A/N: I'm still working on the next major chapter for Yours Truly, but in the meanwhile here's a short extra for all your support.

Chapter 1.5 Extra


The sky was full of smoke and fire, the ground and field so heavily bogged from the effects of the impending war. Battle cries littered the field left and right, some survivors still screaming in agony as they wailed for help with whatever limbs they were left with. She had never seen such a terrible sight before, bodies laid motionless on the ground while others still fought with their blood stained weapons.

No one was safe. This was a war after all.

Her heart ached silently for the soldiers, knights and townsfolk who fought alongside each other. She might have been acquaintances with some of them, the farmers who came to her castle every morning to deliver their finest produce. She was fully aware that the casualties of this war would burden her heart forever.

It was easy to lose track of what she came for, but the sound of metal fiercely clashing brought her back to her senses. From a distance she found one of her knights locked in combat dressed in dark armor, her breastplate and body adorned with golden etchings. It was regal but she was certain it was not her King.

The knight was swift with every movement, fingers moving deftly across its hilt to wield the blade in hand with utmost precision. She had recognized their skill, their capabilities and talent. This was no ordinary knight, this was her best friend Ritsu.

Mio rushed forward to aid her but it was apparent that Ritsu was out of range and soon to be overwhelmed by enemy soldiers. The field was drenched with mud and it was difficult to move in it, but she had to try. Exhaustion had gotten the best of Ritsu as she heaved herself to fight with what strength she had left. One had managed a jab at her face, but she was quick to cut them down. Mio was only a few meters away when another soldier had knocked down Ritsu at the back of her knee. She rolled over and parried their blade by a hairsbreadth.

Ritsu got up slowly but not without pain radiating from her calf. The cut had cost her most of her speed and now she was vulnerable.

"Ritsu!" Mio called out and willed herself to run faster, but the mud had caught her feet and she stumbled to the ground.

Rain poured hard over them as Mio lifted her head to watch Ritsu stand on her two feet. Her hair fell over her eyes clouding her amber irises that now grew dark with knowledge. She hadn't given up but she knew what would become of her next. The soldiers pressed on and while Ritsu parried a blow, she could not react fast enough to counter the other.

Time stilled and all went quiet as the blade surfaced on the other side of Ritsu. The smell of sulfur was present, but the sound of falling raindrops fell upon deaf ears as Mio tried to scream.


Her heart was hammering so hard she could hear it clearly through her skull. Mio looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling and let out a couple of heavy breaths. Slowly she closed her eyes to reorient herself, but she heard a sigh right into her ear and jerked away. She took her bearings and realized it was only Ritsu who had fallen asleep by her side.

"It was...just a dream," she said quietly to herself.

Ritsu rolled onto her back comfortably. Mio followed her on her side and took a good long look at her sleeping. Her feet brushed lightly against Ritsu's underneath the covers but the girl did not wake from her slumber. There was a subtle soreness in her hips but it was not completely uncomfortable. She remembered the night they shared and found herself blushing.

Mio moved close to Ritsu eager to seek her bodily warmth. She allowed her hand to linger on top of the girl's chest for a moment and felt every delicate breath she took. Such pleasantries were few and far between, their stations would never allow each other to be so intimate with one another. Mio moved the palm of her fingertips along Ritsu's skin. There were only a handful of scars that stayed with her throughout her training. In the quiet stillness of the room she wondered how she might've gotten them. Her fingers roamed the canvas of her body slowly, feeling up every delicate inch of scar tissue. Such devotion had rendered her speechless. Ritsu must have gone through hell and back to fulfill her training as a knight.

"You are an idiot. Do you know that?" Mio whispered. "These scars would have left you if you had just tended to them properly."

Ritsu swallowed in her sleep and turned her head away from the light that tickled the edge of her nose. The sunlight was bright and warm and the birds chirping outside made it feel as though this scene was nothing but a dream. Ritsu took a deep breath and grinned with her eyes still closed.

"I know," she mumbled.

"You shouldn't be so reckless, Ritsu. One of these days it might get you..."

"Shh-" Ritsu wrapped her arm around Mio. She opened her eyes and in them shone the little spark that Mio had grown so fond of. "It will take more than a few flesh wounds to take me down."

Ritsu cupped the side of Mio's face and forced her to meet her eyes. A moment of mutual understanding passed between them. Mio pressed her lips flat against Ritsu's. The kiss was slow but thorough, she made sure of it until Ritsu was left panting for more.

"Are you alright?" Ritsu asked after catching her breath. Her fingers combed through Mio's hair gently, releasing the strands between them like silk.

Mio didn't answer. The silence was enough for Ritsu to stop stroking her head.

"Mio?"

"I had a nightmare last night."

Ritsu remembered when Mio used to have them in their early youth. As a kitchen maid she grew to know which corridors led to the princess's chambers. Some nights she'd arrive and find Mio yelling in her sleep. Those nights she slept in with her to keep her company, but she would leave before anyone else would notice.

"It was about you, Ritsu."

"Of course it was," Ritsu mused. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mio shook her head. The nightmare wasn't real but it certainly felt like it. The familiar feeling was there which was very similar to the time she lost her father. There was loss and excruciating pain that she couldn't quite describe. In a sense, watching Ritsu fall on the battlefield made her feel empty, nearly hollow.

Ritsu forced their eyes to meet. She couldn't piece together what Mio was so worried about. Ritsu took Mio's palm in her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist for assurance.

"You can tell me anything. I'm here to listen if you need an ear or two. I am your closest friend after all."

Mio tried a small smile. Ritsu was persistent, but she was also patient and understanding when she needed to be.

"I wish I could protect you," Mio confessed.

Ritsu stared at Mio blankly then broke into a lighthearted laugh. There was a hint of confusion that lingered between them.

"I don't think a role as a protector would suit you."

"You don't think I'm capable? I may be a Queen but I can assure I am full of surprises," Mio finished pointedly at Ritsu.

"I meant no offense. I know full well that you are plenty capable. It's just...you should be careful what you wish for."

Ritsu looked down at herself where Mio's finger landed right on the scar right above her heart.

"It must have been so difficult for you."

"It was in some aspects. The training wasn't the most challenging part, it was being away from you for so long." Ritsu's heart beat a little faster as Mio outlined the slight indent on her skin. "Some days it was the only thing that kept me going."

"You've...grown to become quite the romantic. I would have never guessed it."

"I did have to grow up, at least a little bit," Ritsu said with a smile.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I hope you never change. You are perfect the way you are now - flaws and all." Mio stroked Ritsu's face with the back of her hand.

"Flaws?"

"You can be a handful at times. Orders and rules weren't something you acknowledged very well."

"Rules are meant to be broken," Ritsu planted a slow, sensual kiss along Mio's neck.

"Even oaths?" Mio asked and looked Ritsu straight in the eye.

The silence was heavy as Ritsu caressed Mio's back gently and waited to word out her statement as best she could.

"That's...that's different."

"It doesn't feel like it. I am married and yet I sleep with another, with you."

"You feel guilty."

"Of course I do. Don't you?"

Ritsu nodded. She would carry this sin until the end of her days and she would face whatever punishment the afterlife would condemn her to. Love was love and her feelings for Mio were true. She would no longer deny herself the happiness she deserved, even if it were only for a brief time.

"I fear this secret may tear us apart," Ritsu whispered under her breath. "It won't be easy and there are risks."

"It's a secret that I'm willing to keep no matter what the consequences." Mio rolled Ritsu onto her back while she hovered over her underneath the covers.

"Your courage...has improved to some extent."

Ritsu pulled back Mio's hair behind her ear and gave her ear a light nibble. Her hands followed the dip of Mio's waist. Their bodies pressed flush against each other.

"My courage is fleeting. I'm not as fearless as you think me to be."

"I don't expect you to be fearless. It's alright to be afraid sometimes."

"You always seem so sure-footed, Ritsu. Isn't there something you fear?

"Yes, there are many. I fear the possibility of losing all that I care for; my comrades, our friends, and you. You and the others are the closest people I have to a family. If I were to lose all of that, I'd be lost."

"I feel the same way. You and my ladies all have a very special place in my heart."

"Your heart," Ritsu said softly. "I can imagine another part of you I'd like to be in..."

Mio shied away from Ritsu as a deep blush painted across her face.

"Y-You're not tired?"

"Hmm," Ritsu hummed. "A little. My hips ache but I'll survive. Do you not want to-?"

"I-I do," Mio answered, her voice barely above a whisper. She answered so quickly that she herself was surprised. The last thing she needed was to sound desperate.

Ritsu quirked an eyebrow. She didn't say anything but Mio could feel her smiling behind her back. The slight feeling of her hard-on pressed to her back was a little difficult to ignore.

"Or maybe we can just lay like this together," Ritsu said as calmly as she could.

"Don't suggest it if you don't intend to follow through. It's cruel."

"Love is many things," Ritsu breathed. Mio pulled up her leg as Ritsu pushed into her ever so slowly. She closed her eyes to drink in every sensation, Ritsu's breath behind her ear, her fingertips resting faintly along her hips, and the pressure of every intimate thrust. Mio bit the bottom of her lip as hard as she could. She couldn't help but agree with Ritsu.

Love was many things, love was pain.