Tatsuki let out a slow breath, trying to even out her breathing as she stared at Yuzuki and Sakuya. She and the two other girls had been training for what seemed like all day, however; they had only been at it for a few hours. Rather than piling her hair into a tail or bun, Tatsuki had cut the long locks. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to return to the short locks. They were easier to manage, and provided more of an advantage, especially since she was training again. She didn't need a distraction. She straightened out her posture, smiling softly at the two others before bowing. They had time for a bit of a breather, and Tatsuki could feel the muscles in her arms and legs stretching. Perhaps she shouldn't have domesticated herself as much in the last three years.
"Yuzu-chan, Sakuya-san, would you care for a break?" she questioned the two. If they wanted to keep going, she would oblige them. She stared a bit longer at Sakuya, though, trying to read the girl. She was very... vibrant, in her eyes. She seemed to be well-mannered, but still had enough respect to speak her mind, and Tatsuki found herself a little envious. She might have been less timid, but she was still far from being able to speak freely and speak her mind. She could only do so in the presence of her surrogate brothers, and other women. She just wasn't that good with other men. They unnerved her for some reason, but she didn't mind much. She had her friends, and her brothers. That would have to be enough... for now.
"There is a hot spring, a few paces behind this place, that we could use as well," she continued. Their place of training had been an abandoned shrine of some sort. She didn't know who the shrine was to, only that it had been abandoned for over ten years. That was what the villagers had said, at least. Supposedly, it was a haunted shrine, however; the months Tatsuki had used it with Masurao, she'd found no such claim on the place. She'd only stumbled upon the hot springs on accident, when Masurao had fallen down one of the hills, and she had to go after him. It would be good to at least soothe the sore muscles and cleanse themselves before they left.
Despite the hard training, Sakuya seemed scarcely out-of-breath, but perhaps that was to be expectedāshe trained harder than this with her teacher almost every day, trying to reach the level of ki mastery needed to inherit her clanās techniques. She was doing well, or so sensei would occasionally say, and she, flush with the praise, however sparing, supposed that if anyone would know, he would. Still, sheād taken the opportunity to vary her routine today, because doing the same thing repeatedly was never good for oneself, and even though sensei varied her lessons, she knew that something completely different would come of this. She was impressed by senseiās friends; they both had unique styles, and Yuzukiās ki control was amazing. That said, she held her own with them no problems, and it made her a little proud of herself, too, and how far sheād come in the last few years. Unlike her father always had, sensei never pulled punches or softened blows because she was the heiress or a girl. He respected her as a warrior, just like, she could tell, he respected these two.
And if he did, she certainly could too. Smiling at Tatsuki, she nodded gracefully. āThat seems like an excellent idea, Tatsuki-chan.ā A chance to cleanse themselves of all this sweat would be nice. Yuzuki enthusiastically agreed, and before long, the three of them were at the springs, Sakuya peeling off her practice clothes with the ease of familiarity. āIāve always preferred bathing right after practice. It gives me the chance to consider everything I learned.ā Not bothering to tie up her hair, she let herself sink down into the steaming pool, up to the level of her eyes at first, then dunking her entire head back, coming up again and resting her back against the stone. The water was really nice, and almost too hot, which was honestly the best way for it to be.
āYou take your training really seriously, donāt you, Sakuya-chan?ā Yuzuki asked, following her into the water and taking a seat across the pool. There was no need to pin her own hair upāit was far too short to get wet unless she wanted it to.
Sakuya blinked. āOf course,ā she said, faint surprise in her tone, as though it were inconceivable that she might not. āIām the heir, now, and I have a duty to my people. I must be fit to lead them into battle, and with grace enough to handle more delicate diplomatic matters as well. It is no easy balance, butā¦ I have made much progress because of sensei.ā It might have just been all the heat and steam, but her face was definitely turning a little pink.
āItās still really strange to hear someone call him that,ā Yuzuki admitted with a giggle. āHeās always only been Mako to me.ā
She'd never really seen it that way, bathing and thinking of what she'd learned that day. Tatsuki had always used the chance of bathing just to relax her body, and allow it to absorb what it needed to. It calloused her in a sense, and allowed her body to remember the familiarity of moves, learning them as second-nature. She'd never really reminisced on her training. It might actually do a bit good for her to do so, now that she wasn't as trained as she once was. She turned her attention back to Sakuya as the younger girl spoke, tilting her head slightly when she noticed the slight pink dusting the girl's face when she spoke of Makoto.
"Do... you like Makoto?" Tatsuki stated a little bluntly. She wasn't ignorant to believe that the heat was the cause of the girl's flushed face. She knew all to well what a blush looked like, and that, was most certainly one. "You speak very fondly of him, and you are blushing," she continued, a little surprised at her own forwardness. Even if the girl was slated to be an heir, she really wouldn't be able to rule without finding a husband. She did not know how slayer clans worked, but her clan had always had that set rule. Should a leader of the clan only have a daughter or daughters, the first born would lead, however; she was to be wed as soon as she was of age, before she could rule. Perhaps Slayers were different?
Did that mean she wanted Makoto, then? Tatsuki was suddenly aware of the pressure that built in her chest.
Yuzuki was incredibly surprised to hear such a blunt question from Tatsuki, who was normally so shy, and was opening her mouth to say something to smooth it all over when Sakuya replied, equally straightforwardly. āDo you?ā She swore she could detect it there, a certain note of jealousy, and maybe she was just imagining things, but she didnāt think so. Under the water, her hands curled into fists. āI know what everyone thinks. They all assume itās just a little hero complex, that he swooped in and saved my village and so I should want to marry him. Or that Iām doing it because I canāt rule without a husband. But theyāre wrong.ā Her dark eyes glitteredāsheād heard such things in whispers behind her back, and some of her clansmen hadnāt approved of the fact that he was hanyou. Some wanted her to marry him as soon as possible, to merge the two most impressive Slayer legacies and give themselves an edge over the demons.
But Sakuya didnāt care one whit about any of that. āTheyāre all wrong. He didnāt save me, or my village. He taught me how to do that.ā And that was infinitely better. Heād made it clear from the beginning that he wasnāt after rulership of a clan or even power in the usual senseāhe only wanted to help. It had taken her a long time, too long, to believe him and trust him, but heād never once disappointed her. That was a rare thing in a world of backstabbing clan politics. āAnd Iām not some stupid little girl who swoons for the first pretty face she sees, either. Heās a good person, so yes, I do like him.ā She knew she was being a little unfairāit wasnāt like Tatsuki had directly accused her of any of those things, Sakuya had just read them into her tone, from lots of previous experience.
āIām sorry, Iāā She shook her head, suddenly not feeling much like a bath anymore. āI should go.ā Stepping out of the pool, she moved well past it, dressing under the cover of some foliage.
When she was gone, the slightly-agape Yuzuki turned back to Tatsuki. āUmā¦ where did that come from?ā It was unclear if she meant the answer or the question that had sparked it. Raising an eyebrow, she gave Tatsuki a look that suggested sheād better have a few answers of her own.
Tatsuki was surprised by the sudden turn, and blinked in slight horror at the statement. She hadn't meant to upset the girl, only to see if Sakuya had liked Makoto. She wasn't going to say anything if the young slayer had, because she believed Sakuya would be a good match for Makoto. A Slayer was better than a Ninja in any given scenario, especially since the Chiyama clan was a renowned clan. And given that the Yoshida were once a prominent thing, it would be one of the best mergings possible. Not that she ever thought about things like that, because Tatsuki did not believe on marriages being built on merges. Her own marriage was built on a merge, and she would never wish that upon anyone. She lowered her gaze, failing to apologize to Sakuya before the girl left, causing Tatsuki to sink further into the water.
"I didn't mean... to offend her," she spoke, her voice low and solemn. "It's just..." she began, pausing in her words as she glanced up to meet Yuzuki's eyes. She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she raised herself back up from the water. She could see it in Yuzuki's eyes, that she wanted answers, but Tatsuki wasn't so sure she could give them quite yet. The words Sakuya had spoken and struck a nerve with her, and many of them were true. Makoto was a good person. She'd said as much to Yuzuki and himself on occasion, because she meant it. She'd grown with Masurao and Yujin as brothers, and as such, she was not biased on what he was. It didn't make him who he was... and somewhere over the years, she had grown to respect that.
She had missed him terribly when he was gone for the last three years, and it took her those three years to figure out why. She could feel tears well up in her eyes, the notion disturbing her slightly. Why would she cry about something like that? Just because she knew how she felt about someone, didn't mean they felt the same way. What if he actually liked Sakuya? There would be no point in telling him how she felt (if she could) if he was set on her. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them as her mouth hovered over the surface of the water. Yuzuki at least deserved to know. She was her friend, and she was Makoto's sister.
"Yes... for a long while now," she finally confessed. It felt like her throat was constricting. Odd, shouldn't she feel relieved? "I... wasn't sure until he left for those three years. I know now that I do like him, but... I," she continued, unsure of how to continue. How could she? She knew nothing, and it almost hurt to think of the possibilities that were likely true. She knew Makoto hadn't exactly had his fair share of women after him, and Sakuya was a beautiful girl, more-so than Tatsuki could ever hope to be. They were both nobility, but Sakuya actually looked like it.
"Sakuya-san seems like she could make Mako very happy, and I do not know where he stands with her. She's... she could give him a lot, and she has a lot to offer," she continued, lowering her gaze from Yuzuki, unable to keep it any longer. "I'm sorry, Yuzu. I shouldn't have said anything."
Well. That was definitely not how sheād been expecting her day to go. Yuzuki was left stunned for a bitāsheād always sort of wondered if maybe Tatsuki was fond of Mako in some way, butā¦ she hadnāt exactly been expecting something like this. Honestly, as a priestess, people sometimes told her things of a similar nature, asked her for advice and all that, but there was something very different about it when it involved the people closest to her. Carefully, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around Tatsukiās wrists, inching them up so that their hands were palm to palm, and she sent a little burst of ki through the link, more a reassurance than anything. āHey now,ā she said softly, sad to see her friend in such distress.
āYouāre sure right about one thingānobody knows how Mako feels about this, and letās not go jumping to any conclusions before we do, okay? Just because she loves him doesnāt mean he loves her. And maybe she does have a lot to offer, but,ā Yuzuki smiled, giving comfort in the best way she knew how. āSo do you, if you wanted to offer it in the first place.ā Reaching up, she fiddled with strands of Tatsukiās newly-short hair, brushing them to the sides of her face so they wouldnāt get in the way. She would have told her friend to just tell Mako how she felt, and see what happened, but Tsu was feeling a little too raw for that kind of advice right now, she thought. Better save it for later.
āSo chin up, okay? Thereās no use being sad about it when thereās nothing to be sad about yet. There might not ever be anything at all, for all any of us knows.ā She sighed gently. Poor Tatsukiāsometimes, Yuzu wondered what it might be like to have a love life or something like this, but watching her friend now, she wondered if she might not be much luckier without that kind of complication.
Tatsuki offered a small smile at her friend, her eyes softening as she glanced at their joined palms. Yuzuki was right, but she was also wrong. What could Tatsuki offer him that Sakuya couldn't? She could offer him so much more, a family, a clan. The only thing Tatsuki had was the small inn she worked in, and even that wasn't hers. There was nothing more than that. But she would trust Yuzuki, and her words. She would, because she didn't know what else she could do. "Okay," were the only words she could speak.
"Yuzu-chan, Sakuya-san, would you care for a break?" she questioned the two. If they wanted to keep going, she would oblige them. She stared a bit longer at Sakuya, though, trying to read the girl. She was very... vibrant, in her eyes. She seemed to be well-mannered, but still had enough respect to speak her mind, and Tatsuki found herself a little envious. She might have been less timid, but she was still far from being able to speak freely and speak her mind. She could only do so in the presence of her surrogate brothers, and other women. She just wasn't that good with other men. They unnerved her for some reason, but she didn't mind much. She had her friends, and her brothers. That would have to be enough... for now.
"There is a hot spring, a few paces behind this place, that we could use as well," she continued. Their place of training had been an abandoned shrine of some sort. She didn't know who the shrine was to, only that it had been abandoned for over ten years. That was what the villagers had said, at least. Supposedly, it was a haunted shrine, however; the months Tatsuki had used it with Masurao, she'd found no such claim on the place. She'd only stumbled upon the hot springs on accident, when Masurao had fallen down one of the hills, and she had to go after him. It would be good to at least soothe the sore muscles and cleanse themselves before they left.
Despite the hard training, Sakuya seemed scarcely out-of-breath, but perhaps that was to be expectedāshe trained harder than this with her teacher almost every day, trying to reach the level of ki mastery needed to inherit her clanās techniques. She was doing well, or so sensei would occasionally say, and she, flush with the praise, however sparing, supposed that if anyone would know, he would. Still, sheād taken the opportunity to vary her routine today, because doing the same thing repeatedly was never good for oneself, and even though sensei varied her lessons, she knew that something completely different would come of this. She was impressed by senseiās friends; they both had unique styles, and Yuzukiās ki control was amazing. That said, she held her own with them no problems, and it made her a little proud of herself, too, and how far sheād come in the last few years. Unlike her father always had, sensei never pulled punches or softened blows because she was the heiress or a girl. He respected her as a warrior, just like, she could tell, he respected these two.
And if he did, she certainly could too. Smiling at Tatsuki, she nodded gracefully. āThat seems like an excellent idea, Tatsuki-chan.ā A chance to cleanse themselves of all this sweat would be nice. Yuzuki enthusiastically agreed, and before long, the three of them were at the springs, Sakuya peeling off her practice clothes with the ease of familiarity. āIāve always preferred bathing right after practice. It gives me the chance to consider everything I learned.ā Not bothering to tie up her hair, she let herself sink down into the steaming pool, up to the level of her eyes at first, then dunking her entire head back, coming up again and resting her back against the stone. The water was really nice, and almost too hot, which was honestly the best way for it to be.
āYou take your training really seriously, donāt you, Sakuya-chan?ā Yuzuki asked, following her into the water and taking a seat across the pool. There was no need to pin her own hair upāit was far too short to get wet unless she wanted it to.
Sakuya blinked. āOf course,ā she said, faint surprise in her tone, as though it were inconceivable that she might not. āIām the heir, now, and I have a duty to my people. I must be fit to lead them into battle, and with grace enough to handle more delicate diplomatic matters as well. It is no easy balance, butā¦ I have made much progress because of sensei.ā It might have just been all the heat and steam, but her face was definitely turning a little pink.
āItās still really strange to hear someone call him that,ā Yuzuki admitted with a giggle. āHeās always only been Mako to me.ā
She'd never really seen it that way, bathing and thinking of what she'd learned that day. Tatsuki had always used the chance of bathing just to relax her body, and allow it to absorb what it needed to. It calloused her in a sense, and allowed her body to remember the familiarity of moves, learning them as second-nature. She'd never really reminisced on her training. It might actually do a bit good for her to do so, now that she wasn't as trained as she once was. She turned her attention back to Sakuya as the younger girl spoke, tilting her head slightly when she noticed the slight pink dusting the girl's face when she spoke of Makoto.
"Do... you like Makoto?" Tatsuki stated a little bluntly. She wasn't ignorant to believe that the heat was the cause of the girl's flushed face. She knew all to well what a blush looked like, and that, was most certainly one. "You speak very fondly of him, and you are blushing," she continued, a little surprised at her own forwardness. Even if the girl was slated to be an heir, she really wouldn't be able to rule without finding a husband. She did not know how slayer clans worked, but her clan had always had that set rule. Should a leader of the clan only have a daughter or daughters, the first born would lead, however; she was to be wed as soon as she was of age, before she could rule. Perhaps Slayers were different?
Did that mean she wanted Makoto, then? Tatsuki was suddenly aware of the pressure that built in her chest.
Yuzuki was incredibly surprised to hear such a blunt question from Tatsuki, who was normally so shy, and was opening her mouth to say something to smooth it all over when Sakuya replied, equally straightforwardly. āDo you?ā She swore she could detect it there, a certain note of jealousy, and maybe she was just imagining things, but she didnāt think so. Under the water, her hands curled into fists. āI know what everyone thinks. They all assume itās just a little hero complex, that he swooped in and saved my village and so I should want to marry him. Or that Iām doing it because I canāt rule without a husband. But theyāre wrong.ā Her dark eyes glitteredāsheād heard such things in whispers behind her back, and some of her clansmen hadnāt approved of the fact that he was hanyou. Some wanted her to marry him as soon as possible, to merge the two most impressive Slayer legacies and give themselves an edge over the demons.
But Sakuya didnāt care one whit about any of that. āTheyāre all wrong. He didnāt save me, or my village. He taught me how to do that.ā And that was infinitely better. Heād made it clear from the beginning that he wasnāt after rulership of a clan or even power in the usual senseāhe only wanted to help. It had taken her a long time, too long, to believe him and trust him, but heād never once disappointed her. That was a rare thing in a world of backstabbing clan politics. āAnd Iām not some stupid little girl who swoons for the first pretty face she sees, either. Heās a good person, so yes, I do like him.ā She knew she was being a little unfairāit wasnāt like Tatsuki had directly accused her of any of those things, Sakuya had just read them into her tone, from lots of previous experience.
āIām sorry, Iāā She shook her head, suddenly not feeling much like a bath anymore. āI should go.ā Stepping out of the pool, she moved well past it, dressing under the cover of some foliage.
When she was gone, the slightly-agape Yuzuki turned back to Tatsuki. āUmā¦ where did that come from?ā It was unclear if she meant the answer or the question that had sparked it. Raising an eyebrow, she gave Tatsuki a look that suggested sheād better have a few answers of her own.
Tatsuki was surprised by the sudden turn, and blinked in slight horror at the statement. She hadn't meant to upset the girl, only to see if Sakuya had liked Makoto. She wasn't going to say anything if the young slayer had, because she believed Sakuya would be a good match for Makoto. A Slayer was better than a Ninja in any given scenario, especially since the Chiyama clan was a renowned clan. And given that the Yoshida were once a prominent thing, it would be one of the best mergings possible. Not that she ever thought about things like that, because Tatsuki did not believe on marriages being built on merges. Her own marriage was built on a merge, and she would never wish that upon anyone. She lowered her gaze, failing to apologize to Sakuya before the girl left, causing Tatsuki to sink further into the water.
"I didn't mean... to offend her," she spoke, her voice low and solemn. "It's just..." she began, pausing in her words as she glanced up to meet Yuzuki's eyes. She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she raised herself back up from the water. She could see it in Yuzuki's eyes, that she wanted answers, but Tatsuki wasn't so sure she could give them quite yet. The words Sakuya had spoken and struck a nerve with her, and many of them were true. Makoto was a good person. She'd said as much to Yuzuki and himself on occasion, because she meant it. She'd grown with Masurao and Yujin as brothers, and as such, she was not biased on what he was. It didn't make him who he was... and somewhere over the years, she had grown to respect that.
She had missed him terribly when he was gone for the last three years, and it took her those three years to figure out why. She could feel tears well up in her eyes, the notion disturbing her slightly. Why would she cry about something like that? Just because she knew how she felt about someone, didn't mean they felt the same way. What if he actually liked Sakuya? There would be no point in telling him how she felt (if she could) if he was set on her. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them as her mouth hovered over the surface of the water. Yuzuki at least deserved to know. She was her friend, and she was Makoto's sister.
"Yes... for a long while now," she finally confessed. It felt like her throat was constricting. Odd, shouldn't she feel relieved? "I... wasn't sure until he left for those three years. I know now that I do like him, but... I," she continued, unsure of how to continue. How could she? She knew nothing, and it almost hurt to think of the possibilities that were likely true. She knew Makoto hadn't exactly had his fair share of women after him, and Sakuya was a beautiful girl, more-so than Tatsuki could ever hope to be. They were both nobility, but Sakuya actually looked like it.
"Sakuya-san seems like she could make Mako very happy, and I do not know where he stands with her. She's... she could give him a lot, and she has a lot to offer," she continued, lowering her gaze from Yuzuki, unable to keep it any longer. "I'm sorry, Yuzu. I shouldn't have said anything."
Well. That was definitely not how sheād been expecting her day to go. Yuzuki was left stunned for a bitāsheād always sort of wondered if maybe Tatsuki was fond of Mako in some way, butā¦ she hadnāt exactly been expecting something like this. Honestly, as a priestess, people sometimes told her things of a similar nature, asked her for advice and all that, but there was something very different about it when it involved the people closest to her. Carefully, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around Tatsukiās wrists, inching them up so that their hands were palm to palm, and she sent a little burst of ki through the link, more a reassurance than anything. āHey now,ā she said softly, sad to see her friend in such distress.
āYouāre sure right about one thingānobody knows how Mako feels about this, and letās not go jumping to any conclusions before we do, okay? Just because she loves him doesnāt mean he loves her. And maybe she does have a lot to offer, but,ā Yuzuki smiled, giving comfort in the best way she knew how. āSo do you, if you wanted to offer it in the first place.ā Reaching up, she fiddled with strands of Tatsukiās newly-short hair, brushing them to the sides of her face so they wouldnāt get in the way. She would have told her friend to just tell Mako how she felt, and see what happened, but Tsu was feeling a little too raw for that kind of advice right now, she thought. Better save it for later.
āSo chin up, okay? Thereās no use being sad about it when thereās nothing to be sad about yet. There might not ever be anything at all, for all any of us knows.ā She sighed gently. Poor Tatsukiāsometimes, Yuzu wondered what it might be like to have a love life or something like this, but watching her friend now, she wondered if she might not be much luckier without that kind of complication.
Tatsuki offered a small smile at her friend, her eyes softening as she glanced at their joined palms. Yuzuki was right, but she was also wrong. What could Tatsuki offer him that Sakuya couldn't? She could offer him so much more, a family, a clan. The only thing Tatsuki had was the small inn she worked in, and even that wasn't hers. There was nothing more than that. But she would trust Yuzuki, and her words. She would, because she didn't know what else she could do. "Okay," were the only words she could speak.