Tsurumaru poured Mikazuki a cup of tea, doing his best to make the environment as comfortable as possible. Roughly a week had passed since the breakup, and though it was now common knowledge throughout the house, Mikazuki had yet to discuss the unexpected split with his best friend, Tsurumaru.
However, this wasn't for lack of trying. Tsurumaru had been attempting to have this conversation since the moment word reached his ear. It was hard enough dodging questions from everyone else in the household, but talking to Tsurumaru was different. Mikazuki couldn't lie to him, nor could he pretend that he wasn't slightly perturbed by his current single status. Tsurumaru would see right through him, and like a dog with a bone, he would press Mikazuki until he found the truth.
"So," Tsurumaru said, bringing his cup to his lips and blowing on the steaming liquid. "How are things?"
"Fine," Mikazuki replied, shifting uncomfortably on the mat.
"Are you sure? You look a bit tired. Have you been sleeping properly?"
"Mmhmm," Mikazuki answered, taking a sip of his tea.
"So I guess I'm just imagining those dark circles under your eyes?"
"I said I'm fine, Tsuru-chan," Mikazuki replied, smiling as convincingly as possible. "And frankly, I'm tired of explaining that to everyone."
"Understandable," Tsurumaru said, pinning Mikazuki with a knowing look. "But it's obvious that you're not fine. You're unusually pale, there are circles underneath your eyes, and you don't leave your room unless you have chores. Look at me, Mika-chan," he ordered, setting his cup on the table. "When was the last time you ate anything? Can you even remember? You haven't come to dinner in like a week, and Cook says you send all your meal trays back untouched."
"I can't help it if I'm not hungry," he answered tightly, irritated that his every move was being scrutinized. "And just because you don't see me eat, doesn't mean I'm not."
"What about yesterday?" Tsurumaru said, sitting back on his heels. "Yoshi said you collapsed in the market. He had to carry you back!"
"I was dehydrated," Mikazuki retorted. "It was unusually hot for an autumn day, and I wasn't drinking like I should have been. We were stacking 100 pound bags of rice in the blazing sun for like 6 hours. I over did it, that's all."
Tsurumaru shook his head in frustration. "I'm trying to help you, Mika-chan. We all are. You don't have to pretend to be okay, especially since it's so apparent that you're not."
"I'm. Fine," Mikazuki insisted, setting his cup down. Though he tried to hide the tremble of his hand, the glass rattled against the tabletop, causing tea to spill onto the polished wood. "I don't know why everyone just assumes I'm falling apart. Yes, it hurts. And yes, I'm sad. But I'm dealing with it, okay? Kogitsune has moved on and eventually I will, too. Until then, I would really appreciate it if everyone would stop making such a big deal about it. People breakup all the time. Surely there are more important things for you all to concern yourselves with than my love life, or the lack thereof."
"Mika-chan, no one cares about your love life. It's you we're worried about. You're not taking care of yourself, not to mention you're more forgetful than usual. For god's sake, you left your sword in the bath house yesterday!"
"I was going back to get it."
Tsurumaru rolled his eyes. "You were about to leave for a mission without it. Why do you think Master pulled you off the team?"
"Anyone could have made the same mistake," Mikazuki shrugged.
"No, Mika-chan," Tsurumaru said dryly. "No one else but you would have done that."
