If you recognize it, I don't own it.
9. Back to the bandits lair
It was very late night when the gates of the Imperial palace opened. Soft voices murmured something and a horse and a rider soon galloped away. The gates were closed and all was quiet again.
---
Houki had tried to reason with her, but Sen had kept her mind. And there she was, riding alone in the middle of a moonless night, in pitch-black, on a bloody horse, back to Mt. Reikaku. At least it was not snowing, yet. Her mind was too occupied by a certain monk for her t notice the danger she had put herself. And of course, being mad as hell didn't help much either.
She had made the empress to promise that Chichiri would not know of this. No one was to know of this. Not yet. The pain was too fresh. Sen sighed and let the horse away from the main road to a narrow path between the tall trees. The road to the bandit fortress was not short, but if she rode through the forest it would save her couple of hours.
The horse trotted steadily, nearly lulling her to sleep. Sen mentally slapped herself to stay awake, when she found herself nearly falling of the horse.
"Come on, you stupid beast. Gallop or something."
The horse didn't listen. Sen growled in annoyance, but let the beast have its way. She was pretty sure the horse would just throw her off and she didn't fancy walking in the woods at night.
Sen yawned. Maybe I should have waited until morning, she thought. Ah never mind, she added as an after thought as the sun started to rise. Her surrounding changed as the light hit the forest. Birds came out and started chriping. Sen yawned again. How long had she been riding? Hours? Seemed so, her back was killing her and the early winter winds were chilling her to the bone.
---
Few hours later she stopped at a small mountain stream. She slumped down of the horse and stretched her arms making the joints pop on her shoulders. The horse seemed happy enough to be free of her weight. It walked to the stream and had a drink.
"Don't wander off too far." Sen yawned as she got the quilt she had borrowed out and sat to the soft grass. She leaned her back to a tree and wrapped the quilt around her. She was asleep in seconds. The horse walked back to the girl and started to eat the last bits of the green grass available.
The horse looked at the girl dozing off. It was a war horse, bred and trained in the imperial stables. It was as strong as a horse could be, but with a gentle spirit. Perhaps too gentle, for a warhorse. Its training told it to stay near the girl, even though it would have loved to have more to eat than just the grass.
Its ears perked to the unusual sound form the tree. It looked up and saw a beautiful red bird sitting above them. The bird looked at the horse, and then the girl. It seemed to wink before it flew away.
Had the horse been able, it would have sighed.
---
"Sen!"
"It's Sen!"
"Oneesan's here!"
She was greeted by grinning faces as she rode through the gate on Mt. Reikaku fortress. Sen soon found herself surrounded by men trying to say hello. But two were missing. She got a hold of one of the young bandits as she was helped down from her horse.
"Fai. Where's Koji? And Tasuki?" She asked after several pats to the back and quick hugs. Then she noticed how beaten the boy looked. "And what happened to you?"
"War happened." He answered, with a grin. "Tasuki is negotiating a peace treaty."
"And Koji?" The boy looked past her, but before she could turn she found herself in bear hug by the bandit in question.
"What the hell 're ya doing 'ere?" He asked with a grin. "I thought Genro Told ya to stay in the palace."
"He did." She laughed.
"Ha! I can't wait fer him to find out yer back." He ruffled her hair. "He's gonna be mad though, he won't like ya coming 'ere before it's safe an' all."
"I know."
"Come on then, let's go tell him"
"You'll come with me?"
"Like I would miss a show this big."
---
It was big show, yes. After Tasuki got over the initial shock he, of course being Tasuki, yelled. Quite a lot. And to everyone's horror, Sen yelled back, twice as much. But after several hostile minutes the two started to laugh it off.
Koji declared them both mental.
Sake was soon ordered.
It was one Hell of a show.
---
TBC
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AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but come on, I can't write 2000 words every time now can I? Ah I know excuses, excuses... sowwy.
One Hell of a show coming in next chapter. It's time to bring out the bad guys! I promise thee blood and gore.