Marching
(Rin and Hanayo – Two days after Tsuki was announced as the new heir)
Rin silently watched as the troops she had been given command of crossed the river over the ford, which was made of rocks and bamboo on the sides, the ford itself was also deep under the water meaning the troops occasionally slipped and tripped as they crossed.
"Where do you think Maki and Nico will be by now?" Hanayo asked as she stood next to Rin watching the soldiers crossing the river, the water up to their knees.
"They should have crossed the other river by now and making their way to Yo's castle." Rin replied with sigh.
"It will be fine Rin." Hanayo said as she took Rins hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Thanks Kayo-chin." Rin smiled as she returned the squeeze.
"Any time Rin." Hanayo said before placing a small kiss on Rin's cheek.
"Kayo-chin…" Rin whined as she felt herself blush.
"Sorry, I just like it."
"Don't apologise." Rin smiled "I like it to, nya, it just caught me off guard."
Rin rested her head on Hanayo's shoulder trying to forget the secret conversation she had with Nozomi before they had departed.
"A secret order?"
"Yes, you can tell Hanayo once you arrive but don't tell anyone till you have left."
"Ok, but whats the order?"
"Its to do with Umi's castle."
(Maki and Nico)
"Did you have to make those fords so deep?" Maki groaned as she remounted her horse, her feet and legs soaked and cold from the water.
"We needed to keep them secret." Yoshiko replied, "If they were any higher, they could have been spotted."
"Come on we need to keep moving." Riko shouted from her horse before riding off down the back road the group had decided to take to reach the brewery, quickly followed by Yoshiko.
"We'd better catch up." Nico said as she mounted the horse with Maki, holding on to the redhead tightly, Maki picking up a slight tremble for the raven-haired girl.
"Hey, you, ok?"
"I'm freezing from the river." Nico groaned as she hugged the redhead tightly.
"This warming you up?" Maki said as she made their horse ride off after Riko and Yoshiko.
"A little." Nico said resting her head on Maki's shoulder.
"Don't worry, we should be able to make camp soon."
"Not if Riko has anything to say about it." Nico mumbled "She'll be trying for the walls tonight if she gets the chance."
"Well we'll just have to force her to stop, won't we?" Maki sighed "Besides, I need to get you warmed up."
"Maki!" Nico shouted before whispering "Not around the others."
"I wasn't talking about that." Maki replied before smiling "Not that I would object."
(Eli)
"Are you sure your up to it?" Eli asked after hearing the plan from Yukiho and Alisa, the redhead was still using a stick to move around and Eli had seen the pair arrive in cart rather than on horseback.
"I'll be fine after a rest." Yukiho sighed.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Just don't push yourself, I don't want my future sister-in-law to get ill because she went too far."
"Erm, on that matter," Yukiho said nervously "Are you ok with this?"
"Nozomi assures me this is Alisa's decision, so I accept it, besides I would rather someone I know marry her then some stranger." Eli sighed "I am not happy about being kept in the dark about this relationship beforehand."
"Sorry, we would have said but…"
"But you were worried about you could trust or not."
"Yeah."
"And yet you entered into this relationship knowing that and putting Alisa at risk?" Eli said fixing Yukiho with a glare.
"I would never do that." Yukiho growled "Which is why we met on your side of the boarder, if I was caught you and Nozomi would have treated me much better than if Alisa was caught on our side."
"I see." Eli sighed "Well get some rest, I'll lead the troops tonight, you stay and rest up and lead the rest of the troops when we are in place."
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow."
"Yukiho, you need the rest, besides I'm rather tired of sitting around doing nothing for all this time." Eli sighed "You stay with Alisa and hold down this side of the bridge, ok?"
Eli could see the redhead make ready to argue, only for her to flinch and cover her bandaged eye before sighing "Ok fine, I'll have issues reading the thing in the dark anyway." Yuikho said as she handed over the map.
Eli gave the redhead a smile as she took the map "You two can use my tent while you're here, though," Eli said fixing the redhead with a glare "Nothing had better happen in my bed except sleeping, got it?"
"Yes." Yukiho nodded.
"Good, because I will know otherwise."
(Nozomi – on the way to the Ohara's land)
"Something on your mind?" Nozomi asked Tsuki as she saw the dark-haired girl glancing behind her from time to time.
"Yes, them." Tsuki sighed looking behind her to a cart, that held Kotori and Umi.
"Oh?"
"I wonder how the two are doing, Kotori remained in her chamber most of the last two days and barely talked and Umi was training most of the time." Tsuki sighed "I'm a little worried about them."
"They are likely still trying to get used to the new situation." Nozomi replied "Especially Umi, you know how she is about Kotori."
"That's true." Tsuki sighed.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine, they always were when they were together." Nozomi smiled "Besides I would be more worried about what Lady Ohara is going to ask for."
"How do you mean?"
"She'll want something for her help and it will likely be something important."
"Yeah, that sounds like her." Tsuki sighed.
(Kotori)
"Are you sure you're ok with a cart?" Umi asked from Kotori's left.
"Yeah, besides its likely better for Saki to." Kotori said looking to her right at the sleep girl in a makeshift bed made from bundles of fabric "It was a bit hard to hold onto her while riding a horse."
"I see." Umi said quietly as she pinched her nose.
"Umi are you ok?" Kotori asked concerned, the ashen girl knew the blunette had been up late into the night the last two days and rings were starting to appear under the ronin's eyes, making Kotori worry.
"I'm fine Kotori." Umi said pinching her nose.
"Umi!" Kotori whined "You've been up really late into the last couple of days, what's wrong?"
"I never could get anything past you." Umi said as she let out a defeated sigh "I've had some things on my mind."
"Such as?"
"Something Tsuki said to me has been playing around in my head the last two days."
"What did she say?" Kotori asked concerned, Tsuki didn't have the best opinion of her family right now and she was worried about what she might told the blunette.
"She called you and Saki my girls."
"Is that bad?" Kotori sais unsure what to say having expected something different.
"No, it just has me pondering."
"About?"
"About what might have been, the two us with our kids living happily, all the things that might have been had I stopped Kira." Umi said before letting out a sigh.
Kotori looked at the blunette a moment, she could tell there was a little more to that explanation and she had an idea what it was "Have those voice been playing a part in this to?" Kotori asked getting a shocked look from the blunette in response.
"A little."
Kotori felt her annoyance bubble up before leaning in close to the blunette's ear "I thought I told you two to leave Umi alone." Kotori whispered in the blunettes ear before pulling back with a smile "That better?"
"Not any more than last time, but I do still appreciate the thought." Umi said though this was immediately followed up by a yawn.
"Umi, you need to sleep."
"I will when we stop."
"No, now."
"How?" Umi said with a confused.
"Come on." Kotori said as she stretched out her legs before patting her lap
"I'm fine Kotori really…"
"Umi, it's not good for you if you carry on like this." Kotori said with a pout.
Umi bit her bottom lip "Kotori I'm meant to be guarding you and Saki."
"But this area is safe, Maki and Rin rode though here before use remember."
"It's cleared of that army, there could be survivors hiding out that we don't know about and you did have bandits try and attack you when you first came to Lady Nozomi's land."
"Umi, you can't guard me properly if you're barely keeping your eyes open," Kotori scowled before continuing "Besides Honoka is just behind us, she can at least hold anyone off till you able to fight to."
Kotori dropped the scowl and softened her look before looking at the blunette with a pleading look "Umi…Onigai."
The blunette looked like she was about argue for a moment before her shoulders dropped "Your unfair." Umi sighed "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Kotori said with a smile before giddily patting her lap again.
Once Umi had laid her head in Kotori's lap the ashen girl started to run her fingers through the blunette's hair earning a small moan as a reward.
The two stayed like that a few minutes and Kotori was almost certain that Umi had drifted off to sleep only for the two to hear a twig snapping, the effect was immediate as the Ronin's eyes shot open and begin to reach on her Naginata.
"Umi, wait." Kotori said putting a hand on the blunette's shoulder and grab the hand reaching for the Naginata holding her in place.
A few moments passed before they were surrounded by silence again except for the sound of cart moving down the road "You need to relax Umi." Kotori whispered as she pushed the ronin back onto her lap
"It is my duty to protect you, Kotori." Umi sighed as she laid backdown and closed her eyes again as the ashen girl began to play with her hair again, her free hand resting on the blunettes belly.
"I know but we are safe here."
"We are in a small group, alone, in an area that Kira's troops were not long in, I'd hardly call that safe," Umi said with a yawn "I won't let them near you and I won't let the past repeat."
'Stop taking all the blame for that, it wasn't just you.' Kotori groaned in her mind 'Maybe if I gave up that title before none of this would have happened.'
"Kotori?" the ashen girl heard the blunette ask, looking down she could see a concerned look in the amber eyes Kotori adored so much "Your hand slowed down, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Kotori replied as she back to stroking the blunettes hair.
"Kotori, I know you as well as you know me, I can tell from the look in your eyes somethings up."
"You caught me." Kotori said before letting out a sigh "I was just thinking."
"Thinking what exactly?"
"Maybe if I had said to papa if I wanted to become Kotori Sonoda and Kira could have the title, none of this would have happened."
"But your title…"
"It was never that important to me Umi," Kotori sighed "honestly, I was scared about taking up the title, the only thing that made that fear go away was having you around."
"Really?"
"Yes, whenever I was feeling overwhelmed, scared or stressed, you were always there for me, to see if I was ok, just having you there made all the fear and stress wash away, I felt like I could relax when I was with you, like when I was overwhelmed I felt like I could run to you and curl into a ball and you would keep me safe."
"Of course I would Kotori, I'd never have left you alone." Kotori felt a light tough on her wrist, looking down she could see one of the blunettes hands resting the arm that was on the ronin's stomach, though the blunette looked like she wasn't aware what she had done.
Kotori smiled as she felt her heart flutter at the touch "That's why I was very relieved we were going to be married, I knew I'd have you to help me through it."
"Why did you never tell me this before?" Umi asked confused.
"I didn't want you to think less of me."
"I'd never do that Kotori; I know well the burden of duty." Umi sighed as she glanced over to the far corner of the cart where her armour and sword were packed away safely. The pair stayed silent a moment Umi's hand never separating from the hand on her stomach as Kotori kept playing the Umi's hair.
"Would you really have wanted that?" Umi finally asked "Would you really have wanted to give up your title and live with me?"
"Yes, so long as I got keep you by my side."
"It wouldn't have worked Kotori, Kira would always have seen you as a threat and you were more popular, he would have moved against you eventually." Umi sighed "Besides, I would never have accepted it at the time."
"You're not blaming yourself for me giving up the title, are you?" Kotori asked concerned.
"No, you asked me not to." Umi said as her eyes looked off to the side with a guilty look in her eye "So I won't."
"You're not feeling responsible, are you?"
"A little." Umi sighed.
"Please don't Umi, I made this decision to take responsibility for my false accusation of you, so please don't feel responsible for this…Onigai."
"As you wish Kotori." Umi said in a light groan before closing her eyes. Kotori kept brushing the blunettes hair till she heard the ronin snoring, earning a small smile from the ashen girl.
Kotori leaned down and kissed the blunette on the forehead, this made the blunette stir and Kotori worried she'd just woken Umi.
"Kotori." Umi mumbled as she turned over, her face at the ashen girl's stomach and one of the ronin's hand caught onto the ashen girl's clothing as the other one kept the hold on her wrist.
Kotori waited a moment before she heard Umi snoring gently again "Sleep well, my little Samurai."