"That's okay.. Just hope you were paying.. attention.." Kaori said, falling forward asleep for a split second before pulling herself back up again.

The blonde-haired of the three Seigi brothers nodded at Yomi, "Horses are a lot like women, man. You just gotta tell 'em what to do." He looked to the Shogun's mistress and then at Kaori, "...No offense intended to you higher-born ladies or warriors."

"F.. Fuck you.." Kaori weakly snapped at him.

Akira smacked the back of his brother's helmet as he took the lead in the cavalry formation. "Move out!"

Hibiki sighed and rode beside Yomi. He seemed like the down-to-earth one of the three, and despite not having spoken much, he and Yomi actually got along.

Daichi grumbled something after being smacked and started riding with the dismounted soldiers. He'd get to Edo last, but somebody had to bring the troops home safely right?

Yomi sighed at the joke. "Seriously?" He mumbled about it as they rode. Throughout the ride back the Shogun's wife seemed to stare at Yomi occasionally. He pretended not to notice and ignored it, but it bothered him. Why the hell was she staring?!"Hey... Pst... Hibiki. Is she still staring?" He asked in a whisper.

Hibiki looked back at the Shogun's wife, then back at Yomi. "Uh... Yeah. Every now and again I think. What's up with that?" He asked, looking back at her one more time and back to Yomi. ...And then he started giving him that same questioning look the Shogun's wife was! "...Eh, maybe she thinks she knows you from somewhere. But you've never even been to Edo, right?"

"I don't think so... Of course I had partial amnesia when I woke up when I was five." Yomi sighed. "Let's just drop it. If there's an issue I'm sure she'll bring it up later." He said calmly. "I just hope it doesn't put me in harms way with Kaori in this condition."

"Oh don't worry about me... I'm gonna be fine!" Kaori tried to pick her mood up. But before long she stopped holding on to the horse and fell forward against it's mane, making Yomi's position look even more awkward. "I just wanna sleep.. Feel so tired.." She sighed.

Akira's eye could be seen twitching as he glanced back at them. Damn that kid...! In his head he fantasised about winning his precious Kaori back in a duel. ...As if he even had a chance to begin with. As if Kaori even liked him to begin with!

"Um.. Kaori.. That looks.." Hibiki began to say.

"I don't even care. Everyone shut up and lemme sleep..." Kaori tiredly quipped back.

"No! One: you'll die. Two: that's not a great position to die in! Yomi, pull her back up and force her eyes open or something!" Hibiki snapped back.

(You is allowed to skip to Edo if thou wishes!)

"Nah if she wants to appear this way in the presence of the Shogun's wife it's her decision." Yomi said not really caring. Hibiki might even notice the joy in his eye. Not because of the position, but because of the anger he knew it caused Akira. Yomi enjoyed being ahead of the spoiled love struck brat of a warrior. Even if he really wasn't. Still the comment about being in the presence of the Shogun's wife managed to do as Yomi planned. Kaori was upright and well behaved for the rest of the trip. Though he could hear her muttering curses under her breath. (lol hope ya dont mind me makin her do that xD)

LATER IN EDO...

The group finally approached the gate. Yomi now had one arm around Kaori's waist since she was struggling to stay awake. "You'll get medical attention and a chance to rest soon. Just hold out a little longer." One guard came to greet the group and another ran to fetch the Shogun

"I feel like I got stepped on n' all the blood explodied out..." Kaori weakly laughed. She was alive and fighting to stay that way, but she was losing it! Still, it wasn't far from the truth. She'd already lost a lot of blood... "Yomi, if I dies can I come back an' haunt you?" The spaced-out Samurai said almost seriously.

Hibiki looked on with a horrified expression as Kaori started spouting useless nonsense. "I'll.. get the surgeon.. She looks real bad." He said before galloping off into town, the peasants making way for him.

"Even if I said no you'd do it anyway so whatever." Yomi said remaining rather calm in the situation. "Now shut it. You're wasting your energy. You aren't even gonna die." He said as he watched Hibiki head off. Soon he would return with the surgeon. But for now.

"Thank you very much for you're help." The Shogun said a she arrived. "Oh honey I'm glad you didn't rush off to rescue me yourself like an idiot would have. But you and I need ot have a talk." His wife said calmly. He nodded with a small sigh. He hated such serious conversations. But before they left... "Treat that young lady with utmost care." He ordered before leaving. "Thank you sir." Was all Yomi could say before the Shogun and his wife were out of sight.

"Look Yomi, I can face paint...!" Kaori stupidly laughed at her hands, her face covered in red camouflage patterns. Obviously she'd already lost it. If it wasn't her own blood everywhere it might even be cute... The blood-depleted teenager turned herself so that she was facing Yomi, then put on a more focused expression and started 'painting' Yomi's face. "I'll make... a tiger!" She chanted weakly as she gave Yomi his red whiskers.

Hibiki rode up alongside Yomi again, raising an eyebrow as he watched the guy's face getting whiskered with blood and Kaori enjoying it like a child with a paintbrush. "I found a doctor not far away, said he'd get ready right away; just follow me and ride carefully!" He said before once again riding through the Edo city streets.

Yomi was kind of annoyed, but he let her do as she's please. Up until Hibiki came back. "Right." He said a she put one arm around Kaori holding her tight so she wouldn't fall. He rode after Hibiki to the doctor and wasted no more time getting her to the man so he could make sure the girl didn't leave this world before her time. "Thanks Hibiki." He said as he began to wipe his face with his sleeve. Not like there wasn't already blood on it after all.

(You can skip to when she's recovered if you want. A few days or whatever you think she'll need lol XD)

A week after rescuing the Shogun's wife, things had settled down again. No more threats, no more Imperial advances... There was finally a little peace in this turbulent time.

"Huh-!" Kaori's eyes shot open. There was only a bright light for a few seconds as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight. She was laying on a blanket in the surgeon's garden, the last thing she remembered was having some kind of pain-killing liquid tossed down her throat, and then blackness. Looking around, she noticed she wasn't in her usual outfit, it was a beautiful pink kimono with white flowers and vines patterning it. Her own clothes were drying out on a bench, stitched up with the blood washed out.

"You had quite a few bad injuries, Miss..." An old fellow greeted her from his home's back door, "And judging from all your scars, you really haven't been taking care of yourself. Now what's that all about?"

Kaori frowned and pulled herself up into a sitting position, "You wouldn't get it..."

"Hm? You look like you've been slashed, shot, beaten and bruised. I don't understand why a pretty girl like you would get into deadly scraps the way you do." The surgeon chuckled.

"...It's not like I fight for thrills. I was just watching everyone's backs. I can't keep them alive if I pay more attention to myself," Kaori muttered as she scratched her neck. Pulling herself then to her feet, she approached the surgeon who had saved her life. He looked sort of sad at her words. "Hey, I never said anything about dying, old timer. I'll be sure to keep you busy with some more deep cuts, bullet holes and blackened bruises."

The surgeon shook his head and laughed heartily to himself before turning to go inside. "Then this one was on the house. You can go now... Can keep the kimono too, for when you're not putting yourself in harms way. You should smile, bun your hair up and put your sword to rest sometimes."

Kaori sighed with a half-smile and gathered her belongings, heading in and out of the surgeon's place without a word. As she stepped outside she looked around, wondering where Yomi had gone. He'd probably turn up sooner or later, ...or maybe he was already here, just unseen yet.

Yomi had been by himself having a drink at the place he and Kaori had been when they met the Shogun. However, it didn't feel right. So he'd left to go back and check on his partner and was approaching. "A week already and no word from the Shogun or his wife." He said to himself in a quiet tone. He didn't exactly have a bad feeling about them, but something was definitely up. What could it have been? He looked up from the ground and saw Kaori and gawked. "W-what are you doing out of bed?!" He shouted already quite frantic and worried. "Wait... Don't tell me you killed the surgeon and stole that kimono. Oh man... Oh man oh man oh man." He was jumping to conclusions, yes. But this was Kaori after all.

"Yomi! Deep breaths! You know I don't make a kill without spraying their blood everywhere," Kaoru tried to reassure Yomi, as if the descriptive gore was going to make him feel any better. "The old guy let me have this. It's kinda nice, don't ya' think?" she asked before giving her partner a twirl so he could see the whole kimono. ...Kaori seemed so much more calm. Maybe it was the blood loss, or the fact that she had to take it easy or risk reopening her recently closed wounds. Or, hell, she might just agree with the surgeon's idea to act more normally.

"Oh thank god." Yomi said calmly before hugging Kaori. "Geez... You had me worried sick you little weirdo." He said laughing a bit. He smiled as he backed up holding her shoulders. "It suits you. You should be like this more often. And you know. Not get yourself stabbed so much. Can't have my dear partner dying on me." Yomi let go of her and turned to walk, but was soon stopped. "The Shogun wishes to see the two of you." The man said. Yomi looked at Kaori as if leaving the decision of whether or not to go to her. But then... Did they even have a choice?

Kaori smiled back at what she thought was her partner's protective attitude, "Heh, I can't die before we settle who's stronger. You said so yourse-"

"The Shogun wishes to see the two of you..." A guardsman interrupted their little reunion. Typically, Kaori would agree to go because of her fangirl-esque support of the Edo government. Sighing, she gave a single nod to the soldier before shifting her gaze to Yomi. "We'll have more time to catch up later, won't we?" she frowned at him. Of course work was getting in their way already...

"Right right. Let's just get going." Yomi said with a sigh as he began to walk with her following the guard to see the Shogun. It must have been important. After all, they had contacted him in like a week. So it was somewhat strange. What could be going on? "You didn't do anything right?" He whispered to Kaori. It was just a wonder. Though it might have come off as a bit of an accusation.

"No!" Kaori defended herself, "...At least, I don't think so. I hope not...!" She turned pale wondering what the Shogun or his wife really wanted.

"...I'm not walking you into being arrested, if that's what you're thinking." The nameless soldier chimed in.

Kaori walked closer to Yomi as they neared the Citadel, getting all flustered and nervous like last time she was in the Shogun's presence.

"Chill out." Yomi said calmly since he had an answer. He sighed, but laughed. "Okay just be cool. Don't do anything stupid." He said as they were led inside.

"Glad you could make it." The shogun said calmly. He and his wife looked so much more formal and... the feeling that they had so much power was now so much more evident. He couldn't the difference in atmosphere. And there was a sort of pressure now. Crap... What is this...

Kaori suddenly kneeled and bowed in respect of the Shogun, and of his wife who seemed happy enough now she wasn't caged like an animal. She sent a death glare up at Yomi, as she believed there was no need to freeze still. The Shogun was pretty god damn amazing, but not to a gawking extent. ...But the longer she looked at Yomi, the more she felt he had a familiarity with the middle-aged Shogun before them.

"It was an honour to serve you, and to protect Lady Kasumi," Kaori mentioned after a short moment of silence. Bringing herself back up into a normal kneeling position, she watched the others in the room curiously.

Yomi didn't kneel. He even went as far as to scoff and chuckle at Kaori for doing so. "Alright. Let's skip the formalities." He said rather defiantly. "What did you call us here for?" He questioned knowing that Kaori might beat him to a pulp for being so disrespectful.

However, the shogun laughed. "Very well. I'll get right to the point then Yomi." He said calmly as he stood from his seat and walked over to the two. "To be quiet honest, there is something about you. I'm not quite sure of it myself, but my wife seems to believe without a doubt that you are our son." He kept is fairly short and simple.

Yomi was taken back.Really there was no way right? There had to be some kind of mistake. Him? The son of a Shogun? There was just no way.

"A mother knows her child. No matter how many years go by." Kasumi said with a smile as she approached and hugged Yomi. "The time we lost our son and your age also match perfectly when we look back. Not to mention the fact that we lost our son where you grew up."

So it wasn't just mother's intuition or something like that. There were facts and reason behind her claim. But no way... He couldn't be... Could he?