One evening, after a particularly difficult battle, Jiroutachi and Fudou arranged for an elaborate night of drinking to celebrate. Lena, Keisho and their Touken Danshi gathered in the dining hall of the Honmaru, where a feast was laid out along with gallons and gallons of sake.
"Oh! There's red wine, too?" Lena gasped, holding up a bottle of rather ancient-looking cabernet sauvignon.
Beside her, Keisho smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, this was more of a belated birthday gift than anything. I was planning to give it to you earlier, but as you know... well, we got busy. Please, enjoy it, Lena."
"Thank you, Kei-kun!" Lena returned his smile with ease.
With the passing of time, she found it easier and easier to show her emotions. Not like the shell of a person she was months before, no, life with her fellow saniwa and the Touken Danshi had really brought her out of her shell.
"YOOOISH! Drink up, let's PARTY!" Jiroutachi cried, taking a swig of sake right out of the gourd. As inelegant as it was, he wasn't wrong - this latest victory really struck a huge blow against the HRA. The Memory of Aonohara era was difficult to navigate, and the team had lost a great many troops attempting to win. Therefore, the sweet, sweet, sweet... taste of victory was definitely something to celebrate.
Midare also downed his entire cup of sake. "More, please! Tonight, we'll rage!" He exclaimed, holding out his cup. Jiroutachi promptly refilled it, along with everyone else's - even those who hadn't finished their drink.
All the Touken Danshi appeared to be in a great mood. Even Mikazuki, who preferred his tea to sake, partook in the festivities.
Only Ookurikara hid in the corner, mumbling something about how the saniwa should leave him alone and attend to the others. Whatever, Lena thought, Mitsutada and Tsurumaru would look after the grumpy uchigatana on their behalf.
Hours later into the night, everyone felt stuffed from the mountain of food and were also sufficiently drunk. Mouri and Shinano were passed out on the floor, having far exceeded their quota of sake challenging Fudou to a drinking match... not the smartest move on their part.
Even the normally composed Yagen was flushed across the face. He leaned in close to Lena, slumping against her shoulder as he spoke.
"So, Taisho... how did I do?" he asked, blinking at her in a daze. "Was my performance... worthy of your expectations?"
Lena's pulse quickened at their close proximity. "Ah, you did so well, Yagen-kun. The team wouldn't be complete without you," she answered, diverting her gaze down to her lap. Something about his deep voice and his comforting presence made her feel incredibly self-conscious. She was their commander, damn it. She was determined to work hard to maintain her composure.
She was doing pretty well, that is, until Yagen lifted a hand to brush against her cheek. Shocked, she grabbed his wrist in reflex. They stared at each other momentarily, both flushing red from either the sake or mixed emotions, Lena didn't know.
"Taisho... I..." he trailed off, his body now fully pressing against hers as he gave her a shy smile. "I've always wanted to... call you by your name."
"WHAT!" Hirano, who had been sitting calmly at Lena's side, suddenly spoke up. "Aniki! Please, watch what you're saying in front of our master," he urged.
"It's all right, I wanted her to know." Yagen's gaze remained fixated on Lena's. "She deserves to know. We've never hid anything from one another."
With a hearty chuckle, he laid his head on Lena's shoulder. "I... I may be drunk, but... My feelings are the same as they always were."
Hirano's eyes widened in surprise as he struggled to think of something to say in response. He was shocked at the way Yagen was acting, so uncharacteristic compared to his usual aloof self. What was the power this saniwa held over them? Surely this magic was like nothing they ever experienced before.
Before Yagen could say another word, a pair of hands clamped firmly onto Yagen's shoulders. Lena turned to see Izuminokami Kanesada giving Yagen a grand shake, all the while admonishing him.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing, you sly dog!" Kanesada seemed more than a little pissed off. "Stop using this opportunity to take advantage of our Aruji!"
Yagen gritted his teeth as his eyes narrowed. "Mind your own business," he retorted, automatically reaching for the hilt of his sword. "None of this concerns you."
"Aniki! Please cease your actions!" Hirano immediately sprung forward, grabbing Yagen's arm. Hakata also quickly took the hint, grabbing Yagen's other arm.
"You're acting like a little man! You must remember to be the bigger man," Hakata said solemnly, as Lena's two tantous dragged their older brother away to sober up before a bigger mess happened.
Kanesada sighed and plopped himself into a sitting position next to her. "You need to look after yourself better. Especially with all the drunken swords around you tonight."
Lena still couldn't quite process what had happened. Yagen seemed out of sorts, and where did Kanesada suddenly appear from?
He seemed to read her mind. "Hey, I was part of the police force. I have an instinct for when things are about to escalate."
Lena blinked, thoroughly confused. "Uh...sure..."
Kanesada flashed a confident smirk. "Don't worry, you can rest easy with me looking after you!"
A short distance away, Lena heard Horikawa Kunihiro sigh.
"Kane-san... you're hopeless," Kunihiro murmured, crossing his arms, although he would never dream of challenging his superior's actions.
It was at that moment that Lena realized that Kane-san was pretty drunk himself. How long had he been observing her? Ugh, being around all these Touken Danshi was exhausting.
Keisho didn't even seem to care - from across the room he was playing a drinking game with Muramasa, Midare and a handful of others. Having the time of his life, he was completely oblivious to Lena's internal turmoil.
As was tradition.
