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Usagi felt terrible. His head was pounding. His guts were churning. His limbs ached. There wasn't a part of his body that wasn't in some kind of agony. Save perhaps his heart. That was light and lively. He awoke alone. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but then he spied a piece of Chizu's clothing, and that was enough. The Ronin looked outside and noticed it was day, but then it was light when he made love to Chizu and fell asleep. So he wasn't sure how long he had been asleep. Time had lost all meaning and relevance. He simply wanted to know where Chizu had gone. Usagi dressed. He noticed a basin of water in a corner and washed as best he could. What he needed was a bath, a nice lingering soak in some hot spring to clear his head. Time enough for that later in the day. He picked up his sword and went in search of Chizu. All it took was for him to open the door into the tavern for him to find her. She was chatting with the innkeeper in the threshold. The sight of the woman made him smile. He called out to her. And her smile mimicked his own. She waved to a table in the middle of the room and they sat together.
"How are you, Chizu?"
"I am fine. Yourself?"
"Other than a hangover that could kill an ox, I'm well enough."
She laughed, "The food should be here soon."
He reached out across the table, and took her hand, "Thank you, Chizu.
She blushed and rubbed his fingers with her own.
"I am confused about one thing."
"Oh?"
"What the hell time is it, and how long have I been asleep?"
She laughed, "That's two things."
Before she could answer further the food came. They ate and laughed and talked. Usagi was suddenly filled with conversation. He nattered on and on so much that Chizu didn't even bother to respond; she simply nodded and ate her food quietly. Such is the curse of wandering the world alone; all that pent-up conversation comes pouring out all at once. Oddly Usagi talked about travelling to someplace new. Since becoming a Ronin he stuck to the usual trails and tramped the same ground more than once. Now he felt a sudden desire to go to someplace else, far away from the familiar haunts.
"Maybe to the Capital or even Hokkaido. It's said that the forests there rival any other in Japan."
"I have been to neither place, Usagi."
He took her hand again, "Would you like to share my journey, Chizu?"
Startled, she pulled away to gather her thoughts. What he was asking wasn't simply joining him on an excursion to parts unknown. This was something more profound. His proposal would take time; time to prepare and time to execute, perhaps even years. Usagi was asking Chizu to live with him on the road. It would be a hard life, but no worse than the one she's been enduring alone. He would be a steady companion, and he was already more than a friend.
