As they rode quietly behind Mitsuhide, Kana stared off towards where Obi and Shirayuki were. The smile on his face looked so genuine while talking to the red-head. It was a smile she rarely saw for herself, but only appeared when she was around. Kana felt a pang on her heart as she felt the pain.
Obi was worried when she was kidnapped and went through tremendous lengths to find her. Thinking he had a change of heart, she felt hopeful, but once she had returned, it was as if nothing ever happened. Feeling her hand tighten around his waist, Mitsuhide glanced back towards her.
"Kana, you okay?" He asked with concern.
Her head perked at the older man's words that brought her back to reality. Sighing, she laid her head against his back.
"Yes I'm alright," she replied, tightening her hold around Mitsuhide.
Kana suddenly feel his warm hand wrap around hers as the two of them continued riding after Zen. It was an act of reassurance, which made her smile.
"You know, I care about you, Kana," Mitsuhide told her, causing herto blush. "I'll hold onto you tightly! I'll make sure you won't fall!"
Kana sweat-dropped. The older man had always been so naive, but she couldn't keep herself from laughing.
"Thanks a lot," Kana giggled.
Mitsuhide smiled as he squeezed her hand.

On the other side of the field, Obi watched as she laid comfortably against Mitsuhide's back, smiling and laughing as the older man tries to glance back at her once in awhile. The thought of feeling her arms wrap around him tightly and the warmth of Kana's body against his, it was a feeling he never thought of until now...
"Obi...?" He heard Shirayuki call out. "Are you okay? We're swerving..."
"Gah! Sorry Mistress! I was lost in thought," Obi chuckled as he quickened his pace after Zen.

After a couple more hours, the group decided to halt as they found a meadow hidden among the trees. Mitsuhide helped Kana down from the horse and she scouted around the forest to ensure its safety. As she nearly circled around the entirety of the meadow, Kana felt she was being followed and quickly whirled around to find Obi standing behind her. Kana raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hey-"
But before he could say anything, she had turned around and continued scouting. Obi scratched the back of his head in frustration and left her alone. Once Kanas was done with lookout, she decided to join the others back at camp.
"That was fast," she pointed out as she noticed the fire in the middle of four logs meant for sitting. "Were these always here?"
"Obi brought them," Mitsuhide replied.
"Ah," Kana muttered, sitting on the last log unoccupied.
The day was dimming and Kana could hear the animals rustling about and making noises. She watched quietly as Mitsuhide and Kiki prepare some sort of dinner by the fire, Zen and Shirayuki conversing quietly with one another, and Obi sat across from her in silence.

"Is there a reason why those two are quiet...?" whispered Mitsuhide to Kiki.
"A lover's spat," she mumbled, poking the fire with a stick.
"Eh..?"

Obi, hearing their conversation, stretched out his feet and joined in.
"Say Miss Kiki, do you have a story to tell us?" He asked as cheerfully as possible.
"Eh? A story? That sounds fun!" smiled Shirayuki.
"A story huh.." Kiki thought carefully and then glanced at Kana.
Kana peered at her curiously as she took a sip of water from her cup.
"When Kana was little, she had a crush on Mitsuhide," Kiki began.
Kana spat out the water she drank in front of her.
"Kiki!" she shouted.
"Hey.." sweat-dropped Mitsuhide.
"Oh I remember that," said Zen thoughtfully and then grinned at Kana. "Heh. That was a fun time to tease Kana."
"Why you-" Kana growled.
"She kept following him around, always wanting to hold his hand," Kiki continued.
"Kiki stop!" Kana cried in embarrassment.
"You guys..." Mitsuhide sighed.
"Why are you turning red?" Kiki questioned him.
The older man turned an even brighter red and looked at Kana. She covered her blushing face with her hands and didn't dare to look up.
"You must be important to Kana, Mister," piped up Obi causing the group to stare at him.
"Eh?" Mitsuhide wondered.
"The people she falls in love with," Obi pointed out. "She cares deeply for them no matter what..."
You gaped at him in astonishment. Was he talking about himself?
Mitsuhide chuckled and looked at Kana.
"It's true! She's never showed me anything but care and fondness! She's a good girl."
Kana turned a bright red and met gazes with Obi. He kept the eye contact for what seemed like hours, but he finally stood up.
"Well thanks for your story Miss Kiki. I think I'll go look for some more firewood," he said as he disappeared into the woods.
"I never finished," Kiki muttered.
"I think it's for the best," sighed Mitsuhide.

Once Obi was far enough from everyone else, he found himself sitting against a tree, his head buried in his arms. Seeing the closeness Kana had with Mitsuhide made his heart ache for some reason and just hearing about her past felt suffocating. Why was he feeling this way? He already knew of his feelings for the red head. What could he possibly be feeling for Kana?
The young man grabbed a stick beside him and began carving pictures on the dirt. Why was he feeling this way? The amount of concern he had for Kana when she was kidnapped felt acceptable because she was his partner, but now that she was safe, it felt difficult to be around her.
He stared at his hand and curled his fingers as if he was holding hers. The touch of her skin against his... He really longed for it. Just a small, simple touch. Frustrated, he ruffled his hair and groaned. Grabbing the sticks nearby, he stood up quickly and headed towards the camp.
"I'll tell Master how I feel about Mistress," he mumbled to himself.

When he arrived, he found Zen and Shirayuki asleep next to each other. Kiki and Mitsuhide had their eyes closed, most likely still awake. Obi's eyes averted towards Kana's direction, but she was gone. Dropping the sticks into the fire, he ran towards where Kana had gone.
As he walked further into the forest, he heard a stream of water nearby and some splashing. Hastily, he leapt towards the direction and found Kana with her bare back towards him. A slight sound of humming was heard from her and Obi smiled as he inched closer.
"Taking a bath?" he asked quietly.
"I thought it would be relaxing," Kana replied, aware of his presence. "Care to join me?"
"Not a bad idea."
Kana stood still as she waited for Obi to enter the water, but to her surprise she felt a light touch on her back as he announced his presence in the water.
"Obi-"
"I thought you'd feel less conscious if I wasn't standing in front of you to see... That..." he trailed off, the last few words barely audible.
Kana smiled as she kept her back towards him.
"I thought you were gathering wood?" she asked.
"I found some sticks," he replied, gazing softly at her back.
"You were gone for awhile."
"Got lost in thought," Obi mumbled as he watched a bead of water trickle down her neck.
Feeling slightly conscious, Kana turned her head so she could look at him. He was leaning against the edge staring at her with what seemed like confusion. Obi had taken his shirt off and the scars on his body were visible. Kana quickly turned away from him and sank into the water so that her head was underwater. Her heart was beating so fast. She need to get out and go back to the others...
As she bobbed up to get some air, Kana felt a presence against her back.
"Obi-"
Kana shivered at his touch as he ran his fingers down her back.
"You have a scar," he whispered.
"I do..."
"From where?"
"I was stabbed... A long time ago..."
Obi flinched from her words. He wasn't there before, but now that he is, he wouldn't let anyone hurt her again. Kana felt quiver as a pair of lips made contact on her back.
"O-Obi..." she whimpered.
She quickly turned so that she faced him, surprising him. His face turned bright red, but she didn't care. Kana leaned her head against his chest and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Don't do this to me.." Kana whispered in pain. "It hurts Obi.. When you're this close.. It hurts and I don't understand..."
Kana felt his hands grab her wrists and she glanced up at him as he stared at her with a hurt expression.
"You're not the only one..." Obi whispered.
Slowly, he released her arms and she began to walk out of the pond. Kana grabbed her clothes and began to climb out when she heard Obi following her.
"Kana, I'm planning on telling Master how I feel," he told her.
Kana's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip.
"How you feel?" she asked shakily.
Obi climbed out after her and put his clothes on as well.
"About Mistress," he said, catching her eye.
"I see..." Kana whispered, unable to comprehend the pain in her heart. Taking a deep breath, she turned to him with the most sincere smile she could muster. "Good luck!"
Obi gazed at her in surprise.
"Kana-"
Next thing he knew, she had pulled him against her and her warm lips had made contact with his. The kiss felt deep, but in reflex Obi pushed her harshly away.
"Kana-" Obi was about to reprimand her but stopped when he saw the hurt in her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry... I just.. I wanted to feel it.. One last time.." Kana told him, holding back tears. "I'm sorry..."
Unable to look at him, she ran off back to the others. Obi's eyes followed her, slightly confused.
"One last time...?"
When he returned to camp, Kan was nowhere in sight. He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Suddenly, he saw a rustle in the trees and walked quietly towards her as he found her sitting against the trunk of a tree on a high tree branch.
"Kana," Obi called to her gently.
Unable to get a response, Obi laid down beneath her branch and closed his eyes. At least if she fall, he'd be there to catch her.

Aww, so sweet, wasn't it? I was almost melted T_T