[Fanfic] Red West III. - Chapter seventeen
Title: RED WEST III.
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: This time, I managed to get it done a bit sooner... Enjoy!
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve // Chapter thirteen // Chapter fourteen // Chapter fifteen // Chapter sixteen //
Negotiations
“So, I´m gonna have our bed for myself again, huh?”
Kame tightened the saddle buckle more than was necessary and the sturdy stallion let him know about it with an unhappy snort. He sighed and rearranged it to be more comfortable for the animal, which he had borrowed from Mr. Harada for once, as he didn´t want to use Ukushi for the repeated journey so soon. Then he reluctantly turned to the veranda, to face Jin who was sitting there smoking. He was already late with his departure and not in the mood for his gloomy boyfriend, who apparently didn´t get enough sleep during the night again.
“How many more times do we need to discuss this? It is my job.”
Jin deeply drew on the hand-rolled cigarette: “Sure. I didn´t say anything against it,” he replied, but didn´t return Kame´s gaze.
“You just did.”
“It was only a statement of the bare fact.”
“I´d rather call it an annoyed complaint.”
“Nice. I can´t even complain anymore,” snorted Jin.
“I don´t do it,” Kame reminded him dryly. “You might do me the same favor.”
Jin doused the cigarette butt in an ashtray and abruptly stood up: “And what reason you might´ve got for complaining?”
“Your job.”
“This again?”
Kame shrugged casually, trying to cover his anxiety from the sudden unpleasant exchange of opinions: “You started it.”
Also Jin was upset already and it took shape in his reaction: “Unlike you, I keep coming back home every day!”
“After spending whole nights in that whorehouse.”
“Oh, come on! I thought you trust me!”
“I do!” Kame emphasized impatiently. “But I don´t trust those who work with you or those who keep visiting that place every day.”
“That´s a pretty poor excuse,” Jin snapped. “Didn´t we go through this already?”
He took a deep breath: “Exactly - we did. Just as through my current responsibilities. My job has some purpose at least!”
His lover´s eyes gathered a dangerous shine: “Not fair of you, Kame.”
He could not help but chuckle bitterly: “Well, life´s not fair,” he stated harshly and turned away, already fed up enough to leave.
Behind him, the quick steps rushed down the stairs.
“Hey, wait! Kame! I´m not done with you!” Jin grabbed his elbow, abruptly stopping him from mounting the horse. “I said wait!”
Their eyes clashed in a wordless fight, before their lips united in a burning kiss. The heated connection flooded them with warm, exciting sensation, which added up to their agitated emotions and teased the sleeping desire in their bodies. Neither of them was willing to let the other gain the upper hand, which made their kissing all the more passionate.
It took a long while before they separated from each other, breathless and with their pulse violent.
Gently pulling his fingers out from Jin´s hair, Kame sighed heavily: “Damn it,” he cursed quietly, feeling his lips swollen and tingling. “Arguing over nothing… How did we even get there?”
Jin looked at him with a kind of sad expression: “Is it so selfish of me to want you for myself more?” he asked huskily.
A faint smile spread Kame´s lips: “Yes, it is. But I´m the same…”
Then he leant forward, intending to kiss him again, and definitely not in anger this time. But Jin suddenly stepped away, with his eyes focused on something behind Kame´s back: “What the hell is he doing here?” he murmured frowning.
Jin observed a simple cart dragged by an old gelding unpleasantly surprised and with a strange hunch in his stomach - nobody else than Reverend Kapner was approaching on their driveway.
He could imagine no proper reason for which this fanatic servant of God, who had recently started preaching right in front of Cora´s place and even in Harada´s saloon, should pay them a visit. And as Kame made quite a face seeing their unexpected visitor, he was not alone thinking that way.
Reverend stopped the cart unpleasantly close to them and his figure, flooded by the morning sun from behind, hovered above them more like a huge raven than a man: “God bless you on this beautiful day!”
“Good day, Reverend,” fortunately, Kame managed to cover the necessary good manners for them both. “Can we help you somehow? Have you lost your way?”
“Not at all. I shall never be lost with God Almighty leading my steps,” Reverend replied with firm conviction, came down from the narrow trestle and flattened his dark robe before facing them directly with serious expression.
“I wonder why you´re here then,” Jin eyed the older man with hardly suppressed antipathy.
“Because it´s me who can help you. I´ve just started paying a visit to all remote homesteads around the city, to become acquainted with my parishioners better,” Reverend explained his presence.
“Well, that’s commendable,” Kame commented, still politely, but Jin could tell he was getting anxious. They both would certainly do without attention of church more than well.
“One shall not expect praise for things needed to be done in the name of God,” their visitor reacted meekly.
Jin almost rolled his eyes, but managed to hold it back. He didn´t mind Catholics. Actually, he had no opinion about their faith at all, so he was not eager to appreciate any unwanted sermon.
“It´s Kamenashi and Akanishi, is that right?” Reverend addressed them inquiringly then.
Kame hesitantly nodded: “Yes…”
“It grieves me to say that I didn´t see you two on any Mass yet. It´s true that we´ve been keeping them outside because of the reconstruction, so it´s not very comfortable, but that will change soon with the blessing of God. And you will be very welcomed to join us.”
If Jin didn´t like something, it was when somebody tried to push him into anything. And so this time, he spoke before Kame could: “We´re not much into that.”
Kapner stabbed him with an unpleasantly sharp look: “With that you mean…?”
“We don´t have much time at hand, that´s what he meant,” Kame cut in diligently. “We appreciate your invitation. Maybe there will be an opportunity for us to come.”
Reverend Kapner shifted his unpleasant gaze on the younger one: “Great. You definitely should come to pray soon. Your souls burdened with sin need to be cleansed as often as possible.”
Jin opened his mouth to send the man back to the city and not very politely, but a hard pressure of Kame´s heel on his instep shut him up.
“You´re certainly right, Reverend. Thank you. I´m just leaving, so if you´ll excuse us…”
“Certainly,” Kapner nodded benignantly. “I must visit also other faithful parishioners. The Lord be with you,” the servant of God parted with them with a smile, which sent a chill down Jin´s spine.
They remained standing there and watched Reverend settling down on the trestle with dignity and then the cart rumbled away. Once it was definitely out of earshot, Kame spoke again.
“Did he see us?” he asked tensely.
“I don´t know…” Jin grumbled. “I noticed him only as the cart appeared between the trees.”
There was a short silence before Kame turned to him: “I´ve got a strange feeling about this visit.”
He nodded: “That makes two of us.”
“You must be careful what you say in front of this man, Jin,” his lover emphasized seriously.
He frowned: “We´ve got no obligation to bear his bullshit talk. No one can force their faith on somebody else.”
“I agree… But did you forget what people are capable of in the name of faith and moral? Did you forget what we saw in Billings?”
Jin reached out and firmly squeezed Kame´s arm, pulling him closer: “Of course not. But that doesn´t mean I´m willing to hop around as some bigheaded priest says.”
“What about trying not to provoke him?” the younger one suggested meaningfully.
“That I could manage,” he admitted reluctantly.
Kame chuckled: “Great. I feel all the better now. Anyway, if you have a chance, try to ask around, if Reverend really visited also other homesteads or not.”
Jin definitely agreed with him that this sudden private lecture was more than strange and it would not hurt to verify Reverend´s words: “I´ll try.”
Kame sighed: “All right, I should go. I´m already late.”
Jin tightened the grip around his elbow: “And what about a goodbye kiss?”
The younger one raised his eyebrow: “You just had one…”
“If that was for goodbye, I´m definitely not letting you go,” he assumed.
Kame smiled and patted his lips with a soft, loving kiss: “Take care, Jin.”
“Yeah, you too...”
***
The warm autumn afternoon attracted a great deal of Denver citizens to the biggest annual farmer market and the whole square was humming with excited or quarrelsome voices. A fair-haired lad, with some envelopes firmly grasped in hand, was forced to weave through the gathered crowd, trying to reach the opposite side of the square in record time.
As he hastily avoided an elderly lady with the basket of eggs, his other hand interfered with a pile of radishes, unintentionally scattering them on the ground.
“Hey! Watch your step, kid!” the owner of the affected stall called after him angrily.
Jack just shortly turned on his heel, waving with the postal correspondence for Horace Tabor: “Sorry, Mister! I´m in a hurry!”
He was damn lucky to be accepted by Tabor´s stiff secretary as an errand boy and he was definitely going to keep this job. Despite Nick´s worries that he was already risking too much.
Jack ran this route for the second time that day and it seemed that he was finally carrying the news Mr. Cocky Tabor had been expecting for a while. He knew about it, because the envelopes were carelessly sealed, so it was no problem for him to peep on the content of this precious correspondence. And he found some very interesting telegrams among it…
He chuckled gleefully at the sudden idea. Maybe, he should send a telegram too - to the certain city in Montana.
*
“Another batch of your correspondence has just arrived, sir. And two urgent telegrams.”
“It was about damn time!” Horace Tabor snatched the envelopes from his secretary´s hand, flipping through them hastily. Without a hint of interest, he discarded probably the last of letters expressing the support of his business partners and acquaintances for his senate candidacy and impatiently pulled out the first of the two telegrams, which was sent from Montana.
“…job at brothel…, …Indian Agent…, …no hint of contact between brothers…,” Tabor murmured as his eyes ran over a couple of sentences. “…keeping eye on them… Stop. Just stop. Awesome, really,” he snorted upset about the absolute lack of anything useful.
Either Henderson was not as capable as he had pretended to be, or he was withholding information from him. Horace considered the second option much more likely.
“Is that errand boy still here?”
His secretary, quietly waiting in front of his desk, nodded: “Yes, sir.”
“Tell him to wait, I will send the reply right away,” Tabor ordered as he was already opening the second telegram.
“Of course, sir,” the man left to make the necessary arrangements for a new telegram.
When Horace noticed the sender of the second urgent message, he scowled and reached for the box with cigars. He lit one for himself before reading it.
“Well, let´s see… My dear wife reminded me of her existence.”
Augusta was assuring him that she was all right, but she had lost all the money in some Indian assault. She requested him to send a generous check to Buffalo in Wyoming.
Horace snorted scornfully and got up to prepare a strong drink from his richly equipped minibar. This was just great. His soon-to-be-former wife willfully departed for this adventure trip and he was supposed to cover all the costs and more? Who knew what she was even really doing out there, in company of that cocky Captain. He really wondered just when the two of them became acquainted so well.
Horace returned behind this desk and gulped down the good half of his drink. If they didn´t reach a certain agreement before Augusta had left, he would not have sent her a cent. Not to mention his unbelievable lack of luck. Not even the red savages were capable of ridding him of this stubborn woman for good. Jesus Christ!
Horace threw the telegram to the side and grabbed the check book. All things considered, if it meant to keep Augusta away from Colorado and from his beloved Baby for a while, it was worth some spending.
***
“Hey! Mister!” Jin raised his voice just enough to be audible in the mixture of girly giggles and perverted flattery. “Don´t make me get up from this stool. Got it?”
An elderly guy on the dark red sofa glared at him, before he unwillingly pulled his hand away from under Jessica´s skirt and properly sat next to her again. The girl sent a grateful smile in Jin´s direction and offered the grumpy customer another drink, probably the last one the man could afford. He had paid for drinking company, which didn´t include any physical contact unless the girl agreed to it. And Jessica´s faint pleadings already crossed the tolerance border of the brothel´s bodyguard.
Jin´s intervention was also approved by the beautifully dressed-up owner of the place, as Cora patted his shoulder, when she passed by, heading to her spot behind the counter. Jin just nodded and returned his attention to the latest newspapers. Its content was so far so good, just the usual bunch of headlines related to horse and cattle dealing, renegades, lynching, new immigrants from east or the railway progress.
“Will you stay overnight again?” Cora asked, wiping the counter thoroughly.
“Yeah… No reason not to,” Jin murmured in response and turned to the last page to check the wanted list.
“Huh? Why so gloomy?”
He pushed the crumpled papers aside sighing: “´Got no reason for jumping in joy either.”
Cora eyed him warily: “Did something happen? You can take a night off if you need to…”
“Nah, it´s okay.”
“All right…”
One of the two girls sitting on the other side of the counter - Dana - overheard them and turned to Jin with a challenging smile: “Well, in case you´d be interested in some other improvement of your mood, just let me know,” she winked.
Cora was more than familiar with the tone she had used - it was clear what kind of ´improvements´ the girl had on her mind. She threw a warning look at her, but Dana was fully focused on their somber bodyguard.
There was a short - and a bit odd - pause, before Jin spoke with a sheepish grin: “Thanks… I´ll keep that in mind.”
“You better,” Dana giggled and left the counter to welcome another customer, swaying her hips alluringly on the way.
Cora hid a few empty bottles into the box under the counter and looked at Jin again. He seemed to be thoughtful and not in a good way. She was curious about the reason for such a mood, but didn´t want to poke in his privacy.
According to city gossip, Jin had no affair with any local lady, which was hard to believe considering his charms and obvious interest in flirting. Most of the time, he was seen only with Kamenashi. Cora appreciated that he didn´t even seek release among her girls, but thanks to that, maybe he was a bit frustrated.
“Listen…” she spoke quietly and sat on the stool next to him. “Dana´s cheeky, but she´s a good girl. I know that no mixing of work and personal relations was a part of our deal, but if you´d like, I might close my eye… Just for this occasion.”
The dark eyes buried into hers with sudden intensity, making her throat tight.
“Why are you telling me this, Cora?” Jin asked in a deep voice.
She shrugged, trying to cover her internal flutter: “Well, you seem to be in need of letting off some steam, so just saying - if you´d like and promise you´ll keep it within reasonable borders, then I won´t take this option from you just because you work here.”
Jin stared at her for a while, which made her even more nervous. Then he chuckled, quite bitterly: “Damn, do I really look so hopelessly horny?”
For the first time in a long while, Cora felt her cheeks burning red: “Jesus, no! I didn´t mean it like this!”
“And how did you mean it?” Jin asked, obviously amused now.
“I… sorry… I just figured that you´re not seeing anyone, so…” she blurted out embarrassed.
“Actually, I do,” Jin reacted right away.
“You do?” Cora gaped, her eyes wide. Jin Akanishi was the most handsome catch in town. If any girl managed to get him, she would have definitely known about it. “Really?”
Jin looked away and cleared his throat: “Yeah…”
“Whom?” Cora didn´t think twice about her previous resolution not to poke in Jin´s private matters, she was so taken aback by this information.
Jin´s raised eyebrow and inquiring look punished her enough for it: “Curious, aren´t you?”
In that moment, she realized that she had offered him a whore, while he was not free at all.
“Oh, damn it… I didn´t mean to… It was stupid of me, Jin.”
Jin shook his head, interrupting her apologies: “Don´t worry about it, really. It´s nice of you to care,” he winked at her, which sent a very pleasant feeling into her stomach. “I´m just gonna get some air. Will be right back.”
*
Once outside, Jin let out a deep breath and started searching his pockets for cigarettes.
It was natural that people would notice something strange about him sooner or later. Though, he would rather have it later.
Dana was really attractive and moreover, he already had some history with her and it was a nice, arousing memory. Nevertheless, she didn´t come on his mind in the way which the pretty brothel owner had mentioned…
He would have lied to himself if he denied that he didn´t think about women from time to time. It was just ever since he had Kame it never went beyond innocent flattery, either in his thoughts or words spoken aloud. Though, now Cora´s offer put a seed in his head.
He lit up a needed smoke and absently observed the quiet, dark street.
If he thought about it purely in a theoretical way, how would Kame have taken if he did release some steam in the brothel just as Cora had indicated? Would he understand? Or would he consider it as infidelity?
Jin closed his eyes for a while. What the hell was he thinking? After all, he was able to reply to himself right away - Kame would have never accepted it.
His boyfriend hated his job at the brothel, no matter how much he tried to cover it up before. Their ugly, senseless quarrel two days ago, when he was leaving for the reservation, just confirmed it to him.
Hell, yeah, it would have been more than convenient to let go from time to time and to enjoy some pleasures which exclusively women could offer to him and on the top of it without any commitments. But Jin didn´t intend to betray Kazuya´s trust, not a chance. Not after everything they had been through together.
So, what about he still liked women, liked looking at them and flirting with them? Since he was not serious, there was nothing wrong about it, was there?
***
Even though Kame had managed to chase a simple wagon for the former mine workers, their journey to the north was painfully slow. They reached the foot of Rising Wolf Mountain only on the fifth day of somewhat gloomy travel, also thanks to the non-talking attitude the Indians took towards him. They were not exactly grateful for being deprived of some good earnings.
So, at first, Kame was really relieved to catch a glimpse of the Blackfeet village, but it didn´t last long. He noticed something was wrong even before they passed by the first wigwam. The main access to the heart of reservation was usually guarded by a military patrol from Fort Benton. Though this time, not a single blue uniform was in sight. And his suspicion grew, seeing the unusual gathering on the east side of the lake. He didn´t have to wait long for the confirmation that he was right…
“Kame! Kame! Thanks Manitou you here!”
He promptly dismounted his borrowed horse and turned to face the rushing Chippewa woman. Migisi pushed through the bunch of curious kids, who almost immediately gathered around the wagon with newcomers, and stopped breathless in front of him. Kame was glad to see her again too, but the woman´s haste was telling him that she had no good reason for welcoming him so eagerly.
“Migisi, wha…?” he meant to ask, but she didn´t even let him do that.
“Quickly! Stop them! You must!”
The last time he visited the village, Kame had a chance to spend more time with this young woman, and got to know her better, since she got closer with his blood brother. Migisi was a very nice, serious woman and he already knew she wouldn´t have made a fuss over nothing.
“Whom? What´s going on?” he asked urgently for more information.
Migisi started gibbering in nomadic Indian language so quickly that he couldn´t catch a word of it.
“Calm down, will you?” he interrupted her sharply. “I don´t understand!”
The agitated woman huffed and then grabbed his hand: “Come!”
She started dragging him between the wigwams to the opposite side of the village, where - to Kame´s horror - most of the tribe warriors were gathered, obviously ready for departure.
*
Liwan felt helpless seeing his armed brothers jumping on the backs of horses, getting ready to leave. Until now, they usually at least listened to what he wanted to say first and then discussed what would be the best to do. This time, the line of what they were willing to tolerate was crossed and they ignored all his arguments and pleads.
Once the word about capture of their huntsmen spread, and Chief commanded, there was no way to stop them. There was a part of him which wanted to join those two dozen of angry warriors, but the wiser side kept him in place. Somebody had to stay, even if only in order to get ready for what was definitely about to happen next.
Chief Ninastoko on his noble stallion raised a hand and the gathering of warriors reacted with loud whoops on his gesture. Then the whole group set off, kicking the sides of their horses violently.
Suddenly, just before Ninastoko in the lead could speed up, a young man ran out from behind one wigwam and stood in his way.
“Hey!! Stop! All of you!” a well-known, sharp voice shouted down even the heavy clatter of many hooves. “Stop!”
Surprised Indians started pulling on the reins swearing. The blood froze in Liwan´s veins, as the Chief´s horse kicked the air right in front of his dear blood brother´s nose. Not intimidated even a bit, Kazuya Kamenashi stood firm, both his hands raised, apparently determined not to move aside.
Chief Ninastoko patted his horse a few times, calming the animal down, before focusing his eyes on the young man. He didn´t say anything and his face remained unreadable, but his warriors started shouting, demanding Kamenashi to get out of their way.
Feeling a little nauseous from Kame´s recklessness with which he had faced the herd of running horses, Liwan hurried to join his side.
“Kame…” he breathed out in relief, squeezing his shoulder. “We did not expect you so soon again.”
“I didn´t expect myself to be here now either,” his blood brother replied frowning, not letting his intent look off the group of upset riders. “But it seems it´s more than good that I arrived. Chief Ninastoko, what happened? Just where are you heading with so many of your warriors?”
Chief stared at Kame for a while, before barking out his reply in their mother tongue.
Liwan was not surprised that Kame was confused about the correct meaning of rough words and turned to him for clarification: “Does he mean the patrol? Who did they capture, do you know?”
Liwan asked Chief for permission to explain the situation, before replying his brother in Palefaces´ language: “White soldiers from fort captured two tribe warriors, who were out hunting. Another one was with them, but managed to escape. He said soldiers took them away and threatened to hang them.”
“Oh, my… Not again,” Kame reacted with a heavy sigh. “They were they hunting outside the reservation borders, right?”
This time, Chief Ninastoko took up the word himself: “Tribe need supplies. Soldiers bring not enough. Ninastoko not let his brothers and sisters starve! Palefaces have no right to kill our warriors!”
The rest of Indians, still waiting on horses, accompanied his statement with agreeable grunts.
Kame stepped forward, his expression firm, just as his voice: “We´ve already discussed this the last time, Chief. Haven´t the expected rations arrived yet?”
“No! Winter close, Ninastoko not wait anymore.”
Kame fell silent for a moment, returning the Chief´s stare unwaveringly.
“I understand, Chief,” he nodded then. “I really do. But with this thoughtless reaction, you will bring wrath from Fort Benton on the whole reservation. You cannot risk it and you know it.”
Ninastoko was not happy about such an answer, Liwan could see that clearly, but he let Kame talk, which was a good sign.
“There´s another way to solve this. Peacefully,” Kamenashi emphasized. “Liwan, when exactly were they captured?”
“This morning. Soldiers caught our brothers, when they were coming back with catches.”
“All right. Then they should be still alive. Chief, I will go there myself. I promise you I will bring your warriors back and will negotiate an exception with the current leader of the fort.”
“Ex-ceptšn?” Ninastoko repeated with distrust. “What that is?”
Kame thought about the answer carefully this time, and Liwan realized that his brother was not sure about what exactly he would be able to achieve in the fort.
“For example, it would mean that until more rations arrive, your hunters will be allowed to leave the reservation at least every second day for hunt. How that sounds to you?”
Murmurs in the gathered crowd did not sound positive, but Ninastoko´s anger already faded and he started doubting his former decision, Liwan could see it in his eyes. After everything Kame had done for the Blackfeet tribe´s good, their Chief trusted him. And in the end, he decided to trust Kame´s word also this time.
“Until Sun is back on same place as now, I give Kamenashi time. Then Ninastoko come for his brothers himself.”
***
Captain Davis - a current leader of the northernmost military outpost in the United States and its territories - frowned at the comprehensive report of the reservation patrol. Unfortunately, no matter how long he was reading it, its content wouldn´t change.
Some of his subordinates were more than obviously annoyed with their service in this remote area and constantly kept seeking for any reason to accuse the local savages of breaking the rules. Personally, Davis would prefer avoiding the unnecessary troubles and keeping the peace, but he couldn´t ignore them either. Maybe, he should consider some reassignment among the soldiers, to avoid conflicts like this one was…
There was a sharp knock on the constantly open door of his office and his adjutant saluted as he went inside: “Sir! Agent Kamenashi arrived, requesting to meet you.”
Just that name made the captain´s annoying headache worse: “Him again? I should have known… Is he alone?”
“No, that shaman guy, who usually translates, is waiting for him in front of the fort.”
“I see…” Davis murmured, turning the report on the table upside down. “It´s like he smells troubles in advance or something.”
“Sir?” the lieutenant spoke up hesitantly.
“Let him in,” he waved shortly. “It´s clear to me why he´s here.”
It took just a couple of seconds before the young man in dusty clothes and with the faint stubble on his chin entered his office vigorously.
“Thank you for accepting me, Captain.”
He eyed Kamenashi a little surprised. His attitude was polite as always, but it was the first time he noticed something harsh and confident about it. Kamenashi seemed to get used to his position quickly and he exactly knew what he could and couldn´t afford.
“Welcome, Kamenashi,” he nodded at the young Agent. “And I dare to say I know why you´re here.”
“Good. We can settle it faster then,” Kamenashi remained standing in the middle of the room, with his stance firm and hands hanging loosely at the hips. “What do you intend to do with the two Indian captives from this morning?”
Davis returned his demanding stare with surrendered composure: “As an Indian Agent you surely know what´s supposed to be done with them for trespassing the borders of reservation.”
“Yes. But I also know that we´re dealing with the long-term shortage of provisions. At this point, they must hunt somewhere, Captain, otherwise they will starve.”
Davis stood up from his chair and walked around his desk to face the determined man upright: “I´m aware of the situation and I assure you there isn´t anything else what we can do from out here.”
“There is,” Kamenashi insisted.
Captain nodded: “I assumed you would come with some kind of solution for this… I´m listening.”
“We should allow a couple of Indians to go out hunting regularly, at least until the proper provisions will start arriving on time and in sufficient quantity. Even if it would be only temporary solution, until we deal with whatever the reason for these unbelievable delays is.”
Davis shook his head strictly: “I can´t let dozens of them roam all around. I don´t want to risk more clashes with the new settlers. Those people keep coming banging on the gate of our fort complaining almost every day.”
“They wouldn´t have roamed, they would´ve hunted,” the younger man emphasized. “There´s many hunting opportunities not far from the reservation itself and we can negotiate about the range of their hunting trips. Only this little would help them a lot. They´re able to follow the rules which are reasonable, Captain. Unlike those white settlers you mentioned, who just keep demanding more and more of what they have no right to claim.”
As a soldier, Davis didn´t approve such kind of speech, but as a man he understood and agreed with Kamenashi. He walked to the window of his office and back, pondering the complications, which might arise from such arrangement, while Kamenashi watched him quietly, waiting for his decision.
In the end, he nodded: “All right. We can try it out. But five of them at most, once a week.”
“Twice a week.”
He frowned. Their pretty little Agent was really persistent this time: “Kamenashi…” he started warningly, but was interrupted.
“Did you notice just how many people live there already?” Kamenashi cut it. “And I´ve just brought ten more from Bozeman area.”
Davis turned back to his table and dug in the pile of the latest Montana population reports for a moment, before he pulled out the list he wanted to see. Kamenashi was right - the density of population in the reservation was already on the edge.
He turned back again: “Very well, I agree - five of them, twice a week. And what about those two? I assume you want to ask for their pardon.”
Kamenashi´s eyes narrowed and his voice was actually quite cold, when he spoke this time: “I will be frank, Captain. I managed to arrive to the reservation just at the moment when Chief Ninastoko was preparing to ride off with his warriors and set these captives free by force. I´m sure you can imagine what it would have led to.”
Davis felt offended by such an indirect threat: “Careful about what you say, young man. Our soldiers are not afraid of a bunch of upset red men. We would have dealt with them properly.”
Kamenashi pressed his lips, as if to prevent himself saying something he didn´t want to.
“That´s not what I meant and you know it,” he said finally, in a serious tone. “Wasn´t there enough bloodshed already?”
Under the look of that serious, resolved and yet so young man, Captain Davis kept silent this time.
“It would be a sign of your good will, if you let them go,” Kamenashi kept persuading. “It would calm them down for sure. Their behavior is understandable and excusable.”
“I know what you mean, but who will guarantee that this attempt for rebellion won´t repeat?”
Kamenashi made one step closer and looked into his eyes: “Once they will be actually living and not just surviving in the reservation, you will have nothing to worry about, Captain.”
Captain Davis gave up more arguments, at least for the time being. He was not completely persuaded it was the best course they could take, but he had to admit that Kamenashi might have been right.
***
The two Indian huntsmen did not express anything from their feelings, when Kame personally unlocked their handcuffs and led them outside the jail. They didn´t seem to believe they were free, until the gate of Fort Benton closed behind them with a heavy thud. Only then some of the helpless anger seemed to fade away from their dark eyes. Liwan, apparently relieved seeing all of them alive, quickly explained them the situation and introduced Kame, who was patiently waiting for him to finish, while returning the sharp stares of the guards on patrol on the wall.
After that they set off on the way back to the reservation to be there in time for Ninastoko´s ultimatum. They had brought horses for the two former captives, so that they could ride quickly.
Their return didn´t go by without excited shouts and repeated thanks. Then Kame was accepted to appear before the Council of Elders and explained what he had managed to negotiate with Captain Davis. It was not exactly what he had hoped for, but it was something.
Officially, Kame was the one who was supposed to decide all important changes for the Indians and he didn´t need their permission for it - they were supposed to just obey his order as an assigned Agent. But he had been working hard on his relations with Ninastoko and he had no intention to spoil it by stripping him of power as Tribal Chief.
After the two-hour-long closed meeting, both Ninastoko and the Council accepted the new arrangement, to Kame´s great relief. Only then he could finally rest.
Kame felt exhausted, but he gladly sat by the fire with Liwan to enjoy some small talk. They were soon accompanied by other men from the tribe, who were curious about the fort and questioned the two saved warriors.
He just listened to their talking halfway through his ear, pensively looking into the flames and wondering if Jin missed him just as much he did. He regretted their argument before his departure. Jin was absolutely right that he kept wandering around too often and he was not happy about not seeing his lover regularly either. But this came with his Agent assignment and there was no way around it. He only hoped that Jin would not get annoyed enough to leave and go back to his brother. Kame realized more than well that he was the one holding Jin in Montana…
Suddenly, he didn´t feel so comfortable anymore. Cautiously, he looked around the cheerful company by the fire and soon, he found out why. One of the two Indians they got out of the fort was somewhat staring at him from the opposite side of fireplace. It was not a curious look or even grateful one, it was a dark, inquiring gaze and made Kame feel weird.
He returned his stare for a while and then raised a questioning eyebrow. The Indian just smirked a little, in a way which for some reason squeezed Kame´s throat and then got up, leaving the gathering at the fire.
“Brother?” Liwan noticed his expression and leant forward studying him from close up.
Kame cleared his throat: “The taller of the two we had saved… Who is he? I don´t remember seeing him around.”
Liwan looked up to check on the leaving Indian: “That is Nayati, or Thunder, if you like. They came from small Crow village, which was annihilated. Both joined us recently. Why do you ask, Brother?”
Kame shook his head: “No special reason. I just wondered…”
Liwan didn´t seem to believe him fully, but didn´t poke in the matter further: “When will my brother go back?”
“Tomorrow. There are other issues I need to solve…”
“Why not stay longer? I think you need to rest.”
“I do,” Kame confirmed without any excuses. “But I will rest once I´ll be back home.”
“I understand, you want Akanishi to help with resting,” his blood brother commented calmly, but the amused light in his eyes gave him away.
“Since when you´re such a teaser, Liwan?”
“I do not know what that is.”
Kame laughed: “What you just did.”
“My heart is in joy if my brother laughs like this,” suddenly, the young shaman´s face went serious. “I am worried about you. You seem troubled.”
He shook his head: “I´m fine, really. There´s just a lot to do in my position and…”
“Akanishi complained?” Liwan figured quickly.
Kame sighed: “Something like that, yes.”
There was a short silence between the two blood brothers, before Liwan spoke again.
“Akanishi understands, he just doesn’t say it.”
The smile returned on Kame´s face: “I know… Thanks, Brother.”
***
That night, Jin only managed to take a short nap on the sofa at Cora´s place and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead. Nevertheless, his instincts kept working just fine and didn’t let him ignore a couple of hoof prints in the moist soil and also half-dried mud on veranda boards in front of the door. His first thought belonged to Kame, but at the same time he realized it was too soon for him to be back from the reservation and the second - that he did not wear such big boots. This messy pig was definitely not him.
Already fully awake, Jin slipped down the saddle and smacked Kuro softly on his front leg. The stallion nodded his head and trotted off to hide on the side the house. With his eyes fixed on the dark windows, Jin drew one of his revolvers from its holster and after scanning the front yard, he tiptoed up the stairs to the door. Attaching an ear to it didn´t help him much, the door was new and sturdy. He and Kame changed out the old one, which was already falling apart, with their own hands.
Crouching, he approached the kitchen window and holding his breath, he quickly tried to look inside. He straightened back immediately, to avoid being spotted and cocked the hammer.
The reflecting morning light prevented him from seeing clearly, but there was definitely somebody sitting at their kitchen table.
Knowing exactly which boards were creaky, Jin avoided them as he approached the door again and softly pressed the handle. Fortunately, he oiled the hinges recently, so they opened without any sound. Whoever was cheeky enough to sneak into their house, he would not let them go without something to remember.
Steadying his breath, Jin moved slowly, pressing tightly against the wall. He heard some sounds now. Surprised, he realized it was if somebody was chewing and gulping.
Are you kidding me? That bastard came here to steal and now he´s eating my food?
Jin gritted his teeth and pushed his anger back down, not to make him act rashly. If the person remained in the same position, he would be turned to the door with his back…
With his revolver precisely aimed, Jin swiftly entered the kitchen and touched the muzzle of his weapon to the back of the stranger´s head with dark brown hair: “Not a move, dipshit.”
The fork clanged on the table as the man dropped it in surprise.
“Uhm… sh… wait,” the cheeky thief murmured with his mouth completely full.
“I don´t have to wait for anything. You trespassed, and you´re gonna pay…”
“Jin, wait! It´s me!”
- To be continued -
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: This time, I managed to get it done a bit sooner... Enjoy!
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve // Chapter thirteen // Chapter fourteen // Chapter fifteen // Chapter sixteen //
Negotiations
“So, I´m gonna have our bed for myself again, huh?”
Kame tightened the saddle buckle more than was necessary and the sturdy stallion let him know about it with an unhappy snort. He sighed and rearranged it to be more comfortable for the animal, which he had borrowed from Mr. Harada for once, as he didn´t want to use Ukushi for the repeated journey so soon. Then he reluctantly turned to the veranda, to face Jin who was sitting there smoking. He was already late with his departure and not in the mood for his gloomy boyfriend, who apparently didn´t get enough sleep during the night again.
“How many more times do we need to discuss this? It is my job.”
Jin deeply drew on the hand-rolled cigarette: “Sure. I didn´t say anything against it,” he replied, but didn´t return Kame´s gaze.
“You just did.”
“It was only a statement of the bare fact.”
“I´d rather call it an annoyed complaint.”
“Nice. I can´t even complain anymore,” snorted Jin.
“I don´t do it,” Kame reminded him dryly. “You might do me the same favor.”
Jin doused the cigarette butt in an ashtray and abruptly stood up: “And what reason you might´ve got for complaining?”
“Your job.”
“This again?”
Kame shrugged casually, trying to cover his anxiety from the sudden unpleasant exchange of opinions: “You started it.”
Also Jin was upset already and it took shape in his reaction: “Unlike you, I keep coming back home every day!”
“After spending whole nights in that whorehouse.”
“Oh, come on! I thought you trust me!”
“I do!” Kame emphasized impatiently. “But I don´t trust those who work with you or those who keep visiting that place every day.”
“That´s a pretty poor excuse,” Jin snapped. “Didn´t we go through this already?”
He took a deep breath: “Exactly - we did. Just as through my current responsibilities. My job has some purpose at least!”
His lover´s eyes gathered a dangerous shine: “Not fair of you, Kame.”
He could not help but chuckle bitterly: “Well, life´s not fair,” he stated harshly and turned away, already fed up enough to leave.
Behind him, the quick steps rushed down the stairs.
“Hey, wait! Kame! I´m not done with you!” Jin grabbed his elbow, abruptly stopping him from mounting the horse. “I said wait!”
Their eyes clashed in a wordless fight, before their lips united in a burning kiss. The heated connection flooded them with warm, exciting sensation, which added up to their agitated emotions and teased the sleeping desire in their bodies. Neither of them was willing to let the other gain the upper hand, which made their kissing all the more passionate.
It took a long while before they separated from each other, breathless and with their pulse violent.
Gently pulling his fingers out from Jin´s hair, Kame sighed heavily: “Damn it,” he cursed quietly, feeling his lips swollen and tingling. “Arguing over nothing… How did we even get there?”
Jin looked at him with a kind of sad expression: “Is it so selfish of me to want you for myself more?” he asked huskily.
A faint smile spread Kame´s lips: “Yes, it is. But I´m the same…”
Then he leant forward, intending to kiss him again, and definitely not in anger this time. But Jin suddenly stepped away, with his eyes focused on something behind Kame´s back: “What the hell is he doing here?” he murmured frowning.
Jin observed a simple cart dragged by an old gelding unpleasantly surprised and with a strange hunch in his stomach - nobody else than Reverend Kapner was approaching on their driveway.
He could imagine no proper reason for which this fanatic servant of God, who had recently started preaching right in front of Cora´s place and even in Harada´s saloon, should pay them a visit. And as Kame made quite a face seeing their unexpected visitor, he was not alone thinking that way.
Reverend stopped the cart unpleasantly close to them and his figure, flooded by the morning sun from behind, hovered above them more like a huge raven than a man: “God bless you on this beautiful day!”
“Good day, Reverend,” fortunately, Kame managed to cover the necessary good manners for them both. “Can we help you somehow? Have you lost your way?”
“Not at all. I shall never be lost with God Almighty leading my steps,” Reverend replied with firm conviction, came down from the narrow trestle and flattened his dark robe before facing them directly with serious expression.
“I wonder why you´re here then,” Jin eyed the older man with hardly suppressed antipathy.
“Because it´s me who can help you. I´ve just started paying a visit to all remote homesteads around the city, to become acquainted with my parishioners better,” Reverend explained his presence.
“Well, that’s commendable,” Kame commented, still politely, but Jin could tell he was getting anxious. They both would certainly do without attention of church more than well.
“One shall not expect praise for things needed to be done in the name of God,” their visitor reacted meekly.
Jin almost rolled his eyes, but managed to hold it back. He didn´t mind Catholics. Actually, he had no opinion about their faith at all, so he was not eager to appreciate any unwanted sermon.
“It´s Kamenashi and Akanishi, is that right?” Reverend addressed them inquiringly then.
Kame hesitantly nodded: “Yes…”
“It grieves me to say that I didn´t see you two on any Mass yet. It´s true that we´ve been keeping them outside because of the reconstruction, so it´s not very comfortable, but that will change soon with the blessing of God. And you will be very welcomed to join us.”
If Jin didn´t like something, it was when somebody tried to push him into anything. And so this time, he spoke before Kame could: “We´re not much into that.”
Kapner stabbed him with an unpleasantly sharp look: “With that you mean…?”
“We don´t have much time at hand, that´s what he meant,” Kame cut in diligently. “We appreciate your invitation. Maybe there will be an opportunity for us to come.”
Reverend Kapner shifted his unpleasant gaze on the younger one: “Great. You definitely should come to pray soon. Your souls burdened with sin need to be cleansed as often as possible.”
Jin opened his mouth to send the man back to the city and not very politely, but a hard pressure of Kame´s heel on his instep shut him up.
“You´re certainly right, Reverend. Thank you. I´m just leaving, so if you´ll excuse us…”
“Certainly,” Kapner nodded benignantly. “I must visit also other faithful parishioners. The Lord be with you,” the servant of God parted with them with a smile, which sent a chill down Jin´s spine.
They remained standing there and watched Reverend settling down on the trestle with dignity and then the cart rumbled away. Once it was definitely out of earshot, Kame spoke again.
“Did he see us?” he asked tensely.
“I don´t know…” Jin grumbled. “I noticed him only as the cart appeared between the trees.”
There was a short silence before Kame turned to him: “I´ve got a strange feeling about this visit.”
He nodded: “That makes two of us.”
“You must be careful what you say in front of this man, Jin,” his lover emphasized seriously.
He frowned: “We´ve got no obligation to bear his bullshit talk. No one can force their faith on somebody else.”
“I agree… But did you forget what people are capable of in the name of faith and moral? Did you forget what we saw in Billings?”
Jin reached out and firmly squeezed Kame´s arm, pulling him closer: “Of course not. But that doesn´t mean I´m willing to hop around as some bigheaded priest says.”
“What about trying not to provoke him?” the younger one suggested meaningfully.
“That I could manage,” he admitted reluctantly.
Kame chuckled: “Great. I feel all the better now. Anyway, if you have a chance, try to ask around, if Reverend really visited also other homesteads or not.”
Jin definitely agreed with him that this sudden private lecture was more than strange and it would not hurt to verify Reverend´s words: “I´ll try.”
Kame sighed: “All right, I should go. I´m already late.”
Jin tightened the grip around his elbow: “And what about a goodbye kiss?”
The younger one raised his eyebrow: “You just had one…”
“If that was for goodbye, I´m definitely not letting you go,” he assumed.
Kame smiled and patted his lips with a soft, loving kiss: “Take care, Jin.”
“Yeah, you too...”
***
The warm autumn afternoon attracted a great deal of Denver citizens to the biggest annual farmer market and the whole square was humming with excited or quarrelsome voices. A fair-haired lad, with some envelopes firmly grasped in hand, was forced to weave through the gathered crowd, trying to reach the opposite side of the square in record time.
As he hastily avoided an elderly lady with the basket of eggs, his other hand interfered with a pile of radishes, unintentionally scattering them on the ground.
“Hey! Watch your step, kid!” the owner of the affected stall called after him angrily.
Jack just shortly turned on his heel, waving with the postal correspondence for Horace Tabor: “Sorry, Mister! I´m in a hurry!”
He was damn lucky to be accepted by Tabor´s stiff secretary as an errand boy and he was definitely going to keep this job. Despite Nick´s worries that he was already risking too much.
Jack ran this route for the second time that day and it seemed that he was finally carrying the news Mr. Cocky Tabor had been expecting for a while. He knew about it, because the envelopes were carelessly sealed, so it was no problem for him to peep on the content of this precious correspondence. And he found some very interesting telegrams among it…
He chuckled gleefully at the sudden idea. Maybe, he should send a telegram too - to the certain city in Montana.
*
“Another batch of your correspondence has just arrived, sir. And two urgent telegrams.”
“It was about damn time!” Horace Tabor snatched the envelopes from his secretary´s hand, flipping through them hastily. Without a hint of interest, he discarded probably the last of letters expressing the support of his business partners and acquaintances for his senate candidacy and impatiently pulled out the first of the two telegrams, which was sent from Montana.
“…job at brothel…, …Indian Agent…, …no hint of contact between brothers…,” Tabor murmured as his eyes ran over a couple of sentences. “…keeping eye on them… Stop. Just stop. Awesome, really,” he snorted upset about the absolute lack of anything useful.
Either Henderson was not as capable as he had pretended to be, or he was withholding information from him. Horace considered the second option much more likely.
“Is that errand boy still here?”
His secretary, quietly waiting in front of his desk, nodded: “Yes, sir.”
“Tell him to wait, I will send the reply right away,” Tabor ordered as he was already opening the second telegram.
“Of course, sir,” the man left to make the necessary arrangements for a new telegram.
When Horace noticed the sender of the second urgent message, he scowled and reached for the box with cigars. He lit one for himself before reading it.
“Well, let´s see… My dear wife reminded me of her existence.”
Augusta was assuring him that she was all right, but she had lost all the money in some Indian assault. She requested him to send a generous check to Buffalo in Wyoming.
Horace snorted scornfully and got up to prepare a strong drink from his richly equipped minibar. This was just great. His soon-to-be-former wife willfully departed for this adventure trip and he was supposed to cover all the costs and more? Who knew what she was even really doing out there, in company of that cocky Captain. He really wondered just when the two of them became acquainted so well.
Horace returned behind this desk and gulped down the good half of his drink. If they didn´t reach a certain agreement before Augusta had left, he would not have sent her a cent. Not to mention his unbelievable lack of luck. Not even the red savages were capable of ridding him of this stubborn woman for good. Jesus Christ!
Horace threw the telegram to the side and grabbed the check book. All things considered, if it meant to keep Augusta away from Colorado and from his beloved Baby for a while, it was worth some spending.
***
“Hey! Mister!” Jin raised his voice just enough to be audible in the mixture of girly giggles and perverted flattery. “Don´t make me get up from this stool. Got it?”
An elderly guy on the dark red sofa glared at him, before he unwillingly pulled his hand away from under Jessica´s skirt and properly sat next to her again. The girl sent a grateful smile in Jin´s direction and offered the grumpy customer another drink, probably the last one the man could afford. He had paid for drinking company, which didn´t include any physical contact unless the girl agreed to it. And Jessica´s faint pleadings already crossed the tolerance border of the brothel´s bodyguard.
Jin´s intervention was also approved by the beautifully dressed-up owner of the place, as Cora patted his shoulder, when she passed by, heading to her spot behind the counter. Jin just nodded and returned his attention to the latest newspapers. Its content was so far so good, just the usual bunch of headlines related to horse and cattle dealing, renegades, lynching, new immigrants from east or the railway progress.
“Will you stay overnight again?” Cora asked, wiping the counter thoroughly.
“Yeah… No reason not to,” Jin murmured in response and turned to the last page to check the wanted list.
“Huh? Why so gloomy?”
He pushed the crumpled papers aside sighing: “´Got no reason for jumping in joy either.”
Cora eyed him warily: “Did something happen? You can take a night off if you need to…”
“Nah, it´s okay.”
“All right…”
One of the two girls sitting on the other side of the counter - Dana - overheard them and turned to Jin with a challenging smile: “Well, in case you´d be interested in some other improvement of your mood, just let me know,” she winked.
Cora was more than familiar with the tone she had used - it was clear what kind of ´improvements´ the girl had on her mind. She threw a warning look at her, but Dana was fully focused on their somber bodyguard.
There was a short - and a bit odd - pause, before Jin spoke with a sheepish grin: “Thanks… I´ll keep that in mind.”
“You better,” Dana giggled and left the counter to welcome another customer, swaying her hips alluringly on the way.
Cora hid a few empty bottles into the box under the counter and looked at Jin again. He seemed to be thoughtful and not in a good way. She was curious about the reason for such a mood, but didn´t want to poke in his privacy.
According to city gossip, Jin had no affair with any local lady, which was hard to believe considering his charms and obvious interest in flirting. Most of the time, he was seen only with Kamenashi. Cora appreciated that he didn´t even seek release among her girls, but thanks to that, maybe he was a bit frustrated.
“Listen…” she spoke quietly and sat on the stool next to him. “Dana´s cheeky, but she´s a good girl. I know that no mixing of work and personal relations was a part of our deal, but if you´d like, I might close my eye… Just for this occasion.”
The dark eyes buried into hers with sudden intensity, making her throat tight.
“Why are you telling me this, Cora?” Jin asked in a deep voice.
She shrugged, trying to cover her internal flutter: “Well, you seem to be in need of letting off some steam, so just saying - if you´d like and promise you´ll keep it within reasonable borders, then I won´t take this option from you just because you work here.”
Jin stared at her for a while, which made her even more nervous. Then he chuckled, quite bitterly: “Damn, do I really look so hopelessly horny?”
For the first time in a long while, Cora felt her cheeks burning red: “Jesus, no! I didn´t mean it like this!”
“And how did you mean it?” Jin asked, obviously amused now.
“I… sorry… I just figured that you´re not seeing anyone, so…” she blurted out embarrassed.
“Actually, I do,” Jin reacted right away.
“You do?” Cora gaped, her eyes wide. Jin Akanishi was the most handsome catch in town. If any girl managed to get him, she would have definitely known about it. “Really?”
Jin looked away and cleared his throat: “Yeah…”
“Whom?” Cora didn´t think twice about her previous resolution not to poke in Jin´s private matters, she was so taken aback by this information.
Jin´s raised eyebrow and inquiring look punished her enough for it: “Curious, aren´t you?”
In that moment, she realized that she had offered him a whore, while he was not free at all.
“Oh, damn it… I didn´t mean to… It was stupid of me, Jin.”
Jin shook his head, interrupting her apologies: “Don´t worry about it, really. It´s nice of you to care,” he winked at her, which sent a very pleasant feeling into her stomach. “I´m just gonna get some air. Will be right back.”
*
Once outside, Jin let out a deep breath and started searching his pockets for cigarettes.
It was natural that people would notice something strange about him sooner or later. Though, he would rather have it later.
Dana was really attractive and moreover, he already had some history with her and it was a nice, arousing memory. Nevertheless, she didn´t come on his mind in the way which the pretty brothel owner had mentioned…
He would have lied to himself if he denied that he didn´t think about women from time to time. It was just ever since he had Kame it never went beyond innocent flattery, either in his thoughts or words spoken aloud. Though, now Cora´s offer put a seed in his head.
He lit up a needed smoke and absently observed the quiet, dark street.
If he thought about it purely in a theoretical way, how would Kame have taken if he did release some steam in the brothel just as Cora had indicated? Would he understand? Or would he consider it as infidelity?
Jin closed his eyes for a while. What the hell was he thinking? After all, he was able to reply to himself right away - Kame would have never accepted it.
His boyfriend hated his job at the brothel, no matter how much he tried to cover it up before. Their ugly, senseless quarrel two days ago, when he was leaving for the reservation, just confirmed it to him.
Hell, yeah, it would have been more than convenient to let go from time to time and to enjoy some pleasures which exclusively women could offer to him and on the top of it without any commitments. But Jin didn´t intend to betray Kazuya´s trust, not a chance. Not after everything they had been through together.
So, what about he still liked women, liked looking at them and flirting with them? Since he was not serious, there was nothing wrong about it, was there?
***
Even though Kame had managed to chase a simple wagon for the former mine workers, their journey to the north was painfully slow. They reached the foot of Rising Wolf Mountain only on the fifth day of somewhat gloomy travel, also thanks to the non-talking attitude the Indians took towards him. They were not exactly grateful for being deprived of some good earnings.
So, at first, Kame was really relieved to catch a glimpse of the Blackfeet village, but it didn´t last long. He noticed something was wrong even before they passed by the first wigwam. The main access to the heart of reservation was usually guarded by a military patrol from Fort Benton. Though this time, not a single blue uniform was in sight. And his suspicion grew, seeing the unusual gathering on the east side of the lake. He didn´t have to wait long for the confirmation that he was right…
“Kame! Kame! Thanks Manitou you here!”
He promptly dismounted his borrowed horse and turned to face the rushing Chippewa woman. Migisi pushed through the bunch of curious kids, who almost immediately gathered around the wagon with newcomers, and stopped breathless in front of him. Kame was glad to see her again too, but the woman´s haste was telling him that she had no good reason for welcoming him so eagerly.
“Migisi, wha…?” he meant to ask, but she didn´t even let him do that.
“Quickly! Stop them! You must!”
The last time he visited the village, Kame had a chance to spend more time with this young woman, and got to know her better, since she got closer with his blood brother. Migisi was a very nice, serious woman and he already knew she wouldn´t have made a fuss over nothing.
“Whom? What´s going on?” he asked urgently for more information.
Migisi started gibbering in nomadic Indian language so quickly that he couldn´t catch a word of it.
“Calm down, will you?” he interrupted her sharply. “I don´t understand!”
The agitated woman huffed and then grabbed his hand: “Come!”
She started dragging him between the wigwams to the opposite side of the village, where - to Kame´s horror - most of the tribe warriors were gathered, obviously ready for departure.
*
Liwan felt helpless seeing his armed brothers jumping on the backs of horses, getting ready to leave. Until now, they usually at least listened to what he wanted to say first and then discussed what would be the best to do. This time, the line of what they were willing to tolerate was crossed and they ignored all his arguments and pleads.
Once the word about capture of their huntsmen spread, and Chief commanded, there was no way to stop them. There was a part of him which wanted to join those two dozen of angry warriors, but the wiser side kept him in place. Somebody had to stay, even if only in order to get ready for what was definitely about to happen next.
Chief Ninastoko on his noble stallion raised a hand and the gathering of warriors reacted with loud whoops on his gesture. Then the whole group set off, kicking the sides of their horses violently.
Suddenly, just before Ninastoko in the lead could speed up, a young man ran out from behind one wigwam and stood in his way.
“Hey!! Stop! All of you!” a well-known, sharp voice shouted down even the heavy clatter of many hooves. “Stop!”
Surprised Indians started pulling on the reins swearing. The blood froze in Liwan´s veins, as the Chief´s horse kicked the air right in front of his dear blood brother´s nose. Not intimidated even a bit, Kazuya Kamenashi stood firm, both his hands raised, apparently determined not to move aside.
Chief Ninastoko patted his horse a few times, calming the animal down, before focusing his eyes on the young man. He didn´t say anything and his face remained unreadable, but his warriors started shouting, demanding Kamenashi to get out of their way.
Feeling a little nauseous from Kame´s recklessness with which he had faced the herd of running horses, Liwan hurried to join his side.
“Kame…” he breathed out in relief, squeezing his shoulder. “We did not expect you so soon again.”
“I didn´t expect myself to be here now either,” his blood brother replied frowning, not letting his intent look off the group of upset riders. “But it seems it´s more than good that I arrived. Chief Ninastoko, what happened? Just where are you heading with so many of your warriors?”
Chief stared at Kame for a while, before barking out his reply in their mother tongue.
Liwan was not surprised that Kame was confused about the correct meaning of rough words and turned to him for clarification: “Does he mean the patrol? Who did they capture, do you know?”
Liwan asked Chief for permission to explain the situation, before replying his brother in Palefaces´ language: “White soldiers from fort captured two tribe warriors, who were out hunting. Another one was with them, but managed to escape. He said soldiers took them away and threatened to hang them.”
“Oh, my… Not again,” Kame reacted with a heavy sigh. “They were they hunting outside the reservation borders, right?”
This time, Chief Ninastoko took up the word himself: “Tribe need supplies. Soldiers bring not enough. Ninastoko not let his brothers and sisters starve! Palefaces have no right to kill our warriors!”
The rest of Indians, still waiting on horses, accompanied his statement with agreeable grunts.
Kame stepped forward, his expression firm, just as his voice: “We´ve already discussed this the last time, Chief. Haven´t the expected rations arrived yet?”
“No! Winter close, Ninastoko not wait anymore.”
Kame fell silent for a moment, returning the Chief´s stare unwaveringly.
“I understand, Chief,” he nodded then. “I really do. But with this thoughtless reaction, you will bring wrath from Fort Benton on the whole reservation. You cannot risk it and you know it.”
Ninastoko was not happy about such an answer, Liwan could see that clearly, but he let Kame talk, which was a good sign.
“There´s another way to solve this. Peacefully,” Kamenashi emphasized. “Liwan, when exactly were they captured?”
“This morning. Soldiers caught our brothers, when they were coming back with catches.”
“All right. Then they should be still alive. Chief, I will go there myself. I promise you I will bring your warriors back and will negotiate an exception with the current leader of the fort.”
“Ex-ceptšn?” Ninastoko repeated with distrust. “What that is?”
Kame thought about the answer carefully this time, and Liwan realized that his brother was not sure about what exactly he would be able to achieve in the fort.
“For example, it would mean that until more rations arrive, your hunters will be allowed to leave the reservation at least every second day for hunt. How that sounds to you?”
Murmurs in the gathered crowd did not sound positive, but Ninastoko´s anger already faded and he started doubting his former decision, Liwan could see it in his eyes. After everything Kame had done for the Blackfeet tribe´s good, their Chief trusted him. And in the end, he decided to trust Kame´s word also this time.
“Until Sun is back on same place as now, I give Kamenashi time. Then Ninastoko come for his brothers himself.”
***
Captain Davis - a current leader of the northernmost military outpost in the United States and its territories - frowned at the comprehensive report of the reservation patrol. Unfortunately, no matter how long he was reading it, its content wouldn´t change.
Some of his subordinates were more than obviously annoyed with their service in this remote area and constantly kept seeking for any reason to accuse the local savages of breaking the rules. Personally, Davis would prefer avoiding the unnecessary troubles and keeping the peace, but he couldn´t ignore them either. Maybe, he should consider some reassignment among the soldiers, to avoid conflicts like this one was…
There was a sharp knock on the constantly open door of his office and his adjutant saluted as he went inside: “Sir! Agent Kamenashi arrived, requesting to meet you.”
Just that name made the captain´s annoying headache worse: “Him again? I should have known… Is he alone?”
“No, that shaman guy, who usually translates, is waiting for him in front of the fort.”
“I see…” Davis murmured, turning the report on the table upside down. “It´s like he smells troubles in advance or something.”
“Sir?” the lieutenant spoke up hesitantly.
“Let him in,” he waved shortly. “It´s clear to me why he´s here.”
It took just a couple of seconds before the young man in dusty clothes and with the faint stubble on his chin entered his office vigorously.
“Thank you for accepting me, Captain.”
He eyed Kamenashi a little surprised. His attitude was polite as always, but it was the first time he noticed something harsh and confident about it. Kamenashi seemed to get used to his position quickly and he exactly knew what he could and couldn´t afford.
“Welcome, Kamenashi,” he nodded at the young Agent. “And I dare to say I know why you´re here.”
“Good. We can settle it faster then,” Kamenashi remained standing in the middle of the room, with his stance firm and hands hanging loosely at the hips. “What do you intend to do with the two Indian captives from this morning?”
Davis returned his demanding stare with surrendered composure: “As an Indian Agent you surely know what´s supposed to be done with them for trespassing the borders of reservation.”
“Yes. But I also know that we´re dealing with the long-term shortage of provisions. At this point, they must hunt somewhere, Captain, otherwise they will starve.”
Davis stood up from his chair and walked around his desk to face the determined man upright: “I´m aware of the situation and I assure you there isn´t anything else what we can do from out here.”
“There is,” Kamenashi insisted.
Captain nodded: “I assumed you would come with some kind of solution for this… I´m listening.”
“We should allow a couple of Indians to go out hunting regularly, at least until the proper provisions will start arriving on time and in sufficient quantity. Even if it would be only temporary solution, until we deal with whatever the reason for these unbelievable delays is.”
Davis shook his head strictly: “I can´t let dozens of them roam all around. I don´t want to risk more clashes with the new settlers. Those people keep coming banging on the gate of our fort complaining almost every day.”
“They wouldn´t have roamed, they would´ve hunted,” the younger man emphasized. “There´s many hunting opportunities not far from the reservation itself and we can negotiate about the range of their hunting trips. Only this little would help them a lot. They´re able to follow the rules which are reasonable, Captain. Unlike those white settlers you mentioned, who just keep demanding more and more of what they have no right to claim.”
As a soldier, Davis didn´t approve such kind of speech, but as a man he understood and agreed with Kamenashi. He walked to the window of his office and back, pondering the complications, which might arise from such arrangement, while Kamenashi watched him quietly, waiting for his decision.
In the end, he nodded: “All right. We can try it out. But five of them at most, once a week.”
“Twice a week.”
He frowned. Their pretty little Agent was really persistent this time: “Kamenashi…” he started warningly, but was interrupted.
“Did you notice just how many people live there already?” Kamenashi cut it. “And I´ve just brought ten more from Bozeman area.”
Davis turned back to his table and dug in the pile of the latest Montana population reports for a moment, before he pulled out the list he wanted to see. Kamenashi was right - the density of population in the reservation was already on the edge.
He turned back again: “Very well, I agree - five of them, twice a week. And what about those two? I assume you want to ask for their pardon.”
Kamenashi´s eyes narrowed and his voice was actually quite cold, when he spoke this time: “I will be frank, Captain. I managed to arrive to the reservation just at the moment when Chief Ninastoko was preparing to ride off with his warriors and set these captives free by force. I´m sure you can imagine what it would have led to.”
Davis felt offended by such an indirect threat: “Careful about what you say, young man. Our soldiers are not afraid of a bunch of upset red men. We would have dealt with them properly.”
Kamenashi pressed his lips, as if to prevent himself saying something he didn´t want to.
“That´s not what I meant and you know it,” he said finally, in a serious tone. “Wasn´t there enough bloodshed already?”
Under the look of that serious, resolved and yet so young man, Captain Davis kept silent this time.
“It would be a sign of your good will, if you let them go,” Kamenashi kept persuading. “It would calm them down for sure. Their behavior is understandable and excusable.”
“I know what you mean, but who will guarantee that this attempt for rebellion won´t repeat?”
Kamenashi made one step closer and looked into his eyes: “Once they will be actually living and not just surviving in the reservation, you will have nothing to worry about, Captain.”
Captain Davis gave up more arguments, at least for the time being. He was not completely persuaded it was the best course they could take, but he had to admit that Kamenashi might have been right.
***
The two Indian huntsmen did not express anything from their feelings, when Kame personally unlocked their handcuffs and led them outside the jail. They didn´t seem to believe they were free, until the gate of Fort Benton closed behind them with a heavy thud. Only then some of the helpless anger seemed to fade away from their dark eyes. Liwan, apparently relieved seeing all of them alive, quickly explained them the situation and introduced Kame, who was patiently waiting for him to finish, while returning the sharp stares of the guards on patrol on the wall.
After that they set off on the way back to the reservation to be there in time for Ninastoko´s ultimatum. They had brought horses for the two former captives, so that they could ride quickly.
Their return didn´t go by without excited shouts and repeated thanks. Then Kame was accepted to appear before the Council of Elders and explained what he had managed to negotiate with Captain Davis. It was not exactly what he had hoped for, but it was something.
Officially, Kame was the one who was supposed to decide all important changes for the Indians and he didn´t need their permission for it - they were supposed to just obey his order as an assigned Agent. But he had been working hard on his relations with Ninastoko and he had no intention to spoil it by stripping him of power as Tribal Chief.
After the two-hour-long closed meeting, both Ninastoko and the Council accepted the new arrangement, to Kame´s great relief. Only then he could finally rest.
Kame felt exhausted, but he gladly sat by the fire with Liwan to enjoy some small talk. They were soon accompanied by other men from the tribe, who were curious about the fort and questioned the two saved warriors.
He just listened to their talking halfway through his ear, pensively looking into the flames and wondering if Jin missed him just as much he did. He regretted their argument before his departure. Jin was absolutely right that he kept wandering around too often and he was not happy about not seeing his lover regularly either. But this came with his Agent assignment and there was no way around it. He only hoped that Jin would not get annoyed enough to leave and go back to his brother. Kame realized more than well that he was the one holding Jin in Montana…
Suddenly, he didn´t feel so comfortable anymore. Cautiously, he looked around the cheerful company by the fire and soon, he found out why. One of the two Indians they got out of the fort was somewhat staring at him from the opposite side of fireplace. It was not a curious look or even grateful one, it was a dark, inquiring gaze and made Kame feel weird.
He returned his stare for a while and then raised a questioning eyebrow. The Indian just smirked a little, in a way which for some reason squeezed Kame´s throat and then got up, leaving the gathering at the fire.
“Brother?” Liwan noticed his expression and leant forward studying him from close up.
Kame cleared his throat: “The taller of the two we had saved… Who is he? I don´t remember seeing him around.”
Liwan looked up to check on the leaving Indian: “That is Nayati, or Thunder, if you like. They came from small Crow village, which was annihilated. Both joined us recently. Why do you ask, Brother?”
Kame shook his head: “No special reason. I just wondered…”
Liwan didn´t seem to believe him fully, but didn´t poke in the matter further: “When will my brother go back?”
“Tomorrow. There are other issues I need to solve…”
“Why not stay longer? I think you need to rest.”
“I do,” Kame confirmed without any excuses. “But I will rest once I´ll be back home.”
“I understand, you want Akanishi to help with resting,” his blood brother commented calmly, but the amused light in his eyes gave him away.
“Since when you´re such a teaser, Liwan?”
“I do not know what that is.”
Kame laughed: “What you just did.”
“My heart is in joy if my brother laughs like this,” suddenly, the young shaman´s face went serious. “I am worried about you. You seem troubled.”
He shook his head: “I´m fine, really. There´s just a lot to do in my position and…”
“Akanishi complained?” Liwan figured quickly.
Kame sighed: “Something like that, yes.”
There was a short silence between the two blood brothers, before Liwan spoke again.
“Akanishi understands, he just doesn’t say it.”
The smile returned on Kame´s face: “I know… Thanks, Brother.”
***
That night, Jin only managed to take a short nap on the sofa at Cora´s place and his eyelids felt as heavy as lead. Nevertheless, his instincts kept working just fine and didn’t let him ignore a couple of hoof prints in the moist soil and also half-dried mud on veranda boards in front of the door. His first thought belonged to Kame, but at the same time he realized it was too soon for him to be back from the reservation and the second - that he did not wear such big boots. This messy pig was definitely not him.
Already fully awake, Jin slipped down the saddle and smacked Kuro softly on his front leg. The stallion nodded his head and trotted off to hide on the side the house. With his eyes fixed on the dark windows, Jin drew one of his revolvers from its holster and after scanning the front yard, he tiptoed up the stairs to the door. Attaching an ear to it didn´t help him much, the door was new and sturdy. He and Kame changed out the old one, which was already falling apart, with their own hands.
Crouching, he approached the kitchen window and holding his breath, he quickly tried to look inside. He straightened back immediately, to avoid being spotted and cocked the hammer.
The reflecting morning light prevented him from seeing clearly, but there was definitely somebody sitting at their kitchen table.
Knowing exactly which boards were creaky, Jin avoided them as he approached the door again and softly pressed the handle. Fortunately, he oiled the hinges recently, so they opened without any sound. Whoever was cheeky enough to sneak into their house, he would not let them go without something to remember.
Steadying his breath, Jin moved slowly, pressing tightly against the wall. He heard some sounds now. Surprised, he realized it was if somebody was chewing and gulping.
Are you kidding me? That bastard came here to steal and now he´s eating my food?
Jin gritted his teeth and pushed his anger back down, not to make him act rashly. If the person remained in the same position, he would be turned to the door with his back…
With his revolver precisely aimed, Jin swiftly entered the kitchen and touched the muzzle of his weapon to the back of the stranger´s head with dark brown hair: “Not a move, dipshit.”
The fork clanged on the table as the man dropped it in surprise.
“Uhm… sh… wait,” the cheeky thief murmured with his mouth completely full.
“I don´t have to wait for anything. You trespassed, and you´re gonna pay…”
“Jin, wait! It´s me!”
- To be continued -