notes: This AU was supposed to be 500 words and then it broke past 6,000 words unknowingly? Also this is set in the Muromachi/Warring States period (1330s onwards). This is based on the political structure of that time, but again, is probably not accurate in the least. (Women definitely did not have the autonomy to ascend into the rank of samurai.)

Terms:
Daimyo – Japan was divided into different provinces owned by local power holders who were samurai (who worked for the head of the government, the shogun), called a daimyo. Due to this decentralization of power, provincial power was exercised by these military chieftains and fighting was almost continuous.
Ninjato – a short sword that ninjas used in the feudal period
Shinobi Shozoko – the clothes ninja wore for missions, which covered the whole body except the eyes and the hands, Sasayan wears this for a majority of the fic.
Hakama – simple formal kimono for males

under trees and over roofs

Sasayan sometimes realised that having a female daimyo was a pretty big deal. It was made more obvious by the fact that they didn't have any other women in the clan apart from Shizuku herself.

Shizuku was a strong leader with a commanding presence despite her scrawny stature. She had inherited all of these traits from her mother, the previous head of the Mizutani. Though she could get too preoccupied with studying ancient texts at times, she ran their province well with a strict but even hand. The townspeople were mostly satisfied with the taxes she set and the fact that she kept the streets safe at night. Some still questioned the legitimacy of a daimyo who was a woman, but they did so in secrecy, in places where Sasayan could hear them from his perch in on the roofs of alleys.

Shizuku paid little attention to the information he brought back to her. The problem looming over them wasn't that. It was the fact that the daimyo from the neighbouring provinces were intending to attack their town and seize their resources. They presumed that with the new Mizutani head would be a pushover compared to her mother. It wasn't true – but it wasn't entirely false either. Sasayan tried to be optimistic about things when he was with the clan, but Shizuku would always present things as they were during their meetings.

"It's true that we're not as strong as we once were, but we'll find a way to deal with them," she said calmly, never mincing her words or trying to make things any lighter than the truth. "I'm not going to give up so easily." The rest of the samurai always agreed, heartened by her quiet charisma.

In spite of Shizuku's composure, doubt still plagued them because they wouldn't be able to hold out against a combined attack from the other daimyos, not in their current state at least. Sasayan carried out his duties as best as he could, brokering for information in the shadows and listening in on conversations between passing merchants on the high roads, but he never found anything worthwhile. His network of friends could only extend so far before they would get caught by their enemies.

"Things have been hard on you. I'm sorry," Shizuku told him in private one night.

"Don't be, it's alright," he laughed. It was easy to drop the formalities when they were alone. Shizuku was less stone and more human now, the burden of being a leader no longer hanging on her shoulders. She became the childhood friend he played with since he was five. "I'm just worried. I haven't been able to find anything useful. I wonder how much time we have left."

"I agree. If we knew at least that much, then we could prepare," she said, sipping her tea. "That's why I recruited another ninja into our clan."

Sasayan straightened his back. "Really?" Up till now, his family had been the only ninjas. With the passing of his father, he was the only one left under the Mizutani. Their part of the country was usually peaceful, and ninjas weren't really needed. At least, not till these past couple of years.

Shizuku nodded. "I had intended for them to aid us, but…"

"But?"

The girl sighed. "You'll understand when you meet her."

Sasayan understood when he met the girl called Natsume. She was wearing pink. What kind of ninja wore pink? To make matters worse, she had no face mask – showing your face to the enemy was one of the greatest 'don'ts' of being a ninja. Her smile, bright and friendly, was no help. Sasayan threw Shizuku a skeptical smile before realizing that she wouldn't be able to see it. Instead, he laughed.

"She wouldn't leave me alone till I let her join, and it was to our advantage, so," Shizuku mumbled, trailing off as she kneaded her forehead with one hand. "Anyway, show her the ropes, introduce her to the family, I have to finish reading my mother's old treaties." And with that, she left him with Natsume, who had eyelashes too long and a face too smooth to be standing anywhere near any of them.

"Mizutani-sama!" Natsume called after her, but Shizuku would not look over her shoulder.

"She's a little unapproachable, but you'll get used to it," he told her, still chuckling. "Anyway, I'm Sasayan."

"Nice to meet you!" she chirped.

Far too nice.

"Sasayan!"

Someone thumped against his back with a hug. Sasayan looked over his shoulder to see that it was only Yamato. "Yeah?"

"I heard that we have a new member in the clan! Introduce them to us, won't you?" his friend asked. From his tone of voice, he had caught wind of the rumour that Natsume was female. Shizuku had told him to slowly integrate Natsume into their family, which meant letting everyone know of her presence one at a time.

"Don't worry, I will soon," Sasayan told him, before turning back on course. He had some papers that Shizuku needed to sign.

"Over dinner tonight? I'll let you have some of my share of rice!"

"Alright, alright," he laughed at Yamato.

That night, Natsume refused to leave her room. She said she was coming down with something and wanted to sleep it off. She'd looked fine the night before, but Sasayan couldn't confirm for sure with the door in his way and with her insistence that she was alright and didn't need the physician. He left a bowl of rice and soup at her door after dinner and went on his way, a feeling of unease settling over him.

Still, he could see why Shizuku had allowed her, a complete stranger, to join their clan. They could send Natsume to infiltrate the drinking parties of the daimyos under the guise of a courtesan. It was the easiest way to get the information they needed in the short amount of time they were struggling with.

"I used to be a courtesan, actually," Natsume shared almost too proudly. She let a leg hang out from the edge of the tiled roof they were resting on. "So leave everything to me!"

Sasayan nearly believed her. Even under the dark veil of the night, her face would sell for gold in the brothels of red light districts. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

The girl looked shocked. "Why would I lie?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Sasayan countered.

"We're working under Mizutani-sama now, I don't think it'd be right to keep secrets from our own comrades," the girl told him, sounding like she knew better even though he was the one who had grown up under the Mizutani. Shizuku took Natsume in only a couple of weeks ago. She hadn't been able to remember half the names of the samurai in their house, let alone speak with any of them. She still wasn't attending dinner and Yamato still hadn't gotten acquainted with her. Natsume didn't like being around people, it seemed. "And it's a nice word, isn't it? Comrades… friends," she hummed to herself, still a mystery to him.

It was still too early to talk about things like trust and being comrades, but tomorrow was their first operation with a town in the north, run by the Yamaguchi. Sasayan had to make the best of things. Shizuku had placed expectations on him, after all.

"You're right."

"Thank you," Natsume replied though she didn't sound all that thankful.

Natsume, dressed up like a courtesan, climbed to a level of beauty that Sasayan didn't know existed. He never went to drink as regularly as the other men in their clan – it didn't match well with the demands of his job. As a result, he didn't know much about courtesans, what they wore and how many ornaments they had to carry or about the polite language they used. Ooshima taught him everything as she helped Natsume prepare.

With the way the clothes wore her and not the other way around, the way she brought out the shine of the jewels around her neck and not the other way around, it seemed that Natsume belonged to this place, thick with sake and wealth and allure. It made the fact that she didn't all the more jarring.

"Thank you, Ooshima-san." Sasayan bowed to the woman.

"It's alright," the young daughter of the brothel replied with subdued elegance. Some women had to be trained to exude this sort of atmosphere, but Sasayan could tell that it came to Ooshima naturally. "If there's anything I can do to help the Mizutani, I'll gladly do it."

"You're really sticking your neck out for us," Sasayan grinned apologetically behind his mask. "Thank you."

"It's alright. They won't find out, I'm sure of it."

"Of course they won't! I won't just grab the information and leave, I'll finish all the duties like a professional," Natsume assured them, striking a pose with her arms. The heavy sleeves of the kimono gathered at her elbows and the pale skin of her arms was a stark contrast to the dark clothes he wore. Sasayan noticed small things like these even though he wasn't sure why.

"Then let's go through how to serve sake and how to address the guests." Ooshima clapped her hands lightly.

Sasayan excused himself as they did, exiting through the back way and taking roost on the rooftop of the entertainment quarters. He couldn't risk going near the rooms where the courtesans entertained their customers. The Yamaguchi were careless for sure, but Shizuku had said time and time again that just because they were careless didn't mean that the Mizutani could afford to become careless too.

So Sasayan waited in his place, marking out the constellations he could find in the night sky. He heard the doors below slide open and close as Natsume and Ooshima went to join the rest of the women who were serving that night. They smelled like anise and cinnamon.

Nearly three hours later, Natsume shuffled back down the corridor, strands of hair askew from the bun Ooshima had painstakingly put together. Sasayan peered down from the roof to the first floor and caught her eye.

"Oi!" another voice shouted. It came from a man a ways down, standing at the end of the hallway.

"Yes?" Natsume started.

"You're done for the night? I heard a room in the West wing was looking for one more woman."

"I – um – I – " the words didn't seem to be coming to her.

"I'll attend to them shortly," Sasayan whispered. Natsume repeated the line to the young man, her hands fiddling with the sleeves of her kimono. She bowed mechanically and glued her eyes to the floor until the worker left.

Sasayan climbed down and landed on the ground beside her. "You almost blew our cover," he told her as they entered the room.

"I,I didn't mean to," Natsume shuddered. The moment she shut the door, she cupped her hands to her eyes and curled into herself, wrinkling the expensive kimono. "Everything's okay. Everything's okay."

"What's wrong?"

The girl shook her head. "N-nothing. I'll be fine soon."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

Natsume didn't respond. It made no sense to press her, so he positioned himself at the doorway, listening out for foreign footsteps on the corridor as the girl collected herself.

"Relax," he told her, not knowing what else to say. Working with women who weren't Shizuku was hard.

After taking a few breaths of air, Natsume tore the headpiece and jewelry off herself, undoing her obi and stepping out of the cloth without speaking to him. Sasayan frowned at her, but she ignored that too as she stripped down to her shinobi shozoko, which she'd been wearing underneath the kimono. At least it was no longer pink.

"Let's go," she said, drawing a clean dagger out from under her skirt and sheathing it on her belt, her hand was shaking.

Sasayan glanced at her shoulders. They were shaking too.

On one night, Natsume managed to remain undetected for a minute before Sasayan noticed her sitting on the branch of a tree in the courtyard. She was getting better at this ninja-thing. He'd returned from patrolling the town and still had his shinobi shozoko on. It helped. Natsume hadn't seen his face and while Sasayan had never intended to keep his mask on around her all the time –it just happened that way.

In the day, Natsume helped Shizuku with her studies or did chores. Shizuku didn't want Natsume's presence to become known around town, at least, not until they had the information they needed. As far as the other clans knew, the Mizutani didn't have any female working under them. Natsume stayed indoors most of the time. Sasayan wore a simple hakama on most days, but he was always involved with training their newer members or with strategy meetings, he never ran into her until it was night when he wore the shinobi shozoko. It became such a routine that it was now difficult to remove his mask around her, so he didn't.

"What are you doing up there?"

She was wearing normal clothes, and Sasayan recognized them as Shizuku's. Did Natsume not have her own?

"Nothing," Natsume replied.

Sasayan raised an eyebrow.

"Really. It's fun. You should try it sometime."

"Whatever you say," he chuckled. "I'm going for dinner with the rest. Are you coming?"

Natsume shook her head without hesitating. "Could you help me get dinner, Sasayan?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, but why can't you get it yourself?"

The expression on Natsume's face was his only answer. She didn't want to talk about it. It reminded him about the night at the brothel, and Sasayan felt the tiniest hint of frustration affect him.

"I just don't like talking to men."

"What about me?"

Natsume was dumbfounded, as if she hadn't even thought about it. When she finally opened her mouth, she said: "I want extra rice and soup."

Sasayan lent his mother's ninjato to Natsume. The fact that she didn't have one of her own was something to be suspicious about, but it wasn't the same kind of suspicion Sasayan first held towards her in the beginning. It was becoming different.

He preferred using his mother's sword because it was lighter and cut more easily than his father's, but there was no other way around it. Natsume's eagerness to learn and the respect she paid to the ninjato was sufficient to make Sasayan think he'd made the correct choice. They sparred in the hall after dinner when all the men were on guard duty or drinking.

She wasn't terrible but she wasn't great, skilled enough to survive but not to kill. It suited their job as ninjas, so Sasayan didn't complain. She was a little rusty with her sword skills, but she moved light on her feet – Sasayan could tell that she was trained to be a ninja at some point in time, maybe before she became a courtesan. He didn't like making assumptions and wanted to ask her about it, but it seemed to be intruding too much on personal matters. Natsume would tell him when the time was right.

Their ninjato clashed in mid-movement and Natsume swept one leg up to knock his out of his hand.

"Hah!" the girl shouted gleefully.

He drew another short blade from the back of his collar and struck it out, placing the blunt side against her throat. Natsume's triumph soured into surrender as she lowered her sword.

"You should always be prepared," he said as he stepped back, keeping the knife behind his neck. "Have a spare for your spare, and a spare for that." When he lifted his eyes off the floor, his forehead came into contact with the sharp point of a throwing star.

"And you should never lower your guard," Natsume finished with a smug grin.

"Right." Sasayan slapped the star away before stretching his back. His muscles were tired from sparring for so long.

"You know, your mask is starting to get on my nerves. I don't know if you're impressed or not."

Sasayan offered her an amused laugh, but didn't try to give her an answer.

Natsume had managed to extract information of how the Yamaguchi were planning to attack the Mizutani and the numbers of men they were bringing. Shizuku wasn't pleased, convinced that they could get more out of them. Outside of their daimyo, Kenji, the Yamaguchi weren't the sharpest swords in the dojo.

"It's odd that they would discuss all of that, but not the date."

Natsume squeaked.

"What is it?" Shizuku turned her gaze on the girl.

"I – I left the room for a while to help Ooshima retrieve more drinks," Natsume stuttered. "When I returned, they were already discussing things like manpower. M-maybe I missed out on something then?"

Sasayan leaned back from the table as Shizuku rose to her feet in one steady motion and brandished an ink brush at Natsume, who had been far too honest for her own good. Still, there was something reassuring about her guilelessness.

So Sasayan found himself back on the rooftops of Ooshima's estate, waiting for Natsume once again. It was much faster this time. Maybe Natsume and the other women were challenging each other to see which one of them could get the men stone-cold drunk the fastest. When she returned, she didn't look as shaken up as the first time, but Sasayan noticed something odd.

Natsume was gripping her upper arm, as if she'd been hurt. Sasayan reached a hand out to see what was the matter.

"No, don't touch me," Natsume told him. That she didn't sound aggressive, but sad, made Sasayan freeze.

"It's… nothing." She grew apologetic when she noticed the look in his eyes. "It's just where the man touched me. I know part of the mission needed me to do this, but the way he touched me made me feel – I feel, I feel like I'm not worth anything," she said this in a numb voice, as if it didn't matter to her anymore, or didn't allow it to affect her.

"That's not true."

Natsume chose not to acknowledge those words, staring obstinately at the floor just like she did the last time, shoulders a little more even now. Sasayan tried not to let it get to him. He leaned against the wall, sinking into the silence between them.

"Mind if I join you?"

Sasayan held up the tray containing a bowl of rice and soup up at the tree. The leaves seemed to consider his request as a light wind rolled across the courtyard. Finally, a girl dropped down from its branches, brushing the leaves off her shoulders as she got onto her feet.

"What soup are we having today?" she asked cautiously, arms crossed and lips pursed.

"Chicken," he told her as they sat down under the tree. He handed her the chopsticks as she took the bowl and began sipping its contents.

She softened a little after the soup warmed her up. "Why aren't you eating dinner with your friends?"

"Already ate," Sasayan informed her. He didn't want to eat dinner with Natsume anyway, since it meant that he had to remove his mask.

"I see," she hummed. The girl held her half-emptied bowl of soup at him. "Want some?"

Sasayan shook his head and lowered his eyes to the grass, plucking the blades and thinking about how quiet the courtyard was compared to the flurry of commotion in the dining hall. It was a change that he couldn't decide was nice or strange.

"… I'm sorry," Natsume whispered after swallowing a mouthful of rice. "For what happened last night, I mean," she added reluctantly. It made her indignant to be the one apologizing, and Sasayan found it comically insincere. He still accepted it with open hands. Natsume was an odd person.

Between Shizuku and Sasayan's usual duties and Natsume learning the ropes of the Mizutani, they were three busy individuals. The only time they could afford to sit down and meet was late in the night.

"Thanks for the hard work, you two," Shizuku said as she skimmed through the report he'd written.

"After reviewing the numbers they're sending and the amount they want to loot from us, and the fact that they keep holding it off, I think there's a possible chance that we may be able to negotiate with them," the girl concluded. "If that's the case, then I'd like to take that route."

Sasayan admired Shizuku's level-headedness, but she was being far too optimistic – which mean that he had to play the pessimist. "Are you sure, Shizuku? Who knows what they might do in such conditions. They might plan a trap or… do something worse. Can we really trust them?"

"We can't," Shizuku put it bluntly, "but I still want to do it this way."

"But– "

"Wow, you're really cool, Mizutani," Natsume interrupted him.

Sasayan could not process Shizuku's reasoning. His leader didn't seem to care. She picked up her seal, dipped it in red ink, and chopped her signature on the paper she had been writing on: a request for an audience with Kenji Yamaguchi. She lifted the letter to Sasayan, who took it with uncertainty.

"Make sure it's mailed as soon as possible. Then, we're going to discuss what to do with the Yoshida." Shizuku let a heavy sigh slip out when she finished the statement. She was as tired as all of them.

"Hey, hey. Chin up!" Sasayan urged her, alarmed to see her unbreakable steel now trembling. "You've been doing a great job thus far, leader! And who knows, maybe the Yoshida'll be open to negotiation too. Leave it up to me and Natsume to find out, alright?"

Shizuku summoned up a very small smile. "Alright. Now both of you go and get some rest."

"You should rest too. You're looking very tired. Remember that your health takes top priority," Natsume informed her, her genuine concern reaching even Shizuku. She nodded and kept her stationary and papers.

Natsume and Sasayan bade Shizuku good night and left her quarters. He was exhausted by the workload that seemed to just pile onto itself. He would have to get up early tomorrow to ensure the delivery of the letter, and following that he would need to confirm the infiltration strategy into the brothel the Yoshida frequented.

"What about you, are you okay? You seem to be carrying a lot on yourself, Sasayan."

Natsume, who'd been walking behind him, was regarding him with the same concern she'd shown to Shizuku. Sasayan chuckled, almost on reflex. He didn't have enough energy to smile and was thankful for the mask he wore. "What gave you that idea? I'm handling things well."

Natsume still didn't buy it. She extended a hand out to his face, but Sasayan retreated a few steps away, pretending that he hadn't seen her action. The girl's expression faltered, but she didn't pursue the matter. They walked in silence after that, Natsume's footsteps synchronizing with Sasayan's. Before he was ready for it, they parted at the second hallway.

Sasayan ran into Takaya along one of the corridors in the Mizutani estate. It was surprising to see him still out and about in the evening. He usually made an effort to finish his responsibilities by midday and spend the rest of the time in his room reading or playing go. It made the fact that they were all preparing for a raid or an ambush all the more apparent.

"Where is your sister?" he asked, holding up a pile of documents to indicate that they were for Shizuku.

"With that Natsume girl." The young boy blinked. "They don't want to be disturbed. Girl time."

Sasayan voiced his understanding before leaving the papers in Shizuku's study. He bumped into Natsume on his way back to the main hall. "Have you eaten dinner?" was the first sentence he said to her.

The girl nodded with enthusiasm. "Mitty promised to eat with me every night now!" she told him. "Thanks for keeping me company these past few weeks, but I think I'll be alright from now on."

Sasayan should have felt happy for her, or relieved at least, that she was finally opening up to someone else. But.

"Oh, I'll ask Mitty if you can join us for dinner some nights too! Well, if you want to, since you get along well with the others."

The feeling vanished too quickly. Sasayan felt childish as his shoulders relaxed. "Thanks."

"Anyway," Natsume continued, playing with the flower-patterns sown on her sleeves. "I was looking for you. Mitty asked me to try talking to the other men and make more friends" she explained, head lowered, "I'm going to need your help for that."

Sasayan grinned ridiculously. It was a good thing she couldn't see it.

"Leave it to me!"

Before long, it came time for Natsume to commit to her – hopefully – final time as a courtesan, this time to seize information from the Yoshida. Their connections at the brothel offered her a green kimono that was nowhere as flashy as the one she wore at Ooshima's, but she still managed to make it appear royal.

"Wish me luck!" Natsume raised her hand at him, her pale skin showing once again.

It was taking too long. Usually the longest drinking parties lasted only four hours, but by now the moon had already crossed the middle of the night sky. Sasayan fidgeting with his ninjato as he tossed and turned over his worry, considering the risks he was about to take. It became too much to bear after a certain point, and he only hoped that Shizuku could afford to be a little less harsh with him if he got into trouble.

He sneaked into the estate and gagged a passing wine server, changing into his clothes and hiding the unconscious boy under some shrubs. He shuffled down the hallways quietly, balancing the bottles of sake on the serving dish until he came to one of the few rooms that were still lighted.

"Sorry for interrupting!" he sang out as he opened the door and lowered himself onto his knees. "Would our guests like any more sake for the night?"

As Sasayan exchanged the filled bottles for the emptied ones, he found Natsume sitting at the head of the table next to a young man who had an arm around her waist. She looked incredibly tired and didn't seem to recognize him at first. She must have found his voice familiar though, because she stared blankly at him until it clicked. The sake she was pouring into the guest's cup overflowed as she gaped at him.

"Hey!"

"Ahhh, my apologies!" Natsume whipped her attention back to the male, bowing in frantic spurts.

Sasayan set his last bottle of sake in front of them, distracting the man from his anger. "Please excuse us for the trouble we've caused. Here is our best brew." He didn't know if it was what he claimed it to be, but it didn't really matter now. Natsume bit her lip and glanced at the hand on her waist, but Sasayan didn't know what to do. He could only dip his head and leave the room before the Yoshida could grow suspicious.

Sweeping the vicinity for guards, Sasayan clambered onto the roof and changed back into his shinobi shozoko. He squatted at its edge and listened to the ongoing conversations between the men and women. The image of Natsume being held by another man kept on gnawing at him – and if Sasayan was already feeling this much, he finally understood why Natsume was always so worked up after her undercover work in the brothels.

"Say, to compensate for dirtying my clothes, how about you follow me back to my room tonight, Sakura?" a voice slurred.

"Ah, Master, please don't be so direct, I'm afraid I don't know how to respond to such a request," Natsume replied, sweet and flirtatious, never breaking the act.

Sasayan swallowed, already itching to pounce from his heels. No, don't move. Don't give them away. Nastume knew what she was doing.

"Don't be coy," the man laughed.

"Would you like more sake, Master?"

"Hey, hey, don't ignore my order. I've paid for you and that means I get to have everything I want."

Sasayan thought that Shizuku would never forgive him for blowing their cover – but if this scene was going to go on for any longer, he wouldn't be able to control himself. Natsume was moving ahead of him, though. He wasn't surprised.

A loud crash rocked the room. The moment Sasayan heard bottles breaking, he leapt off the roof and threw open the door. Natsume stood on the top of the overturned table, holding the sharpened edge of a broken sake bottle in one raised hand, the other clutching her chest. The other women were scattering themselves out of the room as the drunk men scrambled to make sense of the situation. Instead of panic in the midst of the chaos, Sasayan was surprised to find passionate rage on her face. He wanted to hug her right then.

"Don't – any – of – you try to touch me!" she yelled, smashing the bottle against the floor before divesting herself from the rest of the kimono in record time. Before she was halfway down to just her shinobi shozoko, she was already beside Sasayan and they made their escape. The last few layers of kimono slowed her down, and she huffed in frustration as she cut through the rest of the material with a short knife.

"You aren't a very good ninja, are you?"

Natsume growled.

Upon seeing not one or two but four swordsmen, Sasayan felt his chest tighten. He and Natsume weren't adept at combat, they'd have trouble battling off even one each. They nodded to each other and fled into trees overhead. Out-manoeuvring and losing them was far easier than engaging them in a fight. Sasayan knew how to navigate himself well enough to avoid making noise, but Natsume's movements still weren't as fluid. Though he couldn't hear the leaves rustling, he could hear her breathing, uneven and straining for control.

They cursed at the same time when the foliage petered out and a clearing in the forest separated them from the next cover of the trees. They had to climb down, which had been what Yoshida's men had been hoping for as they gained on their heels.

"Are you dogs from the Mizutani?"

When Sasayan and Natsume remained silent, the men charged at them.

As Natsume barreled out of the way, Sasayan drew his ninjato and sliced a cut through the taller man's right leg to immobilize him .He dodged the blade of the second samurai as Natsume flung a throwing star to the man's throat, the choking noise was followed by the sound of a body collapsing on the ground. He backflipped away the third swinging sword, slipping a poison dart out from his wrist pocket and blowing it at the samurai's neck. These weren't the Yoshida's best warriors. They were probably new recruits who didn't have any experience in real battle and they'd made it easier than he'd predicted.

Sasayan backpedalled away from them as Natsume gasped. He shouted in shock when he realized the fourth samurai had burst out from a clump of bushes, he'd been too preoccupied with the fight to notice him.

The blade plunged into his arm and the pain that burst upon contact made Sasayan's vision go white. It hadn't cut too deep but Sasayan could hear a squelch that made him swear. He staggered onto his knees as the samurai raised his sword again, the metal blade now partially drenched in red, glinting under the crescent moon.

Natsume reached down the front of her shirt, pulled out a dagger, and flicked her wrist. In one sharp motion, it cleaved through the air and sank into the shoulder of his aggressor. She pulled out another and it pierced the samurai's side. The fraction of time had given Sasayan the chance to roll out of the reach of the sword. Natsume threw a smoke ball on the ground and with that, they disappeared under the forest's cover.

"Don't die," was the first thing was said to him when they got far enough to be catch their breath and for Sasayan to register how much the cut hurt. He groaned as the pain sunk in and leaned against the trunk of a tree. He was sure that his blood left a trail the enemies would follow, but in the maze of trees and shielded by the dark night, they wouldn't be able to have an advantage till it was day.

Natsume took medicine out of the pockets in her sleeve and ripped a portion of her skirt up to the waist, until Sasayan could glimpse the knives she hid on the peak her thighs. He tried not to stare – somewhat. Natsume noticed this and bound his arm with little grace and gentleness, enough to make him wince. He looked away, only to hear her breathing turn coarse and heavy. Had she been injured too?

Sasayan turned his head to Natsume, only to find her crying as she tightened his makeshift bandage, the tips of her fingers pink with his blood.

"What's… wrong? I'm fine. Well… as fine as… I can be," he said, still out of breath and somewhat lightheaded.

"I – I, I don't want to lose you," the girl shuddered. Her hands were too busy attending to him to wipe away her tears, so Sasayan did it for her with his available one.

"Don't get sentimental with me," he laughed. It was awkward.

"You're the first friend I ever had," Natsume remained sentimental, stubborn as she was. "I never had any friends growing up. And I thought I would never have any friends but then I found you and Mitty and you're the most important people to me. And the thought of you dying scared me and just now, for a second, I thought that maybe it would've been better if I never made any friends. I was so scared."

Natsume took a deep breath. "But, no, I'd still want to be friends with you, Sasayan, even if I'll get hurt in the end. When I'm with you and Mitty, I feel like I'm not just something. I'm someone."

Sasayan didn't know what to reply to that. To say that he understood her or agreed with her would have felt too easy and too insincere. But… it was the truth.

"Silly, right?" The girl's eyes were dry now and her smile was strong. She had surmounted the bar of beauty she'd set before. "I know you might not understand, but thank you for hearing me out."

She didn't need a reply. He placed his hand on her head and patted her in the most comforting way he could even though she was effectively taller than him now that he was slouching against the tree.

"Let's go back, Natsume. It's… going to be fine."

Natsume nodded, throwing his arm over her shoulder and telling him to rest more of his weight on her. Step by step, they walked the rest of the way home.

Sasayan would be able to use his right arm in two months' time. It was a much brighter picture than what he'd been preparing himself for. All he had been thinking about the past few hours was how much use a one-handed ninja would be.

"That was the only thing on your mind?" Shizuku said as Natsume poured the tea evenly between the three of them. "Sasayan, I'll keep you even if you lose both your arms – I'll just find something else for you to do, like, organize the library."

His leader then faced Natsume, hands folded neatly on her lap. "Thank you for lending us your help, Natsume. I know it was difficult for you, and I'm sorry you had to go through all of that for my - our clan."

Natsume shook her head vigorously. "What're you saying, Mitty? We're friends now aren't we?"

"Yes, and I'm just happy both of you are alive," Shizuku said this in her usual monotone. It was hard to pinpoint the emotion, but Sasayan could hear it. "I don't know what I'd do without you two around."

Natsume had been moved to tears and was now trying to embrace her. "Oh, Mitty! I'm so happy you care so much about me!"

Shizuku batted her away. "Don't be happy yet. Even though the Yamaguchi agreed to our request, the Yoshida clan might be planning to go to attack us sooner than we expected now, and I'm not going to let them catch us off guard. With Sasayan's injury we don't have any ninjas left, so we need to change our strategy."

"What about me?"

"Able ninjas," Shizuku clarified.

"You're so so mean," Natsume chided her. "I've gotten better, really."

"She has," Sasayan added. It would've been wrong not to vouch for the person who saved his life.

Shizuku frowned, but it wasn't an unhappy frown.

"Let's take it one step at a time, Mitty," Natsume said, her smile reaching her eyes. "You're going to get wrinkles here if you keep on thinking so hard." She pressed her finger against the middle of Shizuku's brow. The fact that Shizuku let her do that without slicing her hand off was a feat in itself.

Sasayan chuckled. It was nice that Shizuku finally found another friend.

"What you told me when we first met – it wasn't true, was it?"

They were sitting on the roof again. Natsume stiffened at his question. Sasayan had hoped that they were familiar enough with each other at this point, but from the looks of it, maybe he was jumping to conclusions.

"You don't have to answer that."

Natsume turned to him, slightly infuriated. "I never said I wasn't going to!" she told him as-a-matter-of-factly. "I just need time to sort my thoughts out."

And in that time, Sasayan stood up and padded over until he was sitting a little bit closer to Natsume. Not too close for it to mean anything, yet not too far for it to mean nothing.

"My father was a ninja. I spent most of my childhood learning from him, but the moment my parents fell into debt, they had to sell me to a brothel. I don't blame them – I willingly went – but… I couldn't stand that place. Some girls like being polished and presented, but that didn't suit me at all. I attended lessons in the brothel for a while and was supposed to be a courtesan, but I ran off at the last moment."

"And after I ran away, it got lonely – it was always lonely. With you and Mitty now, I can't remember a time where I didn't have friends, but it was then. When I came into this place, I thought Mitty's clan would be the only one who would be willing to accept a girl as part of their family, and I was right. I'm glad I did what I did. Who wants to spend the rest of their life pouring drinks and getting looked at and touched, right?"

"I'd rather die alone," she whispered.

"You won't," he assured her quietly.

Natsume could have pretended not to hear it, but she looked up at him. "I can't hear you. Your mask," she said, reaching a hand up to touch his face. "Which reminds me – I never got a good look at your face that time."

Lies. She stared at him for so long the drink had overflowed. Sasayan still let her pull his mask down.

"You won't," he repeated.

Natsume smiled, her face close to his. "Hey, you're kind of cute, aren't you?"

final notes –
Cue ninjas making out on rooftops under the moonlight; would have wanted to explore Natsume's issues a little bit more, her struggle with being tied to money through her beauty, and escaping from it because she didn't want it to pan out that way caused her to feel like she wasn't worth anything, for escaping from her duty to her family and etc etc but then this would have become a chaptered thing, I'm sure of it, and I can't handle chaptered things haha.

Her father trusted her to run away though, her family moved out of their town and changed their names, so they are safe, but Natsume will have a hard time finding them back, if she ever wants to find them.

Also don't worry, Yamaken and Haru both fall for Shizuku (she's such a classy HBIC I can't man, I loved writing her in this context) when they meet her and end up fighting each other instead of the Mizutani so everyone's ok in the end!

& I don't think Sasayan, Natsume and Shizuku are exact counterparts to their original manga selves. Sasayan's more openly cynical, Natsume's fiercer, Shizuku's a leader. I mean, would they really be if they had to grow up in a period like this? I took liberties with some of their traits as a result and I hope it was reasonable! Big thanks if you read this far, hope you liked it.