Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai 7, nor its character. I do own the people not in the show however.

A/N: So…someone sent me a message saying that they thought Mai was very unlikeable and Mary-sueish. I don't mind that really. Everyone is entitled to their opinion like everyone else, but it got me thinking. Do other people think this? Because I didn't really think so but apparently this person did. Could some of you give me some feedback on this and let me know. Thanks!


The journey of the three warriors and one girl took the small group up the slope of a steep incline. Mai noticed the rock face getting more difficult before it tapered off into a plateau of an open canyon edge that over looked a valley.

"Those are our neighbors down there. Kanna village isn't far from here." Kirara told the small group, a small pant to her voice.

"It's a difficult climb Lady Kirara. You're out of breath. Why don't we take a break, just a for a minute." Shichiroji suggested. The water priestess seemed to ponder the idea for a moment until Kyuzo stopped near Mai. She then scowled and turned her head away.

"No thanks. We can rest when we get there. My people are waiting for us. They need me." She said ever serious.

"And here I thought your motivation was getting away from Kyuzo-dono here." The jovial samurai joked.

The younger girl went into a small rant with the other samurai about Kyuzo, but Mai paid her no mind and Kyuzo didn't seem to either.

"She seems to have a strong opinion about you." Mai commented off-handedly in a flat tone to the other samurai.

"Not important." Kyuzo droned. Her liking him was not significant to the mission.

Then, the two stoic blondes went ridged at the feeling of a new arrival on the horizon.

"Scouts" Kyuzo announced and the other two went stiff as well.

"No, don't look." Shichiroji told the smaller girl when she attempted to turn around. The three warriors went on high alert at the intruder's arrival, waiting to see if it would attack. Shichiroji, thinking quickly, knelt before the water priestess and told her, "Here, give me your foot, like I'm your servant. Just do it." Kirara hesitant but then timidly obeyed.

Mai kept an eye on the floating pod out of the corner of her eye as well as Kyuzo. She could feel rather than see how coiled the samurai was to strike. Like a viper waiting for its prey to come in closer.

"Wanna start a fight?" Shichiroji told him in irritation at the sound of his hand grasping one of his sword hilts.

Mai thought that was a stupid question. It was obvious that he was more of a fighter than wait-and-see like Shichiroji. She understood, being of similar stock. But in this instance, she agreed with not causing conflict with the enemy if it could be avoided.

The black clad ninja shifted closer to the red samurai. As anticipated, Kyuzo flinched and moved to run over to the scouter pod and cut it down from the sky. And not even Kirara's pleas of 'great samurai please' would stop him. But Mai would.

The taller woman grabbed Kyuzo's arm just as it landed on his top blade and moved with him into his turn, placing her arm against his chest and pulling his arm down to drape across her shoulder. To the world, and hopefully the scout, they looked like a happy couple embracing. "I know your desire to eliminate the enemy before they have a chance to eliminate us, but it's just a scout Kyuzo. We can't risk the chances of killing a smaller fly and attacking bigger fish. Our mission is to get to the village with the girl unharmed and not alerting any unneeded attention to their destination. Let it go." Mai told him in a low voice before looking up at him through her laces with a serious gaze.

Kyuzo stared wide eyed down at the woman in front of him a second longer, still startled by the suddenly having her pressed against him, before schooling his features and conceding defeat. His hands dropped from his other sword hilt and Mai turned them back around to face Shichiroji and Kirara. Her hands clasped around his upper arm like two people in love would do.

"Well, who would have thought that the soft touch of a lady could soothe the savage beast?" Shichiroji mocked with a small, faint chuckle. The other blondes glared at him.

"Shut up and start walking again samurai." Mai bit at him, but it did nothing with Shichiroji smirk as they walked past.

Mai waited a few moments but after feeling no presence of the enemy following them, she dropped Kyuzo's arm from hers and returned them to her side. "I'm sorry I had to do that. You don't seem like someone who likes to be touched."

"Don't mention it." Kyuzo replied. He hadn't minded honestly. Well maybe at first, at being grabbed and all. But after a while he sort of forgot and fell into a sort of calm he hadn't felt in a while by her presence and touch.

He made no mention or indication of this though. And the group continued on.


After walking for some time more, mostly in silence since even Shichiroji had run out of things to deter the quiet, the small group reached an impasse. A split in the canyon that forged two paths and Mai's mind wandered briefly again to the thought of paths and journeys

"Decisions, decisions, which way to go?"

"The underground channel flows beneath both paths. Either way will lead us directly to Kanna village." Kirara informed the group as she consulted her water crystal. "Excuse me?" Kirara questioned angrily, offended that Kyuzo just walked off down one of the paths without regard for the groups opinion.

"Easy now, let's just go where he wants." Shichiroji said, trying to calm the priestess. But she would not be swayed.

"If it doesn't matter what road we take then I don't see the problem." Mai told them, arms crossed under her breast.

"It's not that! He chooses for us in silence and expects us to follow. Any hope I had of understanding this man is quickly fading. Let me say it again: I am strongly again him coming to my village." Kirara told him. Shichiroji sighed. Mai remained still and silent

Again, it's not like it made a difference anyway. And getting worked up over how the decision was made wouldn't get them to their target any faster. And she had neither the stomach nor the time for mindless chatter and argument.

Suddenly Kyuzo stopped in the road and darted over to the rocky side of the mountain path. Mai quirked a brow at him but then noticed what he had felt. "They're back." Kyuzo announced just before the robotic pod appeared before them in a cloud of dust and debris.

Kyuzo unsheathed his swords and charged at the bot with great speed. His cut was clean and precise. Or it least that's how it looked before the one pod was suddenly two samurai bots.

"No offense, but you better sit this one out Lady Kirara. Behind those rock would be nice." Shichiroji told the younger girl who ran off behind the boulders. "Mai-dono, Kyuzo and I can handle them. Stay with Kirara incase more show up." He added before snapping out the blade of his naginata*.

Mai nodded and darted over to crouch by Kirara, wakizashi drawn to strike.

Kyuzo choose to fight the one on his left first. His swords clanged and banged against the robot's swords and metal body. A decisive strike not yet struck. The second bot ran to help its partner but never made it as Shichiroji naginata blade pierced its head with enough force to lift its wielder into the air. It then was thrown to the side like a rag doll and Shichiroji chased after it.

Kyuzo's blade finally made a serious blow and took off the robots arm. One handed, the bot knew it didn't stand a chance and propelled itself with its thrusters to the other side of canyon clearing to regroup. It sensors picked up on other life forms and turned its robotic head to focus in on Mai and Kirara. The priestess shrunk away but Mai moved to step over her and stab it from behind. Kyuzo raced over to his opponent with great speed and the robot, detecting this, turned its glowing red eye back on him.

The red samurai's blade sliced through the attackers legs like it were butter and it fell back on to the rock it was standing on. Still trying to follow through with its attack it focused on Kirara who it had fallen in front of who tried to futilely shield herself with her arms. Mai's wakizashi blade made a clean slice through the bot's neck and its head went flying. But Mai realized her mistake too late and the command to fire had already been sent and a red blast shot towards them. With no time to pull Kirara away like last time she pulled her behind her in hopes of taking the bulk of the blast for her. If she sacrificed herself, maybe there was a chance the priestess could live.

But suddenly, there was a push that came to her left. It seemed like the world was moving in slow motion as she saw Kyuzo shove her with Kirara out of the way. The blow grazed his arm still and the blondes face twisted in pain before time speed back up and she came crashing down to the group with Kirara.

Mai snapped up quickly and darted over to Kyuzo less than a foot away kneeling on the ground. His blade thrust into the offending robotic head out of spite. "You're hurt!" Kirara cried. And Mai almost said something about her stating the obvious but reframed.

As the two warriors returned their weapons to their respective holsters Shichiroji came over to them.

"You knew they would come back. That's why you wanted to fight before." Shichiroji said. "That was your line of reasoning, wasn't it?"

Kyuzo said nothing but began again down the path to the village. Mai looked after him for a moment but then followed, catching up to him quickly.

"The shot only grazed you. You're lucky it didn't take your arm off." She told him. "It still looks deep. You should get it stitched."

"No thanks." Kyuzo replied tone still flat and void, but Mai knew his arm had to be killing him. But she knew that he probably didn't want to stop and take the time to get stitched when it could be used getting to the village. The mission was more important.


By the time the sun was setting, the group finally made it to the rendezvous point at the end of the canyon passage way.

"There's Kanna village!" Kirara announced, thrilled to see her home after such a long time.

"Well I'll be. I thought we'd never make it here." Shichiroji said, scratching the back of his head. "Hm, looks like we're the first ones here."

"Do you think everyone else is alright? Could they have been attacked like us?" Kirara asked in worry.

"No, I wouldn't worry. They're probably only a few minutes behind. But hey! Now we can finally have that break I was talking about back at your neighbors. You all go take a seat. I'll watch for the others." Shichiroji said, trying to remain positive.

Kirara smiled, mentally agreeing to stay positive as well. She was about to take a seat on one of the rocks when she saw Kyuzo sitting alone in the on his own rock in the distance. Her eyes fell onto his arm and she frowned sadly before walking over to him.

"Great samurai," Kirara said meekly as she addressed Kyuzo who looked up at her coolly. "Since we may have some time before the others arrive, perhaps I could fix your coat for you. It would be a shame if the tear got worse and it was ruined." She told him, still a little nervous addressing the dangerous samurai.

She was more than a little surprised when the blonde took off his coat and handed it to her. She had expected him to turn her down or say nothing and just walk off to brood. But she smiled and bowed after accepting the garment. "I'll have it fixed right away." She told him and took a seat on a rock and went to work right away.

Kyuzo watched her with his coat out of the corner of his eye for a moment before looking back over the scenery in quiet contemplation.

So this was Kanna village. Kyuzo thought. Don't see what all the fuss is about. From either side really. He could understand the will of the farmers. Even if it was an awful looking shame of a village, it was their home. He understood the will to fight for what was theirs. To die for it if need be. But it wasn't Kyuzo's place to judge. He was given a job and it was his place to do that job and nothing more.

"Hold still." Kyuzo snapped out of his thought, not aware he had been so lost in them till he had been startled, and looked sideways at the blonde woman that sat next to him. She was pushing up his shirt sleeve past the gash and examined it. Humming quietly after she had taken a sufficient look.

"It's trying to scab. But a scab won't keep it closed with it being this size. Especially with how much you use this arm." She said "Your coat arms not the only one that needs to be stitched up so it doesn't fall off." She told him, threading Kirara's extra needle with thread before wiping the leaking blood away from the wound and setting to work.

"It won't fall off." Kyuzo said, trying not to wince or flinch away as the needle and thread passed again and again through his skin.

"It was an attempt at a joke." Mai told him, pausing in her work briefly and looking up at him through her lashes before continuing.

Silence fell between the two. Mai focused on her work with practiced skill and nimble fingers in order to keep the stitch tight without breaking the delicate clothing thread.

"There," She finally announced, tying off the end of the thread carefully to secure it when the gash was laced with black thread. "I'll take them out in a few days if you want." Mai offered, rolling up the left over thread to return to Kirara.

"I've had stitches before." Kyuzo stated, carefully pulling down his sleeve over the sealed wound.

"I'm sure. If that scar on your shoulder says anything." Kyuzo glanced at the faded scar she was talking about; almost having forgotten it was there.

Mai stood to return her borrowed materials but stopped and looked over her shoulders. "I'm not good at this, but….thank you."

Kyuzo glanced over his own shoulder at her and the two shared a silent moment before Kirara appeared.

"There, all done." Kirara announced and handed the newly repaired coat to Kyuzo with a bow. "Thank you for saving my life great samurai."

Kyuzo paused for a moment before saying in a deep rumble, "Thanks for the stitch."

Mai's back straightened and she turned partially to look at the samurai in astonishment. She knew logically that he was most likely talking to the girl. She needed praise like that. And yet somehow, it felt like he had been talking to her. But then again maybe that's why he had said it the way he did, to thank them both with the least amount of words so he would have to speak less.

Mai chastised herself for even thinking that way and turned. She wanted to talk to Kambei about their next move anyway. But she missed the glance of a red eyed samurai as she did.


Yaaaay! Motivated to keep writing between arts and crafts! (I run my own Etsy store. My creativity knows no bounds). Thoughts on this chapter, the story, or the comment posted above would be lovely.

Shout out to the lovely MoonDancer89 who reviewed the last chapter, was the 25th reviewer, and who's constant insistence that this story be continued eventually made it happen (lol)

* A naginata is basically a Japanese halberd. I finally found the word for it!