Even a Warrior Must Fall

Chapter VII: A Night With You (Part II)

(A/N: A night with our hero and heroine together. Wonder what will happen?

Happy reading, minna!)

On a side note guys... Something went wrong with the third chapter of this story. I'll fix it as soon as I can. Wattpad's having glitches again...

Yukina's POV:

I went back to the party soon after my mistress decided I would be spending the night with Tsukiyama-sama. At the start, I was uneasy whenever this thought crossed my mind. But I calmed down afterwards. He seemed like a perfect gentleman earlier. He wouldn't do anything to me, would he?

The party drew to a close several hours later. It was only a matter of time before I spend a night with a man I had just met. I seriously have no idea of how things will turn out...

I made sure I looked the best I could before I come face to face with Tsukiyama-sama again.

My mistresss and I followed the directions given by Tsukiyama-sama and soon after we found ourselves in his unassuming yet cozy abode.

"Ganbatte ne (Good luck) Yukina. I'll come in the morning to fetch you," she whispered.

So there I was left standing at the doorway of Tsukiyama-sama's home.

I knocked a few times on the screen door with much hesitation. It slid open and out came Tsukiyama-sama, dressed in a simple sleeping robe.

"Konbanwa (Good evening), Tsukiyama-sama. May I come in?"

"You may, Yukina-san," he answered, motioning for me to enter his home.

I entered, and was dumbfounded by what I saw. The room revealed the personality of its owner. Books, scrolls, and other reading materials were piled neatly on shelves. A low table held paper, brushes, and inkstones most probably used for calligraphy writing.

"Ano (Um), Tsukiyama-sama, as promised here I am. And I'd like to thank you again for saving me earlier."

Seconds ticked away, with no response from him. Yet, I could sense his unerving stare on me.

"It's nothing. After all, I saved myself too," he finally replied.

"Still, I'm deeply indebted to you, sir," I added as he indicated we should sit down on the mats.

Oh my. I could feel we were about to be enveloped in awkward silence again. I have to make small talk him. What to talk about?

That's it... I finally have an idea. You've got this, Yukina. I decided to break the ice by attempting to get to know him a bit more.

" Tsukiyama-sama, may ask you something? I'd like to know how you pass time when you are not working" Please answer,I thought.

He responded, to my relief, in his usual taciturn way. "I'm not particularly fond of going outside when I have free time. I prefer to stay here in Lord Ashikaga's mansion perfecting my swordmanship techniques. I also polish my calligraphy writing and read books regarding subjects which interest me."

I couldn't help but feel somewhat amazed as he was saying these things. The man who had barely spoken a word to anyone during the party earlier was actually conversing with me. Perhaps I'm not such a bad company, after all.

Still, I came to fully realize how much of a lone wolf he really is. It's astounding how he let me into his home and life, even if it was mostly accidental.

"You're quite lucky, sir. I've never had the chance to attend to my studies intently. Since I was a child, I had been expected to focus on my training to become a geisha. Oh, I'm sorry... Why did I butt in your story?" Nice one, Yukina. You're supposed to make this night all about Tsukiyama-sama,I castigated myself.

"No need to worry. It's also nice to learn something about you, Yukina-san. On the other hand, it's never to late to go back to your studies. I'm sure you can do it," he said, with an encouraging tone. I was mistaken. Perhaps, just perhaps, he is not as indifferent to other people as it seems...

It grew silent again. Think of another topic, Yukina. Why can't I come up with another topic?

" Would you like to drink, Tsukiyama-sama? Just to help you relax and unwind a bit," I mentioned.

"It's fine with me. Wait, are you allowed to drink with your customers already? I believe you're still a maiko, aren't you?" he sought to ask.

"No,sir. But for some reason, I'd like to try it," I muttered.

"Very well. Just don't drink too much and keep this a secret, ok?" he finally consented.

"As you wish, Tsukiyama-sama. Shall we start sir?" I ventured to ask while preparing what we needed.

"Yes, let's start."

We commenced our drinking session, accompanied by snatches of small talk to shatter the stillness of the evening.

A shot of sake, two shots of sake... The night wore on as Tsukiyama-sama and I continued to share drinks. Soon, I began to feel dizzy and my eyes started to get blurry. No wonder... It's my first time to drink liquor and I'm already consuming an abnormally large amount.

Still, I tried to put up a false bravado in front of the samurai I was with. I kept on pouring more sake for him. It amazes me how he could remain utterly unaffected by the alcoholic drink? It's probably because he is used to drinking on many occasions...

I opened my mouth to continue talking with Tsukiyama-sama... Then everything went black..