Jethro sighed, shaking his head. "Someone seems to be daydreaming... My lord, I will leave you. I hope that you will make hate however. We do need to go back. I can not stress that enough." He left the room, almost smiling to himself. He know Kiako would be taken well care of if she could escape her duties to be with this man. For her sake, Jethro was hoping that she would decide to do just that. Even if she would be hunted for doing so, at least she could be happy. But then, all that she worked for to maintain the peace would be undone... She had fought hard to it, and if she ran away, her sister would take her place... Jethro shuddered at that image. Kiako's sister was much worse then Kiako. The cruelty of this woman knew no bounds...

Kaido sped his duties up and was ready by midday. The horses were packed for the both of them and Kaido's man was already taking care of the house. Kaido found Jethro and invited him to the front where the horses were. He was wearing his best clothing, but his armor was packed, just in case. He had his weapons, food, clothing, present, and just about everything he knew he'd need. He lightly patted the nose of his horse and smiled at Jethro. "Let's hurry. I must see her." He smiled happily.

Jethro nodding, getting up on his horse. He pulled the reigns turning the horse around. "Follow me.." His horse reared up, and the he was off, speeding back towards the capital.

* * *

In the time since Jethro had left, Kiako could not help but stand close to a window. She looked to the horizon every day, waiting for the two of them to come. That day had been particularly hard on her. She had spent most of the tie debating with the council on her behaviour. They accused her of all sorts of things, and every time she had to prove her innocence. She was guilty unless she could prove herself. It was unfair, but it was how her council worked. At night, she sat by the window, gazing out, drinking her cup of tea. She leaned out of the window, noticing something small in the distance. She felt her heart flutter and begin to beat heavily in her chest. It can't be...

Kaido saw the capital come into view with the top of the castle peeking up over the top of the capital walls. He swallowed nervously but felt a bit more confident because over the ride he'd gotten a few lessons on how to behave from Jethro. He knew he wasn't ready but he hoped that he'd be able to fake it well enough to keep Kiako safe. He turned and looked at Jethro, his nervousness plain on his face. He was already forgetting about his earlier problems and now he just worried about seeing Kiako. He wondered how he should act and wondered how the upper council members would react if he asked to escort her. Just the thought made him woozy.
He still thought of his lost family daily, but thinking about Kiako brought new joy to his days and he found himself getting up because he wanted to, not because of duty or for revenge. He hadn't been this carefree in a long time, though once again he wasn't carefree but that was for other reasons.
He really hoped that he could pull this off...

Kiako got up at once, the moment they had come into clear view. From her window, she ordered her men to open the gate at once. She looked around her room, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hands were almost shaking. She all at once felt so many emotions. Fear, anxiety, and excitement. She sat down in her room waiting patiently, rubbing her hands together.

* * *

Jethro lead Kaido past the gates and into the court yard. He dismounted his horse, passing the reigns to one of the guards. "Follow me, quickly, before one of the council men spot you." He led Kaido through the castle and up the never ending hallways, stopping on front of the door. He looked at him, and nodded his head. Then walked away. This was something Kaido needed to do for himself, and Jethro would not interfere.

Kaido hesitated and stared at the door for a second before forcing himself past his nervousness and fear and opening the door. He stepped in and saw her and all at once his breath left him. The moonlight fell on her perfectly and highlighted her beautiful features. He stopped dead in his tracks and could only stare. It took him a long moment to compose himself long enough to realize that he was trying to hide for the moment and he closed the door. As he turned back around to face her again he swallowed, betraying his emotions. "It is good to see you again, Kiako." He smiled warmly but couldn't bring himself to step closer. He felt that if he got too close she might dissapear in the moonlight as if she'd never been there..

Kiako looked at him. Her expression has blank. She was still in shock because he was there. She had thought about nothing else, and now, there he was. What should she do. She stood, looking at him. "Wel-Welcome to my home, Kaido. It has been a while..." She moved closer to him, every step she took her heart skipped a beat. She stopped looking up directly at him, her knees beginning to buckle. She raised her hand to grip onto something, she felt that she would fall otherwise. Her eyes were going blank, and she was becoming faint. All at once she was overcome by everything, yet all thoughts had left her head except for the thought of him.

He saw that she was ready to fall and he grabbed her gently and pulled her close into his arms. If she fell he'd catch her without hesitation. He realized tha she was right up against his chest and he almost lost his balance as well. He felt like a kid again, being driven wild by any women that looked at him as he walked past, and the feeling made him almost crazy. He wanted to keep her all to himself, but he knew how selfish that was. He lightly ran a finger over her cheek and looked down at her. "Thank you for inviting me."

She held onto him tightly, afraid to let him go. "I told you that you were always welcome... I just hope that you did not forgot me... It took me so long to get my letter sent. I did not want to put you in any danger. And if I was to e hanged, I wanted to make sure that you did not hav to suffer my fate as well..." She smiled softly, nuzzling her head into his chest. She was so happy to feel him against her once more. She had wanted this for so long, and now it was finally true. She was so excited she could barely contain herself. Only then did it occur to her that they were standing in her room. If anyone walked in... But she did not care. She was just to overwhelmed with him being there.

Wait... the suitor is coming tomorrow... She had forgotten. Someone was going to be coming tomorrow to offer to make her his wife. And with Kaido there... She was suddenly very nervous and very interested.

Kaido shook his head, saying "Don't talk like that.. I would never want you hanged no matter what happened to me. I'm just a pe-" he stopped himself and cleared his throat. He knew that she loved him, but he didn't want her to know that about him. Yet again he was being selfish, but he wanted her to keep thinking that he was a great guy. He wanted her to see him as a man, not a peasant like he used to be. He had gained in rank, if only just a little bit, by luck and he was going to keep using that luck as long as he could. He ran his finger up and down her shoulder as he looked down at her. "I could never forget you.." he said at last, changing the topic.

Kiako smiled, looking up at him. She had no idea what to do next. Her cheeks were flushed, her body gently trembling in his arms. She could hear his heart beating in his chest, and it brought her some strange form of comfort. "Come," she said moving away from his and taking his hand. She opened her door, and peered around the corner, making sure the coast was clear. She then lead him down through the castle and back outside. The night had a chill to it. She followed the path out into a wooded area that had a river running through it. There was a bench that was located under a tree. The ground surrounding it was filled with flowers of all sorts. The area was peaceful and serene. She sat down on the bench. "This is my favourite place to be," she said, looking up at him. "I hope that you like it as well..."

He looked around the area and a smile spread across his lips. "No wonder you like this place, it's beautiful." He stopped in front of some flowers and gently touched one of the petals on a flower. Poetry filled his mind and he blushed, too emberassed to say it. He knew that poetry was big in the capital but he also knew that his haiku would be terrible in comparison so he just looked back at her and smiled again. "I wonder what it looks like in the daytime with honey bees dancing from flower to flower." He turned back again and looked at the grounds. "I wish that I had something like this too. It truly is spectacular."

She smiled, getting up and going over beside him. "I enjoy gardening. Perhaps if I can stay with you I will be able to make something like this." She smiled, looking at him. She knelt down beside the flower, gently picking one, only to run her fingers along the petals of it. She then placed it in her hair, using it to hold her bangs out of her face. She looked over at the water. The moonlight shining in it. She remembered back to a time where she had been scolded by her father for walking into the water while she was wearing her fine clothing. It made her smile. Se walked over to the side of the river, removing her shoes and putting her foot into the water. The water was cold, but she did not care. She looked back at Kaido, smiling sotly, and walked deeper into the water.

He watched her in awe, amazed that she'd do such a thing in the clothes that she was wearing. He realized yet again how she seemed to surprise him at every turn. Just as he thought that he realized what she'd said and his face flushed red. 'If she comes with me, she says.. what I would give for that...' he thought, then sighed. He wanted a happy life again, one that she was in.. He snapped back to reality and decided to save that daydream for later, when she wasn't with him. He knew he'd turn red again.

She smiled, shivering in the water, but she was completely happy. She went into the water until was was just over waste deep. She had no idea what she was doing in there, but it is where she wanted to be. She felt at peace. "Come..." She smiled, looking at him. She had lost all thought, and was just letting the moment take her by surprise. her soft white silk dress' train floated on the surface of the water as she looked at him. She wanted to tell him that she would run away with him. Perhaps at a later time. She had already decided that she would do it.

He swallowed, but decided to follow after her and stepped into the water as well. He noticed how cold it was and wondered if she was at all cold herself. He made it to her and took her hands in his own to find that they were cold, so he held them tightly to warm them up. "You surprise me so much it's become one of my permenant vocabulary words." he laughed. He looked down at her and again was mezmerized by her beauty in the moonlight. He found that it was hard to breath and he swallowed again.

She smiled looking up at him. His eyes reflected the water, and she felt that she could be lost in them forever. She stepped closer to him, moving her handing to run up his chest and wrap carefully around his neck. "Perhaps coming into the river at night was not one of my better ideas. You and I will be sick by the morning." She laughed softly, remember about when she had come back from the war. That night in the field had left her quite sick, and it had taken her a while to get over her sickness. At least this time though, if he was sick, she would be able to take care of him, and visa versa. "Shall we go back inside? There is a fire pit in my room that we can warm up by."

He smiled and nodded, "Sounds good." He helped her get out of the river and held her close; trying to warm her up. "We should hurry before you catch a cold." He laughed softly and started running; holding her hand as he went. He made sure not to run too fast since she was wearing a kimono, but he knew she wasn't weak so he didn't go too slow either.

She laughed, following him. She kept up with him with ease. She ran with him, back to her room, and once she got there, she closed the door quickly. She went over to the fire place and knelt down behind the fire pit. She quickly lit a fire, shivering the whole time. She got up once again, and went over to her closet, stepping into it and bring out a set of towels, handing him one. "Here.. so you won't get sick either." She knelt down beside the fire once more, setting up two pillows for them to sit on.

He smiled and was grateful that they hadn't gotten completly wet or they wouldn't have stood a chance against the cold. He blushed when he realized that he couldn't take his clothes off to dry off. Instead he wrapped the towel around his waist and hoped that he wouldn't get anything too wet.
He watched her start the fire and smiled. He was willing to do it but he had a feeling that she liked to take care of her own needs and wouldn't take kindly to a man who tried to do everything for her. He couldn't see her being that way, at least.
He took off his sandles at the very least and set them close enough to the fire to dry off, then sat down formally with his legs underneith him. He wanted to take his hair out of it's ponytail but didn't, hoping that this way made him look more attractive. "Are you warming up fast enough?"

She looked at him, sitting down very close beside him, resting her head down on his arm. "I am sure." She smiled shyly, looking down. Her legs were pulled up close to her body with her towel wrapped tightly around her. She started to daydream, her head filling with thoughts that might happen. She thought about if they had a future together, what it would be like. She snapped back to reality, realizing that, despite her best efforts, she was now shivering and her lips were now blue. She felt very cold and started curling up closer to him. "Forgive me, I am cold..."

He picked her up with ease and set her in his lap. He then wrapped his arms tightly around her and lightly rubbed her arms; trying to warm her up. With her pressed up against his chest he started having the same thoughts, but he pushed them away so that he could better take care of her in the now. He blushed and shook his head. "You're going to need to change out of those clothes.. It'll be hard to warm up otherwise.. Uh, I won't look, I promise." He had to look away from her now at just the thought of it. His face was red and he felt like a pervert. He helped her to her feet, then looked towards the fire. He didn't look back, instead choosing to watch his sandles slightly steaming as they dried.

She blushed softly, changing into her even robe. It was a thin and almost see through fabric. She grabbed a blanket and went back down and curled back up in his arms. She wrapped the blanket around the both of them and nuzzled up against his chest. She sat there for a moment without speaking, listening to his heart beat. The sound was calming and soothing. She then looked up at him, blushing softly. "I.. I missed you..." she said quietly, blushing softly. She wasn't ready to admit that she loved him, but she had longed to do so. She couldn't admit it just yet.

He blushed again and hoped that the towel kept her from getting wet from his own clothing. He held her close and put his head on top of hers, swallowing before whispering, "I missed you too.." He couldn't look at her just yet, he was too emberassed. He gently played with a strand of her hair between two fingers and looked at it, smiling to himself as he remembered what Jethro had let slip.

She smiled softly, holding onto him. "If I was to run away from all this... would you follow me..?" Her voice was barely audible. She was very nervous, her muscles tensing against him. She couldn't contain herself any longer. His body had made hers melt, his arms felt like a protective barrier around her. She felt like she needed to confess to him. She wanted to leave with him, she just wanted to know if he would follow her.