Something had changed. Kenshirou had been asking a lot of questions.
Musashi had gotten used to the little dog being more inquisitive than any other guard who’d been tasked with watching over him in the past. Kenshirou asked after his childhood, his likes and dislikes, his thoughts on books; anything at all to fill the time and keep a conversation going. Musashi had grown to love their exchanges, but something had changed recently. Musashi could feel that Kenshirou’s questions were becoming more pointed, that his answers carried more weight. There was a strain in their relationship, and it left Musashi with ice spreading through his heart. He couldn’t think of anything that had happened that could have caused this change, but it had him terrified.
Musashi knew that they had been getting along well. Kenshirou had been friendly with him, relaxed and open. But now he was acting serious, focused, and the last traces of any deeper connection they shared seemed to be slipping away. Musashi couldn’t think of anything that had been said that could have caused this tension to be introduced. The only reason he could think of for the supervisor suddenly treating him so distantly was if he had noticed that Musashi had stronger feelings for him than he should. The thought that Kenshirou had guessed at Musashi’s feelings for him, and was now trying to minimise all contact between them broke Musashi’s heart. He tried not to think about it, but sat alone in his cell there was little to distract him.
There was the sound of boots clicking along the floor; for a brief moment Musashi hoped it was Kenshirou coming to see him, and that things were finally going to return to the way they were. Musashi tried hard to keep his feelings in check; hope was a very dangerous thing for someone in his position.
The supervisor didn’t bother to open the door and step into Musashi’s cell like he usually did; he stopped outside of the window. “Do you remember the name of the judge who presided over your trial?” Kenshirou asked him abruptly, without a greeting.
Musashi had spent a lot of his life trying to avoid bringing up uncomfortable things. He and his parents had smiled at each other, but kept tight lips after he had first spontaneously combusted. That just left Musashi regretting all the missed opportunities to tell them how much he loved them for standing by him. When he had first been sent to prison Musashi hadn’t told a soul about the experiments he was recruited for, and all that had meant was no one proof, and no one to believe him afterwards. Not saying anything had never made Musashi’s life any better.
“Why have you been acting so strange recently, little dog?” Musashi struggled keep his voice steady. Confronting the problem was not something he wanted to do, even if he knew he had to. “You’ve been asking a lot of odd questions.”
“I’ve been busy, that’s all,” Kenshirou said evasively. He started to walk away, but Musashi called out to him again. Now he had brought up the matter he was going to see it through to the end.
“Busy, but with enough free time to stop by and ask me about my arresting officers, my university classmates, and my trial?” Musashi pressed.
Kenshirou sighed loudly. “I’m looking into your case, and your conviction. I didn’t want to tell you until I had some good news to share with you.”
Musashi wasn’t sure what to make of Kenshirou’s answer. On the one hand he could almost laugh with relief that all of his earlier fears were so far from the truth; his little dog hadn’t been avoiding him, merely occupied with fulfilling his promise. But doubt still plagued Musashi’s mind; Kenshirou had promised to find the man with the scar on his neck and stop any more human experimentation. Musashi didn’t know why he would be looking into his court case; neither Elf, nor the man with the scar on his neck were present for that.
“Why?” Musashi asked. “That won’t help you find about the experiments on inmates. That didn’t start until a few months after I was imprisoned.”
“I told you, my personal sense of justice will not allow injustices to go unchallenged. If you are truly innocent of the crime you were convicted of, you should not be here. It would be immoral for me not to try and prove your innocence.”
Kenshirou’s unflinching honesty was enough to leave Musashi speechless for a moment. He had never imagined that the supervisor would challenge his sentence. But Musashi was a realist, however much he wanted to believe.
“Elf spent over a year making sure I was incriminated for his crimes; you won’t be able to prove anything. Why make pointless work for yourself, little dog?” Musashi appreciated what Kenshirou was trying to do for him, but he’d learned not to hope for impossible things.
“I know it will not be easy, but I’m still going to try,” Kenshirou said, deadly serious. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“You’re going to an awful lot of trouble for something that will accomplish nothing. You don’t have to do the right thing, if we both know it’s not going to work.” Kenshirou was kind to try, but if all his time and effort were doomed to amount to nothing, then Musashi would rather have Kenshirou with him, making his time in prison bearable.
Musashi heard the lock click, and Kenshirou step into the cell. He came to a stop in front of Musashi. Kenshirou sighed, and took hold of Musashi’s hand. Their fingers intertwined as Kenshirou took a knee, so they were on the same level. “I am not only doing this because it is expected. I have gotten to know you during your time here, and I believe you deserve better. I promise I will not stop until the truth about you has come to light.” Kenshirou ran his thumb over the back of Musashi’s hand. “Now do you remember the name of the judge?”
Musashi knew that hope was dangerous. But with Kenshirou on his side he couldn’t help but hope that things were going to change for the better.
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