Final

It hadn't been long since the news of Takeru's and Juzo's confrontations had reached the ears of the samurais who were still not able to digest the fact that the one whom they had grown attached to form the past few months wasn't their Tono. Though, they knew it wasn't their duty to protect him, they ran to get him, to check if he's alright or not except one. Except that one who had always been loyal to his 'Tono'; except that one who had always been fond of Takeru. Except Ikenami Ryunosuke.

That particular Samurai had just been sitting there, not knowing what to do and what not to. He was thinking about what was right and what wasn't. He was thinking about who should he follow and what should he do next.

Unlike other samurais, he had been trained since he was young. He was trained, taught to look after the head of the Shiba Clan. And he was also taught to be faithful, treat the head with respect and to chose the head instead of any other--even if the person was his own family member. 

And now, going after Takeru would be something wrong, for he would be going against the head, against the person he should remain loyal to. 

But again, his heart was debating with his brain which was taking the sides of his so called morals. His heart continuously told him not to just sit there and think about what to do and what not to. Instead it told him to go, to go and check on the other even though it would be something wrong--according to his morals. It told him to just run and fight for his Tono, for he knew it quite well that at this time, he needed him the most.

But then, his brain, his morals and all those things he had been taught, he had accepted flashed in his mind. The hand which had subconsciously reached out to take his sword was taken back and placed on his lap. Taking a deep sigh, he thought over everything again.

For once, he kept everything--his morals, his knowledge, everything aside and began to think. Though, according to what his father had said,  it was wrong to think this way, but Takeru's face just flashed in his mind, making him do this. Takeru had always been his weakness, someone who always made him re-think about everything. 

At first, he thought maybe, it was because he was his Tono but now, even though their bond was proven to be fake, he still couldn't. Something inside him wasn't letting him to.

Sighing once again, Ryunosuke decided that it would be better if he just didn't think about it, because more he did, it became more and more confusing to him. His feelings, the want to be next to Takeru, everything just became more confusing to him. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to think. Because every time he decided to do something, in a way or the other, it felt wrong. 

He closed his eyes, relaxing for a moment, shutting himself away from the world--the world where there were morals and confusing feelings. And then, he thought, he imagined himself to be a normal one and not just a samurai whose duty was to protect a head of a clan, whose duty was to protect the world from evil and whose life seemed complicated from every angle. How easy was it for a normal person... he could do anything he want, he had no limitations. He could do anything he wished to, unlike him who was just thinking of ways to figure out what to do.

In one side, there was a brain which constantly told him about the morals he had, about what his father expected from him, about what he should be. But the other side, it was just telling him to look back in the past. That past where they were like one family, that past in which he used to respect Takeru, that past where there were fake bonds.

Fake Bonds, Ryunosuke chuckled at that. They were tricked so easily, they made bonds so easily, even though, it was a fake one. 

But then, a part of him also knew that there were genuine feelings that were shared. Not everything was fake--the care Takeru had for them and the care they showed towards Takeru was not fake. The memories they had made when they were together weren't fake ones. The affection they had for each other weren't fake. The love he had inside his heart for Takeru wasn't fake.

And even if their relationship was based on a lie, the words Takeru said to him, his praise, his concerns, the sincere apologies weren't fake. 

They weren't, and Ryunosuke couldn't deny that fact.

And maybe, because he couldn't deny it, for the first time, Ikenami Ryunosuke tossed his morals at the side.

They started off with a lie, yes, but he couldn't deny that apart from the 'I am your tono' thingy everything else wasn't fake.

His fathers always taught him to keep his morals in front, but living with the others taught him to put their concern, their feelings in front.

He was a samurai, he knew it well. And he also knew that being a samurai, he had to stick to his morals. But, thinking about it again, he had accepted Takeru as his everything, as his tono. And even though this might be wrong according to his morals, he would continue being a loyal servant to Takeru until his last breath. Because, even though facts state that Kaoru should be his tono, the bond he and Takeru had between them wasn't a fake one. Bonds were based on feelings, and not facts, and Ryunosuke knew it quite well that the feelings they had for each other--as tono and servant--wasn't fake one.

And because this bond wasn't a fake one and because even fiber of his body loves and needs Takeru by his side, he decided to would go to his tono, even though it was considered as something wrong, even though it's something he shouldn't be doing.

For those who don't know the meaning of tono, it's lord. ^^ Sorry if the story seemed a bit rushed!