"This is the moment I tell you I don't know sir cause they didn't trust me enough not to talk about it. And it's true. I just know some troubles are brewing, and that I need to prepare for it.

And since I don't know which kind of troubles exactly, I'm taking as much precautions as possible."

He held onto her waist.

"So you really have no idea, but you're asking me for a firearm that isn't easily traceable. Sounds like someone you know has a pretty healthy suspicion already and it has to do with someone you'd get in serious trouble for popping."

"The not traceable part...

That's more about me trying not to bring you down with me if I do shit."

He seemed a little bothered now.

"You... worrying about me?" He smirked. "I could kiss you, ya know that? It might change your worries though."

"But seriously... does this have to do with missing persons and that Kuni from the club?"

Akemi blushed up to her ears:

"... How?"

"Hmmm?" He let her go and put his cigarette out. "Are you really curious now suddenly, when we're talking about something else?"

His hand went back around her and he pulled her closer under the umbrella. Close enough to be aware of his heart beat. With that cover, they could be any two people.

She looked at him. And suddenly hugged him hard, too hard, her head on his shoulder:

"I'm...

I'm trying not to get killed Sho-kun.

I'm a goddamn brute with a pointy stick. I literally rush at people who are shooting at me with enough firepower that my armor could as well be made of cardboard. I lost one arm on my third mission and I got lucky it was only one arm.

So yeah, I'm fucking terrified. I try to put a brave face and act cocky with everyone, but I have no idea of the mess I've put myself into these last days. I've been running around all day trying to prepare the best I can, but I'm pretty sure it won't be enough.

I'm not playing games with you. Not today. I'm just lost."

He didn't have words around away. He just reacted by closing the embrace with her, felt the warmth, the slight tremble in her. Hear heartbeat. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until it came out and his tension started to melt.

"Then why would you try to keep me out of it?" he asked her. "Why are you trying to save me trouble when you need help?" He put his hand on her head, stroking her hair. "I can try to find what you're asking for, but why can't it be handled straight up?"

"Because...

Because it requires acceptance on my side.

If I emulate the form of a shady business deal, I can hope to trick my brain into considering it as nothing more than a business deal. In the same way that all these dances, these childish exchanges of small concessions, I can try to rule them as nothing more than a weird dangerous game of thrill-seekers.

But accepting that we're in something else together... Something that has no clear rules, no clear boundaries... That, it requires a form of courage that I lack.

I can easily walk into the enemy fire or do the most daring things on the dancefloor when other people are watching. Even have a hard time not doing so, as if it is something that is required of me, that Akemi just has to be overconfident to a fault in public.

But facing my own feelings?

Need to have my back to the wall for that."

"Well it just so happens", he shifted and literally put her back to a wall, face just in front of hers, umbrella cast above and behind him to block view of onlookers. "We have wall."

"And also, just to warn you, I'm going to the castle today to talk to a magistrate about interfering in local order...", he slide his hand out from around her waist and put it to her cheek to make sure she looked at him. "So if you are up to something, even if you think you won't get caught, you will. Let me do what I can for you."

He rested his forehead against hers.

"But first, let me do what we want to do."

And if he isn't taking a sudden strike, push or harsh word. Hida Akemi was getting herself kissed.

...

Fuck it.

It's not like she hadn't already made up her mind before coming here. By coming here.

She closed her arms behind his shoulders and returned the kiss.

He thought about grabbing some real estate while he was at it, but resisted the temptation. His blood was already up pretty high.

"Finally a little honesty", he said after the moment passed and he could feel the rest of his body again instead of just her.

"If you knew me better, you would be surprised by how much of a pathological, unrepentant liar I am. If Eriko doesn't get any of us killed or banished, we need to have a talk later. A serious one, one we don't interrupt every other second because we cannot keep our hands and our lips to ourselves.

For now though? That kiss was far too short."

"That's fair", he said.

To basically all of that.

Crab lying when being intimate with a Spider was involved? Oh no! Shokomaru was in danger of dying from not surprise.

He kept the umbrella above them, arm around her at the small of her back and pushed her into him, applying some suffocating pressure with his mouth that some kinkier people would simply call a kiss.

Some undisclosed time later.

"Should take singing lessons. Good for mastering one's breath and going lon... I'm being overly competitive again, ain't I?"

She sighed, half for emphasis, half to catch her breath:

"So... What did you guys do and why do I feel it's likely to be one of the pieces of the chain reaction which pushed Eriko into Kuni making plans territory?"

"We just asked questions" he said and used his free hand to brush her hair off her forehead. "I'll be stuck in a meeting at the castle tonight as a result, so I'm trying to enjoy myself now."

He showed her by putting his hand along her chin, feeling where her jaw, neck and ear met.

"Was there something you needed to know before going out? Maybe some information from you could help me as well."

She let him touch her as he wanted for a bit, her own arms loose on his shoulders.

"I kind of want to live as if there is no tomorrow myself honestly."

"But I'm far too well-trained to go without a fight." she finally added with eyes hinting on sadness, crossing her fingers behind his neck, both bringing him closer and restricting his movements a bit.

"Do you have a single clue of what is happening here yourself? As for me, I'm just puzzled while rumors run wild and the Phoenix are lowkey trying to get us killed with their weird trials. Actually kind of surprised the one this morning didn't have a point they asked us to put our hand into the fire to show our resolve or something."

"Do you think that's what he's doing? He might be amused if someone dies, but I doubt that's what he's aiming for", he said with some certainty. "Though as far as rumors, missing persons, I haven't had much more. Though it was the fact that i heard it as 'again'...which is telling. Also yesterday there was some kind of fight wasn't there? Wild animals too close to the farms."

"Like, yet another incident in a pile that's quickly becoming too big to be genuine? But without any visible pattern for now?

Damn. I sure hope Eriko has an actual lead and that she doesn't intend to just stir up the hornets' nest and see what happens. And that my tetsubo will be enough to splat all the angry hornets when she'll ineluctably do just that."

"I assume you don't know this person well, then", he said with pretty clear doubts on the whole thing. It made him squeeze her side a little.