Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, sadly. Read the previous chapters and you'll find that I disclaim the characters as well. I only own Raiken and the rest of the village. The rest are Rumiko Takahashi's idea. Don't sue, I don't have anything anyway. My landlord takes all my money…sue him along with my internet service provider :p

Notes: Continuing on from the previous chapter. I hope that this one came out more smoothly than the last. Thanks again to those who read this story and to those who review it. You reviewers are the only reason I'm continuing this and inspire me to write more Kaede/Raiken moments. Too bad none of you seem to have any websites, otherwise I would have given a special commendation… maybe a Raiken award, lol. Thank you so much for your support. Jul-chan

Eternity's Passing: Kaede's Tale

Chapter Nine: Maple Leaf

"I would never leave you. I want you to come with me."

She stared up at him, too stunned by his words to speak.

"What?" she finally managed. He took her hand that was grasping his shirt and squeezed lightly.

"I want you to come with me." He repeated, "I want to show you my people, my village, and importantly my life. It is my entire world and I wish to share it with you, Kaede."

The priestess in his arms stared at him in wide-eyed astonishment. He did not wish to leave her. That part of his declaration her mind had registered. Her heart fluttered at that thought and she wanted to shout to the entire world that she was the happiest woman in the world. Yet that little part of her that worried about her village had pulled at her. Upon mentioning this one little detail, Raiken just smiled. She then knew that he had an answer to that one concern.

"I just knew that you were going to bring that up. It's natural you are concerned, you grew up here. You can always return, you would not have to stay with me. I want you to be as comfortable there as I am here." He kissed her before she could protest. Releasing her lips from captivity by his own, she tried to protest again, but Nidoriko had entered with Hiroshi by her side.

"Don't make any foolish decisions, Kaede. Leave with Raiken, the villagers can care for themselves. Have we not gone over this before?" A smile appeared on the woman's face and Hiroshi looked approvingly at Kaede. Looking between the two, Kaede could not help but think that Nidoriko must have bewitched the boy with her thinking. Sighing she looked up at Raiken with a small smile.

"Sure, I will go with you. But you will have to help me pack."

Two days had passed and Kaede said her goodbyes to the villagers, promising to return someday. Nidoriko was the last to bid her friend farewell and embraced her warmly. Kaede was on the verge of crying when she realized that she was leaving the one who helped her when she trained to be a priestess. When Kaede was about to say something to her long time friend, Nidoriko tweaked her nose and admonished her for thinking such a thing. She took Kaede's hand and held it before stating, "Don't worry, Kaede, I know that we'll meet again."

After all the goodbyes said, she and Raiken were on their way to his village. It was a three day journey to his home. He spoke with his men about his fight with the demon and the past events in her village, excluding intimate details of course. While he caught up with his men, she hung back and was being entertained by Azuma.. He was a very likable man with a great sense of humor. He regaled her with stories of he and Raiken when they were just young boys escaping the shadow of their guards to find some mischief. One story was of how Raiken had offended a nobleman's daughter by insulting her. He made fun of certain feminine attributes by calling them 'insect bites'. He was rewarded well for his comment.

"We almost never got the ink washed off." Azuma finished, causing Kaede to lose control of her laughter, for she tried covering it up throughout the story.

"So the charismatic Lord Raiken was not always so charming. This tale certainly takes away that light that seems to shine wherever he walks."

"Perhaps it would to most women who become enamored with the prince. I suppose I should tell this tale more often." He chuckled at the thought of disillusioning love stricken females while Kaede shared in the merriment.

"You are a wonderful story teller. Why is it that you have not been claimed by a nice girl yet?"

Azuma shrugged still holding a small smile. "I simply had not found the right one. Besides, when one travels under Lord Raiken's shadow, it is very hard for a woman to notice me."

Kaede glanced over at Raiken and could almost see Azuma's point, but she was not about to tell him that.

"He is quite handsome, but not enough to dim your good looks. I'm sure that there is some girl who is admiring you from afar somewhere."

Azuma seemed to duck his head in attempt to hide an obvious blush.

"Surely you are joking, Lady Kaede." He muttered as he idly ran a hand over his horse's mane. Kaede pretended to be insulted.

"You think that I, a great priestess would joke on such matters? For shame, I ought to place a curse on you for suggesting such a thing." Her nose even went up in offense. It was comical, he had to chuckle at the picture she made.

"I see that you two are getting along quite nicely." Raiken remarked with eyebrow raised as he appeared next to Kaede. Both Azuma and Kaede shared a smile and nodded.

"Why yes, Azuma was just telling me a little more about your village and people." She responded. It wasn't a complete lie, but he deserved any little falsehood she tossed at him. She may have forgiven him, but she does not forget so easily. Azuma grinned guiltily before taking his place ahead of the group, leaving both prince and priestess together. The two rode together in silence, just enjoying the other's presence. His hand covered hers where it held the reigns to her horse so he could have some kind of physical contact with the woman he came to care so deeply for.

"How are you doing? I know that it has been a long trip with no breaks until dusk. Surely it is very hard on you since you aren't used to such."

She smiled at his concern, her heart fluttering that he cared enough to ask about her comfort. He had been so busy with his men, she had hardly seen him since their trip had started. When they stop for the night, she would be long asleep before she could say a word to him.

"I am doing fine, I suppose. I do admit that I am ready to be done with all of this traveling. Four days is too long for a person to spend on a horse."

He just smiled at her sympathetically before leaning over and claiming her lips with his. After they kissed, he straightened back up and continued to ride beside the priestess. It took every bit of his control to not whisk her away in the forest somewhere.

"If we keep on going, we should be there before sundown." He assured her. She sighed with relief and rewarded him with a grateful smile. Whenever she did that, Raiken really wanted to drag her away. So, to distract himself, he stared upwards only to have a green leaf drift down in front of him. Curious, he studied it to find that it was a small maple leaf. It was a reddish color, a bold contrast to all of the green that surrounded them. He couldn't help but compare it to his priestess. It was vibrant, full of life as the woman beside him. She embodied life itself. Kaede was the only woman he knew to give herself completely to those in need. She cared enough sacrifice her own wants, her own needs to make sure those around her were happy and comfortable. He closed his fist around the leaf and it sprung back instantly. It was strong just like his priestess. Kaede had lived a life of adversity. Her parents died when she was so young, only had her sister left. She lost her right eye and carried scars from the event that caused her to lose it. Shortly afterwards, she lost her sister, her only family. Yet despite it all, she had sprung back after every tragedy, stronger than she was before.

He glanced over to her and watched her marvel in all of the beauty nature had gifted them with. She was beautiful, just like her namesake, the maple leaf he held in his hand. Smiling, he tucked it away into his shirt close to his heart. Kaede happened to catch the look he had on his face and raised her eyebrow quizzically. He just smiled, reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.

"We are almost home."

She just gifted him with a smile that lit her up beautifully, his breath caught in his throat. Kaede was beautiful, and that was one thing that the maple leaf could only hope to compare.

Note: I was going to write more and have them at his village, but I ran into a block. But this was a good place to leave it. I'm letting the love birds have a moment, because more secrets are to be revealed, and many conflicts will arise. I'm giving Kaede a small break from her emotional roller-coaster… because it's going to be on overdrive later on. Poor Kaede, her life being in the hands of a demented authoress like me. Oh well, as long as you readers are loving this story, I will try not to torture her too much. I love Kaede. Enough rambling. Thank you for reading. Please keep on. Here, have some cookies! Jul-chan