Disclaimer: Manyuu Hikenchou and its characters belong to the creator, writer and illustrator Hideki Yamada. GrimGrave does NOT own any of the franchise.

Blades of Warriors, Hearts of Maidens

Chapter 3

/For being a summer day, the weather was anything but warm with clear, blue skies. The rain was coming down, hard, and like the Matsue village diver, people sought shelter.

The tavern was her only choice. She was a long way from home, having travelled from her hometown to where whatever clues had leaded her – north. The tavern was mostly full with patrons, but Oiso managed to find a seat to rest her now weary legs. The other people were chatting lively, some about the unfortunate weather, others about the new rule in Japan was both a blessing and a curse (the latter, specifically, and especially for men) while she waited for a barmaid.

Oiso pondered. Still wrapping her cloak around her to warm herself up, she wondered if Chifusa – the young, beautiful girl who had helped her out some time ago – was in this town as well. It had been months since Chifusa's departure that, day after day, the tan diver had started to miss her. At first, she thought it was because she felt that she owed the raven-haired girl something, but that wasn't it, nor was it just because Oiso wanted to spend time with her as a friend – they had gotten along quite well, in her eyes – and that wasn't it either.

No, she'd realized that, while drunk at the time, her advances on the girl stemmed from attraction.

She grinned lewdly to herself. Oh the things she'd do with (to!) her when she found her again! A futon behind them, a bottle or two of saké, and the privacy of their own room…

But first, Oiso would have to find her! The only clues she had managed to get from people had lead her north, and someone had mentioned seeing someone who matched Chifusa's description in this town. That's where the clues ended.

Terrific.

"Excuse me!" someone yelled from the crowd of patrons and it effectively silenced them. From the middle of the room stood a young girl with short, flaxen hair, clad in a light purple kimono –wait…

Didn't she recognize that girl? It couldn't be… That girl was always at Chifusa's side. That meant the kunoichi couldn't be far behind –

"Has anyone seen a girl with black and dark-blue hair? She's roughly the same height as me, and she's wearing a loose red kimono!"

Oiso gawked, baffled. This girl was looking for Chifusa as well? That didn't make sense, wasn't she her friend and, at least, her handmaiden? To think that the kunoichi left her servant behind as well didn't bode well…

Drained of whatever hope that had fluttered in her chest, the tan woman slumped in her seat and did her best to avoid eye-contact with the blonde; Oiso rather avoided her now that she had learned the ninja-duo were separated. She ordered a simple meal and battled with unpleasant thoughts in her absentmindedness.

She was distracted as a cloaked woman walking up to her. She had long, black hair bunched up into a long ponytail that reached down her back, and her eyes – narrowed and somber – didn't leave Oiso's. "You there, have you by any chance seen a young woman clad in a red kimono top? She's unmistakably carrying a katana on her person, and has dark-blue hair."

Oiso nearly choked on her food. That description also seemed to fit Chifusa – was this woman looking for her as well? She didn't look friendly in the slightest either.

"…Can't say I have," she answered, and it wasn't a lie; she hadn't seen Chifusa, although she knew fully well whom the woman referred to. The stranger let out a ´Tch´ as she turned away, and the diver caught glimpse of the pommel of a katana on the woman's person. Either she was an employed samurai or she was a vagabond, but neither could be good.

Oiso hadn't even resumed eating when she heard Kaede's unmistakeable voice, "Ah! Ouka-san?! Why are you here?!" The diver glanced at them curiously. Those two knew each other?

"Hmph. I should ask you that," the swordswoman – known as Ouka – replied. "Where's Chifusa-sama?"

"I don't know!" the blonde retorted and pouted. "And even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you. Wait, what did you say? Chifusa…"sama"?"

"You heard correctly, but I am not going to explain. If you don't know where Chifusa-sama is, then you're of no use to me," Ouka commented. "In fact, you not being at Chifusa-sama's side works in my favour." She turned on her heel and strode out of the tavern.

While the blonde ninja, miffed and confused, chased after her, Oiso remained in a state of pondering; never mind why the two women were looking for Chifusa, it didn't bode well if they were to find her first. Kaede, she remembered, was very close to the ninja and hadn't appreciated when Oiso had flirted with her master, which was bothersome. And this "Ouka" could only mean trouble.

She quickly finished her meal, paid her bill, and hurried out. A little red flag went off at the back of the brunette's mind and she knew she had to hurry – time was running out. While narrowly avoiding the ninja and swordswoman, she asked around with the hope of finding a lead, a clue, towards Chifusa whereabouts.

She got lucky. An old man recognized the kunoichi's description and according to him she had left the village two weeks ago, probably for the mountains.

Feeling that she was one step ahead, Oiso went to make preparations for her journey./

x.X.x.X.x

Despite the chilling winds and the freezing droplets that pummelled, the raven-haired ninja was searing hot; crimson hotness coursed through her usually milky pale cheeks and settled between her loins as Oiso orally dominated her, a lithe tongue snaking past hers. Her heart raced and her mind was in a haze that blocked out common sense and rationality. As if things hadn't become weird enough with Ouka, the diver from Matsue Village had (seemingly) appeared out of thin air, and her intentions were clear as day. Not to mention that she was assertive.

When she finally released the kunoichi from her embrace, Chifusa gasped for air. The diver, equally hotly red as the ninja, cupped her cheeks with a sly smile. "That… That was just as good as I imagined it would be."

Her own umbrella had been dropped to the ground but the frigid downpour did nothing to cool Chifusa down. Her heart was hammering away beneath her breast.

The older woman chuckled. "Was I that impressive?"

Having a chance to regain some composure, the black-haired girl took a deep breath. "Oiso-san… What is the meaning of this?" she said through heavy panting. "First Ouka –" She caught herself. "Ouka-san, and now you –"

"First name basis already?" Oiso frowned. "That girl must've worked fast… Well, I won't let that stop me. I'll cut right to the chase, Chifusa." The diver let go of the other girl's face and tenderly held her by the wrists. The look in light brown eyes was equally gentle as she squeezed. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since you left the village that time. Time and time again I thought I was only grateful for having a smaller chest-size, but, you see…" The smile became a tooth-flashing grin as Oiso yanked Chifusa close, their bodies pressed up against each other. "I may have been drunk the other times, but I was fully aware of what I was doing. I want you, Chifusa. And I want you to come live with me back in Matsue Village."

The rain was heavy. Few villagers had stopped and stared at the two curiously but quickly broke off to seek shelter, but the women stood there in the muddy road, soaked from head to toe.

The kunoichi's brain slowly processed the woman's words, but even then she could only move her lips like a fish, eyes blank and widened with bewilderment. This woman… this woman, she… she…

"Y-you want me to l-l-live with you?!" Chifusa finally managed to exclaim, heart beating rapidly against her chest. "W-w-what's with this, a-a-all of a sudden?! I don't understand anything about what's going on!"

Oiso arched an eyebrow, unamused. "Surely you do understand?"

The raven-haired girl lowered her gaze to the ground. It was a foolish question, after all, but the answer was uncomfortably absurd. "You can't be serious…"

"I've never been more serious in my life, Chifusa," the woman purred. "So how about it?" The ninja didn't make any attempt to break free from Oiso's weak hold. "Want to come back to Matsue Village with me?"

Usually milky white cheeks flared up as Chifusa roughly stepped back, creating distance between them. "A-absolutely not! A-and i-it's not because I d-don't like-! No! I j-just can't!" She pointed at the diver. "More importantly, why are you and Ouka suddenly so persistent in finding me? And who are the ´others´?"

"I told you," Oiso replied as she brushed away wet bangs from her eyes. "You're a shining beacon and an inspiring person, and you certainly stole my heart…" She suddenly sneezed loudly, and rubbed her arms. "Could we talk someplace warmer? We'll both catch a cold at this rate!"

Fully realizing that it was indeed chilly, shivers spiralled down the kunoichi's spine and she reluctantly nodded.

x.X.x.X.x

After having paid for yet another guest staying (and insisting that she stayed in the same room as the raven-haired ninja) to an innkeeper who smugly mumbled something about "popular" and "lovers", Chifusa and Oiso had returned to the former's room.

"I know you," Ouka said, her expression cold as she stared the diver down. "You're from the village to the west."

"I'm not from there," Oiso replied with a small grin as she helped herself to saké. They had sat down around the low table, with the Manyuu ninja trapped between them. "But yes, we did run into each other there. Not that it matters now."

"Hmph. Chifusa-sama, why is this woman here? How do you know each other?"

The kunoichi avoided her new handmaiden's glare and shifted uncomfortably. "I met her during my first travel when Kaede and I settled in Matsue Village…and we couldn't pay for the food, so we had to dive for seafood in order to pay our bill…"

The swordswoman didn't say anything. Then she glanced coldly at the diver. "Then why is she here and now sharing our room?"

Oiso scoffed. "´Your´ room, huh? Well, never mind that. What can I say?" She smugly smirked at the woman. "I want to take Chifusa back with me to Matsue village as my lover."

Besides the noise of pelting water outside, the room fell into silence. Chifusa and Ouka traded glances, both taken aback by the confession – or at least Ouka was – and the dark-haired handmaiden reached for the pommel of her blade as she got up on her feet.

"You… You, WHAT?!" Ouka exclaimed, her eyes filled with fury. "Out of the question! Chifusa-sama, allow me to rid us of this peasant!"

"Ouka, wait!" The ninja grabbed the raven-haired woman by the arm. It was bad enough that Ouka was not only her new handmaiden, but one who harboured feelings for her (and they had already had sex, too…) but with Oiso here as well, the situation could easily escalate. "Stop it!"

"I will not hand you over to some lowly commoner," she retorted. "I've finally found you again, Chifusa-sama, and I'll be damned if you're going to be pulled into the arms of another, man or woman!"

"Hm?" The diver's expression became puzzled. "Arms of another? You're talking as if –" She paused and her eyes widened. "Don't tell me… You two are…"

"It's exactly that," Ouka stated as she sat down next to Chifusa and made sure to brush up against her. As her stare shifted over to the ninja, her expression greatly softened and her voice changed to a gentle tone. "I belong to Chifusa-sama."

The kunoichi's face was blazing hot as created some distance between them. "I-It's complicated…! But E-either way, Oiso-san! I can't come with you… I have a duty to this land, now that I've mastered the Breast-Flow technique. I'd like to see it through – I have to see it through. A-and…" She cast a glance at the swordswoman. "…Ouka is my handmaiden… so she's coming with me, despite my initial disagreement…"

The tan woman shifted her attention back and forth between them as she helped herself to more saké. Then, with the cup slammed down on the table, she grinned. "´Handmaiden´ huh? That reminds me, what about happened to the blonde girl who was with you last time?"

Chifusa blanched. "I… I left her behind. This is my duty to carry, but…" The Manyuu ninja groaned. "Damn it all, this day took a strange turn… This is too much to take in!"

"Let me handle this, Chifusa-sama," Ouka urged. "I'll have this peasant sent back home and then we'll get you to bed for rest. I will help you carry this burden –"

"What makes you think I'm going to go back home empty-handed?" The swordswoman's face darkened, and the diver seemed to relish getting under her skin. "If Chifusa wants help, I'll help. Besides, I like a good challenge, so let's see who Chifusa prefers in the end, hm?"

The raven-haired woman gritted her teeth. "Insolent –"

"Enough!" Chifusa exclaimed. "I'm getting a headache from this. I appreciate your help, Oiso, but…we're going to travel all over the land. What about your village, and Mizuki?"

"Mizuki and the others can handle things while I'm away," Oiso answered calmly. She took a swig of saké. "Besides, I could go for some traveling, so don't worry about me."

"Nothing I say will change your mind, huh?" Chifusa groaned. "It can't be helped… I'm going to take a bath – I'm still cold from before – please behave while I'm gone, okay?"

x.X.x.X.x

"…Ouka…Oiso… Why are you both here as well?" The dark-haired kunoichi's brow furrowed. The hot-springs – standard addition to any mountain inn – were supposed to allow her room to breathe, to collect her thoughts, but as she now sat immerged in the shimmering, warm, clean waters , there was the rather beautiful diver on her left, and her new handmaiden to her right.

"I'm making sure the peasant isn't trying anything," Ouka said. "Besides, I could use a bath as well."

"And I'm also cold from before, so there's that," Oiso replied and smirked as her eyes lit up with lewd mirth. "And I've got to say, lovely view…Your breasts are smaller now, though."

Chifusa immediately covered her chest, though it did little – it wasn't the first time she had bared them to anyone, and they were in a warm spring after all. "O-Oiso-san!"

The sound of a blade unsheathing from its sheath was heard. "Stop ogling Chifusa-sama's breasts, filth!"

"It's not like I haven't seen them before – and they were bigger then, too." She grinned mockingly at Ouka. "I've touched them, too."

"What?!"

The two bickered back and forth, and the ninja sank deeper into the water, desperate to block out the noise. This night would be a nightmare, and her journey – up until now one of solitude and peace – had become disorganized and chaotic and, judging by her companions' continuing banter, it didn't seem like it would end anytime soon.

Despite this and herself, a smidge of joy had Chifusa's lips curl upwards. In moderation, being wanted like this was always appreciated.

To be continued...