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Chuuya’s not fully sure what she’s gotten herself into.
She’s a high-ranking samurai, mastered in the art of the sword and feared on the battlefield when enemies would see her telltale burgundy hair from a mile away and yet, here she was.
Helping a young noblewoman sneak into town just so she can eat as much fried crab and kitsune udon as she wants without being scolded. It was a sight really; both of them in disguises of plain clothing, their kasa’s hiding their faces. Chuuya kept her sword close to her in case of emergencies but really it was just habitual of her to keep it with her at all times. Not having it by her side felt wrong.
She clutched the handle tightly while blue eyes sweeped the area around them for any signs of danger. No point could she let her guard down, always needing to make sure if somebody was following them as a precaution.
“Ch-uu-ya~!”
A sing-song voice broke her focus, her teeth gritting in frustration. She looked back to see the other, three empty bowls, five cleaned plates laid out in-front of her as she bat her eyelashes at the samurai with a grin.
“Stop worrying! Come on, eat some dango with me, Chuuya, please!”
“Dazai-sama…” She lowered her voice to a whisper in case somebody overheard them, hissing a bit. “It’s extremely late, your father will notice that you’re missing.”
“Mhmmm…”
She scrunched her face up, the plate of dango placed before her. Before she dug into the sweet, she looked at Chuuya with a shrug and started devouring the desert. Chuuya stared at her in bewilderment; what was she going to do?
It was bad enough that she had been retired from the battlefield entirely thanks to Hirotsu forcing her to. Ever since he learned that she had gained body pains as an after effect of her injuries, he spent days telling her to put the katana down.
Yet, she could never bring herself to do that. It was harder to let go than she thought.
“It’s stupid, isn't it?”
She had asked in a monotonous way , the blade laid out in-front of her. Her right hand was wrapped up in bandages from a recent fight but her gaze stayed on the sword.
“No. I don’t think it is.”
He had replied before bringing a pipe to his lips. Hirotsu always smoked during solemn discussions or after a good fight, he was well-known for it.
“Tell you what.” He removed the pipe, the smoke curling around in waves as he spoke. “Become a bodyguard for a noble family instead. It’s not going to be as hard on your injuries and you’ll get good pay. Plus, you’ll be allowed to carry your blade with you. Sounds good?”
I don’t know if it sounds that good anymore old man…
She watched Dazai finish her dango, pushing the plates away with a pleased hum. Dazai was very different from what she had expected. She looked like what a conventional noble woman would look like; pale, dainty lips with large amber eyes and wavy brown locks all while dressed in the finest silks and kimonos. She figured that all she would have to do is stand guard with her whenever she was outside or meeting with guests.
Dazai was quick to prove her wrong.
Not even a whole day in and the brunette had already sneaked away from Chuuya when they were outdoors for a walk. She didn’t even look away for that long; it was only a mere moment and when she looked back, Dazai had disappeared. Chuuya had found that she’d gone to play with stray cats and dirtied herself.
Ever since then, Dazai either ran off without telling Chuuya or had pleaded with samurai to come with her using excuses like — “wouldn’t it be safer if you came with me instead of preventing me? That way you’d still be keeping an eye on me!”
And as much as Chuuya wanted to say no, Dazai made a good point. Trying to stop her from running off wasn’t going to help, she’d get into trouble with her father and potentially lose her job. Which is how they ended up in their current situation, Dazai smiling at her sheepishly to pay the bill because the brunette had brought no money with her.
Chuuya was going to rip her hair out.
“Now that you’ve drained me of my money…” She glared at Dazai, getting up from the chair to stand beside her, her hand tightening its grip on her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
“Hmm…”
She was clearly unfazed by Chuuya’s warning and sent a smile her way with a grin on her face.
“We can go back.” Chuuya felt a wave of relief wash over her. “After we take a walk in the forest.”
Oh you have got to be kidding me.
“No.” She shot her a cold look before grabbing her wrist and dragging her away. “We’re going back, now.”
“CHUUYA!”
She whined loudly, attracting the attention of the passersby, Chuuya’s tan face turning dark red. This was beyond embarrassing for her but she ignored them and dragged them into a dark corner, away from everyone’s sight. Dazai suddenly stopped whining when she felt Chuuya’s hand over her mouth, her angry gaze piercing through her.
“What the hell is your problem?!”
Dazai’s eyes met with Chuuya momentarily, she looked away stubbornly. The red-head clenched her jaw a bit, moving forward to whisper in her ear.
“That’s how you want to play it? Don’t forget, Dazai-sama. I was in the army. I know a lot of ways to make you behave so I suggest you start before I take extreme measures.”
She could tell that Dazai was clearly shaken by this but she still said nothing nor did she make any movements to break free from her grip. Until Chuuya felt something warm and wet on her palm.
Dazai licked her palm.
What the fuck.
“EW!”
She moved her hand off and wiped it on her hakama while the brunette watched her with amusement. Oh, Chuuya was going to end her.
“Can you really be making threats like that to me, Chuuya?”
She smirked at her with a dangerous glint in her eyes, Chuuya grit her teeth.
“I don’t think my parents would take too kindly to finding their only daughter being abused by her bodyguard seeing as how you’re supposed to protect me.”
Dazai looked triumphant but Chuuya only raised an eyebrow. In the one month of being Dazai’s guard, she’s learnt a couple of things; she was a brat, annoying and whiny but only with her. She was extremely clever; she’d managed to escape Chuuya multiple times and Chuuya was not easy to fool. Dazai was also very sheltered so she had fewer experiences as compared to Chuuya.
Maybe that’s why she likes to run outside so much; away from everything else.
“I never said my methods involve violence.”
Chuuya moved closer to Dazai, the brunette’s back hitting the wall as Chuuya got closer to her face. The distance between them was non-existent, Chuuya moving her katana to the side before her free hands made their way to Dazai’s waist.
“Though…I can always stop if you want me to.”
Dazai’s cheeks are bright pink, her eyes fixed onto Chuuya’s. This was a first for her; she’d never been held this way or been this close with anybody before. She’s not scared, she’s excited.
“Don’t. Don’t stop.”
Chuuya hummed a bit. She moved her bandaged fingers up to push back strands of stray hair that covered her face. Dazai’s hair was impossibly silky, soft skin melting under her touch as she moved her fingers down her jaw, smirking to herself a bit as she felt the brunette shudder underneath her.
“Relax, okay?”
She nodded hesitantly and let her shoulders go slack, meeting Chuuya’s gaze. Dazai had always been fascinated by how bright and blue her eyes were, it was like looking into an endless sky of possibility. So many times she’s had Chuuya glare at her with anger but right now, she was looking at Dazai with softness, a fond look that lovers share with each other.
Dazai’s brain melted the first time their lips met. It was nothing like how she imagined it; no fireworks, no roughness or extreme passion but an overwhelming feeling of warmth that made her head swirl. It only happened for a few seconds but Dazai felt like she was under Chuuya’s touch for hours.
“Now, you’ll be a good girl, yeah?”
Her face turned impossibly red at her words; why was this happening? Why did she feel weak in the knees even though she hadn’t been running?
Chuuya picked up her katana and turned around to offer her hand. She was an absolute sight; not even the finest paintings could compare to the beauty that was Nakahara Chuuya.
“Let’s go, we’ll go for a walk tomorrow.”
“Ah…” Dazai blinked for a moment, realizing what was happening.
Oh.
“Yeah.. Let’s go.”
She reached for Chuuya’s hand, gripping it tightly until they’d reached the estate.
I think I’m in love with Chuuya.