Kumiko, Ichiro uttered again in his mind whilst he came to his senses and remembered the delight of her sweet lips and tender young body. Her pleasured moans had encouraged him to continue thrusting until his energy waned, at which point he'd pulled out and fallen beside her to get some rest.

Ichiro opened his eyes to stare once more at the thatched ceiling before he sensed a strange smell. It was difficult to recognize at first, but he became aware of its familiarity as the moments passed. Such a scent had been present in his parents' bedchamber a few times when he was a child, and it had always concurred with his mother performing a copious amount of laundry.

He had once assumed it to be the smell of old seawater, but he was now outfaced by the truth. His parents had bedded each other for years, and he'd been a foolish child to never suspect anything unusual.

He tried to sit up, wincing when his sore muscles expressed their resistance. He wasn't sure why they hurt, though the sight of a slumbering Kumiko soon gave him an inkling.

She lay on her stomach beside him, with her upper back exposed. Disheveled black hair framed her peaceful face, and Ichiro found himself smiling. She was perhaps the only lovely thing about this morning, and he felt inclined to admire her for as long as it pleased him.

However, Ichiro's contentment faded when the cold air made him tremble. He saw that Kumiko's right arm and leg were splayed upon the nearby floor and panicked. Only heaven knew how long she had been exposed in this way, and he silently hoped that it wasn't too late.

He leaned over to begin shifting her arm, only to be startled by her voice. He retreated to meet her weary eyes.

"Ichiro," she murmured, looking up at him with what seemed like affection. "Good morning..."

His muscles became tense again. "Good morning to you as well. Are you not cold?"

"Huh?" Kumiko rolled her head over to the right, then quickly tucked her arm and leg beneath the kakebuton. In doing so, she ended up huddled against him. Ichiro couldn't say that he did not enjoy it.

"Do you feel better now?"

Her voice came out spirited as their shoulders touched. "Beyond a doubt. And you?"

"Glad that you're well. But, I could do with a bath..."

"Oh." Kumiko wrinkled her nose, becoming aware of the remnants of their night of passion. "Right you are. And the same could be said about me." She slipped out of bed before he could protest, allowing him a view of her shapely little backside as she stood up.

He stared unabashedly at Kumiko while she walked, entranced by the swaying of her hips until she sensed his eyes upon her. She turned to look at him with a playful smile. "You like it, don't you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"My body," Kumiko replied, her amusement growing. "It is unrivaled, is it not?"

"Yes." Ichiro felt another rush of desire and shifted further beneath the kakebuton. "That is true."

Kumiko crouched down to take the bucket they had used for washing the day before. "Thank you. I must say that you're quite impressive as well."

"Oh. How so?"

"You've made my first time one to remember." She rose to her feet with the bucket in her hands. "And for that, you'll always be in my thoughts."

Ichiro wanted to tell her how flattered he was, but a bang on the door startled him and made Kumiko drop the bucket. A moment passed before she began to take careful steps across the room, though Ichiro feared that her absence of clothing would seem indecent to their unknown visitor.

"Kumiko, you have to get dressed!" He called out in a hurry. "You can't show yourself-"

To his confusion, she turned to face him with eyes full of worry. "Please, be quiet. You'll get us both in trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later," Kumiko instructed whilst speaking in a whisper. "Just hide for now."

Ichiro followed her bidding and wriggled his body beneath the kakebuton until he was shrouded in darkness. He tried to breathe steady whilst hearing the door creak.

"Good morning, Tsuneko. What brings you here?" Kumiko greeted the newcomer.

Another woman spoke back in an elegant but sprightly manner. "Nothing much. I just wanted to know how you've been lately."

"Oh, I've been wonderful! Never better!"

"Evidently. You've never shown yourself naked like this before..."

Ichiro choked in his effort to suppress a laugh. He knew that this was a parlous situation, yet the absurd response amused him. He covered the lower half of his face with one hand to silence himself and prevent the smell from affecting him too much.

"Well, I was about to have a bath when you came. Would you prefer me to be dressed?"

"No, you don't have to do that," the mysterious Tsuneko replied. "You could simply come with me to the hot spring and bring some new clothes. There'll be less trouble that way."

This was a revelation for Ichiro. He hadn't thought much of the community in which Kumiko lived, but it was understandable that she might be acquainted with other young women. Suddenly, he wanted to learn the exact nature of her bond with Tsuneko and whether his presence was a hindrance in any way.

However, by ill fortune, it seemed like Kumiko just wanted to be rid of her guest.

"Thank you for the invitation, but you can go ahead. I'll join you later."

The door made a click as it was shut. Ichiro heard Kumiko's soft footsteps approaching before her hand touched the spot where his shoulder was.

"You can stop hiding now. There's something I need to tell you."

Ichiro lifted off the kakebuton so that his head was exposed. The grave expression on Kumiko's face filled him with worry, but he tried to sound brave regardless.

"Yes. What is it?"

"I have some business with my friend, so I must leave you alone for a while."

This hardly seemed like a cause for distress, so Ichiro smiled in relief. "That isn't a problem. I understand that you have other matters to attend to."

Kumiko's face remained stern. "No, this is about your safety. Until I return, you cannot go outside for any reason."

"What?" Ichiro uttered as his smile faded and his confusion grew. "Why not?"

"The people here don't tolerate those beneath them in class. If they see you wandering around, they'll be sure to subject you to torture or even..."

The way her voice faltered told him everything. He became stiff with fear whilst considering the news. After what had happened with the bandits, he did not wish to experience such suffering again, so he nodded firmly in agreement.

Kumiko's shoulders relaxed a little. She stood up and trudged to the storage cabinet to retrieve what he assumed were clean clothes. He was proven half-right, for she also produced an elegant sheathed sword and, to his astonishment, presented it upon her folded garments like some royal gift.

"Take it. You'll need to protect yourself if trouble comes."

Ichiro stretched out his hand before being overcome by doubt. He was a merchant and not a samurai, which meant he would be defying both his birthright and the divine order by accepting the weapon.

"I can't," he protested. "I wasn't born to hold a sword."

Kumiko frowned. "You shouldn't care about that now. Nothing matters more than your own life."

Ichiro was aware of the wisdom in her words, yet it still contradicted almost everything he had been taught about class bounds. He sought to explain the reason for his refusal.

"If I wield that sword, they will have me executed regardless. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Kumiko sighed as her face fell. "I cannot argue with you there." She placed the weapon down near the foot of the bed. "But, I shall leave it here in the event that you change your mind."

"I won't," Ichiro insisted, despite beginning to wonder if the loss of his head and reputation would be any worse than enduring a slow and agonizing death. He watched with a heavy heart as Kumiko left his side and loosely slipped her green kosode back on.

"Well, this is goodbye for now," she murmured whilst gathering her clean clothes under one arm and lifting the bucket off the floor. "I'll pray for your welfare and hope you can enjoy a warm bath when I return."

She opened the door and departed before letting it shut behind her, thus leaving him to linger restlessly in bed.