Quite useful with a flint and tinder, Judeau set the night's campfire a good distance away from the spring. Since the spring itself created a great deal of its own warmth, there was no purpose in setting the fire so close to it. Furthermore, it would allow each of them to privately bathe in the spring, while the others remained warm by the fire. This was a good thing, because after two days of hard riding, some of them were looking to freshen up a bit.
Casca insisted that Judeau and Pippin take their turns in the spring first. Judeau protested her request of course, always trying to take greater care of Casca than she did herself. Still, the blonde merc had accepted her as their commander months ago, and this wasn't a friendly request; it was an order.
Almost as quickly as he had gone to bathe, Judeau returned to the campfire to find Casca in the midst of cooking a rabbit for him. He sat atop a log beside the fire, and after tying back his hair, Casca offered him the skewer. "It's almost ready," she informed him.
"Thanks," Judeau replied with a smile.
Casca's eyes turned to Pippin and she proceeded to politely order him as well, "Your turn."
"Mmmm," Pippin rumbled in his throat.
As Pippin stepped away from the fire, Casca pressed her now free right hand to the log beneath her, to aid in propping her up. She closed her eyes and allowed the weight of her head back to stretch her neck and collar. She quickly shook her head left-to-right with a crack and pop, bringing Judeau to cringe from across the fire. Though she was a woman, and a beautiful one at that, she was a warrior through and through. Hardened and rough around the edges, just like the rest of them.
To Guts though, while she was one of the few among the Hawks he trusted completely with his life, she was every bit the woman he knew her to be. It had been three nights since they'd known each other's intimate company, and though this mission was of the utmost importance, no part of him could help but want her again. Still, he knew there were rules and that in the close company of their friends and comrades, nothing of the sort could happen between them here and now. "Once we bring Griffith back, once the Hawks are back on their feet, then we can begin our life together," he reassured himself.
A smile found its way to Guts' lips, and he placed his left palm atop Casca's right hand. Immediately, she turned to him, still wearing a hint of surprise before her cheeks turned red. She turned her hand, twisting her fingers so that she could slide them in-between Guts'. It was such a simple gesture, but the meaning she intended, their fingers locked tightly together, it wasn't lost on the typically abrasive man at her side.
Judeau watched on the both of them, glad that they no longer felt it necessary to try and hide their feelings. He remembered for a moment what Guts said before he left. That Casca was an amazing woman, but felt for her more as a brother-in-arms, than as a mate. Seeing them now, the young upstart in him thought about rubbing that conversation in his friend's face. However, seeing how clearly happy they were around one another, how bright Casca's dark eyes shined now that Guts was back, he wouldn't dream of going through with it. He closed his eyes as he mused, "I haven't seen her smile once this whole year. But, within just a few days of Guts being back, she looks just like the Casca of old. The joy they bring to each other's faces; it almost looks they're fated to be with one another."
Pippin soon returned from the spring, somehow completely dry and dressed, bringing Casca to ask, "Wait, how did you-"
"Guts turn," Pippin interrupted as he took a seat on the log.
"Huh?" Guts asked. With all eyes on him, he replied, "No, I'm fine."
"I can smell you from here," Casca spat. Guts' eyes narrowed at the woman he called his, and she continued, "Do you really want to smell like an animal when you see Griffith again?" Though her words came out so clearly, her thoughts couldn't have been any more different, "Do you really want to lay beside me tonight smelling like that?"
While their friendship had blossomed in a way he never thought possible, Guts and Casca would always be Guts and Casca. "What about you, commander?" Guts remarked. "You're not smellin' so fresh yourself!"
"Why you…" Casca growled. She stomped her feet to the earth and pushed herself upright from the log, "On your feet, Guts!"
He had expected her to scold him back, perhaps take a swing at him, and either of those things he would have been able to deal with. However, he was not expecting this, "Wait what?"
"Move your ass!" Casca ordered as she walked off towards the spring, her left hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
After watching her walk into the woods, Guts turned to Judeau and Pippin wearing a look of supreme confusion. Taking in the sight of his bewildered face, Judeau offered his typically bright expression and commented, "If I were you, I'd do what she says, Guts. Women don't care much for waiting."
"But I-"
"GUTS!" Casca angrily roared from the woods.
Pippin simply raised his left hand, his pointer finger directed towards Casca's voice.
Guts carefully traversed the branches and brush towards the spring. The moonlight offered little in the way of illumination through the dense canopy above, keeping his eyes on the ground before him to keep from tripping. He soon came out to the small clearing that surrounded the spring, only to find a breadcrumb trail of Casca's armor and clothing. He gasped at the sight, his heart rate escalating as he followed the trail. First her gloves, than her breastplate, her spurred boots, her leggings, and finally her tunic. When he reached the foot of the spring, he finally looked up to find the small and delicate woman in the pool up to her neck.
A hole in the canopy illuminated the spring with moonlight and for all her anger a few moments earlier, Casca now smiled quite brightly. She wasn't looking to him, but to the calm surface of the water. Her fingertips broke through the surface first, then her hands as she commented, "It's wonderful, Guts." Finally her eyes met his bewildered gaze and she asked, "Will you join me?"
Knowing that her elegant bare body resided beneath that tranquil surface, Guts remembered what he told himself earlier; this wasn't the time for that. He closed his eyes and turned away slightly, bringing her to ask with worry in her tone, "Guts?"
"I can't," he replied. "If I get in there with you…" Casca blinked her large dark eyes while Guts struggled through his thoughts, "…it's not right. Not now."
Casca blushed slightly, perhaps feeling more than a little disappointed. As soon as she spoke, Guts turned back to her, though now she was the one looking away from him, "We don't have to…" She paused in embarrassment before giving him her eyes once again, "…we could just be in here, together."
Guts closed his eyes and lowered his face. He cursed himself for not allowing himself to do as she asked, "Casca-"
"I promise I won't bite," she lightly interrupted.
His eyes met hers once more, and at the sight of her irresistible pink lips, gracefully curved into such a lovely smile, there was no way he could do anything but what she all but begged of him.
Their eyes were locked with one another while Guts removed his armor. As he got to the removal of his clothing, specifically the garments below his waist, Casca respectfully looked away, and finally Guts stepped into the spring with her. He sat back against the smooth surface of the spring's interior, and immediately Casca nestled her body closely against him.
The warmth of the pool had quickly raised the temperature of Casca's skin, that the chill Guts still harbored brought her to body to tingle as she got comfortable beside him. The heat of the pool that surrounded them deeply penetrated their pores, warming them more completely than the simple meeting of two bodies ever could. She laid her cheek against his chest, her right arm across his waist, and stared up and into the moonlight.
Though they might very well find their lives in danger in just over a day's time, right now, as his arm clutched her tightly to him, this was absolute serenity. Neither could find a fear or pain-filled thought; they simply relished in the comfort of the pool, and the security of one another's embrace.
Minutes passed, who knew how many, when Casca broke the silence, "What's it like, Guts?"
"Hmmm?" Guts questioned.
She pulled her cheek away from his chest to gaze into his eyes. For just a moment, she found herself every bit as lost in Guts' dark eyes, just as he often found himself lost in hers. Finally, Casca remembered her question, and asked, "What's it like to be free? To wake up in the morning for no one but yourself?"
Guts smiled, "It's far better to wake up for someone, Casca."
She blushed at what he had said, and though it was both sweet and romantic, it didn't answer her question, "I meant, what's it like living your own dream?"
Guts turned his gaze back to the moon as he replied, "It's peaceful, but…" He searched his feelings, "…it can be lonely." His eyes closed as he tilted his head back. His head resting against the earth, Guts opened his eyes once again, looking up at the moon as he continued, "I spent so many mornings looking up at the sky, wondering just what I'd left behind that day. Coming back, being with you; I was such a fool to ever leave in the first place, Casca."
His words melted her heart even further, and she lifted her hand from the water. She placed her fingers on his cheek, turning his face towards hers and replied, "I know why you left, Guts. It doesn't make any of this, any of what's happened this past year any easier, but I do understand."
"Casca-"
She didn't let him finish, cutting him off by softly pressing her lips to his. Guts allowed his eyes to fall shut, and respectfully slid his left hand along her toned right arm, taking a delicate hold of the side of her neck. The kiss escalated quickly, building in fire and passion, though that long and breathless kiss would be all they share this evening.
"This is what I want, Guts. To wake up every morning, for you."