Gifts
(Kanan – Same time Yo and Ruby find out about Dia)
"Any news?"
"Same as last time Chika, Lady Tojo sent us a message yesterday, Lady Ohara will send us a message what happened soon." Kanan sighed as she joined the ginger on the battlements of her castle.
Chika sighed "Why didn't we go and help them the minute we heard a rumour of a war?"
"We'd have risked causing a war if we did."
"They were already in a war and they needed our help!" Chika growled.
"I understand how you feel Chika, but we couldn't." Kanan sighed as she looked out towards the Minami's lands "We barely escaped getting into a war with them ourselves when they found out about our secret supply's, even with the loses they have taken they still out number us and they would crush us if we were not ready, it's why we are negotiating with him." Kanan said clenching her fist at the end.
"Why did Lady Ohara force you to be a hand maiden for Mari?"
"It was a punishment." Kanan sighed "After my family tried to betray the Ohara's and I revealed their betrayal, well Lady Ohara never liked me and Mari were so close and to make sure we couldn't get married she dropped me in rank."
"That's horrid." Chika sighed as she looked to the Minami land as well. "But why did she let you stay near Mari?"
"Mari threatened to flee if I wasn't allowed near her anymore and after some time Mari got her way," Kanan let out a sigh before speaking again "though I think part of the reason was to reinforce it for us both that she'd never..." Kanan said only to feel two hands grab her.
"Ooh they seem to be bigger today." Mari said from behind the blunette.
"Mari!" Kanan shouted as she turned to face the blonde.
"Now, now, Kanan calm down." Mari said with a smile "I am your master after all."
"Don't push it."
"Did you hear anything?" Chika asked with a concerned look.
"The message said that Lady Tojo has mustered her army and marched into the Minami's land to help Lady Minami, they have seen off one of Kira armies and are clearing the remaining troops to the north of our land and have requested a meeting."
"So what are we going to do?" Chika asked.
"Mama has sent a reply that she will allow the meeting but she has given no guarantee that will be aiding them." Mari sighed.
"Why?" Chika growled.
"Chika, mama is still angry at the Minami's and she's not really happy at the thought of fighting alongside them even if it's to help the Tojo's out." Mari sighed "It took all I had to convince her to at least here Nozomi out."
"But what about our friends?"
"I hate it as much as you do, but that's the way it is."
Chika growled before she stormed off to her quarters "Well that wasn't going to go any better." Kanan sighed "When Lady Ohara sets her mind to something she rarely backs down."
"I know." Mari sighed as she rested her head on Kanans shoulder and moved an arm around the blunettes waist "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Kanan said with a smile knowing what Mari was talking about "It wasn't you're doing."
"I know, I still hate it though." Mari sighed before looking off towards the Minami lands "I hope they are ok."
"Me to."
(Kotori)
Kotori smiled as she examined the fabric in her hands "I hope she likes it." Kotori muttered to herself.
"Who would like what?" Nozomi asked as she entered the chamber.
"Oh Nozomi, I've been making this for Umi."
Nozomi looked at the fabric in the ashen girl's hands "My I have a look?" Nozomi asked.
Kotori gently handed it over and watched silently as the twin tailed girl examined the gift for the blunette, eventually Nozomi smiled before she handed it over "I must say I'm a little jealous, Eli has never done this for me, its lovely Kotori I'm sure she'll love it."
"Thanks." Kotori sighed as she thought about the blunette, who had been distracted the last few days, the ashen girl had seen her look off into the distance locked in thought, Kotori was worried as she didn't know what was on the blunettes mind as she whenever she asked, Umi would assure it was nothing but Kotori knew better.
"You don't seem so sure." Nozomi asked breaking Kotori's pondering.
"Oh, no it's not that."
"Then what is it?"
"It's fine, it's nothing."
"Ah, ah, ah, you're lying and you know what happens to liars." Nozomi said with an evil look and her hands up.
"Okay, I'll tell you."
"Good." Nozomi said putting her hands down "So what's up?"
"Umi."
"Something happen?"
"No, it's just the last few days she's been lost in thought all the time, I see her looking off in the distance." Kotori sighed.
"Was it a kind of glazed yet focused look?"
"How did you know?"
"We saw her all the time staring at the sky with the same look, she always said not to worry, but we knew she was thinking about you."
"Oh, I see." Kotori said with her heart feeling chilly a moment "I'm worried about her."
"I know." Nozomi pondered "Have you asked her about it?"
"Yes, but all she says is its nothing." Kotori sighed "But I know somethings on her mind, I just know it."
"Well you do know her best." Nozomi gave the ashen girl a small squeeze "Look, when she's ready to tell you she will."
"I know, I'm just worried."
"I know." Nozomi said patting the ashen girl on the shoulder "Go on you better give her the gift, I think I saw her by one of the gardens."
"What about Saki?"
"It's ok, I'll watch her."
"You sure?"
"Yes, now go."
"Thanks Nozomi."
"Oh, before you go, maybe you should try this." Nozomi said with a smile.
(Riko – a few hours away from Hanayo's castle)
Riko let out a sigh as she saw the Koizumi castle hove into view in the distance.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Riko heard Tsuki ask.
"I'm just worried about Yo." Riko sighed as she tried to ignore the burning in her heart.
"Don't worry Riko, we're with you no matter what, were going to get her back."
"Thanks." Riko said with a slight feeling of relief "Though I doubt Lady Minami will be so accommodating."
(Umi)
Umi let out a breath as she swung her Naginata again the polearm was feeling off in her hands like it was disagreeing with her 'It feels off.' Umi thought to herself.
"Why wouldn't it, its tainted like you." Umi's honour muttered in the back of her head.
Umi let out a sigh and tired her best to ignore her honours barbed words before looking up at the sky deep in thought "How am I going to save Dia's sister?" Umi muttered to herself, she had been pondering the issue for days now and she still couldn't come up with a decent idea of what to do.
"Don't bother!" her honour spoke again.
"I promised her I would." Umi retorted in her head.
"Like you promised to protect Lady Kotori, how well did that go?"
"Shut up!" Umi shouted in her head and hand turning into a fist.
"You failed to stop Kira, you couldn't protect Kotori, or save your sister, what good will you be at saving Ruby, you'll just fail again."
"I said shut up!" Umi shouted while also slamming the butt of the Naginata into the ground before grabbing some of her hair and let out a strangled yell.
Umi waited a moment to see if her honour would speak again before she let out breath to calm herself down once she was sure it was done speaking, the blunette ran her fingers through her hair 'It seems a tad longer.' Umi thought to herself.
Only for her thoughts to be interrupted as she heard someone walking towards her, the blunette turned and saw Yukiho walking up to her using a stick to support herself as she walked towards her.
"Lady Yukiho?" Umi said surprised before bowing "What are you doing here?"
"Testing myself." Yukiho said through some struggled breaths "Erm, I hate to ask but could I sit with you for a bit I seem to have over done it a bit?"
"Certainly." Umi said moving to Yukiho's side and helping the redhead down next to one of the pillars to help support her.
"Thank you." Yukiho sighed.
"How are you feeling Lady Yukiho?" Umi asked as she sat down next to her.
"Fine considering." Yukiho sighed "It's been a long time since we've spoken hasn't it."
"Yes, it has." Umi sighed bitterly "How is the future Lady Kosaka?"
"No, I'm taking the Ayase name." Yukiho smiled "And Alisa is doing fine."
"Congratulations." Umi smiled earnestly, she was happy for the two, even if she was envious at the same time.
"Thank you." Yukiho smiled "Honestly I never thought I'd get to do this."
"I understand I was the same, though I wasn't aware you two were courting before the cutting of relations."
"We weren't."
"I'm sorry My Lady?" Umi said confused 'They couldn't have met during the last five years, could they?'
"I know what you're thinking," Yukiho smiled before continuing "Yes we were seeing each other in secret after the split, there is a road that leads from our lands with a disused watch tower, we would meet in secret there." Yukiho explained.
"But that could have got you both killed." Umi said horrified by what she heard.
"I didn't really have a choice, Alisa reached out to Tsubasa, who tricked me into meeting Alisa and well after I had a taste, I couldn't stay away really it was kind of addicting."
"I really don't need to know the more shameless details Lady Yukiho." Umi said as she felt her ears burn slightly at the implications of what Yukiho was saying.
"Sorry." Yukiho said with a smile before a moment later it dropped "And I'm sorry about Tatsumi and Dia they were good friends."
"Thank you." Umi felt her heart twist a moment at the mention of her sister "How was she after…after I was gone?"
"Sad, confused, angry, the same as the rest of us, after you were gone everyone started to question whether they could trust each other, we were all worried who might be secretly loyal to Kira, it wasn't till we raised the banners we really knew who was still loyal to the Minami's." Yukiho sighed "And by then it was too late to realise how far his reach was."
"I really made a mess of things." Umi groaned feeling her heart drop out of her stomach.
"That's not true."
"But it is, my duty was to protect Kotori and I failed, if I had none of this would have happened." Umi let out a sigh as she looked up to the late-night sky "If only I could have seen it, I could have saved Kotori and kept my honour."
Yukiho let out a huff before the red head began to speak "You know I always admired you for that Umi, we all did, you were the ideal of the Samurai, loyal, strong, skilled, brave, everyone looked up to you as the perfect role model."
'But I wasn't.' Umi countered in her head looking down at the floor.
"But you can't be perfect all the time Umi," Yukiho continued "You're not a god, you're mortal and mortals make mistakes that doesn't make you a failure..."
Before either could speak further the pair heard footsteps coming behind them, the pair turned to see Kotori come around the corner with something fabric in her hands "Am I interrupting?" the ashen girl asked quietly.
"No." Yukiho said as she struggled to her feet "I was just leaving; it was nice to talk to you again Umi."
"Yes, and you Lady Yukiho." Umi replied with a smile and a bow to the redhead before she left the two alone.
The two remained silent a moment till Yukiho had left them before Kotori she sat down next to Umi with a smile on her face and Umi found herself smiling back, Umi was about to speak before Kotori put a finger on her lips "Just wait a second, let's make sure Yukiho is out of ear shot."
'Oh the rule.' Umi thought with a bit of a flicker in her heart, Umi nodded in response to the ashen girl's request as she could faintly hear the tap of Yukiho's stick in the distance.
Once the tapping was gone the ashen girl spoke "How is she?"
"She's recovering, who's watching Saki?" Umi asked noticing Kotori was without the tiny Sonoda.
"Oh, she's fine, fast asleep with Nozomi watching her." Kotori smiled.
"Oh, I see." Umi smiled confident in Nozomi's motherly nature "What do you have there?" nodding at fabric in Kotori's hands.
"Oh it's a present, for you."
"For me?" Umi said surprised "I haven't done anything to warrant one."
'Especially after Dia.' Umi added in her head.
"It's more a good luck charm." Kotori said quietly "Hanayo give Rin one and I wanted to do the same for you."
"You don't need to do that Kotori."
"Umi," Kotori said with a sad look "When you were riding out to duel, I was terrified, I've seen your scars, I was scared you wouldn't be coming back from it, I just want you to have something with you from me in case you do that again, so I know you'll come back."
Umi was about to speak but stopped when she heard the ashen girl sniff "I lost you once Umi, I can't do that again, please."
Umi waited a moment for her honour to speak but to her surprise it remained silent "If you're sure Kotori." Umi said quietly.
"I am." Kotori replied with a smile.
"So what is it?"
Kotori stood up and revealed the fabric to be a headband, it was made of a dark blue material that matched the blunettes hair, there were thin grey stripes running top to bottom along it, in the centre sown into the fabric was a crane spreading its wing over a patch of water, Umi found herself smiling at the headband and felt her heart fluttering.
"Do you like it?" Kotori asked with a hopeful look on her face.
Umi stood up and looked at the headband "It's beautiful." Umi smiled "But I can't take this, it's far to special."
"Its special, because I'm giving it to a special person." Kotori smiled.
"Kotori!" Umi said blushing, though out the corner of her eye she could see the ashen girl blushing to and her heart flickering again.
"Can we see how it looks?" Kotori asked.
"Certainly." Umi said reaching out to take the headband only for Kotori to pull it away.
"Can I put it on?"
"It's not honourable for a lady to do that…" Umi began only for Kotori to interrupt her.
"There's no one around Umi," Kotori said before pouting "Onigai."
'Don't, refuse!' Umi's honour shouted.
'But it's a lady's request and she is right no one is around, no harm to her honour if she accepts.' Umi bit her bottom lip and quickly glanced around and once she was sure no one was around she let out a sigh "You are so unfair with that, but as you wish." Umi said quietly.
"Thank you." Kotori smiled before she took a step closer unfolding the headband out fully, taking another step closer Kotori gently began to warp the headband around the blunettes head, Umi's nose was filled with Kotori's scent as she gently brough the ends of the headband to the back of her head.
As she began to tie it Kotori looked at Umi and smiled which Umi returned only for the blunette to find herself staring at Kotori's golden eyes, Umi could feel her heart the sight, her honour was about to complain when she felt a rush of warmth run down her spine as one of Kotori's fingers brushed the top of her head making her flinch slightly and tiny squeak escape the ronin's lips.
"Still sensitive there?" Kotori asked in a whisper.
"You know I've always been there."
"Sorry." Kotori said finishing tying the headband "How does it feel?" Kotori asked as she rested her arms on Umi's shoulders.
"Perfect, it's really soft."
'Like your hands.' Umi thought to herself, but before her honour could speak it was interrupted again by Kotori running a finger a tiny bit up the back of blunettes neck making her whimper slightly.
"Kotori!"
"Sorry." Kotori smiled "I just haven't done that in a while and I was feeling a bit nostalgic."
"You shouldn't…"
"No one's around."
"Still…" Umi said though she was feeling a bit nostalgic herself after the touch.
"You always did moan about them, even if you enjoyed them."
"It was a nice feeling, but you did go overboard with them sometimes."
"Sorry, but would you mind I do it again for old time's sake."
"It's not really proper."
"Aw, just a little…Onigai." Kotori pleaded bringing her arms a little tighter together and wrap around her neck making the blunettes ear warm up.
Umi expected her honour to speak, but for once she found it silent, like the presence of Kotori's arms had muted it and before Umi knew it she had spoken.
"Ok, just a little." Umi muttered seeing Kotori smile and she found herself smiling in turn.
She could feel her honour writhe in anger at her word, like it was trying to break free, but then Kotori began to make tiny circles on the top of her head making Umi whimper slightly.
The pair stayed silent with the only sound being made was the sound of Kotori's finger playing with Umi's hair.
"Do you like it?" Kotori asked quietly as she continued to play with Umi's hair.
"Yes." Umi sighed as she closed her eyes and dropping her head slightly to given Kotori a better angle.
"Good." Kotori hummed and Umi heard Kotori's feet shuffle as the ashen girl got a little closer.
"I nearly forgot how nice this was." Umi mumbled as she felt her honour trying its best to growl, still muffled by whatever had done so earlier.
"I really missed you Umi."
Umi looked up silently at Kotori and it was only when she saw Kotori's golden eyes fill her vision did, she realise how close she was to her "I missed you to." Umi responded quietly as she got lost in the golden eyes and she could see Kotori's face acting the same as when she used to get lost in the blunettes own amber eyes.
Umi's body started moving on its own to get closer to Kotori and she could feel Kotori doing the same, as they got close to each other Umi was sure her honour was trying to force its way out her throat and try and force them apart again, but she could feel it being pulled back down again by an invisible force.
The pair paused a moment when they felt their breaths tickling their lips, it was just the two of them like how it used to be five years ago before everything changed and Umi felt her lip's part along with an urge to move forward more, she knew what that meant and she knew her honour hated the idea, but she also felt an overwhelming urge to ignore it and she was about to give in to the urge and close the last tiny distance between them.
But before she could, a pair of running feet broke the two out of their moment and the two parted blushing as Honoka came around the corner.
Umi saw the ginger pause as she saw the two separating and Umi realised she had unconsciously wrapped her arms around Kotori's waist making her blush stronger and out the corner of her eye she could see Kotori's blush was just as strong as her own.
"Sorry to interrupt." Honoka said quietly looking away slightly.
"It's fine Lady Honoka, is there something you need?" Umi asked quickly and slightly out of breath as she realised, she'd been holding it.
'You shouldn't have done that!' Her honour shouted.
'Not now.' The mystery voice countered.
"Yes, Maki is back and she's brought Riko, Nozomi's gathering everyone in the main chamber, apparently Riko needs to talk to us urgently."
"I see, I'll go fetch Saki…"
"Nozomi's excused Alisa and Yukiho from the meeting, Alisa's watching Saki, Nozomi insisted that you two needed to come instantly."
"Very well." Umi said before following her friend with Kotori walking right beside her.
The two remained silent on their way to the chamber, Honoka having rushed off saying she needed to go somewhere else, all the while Umi's heart felt like she had just run a mile 'I shouldn't have done that, but I wanted it so badly too.' Umi groaned in her mind as she felt her honour growl and the mystery voice cheer.