Kuroba Asashin's Arc

Chapter 6 of 44

Kuroba made it two steps past the dead men before his knee gave. Ona caught him under the arm. His weight came down on her shoulder and she took it without a sound. Tish held the door open. The night outside was cold and the wagon was too far. Ona looked at the back rooms of the mud brick building and made the call. "You're not moving tonight," she said. "Pick a room." Tish walked ahead down the short hall, tried one door, then another. She turned back. "There's a clean one at the end. Bed. Water jug. I'll take the front room." She did not wait for an answer. She pulled a blanket off a bench and went. Ona got Kuroba onto the bed and cut his shirt open along the seam. The rib was purple from armpit to hip. She washed it with water from the jug and packed it with strips torn from her own undershirt. He watched her hands. She worked without looking up. When she was done she sat on the edge of the bed and put her palm flat against his sternum, careful of the wound. "You almost died in there," she said. "I know." "Don't do that again." He pulled the mask down off his face for the first time since she had met him. She looked at his mouth like she was reading it. Then she leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back. She was careful of his side. He was careful of nothing else. They stayed like that a long time, slow, her hand on his jaw, his hand in her hair. She pulled the belt of blades off her hip and set it on the floor within reach. She lay down beside him without taking off her boots. They kissed through the low hours, quiet, stopping when his breath caught, starting again when it eased. Neither of them slept much. Neither of them wanted to. Grey light came through the shutter slats before either spoke about it. Ona sat up first and put her hair back. "That was amazing," she said. "Yes." "I'm not sorry." "Neither am I." She picked up the belt and buckled it on. His ribs were stiffer but the bleeding had stopped under her packing. He could stand. He could walk. He could ride. Tish was already awake in the front room, sitting on the bench with her heels on and the blanket folded beside her. She looked at the two of them once and said nothing about it. "Wagon's still where you left it," she said. "Horses watered. I filled the skins." Kuroba pulled the mask back up over his mouth. "Then we move," he said. Ona opened the door. The three of them walked out into the cold dawn together.