Mr. Takeru presided over the council of war in a tent, which was attended by his main military leaders.
“Sorry, gentlemen,” said, entering, Izoa and bowed, then straightened up, looked at Mr. Takeru, “I have a valuable gift for you,” Izoa stepped aside to let the soldiers who brought Kai in.
Toyami and Kai’s eyes met.
For a split second, Toyami’s eyes flashed, and it could seem that they widened with amazement, but he took control of his emotions and in a cold, even voice, looking indifferently at Kai, said:
“Thank you, Izoa, for your faithful service. Escort Kai under guard to my tent and leave with the guard until I arrive.”
No one dared to argue with their boss, everyone just silently watched as Kai was taken away, and then Toyami continued the meeting.
The soldiers escorting Kai led him through the camp to a huge tent. Kai realized that this was Toyami’s tent. Once inside, they stopped, Kai looked around.
“What a big tent, though, with modern technology and the availability of money, you can afford such a luxury even in war.”
Space inside was divided by stoles. Now they were standing in the center of the living room with sofas, a table, and armchairs, in front, behind a raised stole, Kai saw the edge of the bed it was a bedroom, turning his head to the side, he examined another raised stole and part of the room with a sofa and armchairs. Everything was in red and gold tones with the luxury of a Japanese palace and at the same time with modern interior details. There were carpets, ottomans, armchairs, and sofas. One could see how the owner of this tent appreciated luxury and at the same time possessed exquisite taste.
“Apparently, Toyami is not used to denying himself anything. He fights lightly, if he allows himself such a luxury, although, what’s surprising – they don’t really fight, so they keep small areas under control. For Toyami, this is more an exotic trip than a war, ” such thoughts flashed through Kai’s mind as he saw his surroundings.
After quickly ending the meeting, Toyami went to his tent. Going inside, he saw Kai standing under guard in the middle of the room.
“You are free,” he said, addressing the soldiers next to Kai, “put the keys to the handcuffs on the table.”
The guards left his tent, Toyami looked at Kai, who was wearing a black military jacket wet from the rain, his wet hair in large recalcitrant curls lay on his head, a few curls fell on his face.
“The plan I have conceived has worked – you are now completely in my power!” he looked at Kai, devouring him with his eyes.
Yes, that was his plan. Realizing that he could lose to Arshad in this fight, Toyami decided to play ahead of the curve. After all, there was a war and everyone could be captured. And he, taking advantage of his position, gave a secret order to his faithful assistant Izoa, if circumstances arose – to capture Kai and deliver him. Izoa had already guessed everything ages ago, and it wasn’t necessary to explain anything for a long time.
And so, after so much time, his plan worked. Kai was captured by him. It didn’t matter that relations with the Russians seemed to be restored, it was somewhere up, but here, at the front, everything was different. Everything can be attributed to the war. He had waited too long for this moment. And now he would not back down. Was he ready to make it to the end now? Probably. This cat and mouse game dragged on. Kai was intractable, he didn’t even go to ordinary meetings, well, then it was worth trying to change tactics. Moreover, he wanted it so himself. He wants Kai! He wants so that all this time he was going crazy with the memories of guy’s lips, silk skin, his soft moans, and out of breath …
During this time, Toyami, like a boy in love, exhausted himself with the memories of who he wanted to possess. And finally, he came to the conclusion that he was not ready to be a dreamy youth, expecting a miracle. He was an adult, he would soon be thirty, he had seen and experienced a lot and was now ready to behave like a man whose pride was hurt and whose sincere feelings were rejected. He was ready to take what he wanted. And then it’s time to decide what to do next. He wanted to satiate his passion, to unleash his dark side. If Kai rejected his light side, would he accept the dark side? Maybe his base passion, his depraved desires would be more attractive to Kai than romantic feelings?
But there was one more thing that made the final advantage in such an act – it was Arshad. He would not yield to him Kai. Never! Arshad and their protracted game – Toyami understood it, and this pushed him now to the decisive step. He would not give in the person he wanted for another one.
Toyami continued to stare at Kai standing in front of him. His handcuffed hands put back, damp hair, lash-darkened emerald eyes. He mentally undressed him, enjoying this sensual sight. He had a good enough fantasy to imagine Kai now without clothes, only with handcuffs on his hands.
Toyami stepped towards him, gazing into Kai’s eyes. It seemed to him that he saw pain and fear there.
“Kai is afraid of me! He is afraid of what I want to offer him. And the pain, why is there so much pain in his eyes? Today he looks strange … It doesn’t matter! I will not fall for this trick! He did not want to answer my feelings when he was free – now he is in my power.”
Toyami slowly approached Kai, and, practically touching him, began to go around in a circle. Inhaling his scent and enjoying the closeness of the person he had wanted to see next to him for so long, and now, finally, it came true.
Toyami’s military kimono rustled with every fluid movement. Kai felt the insane energy that emanated from him, and it scared him. Terrified by Toyami’s obsession, his madness!
“And now I am helpless, with handcuffs on my arms. How stupid I got caught!” realizing all this, Kai did not know what to do now.
Again memories floated before his eyes:
“There was a table, the light of the lamps, the scalpel, he must now make an incision and continue…”
Kai woke up from the touch of Toyami’s hand, which removed the wet strand from his face. Their eyes met. Toyami ran his fingers over Kai’s face, cheekbones, and nervously pursed lips.
“Hello, Kai. Don’t you think that we began to meet often with you lately? Why have you come here? However, it doesn’t matter! This is destiny!” Toyami paused, smiling, “How glad I am to see you, especially when you are completely in my power!” he continued to touch Kai’s face, “Do you remember I’ve told you that I always get my way?”
“Hello. And what do you want to achieve?” Kai tried to pull away from Toyami’s hand on his face.
“That which you refused me all this time,” Toyami smiled slyly, ” but now you cannot refuse me this.”
“I seem to be a prisoner of war? Is it okay to be treated like this?”
“Are you going to say that you were raped by a Japanese officer?” Toyami laughed, looking into the eyes of Kai, “I’m not going to kill you.”
Hearing this, Kai averted his eyes from Toyami, realizing that everything was not going in his favor, then looked around the tent, looking for a way out of this situation.
“You are probably looking for a “way out”?” Toyami smiled a sly smile, “Even Kodji won’t help you. He’s in Japan, on vacation.”
Yes, Kai hoped that Kodji was somewhere nearby, he would stabilize the situation with Toyami. But now this hope disappeared.
Toyami roughly grabbed Kai’s uniform and pulled him towards the bed, then threw him at it. The bed was soft, Kai fell back on it, tried to crawl away, but was instantly crushed by Toyami, who was now looking down at him.
Toyami’s eyes and all his actions expressed not only the insane passion but also cold cruelty.
Yes, he laughed at Toyami’s feelings, although, or rather, he had nothing to do with him and all his sufferings. And he was also rude to him – Kai understood this and realized that he had angered Toyami with his rude behavior.
Then the memories of the last days surfaced again:
“The light of the lamp … the sheets … the scalpel and the cry of a man …”
Toyami saw that at first, Kai was here with him, and then again this pain in his eyes, this look into nowhere, through him.
“Is there something wrong with him?” thought Toyami. “When was it wrong with me? When I was going crazy all this time, I could not find a place for myself, did not find peace in anything?! For this now I will be merciless and cruel to him – I just take what I want.”
Toyami, holding Kai’s shoulder with one hand, lifted his chin with the other and greedily pressed his lips to his. The kiss was endlessly long.
This brought Kai back to reality.
“Twitching with handcuffs and hands twisted back is stupid. And this will provoke Toyami even more, and then it will be unrealistic to get through to his mind. Although, when Toyami is adequate, he is quite sane and normal. But how to bring Toyami into this adequate state?” thought Kai, not resisting the tongue of Toyami that penetrated his mouth.
“He kisses well, but now it was not the same as then in the tent,” flashed through Kai’s mind.
During this time, so much had happened, and recent events had constantly returned him to the horror of these two weeks. Now he didn’t feel anything, he just waited for Toyami to stop it.
“He bothered me with a kiss! Now, if Irka were in Toyami’s place, it would be great at all,” this was the next thought of Kai, who was waiting for Toyami to tear himself away from his lips, “well, how he doesn’t understand, he doesn’t interest me in this regard. Of course, Toyami has age-old traditions and upbringing, which his sensei told him about, but I have other traditions that do not allow this kind of relationship!”
Kai, feeling the heat of a kiss on his lips, feeling his tongue in his mouth, remembered again about Irka – and answered the kiss.
Toyami staggered back as if stung.
“What? Did you like it? Do you also love me a little?”
“How he is covered with love to me!” thought Kai and closed his eyes so as not to see the happiness on Toyami’s face, because he deceived him, it was not him who answered the kiss. No, he didn’t like him at all, but he didn’t want to disclose it now. But his actions brought Toyami back to normal, it played into his hands.
“I need to seize the moment,” Kai thought.
“Take off the handcuffs, please,” Kai opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of Toyami, “please, my hands are numb, it hurts.”
Toyami had already started to get up to take to the keys to the handcuffs, but his mind reminded him of Kai’s behavior at their meetings, his stubbornness, and complete rejection of everything he offered him.
“Well no! I will not succumb to your spell! Now let you suffer. And from the pain too. Oh, what pain I will give you, the pain of pleasure!”
Kai saw how Toyami’s face changed, he saw that he had already reached out to his mind, and then again Toyami was seized with passion. This cruel smile, the glint of cold, slightly slanted gray eyes.
“Damn, what an ambush! Here he was covered with this love. This is what it means – a subtle mental organization.”
“The light of the lamp in his eyes … white sheets … the table … blood on his hands … moan … blood …”
Toyami looked at Kai and realized that he was not here again, somewhere there, and there was pain, it was in his eyes.
“This is a trick!” thought Toyami, “I won’t give in to it. It’s a game. I do not believe it! Let’s play by my rules!”
Toyami looked hungrily at Kai, who was lying in front of him on the huge bed. A beautiful face in the dim light of the lamps, wet curls, beautiful high cheekbones, a thin lip line.
Toyami began to unfasten the buttons of Kai’s jacket, then roughly unfastened the buckle of the harness, and finally opened the jacket.
“Crazy, what are you doing?” these actions of Toyami brought Kai back to reality.
“I want to look at you.”
Toyami’s gaze lingered on the gold cross around Kai’s neck. Then he placed his hand on his chest and slowly led it downward, feeling the warm skin beneath his palm. Now his hand recalled this silky skin.
“How your heart beats, what smooth skin … It’s wonderful,” Toyami said in a slightly hoarse voice with excitement.
Kai felt the heat of his hand on his chest, stomach …
“Wait! Listen to me,” Kai made another attempt to “to get through to Toyami”.
Toyami froze, looked at him.
“To listen to about what? Didn’t you hear me when I spoke to you? You didn’t want to know me. Even just for the sake of human relations, we could at least meet, it’s not the first day we’ve known each other. Or is it so hard to behave humanly with those who treat you well? And you just disappeared – that’s all!”
“All this time I was busy; I will explain later … Stop pawing me!” this was already starting to piss Kai off.
“How I love this genuine passion, when you are so real, if it were not for the handcuffs, I would have been scared of you. You are now formidable,” Toyami’s face again became cold and cruel, “You are mine! Now I will mock you, and my torture will be painful and long.”
Toyami resolutely grabbed the belt of Kai’s trousers and with sharp movements unbuttoned it, then the button on the trousers and the fly.
“Toyami!” now the voice of Kai exuded a prayer and was interrupted, “Toyami, listen! There are moments in life when sex – no matter with whom – is not quite right. Or rather, not up to it at all. Can you understand that?!” Kai almost shouted.
This cry of despair sobered Toyami. He froze. I looked closely into his eyes.
“What has happened to you?” Now Toyami was sane.
“I’m not ready to talk about it, lying in front of you on the bed with unbuttoned trousers. And my hands are very numb. It really hurts.” Kai looked Toyami in the eye.
“Something happened to Kai,” Toyami understood. He froze and thought.
“How can I do this to him? It’s strange, what’s wrong with me? Before I would not have thought about it, I did what I wanted. But now I can’t. I feel much more for him than a physical attraction, and I want much more from him than just the satisfaction of my desire … “
He looked at Kai again. He was lying in front of him with his arms folded back, half-naked. Toyami felt ashamed of his behavior. His passion overshadowed his mind. He had no right to do that. Use power over Kai’s defenseless position.
“But Kai is dangerous in anger. I have no right to put my people at risk,” thought Toyami.
“I cannot risk the lives of my soldiers if you start raging. Understand me. And I don’t want to fight with you myself,” he looked into Kai’s eyes. “Give me your word that you will leave me only with my consent.”
“I give you my word.”
The hands, clasped behind his back, were in great pain. Toyami’s eyes stared at him, he understood his fears, but it was better to bind himself with a word than this madness again.
“I give my word that I’ll leave here only with your consent,” Kai repeated.
Toyami got up and, ashamed of his actions, walked over to the table to take the handcuffs key.
“Again a scream … a white sheet in blood, and he is cutting … skin … muscles …”
Toyami realized that Kai was not here.
“Kai, what’s wrong with you?”
Kai flinched at his voice and tried to look away so he wouldn’t see his eyes.
Toyami bent over him and, gently grasping his shoulders, raised himself, freeing Kai’s hands.
The hands were numb. Kai rubbed the marks of the handcuffs and began, clenching and unclenching his fingers, to restore blood circulation.
Toyami looked at him sadly, reproaching himself for his actions.
Now he realized that he was acting like a “lustful brute,” as Koji once put it.
Kai, having come to his senses a little, realized how stupid and ambiguous everything looks: Toyami, sitting with him on the bed, and he, with his jacket unbuttoned and his pants unbuttoned, sitting next to him.
“Some kind of nonsense,” it burst out of Kai, while he got up and put his clothes in order.
He didn’t fasten his harness — what good was it when the weapon was taken away. He took it off and threw it aside. He fastened french on several lower buttons so that it was visible how a gold chain with a cross gleamed around his neck.
“What are you talking about?” Toyami shuddered from the falling harness. Now he was even afraid of Kai.
“His mastery of the sword is perfect, he is a true warrior, that is why I so want to possess him, but not only the body but also soul. How I want him to agree to be with me.”
Kai caught this look on himself.
“Please, stop! The second part is not needed! Come to your senses.”
“I will not give in to emotions anymore. You have nothing to worry about. You’ve promised to tell me what is happening to you.”
“Do you have anything to drink?”
“What do you want?”
“Do you have whiskey? And cola?”
“Why do you need this disgusting thing?” but when he saw Kai, who again looked through him with a glassy gaze, he quickly brought and poured a glass of whiskey and into another glass of cola, as Kai loved – he remembered this.
“Here, take it,” Toyami held out a glass of whiskey.
Kai shuddered, his memories carried him back to the operating room. He took the glass and drank it quickly. The whiskey burned his throat, which brought him a little to his senses. He took a sip of cola to remove the tearing action in his throat.
He poured himself another one and drank it again in one gulp.
“Do you want to get drunk?” Toyami stood in silence and watched Kai’s actions.
“No, and it is unlikely that I will succeed. You’ve asked me to tell you what I want to forget, not to remember, and, moreover, to talk about it.”
Kai grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the table and walked to a low sofa at the other end of the room. He plopped down on the corner of the sofa among the myriad pillows and poured himself another. But without stopping to drink, he put the glass on the table in front of the sofa.
Toyami now, even in his thoughts, could not allow himself to sit next to Kai on the sofa. He sat down on the chair opposite, placing the Coke that Kai had forgotten on the table.
“If it hurts you so much to remember this, it’s unnecessary, don’t talk,” Toyami said, seeing the mental anguish on Kai’s face. What was the use of his desire to know if by this desire he was hurting someone he did not want to hurt?
“Whether I talk about it or not – it is with me, it is tormenting me now,” Kai paused, then spoke, “I was in Zeros all this time. Two weeks while the city was under siege.”
Toyami turned pale, he knew that Zeros was surrounded and for two weeks there were desperate battles to capture it and the incessant bombing of the city.
“I helped with the wounded, or rather, first helped, and when they killed the assistant surgeon, I took his place,” he spoke abruptly, stumbling from the surging memories, then sipped his whiskey, coughed, “Do you have a smoke?”
Toyami brought and placed in front of Kai a pack of cigarettes, long, with the scent of cinnamon, the way he liked. Kai nervously fiddled with the pack in his hands. Toyami took the pack, took out a cigarette, lit a cigarette, and gave it to Kai. He didn’t even notice it. He picked up a cigarette on the machine and inhaled nervously.
“The drugs ran out there. The main warehouse with medicines was blown up, what they managed to save did not last long – the flow of the wounded increased every day,” Kai fell silent, and then looked into the eyes of Toyami, “Do you understand what it means to operate on a person without anesthetics, what it is to cut a person who all feels?” Kai fell silent, lowered his head, “I did it for two weeks …”
Toyami now understood why Kai was in such a state, what he saw in his eyes, why he constantly seemed to sink into memories. Toyami understood his pain. He got up and, coming up, wanted to hug him by the shoulders.
“Do not touch me!” Kai hissed. It was really scary – now he was not joking and could barely contain his anger.
Toyami removed his hand and almost silently returned to his chair.
“Are you happy? I’ve told everything,” Kai looked into Toyami’s eyes, “now you understand that I have no time for you, in general, for no one now! I vaguely remember the road. Why did I come here? I was just driving …” he wearily threw his head back on the pillows, “pour me some more.”
Toyami filled his glass with whiskey, realizing that Kai needed to go through this pain himself and move on.
And then Toyami remembered his recent actions. He could not forgive himself for his selfish behavior.
How could he behave like that to Kai? After all, he saw that he felt bad! Well no! He wanted to hear only himself and his dirty thoughts. And now Kai was sitting in front of him with a sick, tormented soul, who was disgusted with his presence after everything that had happened. Yes, he was disgusting to him. This was what he achieved with his actions. Fool! Now Kai would not forgive him, he would hate him.
“Whiskey works wonders – I can no longer hear their voices and I do not see the bloody sheets in front of me … Where can I spend the night?” Kai felt that he was simply chopped off from fatigue and stress. Now he didn’t care what would happen to him. He wanted to sleep.
“My bed is over there, or, if you like, this sofa. The bathroom is to the right,” Toyami said in confusion, also realizing that now Kai didn’t care.
“Sleep on this couch yourself,” it sounded like an order.
Staggering, Kai went to the side of the bed, without undressing fell on it.
Toyami, like a beaten dog, sat quietly in a chair, realizing where his place was. Then he got up and slowly walked over to the already sleeping Kai, took off his shoes, and covered him with a blanket.
“How stupid it all turned out. I was puffed up, pretended to be a merciless despot, and he simply said – your place is right there, at my feet, and fell asleep. Yes, it is impossible not to love such a person!”
Toyami was happy that he met Kai in his life, and he would be content with little. To be close to him, to guard his sleep, and not yet claim anything more.
“But there was a kiss, and he answered, was it?”
Today was a happy evening in his life. The one he so wanted to see next to him was now, here. Let him be just by Kai’s side. Even this was great happiness.
With these thoughts, Toyami began to settle down on the sofa.
***
Morning came. The drunk alcohol did its job – Kai slept soundly. When he woke up, he ran through the events of yesterday evening in his head.
“Nonsense! No, not delirium,” Toyami slept on the couch.
“It’s nonsense anyway!”
With these thoughts, he went to the bathroom. The bathroom, in his opinion, was like a girl’s – he hadn’t seen so many creams, tubes, and bottles for a long time.
His clothes were wrinkled, so after showering, he donned one of Toyami’s many kimonos, deciding to say his things must be put in order.
“Hey, stop sleeping,” passing by the sleeping Toyami, Kai kicked his sofa.
Toyami jumped up, not yet fully understanding what was happening.
“I am your horror, nightmare! You wanted to see me – here I am, why are you sleeping?”
Kai had wet hair and was wearing a kimono over his naked body.
“Damn, stop staring! Tell your people to put my clothes in order. Your kimono is long. Give me something more comfortable. Where is the mineral water? I’m thirsty after whiskey.”
Yes, it was Toyami’s terrible nightmare. He was aware of this now. So many orders when he hadn’t even had time to wake up. And he understood that he would fulfill them all without question.
Toyami jumped up, pulled the bell-rope, his personal servants rushed in. He gave them orders.
Kai, seeing this whole picture, giggled at the table.
“What made you laugh?” Toyami asked sadly.
“Do you understand how it looks from the outside? Have you seen their eyes? I’m wet, in your kimono since morning, wrinkled bed. In short – you are the hero of the day! Congratulations! I’m in sh*t, of course, but overall fun.”
Toyami understood what his servants were thinking after seeing all this.
“I didn’t want to…” he began to speak, but Kai interrupted him.
“What didn’t you want? To tarnish my reputation with a blue relationship?”
The servants came in again – they brought clothes – it was a military kimono of a samurai.
“I only have this,” Toyami said apologetically, “but it will fit your size.”
“I do not care, how to put it on?”
“I will help,” seeing the cold glint of Kai’s green eyes, Toyami stopped short, “the servant will help you get dressed, I will go out.”
Waiting for Toyami to close the bathroom door behind him, Kai allowed himself to be helped to dress. The servants made stone faces, although he felt their gaze on himself.
After getting dressed, Kai fell on the sofa in front of a low table covered with food.
“Bring red wine.”
When Toyami came out of the bathroom wearing a fresh kimono, he gasped at the sight of Kai. How gracefully he was reclining on the pillows and holding a glass of wine and how these clothes suited him.
Seeing Toyami’s eyes on himself, Kai drank red wine from a glass and, looking into his eyes, said:
“Sit down or will you stand in such a way?”
“Do you drink in the morning?” asked Toyami again in a quiet, sad voice, shrinking under Kai’s gaze.
“What else can I do? My honor has already been lost after a night spent with you, so I have nothing to lose,” Kai was amused by the whole situation with its absurdity.
“I deserve your mockery, sorry about yesterday.”
“For what? For nearly f******? You are, of course, cool! You bring variety to my boring, everyday life. Your mind was completely blown away yesterday. However, I had a psychotic breakdown too,” Kai became serious, drank more wine from the glass, “but let’s not talk about sad things. Now everyone knows you f***** me. You can walk proudly around the camp. Accept compliments. There, probably, everyone is waiting for a story about how it was.”
“Enough!” there were notes of a breakdown in Toyami’s voice, “please, enough!”
“Sensitive nature?” mockingly and spitefully said Kai and finished his wine, “Pour it, I’m kind of visiting.”
Toyami was sitting humiliated on the sofa.
“I deserve it! What did I want?” thought Toyami, “This is Kai, that’s why I fell in love with him. Another would … No, there are no others! Kai – only he, after everything that happened and did not happen, could behave this way. He is so handsome in this kimono.”
“Stop looking at me like that – got it!” Kai’s voice was irritated.
“Why aren’t you eating anything?” Toyami saw an untouched plate of food in front of Kai.
“No appetite after a night with you.”
Toyami also had no appetite, he dropped his eyes and looked down at his plate.
Kai saw before him a sad young man with a pale face and a confused look.
“But yesterday, how you swaggered,” he recalled, “you won’t turn my heart, now sit and suffer, next time you will not be happy to see me. I’ll do my best to frazzle you out. Maybe love will pass. What a pity, for so many years I met a person whom I want to consider my friend, but here such garbage happens. Nonsense. And I’m totally flipping out.”
“Is the TV set working?” Kai’s commanding voice brought Toyami out of the stupor into which he fell from such a morning.
“Yes, but I’ve thought maybe you want to go out for a breath?”
Kai, who had already walked towards the TV, turned sharply at these words.
“Do you invite me to take a walk around the camp arm in arm with you like a cute couple? A sort of idealistic picture: two doves in love after a passionate night of love! I just wonder at you.”
Toyami was sitting motionless on the sofa, he heard the TV turn on.
“Hey, Toyami.”
That quickly got up and walked over to Kai.
“Bring a bottle of wine, I left it on the table … and grab the cigarettes.”
Toyami obediently obeyed the order. Then he realized that Kai was now fine with a glass of wine on the couch in front of the TV, and he no longer needed it, so he decided to go to work – to go to the main tent of his headquarters.
***
Izoa and everyone looked intently at Mr. Takeru who came in and understood from the sight of the beaten dog that he had been rejected. No one doubted it!
Izoa knew that too, maybe that’s why he didn’t interfere last night, although he sincerely wanted to help Kai, but decided that Kai would stand up for himself.
They all bowed, greeting their commander. The whole camp knew what was happening in Mr. Takeru’s tent, moreover, bets were made on the turn of events. And in general, everyone predicted a complete bummer for their master. Although they loved and respected him as a warrior and their commander, they respected Kai as well.
Seeing the haunted look of their boss, everyone understood the outcome of the night, this further increased respect for Kai.
Toyami felt glances at himself and even, it seemed, a couple of chuckles behind his back, but pretended not to notice anything. He just got into the job.
In the second half of the day, Toyami was about to return to his home when his leader appeared on the threshold – Mr. Yuzuru with his retinue.
After exchanging bows with everyone, Yuzuru asked Toyami:
“Why didn’t you tell me that you captured Kai? Or is it not an important event? Where is he?”
“In my tent,” Toyami replied calmly, realizing that information had leaked from his camp and the authorities arrived immediately – after all, he had Kai himself.
“Why is he in your tent? Do you have a place for keeping prisoners of war there?” Yuzuru’s voice was cold and stern, he was angry with Toyami, or rather, he was furious. When he heard rumors about Takeru’s love claims, he didn’t even believe to whom – to Kai?!
Well, he also had connections with young men, but his lovers were the warriors of his clan, his faith, and these were mutual feelings. Here he heard a wild story about Toyami’s fruitless courtship of Kai and this kiss that was in front of everyone. And today there was a story that Kai, tied up, was brought to Toyami’s tent in the evening. He dropped everything and immediately came to understand how far had it come.
“So, why is there a military prisoner in your tent?”
“You know, this is an unusual prisoner. He’s more comfortable with me. You would not like to know that he is contained in the barn?”
“What about him?” Yuzuru did not ask directly, avoiding this slippery topic.
“Everything is good.”
“Mr. Takeru, you probably understand that now with the new political situation on the fronts, it is better for us to have Kai as an ally.”
“Than to covet him,” it was pronounced in a menacing voice.
Everyone turned towards the man who had allowed himself to interrupt the conversation between the two commanders, and even in such a rude manner. These words were said by Reiko.
Toyami was unlucky – Mr. Reiko Nikaido arrived at that camp upon hearing of Kai’s capture. Reiko was allowed everything – for his military services. Although Reiko was not old – he was about forty years old – but the war and severe trials made him older. With his courage and martial arts, he surpassed them all, and therefore he was allowed a lot. When he heard about what was happening, he went with Yuzuru to sort things out on the spot. After all, he was a friend of Kai. For so many years they had been fighting shoulder to shoulder and saved each other from certain death so many times.
“Let them bring Kai, immediately!” gave the order Reiko, “Enough empty talk, I want to see him.”
Reiko looked angrily at Toyami’s stone, calm face. Yes, Reiko also had connections, as it should be in his clan, with younger warriors, but he always thought of Kai only as a friend who pulled him out of the clutches of death more than once. And he would not want to know that Toyami crossed the line, because then he would kill him, even though this was a crime against his clan.
