Sorry for the long wait you guys! Things came up but I finally got around to finishing this chapter. A huge thank goes out to Aquamonkey for helping me make the final edits on this chapter. And thank you guys for reading! Now onto chapter 7!

"When was the last time you two went to a hot spring?"

Kenshi's question weighed heavy on Hanzo's mind. It truly has been a while since he visited one. The molten lava that flowed in the Netherrealm wouldn't count as a hot spring and I wouldn't know if there were any in Outworld seeing how I avoided every one like the plague. He didn't want to pass up an opportunity to revisit one, no matter where it was located in Japan. He even thought about Maya's homeland of Arcadia. Surely there are hot springs there I can visit with her. Hearing Maya say she hasn't visited one in months sparked an idea.

"Instead of only spending the rest of the day in an onsen and returning home when it closes, we can stay in a ryokan." Hanzo suggested.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that." Kenshi nudged Hanzo's shoulder with his elbow. The mischievous grin on Kenshi's face matched the chuckle he let out while talking. "There is a ryokan we can go to and spend the weekend in. The owner is a friend of mine and knows Natsuo, so we'll get some special treatment."

"Sign me up."

The trio returned home to change and pack a bag for their weekend away. After the incident where she left a door ajar and he almost mistook her for an intruder he would have to neutralize, Hanzo was relieved to see Maya place a protective spell and charm around her home. The house is located in a more remote area in Matsue and with the exception of Natsuo, they rarely had visitors but it was always better to be safe than sorry. When they were all at the front door with their bag in hand, Kenshi told Maya the ryokan's address and they made it there in one piece seconds later.

The Mori Ryokan was very tranquil when the trio arrived. Hanzo watched Maya look around and admire the large trees that surrounded the secluded inn and eye the trail that lead to the courtyard. A staff member greeted them and gave them a few moments to relax in the lobby before escorting them to their room. They were taken to the west wing of the inn and into one of the larger and private rooms in the building. With the guest book signed, their luggage put away, it was time for them to finally take a dip into a nearby hot spring.

"See you later, boys!" Maya looked over her shoulder and waved goodbye while she walked away with their maid and to the washing room.

Hanzo tried to relax in the outdoor hot spring near their room. This normally was an ideal situation for him. He was alone, surrounded by trees, and the steady sound of water flowing out of a fountain, hitting the rocks it sat on, and flow into the spring. With slow, deep breaths, Hanzo closed his eyes and felt the remaining tension in his body go away and focused more on his inner thoughts.

Wherever Kenshi went off to and what he was doing didn't concern him. His disappearing acts were slowly becoming an everyday thing, which was another thing about him that was beginning to annoy Hanzo. His misgivings about Kenshi's recent behavior were pushed off to the side and he focused on what his plans for the future.

"Look at me, having the same hopes and dreams as I did when I was younger and in those dark days. Rebuilding the Shirai Ryu to it's former glory. My last attempts never came to fruition and yet I still have some shred of hope that things will be better now. No, I know things will be better."

Soon his thoughts shifted to his relationship with Maya.

"We respect each other. It goes without saying that we are comfortable in each others presence. She does things to push my buttons but never out of malice, if I said part of me didn't like it I would be lying. I have withheld important facts about me myself that I may be willing to share in the future. There's more to know about her also. Maya is a lot more complex than...her. My friendship, relationship, whatever, with her isn't built off of convenience either."

Maya exited the washroom with one of the small and short towel the staff provided for their guests wrapped around her body. She took her time cleaning up and slowly made her way to the water. Feeling the earth beneath her feet and being surrounded by three very important elements reminded of home and her life in Arcadia. Now that the temple was close to completion, she wanted to return and visit her family.

A very relaxed Hanzo came into view. The comment he made about her outfit wasn't forgotten and she thought of how to approach him while he was distracted. He didn't hear her soft footsteps him or her stopping when she was inches away from him. She planned on tapping him on the forehead to wake him up but stopped dead in her tracks when she looked ahead. Staring right back at her was the same illusion that was hell bent on making her life difficult. Maya watched her approach Hanzo like a predator stalking it's prey. For the first time the two were in sync and waited for Hanzo to move and open his eyes. He wasn't moving fast enough for them and with Maya's permission, the illusion moved closer while Maya carefully sat down with one leg over the other and her feet in the water.

He stirred at their movements and blinked to regain focus. Dumbfounded, he watched the illusion. There was something mischievous and slightly wicked in her eyes that made his heart skip a beat. He felt a gentle and familiar tap on his forehead and whipped around to see what it was.

"You started without me. That's not very nice." Maya huffed and crossed her arms. The illusion was gone and was the last of his worries. His eyes widen when he look up at her.

"W-what are you doing here!" He yelled.

"Take a good guess." Maya rolled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant."

"This is a mixed bath so I'm allowed to be here."

A rule Kenshi didn't disclose to his friend and one Maya found out from the staff. Hanzo covered his eyes to give Maya some privacy while she took her towel off and entered the hot water. She carefully folded her towel and placed it on her head.

"You can open your eyes now."

Much to his relief, there was some space between them. As tempting as it was to look at Maya, Hanzo looked straight ahead. Just because she was very comfortable with her body, he didn't take it as an invitation to gawk at her while she's naked.

"I'm glad to know that I don't turn into a complete idiot when she's around."

"You're acting like you've never seen a naked woman before." She giggled. "I'm sure you had to fight off hundreds of women who threw themselves at you while you were in Outworld." She told him before closing her eyes.

He reflected on the days when he did have women throw themselves at him and attempt to sneak into his sleeping quarters, only to be yelled at and kicked out. The Tarkatan-Edenian experiment was the number one offender. He lost count of how many nights he had to force her and the crude plush animal she made for him out so he can get a few hours of sleep.

"They were an annoying bunch and I wasn't interested in them."

"Not a lot of men will turn down a woman who wants him."

"I wasn't necessarily a man back then." He joked. And unlike now, relationships and what it entails were the last thing on my mind. "They left a lot to be desired...Which is something I can't say about you."

After they returned to their rooms dressed in yukatas and had dinner, Hanzo suggested they walk around the courtyard she took glances at when they first arrived, which she eagerly accepted. It took her a while to join him in the lobby but he was prepared to idly look around for several minutes. He saw a group of women enter and check in together, they kept to themselves for the most part until Maya finally entered the lobby. The women had a brief conversation before parting ways.

While she was busy looking around at the trees that surrounded the trail they followed, Hanzo looked down and watched her. They were both dressed in black and yellow yukatas, he had gold lines on his while Maya had swirls on hers. He enjoyed walking by her in silence and seeing her dressed in the colors of his clan, but couldn't stop himself from chuckling at something he couldn't ignore. A smirk appeared on his face when Maya look up at him with raised eyebrows and confused.

"What's so funny?"

"You dressed more conservatively when I first arrived here. It's strange seeing you covered from head to toe again."

"What are you implying, Hasashi?" She tilted her head. "You don't like the way I've been dressing lately?"

"No, it's not that. I didn't mean to offend you. There's absolutely nothing wrong with how you dress." He backtracked.

"So you like it?"

"Yes."

"Of course you do." She poked his side. "Besides, I was covered up because you were a stranger in my home but now I'm a lot more comfortable around you. Seeing a little skin from time to time never hurt anyone." She winked and pulled the collar of her yukata to the side before walking ahead of him.

"I can't believe we're already in September." Maya said.

"Soon the vibrant green leaves that hang on the trees and cover the long branches above will take on orange and brown hues and fall one by one on the ground below us. Marking an end of one season and the rebirth of another."

"And you called me a poet." She said, amazed.

"Just something I made off the top of me head." He mimicked her. "These yukatas would have been nice to wear during the fireworks festivals that we missed."

"We can always go next year. I didn't think being around fireworks would have been a good idea considering everything you just came back from. I didn't want to drag you somewhere that could have overwhelmed and upset you."

"I understand and thank you." She nodded her head. "We've been immersed in my country and culture that it's overshadowed yours." He said to change the topic at hand.

"You're more than welcome to go with me to Arcadia. I think you'll like it. There's a lot of different things to do there and it's like paradise on Earthrealm." She looked up at him expectantly with her usual warm smile that lights up her face. Hanzo couldn't fight the smile that appeared on his face.

"Of course. What better way to learn about foreign countries and cultures than to visit an island in a land I've never step foot in." He quickly said.

"That's the spirit! Trust me, you're going to love it there."

They returned to the inn, arms linked together and all eyes on them.

Sleep evaded him throughout the night. In the times he did catch it, it only lasted for an hour. After waking up for the fourth time that night, he gave up. He envied the way she remained asleep, taking in even breaths and only moving to switch sides while he laid in the futon next to her, being plagued with guilt and self doubt. It was easy to keep his conflicting emotions buried deep inside during the day. Whether it was reading one of the many books kept in the house or wandering around Matsue, he always found something to do to distract him. He didn't have that luxury now.

While he did enjoy his time with Maya, in his opinion it was extremely disrespectful to Kenshi to make the comments that he did and having the gall to daydream about pursuing a relationship with Maya. At the same time he was annoyed at his friend's behavior towards her.

"She called him a worried boyfriend while she was sick and yet he didn't act like one. Their relationship seemed fine, saccharine a times. Maybe it was all for show. He's always running off somewhere without telling her or not putting in any effort into their relationship. It's as if he's only around her when she's useful to him. Like how I was with…No. That's a mistake I do not want to see happen again."

Because she wasn't alert and nodding off to sleep again, Maya's ability to sense Hanzo's emotions was compromised. She groggily opened her eyes and rubbed some of the sleep off of them. She looked over her shoulder and saw Hanzo laying in bed pinching the bridge of his nose. Her immediate thought was that his nightmares returned. Her worries were put to rest after seeing that his heart rate was stable, the lack of sweat on his body, and that he was breathing normally.

"You okay?" She yawned before getting up. Hanzo sat up and apologized for waking her, which she dismissed with a lazy wave of her hand. She moved to sit down on the space next to him To double check that everything was fine, Maya placed her hand over his forehead. When the white glow that surrounded her hand didn't change she removed it.

"Diagnosis?" Hanzo joked.

"Acute insomnia. Do you need some help falling asleep?" She covered her mouth and yawned again.

"What do you have in mind?" He leaned over and asked, surprising her. She placed her head on his shoulder and looked up at him.

"Potion or tea?" She asked with a sly grin on her face. He chose the latter and Maya made it appear in his left hand. "One of the women I talked to earlier said it will help. Don't worry, I double checked."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her eyes lazily opening and closing her eyes. They turned their heads in unison and their eyes met. He's become bolder in their game of cat and mouse, but only with his words. This was unfamiliar territory for him but it also brought excitement in his life that he didn't have in the past. He felt her head come to rest on his shoulder and relaxed. They remained sitting next to each other, until she couldn't fight sleeping anymore. She removed her head from his shoulder. He felt his heart race when she leaned into him and kissed his cheek. To his disappointment, Maya pulled the sheets on his futon over her and settled into the spot he slept on.

"Good things come to those who wait." He said under his breath while walking out the room.

"Yes they do." Maya said out loud after he closed the door behind him.

The hot springs antics will continue in chapter 8. This was very mild compared to what will happen in the next couple of chapters. I will do my best to update as soon as I can. I have some of chapter 8 done so far so that's a good start, lol. Thanks again for the reading, leaving reviews, favoriting, and following. You guys are the best! :)