A Mission, a Battle, and a Confession

Lou woke up once the first rays of sunshine wound its way through her windows. After getting dressed she opened her doors and headed on over to the kitchen, but not before sliding Hana's door open to check up on him.

He was still asleep, tuckered out and lazing on the futon. He definitely had a lot to drink last night. Lou got to work fixing up breakfast, like she had for the past hundred years. She gathered up some rice, cleaned it in a large basin, filtered the dirty water out, and then set it over and ignited the kindling in the fire pit and let it steam while she went to the table to prepare some meat.

As she busied herself in the preparations, she heard the door to the kitchen open and Hana standing by the frame. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"Not really," he gripped his head as he leaned to the side, feeling nauseous, "I probably shouldn't have drunk too much."

"I'm sure it will go away, why don't you go wait in the dining room? I'll have breakfast ready soon."

"Okay," Hana tripped for a moment, and Lou turned back to see if he hurt himself, "I'm fine, just keep cooking."

As he stumbled into the dining room, he pondered to himself what he was going to do about winning Lou's favor, but it was hard to do so with the hangover pounding in his skull. He was in no hurry, however, so he decided to stop thinking so hard at the moment and just enjoy breakfast with Lou.

He suddenly felt an unusual presence approach the shack, it wasn't hostile, but he sobered up quick once he heard a harsh knocking side by the front door.

"What was that?"

"A message from Lord Oyamada," He opened the door and saw an arrow lodged onto the wood, with a parchment rolled around the shaft. He took it from the door and spied around for any trace of the person who delivered it, but she had left.

He unwound the parchment and read the instructions left inside.

"Hana, breakfast is ready, where are you?"

He returned with the paper he received from Manta, "I got instructions from Manta; he left it on an arrow at the door."

"I thought I heard something weird. Well, what does the message say?"

Hana recited the writing, which indicated that he was to meet with Oyamada later tonight outside of town under the Sakura tree located in the local shrine, and that he would receive his first orders there, "It looks like he wants to keep the matter hush-hush."

"Are you sure you're ready for this? I wouldn't like to see you get hurt."

"Don't worry; I'm not a samurai for nothing."

Lou picked up her rice bowl and plucked some of the meat from a tray, beginning her meal, "Do you have any idea what he's sending you to?"

"I'm guessing it's some kind of scouting mission, it would seem a bit off if he trusted me enough right off the bat to assign me something more crucial."

"I overheard some ashigaru drinking in town that some of their military supplies have been disappearing from the storehouses. They don't think it was stolen, but it's going somewhere it's not."

"Well if that's true, Lord Oyamada won't be able to expand his domain very far, everyone will be too hungry to do so."

"You think it might have something to do with the mission he is assigning you?"

"Well, I'll just have to wait and see." Hana finished with his bowl before moving in for seconds, "On the other hand, is there anything you would like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I understand that you don't leave the mountain that much, and I know sometimes you pilfer some things from the town…"

"Pilfer is such a strong word, Hana."

"I'm sorry, but anyway, I could always use my status to help you get something you wouldn't normally be able to by ordinary circumstances."

Hana is offering to get her gifts? Lou felt flattered, but still, "Oh, that's kind of you, but I don't need anything I can get on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, but it was nice that you offered."

Hana was slightly disappointed, perhaps he played his present-sharing card too early, but maybe he could find a way to surprise her later on.

Later that day, just a few hours before nightfall, Hana was busy practicing his swordsmanship out in a clearing near Lou's shack.

Lou decided to check up on him, carrying a bottle of water with her, "I see that your little headache is gone."

"I wouldn't exactly call it little, but it is gone, so I'm glad for that."

Hana continued to practice his technique, and Lou had to admit, she was in awe of his amazing flexibility, he swished and swung with such speed his form blurred momentarily between the strikes, and the rest of his body moved like a humanoid mass of water.

"My word, your form and grace is amazing, where did you learn to move like that?"

Hana smiled, he felt a wellspring of pride for a moment. "I learned it from a near lifetime training with a skilled swordmaster."

"Was your training difficult?"

"Only when you get to the more serious parts of the training."

"Do you think you could ever teach me how to fight like you?"

"Well, I suppose… if you feel up to the challenge."

Hana allowed Lou to hold onto his blade, and he made her strike a basic striking pose, he stood behind her as he held her arms carefully, making sure she was balanced correctly, "Steady now, you're shaking. The sword may fly out of your hands if you don't keep it together."

"Yes, Hana."

Hana had to admit, he was a little flustered at being within such close proximity to Lou, she smelled nice, in a very earthy sort of way, but still nice. His roaming hands were rather eager to explore more than her arms, but reason prevailed and he restrained them from doing anything that would lead him to regret.

"All right, you're all set. Now, raise it over your head," Lou did as he instructed, keeping her hands as still as she could, "Now, with all your might, swing the sword down in front of you."

Lou did as told and the blade came down from behind her down in front of her.

"How was that?"

Not bad for her first try, but Lou was going to need more training if she wanted to get as good as he was when he wielded a blade.

"You are a good learner, but know that this is just the beginning of the lesson. It will get harder as we proceed through them."

"It will be all right, I have a good teacher."

Hana blushed, "I don't think I'm that good."

"Don't be so modest, or are you not a great samurai?"

She had got him there, "Well, there's no one around but you to judge."

They had made a considerable laugh out of it, but after that, Lou moved in close and held his hands, "Well, it looks like you need to be on your way soon."

"It appears so, better not to keep him waiting."

"Please…" the atmosphere suddenly felt a little tense, "…come back safe, okay?"

"I will, don't worry about me."

"You know I can't."

"Well, if it will make it a little easier to take, would you at least pray for my safe return?"

"I suppose that would make me feel better."

"I promise to come back, safe and sound."

"Safe travels, then."

Hana had arrived by the shrine as requested and admired the blossoming cherry tree erected near there. The pretty and pink petals rained down and reflected the soft glow of the pale moonlight, he grabbed one of the petals as it fell, and immediately he noticed he was not alone.

The tiny man known as Manta Oyamada casually walked up beside him, and he struck up a gentle conversation.

"I see you arrived on time, I appreciate a punctual samurai."

"I wouldn't like to leave a bad impression, milord."

"Good for you. Now that we're done with old business, let's move on to new business."

"You mean my mission for tonight?"

"Yes, I decided to test your skills tonight, a little after-hour snooping, if you're up to it."

"Snooping, eh?"

"You could say I even decided to take it a step further, too."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"My spies tell me that a certain merchant has been responsible for my recent loss of military rations and arms, but unfortunately he is legally untouchable. I was going to send some of my special agents to bring him into my custody so that I may interrogate him for information about who he is conducting business with, but perhaps appropriating any of his property that could help provide me with just cause to punish his secret partners will do even better."

"So you want me to go to some businessman's home and take anything that would serve as evidence to penalize him for his suspected crimes?"

"Not suspected, but definitive. It's just that I need solid, hard evidence to be able to prosecute him without getting the townsfolk riled up, despite what he has done against me, the citizens are mostly on his side."

Manta brought Hana behind the shrine and showed him a box loaded with ninja gear, "I didn't know what you needed, so I had Tamao prepare a set with a little bit of everything."

"Thank you, milord, this will do just fine, I believe."

"Good, I await your return to my residence, preferably with something juicy to tell me."

Hana put on the suit and after directions leading him to the residence of the merchant, he got to work as quickly as he did. He stood over the wall and took a long, thorough scan of the area. Only two men seemed to be in patrol of the residence, nothing that he couldn't handle.

Silently, he descended to the lawn, his footfall muffled thanks to his specialized training. After sneaking into the house, he carefully inspected the doors looking for his target. He hit the mark once he came upon a door with lights shining from it.

He peeked through the small opening and saw a portly man writing something down on a piece of paper, he yawned before setting his writing utensils aside and getting ready to sleep on his futon. As soon as he rested and fell into deep slumber, Hana quietly slid the rest of the door open, moved inside, and slid it close.

Just over and next to the sleeping businessman was a shelf with some documents – receipts and ledgers. If Manta wanted any evidence of misdeeds done, a record of transactions would be just the place to look.

Hana carefully walked towards the shelf, making sure to steer as clear as possible from the fat man sleeping nearby. He was just inches from reaching the shelf when suddenly, a pair of arms reached out and gripped onto his legs tight.

The merchant, it would seem, was dreaming that he was in bed with a lovely, voluptuous maiden by his side. The reality wouldn't let him, so it seems he has settled for Hana's ankle.

The samurai was in quite the predicament, he tried to gently tug out of the fat man's grip, but he only managed to get the merchant to tighten his grip. Taking a deep breath, Hana gripped his ankle and started giving it a nice, good tug. After some finagling with it, he finally managed to break the other man's hold on his ankle, but he stumbled backwards and knocked some of the items on the shelf.

Hana crouched quickly to see if the merchant woke up. To his good fortune, the fat businessman was a heavy sleeper.

He plucked the ledger and a few of other items from the shelf and made to escape from the mansion before the fat man decided to wake up and go get a drink of water or something to that effect.

The next day…

Lou woke up alone again. For the second time since they met, Hana was absent from the house when the morning came. Despite the fact she had not known Hana for very long, she had to admit she was already quite fond of him, and not being able to see him at least once every day made her feel very lonely, and it was very discomforting.

Still, she prepared breakfast like she had for some time now, arranging Hana's side of the table with his plate, drink and chopsticks. She sat across from the table and waited, hoping that Hana would drop in like nothing happened and they would just eat and chat as they had for the past couple of weeks.

She was about to start breakfast when she heard a familiar voice break throughout the house.

"I'm back, Lou, are you home?"

Without thinking she quickly rushed towards him and hugged him as soon as she was upon him.

After a minute of self-realization at her sudden, unconscious move, she slowly let him go and blushed in mild shame.

"You know, most people don't hug another person boarding with them."

"I'm sorry, but being alone for several hundred years leaves me a little… clingy."

"I understand, now what's for breakfast?"

They proceeded to have breakfast the way they've had since they started living together. Lou decided to ask how Hana's first day, or rather night, on the job went and what Lord Oyamada expected of him now.

"Well, after I blew the fat man's operation wide open, Manta managed to find out who has been sabotaging his economy and taking his goods and resources."

"Who?"

"It turns out the master of the neighboring domain was responsible."

"I see, what does Manta intend to do about it?"

"He's preparing the men to invade his lands. One doesn't conduct unlawful business in Manta's lands and gets away with it, but for now he's keeping it hush-hush."

"Will you be participating in the attack?"

"Yes, it will occur next week."

"That's a bit soon, isn't it?"

"Lord Oyamada isn't going to take any chances, if the other lord realizes that he's been compromised, he'll make his own war preparations against us. We have to strike while he's still sitting on his laurels."

"Well, I don't have any right to hold you back."

"Is anything the matter?"

"It's nothing."

"Come on, Lou, I can see right through you."

She sighed, knowing that her displeasure at the current situation was not going to be hidden from him, "I can't take the fact that you just came home only to have to leave again."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that's just the life of a warrior for me."

"I know, and I get it. But all the same, I can't help but fear for you, putting yourself in harm's way all the time. The fact you're constantly at death's door unsettles me a little."

Hana scooted over to her, "Listen, I've been through far worse before I met you. I can assure you that I don't survive battles leaving everything to chance, I always survive because I've learned to expect things on the battlefield that no one else sees coming. If I die, then it's either because someone got the better of me, or in my arrogance I made a fatal oversight."

Lou hugged him again, tighter, as if letting him go would mean the end of the world, "I hope for both of our sakes neither of those ever come to pass."

The next day, Lou and Hana decided to continue some more swordplay training so that she got a good handle of it.

"…and, down!" Lou brought the sword down before her with a moderate swoosh of air flying away from the blade. She was still an amateur, but she was an amateur with a firm grasp of the basics.

"How did I do?"

"It's only been the second day and you're already getting the handle of swordplay. If you were a warrior, I would have been honored to have the opportunity to train you."

"Well, why not? I can always learn to be as good as any samurai."

"I suppose, I mean some of history's finest warriors were women, I don't see any reason you can't join their ranks as one of them."

"Hana, I don't intend to be a great warrior, just being able to keep my home safe is enough for me."

"Your home doesn't really seem like its needed any protection in ages."

"Be that as it may, one can never be too careful when one lives in the mountains."

"I suppose you're right. Anyway, let's take a tea break here and later we can start some more intermediary lessons after that."

At tea, Lou decided to inquire about Hana's life.

"Hana, I know you told me before that you left your home in Izumo."

"I did."

"Why? Was there a reason that you had to leave your friends and family behind?"

"They were getting to be too much for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a bit of a long story. My parents groomed me to take over the family when their time was up, but all they ever cared about was making sure I was trained, educated, and 'comfortable' but they never cared about me as a person."

"It sounds as your parents gave you everything except themselves."

"That's exactly what it was all about."

"I would have imagined that you at least enjoyed the perks of being treated like a prince by your family."

"It's fun to have privileges like royalty, but after all is spent, none of that really matters in the end."

"You wanted their love more than all of the gifts they could offer?"

"Exactly."

"Do you think they might have re-evaluated your worth to them by now? I understand it has been quite a few years since you've left them."

"Who knows? For all I care my cousin has probably been named successor, all I want is to be my own man."

"I'm certain that a long time away can inspire a change of heart in one's family, aren't you the least bit curious as to how they may have changed?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I suppose I am a wee bit curious. But now is just not the time."

"I understand, but whether they want you back or not, I just want to let you know that you will always be welcome here."

"Thanks, had I known better, I would have left home far sooner."

A week passed and eventually Hana was once again called to duty, in that time he had received a brand new warrior's set provided by Oyamada's armourers, including a brand new suit of armor and a shiny pair of swords. He would need them during the campaign if he expected to survive.

As Lou helped him get into his armor, she couldn't help but feel a little frightened by the prospect of Hana heading off to battle. It was a terrible thought – massed ranks of men armed with sword, spear and bow running and marching headlong to certain death against one another. The fact Hana was going to be in the midst of the fray was cause for anxiety.

"I wish you wouldn't leave."

"I know, but this is the only life I know and I have an obligation to deliver nothing but my best effort."

Lou sighed, before moving in and giving Hana a tight hug, "Be careful, okay?"

"I will, do not worry."

Days Later…

Manta's decision to invade his neighbor's lands was a fortuitous strategic choice. The rival lord had dispatched the bulk of his army for a campaign further east, leaving a relatively small, token force behind to defend both him and his domain from attack. Manta could not ask for a better chance to wipe his impudent adversary off the face of the Earth.

His spy network had proceeded in advance, picking off the small, scattered outposts and guarded checkpoints within the region while the Oyamada army marched unchallenged until they arrived before the doorstep of the enemy castle.

By the time he realized he was invaded, the rival lord was cornered in his posh residence, and any avenues of escape or means to recall his army from abroad was cut off. The home where he lived in grandeur would soon be his tomb.

Manta was in an excellent position to simply crush him then and there, but he decided that, regardless of the fact his enemy was a spineless rat, he would at least offer him an honourable exit.

A lone samurai marched from the assembly of soldiers in Manta's ranks. Although he himself ordered the samurai to do so, Manta could not help but feel apprehensive about the whole thing, after all, he was, relatively speaking, a newcomer in his army, and he had a life he was expecting to return to.

As for the young warrior, though his courage was admirable, in leaving the safety of the group he exposed himself to tremendous risk, he had a life to go back to and inwardly all he wanted was to find a gift for the woman he loved, who offered her residence out of the generosity of her heart and he wished to repay her in kind. As soon as the fighting was over he was hoping that they would all go home and that would be the end of it, but until then, he might as well make a spectacle of it.

As he approached the imposing edifice before him, the gates at the base opened and strutting forward towards him was another samurai, no doubt the rival Lord's champion.

The two duelists stood before one another and bowed respectfully, before slowly drawing swords and preparing for battle. They circled around the clearing that formed their makeshift arena, examining each of their movements and making very slight, minute alterations in their stance, making sure that however they stand at that moment it would lead to one where they would both make the first move.

The rival decided the tension needed some immediate resolution, and lunged the tip of his sword towards the samurai's face. Caught off guard the samurai stumbled to the ground, his enemy was about to land a killing blow, and only quick thinking saved him from the jaws of death. He crisscrossed his legs around the enemy's ankles and made him fall on his back.

He got back on his feet and was about to strike him as well, but the rival swept his blade towards the samurai's ankle, and he was forced to fall back or else lose his foot. Again the two warriors stood a pace or two apart from each other, getting ready to land another fatal strike. The samurai held his blade high above his head and advanced forward, his blade falling towards his foe. The opponent deftly moved aside and prepared his own sword for a counter-attack.

He paused in his stance before he could complete his move. The samurai had quickly reversed the grip on his sword and thrust it thus towards his opponent, who hadn't seen his move coming. The samurai turned and considered his stunned opponent momentarily before pulling his blade out of his opponent's body, which collapsed to the ground, dead.

With a flourish, the samurai threw the blood on his blade before returning it into his scabbard.

He bowed respectfully before Manta in the distance, who in turn signaled him to return to the army. He proceeded to march back towards his comrades, but his walk, and his life, was cut short when three arrows pierced through his back. He stood limp for a brief minute before he collapsed, joining his opponent in the afterlife.

Perhaps Manta should have known that the rival Lord would try a dirty trick like this, but he decided to see if maybe honor would prevail; clearly, it did not, and one brave young soul paid the ultimate price for Lord Oyamada not trusting his better judgment.

Back at her shack, Lou's candle was snuffed by a random gust that found its way into her home. She considered it momentarily, as though some imperceptible force informed her something dreadful had occurred. She took a stick of tinder and re-lit the candle, then turned her gaze upwards hoping that nothing bad happened to Hana.

The unfortunate warrior that fought an honorable battle but perished mere moments after his victory had left a pall upon the rest of Manta's army. He had his whole life ahead of him, and all he wanted was to find a gift for the woman who left him smitten and earn her love.

Of course, Hana had no idea of any of that. He was safely with the rest of the army when the poor sap met his unfortunate end.

"I'm sure glad that wasn't me."

Manta gave the order to begin the attack. First was a barrage of rocks and pots filled with burning oil flung from his catapults. Some collided with the walls while the rest landed behind them, causing great confusion among the enemy ranks, and then came the ranks of ashigaru, who charged forward to provide the initial punch for the attack. The poor saps - who perhaps only had a rudimentary understanding of the weapons in their hands - were expected to intimidate the opposition while killing as many of the enemy as possible, all while soaking up the enemy's ammunition and falling like flies.

Upon reaching the walls and beginning the process of scaling them, Manta ordered the samurai to move in closely now that the enemy's attention was focused on his more numerable force. Half of them were ordered to stay behind and eventually work their way forward of the advancing ashigaru and shred the enemy once they were within sight. The other half would move around and climb the castle walls from the sides.

Hana was part of the latter group. Armed with some grappling hooks, they latched up into the sloped roof atop the wall and began climbing with grim determination up and over the line to strike at the heart therein. Seeing that they were going to be surrounded, the enemy retreated further into the castle, hoping that the confined space would make for a better defensive position.

The determination of Manta's forces slowly began to wear down on the narrowing forces of the rival lord, who had barricaded himself at the highest point of his citadel, where he kept a spear by his side ready to fight until the bitter end. Shoulder-to-shoulder stood his men in the passageways, giving themselves to the enemy with weapons bared and only their sense of duty fortifying their willpower.

Hana had been in many battles, but he learned after his first battle that it's always better to be the guy slightly behind your fellows in front but staying slightly forward of the ones behind you. Being in the middle has advantages and disadvantages, and being a shrewd warrior involved knowing the right place and right time to be where you are on the battlefield. Samurai take great pride in their willingness to throw themselves to death's jaws, but a great warrior lives to tell his battles than die and rely on the hearsay of the warriors' who stood to the left and right of him to preserve his integrity, and Hana needed to earn his right to be called such.

Once they reached the high point, the first of two samurai ahead of him tried to draw first blood. The rival Lord lunged his spear and hit home at the opening of his neck. The second of the two ahead of Hana likewise followed, but the Lord pulled his sword and sliced away at his assailant, pushing him to the ground and expecting another to attempt a new attack by the front.

Hana was no idiot to follow such an obvious lead. He had quickly circled the rival and drove his katana through the back of him, succeeding where the ones before him failed.

The battle was over and the sun had not even rest upon the westward horizon. There was no better feeling than finishing a battle as quickly as battle and time to spare. It would be a little while still before the territory stabilized and things smoothed over, but for now, victory was the most important thing.

A week later…

Lou was busy preparing another batch of silk to weave and then put away when a familiar voice called out for her from outside.

"I'm back!"

Lou walked towards the door and greeted Hana's return with her usual cheer, "Welcome home, are you all right?"

"Never better, I got to take the next campaign off because I did so well in the last battle."

"Wonderful, does that mean you will stay for longer?"

"As long as no emergency occurs, I have all the free time in the world."

"That is amazing news. Please, come in, I'm sure you would like to relax after such a tiresome endeavor."

"Oh, right, while we were over there, I brought a little something for you."

"A gift? But Hana, I already said I didn't need anything."

"I know, but I really think you're going to like this one."

Hana produced a small box wrapped in a dainty pink cloth.

"Go ahead, open it."

Lou did as told and when she lifted the lid up to see inside, she was surprised by what she found – a beautiful hairpin with a lovely peach flower decoration.

"Oh my, it's beautiful."

"Well, I think a beautiful maiden deserves a beautiful flower." He said as he planted the hairpin atop her head.

Lou picked up a hand mirror and examined her reflection, "Thank you, it looks lovely on me."

"I'm glad you think so."

Lou smiled back and Hana felt his heart nearly jump up his throat, there was nothing more pleasing than the sight of her warm smile.

Two days later…

Hana and Lou were in the glade, practicing some swordplay again. This time, Lou had shown significant progress that Hana decided it was time to see if she was ready to face an actual combatant.

"Are you sure you want to spar with me, I wouldn't want to break any of your bones."

Lou smirked, "My friend, I may look fragile, but you shouldn't underestimate me. Did you not say it yourself that some of history's finest warriors were women?"

Hana laughed softly, "You're not a warrior yet, and I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you."

They both assumed a fighting stance and held their wooden swords at the ready. An air of tension had befallen the general area. The two mock combatants stared at each other pensively, waiting for the other to make the first wrong move. As Hana was taught, and Lou had learned, the first move is always the most important, the move that sets the warrior up for success.

Lou opted for the first move, raising her sword and aiming for Hana's face. Hana had been in numerous instances where people attempted to hit his face, and he expected this move half of the time in his career. He deflected the attack with his own sword and made a vertical counter-attack. Lou somersaulted backwards, splitting her legs to avoid his hit before regaining her balance. Again there was a moment of tension, Lou holding the sword forward, keeping it ready to parry any move he would make. Hana held his blade to the side, telegraphing a wide, horizontal swing, but in which direction, she had no way of knowing. He waited until the right moment for her to make some kind of slight move, a tiny opening where she could be hit without any way to defend.

Lou suddenly inched her foot some ways forward, and Hana noticed the ever so slight change in her position. He lunged forward, aiming for her ankle. He never thought to consider that maybe Lou had planned the whole thing. With his sword sweeping low, Lou jumped up and prepared to strike down on Hana's head. Only quick thinking and stumbling sideways did he manage to dodge a good one. When he got back on his feet, Lou prepared her own sword to strike his waist. She was too close and the attack was too wide to back away in time, so Hana was forced to drop down on his back to avoid being hit, and Lou now had another opening.

"I got you, Hana!" She prepared to bring the sword down, and claim her victory.

"No, you don't!" Lou crisscrossed his ankles around hers and forced her to stumble to the ground.

"Ah!"

She ended up landing on top of him.

Hana took a couple of moments to catch his breath, "Okay I'll admit it, you're a fast learner."

They both laughed softly as Lou was pulling herself up, "Perhaps, but I still failed to beat you."

It took them a while to notice that their faces were only some inches away from them. Upon realizing this, there was awkward silence. They were not used to being in a position like this before and their minds were filled with mixed feelings.

Lou was the first to break up the awkwardness and shuffled away back to the shack, slightly embarrassed by what she had done.

Later, Hana was sitting on an outcropping of rock, smoking on a pipe he had taken from the rival Lord's castle and overlooked the valley where, just some weeks ago, his life took a completely different turn. Hana had always been told, by his father, that life was full of surprises. He only believed in that sort of thing half-heartedly, but after meeting the fairy, he was starting to come over to his way of thinking a bit more. He turned his head back as he sensed Lou approached him from behind.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit with you?" Hana shook his head, and motioned her to sit next to him.

Once she was comfortable, she decided to ask him a question, a rather important question, "Hana, do you like me?"

He had to admit she caught him off-guard, "May I ask why?"

"Please, I just want to know."

He couldn't tell her a lie, he did indeed like her in that way, and he has no reason to be dishonest. Puffing a plume of smoke out to calm his nerves, he responded, "I have… for a long time now."

"I see…" she looked away, a little flustered, "…I'm sorry."

He raised a brow, "What for?"

"For making you feel uncomfortable. The truth is… I have always liked you as well. I wanted to make you feel as welcome as possible, and at some point, all I wanted was for you to stay with me. I even wanted to impress you with my ability in swordplay, and then… well, I fell on you."

"It's all right. Besides, I was the one who made you fall."

Now he was just being modest, "Well, all the same, I felt like a clumsy fool."

In a move that surprised her, Lou felt Hana wrap his arms around her shoulders. Her face reddened at his gesture, but so was his.

"You shouldn't feel that way. No matter how skilled one is with a sword, there's always going to be hiccups, and you've done nothing wrong in my time spent with you."

"Really? You're not upset?"

"Not at all. But now that we've had this conversation, the proverbial cat is out of the bag."

"What do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do."

Lou looked up at him curiously, "What would that be?"

"What I mean is that we should start over, and now that we have nothing to hide, we shouldn't hold anything back from ourselves anymore."

"But I've only known you for a month or so."

"That's why I would like to get off on the right foot."

Hana held Lou's chin and brought their eyes level, "Lou, I wish to not only have your affection, but to earn it as well. Would you offer me the chance to prove myself?"

She smiled, "Of course, and I look forward to that very much."

They sat on the outcropping for a little longer, Lou in particular allowed herself to lean upon him, no longer apprehensive about their proximity.

The truth was Lou did not care if Hana had to prove himself to her, she loved him already. But she decided to let him try anyway because she was moved by his sincerity.

She looked forward to more days living by his side.