Dreams
(Nico and Maki)
Nico yawned as she lay on the futon and felt an arm warp around her waist and pull her in close to the person laying behind her and the ninja could feel Maki's nose press onto the back of her neck making the pinkettes tickle her neck.
"That tickles you know?" Nico said sleepily.
"What?"
"Your breath, its tickling my neck."
"Sorry."
"It's fine I've missed this." Nico said with another yawn, Nico had insisted that the pair had to keep their distance, to keep their secret relationship.
"Me to." Maki sighed "Are you sure we couldn't have done this while we were traveling to and from Riko's castle, we were ok with Hanayo traveling with us so why not Rin."
"Yes, Rin might have kept our secret, but she would be asking a lot of questions that might be uncomfortable and just because she is ok doesn't mean everyone else is." Nico countered "You're a samurai Maki, your meant to set an example."
"I'm hardly the model of one though, plus everyone knows what I did in the past."
"Having lots of women for a one-night stand is one thing but to have a relationship with someone of the incorrect rank and a Ninja to boot is another." Nico muttered as she placed her hand on the one Maki around her waist "I don't like it any more than you do, but unless I get raised in stature this is just the way it's got to be."
"So I'll just raise you."
"Only Nozomi can raise me high enough and she can't without a good reason."
"I hate this stupid rank sometimes." Maki muttered.
"I hate it as much as you do, but it's the way it is." Nico sighed.
"Oh how I dream for a day we can be open about this."
"Me too." Nico yawned "Look its late and I want to just enjoy this moment with you."
"Ok." Maki sighed in defeat.
"I love you Maki." Nico said as she brought Maki's hand up to her lips before placing a kiss on it.
"I love you to Nico." Maki whispered before placing a kiss on Nico's ear.
(Nozomi)
Nozomi felt her hand pull the door to a chamber open and right in the middle of the chamber was a person in a red yukata hunched on the floor, gasping from breath and holding onto their stomach.
Nozomi felt her feet moving forward towards the person on floor and the purple haired girl moved closer she could see the red stains on the floor. Once she was standing over the person, she felt her right hand spin a sword in her hand so the blade was pointing downwards.
Nozomi then saw herself bring the sword up over the persons back, the blade was then brought up and then brought down, just before the sword touched the persons back, Nozomi saw the persons head move to look at her, but before the twin tailed girl could see who it was, the sword touched the persons back. Nozomi shot up with a start, breathing and sweating heavily and body felt like ice.
After a few minutes Nozomi felt her body start to settle down again 'I wish you were Elichi.' Nozomi thought to herself her eyes stinging slightly 'You always did know how to make me relax after these happened.'
Whenever she'd had these in the past Eli had always been there to settle her down and drift her back to sleep almost instantly, but with the blonde's absence, the twin tailed girl was taking a long time to settle down and relax.
After a few more minutes Nozomi felt herself relax, before she lay back on the futon and wiped her forehead "I've not had one of those dreams in a while."
'Who was that?' Nozomi wondered to herself before she drifted off to sleep again.
(Hanayo and Rin)
Rin shot up as she felt movement to her side, looking over she could see Hanayo writhing around in her sleep, before Rin could do anything Hanayo let out a strangled whimper.
"Kayo-chin." Rin said quietly shaking the brunette "Kayo-chin wake up."
The next thing Rin knew she was seeing stars and her face and nose stinging as something hit her.
"Rin!" Hanayo shouted ignoring the stinging in her own hand "Are you ok?"
Rin waited a second before answering while still holding her nose "I'm ok, nothing's broken."
"I'm really sorry." Hanayo said with sniff as she felt her eyes stinging.
"Kayo-chin, I'm fine don't cry." Rin said letting go of her nose and taking Hanayo's hands in her own.
"Sorry, it's just…" Hanayo choked "Can I hold you?"
Without a moment's hesitation Rin brought Hanayo into an embrace "Feeling better?" Rin asked hopeful.
"Yes." Hanayo whispered as she brought her arms around Rin "Thank you."
"Anytime for you Kayo-chin." Rin whispered.
The two remained quietly holding each other, with Hanayo trying to calm down and Rin trying to send as much comfort as she could though their embrace and the small circles the ginger drew on the brunettes back.
After a few minutes Hanayo finally spoke "Thanks Rin, I needed that."
"Its fine Kayo-Chin, but what happened, bad dream?"
"Not quite." Hanayo mumbled feeling a chill run up her spine.
"Was it one of 'those' dreams?"
The Brunette simply nodded, the pair both know what the other was talking about, Hanayo's dreams were the pairs little secret, neither knew how or why they happened, they also knew there was no telling when they would happen.
"There..." Hanayo choked quietly as she tightened her hold on Rin.
"It's ok, take your time."
"Thanks." Hanayo said taking a moment to steady herself "I could see fire, blood and someone with ginger hair laying limp on the…" Hanayo said cracking up as she described the last thing she saw.
"Ssshhh, it's ok Kayo-chin, it's over now."
"But it's not though, these dreams have always come true before…and..." Hanayo said still choked up. As Rin realised what was going through Hanayo's mind.
"That won't happen Kayo-chin, I promise."
"You can't make promises like that Rin." Hanayo said with a sniff.
"Kayo-chin, do you want it to happen?"
"No, of course not." Hanayo said horrified at the idea and question.
Rin simply smiled before tightening her hold on Hanayo "Then I promise to do my best to not let it happen, that is my promise and I will keep it because I have you to come back to and I have the lucky charm you gave me."
Hanayo was about to counter again when Rin spoke before her "Besides, all I have to do it stay away from fire and I'll be fine."
Hanayo felt her heart warm up slightly and a small smile grow on her face as she relaxed a little at Rin's attempted jest, even though the shadow her dream had cast still hung over her.
"Hey, do you want to go back to bed?" Rin asked sensing the brunettes more relaxed state.
"Yeah," Hanayo whispered exhausted with another sniff "Can you hold on to me?"
"Of course." Rin whispered as the pair lay down still locked together.
After a minute Hanayo looked up and saw Rin's sleeping smiley face 'Please keep your promise Rin.' Hanayo thought, only to feel Rin shift a little closer, almost like the ginger could tell Hanayo was still troubled.
"Thank you, Rin." Hanayo whispered with a smile.
(Yo)
Yo glanced over to her side and saw Ruby laying still with her back to the ashen girl, ever since Ruby heard about her sister, she'd stayed quiet in the corner.
'I wish we had more time together.' Yo thought to herself as she looked at the window at the moon as she lay on her futon 'And I wish I told you that time.'
"That's a nice song your humming Yo."
"Huh?" Yo looked over to Ruby who had her back to the ashen girl confused "I was humming?"
"Yes, you've done it a few times actually."
"Oh," Yo said a little embarrassed "I wasn't aware I've been doing that, sorry if it was annoying."
"No its fine, it's really nice actually."
"What does it sound like?" Yo asked curious.
"Erm, I think like this." Ruby said before she started to hum.
Yo listened to the young girl humming away and she instantly recognised the tune Ruby was humming "Oh, I was humming that song?" Yo said with a sense of nostalgia.
"Is it important?"
"Not really." Yo sighed "The last time I spent at Riko's, she played that song to me."
"Oh," Ruby said still not facing Yo "Why didn't you tell her how you felt?"
"I guess I was too scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Everything I guess, scared she'd wouldn't feel the same way, scared I lose her as a friend, scared Kira might use it get to one or both of us."
"Take some advice from me Yo, don't wait, you don't want to lose the chance to say what you want to, trust me, I know." Ruby choking at the end.
"Ruby…"
"I wish I had told Dia how good of a sister she was and how much I loved her…but…now I'll…never get to…and…it's killing me…" Ruby said her sobs threatening to make her tears flow again.
Yo shifted slightly making her leg sting again "She knew Ruby, trust me she knew." Yo said as she placed her hand on Ruby's arm.
"Thanks Yo…but it doesn't help…just tell Riko." Ruby choked before her tears flowed freely but quietly.
Yo clenched her fist tightly feeling helpless at Ruby crying, desperate Yo started to hum the song Riko played for her hoping it might help Ruby, but as she hummed her minded drifted to the redhead 'I wish I could see you Riko, I could use a hug right now.'
(Riko)
"That was a nice song." Riko heard Tsuki say to her side as she finished playing her Shinobue.
"Thanks." RIko said quietly 'One more day, if I had had one more day, I could have said it, but I'm a coward.' Riko growled to herself.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
'Why did you have to notice Tsuki?' Riko sighed in her head before pushed herself off a pillar she began to speak "I played the song to Yo the last time we saw each other and all I can think about is how I wish I told her, now she…"
"She'll be fine." Tsuki interrupted "Kira needs Yo to try and make this take over legitimate."
"That only means she's alive, not unharmed." Riko growled through gritted teeth as her anger started to rise as the idea "He could do all sorts to her to try and make her bend to his will."
"And we all know what Sakura is like, that sadist." Riko could feel her fists tighten at the thought of Sakura coming within a mile of Yo which caused her anger to boil "If anything happens to Yo then I'll never forgive Lady Minami."
"Riko, I'm angry at her to for lying, but we can't get anywhere by fighting each other." Tsuki sighed
"I know Tsuki not an idiot," Riko said with a sigh pinching her nose feeling her eyes sting slightly "I know we need to work together, but I'm not forgiving Lady Minami for getting my parents killed for a lie or getting us in this situation, from now on I follow Nozomi or you."
The pair stayed quiet a second before Tsuki spoke up "Hey, tell me about that night."
Riko let out a breath as she sat on the floor outside her chamber "It was a lot like this night, Yo was falling asleep so I let her lay on my lap, as I played that song, she fell asleep like that and she looked so peaceful." Riko said looking at her Shinobue "I just want her back safe."
"She will be." Tsuki said giving Riko a hug Riko.
"Thanks." Riko said quietly returning the hug.
"Anytime."