Passion

Rooted

With two people and extra bags, Elara was weighed down a lot which would slow down their progress greatly. What could have been a week's journey is now something like a month's journey. Miyuki knew they'd have to get Sawamura a horse, but it was far too risky to do so in the capital. They could get him a horse in the Western Villages. They were a tad bit farther than he would like, but what more could he do?

After Miyuki safely escaped from the castle with Sawamura in tow, he found Elara and prepared to set out West. It was raining hard and the sound masked their movements. He grabbed Sawamura by the waist and hoisted him up onto the horse. After mounting himself, they were off.

Through the heavy rain and high adrenaline, the General managed to lead them to safety. His heart was beating like crazy-- they almost got caught twice. He had instructed Sawamura to keep his head down and don't let go of him. Miyuki had to admit, Sawamura was stronger than he looked. He had an iron tight grip on the General.

Well, at least he was doing what Miyuki had told him to do.

They had managed to make it a couple leagues away from the capital before Elara burnt out. They stopped for the night in a small gathering of trees.

The trees had thick, winding roots. They intertwined in intricate patterns, joining their sources. The trunks stood tall over small coves of roots, swaying and shifting with the wind. The two men made camp in the coves the roots formed. Carefully maintaining the fire was Sawamura's job, as Miyuki went to find water. That wasn't too hard, considering it had just rained. When he came back, he found Sawamura braiding Elara's mane while humming. Together, they laid next to the small fire.

Miyuki waited behind a trunk, watching the scene unfold before him. He was completely taken by Sawamura's soft humming and then suddenly remembered: Elara doesn't let other people handle her. How come Sawamura is doing just that?

"You know," he interjected, startling the stable boy, "she usually doesn't let other people touch her like this." He walked over to the two of them and sat next to the fire. After putting some nuts on the fire, he gave the water to Sawamura.

"What? For real? But she's such a sweet girl" he said, not to Miyuki, but to Elara. She had seemed to be sleeping, with her head nuzzled snugly in Sawamura's lap.

Miyuki simply sat back and watched him braid her mane. He found comfort in the rustling of the leaves, the chirping of the bugs, and Sawamura's humming. He relished it, unsure of when he might get another chance to experience such peace. At least he can say that, for now, they were not at war.

As Sawamura finished up the last braid, he hummed the last verse of the song. The song was his mother's favorite. She used to sing it to him and his sister before bandits took her life. There was not much he had left, from his mother, that is. They weren't exactly well off, so he didn't have anything else.

He had finished the final braid and looked proudly upon his work.

"Hey Miyu-" he stopped mid-sentence when he looked up to find Miyuki asleep. His arms were crossed and he sat with his back against the Earth, sword in his lap. His eyebrows were furrowed, as if deep in thought. His breath came evenly as he slept in the cove.

Sawamura was glad to see the General sleeping. He had been helping him all this time; yet this was the first time he had seen Miyuki actually rest. He definitely needed the rest, considering all that had happened.

He took the chance to study Miyuki's features more carefully this time. His disheveled hair perfectly framed his face. He didn't have soft features, he was rough around the edges, but Sawamura knew he was a gentle man-- with him, at least. He had broad shoulders and muscular arms. His hands were gloved this time around, denying Sawamura the chance for further ogling.

As much as he hated it, Sawamura was easily embarrassed. Honestly, he was thankful he got the chance to look at Miyuki like this. Lord knows he didn't want to be caught in the act again, like this morning.

Eventually he came to the consensus that he needed to call it a night.

With that, all three of the firelight travelers had shut their eyes in preparation for tomorrow's daybreak.