The Princess and the Shadow

Chapter 9: The relationship between shinobi and night

Ina pulled away from Masayasu, but still continued to look at his face, he seemed calmer now, she could feel all the tension in his heart. How did she get it? She could not tell.

She smiled warmly at him, realizing that he had stopped cleaning the fish to look at her for some time. But his moment of peace was hampered by Ryouma who approached with another fish.

"Hey! Sorry to mess up the lovebirds, but I'm starving!"

Ryouma sat on the floor and took a knife from somewhere in Ina's clothes that she did not identify and began cleaning the fish. Sometimes Ryouma looked really strange.

"I will not disturb you."

Ina smiled at them both and got up quickly and went to get a cloth in her trunk, leaning against a branch lying on the ground.

Masayasu observed her, he was still attending to the place and did not want to lose her sight, but when he saw the white cloth in her hand he deduced that she would wash the river. He watched her walk elegantly down to the river. Ryouma looked at him and laughed.

"You need to disguise her enchantment for her, make it perceptible, even if you do not say anything." he mocked.

Masayasu glared at Ryouma, studying that annoying smile on his lips. Sometimes he wanted to get that smile off his face somehow.

"Work and stop talking."

Masayasu replied and wiped the fish again, but for a few seconds looked at Ina kneeling on the bank of the river, wetting the cloth and running it across her face and then through in her neck and nape.

Ina was kneeling before the river, wetting the cloth and passing through her face, then did the same with the cloth, watering and passing on the neck and nape. The sound of the river soothed her heart. Finally she can see little of that landscape.

The river was wide, she looked both ways and then forward, if they would have to cross a horse for some shallow, she would not know where it would be. The water seemed strong but the atmosphere was quiet. She could see a bamboo forest on the other side of the river. If they had crossed earlier they might have slept through the bamboos, but that was just an idea.

Her eyes traced the immensity of that river, now the night seemed to have black waters, if that destroyed village wherever they went was here this would be a rather frightened environment with those lost souls and the dark river at night. But the sound of wind and the waters made the environment pleasant, and she could still hear the sound of the flames of the fire.

She wet the cloth in the river and looked at its waters. She wanted a shower, that was true, but those waters were strong and Ryouma was present, she could not do that with him around. She twisted the cloth and stepped inside the hakama to reach her back and shoulders. Then she made the same gesture to cleanse her chest and breasts.

Then she saw Masayasu sit next to her. He was extremely silent and despite the grass everywhere, she did not hear him approaching. She stared at him and then smiled warmly.

Masayasu rested his elbows on his thighs and looked toward the bamboo forest on the other side of the riverbank. Ina continued to wash herself using the cloth.

"I've been thinking on our mission in Ueda."

Masayasu started talking and caught Ina's attention, who immediately looked at him. He looked serious, his blue eyes looked bright from that night, or maybe it was just beautiful to see him staring up at the horizon with those beautiful blue eyes.

"What's bothering you?"

Ina asked and Masayasu turned his face to her side, meeting her violet eyes, he saw concern in her eyes now.