Shopping Together - Taikou/Kousetsu
“- And then, you know, Kousetsucchi? Nyansen-san said ‘I’m not a kitty!’, even though he was trying so desperately to not get wet!”
Taikou is talking with his hands. He does that normally, but right now it’s a little bit of a pain. He and Kousetsu are walking down the long road from the Citadel, carrying shopping bags and a small purse full of coins for the human town in the valley below. That’s not the part that’s a pain - they’re running a quick errand for Kasen Kanesada, which is a normal thing to be doing. No, the pain is that Taikou wants to be holding Kousetsu’s hand while they walk. But he can’t hold his older brother’s hand when he’s using his hands to help himself talk, and he wants to keep telling this story. It seems to be making Kousetsu smile.
“So he said that, and Hime-san made this silly face, like she didn’t believe him, and tossed the ball towards the river! And Nyansen-san totally forgot about the river part, so he chased after it, right into the river! And he made this wail that sounded exactly like an angry cat - only muffled, because he had the ball in his mouth, see?”
As he talks, his tail flicks this way and that - only briefly touching something, probably Kousetsu’s arm, because Kousetsu is walking a little behind him. Taikou pulls his tail back, trying not to bother him with that on top of his chatter. But it’s hard, because he has to keep track of his hands, and his tail, and the story he’s telling. And not trip on the uneven road.
“But then, out of nowhere, Gokotai’s tiger jumps in after him - he wanted the ball too, see? And he lands with this biiiiig splash, getting Nyansen-san wet all over again! And Hime-san - who also got splashed - looks at the tiger and is like, ‘You be happy I love yer sword, or else I’d tan yer hide.’ But the tiger isn’t listening to her, because he’s busy giving Nyansen-san a big kiss with his tongue, and getting water all over him again from his fur! Like, I knew tigers like water, but this was so silly!”
Taikou grins at Kousetsu over his shoulder, and the tachi smiles back.
“It sounds like you had fun yesterday,” he says.
Taikou beams at him. “We did! You should come with us down to the river some time, Kousetsucchi - and Souzacchi and Sayocchi, too!”
He flicks his tail again, this way and that, and once again feels it brush against Kousetsu’s hand. He’ll have to work on that - keeping it out of other swords’ way.
Up ahead, they come to a turn, where the road to their Citadel joins the one that leads to town. There’s a human-made sign there, one that gives names to the roads for formality’s sake. Taikou reads them as they pass.
“‘Ryokurinryou’ - what a strange name! And our street… ‘Kuchiba’ - oh, like the river, right? You’d think they’d name it after the house, wouldn’t you? Or maybe they thought the name would bring bad luck, too. At least they’ve gotten rid of the warning signs - maybe the talismans Ishikirimaru-san put up are good enough. Oh, sorry Kousetsucchi, I keep bumping your hand-“
He looks back only to find Kousetsu’s fingers brushing the tip of his tail, and Kousetsu smiling at him.
“You looked like you wanted to hold hands,” he says simply.
Taikou wraps his tail around Kousetsu’s hand.
“Okay, but don’t pull!” he says, grinning.
“I won’t,” Kousetsu promises and, though his tone is serious, his smile is still there. “Please - tell me another story.”
His hand is gentle, and Taikou walks just a little bit closer to him. He’ll have to hide his tail when they get further down the road, where humans might see them - there’s no need to show themselves as less human than they already are on the surface - but that’s in a while. By then, he might even have run out of stories, and he’ll be able to offer Kousetsu his hand instead. For now, Taikou enjoys the feeling of a hand on his fur, and launches into another tale that’s sure to keep Kousetsu smiling.
And that way, the road won’t be long at all. For either of them.