(Mature) Overrun City

[Emora Deen]

Shinobu frowned. "Four weeks?" she asked him softly. "Is it dangerous?" she moved to sit up with her back against the cushions.

[Kyosuke]

"Sounds like it might be," Kyosuke admits, though he doesn't sound too worried. "A little moreso because of the Arken presence. If I don't run into any trouble, it might only take 3 weeks."

[Emora Deen]

Shinobu frowned. "I will worry about you," she told Kyosuke gently. "If you think it is what must be done, then I will support your decision." She reached out and squeezed his hand gently.

[Kyosuke]

"I... would feel bad if we left without some sort of payment," Kyosuke says, though he imagines the doctor would be willing to allow it. He does wish that the location was closer, but by now they can't be in too much of a hurry to go anywhere. Enough time would have passed that news of the Hepian invasion would have reached the ears of the Queen, and if Ongoreth was in danger, Kyosuke and Shinobu wouldn't add enough manpower to make much of a difference there. "So I think I should go."

Of course, that would be the last Shinobu heard of Kyosuke for a while. The secondary estimate of three weeks passes... then the initial fourth. And the samurai hasn't returned. Two months pass, and there still doesn't seem to be any news from him.

[Emora Deen]

"Stomach bothering you again?" Greg asked Shinobu as she drew her head out of the sink. She wiped the back of her hand across her map, lifting her honey-brown eyes to look at him. Greg was frowning at her from across the dining table. He got up and walked over to her. "I am sorry for sending him. You're making yourself sick with worry."

"It was our choice," Shinobu told him. "We decided this."

"But, if I hadn't asked him to go he wouldn't be..."

"Don't say it," Shinobu muttered, shaking her head.

"Lady," Greg sighed, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Its been two months."

"I can't admit that," Shinobu told him quickly, pushing past him and going outside to the porch. The morning air was cold, and she folded her arms across her chest. Winter had set in. She could tell that the snow clouds were forming just to the north. The town was filled with smoke from the fireplaces. The animals ran freely through the town streets. The villagers that were out waved to her, greeting her as an adopted member of their community.

Shinobu stepped off the porch and walked the center street to clear her mind.

[Kyosuke]

If Kyosuke was there, he wouldn't argue the choice either. Even if he wasn't exactly the penultimate samurai, he was still enough of a warrior to accept his death when it came, especially when it was to help out someone who had helped him out so much. That was one of the real reasons he went out. It wasn't just for a payment. The doctor, even if he indicated the desire for money, had helped them out, road worn as they were, without considering payment at first. The samurai wanted to repay that kindness.

As Shinobu makes her way through the village, it isn't long before the snow starts falling, soft and white. It drifts down to the ground, the wind calm enough that it isn't carried away. It isn't long before a light layer of snow covers the ground, but it's not until she starts getting ready to head back that she hears a sound.

It's the sound of snow crunching beneath someone's shoes, coming from the tree line that separates the forest from the village. Most everybody else is inside their houses by now... could there be a straggler? From the pace, it isn't. It's slow, almost deliberately slow... or maybe someone limping. And then someone appears. It's... Kyosuke! He's looking worse for wear, leaning against a tree limb he was using as a walking stick, his new clothes torn in several places, a few new scars on his face and showing through the new tears, and his horse is nowhere to be found, but, well, he's alive! And staring too hard at the floor to notice Shinobu.

[Emora Deen]

Shinobu looks warily out at the trees. When she sees him she literally wipes her eyes. She blinks at his figure, tilting her head. Her breath comes quickly, faster as the realizes what she's seeing isn't an illusion. "K-Kyosuke?" she asked him slowly. She took a step forward, her dress dragging through the snow. Then, her slow steps turned into a full out run. She hiked up the dress in her hands and went for him, moving to throw her arms around his neck.

[Kyosuke]

Taking one step after another, Kyosuke looks like he could use a break, but he continues pushing on, determined to return to Shinobu. He's so focused, so determined, that he almost can't hear the words his goal speaks, concentrating on the doctor's house he could guess she was staying at. But something clicks, and the samurai looks up. His face is gaunt, not as strong as the man who left here two months ago, probably somewhat malnourished, but it suddenly fills with relief. "Sh-...Shinobu?" That's about all he can get out before his strength gives, and the samurai falls face first into the snow.

[Emora Deen]

Shinobu fell to her knees next to him, calling for help from the town. The villagers rushed for them, and two men carried Kyosuke back to Greg's house. They draped him over the bed Shinobu had occupied for several weeks now. Greg urged everyone from the room, even Shinobu, and asked her to wait outside while he did his exam.

[Kyosuke]

It's mostly exhaustion and starvation. Kyosuke has probably been traveling non-stop for the last few days, if not weeks, maybe stopping briefly for sleep when he absolutely couldn't go on for any longer. All of his new scars are fairly old, probably around when he first set out for the 'herb'. He probably ran into some problems back then. Speaking of the herbs, Kyosuke has actually managed to bring a good amount of them back. A large satchel full of the stuff.

[Emora Deen]

Shinobu curled up in a chair on the porch and wrapped a blanket around her. The snow started to fall thicker, and the wind was icy, but Greg insisted that she stay on the porch while he examined her samurai. After what felt like forever for Shinobu he came out, slipping his hands in his pockets and leaning against the porch supports. "He's malnourished... As soon as he eats we'll get him something to eat and drink. He's wounds aren't terrible, and not infected that I can tell. He might have got smart and used some of those herbs. He sure did bring back a lot."

Shinobu nodded slowly, very thankful that he was alive. It was hard to believe. She felt she was dreaming.

"I am sorry," Greg muttered. "I shouldn't have asked him to do it."

"Its in the past," Shinobu breathed, smoother her hands over the warm blanket. "We have the future to look to."

[Kyosuke]

It'll be a few days before Kyosuke is really up and moving. The combination of exhaustion and malnourishment means that, for the next few days, the samurai is pretty much only conscious enough to wake up and eat and drink a little, then fall back asleep, sometimes showing enough signs of actual consciousness to give Shinobu a reassuring smile. Besides that, he's just too tired to really do anything else.