FicWad

Please see Chapter One for full disclaimers, warnings, and summaries.

/Kotaro's POV/

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Enemy of my Enemy - Chapter 06

The cold was what woke me this time. Followed by the pain. The dull ache that throbbed around my shoulder intensified the moment I tried to move my arm. I didn't know what was more uncomfortable, the cold or the pain. I opened an eye, carefully looking around me to see where I was. A room. The light was dim and I couldn't see anything past a few feet from where I lay. My armour had been removed and my chest was bare, skin icy cold under the thin blanket that covered me. It seemed that I wouldn't be moving from where I was without help.

I tried to remember what had happened. I had followed Jubei to Yagyu village. I had been trying to find Oyu, but had been attacked. Was this her betrayal? Oh god, it was difficult to think. I lifted my left hand, tentatively placing it near my injured shoulder. The skin there was tender and ached under my touch. I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply as my fingers blindly moved further along my wound, over damp bandages that were wrapped tightly around my arm and shoulder. I could clearly remember the demon attacking me, and I'd been too busy thinking about Magoichi to notice the second one sneak up behind me. I tried to turn my head to look at my shoulder, gritting my teeth against the pain. The muscles in my neck screamed at me, forcing me to relax and rest my head back against the floor. I couldn't even look to see how badly I'd been hurt! I brought my hand up close to my eyes, looking at the red that lightly covered them from where I'd touched the bandages. I didn't need to taste it to know it was blood. The metallic smell of it filled my nostrils as I lay there, wondering who the hell had bothered to save me. In a village full of dead people there were only a few who remained that would bother to help me and bind my wounds. Whoever it was had done what was necessary to stop the bleeding, but hadn't thought of my comfort. The room was cold and if I didn't warm up soon... I repressed a shudder, the cold seeping further into my bones. This was not good.

I laid there in the dark for a while longer before a sound to my right startled me and I quickly turned my head to see what was there. I wasn't used to being injured and I was forced to rest again as the throbbing pain spread out from my shoulder and up my neck at the sharp movement. "Who's there?" I croaked; my voice pained. I had intended to sound demanding, but my question had only served to inform my visitor of the kind of shape I was really in. Hopefully it wasn't a demon looking for a snack.

There was a pause before a low, rumbling laughter met my ears. I relaxed a fraction when I recognized Magoichi's voice. It was rough but lacked in any derision, "You can be pretty stupid, kid." He walked into my line of vision, the smirk on his lips looking forced beneath his concerned, brown eyes. "You should have heard those two coming a mile away," he said, indicating the demons that had attacked me. "If I hadn't shown up, your head would be split like a melon right now." He sighed, leaning over me to inspect my wound.

I winced, the pain that I had momentarily forgotten was brought to the front of my conscious as he began poking at my shoulder. "You were the one who saved me?" I asked through clenched teeth. He nodded, his eyes flicking up to mine before returning to the task at hand. "Why?" I had many ideas why he'd do it, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions. Something inside me said he was there to help me. Why would he spend so much time with me otherwise?

His hands worked swiftly, unwrapping the bandages from my arm and shoulder. "I just thought you'd want to spy on me a bit more, Kotaro," he said, forcing another smile to his lips. Was he trying to cheer me up? The thought was absurd, but in his eyes I could see he was more worried than he was letting on. Was I really hurt that badly?

The last of the bandages came off and I shivered as the cold air met the bloodied mess that was once my shoulder. I could not see, but from Magoichi's reaction I could not have been doing well. "Well," I said, drawing his gaze to mine for a moment. "If you're going to help me spy on you, maybe we should team up, then?" I kept my tone light, hoping to cheer him from the morose look he'd taken on. "I mean, it would make my job a whole lot easier," I continued, "Not that I can't do it, of course. The Fuma clan is well known for its stealth skills. I just meant that if we're together, then maybe I could worry about watching Oy-ahh!" My words cut off in a groan, the pain in my shoulder intensifying as he applied something to it.

My left hand instinctively shot out to protect my shoulder, but he caught it in mid air. "Don't," he said sharply, "you'll get dirt in the wound." He released my wrist and returned to his work. I had to fight to listen to his warning as the throbbing increased and I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I returned my hand to my side and balled it into a fist, doing what I could to ignore the pain. My eyes slipped shut and I let him continue to change my bindings in silence.

I don't know why I trusted him to take care of me at that moment, but I didn't really have much of a choice. Despite the incredible pain I was in, it felt like he was healing me properly. He'd probably bound a lot of wounds throughout the many battles he'd been in. I found comfort in listening to his steady breathing and I could have fallen asleep if it weren't for the damned cold. "Magoichi?" I asked, breaking the silence. "C-Could you... I-I'm really cold..." I reached out my hand to grab him and let him feel my skin to prove it. His hand was so warm that I instinctively held him tightly, trying to absorb the warmth out of him through our meager contact.

He gripped me back, taking a pause from wrapping my new bindings. "I'm sorry," he said sadly, as if it was his fault. "Once I finish here I'll start a fire." He held my hand for a moment longer before releasing me and finishing tying off my new bandages. I took care to not strain my neck again, so I stared straight up and listened to him move around the room.

From the feel of the air around me, I could tell that we were in a large room with many doors. There was air moving in from above as well, as if there were a hole or something through the roof. "Where are we?" I asked, growing tired of listening to him move around in the dark.

"Jubei's house," he said, "It was the only one in the village that wasn't damaged by the demons." I heard some rustling nearby and then a crack. It sounded like he was trying to start a fire. There were some more rustling sounds of him adjusting the kindling and then another crack. I strained my eyes to look as far over as I could, but didn't see any light.

"There should be some tools in my pack to start a fire," I said, once I'd heard him curse a few times, obviously having problems.

He moved over to me and I saw him rummaging around in my pack by my feet. "Everything is so damp," he explained when he saw me looking at him. Did he care what I thought? "It just takes a bit longer to start a fire when the wood is like this." He moved back beyond my vision and I heard him try again.

A few moments passed before I heard him curse, more loudly this time. "If the wood is too wet, then I have a powder that should help dry it out and make it more flammable," I said. "I keep it in a small, brown container." I saw him move close to me again and look through my pack. I listened to him rummage about through the contents before dumping them on the floor. "Hey, don't lose anything," I said, looking as far over as I could to glare at him. My things were scattered around on the floor and he was sitting in the middle of it all. He was holding the container I'd told him about in one hand, and looking over the book I'd gotten from Jubei in the other.

I rested my head against the floor again, staring up at the ceiling. It was irritating to not be able to see what was going on around me so I listened to him as he continued working on the fire. The cold still held my body in its icy grip, but I felt my eyes grow heavy and I let them close, letting my mind drift to other things.

Images flashed across my vision; random pictures that didn't interest me, until one scene caught my attention. In it there were people lying dead at my feet. Nobunaga stood before me with Oyu by his side. We were in Fuma village and the buildings were on fire. I drifted through the carnage, little more than a formless specter watching as the flames leapt up and passed through my body. The fire burned as cold as ice and I shivered violently as they passed through me. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold onto some of the precious warmth that fled my body when the sharp ache in my shoulder quickly woke me. I moaned in pain, gingerly resting my injured side back on the floor and hoping I hadn't torn anything. I was so uncomfortable at that moment, between the cold and my injuries, that I just wanted to die.

I didn't hear him move, but rather felt his warm hands on me as he held me down. Relief was the first thing on my mind as I blindly grabbed at him, holding him so he wouldn't let me go. "Kotaro," he said, pulling my attention up to his dark eyes. "The fire is started, but you're still so cold. It's probably because of your injury that you can't keep warm." He tried to pull away from me but I didn't let go of him. "I can either look for some more blankets for you, or..." he trailed off as I started to pull him closer to me, warmth being the only thing on my mind. I think I heard him sigh before he gently pulled his hands back and moved over to my uninjured side. I felt him climb in next to me, under the blanket, and draped a stiff arm over my waist. He was tense. His muscles were hard against my side, and his breath was rough in my ear. That wonderful smell of gunpowder filled my nose and overpowered the metallic smell of blood that had been with me since I'd woken up. I relished the feel of his body against mine, wondering if he was uncomfortable lying next to me. I did my best to press myself against him, shivering as I adjusted to the difference in temperature. The fire was crackling to my right, just outside my vision. I could feel its heat close to me, the soft orange glow of the flames dimly lighting the room. I looked around, or rather, up. I was really hating not be able to move. The only thing I could look at without discomfort was the ceiling. This was the ceiling of the house that Jubei grew up in. Had Magoichi really carried me all the way here? Had he been attacked on the way? Why would he bother to save me? I usually didn't let my mind wander to such questions, but I guess boredom had let it come to that. Magoichi was probably an ally in my fight. It didn't really matter now if he was or not because, as it stood, I was completely at his mercy. I lay there for a long time, listening to his breathing until it eventually slowed and evened out, telling me that he was asleep. At least I wasn't freezing anymore. I sighed, resigning myself to sleep for the night since there wasn't much else that I could do. In the morning I'd try to have a better look at my wound. There was no way that I'd let something like nearly dying stop me. I still had to help Jubei.

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My eyes drifted shut easily after that and I barely remember what I dreamed, but when I woke, the first thing that I noticed was the body that was pressed up against my side. I felt with my left hand against a muscled thigh, running my fingers along the barely covered skin. I remembered how this body had been pinning me down to the floor of that room in the bar. This time, however, he was draped across me, keeping me warm, just as I'd asked him to do the night before. That time in the bar he'd been faking sleep to let me get close so he could attack. I'd let my guard down then, just as I was doing now. I continued letting my fingers explore as much of his body as they could while I had the opportunity. When it came to Magoichi, only a fool would pass up the chance to touch him. My hand met bare flesh and I splayed my fingers out, letting my senses enjoy the moment. I didn't even know where I was touching him, but I loved every minute of it, and if I got caught I could always say that I'd been dreaming. His arm tightened around my waist and I quickly closed my eyes, putting on the best sleeping-expression I could muster. I was prepared this time!

"Kotaro?" his voice was still crusted with sleep as he shifted beside me, leaving his arm draped over me. "Wake up, Kotaro," I felt him move his hand from my waist to my chest and begin rubbing his rough fingers along my bare skin. I shivered at his touch. Was it really as innocent as he was making it out to be? I stilled the movement of my hand on him but still continued to feign sleep.

After a few long moments he stopped rubbing me and rested his hand against my chest. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me and it was torture to not be able to see what he was doing. After what felt like forever I cracked my eyes open a fraction, just to satisfy my curiosity. He was right over me, but he was looking past my face, instead looking at my wound. His eyes were intent in their scrutiny, visibly unaware that I was watching him. The heat from his body was wrapping me up in his scent and I just wanted to lose myself in him. That's probably why I suddenly tilted my head up and kissed him like I did. The first time he'd kissed me, he had been rough and none too gentle. The power he'd had over me was intoxicating, but I just couldn't help initiating the contact this time.

He was unprepared and I took full advantage of it, snaking my tongue into his mouth while wrapping my uninjured arm around his neck to pull him closer to me. His reaction was instantaneous and he pulled away from me, much to my disappointment. The horror that I expected to see on his face was absent, instead leaving only a shocked expression that held some amusement as well. "Can't get enough of me, can ya kid?" He said, leaning over me again and carefully pressing his lips against mine.

This time he was in control. It helped that I'd surrendered it to him the moment his mouth touched mine. I wanted it and parted my lips to give him access as he snaked his tongue inside to gently lap at my eager mouth. I was still aware of the dull ache of my injuries that I felt whenever I moved my body too much, but he seemed to know this and kept me pinned to the ground with a strong hand. After a few minutes he pulled away from me, leaving me breathless and feeling light-headed. He looked down at me with lust-clouded eyes, "Kotaro, you're still injured."

"I don't care," I almost shouted. He felt so right against me, I didn't care if it hurt me a little. He just shook his head and pulled away from me, standing up to walk around to my injured side.

So, he didn't want to hurt me? I guess that was a noble thing, but I couldn't very well tell that to my desire that was burning between my legs! This wasn't over between us, I promised myself, as I lay back down and tried to will my body to relax. He began to remove my old bandages and I could see that they were still fairly clean, save for the spots of blood that marked parts of the cloth. That was a good sign. Once he'd removed all the bindings, I slowly turned my head to look. Magoichi seemed pleased as he applied some healing powder to a large gash in my shoulder. "Doesn't look that bad," I said, finding it easier to move my head than I could last night.

"Yeah, well, if I hadn't shot the blade away from you it would be a hell of a lot worse. Right now, you should be fine in a day or two," he said with a shrug, "that is if I can get some more of this healing powder. I'm running low on it." He shook the container of it to prove his point. "You should be fine by tomorrow," he continued, dumping the last bits of powder onto my shoulder and pulling fresh bandages out of his pack.

"Great," I said, "What do I do until then?" There was no way that I'd be able to lie around all day doing nothing. My stomach growled loudly at that moment to announce that I was hungry. "So, is there anything to eat around here? Or will I be bored and hungry?"

"I have a few rations, but most of the food in the village was destroyed by fire from the attacks," he said apologetically. He tied off my bandages and reached for his pack. "All I have is this," he said, passing a tightly wrapped package to me. "You need your strength if you're going to get better."

I held the bundle in my free hand and tugged at the knots with my teeth. Once I opened the cloth I hungrily bit into the dried meat and bread inside. It wasn't the tastiest thing, but it was good enough to quiet my stomach for a while at least. "Thanks," I said, realizing all too late that I hadn't saved anything for him. "What about you?" I asked, feeling guilty for eating all the food so quickly.

"I'll live," he said with a shrug. "I've gone hungry before. It's no big deal." I heard a low growl and gave him a look. I felt really bad for eating all his food. He must have been starving for his stomach to be making noises like that. "Wait here," he said suddenly, grabbing his gun and walking to the doorframe. Hadn't that been his stomach? I struggled to sit up, with more success than I'd had before. It seemed that as long as I kept my injured side straight I could move about without much pain. The powder he'd used must be really good at healing, or just effective at blocking out pain. Either way, I managed to get to my feet without too much trouble just as Magoichi burst back into the room. "Kotaro! We have to get out of here," he said, looking back over his shoulder. The noise I'd heard earlier was growing in pitch.

He rushed over to me, grabbing my armour and pack and handing them to me. "What the-ow!" I cursed as he grabbed me and pulled me out through another doorway. "What's going on?" I asked. He didn't answer and continued to pull me down a narrow passage towards another door. "Ow-Magoichi!" I stopped running and tried to pull my hand away from him. He'd said before that I was too injured to fuck, but now it was fine for me to go running around the house? I pulled again, trying to get him to release his grip on me, which would have been fine any other time, but I was still weak and lost my balance, crashing against the wall. My shoulder screamed at me and I crumpled to the floor like a doll as the waves of agony washed over me.

"What are you doing? They're right behind us!" He was yelling, pulling me to my feet and half-carrying me down the hall. I couldn't be sure what was going on anymore as the pain overtook me. I let him take me wherever he wanted, looking behind us to see the outlines of many genma pouring into the room that we'd been in moments before.

We burst into a room with a doorway that led outside. I didn't know if I'd be able to make a run for it in my condition, but instead of going outside he steered me to a hole in the ground. I wanted to ask why, but there was no time and he pushed me in before following behind, his guns blazing behind us as we fell into darkness.

~End chapter six~