They hadn't made it far the first week. A combination of years of malnutrition and a lack of any sort of exercise over a span of years made it so Saiha had to stop every hour. Every Time they did he would notice Kuroha's nervous glances back from the way they had came, scared they were being followed. He felt bad, he knew his condition has bad and he was only slowing her down. Every Time he tried to apologize she'd tell him to stop being silly, so they walked on.
They were resting now, by a stream cutting through a pretty dense part of the forest. Saiha knelt by the stream and cupped his hands, gathering up water so he could drink. Kuroha next to him did the same. After gulping down a bit of water Saiha sits back to give the area around them a look. He had spent a majority of his life in a basement, and Kuroha had been a lord's daughter. While they knew how cruel the real world could be neither of them knew how to survive in it.
"We need to find some food." Kuroha says as she pulls a rag from what few belongings they had and dipped it in the stream, then moved to press it against the side of Saiha's head, cleaning the wound given to him just before the incident with her dad. "It still looks pretty bad…" she says quietly, but Saiha heard her anyway.
"I know." there is something in the shrubbery that catches his attention. "I could try and hun-"
"No you can't. You can still barely walk a kilometer in an hour without needing to rest."
He would open his mouth to protest but he know's she's right. It was painful, so be of less use then someone so much smaller than him. If he ran his hand across his chest he could feel every one of his ribs. "We could use what's in those bushes." he suggests then, gesturing to the area he was referring too.
Kuroha pases the cloth to Saiha who holds it to his own head and does over to where he had implied. Theres the faint rustling of leaves and bushes before she pulls back with a sharp 'ow', nursing a finger.
"Are you okay?!" he drops the cloth and hurries over to Kuroha, there's only a small scratch on her finger.
"I'm fine" she insists, pushing his worried hands away. Conscious of the fact he may have overstepped his boundaries Saiha quickly puts his hands at his side "There is a snare here." Kuroha goes on to explain, crouching again to push some of the bushes, giving Saiha a view. "Some hunters must have set it and forgot about it." there is a shared look, Saiha knows what she is thinking.
"Do you think you can reset it?" he asks, joining her in the crouch.
"Probably, hold the bush out of my way." He gives a brisk nod and moves to hold the mix of branches and leaves that is passed to him, careful to make sure he has cleared enough space. Saiha watches Kuroha work, noticing how… quickly she could work even with something so unfamiliar. There must be an awful lot going on in that head of hers.
Kuroha managed to get the snare set once more, and that sealed the deal on where they were camping for the night. Kuroha got a fire going while Saiha, to the best of his ability, washed the use rag and whatever articles of clothing they could go without for a few hours. At some point the sounds of a helpless hare hit both their ears. An animal was caught in the snare.
Saiha pushed back the bushes for Kuroha once again as she collected the animal. It squirmed helplessly, neck tangled in wire. They both just stared at it awhile, as it fought for escape. But every party involved knew what had to happen.
Kuroha was the one to do the deed. Saiha couldn't bring himself to do it.
He was up before the sun was. It's the dreams probably, he had long since grown accustomed to an aching body. He sits up and notices the dying embers of what had been their sloppy fire, but he does not work them to try and bring life back into the flame. He was fine was darkness. He then turns to see the small woman sleeping at his side, her back to him. It felt strange to look at her. In the time they had spent together she already meant so much to him.
That time when they had met, how she gently touched his cheek and showed him such compassion even after he had been apprehensive. If not for her he would have died in that cold, horrid place at the hands of a perverted man.
But now they were free, and it again was all her doing. The value Kuroha held to him, the debt he owed were both insurmountable. Just the thought brings the familiar wetness of tears to his eyes. Saiha quickly wipes his eyes and removes his outermost layer of his clothing and drapes it over her.
Any service he could provide he would. Saiha want's nothing more than to provide for Kuroha.
After another day of walking, and a stroke of luck had them find a merchant's belongings on the road as he chased off some animals, they had some money. Not a stellar amount, but enough for a fews days supply of food, a night at an inn, and for the wound on Saiha's head that only continued to fester with infection.
It was the first time since they left their home that either of them had been in a city, Kuroha seems to shy away from the crowds, and seems to wince if people brush up against her. Saiha notices this and positions himself next to Kuroha as opposed to behind, in order to provide a sort of buffer for her as they navigate a market to buy food, then locate a doctor.
When asked about the cause of a wound they simply came up with a story about a bandit. For Kuroha, that explanation was probably a bit easier, but to Saiha hearing her tell a story about how he protected her from a bandit, even if it was a lie, made him smile.
The doctor treated his wound and gave it a proper wrapping. Kuroha pulled Saiha out the place quickly. She must have been very uncomfortable. Saiha understood and followed her obediently.
With the leftover money, and some coaxing on Saiha's part they got a room at the local inn. Kuroha initially voiced many concerns, but the ache of travel and the cold night creeping in made her give in. They had to be far enough away now, no one would recognize them.
They had been put up in a nice room, with a fire and kettle in the middle and a large futon leaning against the wall. They settled in rather quickly.
"This is nice." Saiha says almost mindlessly as he places handfuls of leaves into the boiling water of the kettle. Green tea, it was supposed to be calming, at least that is what the vendor had told him.
"What is?" Kuroha asks him, eyes frequently darting to the door, but the sounds of outside seemed to have died down leaving them back in the strange place. The feeling where they were the only two people in the world.
It was a feeling Saiha didn't much mind.
"This." he repeats, using a hand to motion to the room around them. "Isn't this what we wanted? To escape that place and to… live?" only after he says it, and he sees Kuroha's mouth harden into a line does he realize what he said. Perhaps he had implied too much, those talks of leaving and living together never were wholly serious afterall.
There is a long period of silence, Saiha pulls the kettle close and pours tea into cups, pushing one at Kuroha. She looks down at it, then takes it and brings it to her lips for a sip.
"I suppose it can be nice for awhile." she finally says, meeting Saiha's gaze. He can't hold it, and looks down. "But we cannot stay like this. People will always find out. We'll be persecuted. They don't care what the truth is if the lie is easier to swallow." she takes another sip of the tea, leaving Saiha sitting there staring at the floor, tea untouched. He opens his mouth to say something but is cut off.
"But being on the move isn't so bad. It gives us a chance to… get back."
"Get back?" Saiha asks.
"Yeah. If they will think of us as killers and criminals anyway, why not work for own own benefit." he finally looks up at her once more. By the look on her face she was being wholly serious, and Saiha didn't mind. No matter what Kuroha wanted to do, he would follow.
"I'll protect you." is his natural response, because Kuroha is something worth protecting.
"You don't have to. I just want you to stay with me." then something amazing happens, and Kuroha gives him a small smile. It's not something he sees too often at all, not in their circumstances. He starts to drink his tea as a silence again draws out between them.
"Hey, Saiha?"
"Hmm?" he mutters through his cup.
"I want you to kiss me." the request takes him completely by surprise and he starts choking on his tea. He recovers on his own, and brings a sleeve up to wipe the mess that had dribbled on his chin.
"E-Excuse me?" he regrets questioning her request but it's odd and out of the blue.
"I want you to kiss me." she repeats, placing her half empty tea cup down. "We've been through alot together. I feel very close to you, and I am sure you feel the same about me. We were both soiled by that awful man so it's not like we…." she trails off there, and he understands why. Not once since they left had either of them even mentioned their time under her father's abuse. The wounds were just too fresh. "So I just want to see…"
He's speechless and can't help but stare at her. He knew how he felt, the feeling of love had been identified by him long ago, even before they left. But even so was doing something like this really okay?
He edges forward, closer to Kuroha and she does the same. The entire moment seemed surreal. Saiha carefully reaches out a slightly shaky hand and Kuroha takes it, placing it onto her cheek. This simple touch would have been enough for him, but Kuroha was specific in her request, so he leans forward and Kuroha comes to meet him, their lips touching.
For what it is, it's short and awkward. After a moment Saiha pulls himself away from it and Kuroha seemed to be doing the same. She brings her fingers to her lips and looks at him before turning away, seeming to be contemplating something, leaving Saiha to his own thoughts.
From what he could tell, it was strange. Nothing felt different, or changed. There was no immediate need for more and no disgust that it had happened at all. He felt the same about Kuroha as he had moments ago, the momentary touching of lips seemed pointless. Perhaps they just were not ready for it, or maybe their love didn't need some sort of physical validation. Saiha wasn't sure, but he did know that when Kuroha turned around and they locked eyes that she felt similarly. She gives a shrug, and they move to the futon for some needed rest.
They didn't try to kiss again.
Saiha was okay with that.