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Keno bit his lip to stifle his moans, not wanting to enlighten the whole estate as to what we were doing. I thought of another way to quiet him and shook my head. As much as I wanted his mouth on me, I would take our pleasure in another manner. He gasped in pleasure as one of my fingers started to penetrate his entrance. He was slick enough with sweat, but I knew it still would be uncomfortable for him.

"Tell me if this is too uncomfortable,” I murmured.

"No,” he moaned. I have to confess I heard an edge of pain in his voice and it excited me in an odd way. I maneuvered us gently, my finger barely in him, until we were a tangle of arms and legs, lying on our sides and facing each other.

I said nothing more but kissed him hard, my finger sinking into his body deep enough to find that special spot in him. He was whimpering and writhing, kissing me as his hands explored my body. Keno arched into me, clutching my back and rubbing against me mindlessly, lost in the friction between us. I was having a difficult time holding back, wanting more than a bit of my finger in him. I found what I was looking for, and he came, moaning in my mouth as I stroked his center gently. When he was done, I wasn't surprised to feel his hand slip between the two of us to stroke my shaft.

I bucked helplessly after a few strokes, burying my face in his neck and biting his shoulder in my passion. When I was done, I didn't want to move, even with the mess drying between us. It was with great reluctance that I rolled to my back for us to cuddle. But even then, I couldn't stop fingering him, just to listen to the sounds he made.

Keno

We were cuddling when Samojirou mentioned what was bothering him. Granted, we would have been more comfortable in our bedroom, and I didn't think I could forget we had made love here, but I was drowsy and content, listening to his heartbeat. I was enjoying his finger in me and the way his other fingers were playing with my balls. I didn't think I could have a coherent conversation with the man. Part of me wished we had done more, and I made a mental note to carry oil around with me all the time, even as I moaned as he touched that good spot inside of me again.

"Iida has sent a messenger,” he said quietly. “He wishes to meet with Tamazusa alone."

I gathered my wits and tried to think as well as feel with him. “That's not going to happen. The Reavers don't even let her sleep alone."

It wasn't
that
bad, but they hovered around her even more than they did me. Right now, I knew there were two or three of them outside the room in the garden. Was I embarrassed that they had listened to the two us? Kind of. But having them listen wasn't as embarrassing as either Tamazusa-sama or Okita-san listening to us.

"She is thinking about it,” Samojirou said quietly.

"Tamazusa-sama must think that it is a good move in the Game,” I muttered.

Samojirou kissed the top of my head. “She does."

"You're worried."

"I don't trust Iida,” he told me.

I thought about it. The man had spent the past couple of weeks stalking us. It was a little creepy, but I wasn't one to really talk about creepy, since I was living with
oni
. But the important question was, why was he stalking us? He had been rude to me on the occasions we had met, but that could mean nothing more than that the man had no manners.

"What do you know of him?” I asked, nuzzling and licking his shoulder like a dog. With what he was doing, Aboshi wasn't going to get anything too intelligent out of me.

"He holds a southern
kuni
, a very small one, poor but part of our southern defenses,” Samojirou said. “He's new here. No one knows much about him."

"Is he an
oni
or something else?” I asked, more to get him to think than out of any real interest in the answer.

He frowned, “No one really knows. He seems to be like your brothers, rather than like Tamazusa or myself. He's not a spirit, either. He had been of the real world at one time."

"A man of mystery,” I commented. “You know that this just might be something innocent. He may just be too Western to realize he's doing something strange, since he seems to be a modern spirit."

"His advisors should tell him he is being foolish,” Samojirou snapped.

"What if he doesn't have anyone like that?” I asked, trying again to put my brain in gear. “What if he's just realizing that he's got to do something like that? What if he just wants her advice about setting up a court and everything because he doesn't want to deal with the other lords? You know that it's something they'd never let him forget about, that Iida-sama hadn't known such basic etiquette. And you know, no matter how modern someone is, he might think this is girl stuff and ask her to come because of that. And if Tamazusa-sama comes with troops, it might mean that she'll try and take over his
kuni
. Iida may be many things, but he isn't stupid. You don't let someone walk into your castle with a potential army."

"It also might be something else,” Samojirou muttered. “A
Hatamoto
isn't an army."

"He might have a crush on her too,” I said.

Samojirou laughed. “Who wouldn't? I think I understand what you are saying with that word. She is a woman who is charming and intelligent."

"And beautiful,” I added. I wasn't jealous of his admiration of her, since they had been together for centuries. He loved her like a sister.

He kissed me again. “As are you."

We were silent for a while after that, content to be with each other. He eventually withdrew his finger from me, but I still didn't want to move.

"You know that he might not be able to feed a lot of extra people,” I said sleepily. I was ready to fall asleep right here and worry about that wrath of Hikura later. He'd be upset that we'd had sex here, but I had made sure the book hadn't gotten damaged, so he wouldn't be too angry with us. He just thought that libraries should be used for studying and not fooling around in. I usually thought that too. But there was something about Samojirou that made me do these mad things.

"There is that too,” Samojirou remarked thoughtfully.

"And you know she isn't going to go anyplace without a maid, because I really don't think that Iida has sent one with Mawatari's escort,” I said. “She wouldn't be without someone of her household."

"I still don't like it,” Samojirou said.

I made some sort of noise, agreeing with him, because I really didn't like it either. But I knew Tamazusa could take care of herself, and that if Iida did something to piss her off, she'd do that spell on him, the one that had turned Heiseg's insides to mush, and then Gate to the real world. Samojirou was just worrying over nothing, which was cute, in an odd way.

I realized I had fallen asleep when I woke up back in our bedroom. It was late, and when I wandered into the other room, I discovered a tray had been left for me. I wasn't angry, since I was pretty sure they were hiding me because of some move in the Game. Sakura, Iida knew about. I was pretty sure he didn't know about
me
. I knew that sounded strange, but we were really two different people at times. It was no secret that Sakura was a guy, given that Samojirou had been openly gay for all of his life and unlife.

I really didn't want to have to deal with whatever plan Aboshi and Tamazusa were dealing with. And I wasn't going to be presentable until I cleaned up, so dinner alone sounded like a good idea for me. Even if I wasn't involved in the Game, I had a lot to think about with whatever Iida's proposition was and how it affected us.

I was finishing off my salad when Samojirou walked into the room, looking angry. I resisted the urge to squeak like a mouse and dive for cover.

"She's agreed to leave with him,” he snarled. “In the morning, with only a handful of Reavers and a maid to accompany her on Iida's ship. She will have an escort of her own
gokenin
only as far as the western shoreline. Mawatari claims there wouldn't be room for them on Iida's ship. He also pointed out that it would be only for a month and that she will be treated as if she were Iida's sister."

"She knows what she's doing,” I told him.
Gokenin
were lower ranking samurai, like Seki or Takehito.

"Does she?” he snapped.

"The Reavers can protect her, and it's not like she's helpless,” I said, getting up to give him a hug, “I don't think Iida knows she can gate to the real world or that she knows that spell."

"I don't like this,” Samojirou said, his anger seeping out of his body as I hugged him.

"So she can take a maid?” I asked after we just held each other for a while.

"She is,” he said.

"I know that this sounds silly, but...."

"Keno?” Samojirou prompted when I didn't finish my sentence.

I felt really stupid, but I had to say it. He could laugh if he wanted, but I was going to make the offer. “I can be her maid."

"Keno!” Samojirou exclaimed.

"I know that I can't really fight, but I'm good with a fan, and they won't expect it. I know that someone else would be a better choice, but I'm offering to do this, to protect my lord.” I finished in rush.

Samojirou was silent for a long time, and I got nervous. “I suppose that either Okita or one of the other of my lady's samurai would be a better choice as a fighter, but I doubt they would be able to be a maid as well as you can."

Tamazusa

Aboshi's suggestion that I take Keno as my maid to my meeting with Iida was a surprise to me. I didn't think that he would stand to be parted from his blossom for so long.

"It would be a move that Iida wouldn't expect,” Keno said shyly. “I know that you can take care of yourself, but I think Samojirou would feel better if you had someone with you. I know Okita-san is a better fighter, but I don't think he would make a very good maid."

"Iida-sama has seen you,” I pointed out.

"He's seen Sakura,” Keno said. “I don't think he'd recognize
me
. No one really seems to see beyond the makeup and the outfit."

I thought about that for a while. I knew that to be true from my time as a companion. In fact, I doubted that Iida would even notice Keno if he was my maid. He would just see her and nothing else. I met Aboshi's gaze over Keno's head, and I didn't like the look in his eyes. He was worried, and I knew he didn't want Keno to go with me. But he was going to let his lover guard me because he was also proud that Keno had offered to do this.

"It was his idea, my lady,” Aboshi told me. “And I confess that I don't like it, but I think that I would like it less if you went without him."

"I think that Keno-chan would be the perfect choice for me,” I said. “We just have to think of a name for my new maid. It's unfortunate that my usual one has fallen ill and will not be able to accompany me."

"A pity,” Aboshi commented dryly.

I just hoped he didn't arrange for it to happen in truth. It would be a good thing to do so, but I doubted Mawatari would be able to find out if this was true or not, and I didn't want the poor girl to suffer. The man would think—and it would be true to a certain extent—that Aboshi sent this maid with me to keep an eye on me. Mawatari would think she was a spy rather than Keno protecting me. Mawatari had shown us that he had thought Aboshi was not to be trusted and would make the assumption Aboshi didn't trust me.

"But let me introduce you to Rikako,” Aboshi said seriously.

Keno looked at him and smiled. “I have to find out what your obsession with flowers is."

I laughed too. While it wasn't an uncommon name, plum blossom was close to cherry blossom—
sakura
. But I doubted Samojirou had thought about the name too much, and most, if not all of the maids on the estate, had some sort of flower name because they were
kashin
—flower spirits. “I am delighted to meet you,” I told Keno.

He smiled and bowed to me. “I am honored to serve my lord."

We left the next morning, Keno and I secluded in a
kaga
, a traveling box carried by four trained bearers who were changed frequently. It was slightly faster than walking, but I didn't look forward to spending days in it. However, a lord did not walk anywhere, and oxen carts were useless outside a city or other civilized areas, as was riding a horse, even if I knew how to ride.

I had been right. Mawatari had barely glanced at Keno standing behind me, dressed in the drab kimono of a maid, his hair pulled back tightly in a bun, eyes staring at the ground. I didn't even know where he had gotten such an outfit, because the maids dressed better than that. Mawatari had been more upset about the fact that the Reavers had refused to leave us. A half dozen attended Keno and me, studying Mawatari carefully. It was unnerving. It was meant to be. They were not going to let either of us out of their presence. They were my escort along with several squads of my samurai under the command of Seki-san.

"Tamazusa-sama!” Mawatari protested.

"They will not leave me,” I said calmly. “They are part of the
kuni
. They do not wish me to be alone at
any
time. This is something Iida-sama is going to have to accept."

Mawatari frowned, getting what I was hinting at. “That would be something you have to discuss with him."

"I will. I am interested in anything that Iida-sama wishes to discuss with me."

Mawatari glanced up at Aboshi, who was glaring down at us from atop the
shoen
's wall. I was surprised to see “Sakura” standing behind him. I forced myself not to glance over at Keno as I wondered exactly who was standing with Aboshi. The look that Aboshi had given Mawatari promised a slow death if anything happened to us. Most of my samurai would be staying with Aboshi while I was gone, and they were unhappy that they were not escorting me. I had added to Okita's duties the role of
karo
. I wanted to leave Aboshi with a competent staff, since I wanted to have a
kuni
to return to.

"I see that your men are unhappy with your decision,” Mawatari told me.

"Are you unhappy when your lord is not under your protection?” I asked lightly.