Heirot

Shinobu snuggles against him, slipping her arms around his neck. She nestles her face against his neck, trying hard to recover her breath. Her heart is pounding in her chest so hard it rocks her body. Her eyes flutter open and she stairs up at the stars and then they fall on Kyosuke. She didn't know what to say to him, so she didn't say anything. She curled next to him and rested there.

Kyosuke isn't quite sure what to say either. But... he kinda finds this to be nice. It does seem as if all the tiredness and exhaustion from the day kicks in though, all at once. He yawns and hugs Shinobu a little tigher, sharing his body warmth with her until he begins to drift off.

Her heart began to slow, and her thoughts grew fuzzy as sleep beckoned her. Shinobu listens to the crickets and the wind and not too much longer sleep takes her as well.

Morning came and she blinked her eyes open drowsily. The sun was rose, filling the clearing they had shared the night in with warm light. She blinked her eyes to look at the warm man she was lying against. Her heart fluttered, her cheeks flushed as he memory of the night came back to her.

She snuck away from him slowly and went to her dry clothes and began to pull them on. They were still lightly stained, but cleaner in comparison.

Kyosuke is normally a light sleeper, ready to wake up to any noise or movement that might be threatening or just plain foreign. Shinobu, however, seems to not trigger any of his alarms as she sneaks off. It doesn't take long before his body misses the extra warmth though, and he rouses from his sleep... just in time to actually see Shinobu, half dressed and still very much indecent.

For a moment, Kyosuke doesn't quite remember what they did last night. ...But after he does, a content smile appears on his face. Still, it's the slightest bit awkward when he says, "Good morning... Shinobu."

Shinobu looked back at him, a pretty smile spreading across her face. Her long hair was nearly to the small of her back, and it cascaded over her shoulder in a river of black silk. Her dark honey-brown eyes twinkled at him as her cheeks turned a deep rose. "Good morning," she told him, stooping to gather his clothes. She carried them to him once she was half-dressed, and knelt next to him. Shinobu bent and pressed her lips to his, working them gently in a long loving kiss.

She drew back slowly, pressing the tips of her fingers to her lips, hiding a soft smile. "I guess this makes protecting me more complicated?"

Kyosuke can't help but smile in return, not one of his normal happy-go-lucky smiles, but a more... loving smile this time. One that shows how content he is with everything. He stands as Shinobu approaches, the pain in his knee still present, though more of a dull throb, and wraps her up in a hug as their lips meet. When she draws back, he just chuckles and replies, "No more complicated than before. Though our relationship might be more complicated now." He takes his clothing from her hands and begins to put them on. They're still dirty, as is he, but if they plan on travelling he probably shouldn't be doing it in wet clothing... or naked.

"We don't have our things... We don't have money. What will we do for places to stay or food?" she asked him softly, finishing tying her clothing to where it was decent. She wasn't even sure where they should go, which direction or town. What if they were all overrun with soldiers? How far did Arken's influence reach.

The situation isn't easy. Kyosuke actually isn't entirely sure what to do either. It doesn't help that his stomach lets out a grumble too, they haven't eaten for a little under a day now. "We should find something to eat first," he finally decides. He looks at the river. "I can try to catch some fish while you..." He considers what he says, then isn't quite so sure. If there are Arken scouts roaming around, he doesn't want her alone, so no scavenging for Shinobu. ...Plus, she probably doesn't know the plant life in Ighten well enough. "Let's make two fishing rods and try to catch a few between us."

Shinobu nodded. "I'll look for some sticks to use..." She went to the edge of the clearing and started searching through the woods. She found two long inch wide sticks and went back to Kyosuke holding them out for him. Looking into his eyes brought back the sensual memory of what they'd shared last night, and she found that her mind kept drifting back to it. It had been so long... and she had forgotten how wonderful it was to be with someone she cared for.

Unfortunately for them, there aren't any handy vines around, nor are there materials for making hooks. That leaves one option for their fishing project. Sharpen the sticks and try to spear them. Thankfully, his ronin lifestyle left him rather prepared for things like these, and he takes one of the sticks and sharpens it when Shinobu returns. Then he grins. "Should we see who can catch more?" he challenges.

Shinobu smiled. "I don't think I'll be very good at it," she told him as she pulled up the hem of her kimono and tied it to where it gathered high on her hip. Her slender legs descended into the cool water and she found a comfortable spot to stand. She waited and waited and found a fish swimming merrily along.

She plunged the spear in and brought it out with a frown, thinking she'd missed. Her eyes widened in surprise at the wiggling fish on the other end. "I got it!" she proclaimed merrily, pulling it off and throwing it to shore.

"Well... loser owes the winner a kiss?" Kyosuke offers, a bit of an amused look on his face. The result won't be too different after all. Of course, he can't help but laugh as Shinobu's lack of confidence is shattered, and he quickly approaches the stream. His eyes scan the water and he waits... then quickly spears one fish of his own.

Her confidence boost was short lived after missing three in a row, and then she manages to get another. Then, she misses five. Then, another. "I think I'm average?" she asked, furiously skipping to attack a rather large one.

Kyosuke is actually somewhat more successful. He's a little rusty, having not done this for several months, but he spears a few more. ...Of course, Shinobu is moving a little fast and scaring away more of them, so he tosses his stick to the side and walks up behind her, gently taking her arms from behind. ...It's almost a little reminiscent of the hug from the night before actually... "Slow it down a little," he says softly. "Wait for one to swim by slow enough then..." He waits, Shinobu's wrists in his hands, standing as still as he can, until one fish matches the speed he's looking for... "Strike!" he shouts and lets go of Shinobu's wrist.

She leaned back into him instinctively, watching his hands wrap around her wrists and guide her. Then, he let her go. Shinobu drove the spear down, and brought it up to find her hit had made purchase. "Oh," she laughed. She pulled it off the end of the spear and tossed the fish to shore. "Thank you," she said as she turned to look over her shoulder at him. Had it been so long that she was already wanting him again?

She swallowed, glancing to the forest. "Do we need firewood to cook them by? If you finish fishing I'll collect some sticks."