I do not own Samurai 7. I only own Midori.
Story start
The next morning, I was not lucky enough to escape without hearing Gorobei and Heihachi tease me some more. "I already knew that I should not get mixed up with Ukyo, but it was too late for that now. My heart was already starting to create a large for him. If I were to stop being near him now then it would about kill me. People gave me a strange look as I ran through the streets to Ayamaro's. A message was being played over and over again and I stopped to listen. "Attention an imperial envoy has been brutally murdered in the magistrate's house. Evidence shows that the assassin was in fact samurai. In response to this heinous act, the magistrate has sent out a hunt for all remnants of the warrior class. For those who provide valid information concerning the whereabouts of the samurai, there will be a reward of ten bundles of rice. For actual capture one hundred bundles regardless of whether they are dead or alive," the speaker said. I gasped and squirmed as I tried to decide what I should do. "Should I still go to the magistrate's house or should I stay with the others in case some trouble came?" I thought upset.
I sighed and I quickly ran in the way of the magistrate's house. I arrived at Ayamaro's home soon and the guards gave me a little suspicious glance, but I just smiled and waved. They shook their heads and I quickly ran into the house and started looking for Ayamaro. Ayamaro was in his room when I found him and he smiled at me. "Welcome Midori. May I ask you a few questions?" he said as he inclined for me to sit on one of the pillows on the floor. I shrugged and walked to the pillow and sat down on it. "Where were you last night? The guards told me that you left early, but I just want to ask you to make sure," he said. "I just went back home to my family yesterday. Why is this about what is being announced in the city?" I asked curiously even though I pretty much already knew what he was about to say. Kyuzo and Hyogo were sitting behind Ayamaro and they looked at me and waited for me to spill some information that would incriminate me, but I'm innocent and I'm not going to say anything to get myself in trouble.
Ayamaro nodded and said gravely, "Yes it is true. The imperial envoy was murdered last night. A samurai sword was found on the scene and I'm having all of the samurai in this city arrested. Do not worry though, because you will not be arrested. You have been a wonderful bodyguard so far and I see no reason to throw you in such a dirty cell. However just one more request, will you show me your sword so I can make sure that your sword was not the one left on the scene?" I nodded and pulled my sword from its sheath. Ayamaro smiled and said, "Very well that is all about this mess. Now I would like for you to join Hyogo and I today. Ukyo wished to see you, but I need you today." I nodded and bowed my head to him. I felt a little sad at not being able to spend the day with Ukyo, but I needed to stay on Ayamaro's good side at the moment so being without Ukyo today would not be that bad. I gave a small yawn as Ayamaro stood and I quickly clasped my hand over my mouth. "Sorry," I said sheepishly. Ayamaro laughed and said, "It is alright Midori. We all yawn at times." I smiled and stood from my pillow as well and I followed Hyogo and Ayamaro out of the room. Before I fully left the room, I gave a wave and smile to Kyuzo.
He just turned his head and I shrugged. "Oh well I guess not everyone is a morning person," I thought with a small smile. Ayamaro led us to a room and Hyogo and I stood at the corners of the room behind Ayamaro as he sat down at a table and started writing a letter to someone. "Maybe it is about the death of the envoy," I thought as I stared at the ceiling. Hours past as Ayamaro had now wrote about twelve letters now. "How long are those letters?" I thought as I started getting bored. My foot felt like it was falling asleep and I really wished I could go walk around to wake it up. "Midori go to the kitchen and bring back some refreshments," Ayamaro ordered as he continued writing. I nodded and happily left the room. I could feel blood start to flow around in my foot and I felt like a child in a candy store as my foot was back to normal now. I wondered through the halls until I came to the kitchen. "Um excuse me," I called out and the cooks and servants stopped what they were doing. It was so silent that you would be able to hear a pin drop. "Can I help you?" a man said and I guessed he was the head cook. "Ayamaro would like some refreshments please," I said sweetly.
The servants and cooks seemed a little surprised that I was being so sweet. The head cook nodded and said a few things to the others in the kitchen. I leaned against one of the kitchen walls as they ran around preparing some drink and food for Ayamaro. "Wow that smells good," I thought and after that thought my stomach growled. One of the servants in the kitchen heard my growling stomach and handed me a bread roll. "Thank you," I said appreciatively as I took the roll from her. "It's not much but at the moment I'll accept almost anything," I thought as I bit into the roll. The roll had melted butter in the center and I felt like I was in heaven. I finished my roll as I watched the cooks finishing the preparation of the food. Soon a silver cart was pushed in front of me and I smiled as I told the servant that I would take it to Ayamaro, since they had just spent the time to make it and I did not do anything. The servant was grateful and I started pushing the silver cart out of the kitchen and down the halls. I heard someone humming and I recognized the voice to be Ukyo's. I could not stop the smile that appeared on my face when he turned the corner into the hallway I was in.
"Hello Midori. I've missed you today. I wanted you to stay by my side today, but my father took you away. Have you missed me?" he asked as he walked over to me and ran his hand along my jaw. I smiled and stopped pushing the cart. "Hmm yes I've missed you. Would you like to walk with me as I take these refreshments to your father? We can talk on the way," I said hoping he would agree. Ukyo smiled and said, "I would love to." The two of us started walking back down the hallway and he asked, "So what do you think about this samurai hunt?" I shrugged and said, "Well I do not think that every samurai should be arrested, but I do think all of them should be questioned. If I was not working here as a bodyguard then I would be like all the other samurai of this city. Your father's guards would come and try to arrest me as well, but I must say that I would not go down without a fight." Ukyo was silent for a moment before he laughed. "I do not think that the guards would ever be able to capture you," he said.
I laughed a little as well and frowned when I saw that I was not only steps away from the room Ayamaro is in. I sighed and stopped walking for a moment. Ukyo heard my sigh and he grasped my chin in my hand. He placed a soft kiss on my lips and I was so surprised by his sudden action that I gasped. My gasp allowed him to slip his tongue in my mouth. I overcame my surprise and started returning his passionate and sweet kiss. We pulled apart when the need for air was signaled to our brain. "You taste delicious," Ukyo said mischievously and he walked off with a smirk on his lips. I shook my head and tried to cool down so the blush on my cheeks would disappear. When it felt that I no longer had a bright red blush on my face, I calmly walked into the room that Ayamaro and Hyogo were in and I smiled. "I'm sorry if I took too long," I said as I wheeled the cart over to Ayamaro and placed the tray of food and drink on his table. Ayamaro smiled and said, "It is alright. Well you are now on break because I'm sure that you and Hyogo are hungry as well. Kyuzo has already eaten and he is on his way to take your places. Now you and Hyogo may leave when Kyuzo arrives." I walked back over to my corner of the room and smiled at Hyogo. "Now I can get a meal in my stomach," I thought gratefully.
Minutes later Kyuzo arrived, and Hyogo and I excused ourselves from the room. "What is that white smudge on your face?" Hyogo asked with a devilish smirk. I quickly ran my hands over my face and a white smudge of make-up appeared on my right hand. "Ukyo's powder must have wiped off on me a bit when he kissed me," I thought with a blush. Hyogo laughed and I glared at him. "It is from a powdered doughnut," I lied. Hyogo rolled his eyes and said, "I bet." I kept my glare on him until a fun idea hit me. "Well I bet that I can beat you to the kitchen," I said and took off running. Hyogo was dumbstruck for a moment before he started running after me. I laughed the whole way to the kitchen and I came out as the victor. Hyogo was fast but he seemed slow compared to my running capacity. The cooks and servants in the kitchen were surprised when they saw Hyogo run into the kitchen after me. "Hello again, we were wondering if we could get a meal please," I said kindly. The head cook smiled and ushered for everyone to get busy and make Hyogo and I some lunch. Hyogo just glared at me because he lost and I laughed. "Who knew that he would do a childish race with me? Oh well he is not that bad of a guy, but he still wants to kill Kambei and the others. I can't let him or anyone else do that," I thought as I zoned out of the atmosphere around me. I could no longer hear the banging of pots and pans as I started worrying about the entails of the future. The beautiful aroma of my awaiting meal was what snapped me out of own little world and I happily dug in.