Mio wasted no time in finding Sanada once the troops he commanded reached the main battlefield. The dark-haired woman smiled at the sight as he dismounted and ran up to her, tossing the reins of his horse into Hasaki's open hands. The smith blinked in confusion, unsure of what had been entrusted to him.
"Lady Sanada!" Mio called at the top of his lungs, waving enthusiastically at her with one hand, while reaching around uncertainly in a pocket with the other.
"Good to see you looking well, Mio," Sanada replied pleasantly.
He took several deep breaths to regain his composure and then spoke again, "I know it wasn't long, but I missed you so much! And I was worried! But then the signal came! I made everyone rush to get here! I needed to see you again!" He took another deep breath and brushed some stray strands of hair out of his face. The orange-haired strategist's face suddenly took on a rather bright shade of rose, "There was something I was never able to ask you before Haneh dragged me away..."
Sanada came closer, looking at him curiously.
"I've appreciated everything that you've done for me, Lady Sanada. Every moment I've had with you has been a blessing and when the war is over...I might never see you again..." He gazed at the serious woman earnestly, "Lady Sanada...
I'd like to ask you if...would you...will you do me the honor of..." He swallowed hard and turned the color of a ripe spring tomato, "...Becoming my wife?"
He fumbled with the small box he had dug out of his pocket upon his arrival, and managed to open it after almost dropping it twice, to reveal a simple, but lovely, ring- a gold band with a green gem. It sparkled in the early winter sun.
"Oh, Mio," Sanada's eyes filled with tears, "Of course I will."
Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni
"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"
Chapter 82- Further Developments
Several moments later, a sudden thought passed through Sanada's mind and she turned to her fiancé, "You know Mio...you don't need to call me "Lady Sanada" now..."
He looked down at his feet nervously, "Ah, don't worry, I'll get over that as fast as I can manage it."
"Now," she said more confidently, looking at the action of the attack moving forward into the city, "Now that this is taken care of we have a war to win."
Mio nodded, agreeing silently, "It won't win itself."
As they headed forward, walking together, Sanada considered his statement, "Well, there's always Mitsu to take care of things, and Tej and Louis Abdul have picked up some pointers from me, so it could be won without us at this point, but I wouldn't want to bet on it."
"Then let's not," he laughed, squeezing her hand.
"I never bet on anything," she noted calmly, "At least not anything that I've already fixed."
Although he was reluctant to leave Falina's side, Hai-Yong was eventually led away to participate in the offensive again. "Someone skilled has to relieve Captain Louis Abdul," Tiko had explained to him, "That man hasn't let up since the battle began and I finally convinced him to take a break if I could find someone good enough to take his place."
Kiisan's constant presence was necessary to boost morale, even if he was not actually taking part in the fighting, and so, in the end, Falina was left outside with Carlos as the revolutionaries took the main gate and moved into the city.
"Falina, what did you do all that time?" Carlos asked, wide-eyed, after the initial emotional reunion was finished.
"I stayed in Klikk for a while, but then I set out with Azai and met Turan Magno, " she began to explain.
"Who's Azai?" Carlos interrupted.
"Someone from Klikk. He's still with the turan's army, but I'm sure you'll be able to meet him soon enough," Falina told her friend.
"Oh, I see," the priest urged her to continue.
"I helped Turan Magno recruit some help in southern Dunan and we passed through some of the foothills into the northern part of Aurel. There was a little bit of a skirmish with one of the Imperial generals, but we drove him off. It wasn't much longer until you must've attacked Rupanda because I came around to see if I could find everyone..." she concluded.
"But now you're here..." Carlos murmured. Then his green eyes widened suddenly, "Eh, hey!"
Falina looked around in confusion, "What? What is it?"
"Your flowers!" the small man squeaked, "Take a look!"
Falina pulled a loose strand out of the wreath so she could examine it. A few wisteria petals fell down into her lap. She picked up one curiously and looked at it closely, "Wisteria? I didn't know I had any of this on my head. I think I would've caught a whiff of the scent..."
"Well, it's all wisteria now, and the wind's blowing it apart," Carlos told his friend.
The girl put an arm over her head to cover the flowers, "I'm not sure it's supposed to be doing that," she mumbled nervously.
A long shadow fell across the two, "Peace, peace," said a strong voice.
Carlos and Falina turned around quickly to face the man. "Master Matataki!" Carlos acknowledged the man from Klikk.
"Sensei?" Falina questioned, "You look...different."
Matataki looked himself up and down in confusion. He was taller and thinner than usual. His hair was dark, his apparel was quite different...then he remembered that Falina had not seen him as anything but an elderly man. "Oh Miss Falina, I'm sorry. This is just one of those changes I need to go through to get things done. Is it disconcerting?"
"No, no," she assured him, "You look great. I just didn't recognize you."
The leader of Klikk appeared to look rather flattered. He smiled, "Now, don't worry about those flowers. There are precisely one-hundred-and-eight stars in the area and Kiisan has made his decision. You don't need them anymore."
She lowered her arm and watched quietly as the petals blew away and the curling tendrils unraveled. Carlos sat by and admired the sight. He was unsure of the meaning of this, but he felt it was important for Falina.
"How are you feeling?" Matataki asked Falina as the last of the flowers were carried away on the cold breeze.
She stood up and brushed some remaining plant material off her clothes, "Just fine. Absolutely perfect."
"Good," the gold-eyed man nodded, "The next time you see Honorable Father Kiisan, you should congratulate him on a job well done."
General Ando chose not to follow Kiyon and Candal back into the palace compound. He had a hunch that the revolutionaries had little experience maneuvering in the tight city spaces and fighting around the buildings.
And it turned out to be not a bad guess at that.
General Gonzales, followed closely by Aciano and Kersen, made his way out of the palace grounds through a side gate. The city they found themselves in was filled with chaos. Before the attack had began some of the wealthier citizens, and those less convinced of their Imperial Army's might, had packed up and left heading south to where the fighting had not yet advanced and did look likely to touch.
However, the majority of the citizens had not the means or the reason to leave Rupanda before the siege began. They were panicked over the state of things as the rebels entered the city. What would happen to them? Would they be killed? The northern gates had been considered as a possible escape route until it was discovered that Turan Magno's entire army was camped behind them. For the most part, the people were trapped on the battlefield.
It was through this mess of confusion and agitation that General Arturo Gonzales led his son and their companion through on the way to the front lines.
They would make it out soon enough.