A Little Bit Closer (Ryoma/Kaze)
When Ryoma stops to think about it, Kaze is pretty much a mystery to him. Even though the ninja has lived on Castle Shirasagi a good part of his life, he didn’t know the man at all. Saizo never talked a lot about his twin brother either, a few words here, a few words there, but nothing much, not that this was strange, considering their line of work.
But that wasn’t what bothered Ryoma the most, no. The thing that truly worried him was that Kaze seemed to avoid getting too close to him on purpose, in fact, the same applied to the rest of his siblings, a thing that has been going for a very, very long time now. Not that Kaze ever refused a request or a mission, he carried every single one of his tasks perfectly, without questions, as any good ninja should, but the man was far too distant, detached. He spoke little, only what was necessary, and choose to remain in the shadows whenever possible. Again, this was expected behavior for a warrior of his kind, but something about Kaze didn’t feel quite right.
Next chance Ryoma has, he attempts to talk to Kaze about the issue.
“Will that be all, my Lord?”
"Yes– No, wait, there’s something else I would like you to do.”
“Anything you wish.”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing much,” Ryoma smiles at him “I just want us to speak for a while.”
It’s hard to notice, but Kaze tenses up a little as soon as the words leave his mouth. “About what, Lord Ryoma?”
“Be honest with me Kaze,” the prince gives a few steps forward, “is there something bothering you?”
“No, of course not, thank you for your concern.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, my Lord, has something in my recent actions made you worry?”
Ryoma can’t help furrowing his brows. “Well, there has, Kaze. You’ve been acting rather cold towards me and my siblings, I notice it’s something that’s been going for a while now. Are we doing something to upset you? I know you’re this quiet by nature, but, is this normal?”
Something inside Kaze seems to break all of a sudden. “No, I mean– I’m sorry, my Lord, I just– Please, forgive me, I haven’t noticed, it has nothing to do with you or your siblings, I– Forgive me, there’s nothing wrong, I’m not worth of your attention.”
Those last words catch Ryoma off guard. “What was that?”
“It’s the truth, my Lord, I’m alright, I don’t deserve this kind of attention from you. Now, please, excuse me.”
What has gotten into this man? He’s been nothing but dutiful and loyal; the less Ryoma could do was make sure he was fine.
“Kaze, wait!” Ryoma is fast enough to grab him by the shoulder and turn him around before he can disappear. “Why would do you say such things? You’re one of our best soldiers, you’ve done nothing but watch over us. Besides, it’s not like I’m giving you any sort of special treatment, I’m just making sure you’re fine, as I make sure everyone that works for me is.”
Kaze looks straight at him, astonished, but promptly averts his gaze. “T-thank you Lord Ryoma, but I really don't–”
“No, don’t ever give me that again. You’re a good man, Kaze, and I’m worried about you. Please, tell me, is there anything wrong?”
“No, I’m–” Kaze sighs. “Alright, yes, there is something, maybe something I should’ve told you about a long time ago, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to talk about it right now.”
“That’s fine.” That was perfectly fine, at least Kaze had finally opened up. “Come to me whenever you feel ready, remember that you can trust me.”
“I will, Lord Ryoma. Thank you.” He could have imagined it, but Ryoma swears the smile Kaze gave him was somewhat bitter. “Can I retire now?”
“Sure, you may go.”
Now Ryoma was very curious, whatever Kaze had to say, it sounded like a serious issue. The prince hoped they could work it out, together.