9.
"How much further is this Gygax place?" Mai asked.
"Three more days on foot, I think," Yukino said, looking at the map, "Fujino, are you alright? You look…strained."
Shizuru smiled weakly, "I…am not used to so much walking. I fear I am getting blisters on my feet."
"Do you need a healing spell, Shizuru?" Mai asked.
Shizuru shook her head, "No, thank you. It shouldn't be that serious. The sun is setting. We should probably make camp.
"I'll set up our tent, Shizuru," Natsuki smiled, patting her shoulder, "Why don't you take it easy for a moment."
"See what happens when you just sit around drinking tea all day?" Haruka smiled at her, but it was a gentle tone she took, "You're paying for your sedentary ways, now."
"You got it right, Haruka," Yukino smiled.
"Ara, but would Haruka help me remove my shoes?" Shizuru asked, "Ordinarily, I'd ask Natsuki, but her hands are full at the moment."
Haruka sighed, but helped pull Shizuru's boots off of her feet. She winced at what she saw.
"Hey, Tokiha," Haruka called to Mai, "You may want to cast a healing spell after all."
Mai came over, and winced as well.
"Kaichou, that looks painful," Mai shook her head, "Hang on."
Mai waived her hands, reciting the healing incantation. The blisters faded from sight, and the sores closed up.
Shizuru sighed in relief, "That feels wonderful."
"And I've got the tent ready," Natsuki came over, "Come on."
As usual, Nao was sharing a tent with the two of them.
Shizuru snuggled up against Natsuki, "Please hold me awhile. I haven't gotten to spend nearly enough time with you."
"That's silly, Shizuru," Natsuki smiled, "We've been together this whole time."
"Well, I was thinking it's more about having a private moment or two together."
Natsuki put her arms around Shizuru, "This help?"
Nao sighed in the dark, "I'm going to take a walk."
"Alone in the dark?" Natsuki blinked.
"Do Fujino and I need to beat about your head with a stick?" Nao grumbled, "Fujino is trying to tell you that you two haven't been able to make love since we got stuck here!"
"Ara, thank you, Nao. But could you perhaps say it a bit louder? I don't think they heard you in the far tent."
"Yes we did," Haruka's voice came from a distance.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki blushed, "You…?"
"I didn't want to say anything. We're facing much more important things, right now, and it seemed selfish. Besides," Shizuru sighed, "We're among our friends. It's, obviously, not very private, or romantic, and I value our relationship for much more than that. But...I do miss being able to be with you that way, while we're here."
Natsuki blinked, wide-eyed. Then she smiled, "Is it enough to say that I would love to, too? Tell you what, next town we come across, we'll get a room at an inn. Just you and me."
"Thank you, Natsuki," Shizuru smiled, and kissed the tips of Natsuki's pointed ears. Natsuki shuddered in a sudden reaction.
"Seems my new ears are ticklish," Natsuki grumbled.
"So adorable!" Shizuru squealed, glomming onto Natsuki.
"Oh, I'm definitely taking a walk. If something eats me, I'll consider it a blessing," Nao got up and walked out of the tent.
She was confronted with a wide-open wolf mouth, a high pitched noise coming from within. It took a moment before she realized that Duran was yawning, as his mouth closed slowly. A huge pink tongue flicked out, and Nao groaned, shaking her arms.
"Ugh. Drool much?"
Duran looked at her with indifference. She was suddenly struck with an idea, and approached the wolf's flank where he was lying down.
"Hey, it's a clear night out, and you're nice and soft. Make room."
She plopped down against Duran's flank, which was warm and fluffy.
"Night," She yawned, stretching.
She woke in the morning to find that Duran had curled around her and she was having trouble prying herself loose.
"A little help?" She called.
"I'm not taking anything away from him," Midori shook her head.
"He looks kinda cute, hugging you like that," Mai added with a smirk.
"Kuga!"
Natsuki poked her head out of her tent, still bleary-eyed, "Who's yelling so early in the morning?"
"Tell your mutt to let go of me!" Nao demanded.
"Duran! Breakfast!" Natsuki called.
The large wolf was up in a shot, leaving Nao tumbling on the ground.
"Thanks," She growled ruefully, rubbing her aching rump, "And what do you feed him for breakfast?"
"Whiners. Ingrates," Natsuki smirked, "But mostly these packs of dried meat that I picked up in the last town. Or I let him go hunt for a bit."
"Hey, guys, Takumi has made us a nice breakfast," Akira called.
"It is a shame these games were based largely on Western European culture," Shizuru sighed, sitting at the rock they were using as a table, "I rather miss a proper breakfast of rice and miso with a little grilled fish. And a steaming cup of green tea."
"Sorry, Kaichou-san," Takumi smiled, "I did look for those things, but they didn't sell them in town. But I was able to get some fresh fruit and a type of wheat based cereal."
"I am not impugning your cooking, rest assured," Shizuru smiled softly, "I merely am missing the comforts of home."
"We know which comforts you miss the most," Haruka sighed, looking over at Natsuki with a nod.
"Mou. Don't be unfair," Shizuru sulked, "If Haruka had someone she loved, would she not miss being intimate with them?"
"Yeah, yeah. Get a room, you two."
"That is the plan," Shizuru smiled.
Mai stretched, "So, has anyone had any luck figuring out what this 'Sacred Ceremony of Union' that we have to perform is?"
"Well, I asked around about it," Yukino said, sitting down, "And they gave me these books, but they're written in a language I don't understand. It's not English, though the characters do look like Roman characters."
"May I?" Shizuru held out her hand, and accepted the book. She looked at it, and frowned.
"What is it, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked.
"Well, I am not entirely certain, but I believe this to be German. Unfortunately, it isn't a language I speak. However, there are a few illustrations in the book."
She flipped it over to where the others could see. The picture seemed to show a man and woman standing at a large altar.
"Wait!" Mai looked at it, "Is…Is the Sacred Ceremony of Union…a marriage!?"
Nao looked around, "Well, don't look at me! I'm not getting hitched!"
"Takumi and Akira?" Mikoto suggested, "They're a couple. And Takumi is the only guy here."
"Takumi is not old enough to get married!" Mai declared firmly, to nervous laughs from Takumi and Akira.
"She's right, you know," Nagi chose that moment to materialize, "Completely and totally right. Neither Takumi nor Akira have reached the age of majority. They're ineligible for marriage where you're going. In fact, there are only four people here who have reached the age of majority, and only two of them are a couple."
Everyone blinked, then looked at the oldest members of their party. Midori. Shizuru. Haruka. And Natsuki.
And of those four….
"Wait, you're saying Shizuru and I have to get married?" Natsuki demanded.
"Me? I'm not saying anything," Nagi said, "Dungeon Master is the one who sent you all this way on a path home. If you'd gone where I'd told you to go, you could have finished your quest and I'd have sent you home, already."
"There's a hook in that bait," Natsuki growled.
"We may have to consider swallowing that bait," Shizuru said, looking away, "Natsuki and I are both women. We wouldn't be able to get married."
"Back home, that would be true," Dungeon Master appeared before them, casting a distasteful look at Nagi, "But I can assure you, in Gygax that won't be a problem."
"So, our choices are…Go on Nagi's quest, which is probably self-serving of him, or go north and get Kuga and Fujino hitched?" Haruka blinked.
Shizuru looked decidedly torn. On the one hand, she didn't trust Nagi one bit. On the other, much as she would love to be united to Natsuki in wedlock…she had no idea how her lover felt about it. And she found that asking in front of all of these people would be like putting her on the spot.
Mai seemed to sense this as well, "Hey, it's not fair to make Natsuki and Shizuru decide the fate of the rest of us. This is their lives, and personal happiness, we're talking about."
"They might as well," Nao spoke up, "They're practically married already. Right, pup?"
Natsuki finally spoke, "Yo, Baldy."
Dungeon Master did not seem particularly pleased with this appellation, "Excuse me?"
"Is there any danger between us and the temple in Gygax?"
"The Realm is always dangerous," Dungeon Master said, "And the beasts of old…"
"You're going to have to fight your CHILDs without the benefit of your Elements," Nagi said, with a shrug, "Or you can take the quest I had laid out for you. Midori can fill you in on the details, since I'd adapted it from her. That was custom tailored to your current powers."
"We're going to have a word, later, Nagi," Dungeon Master looked put out.
"Whatever," Nagi smirked, "The girls should probably head to the next town and bunk for the night. There's a crossroads just past. The path to the west will take you on my quest. The path to the east will see you heading to DM's quest, and matrimony. Tata!"
And Nagi vanished again.