Chapter: Taking Another Step Forward

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A Month Later

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Nathan thought it was a joke.

For the past month he has been training with the other samurai. He lost count of the number of times Ujio caught him off guard and took him down with a couple of swings and kick of the feet. Nathan trained with others too, but he realized he had a lot to learn.

The reason he felt as if he was facing a joke or some sort of prank was because Ujio stood in front of him with a serious look, but had asked Nathan an even more serious question.

"You hate me."

"Does not matter what I feel, I find it honorable to ask you."

"You only known each other for…" Nathan could not finish the sentence as he did not even known how long Ana and he had been in the village.

"It will be a year in another month."

"Yes, the answer you said."

Ujio held himself back from rolling his eyes at Nathan's answer. Instead, he stared straight and directly into Nathan's eyes, waiting for an answer. Ujio did not show it, but there was a hint of nervousness in the deep it of his belly as he waited for an answer from Nathan. Ujio watched as Nathan ran his hand through his hair and let out a low, but long exhale from his mouth.

"Who would have thought this would happen with the samurai who wanted to beat me down into the ground for touching a bokken wood sword."

A glare set on Ujio's face, but he relaxed as he needed an answer from Nathan.

"To be honest, it is up to Ana. She is her own independent self. She can answer for herself. And I guess that I can give you permission to do as you wish, but hear me out." Nathan stepped closer to Ujio with a firm expression.

"I do not care who you are, and the fact you took me down a few times, but if she is harmed in any shape or form, I will end you." Nathan threatened as his protective older brother side emerged.

"I understand." Ujio bowed his head before he stood tall and left Taka's home.

"What the hell just happen? Was that real?" Nathan talked to himself as he ran both his hands through his hair, not believing what Ujio asked him.

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The woods had spots of clearings throughout. Ana found herself in one of the small clearings near the village, but if she was to leave the woods, she would find herself near Ujio's home. She moved on the balls of her feet with the tessen war fan drawn out. Ujio and she had practice through a couple techniques, ones to protect herself from darts and any sort of thrown tools.

Ana made sure to move with a smoothness and flow, remembering Ujio going through the steps on how to move and angle the fan certain ways to defend herself, but also to attack. Her breathing was calm and long, maintaining a calm mind as she moved through the motions. Although, she began to picture an enemy across from her; thus, she began to move quicker and acted as if the enemy was attacking her.

In the corner of her eyes, Ana saw a figure slowly walking up from behind her. Alone and in the woods, warning bells to be cautious gone up in her head. With a twirl on the balls of her feet, Ana turned around and the war fan swung around. A hand came up to catch her wrist, keeping the tessen from going any further.

A gasp escaped Ana as she realized it was Ujio. With the fan fully spread out, a section of the fan edges did press against the side of Ujio's neck. She saw a bead of blood forming, which made her to gasp out again and pulled the fan away. Snapping it shut, Ana tucked the tessen into her obi before she pulled out a small cloth to bring up to Ujio neck.

"Forgive me, I was so focus on training that I lashed out."

"No, you were on guard. Do not apologize for what you did right."

"Can you ever take the apology, and not say a comment about improvement in my training?" Ana said with a hint of playfulness.

One of the corner of Ujio's lips twitched up, and he stared at her as she pressed the folded cloth to his neck to put pressure on the small cut. He did not pull his eyes away from her face, which she tried to not look anywhere but up toward his face. The corner of his lip twitched up once again into a smirk, knowing she was trying to not to look at him in fear of blushing.

Ujio reached out to touch the tessen in her obi, pushing it down a little more to be secured in the obi. This time with his action, her eyes flicker quickly up to meet his before looking away to stare at her hand, which held the cloth in hand to his neck. Ujio brought his hand up to rest upon her hand against his neck, where he felt a small tremble go through her.

"You nervous?"

"No." Ana said quickly in a slight high pitch tone.

There was a small scoff from Ujio, knowing she was lying. His hand squeezed hers and he tugged her hand off his neck.

"But—"

"It is fine." Ujio said, continuing to hold her hand as he brought it away from his neck.

Ana stared down at their hands and then back up at him, curious about the way he stared at her with a soft look, which was a little surprising to her as Ujio wasn't known for soft manner. There was also the fact he continued to hold her hand, giving it the occasional gentle squeeze. Ana could not produce any words, only stare as she could not understand what Ujio had planned. His unusual behavior was scaring her a bit and becoming a bit concern.

"Ujio, is something wrong?" Ana asked lowly as she became more concern for his unusual behavior.

Ujio let go of her hand, but he stayed close to her. He then took a step back, standing as tall and straight than he already was and lifted his chin up.

"Nothing is wrong."

"Okay? But there is something." Ana hands clasped together, her kimono sleeves shrouding over her hands.

"I have spoken with your brother."

"You two actually spoke." Ana eyebrows rose, and she bit back a smile as Ujio shot her a glare.

"He told me you make your own decision. You are independent enough to make decisions. Your customs are a bit different, but I understand his point. It is your decision." Ujio explained as he stepped closer to her.

The whole comment from Ujio began to confuse Ana even more. Ana could not help but step closer to him, wondering if he was all right or if he was hallucinating.

"Ujio, what are you talking about? What is it that I can make my own decisions? Are you feeling okay?" Ana asked, even reaching up toward his forehead to check if he had a temperature.

Before Ana could touch his forehead, he clasped her hand and held it between them.

"Your decision to accept my proposal for marriage."

For a few moments it took Ana to digest what Ujio said, but when it did sink in, Ana eyes widen. Her mouth dropped a little, but she quickly shut her mouth as Ujio stared at her without blinking. The next moments the two stared at one another in complete silence.

Back home in America, there were times men would come ask Nathan if they could court Ana and then plan for her hand in marriage, but Nathan drove them off. Or she would reject the offers, not finding any of the men to her taste. Ana knew other women that she grew up who immediately accepted a man's hand in marriage because of the status of being married and to produce children. Ana wanted a man to treat her equal yet who was strong and had the never back down attitude, almost a stubbornness to never give up.

Ana put all those traits she wanted in a man into Ujio, seeing he hit all these traits easily. He was everything she wanted, and she began to see him in a newer light now that he asked for her hand. Although, Ana knew she felt more with Ujio the longer she spent with him. The only reason she held back from acting out was because she did not know if their differences would change anything.

The silence by her began to bring a frown upon Ujio lips as he began to think she was not going to answer. Quickly, Ana wrapped her fingers around his hand which held hers, and tilted her head a little to the right with a small smile set upon her lips.

"Are you sure you can deal with me?" Ana asked with the smile set on her lips.

There was a small smirk which appeared on Ujio lips, and he grasped her hand in return. He stepped closer, tugging her a bit closer to him. Being closer to each other, Ujio was able to stare down at her.

"I accept any challenge you throw at me." Ujio assured her.

Ana bowed her head a little to stare at the mark she made upon his neck due to the tessen, shutting her eyes as she felt a brush of warmth against her forehead. She soon realized the gentle warmth was Ujio's lips.

Slowly, she lifted her head to stare up at Ujio. Her green eyes appeared lighter as sunbeams brought through the treetops of the woods.

"Ujio, I do accept your proposal."

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A Couple Days Later

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There was a smile on Taka's face the whole time throughout making dinner for the family. Ana head was bowed as she put rice into a pot. It was clear the news of Ana and Ujio spread throughout the small village like wildfire.

The news of Ujio request for her hand in marriage shocked a great deal, but there were a good amount of people who were happy. Many saw Ujio as a samurai who would not seek any women for hand in marriage because his main focus was his duty as a samurai. Yet it all changed when Ana came along.

Nathan had been a bit iffy at first at the fact she accepted Ujio's proposal, but then he was happy for Ana. He was happy at the fact she was happy, but also, Ujio was a man who would protect and cherish her. Nathan knew no one would dare come around Ana, especially knowing Ujio was to be her future husband.

"When?" Taka asked simply with the smile still on her lips.

Ana lifted her head up, a smile of her own could not help but make way to her lips. She would had never thought she would be asked for a hand in marriage, or if the right man would ever come. But that all changed when she came to this village. She knew something was special about this village, and she knew Nathan felt the same. The Algren siblings were finding this new place, this new setting as a new home where they felt a sense of peace.

"Ujio wanted spring, and I said when the first flower blossoms."

"I am happy for you two. Ujio is a good, well-respected man." Taka said.

"Thank you." Ana replied, picking up the container to bring to the table to set it upon.

Ana walked back into the kitchen area, where she would continue to help Taka out to set up the dinner table before the boys came back home. Ana entered the kitchen again, where there was a bento box packed with onigiris. Taka showed Ana how to make onigiri, which Ana was excited when Taka said Ana did good.

"Going to see Ujio?" Taka smiled with a slight tease in her tone.

"Yes." Ana tried not to fluster, but failed, which earned a gentle laugh to escape from Taka.

Ana could not help but laugh too. She left the house with the bento box in her hands. She knew that whenever she could not find Ujio, she would go straight to the training field where he most likely was always at.

She kept her distance as she noted the samurai men on the training field. She found Nathan amongst them, going through the motions and also, getting a few taps by a bokken sword on his body whenever he did not do the correct movement.

When the training came to an end as the sun began to get lower, Ana watched as Ujio stood near Nathan and did not say a word, only fix Nathan's stance. Ana knew that if Nathan could, he would be here all night to get the moves he just learned right. Yet as the sun continued to get lower, Nathan ended the training.

Ana stared at Nathan before she turned her attention to Ujio, who caught her presence. She simply grinned and turned away, walking away from the training field. The bento box clasped in her hands as she walked around the outskirt of the village to come to the woods near Ujio's home. She walked to the small clearing where she trained with the tessen, but also where Ujio asked for her hand in marriage.

There was a couple boulders buried halfway in the ground, and she sat upon the lowest one with the bento box set beside her on another boulder. The sound of footfalls behind her made Ana to glance over her right shoulder, seeing Ujio appear. He walked over and sat down beside her, adjusting the samurai swords in his sash.

"Nathan appears to be improving."

"Hmp." Ujio shrugged his shoulders a bit.

Ana shook her head and handed the bento box over to Ujio. He reached out and grasped the bento box, but he wrapped his hands around her own. Ana looked up at him, curious about what he was doing. Lately, Ujio appeared to be surprising her with behaviors she never expected from him. Then again, she had a feeling he always had these emotions, just he never got to show them until now.

Her head was bowed a little, and she saw Ujio lean forward to brush his lips against her forehead. Yet as she raised her head a little, he dragged his lips gently down the bridge of her nose until he pressed his forehead against her own.

"It's not poison, is it?" Ujio asked, shaking the bento box in his hold.

A small disbelief gasp escaped her, and she could not help but shoot him a glare. There was a teasing glint in his dark brown eyes, showing he was messing with her. Ana managed to get her hands out of his hold to push his chest in a playful manner. There was a low chuckle which came from Ujio. He held the bento box before him and slid the top open to see the perfectly made onigiri.

Ana pushed herself up off the boulder to walk into the middle of the clearing, staring up at the treetops at the yellowish gold beams of the sun seeping through. The sun was setting, and the sound of nature around the woods was becoming less. Creatures of the day were to go to bed while creatures of the night would take over.

"These are good."

Ana turned around to face Ujio as he finished one of the onigiri. She walked over back over to Ujio, sitting down beside him and she continue to stare around at their surroundings. She thought about how peaceful the clearing was, and it was an area where she could come to for alone time or quiet time.

"It's peaceful here." Ana said gently, folding her hands onto her lap.

"Did you not find your home peaceful?"

"It was, but being on a constant move because of Nathan being a soldier, the scenery changed. We lived in places where Nathan was stationed as a captain."

"You always stuck with Nathan?"

"He was all I had." Ana answered.

Ana turned her head to stare at Ujio, seeing him pick up another onigiri but he was staring at her. He turned his head slightly away to begin eating the onigiri, finishing it up as she began to speak again, and to add more to the sentence she said moments ago.

"But I don't think he will be all I have now." Ana added on with a smile on her lips as she stared out at the clearing.

The wooden bento box was set upon the boulder with a soft click. The sound drew her attention to Ujio. Her eyes flicker to the bento box, which contained a couple more onigiri. Yet her attention drew back onto Ujio as his face was closer to hers, and his mouth brushed against her jawline. She could not help but close her eyes, turning her face a little to press closer against Ujio's face, and breathing in his spicy yet sweet scent.

"I will be the one to take care of you for now on." Ujio mumbled into her right ear.

Slowly, Ana pulled back but kept her face close. She pulled back enough to meet Ujio's eyes, yet Ana wanted to test the waters of how far she could go with Ujio. Only to a point where there was ignite of passion between the two. Thus, Ana bumped her nose against his own and her lips brushed against his own.

There was a low sound which erupted from Ujio, almost a low growl. The sound made her to pause in pushing forward anymore. Her stillness caused another low sound to escape Ujio, and he took the extra step to move forward to move his lips against her own. A hand came up to her neck to hold her in place while one of her hands came up to grip his top. Their lips pressed together, but Ujio was the first to pull back a little only to come back and angle differently to deepen their kiss.

Ana felt a warm sensation go through her as Ujio and she continue to kiss. She now knew the feel of pure passion and what it felt like to be wanted.

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Hi Everyone,

Here was a new chapter.

This chapter was aimed to show how deep the relationship became between Ujio and Ana. Also, the marriage will not happen right away; thus, still development between Ujio and Ana. If it seems to fast, I apologize but I want to get the story moving and have more of a plot and do more with the two. Plus, back then there were arranged marriages, but this isn't particularly an arranged marriage, but it does show Ujio asking Nathan for Ana's hand and wanting his approval…

Anyway, please enjoy the rest of the story.

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Thank You!