It was on a soft summer night that Setsuna and Kuu reached the cottage nestled in a clearing in the forest. Setsuna reigned in the white horse, looking at the lights shining from the windows. She felt Kuu's hands tighten around her waist.
"Do you think they'll receive us?" Kuu whispered into Setsuna's ear.
"I don't know," said Setsuna, and urged their horse to walk on.
Kaon and Himiko were laying out supper on the table when the knock came at the door. They exchanged a glance, and though it had been two years, though the war was fading from everyone's minds, Kaon still took her sword with her when they went to answer the door.
They blinked in disbelief at the two women standing on the doorstep, hand in hand. Setsuna gave Kaon a look with her calm, fathomless eyes. "We don't have anywhere to go," she murmured, and lapsed into silence.
Kaon could already feel Himiko beginning to radiate sympathy, and glanced her way. "Himiko? What do you think?" The question was redundant. They both knew they wouldn't turn Kuu and Setsuna from their door.
"I'll go put the horse away," was Himiko's answer.
While Himiko slipped out, Kaon invited Kuu and Setsuna into the cottage, taking them through to the simple kitchen. They were still holding hands. Even though they were travel stained and clearly fatigued, they couldn't stop exchanging soft happy looks with each other. Kuu would catch Setsuna's gaze and smile shyly; Setsuna followed Kuu's movements with a hunger that reminded Kaon of her former self. She'd felt like that watching Himiko when she'd been Mika's weapon, always denied what her heart most desired.
How long ago had Setsuna fallen in love with Kuu? Had she ever imagined that Kuu would return her feelings? At least Kaon had always known Himiko's feelings for her. The two of them would have been together long ago if not for Mika's insane jealousy. Setsuna right now had the look of a woman who'd spent her whole life gazing at those who never gazed back, and now couldn't believe someone had finally seen her, and valued what they saw.
During the war, Kaon had faced Setsuna many times in battle, and she'd always had the same expression in her eyes. A mix of inner torment, loneliness and self-loathing that added up to a black pit of hopelessness even deeper than Kaon's own.
None of that was there now. Setsuna's eyes were sober still, but there was a light and sparkle to their depths, and Kuu…From watching Kuu interact with Setsuna, Kaon came to the conclusion that she was not at all unaware of what Setsuna had been through, of what her emotional state used to be. There was a thoughtfulness in everything she did and said, intended to show Setsuna she was loved. Kaon was certainly curious as to how it had all come about, but it was probably a topic better left until later, once Kuu and Setsuna were rested.
Kaon had brought Kuu and Setsuna into the kitchen as the cherry pie still in the oven needed watching; seeing it was ready Kaon donned thick oven mitts, removed the pie and switched off the oven. "All right," she said, "Sorry about that; I'll take you upstairs. We have a spare room you can use."
A short time later, Kuu and Setsuna followed Kaon up to the tiny landing on the second floor of the cottage. "This is the room where Himiko and I sleep," said Kaon, waving her hand towards a door. She opened a second door. "This is our guest room, though we've never actually had any guests before."
The room was small, and rather crowded with the three of them standing in it.
"It's so cute!" Kuu enthused, while Setsuna merely smiled. "Thank you so much. I don't know where we would have slept tonight if you and Himiko hadn't taken us in."
"Well, we would have just slept in the woods again," Setsuna pointed out. "But this is certainly a lot nicer."
Leaving the bedroom, Kaon pointed out the bathroom, the third and last door on the second floor. "Himiko and I can wait for a little while if you would like to bathe," she offered. "We have running water…We didn't when we first moved here, we had to lay in pipes…"
"Ah, I'd love a bath," said Kuu, her voice radiating happiness at the thought. "Setsuna?"
"Mmm." Setsuna agreed with a nod. She stroked her fingers along the bedspread before following Kuu out of the room.
Downstairs in the kitchen once more, Kaon got out extra plates and began to shift things to make room at the table for two more settings. It was just as well she and Himiko had made more food than normal, intending to take the leftovers with them on a trip to a nearby beauty spot they'd tentatively planned for the next day. There wouldn't be enough for that now, but they would be able to feed their guests tonight. After a moment of further thought, Kaon went and found some fresh fruit, an extra loaf of bread and two bottles of apple cider.
"You've gone all out for our guests," Himiko noted when she let herself back inside through the kitchen door.
"They must have had a long journey…"
Himiko giggled. She wrapped her arms around Kaon's waist from behind, snuggling into her back and kissing the nape of Kaon's neck – about as far as she could reach with her shorter stature. "They seem like newlyweds, don't they?"
"They do," Kaon agreed, leaning back into Himiko's arms.
"Remember when we were like that?"
A smile crossed Kaon's lips. She turned so she could slip her arms around Himiko's waist and kissed her with lingering sweetness. "I remember," she said softly.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Afterwards the four of them went and sat in the tiny sitting room, fragrant candles burning, the clean scent of the pines coming in through the open windows. Himiko took out her sketchbook and sketched Setsuna and Kuu absently as they all talked.
"How long did it take you to find Kuu?" Kaon directed the question to Setsuna, reflecting how odd it was for the two of them to be talking like this. In a sense, they knew each other intimately, both because of the battles they'd fought and because they shared the rare knowledge of how it had felt to live as weapons weighed down by the chains of the Ayanokouji family. But never once before had Kaon ever imagined a time might come where they would have a normal conversation.
"I've been searching for her this whole time," Setsuna answered. "I finally found her about four months ago, and it's taken us that long to get home. It was a journey filled with strange adventures."
After hesitating for a moment, Kaon followed up with, "what happened to Kyoushirou? Didn't you set out with him to find Kuu together?"
Setsuna shrugged. "He got bored. He gave up long before the quest was completed."
"I was glad about that though," said Kuu. She was sitting leaning against Setsuna, looking decidedly comfortable as Setsuna absently stroked her hair. "I guess…Being reincarnated gave me a different perspective on my previous life. Back then, I used to feel empty all the time, and I figured it must be because there was nothing inside me. But spending all that time wandering over those green meadows and thinking, I realised I wasn't empty at all. It was just that I was afraid of becoming filled with myself. I thought I had to be nothing in order for someone else to love me, to become a blank slate on which he could write my story. And maybe that was true with Kyoushirou. That probably is what he wanted from me.
"I think that's why I shrank myself down to nothing. When I was reborn, I decided I wasn't going to do that anymore. There was a surprising amount of space to grow on those meadows and so…I just let it happen. When Setsuna found me…" Kuu sighed. "It's difficult to put into words. It felt like what was meant to be. I realised I loved her. She had always risked far more to protect me than Kyoushirou ever did. I decided she was the one I wanted to be with. During the journey home, we…"
A blush crept over Kuu's cheeks, and when she didn't finish, Setsuna supplied, "I suppose you could say we admitted our feelings for each other. And now we're together."
Himiko made a quick succession of sketches in her artbook after that, as Setsuna and Kuu gazed into each other's eyes, as they kissed, and later she'd turn the sketches into a series of paintings, though not paintings she'd ever show in public, and the name of the series would be Without Princes.
As she watched Himiko sketch, Kaon reflected that Mika had been much like Kyoushirou. She too had wanted Kaon to become an empty vessel she could fill. She'd tried everything in her power to make that happen. Kaon must have tensed uncomfortably as she thought back to those miserable times, for Himiko comfortingly took Kaon's hand and gave her a reassuring smile – A smile that said nothing was going to separate them again.
"Excuse me," said Kuu, her voice shy, "I think Setsuna and I are ready to go to bed. We were riding since dawn this morning…I hope it doesn't seem rude. You've been so kind to us—"
"Not at all," said Himiko. "I'm glad Kaon and I were able to help. Please rest well."
Kuu rose and gave a small bow before hurrying away up the stairs. Setsuna rose more slowly, and her bow was deeper.
"Thank you for opening your home to us, Himiko, Murakumo. Good night."
Kaon drew in a sharp breath and stiffened at the sound of her old designation as an Absolute Angel. "Setsuna," she said, as Setsuna turned away.
Setsuna paused.
"I don't go by that name anymore. I just go by Kaon."
"I'm glad," said Setsuna, her enigmatic eyes warmed by a smile. "I don't go by my old name either. Freedom is a nice thing to have, isn't it?"
"Yes," Kaon agreed. "It is."
Himiko and Kaon went up to bed not long after their guests. The whispers and moans coming from the other room were muffled and indistinct, but still made clear enough what was happening.
With a low sigh of amusement, Himiko pressed herself in close to Kaon, enjoying the familiar contours of her body. "Do you think this is the first time Setsuna and Kuu have consummated their relationship?" she whispered into Kaon's ear. "If so, this is rather like their wedding night, isn't it?"
Kaon gave a sceptical snort. "You saw how Kuu was blushing before, Himiko, when Setsuna said they'd admitted their feelings on the journey home. I doubt tonight is the first time they've been together."
"Hmm, you're probably right, I suppose. But—" Himiko's voice brightened. "They won't have had the comfort of their own room, with a proper bed, before now. Don't you think?"
She felt Kaon's fingers running through her hair. "What strange thoughts you're having tonight, Himiko. Why does it matter? It's their business, not ours."
"I'm just…Glad we could do something for them." Himiko could hear old spectres of the past stirring in her hushed tone, and knew Kaon could hear it too. "You and I started out only having each other – no home, no possessions. After the war, we built this life here together. It makes me happy to think we've come so far we can help another couple who are where we used to be."
It was true. Seeing Kuu and Setsuna together, it reminded Himiko of how she'd felt when she and Kaon were finally able to share their feelings, consummate their love, in the early days of the aftermath of the war. That had always been impossible before, when Kaon was Mika's weapon. Her fury would have been unimaginable. As it was, even Mika's suspicion of Kaon's feelings had been enough to condemn Kaon to multiple rounds of torture, and the only thing Himiko had been able to do in those awful days was listen to Kaon's screams and then try to care for her afterwards, once Mika was finished.
Sometimes Himiko could hardly believe how fortunate she and Kaon were now, to have this peaceful life with each other in the forest, away from the world. Himiko spent much of her time painting and drawing. Kaon still kept up with her physical training, but now she meditated too, and she'd taken up stargazing, trying to decipher the future written in the heavens.
And when each day was done and night fell, they could lie together like this, and Himiko could hold Kaon in her arms, the ache of emptiness banished along with the terror of what new hell might wait for Kaon in the morning. Now Kaon's love was hers, Kaon's kisses were hers, Kaon's body was hers, and Himiko could give herself to Kaon as freely as she'd always wished she could.
She drew closer to Kaon, so the full length of their bodies were pressed together. Kaon's fingers dipped, skimming over Himiko's breasts and sliding over her thigh. There was no need for Himiko to say all the things she was thinking to Kaon; she knew Kaon understood. She let out a gasp and sought Kaon's lips, and was no longer aware of whether Kuu and Setsuna slept or continued to enjoy each other in the room across the way.
The next morning, Kaon and Himiko stood outside the door of the cottage, watching their guests prepare to depart.
"Are you sure you don't wish to stay longer," said Kaon. "Himiko and I truly have no objections."
"I know." Setsuna nodded towards Kaon in acknowledgement. "But Kuu and I talked it over last night. We've decided to continue on into town, and see what we find there. Our journey isn't over yet."
She sprung lightly into the saddle of their horse, and helped Kuu up behind her.
"Thank you both for your kindness," said Kuu, smiling at Kaon and Himiko as she settled her arms around Setsuna's waist. "I hope Setsuna and I will be in a position to repay you one day." She glanced at the cottage. "You've made a beautiful life together. It makes me glad to see it. The first time I ever saw the two of you, it was obvious how in love you were. You've both been through so much; you've earned your peace."
"It was hard fought and hard won," agreed Kaon, her tone sombre. She glanced at Himiko. "But worth it," she added softly.
Himiko acknowledged the look by sliding her hand into Kaon's. "Come and visit us again," she said to their departing guests.
"Oh we will," Kuu promised. "We'll bring you something next time, a proper gift."
"Kaon." Setsuna paused, as if searching for the right words. "It was never by my choice that you and I were enemies. But I would choose to build a friendship with you. Now that I am able to choose, that is what I would wish for."
Kaon inclined her head, one warrior acknowledging another. "I too, would choose that. The grievances of the Ayanokoujis are not mine and never were. As Himiko said, you are both welcome to return here. You always acted with more integrity than Kyoushirou, Setsuna. Even in the days when I thought I should never know you as anything other than an opponent, I had a high opinion of you. I would be glad of your friendship."
There was an easing of tension in Setsuna's shoulders, a lingering worry banished from her eyes over the ills of the past, and with a murmured assurance from Kuu that she was ready, Setsuna gathered up the reins and urged the white horse on into the morning.