The new camp could only be found by waiting for a scout to find them first.
Yumi guided her horse carefully in the darkness, waiting, searching for any sign of pursuit or allies, the hood back on its place. Ryoma followed at the same speed, also looking around, one hand on the reins, the other on the blades. He had not yet introduced himself and only because of the scouts, spies and goodwill of the servants the group knew his name and had the general description. Maybe caution but not oversight. He had reasons to be as wary of them as they had to be wary of him, even in the present situation. Or maybe he was just one of those men who preferred to only have to tell who they were once.
Dawn was a few hours away and the night was at its darkest.
A small lantern moved in the trees. Yumi stopped, glancing at it, changing direction, heading towards the tree the light was hanging from, swaying in the night wind. There area it lit was limited and faint, more of a marker that could be easily overlooked than anything else. But that was the point. They would have to wait until the scout returned to the spot and made sure they were allies.
"Give me your daisho." Yumi asked, dismounting. Ryoma nodded without questioning her request, unstrapping the blades from his obi. He was scanning the area with a look of approval. She felt a small amount of pride with that recognition. Still being alive and able to fight back was proof of their skill and tenacity. But seeing someone recognize that as well felt nice. The scout would be back soon.
The scout had been suspicious, staring at the Right Eye with a displeased expression beneath the mask of sooth. A simple no had quelled his questions and he had fulfilled his duty as a guide, keeping his guard up and his weapons trained on Kojuro's back. Her arrival had been greeted with relief and immediate suspicion. Exactly the same attitude of the scout.
Yumi moved like a general, greeting her warriors quickly, asking for the other commanders to gather, dragging Kojuro along, barely relenting in vigil. She was showing them that Ryoma was not to be trusted just yet but he was not to be outright shunned. That slackened some of the glares. However Kojuro could swear he still felt the animosity through the fabric of the tent's walls.
There was no decoration, no maps, no mounted weapons. The bare basics of a tent, constructed to be taken down or abandoned if trouble came. Two men in armour and a woman in Miko vestments. The eldest had to be the Tadao she had mentioned in her story. The other looked about Kojuro's age. The priestess's presence made sense as a connection to the people and few would suspect a traveling Miko of anything but spiritual intentions. Yumi joined them, acknowledging their presence with a sharp nod, a slight movement of her hand preventing Tadao from speaking or approaching, turning to Kojuro.
"It seems a new path had been opened to us." She started. "We know who you are but please." Yumi invited him to introduce himself and repeat his offer.
Kojuro did so, carefully, examining each reaction. They gave no names back. It was not a risk they would be willing to take in case he proved to be a traitor.
Hope, distrust, suspicion, outrage, planning and considering. Those she trusted to lead the bandit guerrilla were talking with each other as she pushed her hood away silently, placing the nagamaki and the daisho on the floor, rolling her shoulder in an attempt to relax. She waited until the argument died down to advance once again to the centre of the tent, standing straight.
"What else can we do?" Yumi asked, voice low, arms crossed behind her back. "What information Maki has on Sojiro will soon be useless. He will change everything to keep this victory meaningless. What this ronin offers is a way out of this stalemate." No one protested. There was no way to argue with a fact. At least no way that would prove any other point of view. "We are desperate. It is true that while Sojiro keeps being an oppressor there will be no shortage of people willing to join us to settle their anger. But we are no longer moving forward. It has been years and those outside did not even know what was happening in this province if not for the traitor's misstep. We can't even ask for support outside of these borders without…" Yumi sighed. "I will go with Ryoma to Oshu and plead our case. You are to stay. Take all the information you can from Maki and keep doing what we do."
A smokescreen. As long as no one suspected no one would follow. And hopefully her gamble would pay off with an army, legitimacy and freedom.
Yumi undressed slowly, tired to the core, satisfied with the final tally of the day's endeavours. The raid and the unexpected. In a day they would leave. The bare minimum time needed to rest bodies and horses, to gather supplies. Being on the move was nothing new but this time she had to remind herself to not let her guard down. No matter how much she had reassured others there was no way she could trust that easily.
Even if his eyes seemed honest. Even when he seemed to understand.
Kojuro accepted the food and the blanket courteously even though he did not need it. What possession Ryoma had had been strapped to the horse as befitted the mind-set of a ronin. And of someone who should not let his identity be uncovered by whatever trinket was carelessly left behind. But it was a gesture of good will from the warriors in the group and he would treat it as such.
The news had spread quickly through the small camp. Yumi had been right in her evaluation. People were tired of the conflict as much as they wanted to keep it up. Most of all they wanted an end to it.
It was a painful past to be carrying. And it was something Yumi was reminded of every day. But it was something she carried with strength and purpose, something that had forged a general that would not have been out of place in the warring states before the Dragon soared and a unifier.
Saki was going to be in a bad mood. Masamune was going to be in a worse mood.
A slight smile played over his lips.
Hikawa Sojiro should be very concerned by now. His advisor was gone. The ronin was gone. His support from within was weakened. And as soon Saki received word that Ryoma was missing she would be pressuring him for the sake of watching the man squirm while waiting for Kojuro to show up.
