Trouble
(Rin and Hanayo)
Hanayo woke to the feeling of Rin squeezing her as close as the ginger could get her, Hanayo smiled she knew she was awake and was just enjoying holding her and she wasn't one to complain she loved the feeling of Rin's arms.
"Stay safe Rin." Hanayo whispered as she placed a small kiss on Rin's head.
"I will." Rin said.
"Don't you think we should get up?"
"No, I want to stay here."
"Ok, just a little longer."
(Umi – Night Rin and Yukiho met Maki at Hanayo's castle)
Umi inspected her bow as she made ready to do some practice. The bow was the only part of her weapons and armour that she kept after her exile, she had designed and made the bow herself the blue and white limbs and grips made it stand out as hers alone, it was special to her and even when she left her old life behind, she couldn't bring herself to part with it, the last link to her old life and the single hope she had that maybe she could get some of it back.
Once she was satisfied the bow and string were set and still in good condition, Umi drew back, took a breath and then released the arrow at the small rise of earth she was using as the target. The arrow hit the mound exactly where she aimed it, pulling back another arrow she fired again and once again the arrow landed true.
She always found archery a good way to clear her mind about things, as she drew her third arrow, she remembered what she had seen before coming here.
She had gone to collect her bow and arrows for some practice after having found a suitable place, she had entered her shared tent with Kotori and saw the ashen girl asleep holding Saki close to her chest, the tiny Sonoda also asleep with a comfy look to her face.
Umi had smiled at the sight and gently placed a blanket over them as she was leaving, as she lay the blanket down, she had turned and realised how close to Kotori's face she had been and it had taken all her resolve not to kiss Kotori on her head before leaving.
'I wish I could let these feelings go, but I never want too either.' Umi mused as she released the arrow, she knew immediately she's messed up by the way the arrow flew, she watched it go off course slightly, hit a tree before flipping over and landing knock down in the ground.
"What do I do?" Umi silently asked her relatives spirits, but just like the last time and every other time before that, they remained silent leaving Umi wondering what she should do as she felt a longing in her heart.
(Alisa and Yukiho)
Alisa sighed as she watched the now sleeping form of Yukiho, Alisa had just written down a load of information and then sent it off to Maki and she was now checking Yukiho's wounds.
Her right leg was badly bruised and her left leg and left eye were covered with dark crimson bandages.
"Oh Yukiho, what happened?" Alisa asked the sleeping girl.
Alisa went to the leg wound and began to unwrap the binding as she did, she accidently brushed the wound making the red head hiss sharply "Sorry did I wake you up?" Alisa asked.
"It's fine." Yukiho sighed "How bad do they look?"
"Your right leg might be broken; I don't know about the left yet I was just checking it now."
"And the eye?"
Alisa bit her bottom lip; she knew the truth but she just didn't want to admit it, she was worried what the result would be.
"Alisa, the eye, will I lose it?" Yukiho asked again more forceful this time.
"I don't know."
"You're a bad liar, you know that?" Yukiho said as turned her face to the side so she was looking away with the wounded eye facing up and her good one to the ground as she let the blonde continue her work.
Alisa finished unwrapping, cleaning and then rewrapping the wounded leg, all the while Alisa was treating the wounds Yukiho said nothing only letting out the occasional hiss when Alisa touched something painful.
"There all done on that leg, now for the other one." Alisa said quietly even though Yukiho said nothing in response.
Alisa gently felt the leg to see if it was bruised or broken, as she was checking Yukiho never said a word to the blonde, once she was satisfied, Alisa turned to Yukiho and gave her the news.
"Well it seems this one is just bruised and not broken."
"I see." Yukiho said with another sigh still not looking at Alisa.
"What's wrong Yukiho?"
"Nothing."
"It's not nothing, come on what's up?"
"I feel like, what's the point of you coming here and getting involved, or what's the point in even carrying on with this stupid war." Yukiho sighed "We've got next to no castles left, no army worth anything and our leader decided to take off in the middle of the night shattering almost all of what I had to lead."
"You held some of them together and you got them here while beating a much larger force, you did your best there is no fault or failure in that."
"Yeah, and what did that get us, one hundred and fifty troops who couldn't fight off a pack of determined mice their so tired." Yukiho growled "You're better just leaving with Maki in the morning and leaving the rest of us here to our fate."
"I won't!" Alisa shouted, Yukiho sighed but said nothing in return. Alisa let out a huff she cleaned up, as she did her mind wondered back to the times where she would secretly meet Yukiho at on old abandoned watchtower that was on a disused path that connected her castle and Yukiho's families, she was thankful Eli was at Nozomi's castle so much to keep Eli from finding out, once she was done, she came back and sat next to Yukiho who had again remained silent the whole time and Alisa was convinced the redhead had fallen asleep.
Alisa reached out and brushed a strand of Yukiho's hair "I missed you." Alisa sighed as her heart twisted a little at the state Yukiho was in.
"I missed you to." Yukiho said surprising Alisa.
"How long has it been?" Alisa asked once she recovered from the suprise.
"You mean officially since the fall out over Umi, or since we actually last saw each other?" Yukiho sighed "Why did you come Alisa?"
"The same reason we would meet at that old watch tower, when Lord Minami froze relations between our lands." Alisa said as she saw a small smile appear on Yukiho's face "Why did you end it?" Alisa asked as fear crept up her throat, "And don't give me some lie I want the truth; did you find someone else?"
"No, no one could replace you."
"Then what was it?"
Yukiho sighed "I could see the writing on the wall long before most, I could see we were heading to civil war, I also didn't believe we would win or survive and I didn't want you to mourn before marrying, so I ended it that night so you wouldn't have to, I hoped you would find love elsewhere."
"Well that was stupid." Alisa huffed "I love you, that won't ever change, you didn't really think I would stop, ended or not I would have mourned anyway, I was desperate to see you again and when I heard you'd be coming here I knew I had to come."
"You're a fool."
"Maybe, but I'm your fool." Alisa paused for a second "Yukiho, do you still love me?"
"Of course, why would you ask?"
"Because you won't look at me."
"I can't, not with this face."
"Your still beautiful to me, besides your soon going to have to look at me."
"Why?"
"Well, you can't marry me if you won't look at me."
"What?" Yukiho said turning her head in surprise.
"There we go." Alisa smiled while holding Yukiho's head in place.
"Was that…?"
"No, I suggested it to Nozomi to boost everyone's moral and to assure everyone on your side we were committed to helping."
"You're an optimist and a fool." Yukiho sighed "Or a liar."
"Maybe." Alisa said as she hovered an inch away from Yukiho's face "But I'm yours." Alisa said as she leaned in and kissed Yukiho, she pulled back only for Yukiho to pull her into a much more hungry and needy kiss "Oh, I've missed that." Yukiho smiled after breaking it.
"Me to." Alisa smiled to.
(Umi and Kotori – The next day, one day from Hanayo's castle)
"Are you missing Lady Kotori?" Umi asked Saki as she held her niece on her chest while she leaned her back on Saki's cot for support.
Saki let out a little babble as Umi stroked the tiny girl's hair "She's seeing lady Nozomi right now, she'll be back soon."
"I wish I could have been there for when you were born, your mother would have been so happy." Umi mused as she thought about her sister "I'm sorry I couldn't save her."
Saki made a disapproving sound as she wriggled "Sorry, didn't mean to upset you, I guess I'm not that great at this yet, I'm sorry I haven't been holding and spending a lot of time with you recently, my duties are kind of important, but you are to, so I apologise for not doing more."
Umi smiled as Saki let out a little yawn "Are you sleepy, come on in the cot." Umi said as she sat up and placed Saki down gently.
"We will go home soon I promise and when all this is over with, we can get to know each other properly." Umi whispered as her niece started to sleep with her tiny hand holding on to Umi's pinkie finger making the blunette smile.
"I will protect you and Lady Kotori." Umi whispered as she let her niece keep a hold on her finger.
"Is she asleep?" Kotori asked as she entered.
Umi nodded "She's grown a little bit hasn't she." Kotori said smiling as she sat next to Umi.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, she's looking a little bit more like you, it's like having a tiny you to hold, but your cuter."
"Kotori…" Umi whined as she looked away with a blush not noticing the smile on Kotori's face that Umi hadn't used the lady title for again 'At least it wasn't a one off, so tiny start.' Kotori thought.
"It's strange." Umi said aloud.
"What is?" Kotori asked a little confused.
"Her name."
"How so?"
"Saki is…" Umi paused as her heart sank "Is the name of my great, great, great, grandmother."
"You mean the one who…?" Kotori started before she stopped herself.
"Who saved your relative, yes that's her." Umi said with a sad smiled as Kotori felt a cold chill run down her spine and her heart sank.
"You knew, when, you never mentioned it?" Kotori asked confused while trying not to panic.
"I heard you talking to Saki the other night." Umi sighed before she turned to face the ashen girl "Why did you never tell me before?" Umi asked quietly.
"I know how much your honour means to you." Kotori said as she swallowed a lump in her throat fearing that Umi would shout at her for hiding that fact "I didn't ever want to make that harder for you, you always saw your honour coming from being loyal to my family and defending us, I feared if you knew you'd throw yourself even further into danger and you'd be really hurt."
"I'm sorry Umi." Kotori sniffed.
"I see." Umi said looking back to Saki "My I ask you a question Lady Kotori?"
"Yes?"
"When I told the stories, did you imagine it was me saving you?"
"Yes." Kotori whispered looking down missing the tiny smile that appeared on Umi's face for a moment.
"Is that why you liked it so much?"
"Part of it, but I also liked hearing you talk." Kotori said looking back and gaving a weak smile, before she touched the blunettes hand that Saki wasn't holding "Don't hate me Umi please, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"I could never hate you Kotori." Umi said before turning back to smile at the ashen girl who felt her heart light up like the sun had come out again "Even if you asked me to."
"Even after all that happened?" Kotori asked timidly.
"You could cut out my heart and I still wouldn't." Umi sighed 'She should do you're a failure of the Sonoda name.' Umi's honour mocked "Excuse me Lady Kotori I need to change for bed." Umi said standing up.
(Tsuki and Riko – The day Maki forces reached Hanayo's castle)
"Lady Riko, we have about two hundred of your troops, one hundred of mine and twenty of Lady Tsuki's troops left."
"Thank you, Maru." Riko sighed as she looked at the state of the walls "Inform everyone to abandon this level and move to the next one."
"Are you sure Lady Riko, if we leave, we will have only the third level and the citadel, are you…?"
"I'm sure." Riko growled in frustration "Move everyone back please."
"As you wish Zura." The blonde-haired warrior monk bowed before heading off.
Riko sighed as she leaned on the damaged wall pinching her nose, she almost wished the wall would fall on her "How much did you hear?" Riko asked as she heard a pair of feet walking towards her.
"Enough, are you ok?"
"I'm besieged, I'm running out of food, water, troops and the walls are falling apart like their Sakura petals yeah I'm doing fine." Riko huffed.
"Hey, you've held out this long that's no small feat."
"Lady Tsuki, the only thing that's kept them out so far is the fact we aren't the main target." Riko sighed as she stood up straight "I could try and get you out."
"And live with the shame of leaving, no thanks, if I go you have to come with, Yo will never forgive me if I left you here."
"You're the hair to the Watanabe household and cousin to the Minami's, there is no shame that your fate lays elsewhere." Riko countered as she walked back up the path to the next level of the castle "My blood is in the soil, I can't leave."
"Then it looks like I'm staying, you need everyone you can get, besides I'm not about to tell my Aunty and Yo I left you behind." Tsuki said as she followed Riko.
"I hope Yo is doing better than we are." Riko mused.
"I'm sure she's fine."
"I hope so, we haven't heard from her for a month now."
"Lady Riko?" came another voice.
"Yoshiko, is the backup plan ready?"
"It's Yohane and yes, are you sure about this though, this is not a way Lady Minami would approve or the spirits..."
"Whether they approve or not I'm not in mood to care, just be ready to go the minute I tell you."
"As you wish."
"What are you planning?" Tsuki asked.
"I'll tell you if we have to use it." Riko sighed as she looked back into the courtyard as she saw two graves.