The next morning, Casca awoke feeling better rested, and more refreshed than she had in months. For the second consecutive night, she was able to wake up without a crick in her neck, or a sore spine. Furthermore, not an inch of her was stiff from the cold. Still warm throughout, a smile appeared on Casca's lips as she lightly tossed in the fabric, stretching her arms and legs. That's when she noticed that the man she'd fallen asleep beside was no longer with her. Instantly panicked, her eyes shattered open, and she pushed herself up through the bedroll.

She looked all around her, though not right behind her, where Judeau's calm voice came from, "Over here."

She turned in place to find Guts, Judeau and Pippin preparing a simple breakfast, once again consisting of forest creatures. As they had the night before, Judeau and Pippin held their own meals, while Guts held a skewer in each hand. She smiled as she took in the inelegant sight of him cooking a critter for her, ever dutiful in his commitment to her. She stepped over to the fire, and her lover handed the skewer to her as she sat beside him.

"Thank you," she quietly muttered.

They shared a smile for just a second, when it suddenly became obvious that they were sitting almost atop one another, with Judeau and Pippin seated directly across from them. Casca blushed, and quickly turned away from Guts in minor embarrassment.

Guts didn't take any offense from her actions. He knew that like him, she was still getting used to the complications that may have come with their new relationship. From across the fire, Judeau saw what she had done, and quickly attempted to relieve her fears, "It's alright, Casca."

Her eyes widened, and she turned to him as he continued, "This isn't a battlefield, and we aren't the enemy. You're allowed to be a woman."

Casca's apprehension seemed to fade slightly at his words. She turned to Guts who offered her a glance of his left eye, and the side of his grin. A tender smile appeared on her lips, and she quietly replied, "Judeau-"

Alas, she didn't get to finish her thought as Pippin interrupted, raising a steaming metal cup beside the fire, "Drink."

Surprised by Pippin's interruption, she accepted the cup and took a sip of the simple pine needle tea, heating her up from the inside out. She looked to Guts and offered him the cup as well. "No thanks," he replied nonchalantly. "Drink up, you need your strength, boss."

Casca's smile tightened a bit at his comment. She both felt and saw the care he exuded for her clear as day; still, it didn't stop him from being a smart-ass every now and again. Regardless, she knew he meant no ill will of his comment, and simply turned back to Judeau and Pippin, "Soon as we're finished eating, suit up. We're setting out as soon as we can."

"Aye," Judeau replied.

Though Casca's tone was authoritative, and her order absolute, Guts couldn't help but smile at the sight of her as she nursed the warm beverage she held. Luckily she couldn't feel his eyes on her, or she might well have reminded him that she really was the boss.

After finishing their meager breakfasts, they each slipped their armor on. It was often times this past year that Casca, Judeau and Pippin simply slept in their armor. It wasn't the most comfortable way to sleep, clad in these shapely pieces of iron. In fact it was the complete opposite of comfort. Still, it saved them the trouble of having to throw it on in the event of a night raid.

Guts' looked on his lover as she slid her two-piece breastplate over her hair. She was ritualistic in the care she took securing the leather straps across the armor. It was an odd thing to find attractive, let alone sexy, but knowing her as he had two nights ago, it was impossible for him to observe her with anything but astounded eyes. "How did it take me so long to realize how amazing she is?" He wondered. "If I had only seen it then; if I had never left her in the first place, Griffith never would have…" he slammed his eyes shut, and balled his fists tightly at his sides as his thoughts consumed him.

Suddenly, he felt soft hands on his face that could only have been Casca's. His eyes instantly opened wide in surprise of her touch, and he took in a slight gasp.

"Are you alright?" Casca concernedly asked, seeing he was clearly troubled.

His features immediately softened as he took in her face, her eyes, her lips; "So beautiful."

"Guts?" Casca asked, finally snapping him out of it.

"I'm fine," he quietly replied. He took hold of her armor, just at her shoulders and with a smile on his lips, gave her a gentle shake, "You ready?"

They wouldn't share a kiss in front of Judeau and Pippin, even though the looks in their eyes told enough that they were both longing for it. Instead, Casca offered Guts a smile and turned to face their comrades. Both Judeau and Pippin had finished packing their horses with their gear, and Casca called out, "Alright let's get-"

He could indeed be a bit of a brat, that Guts. He lightly swatted his left hand out, smacking her firm behind just hard enough to startle and interrupt her. Immediately Casca turned back to him, fully prepared to unleash her venom on him. Guts of course wore an innocent 'I-didn't-do-it' look on his face, and from behind her, Judeau couldn't help but lightly chuckle. She turned back to her blonde friend, and at the sight of her enraged eyes, he wiped his face clean of laughter.

She turned back to Guts, her pointer finger extended at the towering man and barked, "Don't forget that I am still your commanding officer, Guts!"

"Sorry, I was just trying to keep the mood light," Guts nonchalantly commented. While on the outside he was blasé as could be, on the inside he found himself terrified, "Did I just ruin everything?"

She turned back towards Judeau and Pippin and sternly ordered, "Let's move."

Judeau and Pippin headed off into the woods, while Guts' concern over his poor attempt at a prank overwhelmed him. Just as he thought he'd irreparably ruined things between them, Casca turned back to him. He expected a punch or a slap, but instead, she threw her arms behind his neck, and smacked her lips against his. Guts' arms wrapped her iron-covered body, his right hand threading itself into her short black locks.

Within a moment of that deep kiss, Casca pulled her lips from his, nearly keeping tears behind her smile. Guts didn't entirely understand why she had kissed him as she did. Why she had for lack of a better description 'rewarded' him for embarrassing her.

"Casca-"

He attempted to ask, only for her to press a finger to his lips, interrupting him as she warmly spoke through her grin, "Good morning, Guts."

The day's ride saw Casca's party traverse miles of plains on their journey to Windham. Even with a cloudless sky, the sunlight didn't offer the air much warmth during the day. As she observed both her own misty breath, as well as her horse's, Casca was dreading the night. However, seeing Guts pull alongside her for a moment, she remembered she wouldn't spend the night alone. Of course that only made her feel sympathy for Judeau and Pippin. They had both dealt with so much this past year. She closed her eyes and struggled to keep her emotions buried.

When she opened her eyes again, she found Guts staring at her, offering her just the slightest of grins. Her sadness faded from her features and she too wore a slight smile as she looked back to the trail. "Soon Griffith will be back, and everything will be as it was," she thought. She turned to Guts once more to find he too had taken the trail back in his gaze, "Well…almost everything."

The sunlight slowly began to fade, which meant night would come sooner than later. Casca squinted into the distance to find they would soon enter another wooded area, but above those woods, a thin veil of steam hovered.

"Casca!" Judeau called from the rear.

"I see it, Judeau!" Casca simply replied, her tone calm but firm. "Everyone, stay sharp!"

Judeau drew one of the throwing knives from his belt and flipped it in his hand, while Guts slipped his right pinky around the hilt of his sword. They each gave the reins a flick, upping their pace into the woods, to get out of the clearing before darkness fell. Once they crossed into the woods, their swift pace slowed to a trot till they would find a suitable place to camp.

Casca too had taken her sword into her right hand, merely holding it at her side. Her face turned side-to-side every few moments in constant vigil of her surroundings. Taking a look to his left, Guts saw the determination with which she examined their surroundings. "She's incredible," he thought. "A year leading the Hawks has made her so much stronger, even more alert and focused. She's truly amazing."

When Guts' eyes turned front once again, he quietly exclaimed, "What the…?"

The group collectively shared a gasp as they observed the source of the steam that blanketed the forest; a hot spring. Even just stepping closer to the small, shallow pool of water, the air became thicker and filled with moisture. The humidity was a pleasantly sharp contrast to the cold, dry air they had suffered this past two days ride.

Casca slowed her horse just a few feet shy of the pool and dismounted. Guts, Judeau and Pippin all dismounted and approached their leader, who had sheathed her sword. Casca knelt beside the pool and removed her glove, carefully trying the water with her right hand. That she had slipped her hand into the pool up to her wrist told that the water wasn't too hot, or too cold.

"Casca?" Guts asked.

She turned to Guts wearing a smile and quietly replied, "We camp here for tonight."