"Alright, let's get started."

The Ten sat around the meeting room in Typhon's Tower, ready to go over their next battle with the Queen's mewman army. Not that there was much to discuss. They expected an overwhelming victory as usual. But Python insisted they go over it anyway and report on even the smallest of details to be safe. "Who wants to start?"

Kyu was about to comment, but then noticed Argus laying his head down at the table. She narrowed her eyes. Usually he at least tried to hide when he nodded off during meetings. "Argus! Wake up!" she snapped. The eldelry titan grumbled and then turned towards her. "Seriously? How much do you need to sleep?"

"I don't need to sleep at all. I just like to. It feels nice. Especially with this bad boy," he said lifting up the wool blanket he'd been laying his head on. "It's like sleeping on a cloud."

Branch raised an eyebrow. That looked incredibly familiar to him. "Wait a second, where did you get that Argus?" he asked.

"I bought it from the sheep satyrs earlier this morning. They're passing by the kingdom and when I spotted this I knew I had to have it. Imagine me curled up in this thing, a nice lady friend to keep me-"

"Nobody wants to imagine that," Scylla said, cutting him off.

Branch frowned. "The satyrs are here and you didn't tell me?" he asked.

"You didn't ask…" Argus said, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, why should I have to? Your connection to the Great Tree should have let you know they were coming."

Branch sighed. He usually kept tabs on certain tribes and mewman settlements just to make sure nobody was in danger or get the jump on them, but with how busy he had been helping organize his forces lately… well, they must have slipped by.

"Someone wants to go visit his lover it seems," Typhoon said, smirking deviously.

"Ah, young love at it's finest," Matrona said, leaning on her palm.

Branch rolled his eyes at the two. "Really you two?"

"You know Branch, if you want to go see her then you're more than welcomed to take your leave now," Kyu said. She then glared towards Argus and Gadfly. "And before you ask, no. That offer was for him and him alone."

Branch looked concerned. "Well… I don't want to just leave out. I'm sure I can catch her before she leaves today. I'll-"

"Just go," Python said waving his hand. If there was anyone who he didn't mind skipping meetings, it was Branch. He always made sure to tend to any task given to him quickly and efficiently, and without any complaints either. "Don't make me order you. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting. And I'll gladly fill you in on anything we discuss later."

Branch smiled towards him. "Thank you. I appreciate it." He got up and began making his way out. Truthfully he'd wanted to get up and leave then and there, but he knew how much Python wanted to have these meetings.

"Tell your lover we said hi!"

"Bring her flowers!"

"Bring me back some more wool!"

Branch narrowed his eyes and ignored his comrades' jeers, as well as the complaints from Gadfly and Argus about how he got to leave early while they didn't…

"Hello there miss, might I buy a moment of your time?"

Imena looked up from the supplies at her stand and turned to see Branch smiling at her, a handful of flowers in his hand. She smirked at him and took the flowers. "Well, look who decided to show his face. I was wondering if you were off leading some battle or something," she said amused.

Branch shrugged. "I know. We had a gathering this morning, and I'm ashamed to say it distracted me from your tribe's arrivals. Luckily Argus seems to have a liking for your wool. He practically made a bed out of our meeting room," he explained. "I did bring your favorites to make it up though," he said, gesturing to the flowers.

Imena giggled. "Yes you did. And I'll gladly accept this blatant act of bribery." She leaned down and took a bite out of the flowers. She had just been meaning to go and grab a bite to eat.

"You wouldn't happen to be too busy would you? I was hoping maybe we could take a stroll around. We expanded the territory a bit. I even added some more parts to the garden," he said, offering her his arm.

She smiled and looped hers around it. "Well, look at you being all charming. They should be able to hold things down here for a bit."

After letting some of the others know she would be gone for a while, they began making their way through the streets of the monster kingdom. Branch pointed out some of the newer places they'd put up since her last time here, and they'd stopped and grabbed something to eat from a couple of new places as well.

"I will admit, with some of the things left behind in the mewman settlements we've managed to find some new ways to cook food. Mewmans can be creative little things when they're not focused on destruction. They do seem to have an unnatural fascination with corn however," Branch said.

Imena snorted. "If they put more focus on that instead of trying to take over everything they wouldn't have dug the hole they're in so deep," she said.

Branch hummed, and then looked down in thought. "Imena… do you think this place is worth it?" he asked. "Worth everything going on?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "The war? I mean… it's not like we're taking anything that isn't ours. The lands we're protecting were ours from the start. If anything we're being generous by letting the mewmans keep what they have."

"I know, I know," Branch said. The entire reason he'd left his tribe and broke his oath was because of just how greedy their ambitions had seemed to grow. They had taken over so much of the Earth Nymph's land he had been tempted to act, and the final nail in the coffin had been Blossom's death. "But I keep thinking that maybe… maybe there could have been another way to settle things."

His sister had been the most kind and caring person he knew. Always giving, always generous, and always responding to even the most venomous attitudes with kindness. When she had died it had pushed him over the edge, and he'd acted in her name. But if she could see how he was dealing with things today, would… would she be ashamed? He suspected she wouldn't exactly be happy about it.

Imena stepped in front of him, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Branch, you tried every other option. Typhon and the others tried every option. Mewmans won't listen to reason, or logic, or kindness. How you and the others are handling this is the most humane and peaceful way you can. It's honestly too good for them," she said. There were countless others who would have preferred they just wipe memmanity out.

"But-"

She put a hand over his mouth. "No, no buts. You don't need to feel guilty about anything. If anything you should be proud. There's nobody else in the Ten who's given up as much to do the right thing," she said. His role as chief, his place in the tribe, his vow of peace. He'd tossed it all aside to join the Ten. And she knew it hadn't been an easy decision for him. "You don't have any reason to second guess yourself. At least not as far as I'm concerned anyway."

Branch smiled at her. From most others the words would have sounded like placation, but from her… well, they sounded genuine. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Happy to give you a figurative, or literal, smack in the head whenever you need it," she said. Branch was someone who loved peace. He had committed to doing what needed to be done, but he didn't exactly like it. So sometimes he needed reassurance he was on the right track.

He leaned down and gave her a kiss, and she quickly returned the gesture. When they broke apart, Branch hummed. "I wish you would stay. Here I mean. I know you have your responsibility to your tribe, but… it's dangerous out there." There was battle after battle every day, and who knew when she and her people would get caught in the crossfire.

She reached up and cupped his chin. "My love, not all those who wander are lost. And I'm not alone. I have my tribe and…" She lifted her arms and showed off the thorny bracelet he had given her some time ago. "I have a piece of you with me wherever I roam."

Branch was somewhat disappointed to know she'd be leaving again but understood. He reached down and put his hand over the wool bracelet she had given him. "Yes, yes you do. And so do I."

Regret wasn't exactly a new feeling to Branch. He'd built up plenty of them over the years. And now he was just… tired. Tired of fighting, and running, and just everything else. "You'd murder me for what I'm about to do," Branch said, as he looked down at the figure lying before him.

After he had lost Imena, he had made sure to keep her body in a safe place. He didn't want the mewmans tracking down her corpse as a trophy or for her wool. She hadn't deserved that. So he set aside a place in the Forest of Certain Death to make sure nobody ever found it.

"But I'm just… I'm tired."

He had lost too much. Her, his people, the others. He just couldn't anymore. "I'm sorry Imena." Maybe he really had chosen wrong. Or maybe she was wrong about how strong he was. Either way, he was too worn down at this point. He was done.

He moved his hand, and the nearby tree wrapped it's roots around her tomb and hid it away from view. He then got up and began making his way off towards the Butterfly kingdom. It was time to join with the rest of the Ten, whenever they may be.

A/N: One-shot for Onelastfic of Branch and Imena.