or a value of temperature that could describe how flushed they were. Enishi backed away, unbelievably proud of his work. Although, this would normally have been the part of their exchange where Yukie would attempt to hit or kick Enishi out of embarrassment. Instead, they continued to look up at him, their mouth twisted into something between a frown and a pout.

“W-What is it?” Enishi had never found himself so bewildered. His words were enough to snap Yukie out of their haze, as they launched a jab at Enishi, who naturally caught it.

“Nothing at all.” They said, lowering their head. “What’s wrong with me? What was I waiting for him to do there? Why do I feel like I might pass out? Why won’t my chest stop pounding so much?” A thousand and one thoughts were racing through their mind.

“Yukie?” Enishi’s voice rang out again, once more bringing them to their senses. “You look like a ghost. What’s wrong with you?” His well-meaning words, yet wholly rude phrasing, were a point they could use to bounce back to their usual demeanor.

“I’m perfectly fine, you idiot. You’ve been working so much that you must’ve lost your damn mind, and now it’s rubbing off on me,” they quipped, turning to leave the room, “By the time I bring you lunch, you better have your head screwed back on!”

“Don’t forget about the clothes,” Enishi called after them, smirking to himself.

A raucous “Shut up!!!” rang through the halls.

It started out as any ordinary day on the island, with Yukie rising a bit before the sun would, taking a walk around the gardens they had been keeping. Although spring was still in its infancy, plenty of blooms adorned the manor grounds with vibrant hues of pinks and reds. When Yukie had arrived around this same time last year, it looked quite depressing, but with their immense amounts of free time, they convinced Enishi to order seeds and plants for them, shipping alongside weapons and items they dare not ask about.

Once the sun cast a long enough shadow, they returned to the mansion and prepared the brand new Shincha tea that just arrived the other day. Expecting Enishi to already be up and about, they started up to the drawing room, only to find it empty. The same would go for Enishi’s office. Neither the balcony nor the foyer showed any signs of him.

“There’s too many rooms in this house for two people, let alone one…” they thought to themselves. The only other place he could be was his bedroom, one of the rooms Yukie barely entered, despite the fact that Enishi had entered their room countless time, including without permission on more than one occasion.

“Enishi?” they called out while knocking. No response. They had thought about leaving the tea outside his door, but what good would that do if he never drank it before it got cold? They knocked once more before slowly opening the door after a couple of seconds. A well-timed creak of the door was what finally alerted Enishi to their presence. He quickly attempted to shuffle something back into his armoire, a movement that Yukie would notice, but brush off without much rumination.

Typically, a quick-witted exchange between the two would follow such an event, but Enishi was unlike himself. He was fidgety and making only brief eye contact with Yukie, who was only becoming more puzzled by the second. Unable to bear this awkwardness he had brought about, they shifted the atmosphere to be far more familiar.

“Could you at least acknowledge my existence?” they badgered, “I called out for you in every single room!”

“I didn’t hear you,” he shot back, “Despite your big mouth, you move quieter than an ant.”

“Bullshit! You’ve startled me more than I’ve startled you! Just get your tea before it gets cold!” they ordered, shoving the tray towards him.

As quickly spun around and huffed towards the doorway, Enishi called out, “Yukie, wait.”

“Huh? What do you want?”

Still seemingly nervous for whatever reason, he spoke, “In the next few hours, I want to continue with your training. Whenever you’re done with your work, come find me. I’ll be in the office.” Still, he was having trouble keeping his eyes locked with Yukie, a motion completely uncharacteristic of him.

“You guarantee I’ll be able to find you in there?” they replied, calling him out, but still inwardly excited at his proposition. Enishi had carved out time recently to teach Yukie the basics of swordsmanship, and he had been impressed at how quickly they were progressing. Yukie, of course, found the whole ordeal to be a fun break in the monotony their days could sometimes bring with them, while Enishi had his own feelings about their sessions.

“Hold on a second–!” he called out.

“What?!” they huffed, “It’s gonna be way too difficult to move around in this!”

Yukie was undressing themselves, removing the top portion of their yukata and wrapping it under their sash. Apparently, this was no big deal to them, where Enishi was stuck in a serious dilemma. While they donned a sarashi, the most Enishi had seen of what lay under their clothing was when they would tie up their yukata above their knees and elbows while working in the gardens.

Sensing an opportunity for mischief, Yukie seizes it. “What is it? Never seen this much of a lady?”

Enishi’s lack of response gave them an answer, not to mention his refusal to look at them or the shade of pink creeping up his face.

“Hah?! I was kidding! Didn’t you tell me you’re popular with women?! Why’re you embarrassed over a bit of skin!?”

Still tilting his head away as much as possible, he shoots back, “I have a problem with you calling yourself a ‘lady’, that’s all it is.”

The training would begin with a swift kick to his side.

After making the mansion a bit cleaner than it was when they started, they headed back up to let Enishi know they were ready. True to his word, he was in the office, appearing as out-of-order as he did in the morning.

“Are you sure you’re ready for training?” they quipped.

“Very funny,” he deadpanned, getting up from his desk and moving past them, seemingly ensuring he had something in his pocket as he did. He popped into his bedroom for a minute, to grab his Wato. He held out his arm and presented it to Yukie, who stared at him with confusion. Typically, Enishi only let them handle it during the actual training sessions, where it was firmly in his grasp until then. Apprehensively, they took it from him, always impressed at it’s substantial weight. Holding it close to their body, the pair made their way down to the beach.

It wasn’t a terribly warm day, but the rigorous regiment that Enishi had devised for them still cause sweat to rise on their skin. Standing a bit away from them as they practiced their swings, Enishi admired everything about the person in front of him. The same person who he would find sleeping in the most unusual locations at the most inopportune times in the mansion was putting all their strength and determination into practicing. The sun caught their skin the same way it caught the water, both blinding him in different ways. Every few swings or so, their form would deviate a bit, and he could clearly see the scar that made them believe such an activity would be impossible. Their heavy-lidded eyes that always gave away their sly, and lazy at times, nature were far sharper and focused. A slight breeze would brush the falling strands of hair away from their face, ensuring Enishi was able to take in all he could. Being more lost in thought than paying attention to their training, they shouted over to him, “I lost count! But that had to be more than enough, right?”

Coming back to reality, he yelled back, “Yeah, you can take a break now.”

Yukie wobbled over to a piece of driftwood they had co-opted as a bench, throwing themselves down with a deep exhale. Even as they were catching their breath, the rise and fall of their chest was enough to fluster him. Taking his glasses off and massaging his temples, Yukie somehow noticed his state over their laborious breathing.

“Is it too bright out?” they asked, hoisting themselves back up and moving to stand in front of him.

This practice had started around the same time that their swordsmanship training had. Every so often, Enishi would retreat back to the treeline to take a break of his own, which piqued Yukie’s curiosity. Doing what they do best, they pried into his condition, learning that he couldn’t bear certain stimuli for too long, else he would develop a sort of headache. Suddenly, the sunglasses that he would wear, even indoors, began to make far more sense. Since then, Yukie had taken it upon themselves to become Enishi’s umbrella during their training sessions. He found it endearing, and wouldn’t dare tell them that it only helped marginally. Enishi stood back up, and Yukie took it as their cue to head back out to continue training.

The sun was getting ever closer to the horizon, and Enishi wasn’t sure how much longer he could put this off. Beams of light outlined Yukie in a sacred manner, iconography that Enishi would take as a sign.

Finally, he found the courage to speak.

“Yukie.”

“Hm?” Yukie spun around, trying to keep the loose strands of hair out of their mouth, as ungracefully as ever. Enishi moved to reach for his right ear, pulling an earring off.

“Take this, please.” He sounded almost desperate, and Yukie took quick note. “Hey, what’s the big deal? Why do you sound like you’re going to die all of a sudden?”

“Because I might.”

The wind picked up suddenly, nearly knocking the two of them over. “I owe you an explanation about everything: my life, the mafia, my plans. But right now,” he moved closer to Yukie, grabbing their hand before they had any time to process it, “I just want you to listen to what I have to say directly to you.”

Any other time, Yukie would find Enishi’s forwardness too much to bear and would double over in embarrassment. Of course, they still felt that way even now, but Enishi’s demeanor in this moment was far too serious, so they too had to compose themselves.

“I thought I wouldn’t get anything out of you being on this island with me,” he started.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” they snapped, unable to control their sarcasm. They realized their mistake, and let Enishi continue.

“I truly thought you were going to be nothing but a hassle and a liability, that somehow you were going to cause everything I had been working so hard at for so long to come crashing down. I never would have expected you to make me feel so… alive again. You can still be a hassle and a liability, but it’s become… endearing… in a way…” he turned away for a second to hide the smallest semblance of a blush. “You gave me a second purpose in waking up everyday. I started looking forward to hearing your humming in the hallways, smelling and enjoying the fresh tea, and eventually the bigger things: teaching you how to write Japanese and Chinese, and getting to spar with you like this. Yukie…” he paused for short moment, “If I didn’t have to set out and complete what I’ve planned… I would live here with you until the sea took this island back.”

Yukie couldn’t really believe the words coming out of his mouth, and frankly, couldn’t quite understand what he meant. Yukie loved living here, of course. It was the first place in years where they felt safe enough to close their eyes and let their guard down, to know where their next meal would be coming from, to have company that enjoyed her for who she is, with no ulterior motive.

“On June 15, I’ll be sending you back to Japan. It’s already been arranged, and you cannot argue with me on it this time. That’s why…” he opened Yukie’s hand, and placed the earring into it because closing their hand back up around it, “I want you to take this with you. I can’t go with you, and you won’t hear from me for some time. However, I’m a selfish person, and I can’t let you go completely alone. I want that earring to be a part of me you’ll take with you. Whatever you do with it when you get back to Japan, sell it, throw it into the ocean. I don’t care. But I’ll go crazy if I send you without something.” He spoke almost as if he was pained, like a leashed dog being dragged away.

As soon as Yukie felt some give in Enishi’s grip, they snatched their hand back. Opening it slowly, they examined the earring. What exactly it was made of was beyond their knowledge, but the yin-yang symbol was made of a nice stone, with the clasp being a solid metal. It was simple, but well crafted. They looked back at Enishi with an offended face. “If you’re going to give me something like this, the least you could do is help me put it on.” Enishi looked at them with bewilderment. Yukie never asked Enishi to get so close to them, and he knew better not to without some gesture of approval. As they took off their own earring on their right ear, Enishi carefully made his way over to them.

His hands were shaking terribly, and Yukie noticed, but chose not to say anything. He brushed away their hair before flinching. “Of course they chose this ear,” he thought to himself. It was a not so subtle reminder as to what had occurred the very first day they had met. In a usual fit of rage, Heixing had fired a gun at Yukie, just missing their skull by centimeters, but taking a chunk of their ear instead. Had Enishi not intervened when he did, none of the events of the past year would have happened, and he would not be carrying out such an intimate task with someone who was supposed to be his maid. Yukie felt their blood rush to their ears, still giving away their emotions even when Enishi couldn’t see their face. When it was firmly secured, Enishi pulled away, finding it evermore difficult to look at them with an unstrained expression.

This time, it was Yukie’s turn to speak.

“I don’t expect you to tell me the story behind your motives for anything you do. But I want you to this time.” Their tone was serious, yet pleading. They reached to touch their new jewelry. “Giving me something of yours, half of something no less, it feels…” the trailed off, desperately trying to get their next words out, “it feels like an arrangement…”

“An arrangement…?” Enishi questioned. Certainly the gesture came from the deep feelings he carried for Yukie, whether he realized their scope or not, but the word arrangement implies a union.

Finding the best words he could say at this moment, he confessed, “I care about you in a way I have never felt with anyone else.” His words left Yukie stunned, and he used that to continue. “It’s even different than how I felt with my sister. Yukie… you–... when this is all over, I want to find you again. No matter how much time passes, how different we both look, I hope that I can see your earring, and we can pick up right where we left off.”

It was nothing short of a declaration of love, even if the word was never spoken.

Looking down at the sand, Yukie took the lead again. “I… I want to find you again too…” they admitted. They looked back up, making eye contact that Enishi would hold for the first time all day, “I don’t know how I’ll survive without someone to quip back and forth with!”

Their beaming smile pulled Enishi back into the moment and out of the endless possibilities of his future. “The person I care about so deeply is right in front of me… I have to do all I can for her while I still can.”

A loud growl broke down the moment even further. “Ehe… I guess all that training wore me out,” they peeped.

“...Even if they have a knack for poor timing.”

Heixing is coming here today. It's his and Enishi's last meeting for a while, so I think it'll be long and important. I doubt I'll see Enishi this morning, if at all. I'm making hóngshāoròu for dinner, whether or not Heixing stays or goes to his mansion.

They shut their journal, placing the ink pen carefully on top. It was their most recent gift from Enishi, who had given it to them a couple of weeks ago.

"You said Tomoe liked to keep a diary, didn't you? This isn't a weird, final-ditch effort of you trying to project her onto me, is it?"

"Do you want to keep improving your writing skills or not?" he nagged, "I thought we were long past those accusations."

"We are. I'm just making sure," they narrowed their eyes at him.

They thought back to the day he had presented them with it, becoming solemn at their statement. It was June already. About a month prior, they and Enishi had come to the agreement that they would return to Japan on June 14th, to make way for Enishi's "preparations". Even to this day, they still didn't quite grasp what was going on in Enishi's head, what the true scale of his "preparations" was, what it had to do with this Battousai, how it was going to make Tomoe happy, and especially why they couldn't be around for it. But their other, long-standing agreement to not press on each other's issues far outweighed their curiosity or worry, and so they never urged him to tell them. Sitting back in their chair, they looked out the window to see the faint silhouette of a ship coming into view. "He's here so early?" they sighed to themselves, "I guess I might as well tidy up before they dock."

Yukie walked out of their room and started down the stairs, catching a glimpse of Enishi as they reached the ground floor. "Enishi, about Heixing–" they called out to him, but not before cutting themselves off when they got a good look at his expression. The air around him was heavy, almost frigid, and he was wearing a face of annoyance. He didn't even take a second to look at Yukie, just continuing on his path out of the mansion. "I don't think I've ever seen him like that, at least not to that degree," they thought, clasping the fabric around their chest, feeling their heart rate elevated slightly from the sudden tension Enishi had presented, "I guess it really is best if I don't bother him too much today."

The next time Yukie saw Enishi wouldn't be for another hour or two, only when he, Heixing, and the Sì Shén reentered the mansion. Yukie was finishing up some light dusting and reorganizing in the foyer, making a run-in with Enishi unavoidable. Yukie greeted Heixing and the Sì Shén with an unaccustomed, out-of-character welcome, riskily casting a smile Enishi's way when he walked in. To their surprise, or maybe imagination, he shot back an almost imperceptible smile of his own. Although it lasted only an instant and faded as soon as he turned back to Heixing, for a moment, Yukie was able to see a glimpse of the Enishi they had grown used to seeing. They watched the group head upstairs, presumably to the drawing room, and they returned to their menial tasks.

For the next few hours, Yukie continued doing work around the mansion, possibly the most work they'd ever done since arriving. They weren't sure what the deal with the sudden appearance of a work ethic was, but more likely than not, it was just a way to busy their mind in substitute of the anxiety they were feeling. Despite the fact Enishi had given them a comforting glance, it was just that, a cushion of what was to come, something to lessen the blow. "I just hope he's not putting up a front for my sake..." they thought. Enishi had a terrible habit of trying to obstruct the truth from Yukie, who was too perceptive for their own good. Nevertheless, they would often turn a blind eye for his sake, figuring it would be best if they kept up the act that they didn't know what Enishi was up to, knowing the trust he held in them still only went so far. For all his efforts though, there still were some things that Yukie had no clue about and Enishi would continue to hide those from Yukie until he no longer could; especially one deep and complex fear.

An abrupt and resounding thud from upstairs snapped Yukie out of their daze. For a moment, they considered heading up there to make sure everything was alright, but once again recalled Enishi's expression from that morning. "It might do more harm than good if I show up..." they decided. Even still, they stepped out of the kitchen into the main living area, just in case they might be able to catch a glimpse of the situation. Peering from around the corner, they saw Heixing and Sì Shén making their way down the stairs, with Heixing a bit bent out of shape. Upon seeing Yukie, he cast a bitter look toward them.

"If you have the gall to face the boss as he is now, maybe you'll finally learn to take your nose out of places where it doesn't belong."

Yukie felt their stomach drop and their heart rate quicken, "What did you do to Enishi?" they interrogated, moving with fiery intent toward Heixing before his Sì Shén put up their arms to guard him.

"I did nothing, the boss just seems to have developed an even shorter fuse since you came around," he jeered, waving for the Sì Shén to move on, "He'll desecrate the organization's name before I'll even be able to get my hands on it..." he muttered as he exited the mansion.

"That short-legged bastard..." Yukie cursed under their breath, coming back down from their near outburst. They looked around to search for Enishi, starting up the stairs when he suddenly appeared before them. He was wearing a similar face to the one from this morning, except this time, he appeared incredibly pained. His skin was raised in lines around his eyes and down his neck and arms. "Are these... veins?" they wondered, hesitantly reaching out their fingers to barely grace his skin, to which Enishi recoiled. This was the first time they had seen this up close, only catching the shortest glimpse of something similar when he stood up for them in Shanghai. Suddenly they realized, "They're not veins... these are his nerves..."

"Move," Enishi uttered as he pushed past them. Yukie would be lying if they weren't the least bit scared by Enishi's temperament, but their genuine concern far outweighed any consequence that might come from him, if any at all. They reached out to him again, grabbing his arm before he immediately shook it away. "I said, move. Get out of my sight," he ordered.

And suddenly, it was the Spring of 1877 again, with Yukie watching Enishi's back in the same way that they did when he told Heixing to "get rid of them". But it had been over a year since then, with the both of them sharing countless glances at one another's back that weren't in the name of disdain or malice, but instead of recognition, fondness, and adoration.

Enishi was halfway out of the mansion when Yukie lunged forward, grabbing his hand and refusing to be shaken off this time, with Enishi wincing at the sudden touch.

"Didn't I make myself clear? I don't want to see you," he deadpanned.

"You don't mean that!" Yukie yelled out, startling Enishi. "You and I both know you don't..." they said quieter this time. They were right, Enishi couldn't raise his voice against them again, much less rid himself of them. "Please, Enishi..." they pleaded, "please don't push me away sooner than you already have to."

Abandonment. The biggest fear that they both shared. While one avoided attachment out of fear of it being ripped apart in front of him again, the other sought out and latched onto anything that might even resemble it, no matter how twisted. On this island, almost entirely disconnected from the outside world, the only path for them to take led to each other, to develop a new type of bond, unbeknownst and unfamiliar to either of them.

Enishi stepped back inside, closing the door of the mansion. Yukie's grip on him had weakened, and he was able to walk away from them, sitting down on a chair in the living area and letting his head fall into his hands. Yukie had seen Enishi in a similar, yet less severe, state before, often coming about after long training sessions and after the incident in Shanghai. Often, a migraine or something resembling one would befall him, with Enishi using Yukie as a crutch while he recovered, setting his head down on their shoulder in an attempt to ease his ails. Of course, it held a not-so-hidden ulterior motive, but that didn't matter to either of them, as long as Yukie could ease his pain.

Leaning over him, Yukie pressed their hands on both of Enishi's cheeks, fingers floating over where his nerves just barely lingered under the raised skin. They struggled to make sense of their actions sometimes, amplified tenfold in this moment. Enishi winced slightly at their sudden touch, which made them pull back slightly, before fully committing to their motion. Locking their eyes with his, making doubly sure he was looking back at them, they stroked their thumb over his raised skin.

"Enishi..." they croaked, "how can you hold so much rage in your body?"

Their touch felt like acid on his skin, and while he wanted nothing more than to break away and curse their name forevermore, how could he ever do that? He was stuck staring at their sympathetic eyes, trying to ignore the glistening droplets forming beneath them. Time had suddenly refrozen for Enishi after he had just realized that it was finally moving for him again.

But time was still flowing for Yukie. With every second that passed, they saw his chest rise and fall with each troubled breath, noticed the trembling of his lips and the nervous darting of his eyes. With no surefire tell if they were the one eliciting such reactions, or if it was just the effects of Enishi's existing condition, they remained where they were, waiting patiently for an answer from Enishi.

Finally, he whispered, "If not my body, then whose?"

Yukie parted their lips to speak, but Enishi quieted them before anything could come out. "Don't... answer me," he muttered, breathless.

"When I first met Battousai," Enishi continued, "I told him, 'If only you had never existed'. I still wish that were the case more than anything. But if that were so... I doubt you would have ever appeared in front of me," he asserted. "If you hadn't surfaced out of seemingly nowhere that day, or if I had held steadfastly in my decision to get rid of you, I wouldn't have to be here, saying this to anyone, much less to you," he said, averting his gaze from them. "For fifteen years, I believed the only person I needed was my sister. That avenging her would be my only source of deliverance. So why now... after all these years... have you been able to make me second guess myself?" he confessed.

Yukie's eyes widened for a moment, before they shut them tightly, dropping their head but never once removing their hands from either side of Enishi's face.

"What does that..." they stuttered, "what does that have to do with me not being allowed to share your pain?"

It was Enishi's turn again to look at them in shock.

"If I'm this person who planted some sort of seed of doubt, or whatever, in you, why won't you just let me stay?" they huffed, clearly getting exasperated.

Enishi saw his chance to interject, "Because I can't–"

"Because you can't stand to see me hurt?" they finished.

Enishi recoiled back slightly, but just enough for Yukie to notice, who in turn raised their head, intensifying their gaze upon him.

"I've known about it since the day we met. Why, once you realized that I might be a woman, you suddenly told Heixing to stand down. Why you tried so unbelievably hard to keep me from getting close to you, but you ended up being the one who gave in. Why every time I would trip over something like the clumsy idiot I am, you were somehow always right there to catch me, even when you knew I would berate you for doing so. Why every training session we had, you purposely held back, even when you, yourself, recognized that we would almost be on par in strength. Why with every minor injury or cold I got, you would act with concern as if I was dying. It was the only reason that made sense," they maintained. "You should know by now that I might be a little bit stupid, but I'm not clueless."

Enishi dropped his gaze again. Of course, Yukie would have realized. It only took them a couple of weeks to uncover this more sentimental side of him, figuring out about Tomoe not too long into living together. It wasn't something he ever exactly kept a secret, but the weakness that came along with it was. With Yukie's uncanny perception skills, Enishi was an open book. Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same about them. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ever get a perfect read on them. Coupled with the fact they've only admitted very minuscule details about their past, Enishi was left filling in the large blanks about them. Meanwhile, they could probably fill up their entire journal about him. But those few points he knew were enough to reinforce his long-standing fear.

"You refuse to tell me, so I can only guess what you've been through," he started, "I can only assume it's twice as tormenting as what I've dealt with, likely even more, because there's no way someone whose life was bloodless would end up with a scar like yours," he said, ghosting his hand over their right shoulder. "That's why I acted in such a manner around you, thinking that if I could do one thing to lessen the suffering you've endured, that it might absolve me of my own."

In the years preceding Yukie's appearance in Enishi's life, his world felt as though it was ending every day, just to repeat at the break of dawn. No matter how hard he tried to defer it by practicing Watojutsu, leading the Shanghai mafia, or plotting his Jinchuu, the cosmic suffering he endured was unending; suffering that he tried to blame others for when the vast majority of it was self-inflicted, as he trapped himself inside an iron maiden of grief. His delusion of Tomoe was the only thing keeping him sane, though to any onlooker, it was clear that he had already sunken into neurosis. And yet, one random spring day, he would be faced with someone who would see that and accept it, completely unprovoked. They presented him with emotions he believed he could not feel, having either locked them away or discounted their existence entirely.

Enishi raised his hand to push Yukie's hair away from their right ear, revealing the earring he had given to them back in April only two months prior, but feeling like ages ago. It was a tender moment, not unlike the one they were sharing now, where Enishi revealed just how important they were to him, though still making sure never to say it outright. It was an obvious showcase of his need to lay claim over them, a considerably unhealthy affliction he'd held since childhood, albeit one with pure intentions.

"You know... you wouldn't have had to put this on me if you would just let me stay here..." they said.

"Yukie," he said shortly.

"I know," they reassured, "you’ll just never be able to ditch that obsessive part of yourself."

"Am I truly that selfish?" Enishi asked them.

"Yeah... a little bit," Yukie admitted hesitantly.

"I see..." he hummed, "Then let me give into that, for just a moment."

Enishi finally let his arms fall onto Yukie, wrapping his arms around them, but making sure not to pull them closer, instead waiting for them to act on their own, which they did. They relaxed their body, letting it press into Enishi's, who only then tightened his grip around them. Yukie's hand found its way to Enishi's chest, feeling for a heartbeat that Enishi wasn't sure he had. But he did, and Yukie was able to find it with no issue, taking note of its pace. Out of respect for the solemn moment they were sharing, they decided to hold their tongue, otherwise they might be made into a hypocrite if Enishi noticed their own quickened heart rate. They adjusted their head on Enishi's shoulder, finally noticing that his nerves were beginning to subside, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief, with Enishi once again tightening his arms around them lightly as they did.

And if time were not an enemy to them both, in the form of the past and present, they would have remained this way until July, discarding decade-long promises that they had held all in favor of each other.

He wasn’t sure when he’d fallen asleep himself, but there was no denying it had happened. After their exchange the day prior, he found himself physically unable to pry himself away from Yukie, eventually ending up with Yukie falling asleep on his bed. He was planning on sleeping elsewhere out of respect for their privacy, but judging by how he had his other arm wrapped around their waist and how their hand was gasping his, they were seemingly quite content with him staying right where he was, as was he.

Enishi glanced upon their sleeping figure, and his eyes couldn’t help but fall on Yukie’s earring– his earring. And just slightly above that was a grim reminder of how he could almost have lost Yukie before he even knew them, that being the disfigured part of their ear, courtesy of Heixing, who shot at it within ten minutes of their arrival into his life. Even all this time later, the sight of Yukie’s blood dripping down their chin and staining the sand below them, all the while they kept a completely unfazed demeanor, was haunting to Enishi, only amplified tenfold as he grew closer and more in love with them. Had he not drawn a connection between them and Tomoe any later, what would his life have been like? More peaceful, maybe, but would that really be true? Instead of waking up to the sound of Yukie’s graceless humming or the clanking of ceramic as they desperately tried not to drop the third tea set of the month, he might still be in Shanghai, desperately trying to drown out the constant, abrasive noise of the city, always loud enough to instantly overwhelm him. He might have enjoyed over-the-top, expensive Shanghai dinners he could afford, but the humble meals Yukie prepared, along with the experience of peering over their shoulder as they scolded him for getting in their way, would always fill his stomach more. Without realizing it, he must have tightened his arm around them, earning a small grumble from Yukie, who was still very much asleep despite this. Even so, he felt their hand squeeze his own slightly. He watched them take in a deep breath and saw their face relax again, easing his own heart. But just barely, as it was still bursting with things he wanted to say to them, but felt too guilty or sorry to say. They both had let the other see their most vulnerable state in its full display last night, yet Enishi still couldn’t let them know all that he had to hide, not exactly for their sake, but for his own. He could count on their abnormally heavy sleeping to say one thing, though.

"Even though I can’t let you stay with me right now… I'm glad I finally found… the second person I ever wanted to protect…”

One of these days, they really were going to be awake when he whispered into their ear, but once again, he was lucky today wasn’t that day, and he drifted back off to sleep, praying that destiny would be kind to them both.

As Yukie gathered all their things together, which was still not much more than the clothes that they arrived in, they took one last look out their bedroom window. Overlooking the cove, the sun shining off the sand burned the image into their mind; the view that had welcomed them every morning for the past year. In a few hours, the ship that would be taking them back to Japan would dock right there on the shore, along with any lingering hopes and dreams. A knock and a voice at the door brought them back to their senses, “I'm coming in,” Enishi announced before promptly opening the door.

Yukie put on a faux offended face, "What if I was undressed right now? What if you walked in on me while I was changing? You didn’t even give me time to react.”

"Well, I didn’t. Stop making up fake scenarios to get mad at me for.”

He was right, there was a completely real scenario they could be resentful about right now. Nonetheless, Enishi glanced up and down at them. "The yukata looks nice on you,” he remarked. It was different from the usual one they donned, decorated with sunflowers instead of morning glories, paired against an off-white cloth, and matched with a bold crimson sash. It was one that Enishi had bought for them on his last trip a few weeks ago, never before worn until today. Yukie chose not to acknowledge his compliment, knowing they wouldn’t be able to formulate a thoughtful nor snarky response. They returned to packing their items into the small suitcase they had, also courtesy of Enishi.

Yukie could still feel Enishi’s eyes on them, but in between glances through their bangs, caught him looking away before they could interrupt his gaze. "If you’re just here to loom over me, find something better to do,” they started, "You’re sending me back because you have something big you need to do, right? And I'd just be a liability if I stayed?” Finally, their eyes met, making sure Enishi could see the stirring feelings behind theirs. It was just a little over a month until Enishi was going to set his 15-year-long plan into motion, something Yukie was only vaguely aware of. Never did he expect to meet Yukie in the midst of it, but it’s certainly not an event he wished had never occurred. Quite the opposite, in fact. Truly, he wondered where he would be if he had met them earlier. But what’s done is done, and what was about to be done was not something he could involve them in out of their safety and for the sake of his own lingering sanity. He exchanged an understanding glance with Yukie before leaving the room, once again pitting them to deal with their thoughts.

Shortly before sunset, when the sun cast its beams through the trees almost brighter than ever, the relay ship arrived. Yukie made their way down the steep forest path, finally being able to navigate it without catching their sandal on a tree root or stumbling over a rock. They glanced back up the cliff to the mansion and then back to the boat, very similar to the one they had arrived on that spring day, setting their life into a tangle with Enishi’s. “Is he even gonna see me off?” they thought to themselves. The ship had just docked, and it would take time to transfer the cargo off, and for Enishi to complete whatever shady dealings he needed to this time. Sitting down in the shade of the trees to observe the crew offloading the ship, a creepy figure caught Yukie’s eye; a person dressed head to toe in black robes, complete with a mask resembling a skull. Just the sight of them sent shivers down their spine, an intense feeling of dread. The silhouette seemed to be approaching them, but turned towards the path up to the mansion, just when Enishi emerged from it. Yukie kept their attention locked onto the figure as they talked with Enishi, seemingly amicably. They stood up and began slowly walking over to where the two were standing. Before they reached their position, Enishi and the masked character seemed to finish their conversation, with the strange person moving past Yukie as they got to Enishi, catching the harrowing scent of death as they floated past. Yukie nearly stumbled over at the odor, bringing tears to the corner of their eyes and jerking to cover their mouth. Enishi noticed their condition and braced them before they could completely waver. “That person… What could Enishi possibly need from someone like that…? ” they wondered, a thousand thoughts plaguing their mind.

Yukie broke from Enishi’s support, "Are you making deals with the Grim Reaper now?” they griped. Enishi looked away. Any response would make things difficult for both of them. "Is that everything you have?” he questioned instead.

"Pretty much, it's just clothes, really,” they answered, holding up the suitcase in reference. Enishi began walking towards the ship, with Yukie following in his stead.

"There’s about 3 months' worth of food on the ship, take any of it that you want before you get off,” he informed them, "And also this,” he said, stopping and turning around to face Yukie, handing them an envelope with his seal on it.

"I can’t take this,” Yukie asserted. They knew there was money in the envelope, probably more money than they would ever need.

“I'm not giving you a choice,” he refuted, pushing the envelope into them, "If you won’t take it as an offering, then consider it your pay for working as a maid.” Yukie pouted and glared at Enishi. It was clear he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and he offered a suitable rationale to get them to accept it. Apprehensively, they took the envelope from his hands, sliding it in between their yukata and sash. They stood in silence for some time, Yukie unabashedly returning the gaze Enishi was delivering. The sea breeze was slight, but it was enough to cause Yukie’s hair and Enishi’s cape to catch the wind, indirectly trying to close the gap that stood between them. Until the foreman shouted, "All unloaded!”, they remained that way. The sun was finally turning the sky golden, the clouds a spectacular hue of pink. They shared countless moments like this on the beach, often after sparring, with Yukie stepping out into the chill water to cool themselves down, hair coming undone from the vigorous sword strikes they shared. When the sun disappeared over the horizon in a few short minutes, would that be the last time they ever looked at the same sunset?

Finally, Yukie broke the silence. "I hope you learned how to make yourself at least one good meal,” they pestered, casting a full grin at him. Enishi felt his heart twist. “That’s right… they’re leaving.” Life without them was going to be different, maybe even painful. But what was about to happen was more important, to put it bluntly. His life was truly looking up for once, and carrying out his Jinchuu would only make that even more the case.

But, when all is said and done, would he be able to return to this life they had fabricated?

There was no room for goodbyes, and if there was, neither of them wanted to fill the space with one. Yukie embarked on the ship as Enishi watched from the beach. The last image of them he remembers from that day was their smile, the golden rays of the sun revealing the faint hues of dark brown in their otherwise black hair. From the ship, Yukie watched Enishi’s back as he started back up towards the mansion. Maybe it was better that they couldn’t see his face, as he too wouldn’t have been able to see the heartsick expression they were wearing.

The sun fell below the ocean, and Enishi caught one last glimpse of the ship as it disappeared from sight on his balcony. From then on, the pure and simple end to a 15-year duel would take the stage. The sun would not rise again until the North Star traveled to the one who was lost instead.