TAIZAI SURU/STAY.

When night falls we both get ourselves ready.

I see him put on new armor that I had made for him with my new found power,power that he has no desire to know more about because he senses it is adding to my to-do list before death that he despises the thought so purely.

His new armor fits perfectly,he even has his crumbled mask in his hand and stares at it like he feels the need to cover up once more but I use the bottle I filled with fish blood this morning before Noroi woke up and guide my power to take the mask from him.

"It is no longer really needed to cover your face is there handsome?I am dying soon might as well enjoy the view."

I should not have said that,I see it I his expression how hard he is fighting to keep what he wants to say in return to that inwards.
From all my memories of us I had we rarely fought,when we together it was mostly happy with little to argue over to be honest.

Our first fight really only happened after I married Tennami,he screamed I was a fool who would only be brutalized for what I did.
I was,he was right but in that life it kept him alive though he was away and not in battles then forced by Tennami to be around and see me as I became pregnant or when I would be in pain from his peculiar form of treatment.

That was one of our worst lifetimes.
That is somehow being mirrored in his expression those memories too.

"I love you with every fiber of my being,I have belonged to you since I laid eyes on you.My life is sworn to you as you know but do not say such things.I have missed you for three eternity's only to have you so briefly then removed as quickly.If I am to fight for you and die,don't let that thought of you dying come any closer to my mind than it already is."
"I am sorry,you know my attempts at levity have always been cutely sour...."
"If I really thought that then I could not have been by your side or your husband in anyway now could I?"

I think that attempt at levity did work in its own way,both of us have always had odd humor to most but it worked for he and I in every life we had few as it was.

"I have talked about it all to you my love,what happened to you while I was...gone?Why did Kiko have you locked away?Also before you ask me no,I did not drain her as those ronin told you,in fact I barely saw her for a moment."

I ask all of this as I make my hakama a bit more snug fitted and cut the legs shorter for what I am about to do in a few moments but I catch sight of a distracted Noroi.
I smirk.

"Not the first time you have seen my legs you know."

He nods,still looking unabashed and pointedly not answering my question.

I suppose if he wishes me not to know maybe that is better.
Maybe the few hours we have left should only be in thoughts of what is good and not what is to come.


NOROI

In what way could I answer that and not make her feel all the worse than she already feels?

I searched for her as often as I could when I was not commanded to fight in the losing battle against the shogun,Even that snake was baffled by what was occuring but he made no attempt to find her which honestly was fine for me.
Seeing him is more than enough to make me desire to run him through.

But.
What happened to me in the last three years?

She does not every need to know that.
I hope that usagi,even with all her hate that she will not just say to me what it is about,I hope she will not tell Sakura what happened to me during that time.

I wish I could just have had every day with her now,no past or future just like before except permanent but I love her too much to do anything else but follow this request.

Anyway.

I can't keep watching her die or wither away anymore.
I love her enough........

I just wish she loved me enough to stay a little longer for once.