Behind the Mask Part II

[maderr]

Part II

Kasumi dropped his shirt as the door opened, reaching for his knife instead.

He relaxed upon seeing it was only Luther, and set the knife down again. Retrieving his shirt, he tugged it over his head and quickly laced it up, shrugging into the snug, sleeveless black jacket that went over it. Once that was laced, the high collar adjusted so it lay properly, he sat down to pull on and lace up his boots. Standing once more, he laced the ends of his sleeves so that no loose fabric fell anywhere. Clothing tended to, he quickly put his holsters and weapons in place.

"Ready to go?" Luther asked.

Kasumi ignored the way his eyes lingered. He resisted the urge to touch his face, hating that even after seven weeks he still felt naked without his mask. He did not like this being looked at, this being seen. People stared at the shadow he had been, but no one had ever stared at him and he didn’t like it.

It left him far too exposed, and his was a face people remembered.

"Ready," he said curtly, slinging his satchel over his head and across his chest, giving the inn room one last glance before nodding and following Luther from it. Out on the street they walked side by side, moving swiftly, and Kasumi only distantly noted that people moved out of their way.

The town in which they'd been staying was far from the most reputable of places. If there was any manner of government official to see the law was enforced, Kasumi had not seen him.

Which, in the end, worked out rather nicely.

It had taken them the better part of two weeks just to make port, and a week after that was spent recovering and gaining coin, purchasing lost equipment.

After that they had gone to work in earnest, Kasumi to search for information, Luther to obtain a new ship. Four weeks it had taken them to reach this point. "Is this crew going to slit my throat while I sleep?" Kasumi asked.

"Hardly," Luther asked. "I'm more worried about someone saying you look pretty and winding up with his throat slit."

Kasumi glared him, but refused to otherwise rise to the bait.

"Don't worry," Luther said, clapping his shoulder and only the reminder he could man a ship kept Kasumi from killing the impertinent bastard. "I've told them not to comment on your looks where you can hear."

Rolling his eyes, Kasumi quickened his pace, irritated when Luther easily matched it. By the time they reached the harbor, Kasumi was ready to shove him off the pier and into the sludge below.

He was getting rather used to constantly feeling that way about his former kidnapper.

Luther paused on the dock to bellow at the men loading the ship, and Kasumi left him there to stride up the gangway and onto the ship.

When everything was over, he was never stepping foot on another ship. If Minoru tried to argue with him, he would employ extreme methods to save the idiot from himself. In fact, no more traveling period – and he still was not looking forward to making this report to his clan. This had to be the most shameful behavior exhibited by one of their own in an extremely long time.

He ignored the sailor giving him looks and whispering, striding to the Captain's quarters and depositing his bag on the bed. Refusing to dwell on worries, he absently checked all his weapons, then strode to the desk against the end of the cabin. Over it was a shelf made up of small square holes, most of which each held a map, neatly rolled and stored.

Reaching up, he touched each one lightly, wishing he understood the odd marks that described each map. They weren't any language he knew, and his knowledge was not insignificant.

"You have your own cabin," Luther said as he entered, laughter in his voice. "Let me guess; you don't trust me."

Kasumi didn't bother to answer.

"I wish you would believe me when I said it was nothing personal. You are not a job any more. I wish we could be comrades."

"You were not the one chained to a wall and told if you did not eat that your master would die."

"Business is business. My first mate…" Luther's mouth tightened. "Actually started out as someone hired to kill me. Nothing personal is the nature of our business." He strode across and lightly touched the maps Kasumi had been examining. "Jun should not have made it personal." He turned away and set down his own bag, bending to stow the contents in various drawers and cabinets.

Kasumi fetched his own bag and quickly sorted through the contents.

"So are you going to share the bed?" Luther asked, moving well out of range as he asked the question.

"When do we leave?" Kasumi asked.

Luther laughed. "Soon. I'm about to go see to it now. Don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone."

Kasumi rolled his eyes and followed him outside, staying close to the Captain's quarters so that he was not in the way – but so he could see everything. He ignored the looks and whispers, wishing painfully for his mask.

He couldn't help the way he looked, and he really wished people would stop looking at him. Going back inside was tempting, but he refused to just sit around inside while Luther put them to sea.

So he watched, and endured the looks cast his way.

Until a certain smirking aggravation leaned over the railing of the poop deck to peer down at him. "Beautiful, you're distracting the men. Come on up here so they'll be too afraid of me to look at you."

Kasumi clenched his hands into fists. Bastard. Swearing soft curses, he braced himself and then jumped, catching the railing, pulling himself up, and leaping neatly over the edge. Then he punched Luther. "If my looks are so problematic, Captain, then I suggest you stop provoking me and take me to my mask."

"Oh, now, I don't think I want you putting it back on," Luther replied, testing his jaw. "I think that's the finest right I've ever encountered. For the sake of my jaw, I'll avoid pondering aloud what else that hand is good at."

"You—"

"Captain," the first mate said hastily, looking between them. "Any further orders?"

"No, Mr. Raff. Take the helm. I and Lord Kasumi will be in my quarters if you've anything further."

"Yes, Captain."

Luther nodded and stepped away, tossing a smirk at Kasumi. "Shall we, my Lord?"

Kasumi followed him in silence. "I am going to kill you," he snapped when they were back inside.

"I can't help it," Luther replied. "For a shadow you give away a remarkable amount of what you're thinking. Must be a side effect of wearing the mask – you never had to learn to control your expressions." He strode suddenly close, catching Kasumi's chin, holding it tight. Kasumi remained stubbornly still, glaring.

Luther regarded him thoughtfully. "Even your eyes. Melted gold, and every thought plain as day. Perhaps it's a good thing you lost that mask."

Kasumi punched him, then kicked him hard in the stomach, moving fast to pin him to the ground. "You have no idea what you're talking about, pirate. None."

"I know you're more upset about that mask than your master."

"I will rescue Minoru," Kasumi hissed, furious. "I am sworn to protect him and so I shall."

"Would you choose him over that stupid mask?"

Pain lanced through Kasumi. "Yes," he managed.

"It would tear you apart though," Luther said, sounding thoughtful, amazed. "Why does it matter so much?" If he was upset about being pinned to the deck, he made no show of it – did not even attempt to struggle.

Kasumi tightened his grip. "You have worn a thousand masks, and will likely wear a thousand more before you die. They mean nothing to you. That mask was me and you are the reason it is lost. Do not presume to tell me I am better off without it just because you value nothing."

By this point he should be used to Luther's tricks, but it still surprised him – he was not used to having an equal in skill and power. No one had ever bested him, least of all with the ease with which this infuriating bastard did so. He hit the floor with a grunt and rolled away, lashing out as he stood, driving Luther back.

Then suddenly he hit the deck hard, stars bursting in his vision from the pain of his head against wood. Still he managed to twist away, leg lashing out to catch Luther square in the chest, and he heard the satisfying knock of someone else's head against wood.

Regaining his feet, he braced for attack but recovered a second too late. He crashed against the door with a pained grunt, legs spread and trapped by Luther's, wrists securely pinned. He glared.

"Feisty, feisty," Luther murmured. "I know plenty about identity, and there is plenty I value. Do not presume to know me, pretty shadow."

Kasumi snarled and struggled in his grasp, rage only growing with the knowledge that this man constantly seemed to one-up him. Bastard. "Stop. Calling. Me. Pretty."

"Only stating fact," Luther replied. "You should calm down."

"I'll calm down after I've beaten you half to death," Kasumi snapped.

Luther laughed. "You and at least half the royal navies of the world. Are all shadows as pretty as you?"

Kasumi grimaced. "No. Let me go."

"If I let you go, you'll just start trying to beat me up again. Which is rather amusing, really. You're the first one to get one punch in, never mind the half dozen or so you've managed. I cannot remember the last time anyone matched me in a fight. I'm not your enemy."

"No," Kasumi agreed. "You just aggravate me."

"Fair enough," Luther said, leaning in close enough their breaths mingled, and Kasumi could smell his sweat, a hint of the sea and something vaguely like cinnamon. "If you are going to drive me insane, I guess it's only fair I drive you insane – but I think we would both be happier if the aggravation you feel was more like the lust I feel."

Kasumi tensed to hear such words so baldly stated.

Then he was abruptly released, and barely caught himself from tumbling to the floor.

"As to possessions," Luther said quietly from the far side of the room. "It might surprise you how seriously I regard those things which belong to me. It was, as I said, nothing personal. However, we are comrades now – even if you do still want to kill me – and I promise I will help you get your mask back. Though I still think it a pity to cover up something so beautiful."

Kasumi rolled his eyes. "A fine bodyguard I would be if I was memorable," he said.

"I think the mask was a memory all its own."

"You think so?" Kasumi asked. "Tell me what it looked like."

Luther opened his mouth – then closed it with a snap. He frowned, irritated. "Part of it was black. Part of it was colorful. I think."

Kasumi smirked.

"Shut up," Luther said irritably. "If I hear 'magic' one more time, I'm going to act like you and start throwing punches."

Smothering an urge to laugh, Kasumi strode across the cabin to watch as Luther pulled out a map and spread it on the wide desk.

"This is the course plotted by the second mate," Luther said. "In three weeks we will be in Port Hollow. From there we will travel by foot up into the mountains. Hopefully all we've learned these past several days is accurate. If not, then it's back to the beginning."

Kasumi's mouth tightened. "He'll be there. I remember his mentioning the place before, though only once and it was in passing. This part of the world is relatively remote, is it not?"

"Yeah," Luther replied. "The rule of thumb is mind your own business and you live longer. What I don't understand is why no one notices this guy missing. My impression of 'Lord Jun' is that he's relatively important."

"Hardly," Kasumi said contemptuously. "In his world, powerful men may do as they please – so long as they are discreet. That was why he wanted to hire us; he was getting involved in dangerous things and wanted protection. While we certainly are not opposed to protecting criminals, since ours is not to question or care what our master does, all applicants must meet certain protocols. The first mistake he made was contacting us without someone to recommend him."

"I'd imagine it only went downhill from there," Luther said.

Kasumi nodded. "Yes. While we occasionally permit such exceptions…he began to make demands, and try to tell us who should protect him. We did not like that he knew so much, and further investigations led us to see he was an unsavory character indeed. At the very same time we were considering Master Minoru's request for a protector. In the end, we rejected Jun and told him never to trouble us again. I was contracted to Master Minoru, and have been with him ever since."

"Let me guess – you were the one Jun wanted protecting him. Why?"

"I was," Kasumi said.

"Yes, but why?" Luther pressed. "You're avoiding the question."

"I am one of the highest ranking bodyguards in the clan. Only two are above me, and even they concede it is more a matter of experience. Until I erred and was kidnapped by you, I probably was the best. This, obviously, has demoted me."

Unbearable. It was bad enough he was not good enough to take the role which should have been his birthright…to fail now at the only thing he was good at…

Luther rolled the map back up and stowed it. "You are not saying much of anything, are you?"

"You know more about me than I know about you," Kasumi snapped. "Do not think I'm so stupid I don't notice you extract information without giving it."

"That's because I'm boring," Luther replied lightly. "There are dozens of me scattered about every coastline. Orphan shunted about from home to home, workplace to workplace. I was working a ship when it was taken by pirates. As there was no one who would pay a ransom for me, the Captain had intended to kill me. I persuaded him to give me a chance. I have been a pirate ever since."

Kasumi said nothing.

"Told you it was boring," Luther replied. "Not even a scandal, me. I always wanted to be the runaway son of a Duke. That makes for a much more interesting pirate's tale. Maybe a lost love for whom I still pine. A bit of tragedy would make for a much grander story, don't you think?"

"I think you're an idiot," Kasumi replied. Honestly. The more time he spent with this man, the more he wondered how much of that bumbling scholar he'd portrayed had been mere artifice.

Luther laughed.

A knock at the door prevented Kasumi's next scathing remark, and he strode irritably across the cabin to open it. The cabin boy entered bearing a heavily-laden tray, setting it down on the table before sketching a bow and vanishing – sneaking a lingering glance at Kasumi.

"I suspect," Luther said with another chuckle, "that if you ask that boy for something, he will give it gladly. Though honestly, I think you have the entire ship under some sort of spell."

Kasumi balled his hands into fists. "I cannot help my looks," he snarled. "I wish you would stop mocking me."

Luther quirked a brow and moved toward him, neatly catching the hands that came up to warn him off. "Mocking? Hardly. Do you not understand just how breathtaking you are? If I believed in magic, I would believe your looks to be the result of witchcraft indeed."

"They are," Kasumi snapped. "A little piece of family history I was unfortunately inflicted with, and I will thank you to stop rubbing it in my face."

Damn it, he just wanted his mask. Angrily turning away, he sat down at the table and helped himself to the food and ale set out, eating neatly and rapidly. Nearby Luther ate at a more leisurely pace, and Kasumi knew eating quickly was unnecessary, but the habits of a lifetime made it impossible to slow down.

Finished, he shoved away from the table and prowled the cabin, ending up at the maps again. "What are these symbols?"

"Sea runes, they're called," Luther said, standing up and joining him. "The language was common, once, years and years ago. Wars change things, including language, but here on the sea some of the old language lingers." He pointed to the first mark of each slot. "These represent the nine oceans. From there, the second and third marks denote which section of a particular ocean." He pointed to other maps. "These are strictly land maps, of little use for sailing." He indicated another set. "These are world maps."

Kasumi nodded, memorizing the marks as best he could. He would study them further later, now that he knew roughly what he was looking at.

He returned to prowling restlessly about the cabin. Normally he had no problem holding still – it was a vital skill. However, at present he had no one to protect. No suspicious persons to watch, nothing to do whatsoever.

"You cannot be more than twenty-five," Luther said suddenly.

Kasumi froze, and shot him an icy look. "Twenty six."

"Barely, I'd imagine," Luther said, grinning.

The bastard was trying to make him angry. Damn it. He'd never met someone so damned infuriating in his life. Three weeks stuck on a ship with this man. At least in town he'd had ways to escape his presence for a time. His own bed.

Right now he would only sleep in peace if he took the cabin which had been allotted to him – which he wouldn't do, because he refused to go where he could be locked up and easily betrayed.

Part of him whispered that such caution was unnecessary, but Kasumi ruthlessly squashed it. Of course he could not trust this man, and he would not anymore than he strictly had to – nothing personal the man might say, but he didn't doubt the bastard would not waste a chance to turn a profit.

He wondered if it had occurred to Luther that Kasumi would be worth a pretty ransom. His family would much rather pay for his return than lose him, even if he wasn't all that he could and should have been.

Luther appeared in front of him, and Kasumi abruptly found something shoved at him. A book, he realized. He frowned at Luther.

"Sit down and relax, you're going to drive yourself crazy pacing about like that." He grinned and backed up a step. "I'd say take a walk about the ship but I'd prefer my men get their work done."

Kasumi glared.

"I would also recommend certain other activities, but I get the feeling I'd be in a lot of pain."

Kasumi threw the book at him and stalked from the cabin, ignoring the sailors and moving to the railing, standing where he was out of the way and would be left in peace. He watched the ocean, the sky, and let his thoughts wander. To home. To Minoru. To his mask.

He remained there until it grew dark and exhaustion urged him to sleep. Reluctantly he returned to the Captain's quarters. Luther was quietly conversing with his first mate, concluding a couple of minutes later.

Pointedly ignoring him, Kasumi readied himself for bed, laying out his bedroll on the floor close to the door but not where anyone would immediately see him.

"Sleeping on the floor really isn't the best idea. You can use your cabin, you know," Luther said. "I'm not going to lock you in or anything."

Kasumi did not reply, merely finished his preparations and then bedded down.

Luther sighed softly, and Kasumi listened to him moving about the cabin. Several minutes later the lamp was snuffed, and he listened to Luther settled into bed. He heard a soft 'good night' but did not respond to it, waiting until he knew Luther was asleep before finally allowing himself to relax.

*~*~*

The shift in the air woke him.

Kasumi didn't move, simply listened to the near-soundless footsteps as someone entered the cabin unbidden and closed the door behind him.

The footsteps hesitated just inside, the intruder obviously taking stock.

He doubted whoever it was could see him; too dark, and Kasumi was not so oblivious he had missed the rumors aboard ship that he was the Captain's lover. Likely the intruder assumed he was in bed with Luther.

As if.

The near-soundless steps resumed, and Kasumi waited. Waited.

The moment the steps were past him, beyond the intruder being able to see him, he reached for one of his knives and threw.

A cry of pain and the scuff as the intruder attempted to turn and flee.

Kasumi stood and lunged, tackling him to the ground even as he heard Luther move, the smell of sulfur as a match was struck. A second later the warm light of a lantern filled the cabin.

"Well, well," Luther said. "You work in the galley. I do not believe you've come to give me a nightcap." He knelt and reached around to grasp the dagger lodged in the back of the man's right shoulder – and pushed, making the man gasp and pale with pain. "Who are you?"

"Cook's assistant," the man gasped.

Luther twisted the knife a bit. "Wrong answer, I think. Stand him up." Moving away, he lit more lamps and went to fetch medical supplies.

Kasumi obeyed, standing and hauling the man with him. Holding his wrists tightly in one hand, he used his other to pull a strip of fabric from one of the pockets on his jacket. Stronger than any rope, near impossible to tear, difficult to cut. Swiftly he bound the man's wrists, then moved him to a chair.

Joining them at the table, Luther deposited the supplies he'd gathered. He didn't move to help the man, however. "Who are you?"

The man said nothing.

"We could simply kill you and throw you overboard," Luther said, and his eyes had taken on the hardness Kasumi remembered from the earliest days of his own kidnapping.

Strange. Until now, he hadn't realized just how…not cold those eyes had been of late. Right now they were the color of a winter sky, just as frosty and unappealing. It made him realize now that earlier in the evening, and ever since they'd started cooperating weeks ago, they hadn't been that way at all.

He jerked his thoughts back to where they should be.

"You cannot be working for Jun," Luther said thoughtfully. "He knows we'll be after him; a spy would be pointless. So you must be working for someone else. The question is who?"

The man frowned.

Kasumi yanked the dagger out of the man's shoulder, cleaning it before cutting away the fabric of his shirt, laying the wound bare.

Luther moved in to clean and dress it. The gesture might have seemed strange, except Kasumi remembered that Luther had done the same for him. He was still a bastard.

"Now," Luther said, grabbing a chair and turning it so he could straddle it, resting his arms across the back. "I know of precious few who would be willing to do something this foolhardy. At present I'm at odds with no one willing to be this reckless – except, of course, the crown."

The man did not move, his face did not change, but Kasumi had only ever had trouble accurately reading one person in his life. "Would a royal soldier be this reckless?"

"Oh, definitely," Luther said with a smirk. "Especially these young ones. They haven't learned they can be killed yet. So I guess I didn't go entirely unrecognized while in port, which means you've seen me before."

"You raided the Swallowtail," the man replied. "I was a gunner. When they learned I'd seen you, I was put on the task of looking for you."

Luther nodded. "So see me, follow me, report to your superiors once we reach Port Hollow. Nice and tidy, except you got stupid about trying to sneak in here. Why?"

"Just trying to learn what I could."

Grunting, Luther stood. "Idiot. Don't they teach patience before they put children in the fields?"

"I am not—"

Kasumi cuffed him.

Luther strode to the door and called out; a minute later two sailors appeared.

"We've got us a Fop, mates. Take him to the brig. Feed him right, see he's not harassed, but don't go getting friendly either."

"Yes, Captain."

They all vanished.

Luther moved to the bar and poured a brandy. He looked at Kasumi, who shook his head.

"So," Luther said, moving back to straddle his chair again. "I owe you thanks for saving my life." His blue-gray eyes had lost their hardness.

Now that he was really noticing, Kasumi found the rapid shift rather…unsettling. He rolled his eyes at the words. "You woke up when I did."

"Still, you got to him first."

"He never said he had any intention of killing you," Kasumi said. "Stop being an idiot."

Luther laughed and took a sip of his brandy, eyes bright with mirth over the wide rim of the snifter. Slowly he lowered it. "You're so amusing when I'm being an idiot, however. Even back when you thought that's what I really was—"

"Oh, I still think that," Kasumi said, but wasn't able to muster his usual sting to put behind the words. "I think you more an idiot now than before."

"Back when you thought I was an idiot scholar then," Luther continued, grin widening. "Even then, I thought it fun to rile you. Your mask does not hide your eyes, and even then I could tell you were ready to throttle some sense into me."

Kasumi glared.

Luther finished his brandy and set the glass on the table. "If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to give in to temptation and kiss you. Fair warning." He stood up and started dousing the lanterns, then made his way back to bed in the dark.

Slowly Kasumi returned to his own, wholly disconcerted by such a bald statement. Precious few persons had ever seen his face. Even his parents had rarely seen his face since he'd fully taken up the role of a protector. Faces, appearances, did not matter. They were irrelevant. It was the skill that mattered, the ability. That he was beautiful was irrelevant.

To hear and see so much around him now that he was laid bare was frustrating. Luther's bald statements were unsettling.

He wanted his mask back.

*~*~*

It was a moonless night.

Kasumi tended to think of those as lucky.

Hopefully that would balance out the idiocy that was Luther. Grimacing, he finished getting dressed, double-checking all the lacing, every last harness and weapon.

All that he lacked was his mask, and hopefully tonight would solve that little problem.

Standing, he pulled on his gloves and laced them up his forearms, testing his mobility before nodding and leaving the room, the inn, vanishing down the street.

The house he sought was a mile out of town; he covered the distance at a brisk pace. For the first time in a long time he was feeling useful again, even if the night wasn't exactly what he wanted – at least he would get Minoru and his mask back.

He came around the last bend in the road, house coming into plain view. An old manor, secluded, massive and well-built. It would concern him that this was so easy – but Jun was arrogant and thorough. Clever and smart, the sort to make certain he wouldn't be missed by anyone.

Gods above, let Minoru still be alive.

Keeping to the shadows, sending silent prayers once more to the moonless night above, Kasumi moved toward the house. Reaching it, he eschewed the front to circle around to the back. The garden wall was high, but the stones were old and rough. He would not even need his climbing tools for this. Flexing his hands once more, testing the suppleness and stretch of the gloves carefully stitched to perfectly fit his hands, he began to scale.

It was done in a moment, and he leapt neatly into the garden below, staying low as he made his way swiftly to the house. Kneeling, he reached into his boot and pulled out a lock pick. He struggled for a moment, mouthing a silent curse at the stupid lock – then it clicked. Tucking the lock pick away, he cautiously gave the door a push. When it started to squeak, he stopped.

Barely enough space to pass, but he made it work. Slipping inside, he closed the door behind him and continued on through the vast kitchen. Just beyond it, tucked into a little nook beneath what was obviously the spiraling staircase, was a door. Only his night vision let him see it, and he wished briefly for his mask, which would have afforded him better vision still.

The door knob twisted easily beneath his hand – but before he could move forward, the faintest scuff of feet on tile drew his attention.

Sulfur flared, and Kasumi closed his eyes before the sudden wash of light could ruin his vision. He caught the fist that came at him on sound alone, twisting his opponent's arm and throwing him into the wall. The wet sound of his nose crunching filled the room for a moment, but Kasumi paid it no mind.

He dropped the unconscious man, dodging another attack, bracing himself on his hands and kicking his legs out – his new opponent went down with a startled cry. Kasumi shifted his weight back to his legs and moved forward, grabbing the fallen man up and slamming him back down, then punching him hard in the jaw.

The man went still.

Still the candle burned.

Kasumi held perfectly still. Waiting.

He spun at the last, pulling a dagger and throwing. His attacker went down with a wet, choking sound, and Kasumi heard the clatter of a dropped blade. He waited, but no further sounds came. The candle had also gone out.

Slowly opening his eyes, he strode to the dead man and turned him over, pulling his own dagger free, cleaning it on the dead man's jacket before returning it to its sheath.

That done, he strode back to the door and opened it. Examining his way for a moment, for the light would fade entirely once he was down there, he finally traveled down the stairs before him.

Light flared painful and bright as he reached the foot of the stairs, enough that he nearly did not see the four men that came at him.

Nearly.

Reaching for the pouch at the small of his back, he threw a handful of the contents at the nearest of his assailants. The man screamed and fell back, clawing at his eyes. Kasumi drew his long knife and countered the sword of the next, grabbing and sending him tumbling into the third, spinning away from the blade of the fourth, dropping low and then coming up beneath his defense to shove the knife through his throat.

Letting go, he pulled another dagger and finished off the second, who had recovered and was launching a second attack. The third was next, and when he turned he saw the first man had succeeded in knocking himself out in his mindless flailing.

The sound of laughter washed over him, and Kasumi drew two fresh daggers as he spun to face the source.

"Ah, Kasumi. Beautiful and deadly, in all ways the very definition of your family. You lack only the blue eyes. Did it ever frustrate you, my dark beauty, to be so close and yet so far? Gold eyes instead of blue; that one tiny little thing…"

Kasumi rolled his eyes and took a defensive stance. "Jun, I doubt you would understand."

"Understand what?"

It was Minoru who laughed and answered the question. He was thin and pale, a long cut on his right cheek, his robes filthy and ragged from weeks of being stuck in the same thing…but alive, and rather more well than Kasumi had expected to find him. "Jun, he does not want to be clan leader. He never did. Kasumi is much like me – a wanderer. Power holds no interest; only knowledge and self improvement."

Jun scoffed. "Which is why you fools are under my power." He snapped his fingers.

Six men this time. Kasumi felled the first, second, third, and fourth. He dodged the blows of the fifth and sixth – then let their blows connect.

He went down hard, stars bursting behind his eyes from the pain he had not completely been able to block.

Swearing colorfully, he let them drag him to a portion of the wall with one obvious purpose, and let them bind him to it.

"A man who should have been the next Lord of the clan, the most capable shadow warrior in your clan…felled by two common thugs – and a pirate before that. I wonder if perhaps I am wasting my time studying your magic. Obviously it does not work for any of you."

Kasumi remained silent, carefully testing his bonds. Common rope, and they had stupidly bound his hands together over his head. Stupid. That would not hold him for long, mask or no mask. Excellent. This was turning out easier than he'd anticipated.

Across the room, Minoru looked at him, amusement flickering briefly in his eyes. "Kasumi, I am happy to see you alive."

"Master, I believe those words are mine. Are you well?"

"Well enough. To be honest, this being kidnapped will be much easier than explaining everything once it is over."

Kasumi grimaced, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Jun prowled close, and Kasumi forced himself not to recoil when cold fingers stroked his cheek, his jaw. "Beautiful, Lord Kasumi. Truly. If your eyes were blue, you would be perfect. I suppose close to perfection is all most can ask for…still, it is a pity."

"Do you really think you can get away with all this?" Minoru asked tiredly. "You have accomplished what amounts to nothing in all these weeks of study. Even Kasumi's mask, so far above the rest you have collected, gives you nothing. The clans have lasted this long without their secrets truly being discovered. Why do you think you will succeed where hundreds of others have failed?"

"Shut up," Jun said. "Your noise has not moved me before, it will not move me now. Kasumi, where is the good Captain?"

"Good Captain?" Kasumi asked contemptuously. "Do you mean that aggravating pirate? Dead. He's as sloppy as you. After your men dropped me, he set me free with the idea we could track you down together."

Jun just looked at him.

"We made our way back to his ship, only for it to blow up in our faces."

Jun laughed.

"After that he showed me his backup – a pirate, it seems, is always prepared. After we were well on our way, I slit his throat and dumped him over. You have been aggravating to find."

"I am impressed you've found me. I would be concerned other bothersome persons might locate me as well, but once I have your secrets I will be moving on."

Kasumi sneered. "What secrets are those? I will give you nothing."

Jun laughed and stroked his cheek again. "My dear, you are in no position to say no. I am beginning to doubt your skill – first kidnapped by a pirate, then taken down by mere thugs? Though you did take out several before the last two finally took you. Did you leave the ones upstairs alive?"

"All but one," Kasumi said. "Is this where you start trying to torture me?"

"No," Jun said. "This is where I ask you nicely. If you fail to cooperate, I torture Minoru."

Kasumi said nothing.

Jun smirked, then moved to a small chest in the corner. From inside it he began to pull out several silk-wrapped bundles. One by one he unwrapped them, and Kasumi trembled with increasing rage as each one was revealed.

Sixteen masks in all, amongst them his. Five total from his clan, all half black, half colorful, but each with a different pattern of colors. Another three from the West clan, deep gold on one half with brilliant flame tones on the other. Four more from the South clan; one half deepest blue, the other half painted to resemble ice and snow. The last four were a rich, dark brown on one side, the other patterned with leaves, flowers, ivy, all manner of greenery. "Bastard," he hissed. "Those do not belong to you."

"I took them, they are mine," Jun said, no small amount of smugness in it. "Once I unlock their secrets…ah, the fun I will have. No more will I be ignored or packed off to some dismal countryside."

Kasumi was going to kill him, slowly and painfully. Then he would rip the bastard's heart from his chest and see how he liked it. He barely repressed a shudder as his own mask was picked up and stroked. This bastard had no right to touch it so.

He held still as Jun walked toward him with the mask held tight.

"You will die," he snarled.

"No, I do not think so," Jun said. "It is not my problem that despite your lineage you are obviously an idiot. I am amazed Lord Minoru is still alive. Now, tell me what spells are laid into your mask. Some I can guess; spells to improve the senses, strength, things like that." He carefully touched several marks – or what he believed were marks. Kasumi would have laughed in his face if doing so would not have given away that Jun was sorely mistaken. "Which of these is the spell for keeping all but a precious few from removing the mask?"

Kasumi did laugh at him then. "You can cancel the spell, but do not recognize it?"

Jun motioned to a man standing nearby, who stepped forward and backhanded Kasumi.

He licked blood from his lip. "You'll ruin my pretty face if you keep that up."

"Yes, that would be a pity," Jun agreed. He wiped a stray drop of blood away with his thumb. "It's a shame you are too dangerous to keep alive, I can think of much better uses for you than protector."

Kasumi sneered, but said nothing.

"I will ask you one more time," Jun said. "Tell me what I want to know."

"No."

Jun motioned, and the man moved to Minoru, roughly grabbing his hair and pressing a knife to his throat.

Kasumi bit back an angry protest, glaring furiously at Jun. "You will pay."

"So you keep saying," Jun said. "I wish you would see reason."

"All I see are many reasons to kill you the very moment I am free of these bonds." Which, hopefully, would be soon. Unless he'd made a horrible mistake…for some reason even thinking that twisted his gut. He turned away from the thought and focused on Jun.

Who stroked his face with far too much familiarity. "Pretty Kasumi, why do you fight me? I could use one of your skill and ability."

"You just said I'm obviously lacking in skill," Kasumi retorted.

"One as pretty as you would have many skills, I'd imagine," Jun said. "Besides, even a sub par shadow warrior is ten times better than any grunt I could hire. Share your secrets, give me your skills…declare me your master and I will let Lord Minoru go. I never wanted to kill you, Lord Kasumi. Surely you know this."

Kasumi said nothing.

Minoru laughed.

Jun whirled around to look at him. "What do you find so amusing?"

"That you honestly think Kasumi would say yes. He'd never accept such an offer from one such as you. The idea is ridiculous and amusing."

Jun jerked his head sharply, and Minoru was roughly cuffed by one of his men.

Kasumi barely kept himself in place. "Master."

"No worries, Kasumi. If I was not prepared for the repercussions, I would not have spoken."

Grimacing, Kasumi fell silent. He was getting impatient.

Yet even as he thought it, he heard a telltale muffled thud – then the room began to fill with pungent mist.

"What the—" Jun cut himself off and motioned for his men to act.

Too late.

Twisting his wrist just so in his bonds, Kasumi freed the tiny blade hidden within, just peeking out of the special slit in his glove. It sliced through the ropes as though they were gossamer.

He toppled, feet still confined, but that was quickly overcome as the mist enveloped the entirety of the chamber.

Standing, he moved into the mist and swiftly took out the remaining guards, retrieving his knives from where he'd seen them stashed. Reequipped, he turned and moved to Minoru, who had sat quietly throughout.

From the far side of the room came a pained shout, followed by a familiar laugh. Resisting an urge to roll his eyes, Kasumi freed Minoru and helped him stand. "Master, are you all right?"

"Perfectly fine, Kasumi. Nothing good food and a bit of rest won't cure. My bones aren't that old yet." His cheek was given a fond, light pat. "Well done."

Kasumi brushed the words aside. "Stay here, Master." Not waiting for a reply, he pushed through the mist to where he knew the masks lay. His own had still been in Jun's grasp, unfortunately – but he'd have it back soon. Working as best he could in the mist, he swiftly bundled all the masks back up and stowed them in the chest, closing and locking it, lifting it by one of the side handles.

He returned to Minoru's side.

"Kasumi!"

The mist distorted voices, but Kasumi could follow it anyway. Setting the chest down, he quickly made his way toward the stairs – a hand darted from the mist and snatched him close, and Kasumi swore softly as he collided with Luther.

"Took you long enough," he said tartly. "Unhand me."

Luther grinned. "No. Dispel this stuff. It's a nuisance now."

"Give me my mask," Kasumi said. "Else it will have to disperse in its own time."

Rolling his eyes and muttering about magic, Luther brandished the mask in question. "You're going to put this on and I'll never see you again, isn't that right?"

Kasumi frowned, acutely aware suddenly of the hand still firmly holding his, and how close they still stood. "Unhand me right this instant."

"That would be a yes," Luther said with a sigh. He let go and reached up to cup Kasumi's face. Perhaps he had simply grown used to the bastard and the liberties he took, but he found he could not summon the fury he had felt when Jun touched him. Instead the soft way Luther's thumb brushed across his lips left him reeling.

Before he could figure out a reply, his mask was thrust into his hands. It thrummed beneath his fingers, pleased to be back in the grasp of its owner. Kasumi let out a breath it seemed he had been holding ever since the mask was first taken from him.

He was whole again.

Lifting the mask, he put it back over his face. Magic thrummed as it settled, rushing through his blood, rejoining with its owner.

Luther sighed softly, and Kasumi almost thought it a sad sound. He shoved the errant thought away and focused, raising his arms and spreading his fingers wide, summoning up the magic that lay within his mask.

Around them the mist shimmered – then vanished.

"Do you still not believe in magic?" he asked, briefly startled to hear his voice muffled again.

Luther looked at him. "I guess I have no choice. Certainly it's not the only thing in this journey that has challenged my disbelief."

Kasumi frowned at the cryptic statement, but before he could demand an explanation Luther had turned away.

"Come," Luther said. "I've got Jun bound, the rest of his men are dead or unconscious. My men will be loading the last of the silver now, and then we can sail."

Nodding, Kasumi returned to Minoru's side and hefted the chest. "Come, Master."

Minoru nodded and slowly followed along, clearly stiff from his long confinement and maltreatment.

Slung over Luther's shoulder was an unconscious Jun. Kasumi smirked behind his mask.

"Now, now," Luther teased. "I can see you are plotting dastardly things for this bastard. Keep your knives sheathed, my pretty shadow. He's going to the authorities, remember?"

Kasumi rolled his eyes and did not reply, refusing to rise to the bait – and more than a little disconcerted that even with his mask firmly back in place, this man could so easily read him. "If you do not behave, I will turn you over to the authorities."

"I thought you'd do that anyway," Luther said with a wink.

Except Kasumi could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

Damn it all. He wanted to be free of this man.

Turning sharply away, he drew one of his daggers and moved to lead the way back upstairs. "I would not betray you in such a way, and if you insinuate such again I will beat you to within an inch of your life."

Luther smiled, and resettled the cumbersome weight upon his shoulder. "Let's go."

Nodding, Kasumi darted quickly up the stairs. At the top, he shoved bodies out of the way to clear a path, then turned away from the kitchen through which he and later Luther had entered.

This time, he simply strode across the main entryway and threw open the front door.

Outside the night was still dark, but dawn was only a few hours away now.

At the top of the steps waited two lanterns. Striking the matches which had also been left, Kasumi lit the lanterns and handed one to Minoru and held fast to the other. He was sacrificing his night vision, but as a group they'd move faster with the light and if caught would seem a good deal less suspicious.

It took them an hour to reach the harbor, and another hour still to finish loading the ship with the commandeered silver and a few remaining supplies. A half hour beyond that, however, and they were well and truly put to sea.

Escorting Minoru to his cabin, Kasumi helped him clean up a bit and then change into fresh clothes.

"We must talk in the morning, Kasumi."

"Yes, Master."

Minoru smiled. "I've missed you. I am sorry all this happened – yet it seems to have been good for you, Kasumi."

"Master?"

"I'm intrigued to see you are getting along quite well with your kidnapper."

Kasumi made a face behind his mask. "We do what we must, Master."

"Indeed. Good night, Kasumi. I knew you would come for me, and I thank you. No matter what anyone might say, you are an exemplary protector."

"Good night, Master," Kasumi said softly, and doused the lantern. He moved to the door and stood silently, waiting until Minoru was fast asleep, then turned and left.

He made his way quickly to the Captain's quarters, opening the door and slipping inside.

Luther was changing, tugging on a clean linen shirt as Kasumi closed the door. He turned, looking surprised. "I thought you'd be guarding Minoru." He smiled.

Kasumi froze, shocked beyond all belief.

He…he should be with Minoru. His master returned, he was once more a protector.

Yet his instinct had been to return here once Minoru was asleep and secured.

Luther started to speak, but Kasumi turned and fled.

Back inside Minoru's room, he closed the door and slid down to sit on the floor. With unsteady hands he pulled his mask off, turning it over to stare at the colors which shimmered faintly in the weak moonlight slipping through the porthole. Dropping it in his lap, he buried his face in his hands.