Sachiko shoved a few supplies in her bag, roughly. Sure, chase after that philanderer, Sachiko mumbled to herself.
Yumi made it back to Sachiko shortly after her meeting with Sei. Sachiko did not acknowledge her. She was busy going through the backpack, numerous times - removing it from her horse, placing it back, and repeating the same process a few times. She finally unloaded something useful - food.
Food, a word that was far from Yumi's mind, but as she thought about it, she realized she was actually famished. Sachiko was upset at her and she did not know how to broach the subject. Yumi was clueless as to why; but the atmosphere surely dampened her spirit.
Sachiko turned around and threw a can near Yumi. Yumi missed it as it did catch her off guard. "We should eat, it's been a couple of hours," she spoke avoiding eye contact. Sachiko grabbed her own can and sat on the floor, opening it, and eating it. Yumi sat next to her and noticed that Sachiko immediately tensed as she did it. It was awkward as they ate in silence. She wanted to hear her voice, something comforting, but she could not come up with anything to talk about.
The silence was affecting Sachiko, too. In fact, she could not hold her thoughts and her questions any longer. "You're in love with Sei," it came out more like a proclamation instead of a question. She was upset, hurt, bothered, and bewildered. Until the moment she saw Yumi's face, contemplating whether she should chase after Sei, she had hoped that those affections would be geared more towards her. If I left, would she go and pursuit me...She had wondered.
Yumi was unprepared for such a statement, but she looked at Sachiko, hoping that she would repeat those words. She must have misunderstood. Love? Sei?
"Say something..." Sachiko spoke with sad resignation. She could not bring herself to look at her now.
"I'm sorry," Yumi responded. Sachiko could almost hear her heart break, but Yumi continued. "Please repeat what you said, I think I misunderstood," she claimed. "I thought I heard..."
"You heard correctly," Sachiko interrupted her midsentence. She was getting ready to stand, but Yumi grabbed her hand hesitantly at first, but then her grip tightened with determination. Sachiko froze with one knee on the ground.
"I don't think so… You're wrong," Yumi asserted and finally Sachiko gathered the courage to glance at her. She stared into her eyes as she repeated, "You're wrong," but this time she said it softer and sweeter. She did not release her hand. Sachiko did not move or react and just as quickly, Yumi's resolution seemed to falter as she had Sachiko so close to her and on her knees.
Sachiko released the hold Yumi had on her hand and found herself staring at Yumi's lips. She began to feel something stir inside her, something she had not felt before. Was it yearning? She asked herself. Yes and something, more...Love...maybe love... She had no time to ponder it anymore because she suddenly felt wet, warm lips pressed against her own...Yumi. She was kissing her and to her surprise, Yumi was kissing her back.
Questions began running through her head. When did Yumi kiss me? No, her eyes were open and she saw that she had Yumi pressed against the wall. It was me, Sachiko thought to herself. She had initiated it, she was certain. Her mouth had gravitated towards Yumi by shear magnetism. Fingers began roaming in her hair causing her body to shiver with its touch. Yumi's hand had reached the nape of her neck and she thrust her forward to deepen the kiss. Sachiko's tongue slipped into Yumi's lips - she released a lengthy moan in response.
After a few moments, they both released each other from their embrace so that they can breathe. It was quite an out-of-this-world experience. They locked eyes and a silly grin played upon their face. Where did she learn to do that? Sachiko wondered.
The horses whinnied, ruining the moment. They laughed as they were now confused as to how to proceed. Sachiko realized she had been awkwardly straddling Yumi - so she stood up quickly, fixing the creases of her skirt. She then lent Yumi a hand that she gladly accepted.
The reality of their situation set in once again and Sachiko's mind went back to Sei. What if she caught them kissing? She would not let her live it down. How long had they been kissing? It had been a while since Sei checked in. Time had been momentarily forgotten.
Yumi had been leaning against the cavern wall, regaining her strength. She had lost her balance; her knees were weak after that experience with Sachiko. She had wanted nothing more at that moment and Sachiko had taken the initiative to kiss her, as if she read her mind. Yumi finally understood why Sachiko had been so upset with her - she had been jealous of her time with Sei.
Yumi wanted to kiss her more. She berated herself for such selfish and inappropriate thoughts at the most inadequate moment. She had to get back to the point at hand. "Sei has been gone for a while," Yumi spoke, interrupting Sachiko's thoughts. Glancing at Sachiko, Yumi inquired apprehensively, "She's fine, right?" Sachiko turned to look at Yumi with a grim expression. "Oh..." Yumi muttered despondently.
"We have to go," Sachiko said decisively. She went to her horse and tied her up. She rubbed its back gently, whispering soft assurances. Her beautiful stallion had always been by her side; a loyal and enduring breed, the Bedouin Arabian.
"Wait, what?" Yumi asked panicking. "We're not sure yet...she might return."
"If she is safe, we'll encounter her on the way. If she is not, then we must take this opportunity to escape. Her capture would have provided a momentary distraction. We must seize it," She responded in a frigid tone. "Please tie her Appaloosa up, we can't risk the horse running amok," Sachiko motioned to Yumi. Releasing her own horse, she spoke "I'm packing a bag; we're taking only the necessary items. We cannot afford to be delayed any longer and we must leave everything else behind."
Yumi felt like crying. Anything could have happened to Sei, she may have been captured, killed, or even plummeted to her death. Sachiko was not helping the situation. Yumi trembled as she spoke, "Do you even care?"
Sachiko looked at her in disbelief as she packed the final items. "This is not the time to panic or to say things you don't mean," Sachiko responded. "Can you honestly think of me as that indifferent?"
"No," Yumi said, she was right. She was panicking and had to get a hold of herself.
Sachiko sighed. She knew Yumi was not familiar with acts of war. Her actions were naturally alien to her. "I care, I do, but we have a mission to fulfill and our lives to defend. She entrusted you in my care. I plan to follow through with it," She held a small backpack with rations up, signaling Yumi to lift her arms so should could fasten it to her back. "As Shiikaa's, you come to understand and grow accustomed to the fact that the person next to you might not survive to see another day. In battle, there is no time to grieve because the moment you are caught off guard, only more deaths will result." Yumi wiped her tears with her hand and nodded in agreement.
"Keep close to me and do as I say," she demanded of Yumi. "I need you to tell me you will do as I say. If I tell you to run, you run. Do not look back, run, and forsake me."
"Forsake..." Yumi started saying before being cut-off.
"Promise me," She pleaded.
"Y-Yes, I promise," she confirmed.
Satisfied, with her answer, Sachiko grasped Yumi's hand, tugging it softly so she would follow, but released it just as quickly to place her hand against her scabbard. They were ready to begin their descent into the dwelling of the dwarves, hoping that whatever dangers Sei encountered, they would not suffer the same fate...
This chapter is not as lengthy as the last few. The next one will be just as short but it will be Sachiko and Yumi concentrated as well. I created this chapter and the next to give me time in cleaning up the future chapter's I have written and mapped out as they link to the big plot significantly. With so many things going on, if I get confused, so will you, so I'm just gathering all those ideas and organizing them. Of course, you'll only have more questions, rather than answers by the time I post them. :)
I've also realized I've written over 25000 words, so that was a pretty neat discovery. Never thought I would ever get this far. Also, I really don't want to split this story into sequels, I'd rather just keep adding to it - but I guess I'll see if it makes sense to do so along the way.
Anyways - Thank you all for the reviews! Love to hear from you all since it's rather inspiring. Words from you, here and there, actually give me more to think about while writing.