tampered | log; Incomplete

log; Incomplete

When; back during bad-mirror day a week ago? (totally my fault)
Rating; PG+ for Kuro-muu's bad language
Characters; Kurogane [

black_ginryuu] and Ranmaru [

elegantorchid] plus anyone from Tsubasa who wants to stop in.
Summary; Kurogane doesn't like to see other people depressed, so he does something about it: steals the sake from the black Mokona.
Log;

It was quiet in the apartment, aside from the occasional echoing crash around the rest of the building. Clearly, it was not only him who was dealing with seeing things in the mirrors. As he had attested to moments before on his journal, he had long ago gotten over his parent's death, the pain hadn't sent him into a huddling mass of despair for a long, long time. All he could remember from those dark days on the battlefield afterwards was a surreal numbness. Aparently, his nickname of "the demon" had started then.

But it was all in the past, and the past was gone. Leaning back in his chair at the kitchen table, he stared at the lightbulb for a moment and there was a flash of a sword slicing through space and time to cut through his mother. He blinked, and it was gone. With a sigh, he got up to check on the sake, one of the few bottles he had stolen from the stupid black bun. It was hard to warm it without the usual ceramic bottle and a fire, but he was making do with a pot of hot water and the glass.

Ranmaru would be here soon. Hopefully he didn't mind alcohol.

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The fact that Kurogane had invited him was quite a reassurance of it's own. Unaware of the fact that the city played apon such cruelties, Ranmaru had tried to work his thoughts out of that grim mood and done as Kurogane had offered. He needed to take his mind off things, he would do it.

After settling away the communicator he used to send his messages with (alternatively, this sort of craftsmanship was very useful once one wished to get a quick emssage across), he headed to where he was to meet Kurogane.

It wont do to look this way... he thought to himself, immediately bringing on a smile to his face before he knocked on the door. Kurogane didn't seem like the kind of person to intrude on his thoughts, so he wasn't too worried about being this way in front of him.

He just wished he hadn't been so shaken up so as to not need this sort of company..

Turning off the burner, Kurogane pulled the bottle out of the water with a towel and set it down on the table before going to get the door. Hopefully it wasn't any of the kids, because it was always fuckin' annoying dealing with them when they were drunk.

Undoing a few superficial locks with his bandaged hand, he yanked the door open enough to bang against the agacient wall and glared down at the visitor for a long moment, taking in the hesitant smile and the tired eyes. Everyone around here did way too much dwelling in the past.

"Come in," he growled, going back into the kitchen and leaving the door open.

Well, that was an amusing greeting and had Ranmaru been in any other state of mind, he may have even had the energy to chuckle. Right now, though, that was something that was a bit.. difficult. To say the very least.

But he appreciated that Kurogane had thought of inviting him to calm him down. While he had Riki-san, he didn't want to trouble the other with his worry and as it was, he needed the rest. He'd get back to him eventually, he just needed some time to sort himself out.

With a shy, "thank you", Ranmaru allowed himself in, brushing off the wave of embarassment when he recalled that doors here did not slide, but opened inwards and outwards.

Having met Kurogane before, he was a little more relaxed than he would have been had he been experiencing his hospitality for the first time. As he closed the door behind him, a tentative glance across the room to check for mirrors or reflective surfaces, he then moved his hands before his body, walking up behind him to stand in the kitchen doorway, giving a short bow even though the man was turned around.

"I appreciate you calling me, Kurogane-san." he spoke softly, straightening up and moving a hand to the doorframe. His smile was a bit more sincere, and he watched him calmly.

"Do you need any help..?" Just keep yourself occupied, he kept reminding himself. It's all just a hallucination..

"Nah, just sit down," he mumbled after hearing the rustle of clothes bent in formal bow. He never really had been one to be particularly comfortable leaving his neck open in a bow to anyone other than his hime-sama, so he didn't bother returning the affection.

Nevertheless, he didn't like hearing that someone he had somewhat made friends with (which was odd in and of itself) upset and broody just because the reflective parts of the world decided to be malicious.

The bottle required some minovering to get the top off, but once it was he poured out a generious splash into two mugs with teddy-bear patterns on them. They had been here when he got here. The bottle went on the table between them, probably scorching itself a mark into the table, not that Kurogane really cared. Hot sake was hot sake.

Saying: "There isn't anything reflective in here any more," he gestured at the either broken or covered windows with one bandaged hand. Admittably, it had been a stupid idea to smash them at the time with his hand, forgetting he wasn't wearing gauntlets, it would heal. He was pretty sure he had gotten all the glass shards out; Fai was better with all that fiddly stuff.

A bit surprised at the hospitality with which he was being treated, Ranmaru turned to find himself a seat, but not before listening to what Kurogane had to say. He was just about to move so he could take the drinks from him so Kurogane wouldn't have to trouble himself, when he noted the bandages on Kurogane's hand and raised an eyebrow.

.. bandaged, alright, but hardly properly. Even from the distance he was in, Ranmaru noticed the bloodstains coming through the material and the bleeding might have stopped, but there was such a possibility of infection with that!

"K-Kurogane-san, your hand!" he exclaimed, before he could stop himself, and raced forward to instantly take his hand in his own albeit not roughly, and moved his fingers to the wrappings to pull them free.

"When you said you broke them, you.." realisation dawned in his silver eyes as he looked up at Kurogane in shock, and worry, reflecting in their depths.

"We have to get this cleaned! Please, sit down- I can't have you being injured like that!"

Ranmaru really wasn't helping things. It was easier to block out the pain if, you know, you just ignored that a reason for it ever existed. And then there was the fact that he nearly scalded himself spilling his sake all over when his hand was stolen.

"Oi," he exclaimed, irritated, but unwilling to refuse the attention. It would at least take his mind off of whatever it was he was seeing, he reasoned, and sat down.

"I punched out the first two windows and a mirror this morning, and then covered the rest," he replied, resting his chin in his free hand and relaxing the broken one in the other man's grip. A smirk was hovering a little in his blood-red eyes, but his lips, as ever, were twisted into a half-smirk.

"You know how to heal?"

He couldn't help but be concerned, for even the smallest thing could lead up to becoming big if they weren't taken care of eventually. And from the looks of Kurogane's hand, it looked as if he'd really gone all out on the mirrors.

He knelt as Kurogane sat down, the wound was settling but still under danger of infction. He bit his lower lip, then looked up, eyes holding a deep hint of worry and he gazed up at the red-eyed man's face.

"I used to treat my men when there were few medics.. " he admitted. Gently moving Kurogane's hand onto his own lap, Ranmaru stood again.

"Could you point me to where you keep any clean cloth and water? I'm going to disinfect that wound. And bandages."

He paused, then turned to Kurogane. "Just tell me where they are and I'll get them myself, alright?" Sake could come later, right now, he had something else to keep his mind on.

Sighing, Kurogane settled himself down in the chair, letting his hand rest where Ranmaru had left it. The smirk settled into a frown and he took a long swig of the liquer he had been waiting all day to drink.

He could tell just by looking at him that Ranmaru was keeping resolutely busy, and the best help he could do him was to allow himself to be fussed over. Souma did that sometimes, after a long battle where she had been assigned keeping a watch on hime-sama and Kurogane had been on the field. No matter how small a wound would be treated just so that Souma could expend some worry productively.

"Bathroom," he said helpfully, waving around the corner with his sake cup.

As soon as he had gotten the permission to do what he had to, Ranmaru bowed lightly again and immediately moved off. It didn't take him too long to get the things he needed, as the place had a generally similar layout to where he was staying. Over in his mind, he gauged how deeply the wounds would need to be treated, and once he'd had all the equipment and the water (he hoped Kurogane would forgive him for using the mint and lemon)- he grabbed the ointment and walked out.

Not sure of how long had passed he gave a quick bow, and apologised with a "Sorry to keep you waiting." though he hadn't been gone too long. Then, kneeling back, he gently took Kurogane's hand into his own again, noting the same sort of sword-callousedness that was on his own. Smiling a little, he set to work, first getting to clean the wound and also making sure no glass shards were inside his flesh - then to applying the ointment (hoping that didn't sting) and then bandaging him..

He worked diligently, until he paused and moved a hand over his brow, once he was finished. He'd used a method his lord had often used to keep most infections from occuring; the secret being to make sure everything used was cleaner than everything else and the disinfecting powers of lemons as well as...

"That sake came to good use." he finally spoke, raising his eyes and smiling. He had used a little sake, yes. "It is of a good harvest. Your hand should heal quickly."

Cradling Kurogane's hand in both his own, he looked up at him with concern.

"It will sting abit, but.. is Kurogane-san alright now?" he asked softly. Then, a shy smile appearing on his face, he bowed his head.

"I feel much better now, really. Your presence alone was enough, Kurogane-san."

Kurogane had needed a quick drink of the sake in his cup when the stinging lemon had entered the cuts around his fist, but only the smallest of hisses had passed his proud lips.

Just watching Ranmaru work - fingers moving deftly over the ointments he had collected on the table, the clean bandages that wrapped around his palm and were tied deftly in the back so he could still grip a sword - was calming. A little smile might have snuck onto his countinance.

When everything was done, he flexed his hand experimentally and clasped Ranmaru's beneath it momentarily before pulling it away. He didn't want the younger man to misunderstand his intentions in asking him here, after all. That would just ruin the point - not that he would say no to the smiling face looking up at him, but...

Clearing those thoughts from his mind, he merely grunted in response to the question after his health, and it was a good thing Ranmaru wasn't looking becuase he blushed a little at the compliment.

"Some sake wouldn't hurt, though," he grunted, removing his hand to grasp the cup that had been used as ointment and topped it up from the bottle before handing to it to Ranmaru. "Sit down."

He had noted he slight wince, but having understood Kurogane's personality as being the way it was, he was glad that the man was bold and brave enough to not complain. As it was, it was probably minor compared to injuries one could get on the battlefield!

He did blink when his hand was grabbed, though he didn't pay it too much mind. As he began to stand, the command to sit came and Ranmaru accepted the offered cup and was about to re-seat himself back on the ground when he recalled that people on this world even when not lords, sat on seats.

So he hesitantly moved, thanking him and settling the cup down on his lap as he did.

He knew he shouldn't have looked into the clear liquid and seen his ow reflection.

As soon as the images of him making his final move to slice down Mitsuhide came into the liquid, Ranmaru clamped his eyes shut, gripping the cup tightl and inhaling sharply. "Please excuse me--" he hissed, taking a moment to compose himself, before narrowing his eyes and quickly raising the cup to is mouth and gulping the drink down. No reflection, no nightmares.

When he lowered his cup, his cheeks were red and he was frowning-- he hated it. Every bit of this day..

"They wont stop." he whispered, looking up at Kurogane helplessly. "I'm sorry.. I should not have looked."

It would also be a bad time to mention Ranmaru had a ridiculously low tolerance for alcohol. "I envy you, Kurogane-san.." the bottle was grabbed and the liquid poured without much worry, and Ranmaru drank it again looking at Kurogane with a fiercely troubled glare.

"How much longer..?"Do we have to suffer this..?

He should have known better. He often forgot that other people did not quickly become accustomed to new problems as quickly and as easily as he did, and even though he had been the one to offer the helping hand (no pun intended) he had managed to make things bad anyways.

But there was nothing he could do about it now, so he took a long drink of sake instead to keep up with his guest.

"Probably until midnight," he said grudgingly, meeting Ranmaru's look with a tired one of his own. "And before you ask, you can stay until then."

He poured the man another drink.

His hand extended, Ranmaru accepted the offered drink, making sure his eyes did not wander back towards the reflective surface. Sinking back into his seat, Ranmaru felt his head lighten somewhat, and he tilted it back to allow his eyes to settle closed, calmed somewhat.

After a moment, having taken another drink of the sake, it was obvious the boy was falling under influence, and he let out a soft chuckle.

"Ne, Kurogane-san.. you're going to have one heck of a headache until then.." he chuckled again, opening one eye and looking at him, before moving the cup to a side and his hand back to the side of his head.

".. I don't hold alcohol very well.."

After having dealt with Sayoran, Sakura and Fai under the influence, Kurogane considered himself pretty qualified on the subject of people who couldn't hold their drink, but didn't say so. Instead, he just took another drink and sat back with a smirk.

"I doubt you could be that bad."

There was a pretty large dosage of alcohol in this sake, but he wasn't feeling it as much as Ranmaru was - the fact that he was older, much larger, and clearly more experienced might have had something to do with it. He took another drink to keep up, though, just to be polite. Even if he was over-familiar with his princess, rude to the extreme with people he didn't know, and overtly moody with anyone he did know, he did hold some respect for the traditions surrounding a good drink.

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log; Incomplete

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