A Couple?

"Then you should give up on this whatever revenge you had planned out. Spend your time working on your cultivation." Fatty sighed as he looked at the girl. "Always remember life is not simple. There is always someone stronger. And from what I know, the thing that happened with you and Junior Sister Ai was an accident. If you actually talked to her, she would probably apologize like crazy."

"Ah…." Maiko came to a realization that she never did give Ai a chance to speak with her. And she was out for revenge on something that really did not seem like it was done on purpose. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was just being motivated by her pride which was crushed not only once but twice by Yuki. She looked at the sleeping girl curled up on Nana's lap clutching at Nana's robes, and sighed. She wished she could have seen things more clearly. Now she was…. She looked down at herself and felt the uncomfortable wetness and wished she could go someplace and bathe.

Fatty scratched his head and looked at Nana to help explain things a bit more but realized she was not even paying attention. She was busy gently stroking Nana's head. No matter how he looked at it, Nana's eyes were filled with love when she looked at Yuki in this way. Whether she realized it or not, this was just what he got from her expression. He sighed and decided to just have Maiko go to sleep. "For now, just go to sleep. No need to stay up. Nana and I will keep watch."

"Ah? Okay. Thank you…." Maiko nodded and laid down. She had a lot to think about from this moment on.

The sun slowly peeked over the horizon. The orange glaze of the sun landed across the plains that Fatty and the girls were in. Yuki's eyes fluttered ever so slightly as they slowly opened to see Nana looking down at her. A small smile crept up on her lips as she hugged Nana's waist. She knew Nana had saved her once more.

Nana gently stroked Yuki's hair with a warm smile. She looked over at Fatty, who was doing his best not to look at the two's interaction and chuckled softly. She then turned her attention back to Yuki, and her expression became stern. She reached up and flicked Yuki's forehead. "Ow! Nana!"

"Do you know what you did wrong!?" Nana asked, her voice holding some anger.

Yuki pursed her lips and pushed her face into Nana's stomach as she nodded slightly. "I shouldn't have gone off on my own…."

"Correct! What if that person who you fought had used more force? You could have died! If we were not close by….. Yuki, you have to remember you are all I have left…." Nana's eyes began to tear up.

Yuki shivered slightly at Nana's words and hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry…."

"Ahem…." Fatty wanted to make sure they remembered he was here. Even Maiko was blushing at the two. If one did not know, you would think they were lovers.

Yuki pursed her lips slightly as she slowly got up. She adjusted her robes and looked over at Maiko. "I will not hold last night against you. But it is too dangerous for you to be out on your own now. We will head into the forest and look for a stream so you can wash up. With the three of us around, I am sure you can clean up in peace."

Maiko blushed from ear to ear as she lowered her head. "Thank you…. And…. Yuki, I am sorry. My pride got the better of me, but now, I know the errors of my ways and will work hard on cultivating from now on."

"Mmm…." Yuki nodded before standing up and stretching slightly. She then turned and hugged Nana once more. "Thank you for saving me."

"Just don't run off on your own anymore," Nana replied, hugging Yuki back. When they parted, they smiled at each other. This caused Fatty to once more clear his throat.

"I might be mistaken in asking this, but are you two a couple?" Fatty couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore.

"Hmmm? No?" Yuki tilted her head to the side in confusion while Nana blushed and shook her head.

"Alright, then, just forget I asked anything." Fatty sighed. He could see Nana might be aware more of her feelings for Yuki, but then again, they could just be innocent feelings at this time. But Yuki…. She did not seem to realize her own actions were very suggestive.

"Nana and I are family," Yuki stated. She did not see anything wrong with hugging her own family.

"I get it! You are family. Anyway, we should eat and then move out." Fatty just wanted to change the subject.

Fatty quickly caught a few horned rabbits and roasted them up. Only when everyone had their fill did they begin making their way toward the forest again. "When we reach the tree line, follow my lead. The area that the horned snakes are in is in the middle ring but near a cliff side by a river that cuts through the forest."

"Are there any water spots before then?" Yuki asked. She had promised earlier they would find a spot for Maiko to get washed up and did not wish to go back on her words. While Maiko did have ill intentions to start, she apologized and understood she was in the wrong. Yuki was not one to hold grudges against people who had yet to hurt her at all. Of course, this also depended on the situation as well.

"I am not sure. I only know to look for the river in the western part of the forest. We will camp at the forest entrance before heading in the next day."