It was a strange arrangement, you had to admit. Asking a known bandit to escort you across the west to your family estate in California? Well, what your mother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, you supposed.
Even he had been surprised when you’d offered him the deal. Half of your life savings box if he escorted you to California unharmed. You were well-off. Your father’s business in New England was profitable and renowned. He knew who you were and that you were wealthy. It was no bluff.
Midway through robbing you, he’d lowered the gun and taken the deal. Seeing as he’d already killed your wagon driver moments ago, he had no choice but to take you up on his own horse and continue off the direction you’d originally been heading.
Which is how you ended up now, days later, camping with a bandit who’d attempted to rob you. What a story you’d have to tell when you returned home.
You didn’t even know his name, but that seemed by intention. The bandana around his face to hide his identity never came off. The man definitely didn’t want you knowing who he was, or he just enjoyed keeping that air of mystery about him. That was fine, you supposed, but it would be nice to at least be able to address him by name.
From the portion of his face you could see, you speculated he was rather handsome underneath all the dirt and stolen clothing. His eyes were sharp, never going a moment without being on guard, no matter where you both happened to be.
The next morning, after you’d set out again, you decided to try making conversation. It would be a long, silent journey to California otherwise.
“Sir, what’s your name?” You tried, getting only silence in return. You try again. “Is it so bad that I know who you are? This is a business arrangement, not a kidnapping. I have no reason to tell the sheriff about what happened in-”
“No reason for you to know it.” He grumped, not even turning to look at you behind him. “Better that way.”
“Why is that?” Your curiosity was getting the better of you, as it often did.
He didn’t deign to respond, and this time the silence felt loaded. You chose to keep your mouth shut for awhile afterward.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You realize you’ll stick out like a sore thumb when we enter that town? That bandana gives you away as a bandit.” You point out, seeing the small town coming up closer from ahead of you.
The man gives a small sigh, but doesn’t move to lower the disguise.
“They’re gonna think you’re kidnapping me.”
“They won’t.”
“Are you willing to bet on it?” You ask, but he doesn’t respond to that either. With a sigh of your own, you tighten your arms around his waist. You had a feeling you’d need to break into a gallop at a moment’s notice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I told you you should have taken the bandana off!” You yell into the rushing wind, arms tight around your escort’s waist as he sends you two flying across the desert on his horse.
Two armed deputies chase you and appear to be gaining, but they aren’t willing to shoot with you blocking the bandit’s body.
“Shut up and keep holding on!” He responds, taking out his own gun to encourage them to leave. You squeeze your eyes shut as his first shots rings out, fingers tightening on his leather vest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somehow you managed to lose your pursuers, and you were now camped out against an abandoned settlement. The buildings were too rotted and unstable to actually use, but it would be enough to use as protection against the wind for the night.
His back is to the farmhouse’s wall, and you sit across the small fire pit you’ve put together, huddling around the horse blanket that he gave you. If he was cold in this chilly evening, he didn’t indicate it.
You’ve been staring into the swirling flames, but when he gave a muffled grunt, you look up, seeing him messing with a crude bandage around his arm-
“You’re injured.” You say, eyeing the wound with concern.
“It’s nothing.” Clearly, it’s bothering him, and the place he got hurt was at just the wrong angle for him to comfortably rewrap it.
Forsaking the cold, you stand and kneel next to him. He leans away when you approach.
“I didn’t ask for help-”
“You don’t need to. Just let me handle it, and you’ll be better off for it.”
You face his glare with one of your own, and while his was infinitely more intimidating, yours was no less determined. Finally, his eyes rolled and he gestured to the wound impatiently, indicating he had given in.
You unwrap the dirty bandage, seeing the bullet wound his arm had sustained. You try your best to be gentle, fingers always mindful of where you brush. He must have sustained it that morning when you were being chased, once the deputies had decided to shoot regardless of your safety.
“Do you have anything clean I can use to wrap it?” You ask, but he shakes his head. You begin to think, looking around your camp for anything you can use, before your eyes light on your shirt.
He watches with confusion as you grab onto the shoulder stitch of your sleeve and yank, tearing the entire portion off and leaving your arm exposed to the cold air. “What the hell are you-”
“Well, we can’t wrap it with something dirty.” You surmise, already tearing it again into a more manageable strip to use. “We don’t want it to get infected.”
He only grunts, but you can see the confusion and deep thinking going on in his gaze. He watches you as you wrap up his arm again, mindful of how tight you make it. Seeing as he doesn’t wince or make any sort of pained sound, you’re confident that it will do. With a small smile, you stand to return to the other side of the fire.
“It’s probably best to huddle together…” He suddenly says, eyes looking directly into the fire rather than at you. “It’s gonna get cold tonight. We need all the body heat we can keep.”
“I don’t get cozy with a man who’s name I don’t know.” You say teasingly, grinning wider as he looked up to you. His eyes finally closed, and you heard him let out a sigh.
“My name’s Katakuri.” He pinned you with a withering stare. “Happy now?”
“Most assuredly.” You stoop to grab the horse blanket and return to sit beside him, bundling it around the both of you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
You weren’t sure when you’d fallen asleep against Katakuri’s back while still riding the horse, but you awoke to it being the middle of the night. The gentle canter of the horse’s steps nestled you awake. The moon was the only thing providing light to the desert landscape now.
You blink, blearily realizing that you hadn’t stopped for the night. “Why aren’t we making camp?” You ask, fatigue coating your tone.
“This is Yonko territory.” He said. “Too dangerous to stop. Never know who’s watching you out here.”
“Aren’t you tired?” You say, realizing that he’d been in the saddle for at least 6 hours now, judging by the position of the moon.
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll pass into California soon, so we can stop and rest after we cross. Until then, I’m not taking chances.”
You felt bad, knowing how hard he’d been riding and for so long. Your journey across the west had taken weeks already. But so close to your destination…you almost felt sad.
“I’ll get you home in one piece, Y/N.” He muttered, taking your silence as uncertainty. “Just go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when we stop to make camp.”
“Ok.”
You settle against his back again, relishing the warmth he provided, and closed your eyes again. You didn’t realize until moments before sleep, that his voice had been clear and unhindered by his bandana. It made you smile.
~~~~~~~~~~
It takes some getting used to, Katakuri showing you his face. You try your hardest not to stare but…the man is just so handsome, complete with a rogue-ish charm that you can’t resist. You weren’t at all surprised he was so attractive under the mask, but honestly…your imagination didn’t do him justice.
Even more surprising had been the scarring around his neck. He’d reluctantly explained his near-death experience at the hand of one of the Yonko, barely escaping a lynching for being falsely accused of killing another man. You understood why he kept his face and neck covered, now. He didn’t want to run into someone who may recognize him.
But it seemed that with the bandana out of the way, he’d lowered the last wall between you. He made light conversation with you throughout the coming days, and the last leg of your trip together was the most enjoyable of the entire journey so far.
You were so close to home, barely a day’s ride out, when you suggested stopping for the night. It wasn’t even dark yet, but you weren’t ready to part ways with Katakuri quite yet. Something you’d never imagined would be the case when you’d first offered him to escort you. You’d been desperate and hoping that his greed would win out over the desire to kill you outright at the time.
You were laying beside Katakuri under the starry night sky when you worked up the courage to ask something that had been on your mind for days now.
“Katakuri…”
“Hmm?”
You turned to look at him. “Why did you become a bandit?”
A long silence followed after, him pondering his answer with a thoughtful expression.
“Wasn’t much else I could be, after what happened.” He gestured to his neck, and the marks that would stay there the rest of his life. “I’ve been marked for death, whether I deserve it or not. No amount of trying to convince people otherwise will change that.”
He turned his head now, to stare back at you. There was a weariness in his eyes you could clearly see. Perhaps a weariness of being on the run for years now. Was he truly happy as a bandit?
“Do you enjoy it…being a bandit?”
“Doesn’t matter if I do-”
“What if I offered you a job?” You say, half out of spontaneity and half because you mean it. The idea hadn’t even come to mind until now. “What if you worked for me? Made an honest living doing something other than running and gunning?”
“I can’t…”
“Why? Because of your hangman’s mark?” You shake your head, hoping he understood your sincerity. “I don’t care what people think of you, and neither should you. If you work for me, you’ll be treated with respect. I’ll make sure of it.”
He stares at you in silence for a long time, searching for something in your face. After awhile of silence, your expression drops, and you look away.
“But if you want to keep living like that, that’s fine too. I would understand. You’ll still get the money I promised you. A deal’s a deal, and you’ve earned it a hundred times over for keeping me safe all this time.”
“I stopped caring about the money a long time ago.” He said, suddenly, and you stare back at him in surprise. He flashes a small grin your direction, turning to face you on his side. “Let’s say I accept your offer…what sort of work would you have me do?”
Your smile returns. “Well…I travel quite often to help my father with his business–the whole reason I went to New England was to help close a contract. It’s a dangerous place out there, and someone like me could certainly use some personal security to keep them safe.”
“Personal security, huh?” He tested the title out on his tongue, smile growing when he liked it. “Doesn’t sound bad.”
“You’ll be paid handsomely, you’ll travel alongside me wherever I go, and-”
“I accept.”
“I wasn’t even done listing the benefits.” You say with a chuckle, and his head shakes.
“I don’t need to hear the rest to know it’s what I want.” With that certainty, he lifted his hand, and you took it with a firm handshake. “I’ve come to like having you around, somehow. The days would seem empty without you in them.”
ns 15.158.61.46da2
