Their idea to use kerosene for speeding up the destruction of the white farm worked perfectly. Unfortunately, at that moment, Jin was not exactly happy about such a result.
The huge flames were consuming everything wooden within their reach with greedy roar, including the greater part of the small veranda.
"My brother! My poor little brother!" the rescued girl was on the edge of hysteria. She knelt on the ground, with tears in her eyes, crying for her sibling hopelessly.
Jin didn´t give a shit about the hot danger, as he rushed back toward that blazing hell. Only a painfully strong grip prevented him from running right into the wall of yellow orange flames.
"What are you doing?! You want to get yourself killed?"
It was Liwan´s voice yelling right into Jin´s ear. It snapped him out of panic, which flooded him when he didn´t find the younger one outside. Jin turned to the Indian, whose face was stained with someone´s blood, and with a shaking hand, he pointed at the former back entrance of the house.
"Kazuya…" that was the only word, which Jin was able to get through his narrow throat.
Liwan stiffened, as he understood what it meant. Then his eyes observed the burning veranda from one side to another.
"That window…" he breathed out and loosened the grip on Jin´s arm.
Jin followed the direction of Liwan´s look and noticed what the Indian meant. There was the last window, which supposedly belonged to the kitchen, where the flames hadn´t reached yet, even though they had already flooded the roof above it. It was accessible just behind the burning railing...
Suddenly, the air full of terrified and painful screams, which Jin barely perceived, was cut with a sharp neigh, which made both young men stare in awe at the animal, which appeared on their side.
A noble white mare somehow sensed her master was in danger and she left the spot, where they hid their horses before the attack. Ukushi reached the burning farm at full gallop and neighed again.
Liwan didn´t hesitate; they had to do something before it was too late. The young shaman jumped on the mare in one swift move and incited her toward the wall of flames. Ukushi was definitely startled, but she didn´t struggle with Liwan´s lead, as he made the mare stand on her back feet and by going back down destroy the railing, while stomping on the hot embers.
Running Jin managed to get there too, just when Liwan guided the animal to step up on the veranda and kick against the firm shutters, which covered the window. It took three Ukushi´s desperate attempts, before the wood was destroyed enough for them to hear the breaking glass behind it.
Liwan dismounted the heavily snorting mare and immediately joined Jin, who was already getting rid of the window´s protection, while Ukushi backed off from the veranda.
The threatening reflections of the fire licked the boards under their feet, while both the young gunman and the Indian kept throwing the remains of the shutters away.
"Kame!" Jin screamed into the broken window, hitting all across the frame, not caring about own safety, even when the sharps cut through his coat, reaching to the skin. "Kame!!" he yelled again more desperately, when there was no reply, almost hurting his cords.
Jin leant into the window, trying to see through the mist of smoke, when a small hand reached to him. His head snapped down to see that boy from the cellar and behind him, just under the window, kneeling Kame, who was not able to catch his breath to reply.
Not thinking for a second, Jin supported himself on the frame and jumped over it inside the kitchen, grabbing the kid first. His Indian companion was ready and pulled the boy out of the window. Then Jin leant down through the thickening smoke clouds and grasped heavily coughing Kazuya for both arms, picking him up on his feet. He pushed the younger one toward the window and there was Liwan already again, helping Kame to climb over the frame.
Jin´s eyes were full of acrid feeling and tears and the heavy coughs tore his lungs apart as he followed Kame´s staggering figure over the rest of veranda.
Three young men leaning over each other stumbled toward the small boy, who had rushed into his sister´s arms, when the fire behind them took shape in its full force.
From the distance, it looked as if the whole house was built from flames for a few seconds, before the walls started to collapse inside each other with a heavy rumble. The crazy blaze brightened up the surrounding areas, uncovering the fuss around the burning farm. Almost all Karnaka´s guards and slaves were spread around the gardens, staring at the disaster of the rich residence numb in shock.
The little group escaping the certain death from the back part of the building remained unnoticed for the moment, but it was clear that it wouldn´t take long, before somebody´s attention would focus on them.
Ukushi and now also Kuro, who couldn´t let himself to be ashamed by his female comrade, were nearby, stomping over the half-frozen half-wet ground nervously. Liwan was the first one to catch his breath and he kneeled down to check on both kids, who were so happy to be outside together, that they didn´t even notice one of their saviors was scarily looking Indian. Liwan gestured them to return to the other black slaves, whose figures could be seen among the bare trees of Karnaka´s garden and turned to both youngsters, who almost ended up burnt along with the mansion´s owner.
Kazuya was leaning over the older one´s form with the eyes closed, his breath just a strenuous wheeze between his lips. Akanishi was holding him around the waist, supporting Kame wordlessly with more than clear relief on his face.
Liwan watched the couple for a long moment, feeling envy, but at the same time certain affection to their bond, which would definitely get only stronger after this night.
"Hey! Boys! I see an Indian over there!" a shouting from the other side of the backyard told Liwan that they were just exposed.
Kuro already shoved Jin with his head, to remind him they were not quite safe yet. Liwan helped the young gunman to get Kazuya up into the saddle in front of him first, before he mounted patiently waiting Ukushi.
Three riders on two horses dashed through the destroyed gate accompanied with a solitary gunshot coming from one guard, who had recognized them. But none of Karnaka´s subordinates was capable of fast enough action to chase after the fleeing attackers. Not to mention there wasn´t anyone, who would have given such an order to them. The young avengers left the burning mansion behind their backs.
*
When the black stallion and white mare reached the meeting spot at the edge of the silent forest in the west of Karnaka´s fields, the bright glow behind them was changing the night into day. By that time both Jin and Kame were already able to breathe normally and almost all members of the Babb Tribe along with Hawk Eye were waiting for their arrival.
The task of their Indian helpers in the plan was clear enough – to make a distraction, and then flee from the property, as soon as the fire was set up. None of the three men thirsty for revenge wanted to have their blood on hands. Unfortunately, despite their efforts not to expose the Babb group to any mortal danger, they lost two warriors during the fight. But the losses on Karnaka´s side were much heavier...
Only unwillingly, Jin let Kame slip out of his arms, when the younger one got down from Kuro and took over the reins of Ukushi. As Liwan´s horse was waiting on the place, the younger one could ride on his white friend again.
After their reunion, the Babb Indians were the first to lead the way away. Liwan gave the last glance to the glow on the horizon. Then the young Indian made some sign in the air, throwing his head backwards for a moment, which meaning Jin didn´t understand, and he followed the others.
Kame and Jin remained as the last on the place, remaining in their saddles, watching the light in the distance together, quietly.
This was it. They did it. They accomplished their goal, fulfilled their revenge against Raynold Karnaka.
Jin felt some indefinite relief in his heart; he was simply glad he was able to keep his promise to Pi. And Karnaka couldn´t destroy anyone´s life anymore…
He was not happy about what they had to do to achieve that. They killed some of Karnaka´s guards, they let the old man to his quite awful death and they might have brought the ending of lives to other people on the farm, too. It was a miracle they had managed to save those kids. But no matter all of that, it felt so good knowing that Karnaka was burnt down along with his fucking white mansion...
Kame couldn´t find peace staring at the reflection of that disaster they caused, not when he realized it cost the lives, of those who were gunmen or slaves. They might have been cruel and bad people, but they might have been innocent, too. And it bothered Kame´s mind and heart.
But somehow, he felt that his mother´s soul finally found the rest she was seeking for, no matter where she was… Those words, when she talked about payback for what had happened to their family, were her dying wish. Now it was done and that was more than enough for Kazuya at the moment. Not to mention the strong satisfaction he felt, and which he had seen on Liwan´s face, too.
Jin and Kame tore their eyes off of the horizon at the same moment and looked at each other.
"Shall we go?" Jin broke the silence in a little hoarse voice.
"Yeah," Kame agreed, nodding slightly.
Both young riders turned their faithful horses and headed towards the south, following the calmly proceeding group of their Indian friends.
***
Cameron hadn´t felt the urge to cry for many years. Maybe already since the moment, he had stopped being a kid and became a man, who killed another person for the first time in his life. He had learnt to be composed and to deal calmly with any situation. Shedding tears was a sign of weakness, which he was not willing to show in front of his master.
Even at that moment, when the black-grey scene in front of his eyes was definitely worth crying and screaming, he couldn´t bring himself to it. He stared at the destruction of his former home for many long minutes, and he couldn´t utter a word or shed a tear.
Not even in the wildest dream he wouldn´t have imagined that something like this would welcome him at his return. The thick smoke in the valley... The destroyed gates... Doctor Best trying to help all wounded and burnt people spread around the gardens hopelessly... Clueless guards in stinking clothes, drinking up the supplies from the private cellar of his lord... And worst of all, that black mess instead of the white mansion...
Cameron´s wide opened eyes noticed an old black servant, who was supposed to take care of his master, while he was dealing with Grenet in Livingstone. He stepped into his way faster than the old man could have even blinked, and grabbed the collar of his dirty shirt.
"Ma…Master… Ca…Cameron… It´s you…"
"What happened here?" Cameron hardly recognized own voice, distorted with anger.
"I…I… They…"
"Stop stuttering, now," he hissed at that old idiot sharply. "Again. What happened last night? And where is Mr. Karnaka?"
The servant´s face went pale, as he answered hesitantly: "Indians attacked, sir. In the middle of last night."
"How many?" Cameron raised another question. "What tribe?"
"Just a small group, sir, I´m not sure. I´m not familiar with the tribes... They destroyed the back gate and then they set the house on fire."
"This house had thirty rooms!" he snapped at the servant. "How could they have burnt it down just like that? Why didn´t you douse it?"
"They used kerosene, sir," the black man explained in a shaking voice. "They spilled it all over the roofs."
"Kerosene?" Cameron repeated in disbelief. "Indians using kerosene? Are you kidding me?"
"No, sir," the man shook his head violently.
Cameron stared at the black slave thinking furiously about what that could have meant…
"Were any white ones with them?" he asked then.
"Yes, probably," the servant nodded slowly. "Somebody saw two gunmen or something. I don´t know, sir. I really don´t. You need to ask others... The guards..."
"All right, I will," he interrupted that annoying whining. "But what about the master? Where is he?"
"I´m so sorry, sir, but... but…"
"But what?!" Cameron snapped releasing his burning anger fully, so that the poor servant started to shake in fear.
"They say Mister Karnaka was left in the house, sir. They say he´s dead."
Cameron remained staring at the old Negro, saying nothing at all.
"Sir? Sir, I´m really sorry… I don´t know anything else..."
But the other man didn´t hear the servant anymore. Cameron´s eyes showed nothing except pain and ice-cold anger. Their shine was almost insane, which made the old black man feel sick. And he wished for only one thing at the moment – for Mister Cameron to let him go and at the best never talk to him again.
***
It was a strange feeling to see the house of Kamenashi family again.
Even though none of them mentioned it, both Kame and Jin knew there was a high possibility they would have to sacrifice everything they had for their revenge, including their lives. Their torn out and partially burnt clothes, as well as almost black faces were more than clear evidences of that they had just barely escaped such fate.
Returning to the place, from which they had set off with so pessimistic expectations, and seeing that calm winter scenery in front of them seemed a little unreal, but also more than nice at the same moment. They were finally able to let themselves enjoy the relief about the fact that their dangerous task was done.
Their common journey with the Indians ended, when their path started to ascend to the Rocky Mountains. Jin and Kame assured the red men of Babb Tribe, that they would help them if they happened to be in need. They basically committed themselves to repay their debt once. And they did it despite Liwan was willing to take this duty on himself only.
Kame didn´t let his Indian friend go until Liwan promised to wait with their departure to the reservation in the north until he arrives. Now, when their plan was accomplished to its bittersweet end, the younger one really wanted to help the rest of the tribe to move out and he promised to come soon.
As came for what was supposed to happen next, Jin had realized that they didn´t discuss the topic together yet, but decided to postpone it for later. With Karnaka dead, they had more than enough time for that. Of course, there was a chance, that some of his men would be eager for getting a payback, but they didn´t give much importance to it. Karnaka´s former gunmen should have been busier with looking for a new source of their income and the young avengers also thought that almost nobody actually noticed them on the scene of the fire. The ones, who did saw them there and could have recognized them, were dead.
For the moment, they both believed that they could have some time for rest, and no matter how short that time would be they welcomed it pretty much.
During their journey back, the heaven got overcast with dark clouds, and the dusk was already replacing the poor daylight, when they arrived to a shed behind the silent house.
"It seems it will be dark soon," Kame said observing the gloomy sky above them, after he dismounted Ukushi. "I need to get some water from the well, till there´s still some light."
"Just go to do what´s needed," Jin reacted calmly. "I´ll take care of both of them," he promised, patting his dear Kuro.
That was something definitely agreed between the two of them – no matter how tired they were, the horses always came first to be properly treated. Especially after what the animals did for them recently.
Kame´s hand touched Jin´s shoulder gratefully, as he passed around him: "Thanks…"
"None needed…" Jin murmured, already taking the saddle off of Kuro´s back.
*
When Jin was finished with a proper care for their awesome animal friends and stepped out the little shed, which was basically consisted of only one wall and a roof standing on four props, something tiny and very cold fell on his face. In the poor light of a small lantern, which Kame brought meanwhile and hung it on the holder; Jin noticed the small snowflakes dancing in the air. There was only a few of them, but considering how the sky looked like before it darkened so much it couldn´t be seen, they could have expected heavier snowfall very soon.
Jin went around the house, attracted to the warm light in the front windows. Entering the kitchen, which was just starting to get warm, he noticed that Kame managed to get the whole boiler of water for washing to heat up and there was also a pot of hot tea on the table.
"Serve yourself!" Kame called from the bedroom, where he was covering the window´s frame with the thick old cloths carefully, when Jin peeked in.
"Expecting the ice age to come?" the older one asked, when he saw that also some holes in the walls were blocked in a similar way.
"Kind of…" the younger one replied turning to him.
Kame was still dressed in dirty clothes, and his face was tired, but calm. Seeing the younger one like that, Jin felt exactly the same way.
"I made some tea, but I guess you´d welcome something stronger first, wouldn´t you?" Kazuya asked suddenly.
A smile brightened up Jin´s face, when the younger one went around him and through the kitchen to the short hall. Then he disappeared behind the small door, which probably led into the cellar.
"You know me well, don´t you?" Jin repaid Kame´s almost playful tone, unbuttoning his coat in the warm room.
Kame returned with a full bottle in his hands: "Harada offered me a good price," he reacted innocently.
"Maybe he had an idea we might want to celebrate something," Jin reacted, watching him preparing two glasses for drinks.
"Maybe..." the younger one agreed, opening the quite tempting bottle of whiskey. "So? What should we toast to?"
"Well..." Jin hesitated. "I think that it´d be a little... awful to drink to somebody´s death," he stated slowly. "No matter how glad I´m that Karnaka is dead."
"The same here," Kazuya nodded, when he finished pouring the liquid into both glasses.
"Hmm... What about to drink on that we had survived our mission?" Jin proposed then.
Kame handed him one drink with a grateful smile: "I definitely agree."
Both of them threw the liquid inside their throats with the blissful expressions.
"In the end, I´ll teach you how to drink properly," Jin chuckled, when he saw Kame´s relieved face.
"Forget it; this is only an exception," Kame shook his head in disagreement. "What about a dinner?"
"Later," Jin put the empty glass on the table. "I want to feed Kuro and Ukushi first."
"Sure, there´s a package of oat in the corridor, you can use that. We will prepare something better for them tomorrow."
"All right," Jin agreed and headed back to the cold outside sooner than the warmness of the alcohol would stop affecting him.
*
Before Jin returned, Kame managed to wash himself thoroughly in the small room, which they had used as a bathroom, already when he was just a kid. There was a deep sink with the outflow beneath the flooring and an unfinished shower, which his father had planned to build on Kame´s mother´s request before… Before that attack happened.
Kame used the corner of the space for all his dirty and smelly clothes now, changing into light trousers and his favorite checked shirt. He was incredibly relieved to get rid of that smoke odor, which reminded him all those happenings on the farm.
Just when he let the cool water flow away, he heard that the main door opened again. Kame returned to the kitchen right after Jin, drying his hair up with a towel.
"Ah, here you´re…" Jin´s eyes scanned the younger one from head to toes. "Feeding done, they both seemed quite satisfied."
Only then, feeling that stare, Kame realized that he didn´t button his shirt up. He gulped down heavily and felt his cheeks getting warm.
"Glad to hear that... It´s your turn now," he said, quickly turning away from the older one. "You can wash yourself, before I prepare something to eat. Just use the water from the stove, it´s already hot."
"That´s great!" Jin reacted going to the bedroom to dig in his stuff and pick up some clean clothes. "I haven´t noticed a bathroom here before."
Kame let the towel hang around his neck and started to look into the shelves to figure out something for a proper dinner.
"It´s more like a tiny dark corner with a hole for dirty water," he warned the other one. "I left the lantern there for you."
"Some cleaning up sounds quite tempting anyway. I feel like a half-baked steak," Jin murmured going back through the kitchen and headed to the mentioned room.
Kame had already started to prepare for some quick meal, when Jin returned once again, took the full boiler from the stove and brought it away into the ´bathroom´, closing the door behind him. Kame breathed out, only when that sound was heard. He still felt a lump in his throat, caused by that short Jin´s look.
They had just got through the attack on the most powerful man around in one piece; they were exhausted emotionally and also physically and still… His thoughts were swirling around the way Jin was looking at him.
They were alone and at peace. Finally, after all those horrible happenings, they didn´t have to rush anywhere, they were not ambushed or in the middle of furious snowstorm. Kame could have told himself that he felt hot after the whiskey they had gulped down, but those eyes…
Control yourself, Kamenashi! he scolded himself, when a hot shiver went through his stomach again. You didn´t want to rush things, did you?
Focusing on cutting up the potatoes in the small pieces helped him to calm down a little, even though he almost cut his fingers off in the process.
Suddenly, when he wanted to proceed to the carrots, Kame remembered that he didn´t give Jin any towel.
As I was so distracted, right? I couldn´t even pay attention to something so trivial...
Kame hung his own towel over the holder above the stove first, before going into the bedroom again and to the huge closet, which he supplied with a few things Mrs. Brice managed to force to him, when he was leaving Bozeman. He stubbornly ignored the nervousness in his stomach, when he approached the bathroom´s door and knocked on them, determined not to behave like an anxious teenager...
"Jin? I´ve brought you a towel," the muted voice behind the door said almost at the very moment Jin thought that he would really use some dry cloth.
"Great!" he reached out his hand and opened the door without thinking, turning back to the sink to deflate the awful water from it.
When Jin raised his eyes again, focusing them at the small mirror on the wall, he spotted Kazuya in that adorable red shirt looking at him through the space between the open door and its frame. His almost dry hair was disheveled in a quite adorable way and his eyes were shining. It was such a good feeling to see the younger one in that small reflection; he was there alive and incredibly beautiful... Only a little was missed and it could have been totally otherwise.
Jin tried to take a deep breath, but suddenly he couldn´t deal with the thick hot air, when their eyes connected in the mirror.
The younger one made a careful step inside the small room, reaching out with the towel toward Jin, who couldn´t let his eyes off of him.
"Here," Kame almost choked on the word, which didn´t surprise Jin at all, as he felt his own throat stuffed with something heavy too...
The door opened almost right away, uncovering the naked – almost naked, Kame corrected himself, seeing the pants on Jin – body in the light of the lantern on the wall. All the dirt was gone and the water was dripping from Jin´s hair on his back. Just the scars after the torture were spoiling the view, which pinched Kame´s heart remembering that pain Jin had to go through. But no matter the scars, Jin´s wet body was so alluring, that Kame had a hard time to resist the desire to touch it.
The warm humidity was filling the bathroom up and Kame´s next words got stuck in his throat, when the dark eyes focused at him in the reflection of the small mirror. He gulped down heavily, and stepped inside with the towel in his hand, wondering why the hell he didn´t leave it hanging on the door knob.
"Here," he managed to force through the narrow throat.
Jin didn´t say anything, he just kept watching him… Kame had to persuade his lungs to keep working by willpower; otherwise he would be short on breath.
Suddenly, Jin turned around, and there was not the reflection anymore; there were the dark eyes themselves trying to consume Kame in their depths.
The older one grabbed the towel and pulled it to himself with Kame still holding on it. When their lips met in the eagerly awaited reunion, Kame forgot about any towels right away. The cloth fell on the floor, as he locked his arms around the other one´s neck, while Jin´s hands grabbed him around his waist.
Jin gave Kazuya a long and kind of shaky kiss. Even though he pulled away then, he remained close, pressing his forehead against Kame´s.
"I was so damn scared…" Jin breathed out heavily with his eyes still closed. "When you didn´t come out…"
"I know…" Kazuya reacted faintly, while his fingers soothed the ends of Jin´s hair in a comforting way subconsciously. "I´m sorry…"
"Don´t be sorry. Just promise me to stay out of any fires for a while."
"And who will heat up in the stove?" Kame asked whispering.
"I will," Jin decided.
His determined response was rewarded by another touch of the younger´s lips.
After their separation, after the dangerous night attack, during which they had decided about Raynold Karnaka´s fate together and then almost burnt to death, having the younger one in his arms felt so damn good that Jin didn´t understand, how he could have endured not holding Kazuya for so long. And when Kame pressed himself against him, fitting into his hug perfectly, it told Jin that he felt the same.
Eager to let the other one know about his feelings, Jin opened his mouth and urging on those warm lips he broke inside Kazuya´s with his tongue, probing around until he found his mate, which welcomed him tenderly. Then he focused on Kazuya´s lower lip sucking on it only very softly, which basically immobilized the younger one.
Not exactly knowing from where that urge was coming from, Jin yearned for much more. He wanted everything from Kazuya. And he was willing to stop thinking to achieve that, because thinking was holding him back.
That tender action of Jin´s skillful lips squeezed Kame´s stomach. Under the ministrations, he even forgot to repay the kiss for a moment, feeling Jin´s hot breath going inside his half-open mouth right before it was followed by the demanding lips again. The older one was kissing him with a rising urgency now, which didn´t allow Kame to breathe until Jin released him.
Trying to take at least one proper breath, Kame dared to open his eyes a little, just to sink into Jin´s ones filled with... lust.
The older one forced him to make a step backwards, until Kame leant on the wooden wall, just like back then in the saloon´s room. And also this time, it ignited the wave of hot longing for more inside Kame´s body, only much stronger. He wanted to protest, when Jin´s hands left his waist, but they did it just to tug on the cloth of his shirt. Jin almost ripped off those two buttons Kame managed to put together only a while ago. Then he pushed the shirt wide open hastily and pressed himself against Kame again, only this time it was skin to skin, so that they could feel each other´s breathing and fast heartbeat.
Kame let his hands go lower, he soothed over Jin´s neck, then shoulders, reaching his chest and going back up, not letting himself to give in to the temptation so fast.
With a vicious look in his eyes, Jin set off to explore Kame´s neck with his lips, while his hands caressed the younger´s lower back. The hot kisses placed on his skin made Kazuya gasp for breath. Not realizing it fully, he fidgeted under the increasing pressure, trying to get even closer to Jin.
Jin huffed softly against Kame´s neck, before he raised his head again. The kiss that followed was an undecided match, during which Jin´s hands went even lower, so that Kame could feel the hard grip on his butt, which made him moan into their kiss.
Kame wanted Jin so much, that he thought it was not possible for him to bear with it any longer. He wanted to feel the older one in all ways possible, to be so close to him as nobody before...
It was damn hard to separate from those demanding lips, but in the end, he made it. Kame didn´t say anything in response on that questioning dark look of the older one, he just let his hand to slip down between their bodies and grabbed the edge of Jin´s pants. While keeping his eyes locked with Jin´s, he sneaked behind the annoying cloth and hugged the other´s hot and hard member with his fingers...
The waves of excitement and desire were threatening Jin to drown in them, bringing him on the very edge of self-control. But even though Kazuya didn´t seem to mind his demanding touches and kisses, there was still something what prevented Jin from letting his lust to take over completely.
He had absolutely no doubt about what he wanted at that moment. He wanted to have that handsome guy, who was shaking and breathing heavily in his arms.
Jin wanted to feel Kazuya as close as it was only possible for them; he yearned for the younger one as for nothing else in his life so far. He wanted that boy to be his. And when the slim hand locked Jin´s proud in the eager grip, Jin thought that he could hardly expect any objections against his wish.
But there was a small part of Jin, which got worried, when he realized what should have followed inevitably. His mind, even though it was already blurred with crazy desire to get this through over the final border, was flooded by the troublesome ´what if´s´. And that was exactly what he was not supposed to let happen…