Onsen

[Sanada Yukimura]

(OOC: Katsumi)

After he had finished his daily morning training, which consisted of 300 one thumb pushups while balancing on top of a tilted chair, 100 sit ups and pull-ups, and practicing his kenjutsu while blind-folded, Yukimura had come across a rather secluded outdoor onsen located not too far from the bamboo grove he had been practicing in, and decided to stop at the hot spring, as the hot water would help to relax his muscles after the long training session. After he had completely removed all of his armor and clothing and placed them on top of a flat rock, his spear leaning up against the same rock, he would slowly step into the onsen and lower himself down into the hot water, completely immersing himself up to his chin.

The thick layer of steam that emitted from the hot air mixing with the cold air of winter hid him from view, he would let out a sigh of contentment, his eyes closed, as he felt the hot water loosen up and relax his muscles.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[Gonna play this after a fight I haven't quite finished writing yet. ^^;]]

Everything ached. Bruises covered her body and the shoulder that had been dislocated hurt like a bitch. After those fights, Katsumi was given the night off (and the following day off), and she planned on taking full advantage of it. The woman was going to give her body some rest, pampering even. Even the workaholic, busy body felt she deserved the treat.

The hot springs was a considerable ways away from the camp she was working at, and so she wasn't too concerned about anyone finding her here. Plus, they were all working. The cautious Katsumi felt she was safe. Of course, she wasn't really considering if anybody else would be at the hot springs.

Katsumi entered a clearing, glancing around a few times. Upon finding no one in the vicinity, the woman released a huff, and winced. One of her ribs had to be cracked. That fucking sucks. She would have to tend to it as well, and she sighed in exasperation. At least that warm water looked relieving, and the merc couldn't wait to get in.

Slipping off her clothing, soon enough the men's clothes fell from her body and were folded up, resting on a boulder. Removing the wrapping around her chest, once they were gone, for the first time that day it felt like she could really breathe, breasts exposed and no longer squeezed down.

Sliding off her hair tie, the teenager's dark locks cascaded down her back and rested upon her fair (although now it was covered with black, blue, and purple marks) flesh in waves. Most of her scars were covered by her hair, but the ones on her arms and lower back were exposed, the long, unsavory cuts risen up. Those times with the switch and the rod would never quite leave her, even if she herself blocked them out.

Walking over to the springs, Katsumi slowly stepped in, wincing as the water hit her bruises and injuries, flesh extra sensitive, but soon enough the water was at her waist. She was slowly making her way down, allowing time to pass so that one part of her body felt relaxed and good before moving herself further down.

[Sanada Yukimura]

With the thick layer of steam not only hiding Yukimura from view, but also muffling any sounds made, as he leaned back against the rock face behind him, he was unaware that he had company in the hot spring, and would slowly lower himself down even more into the water, eventually completely immersing himself in the water, before coming back up for air seconds later, making a rather loud splash.

Leaning back against the rock face once more, this time he had only immersed himself halfway up his chest, so the permanent scar running from his left shoulder to the top of his left collar bone was visible... well as visible as the steam allowed.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

As she was lowering herself, Katsumi heard a splash. Eyes widened, the woman quickly swiveled towards that direction, gaze narrowing sharply. There was definitely a sound further in, but there was far too much steam to see clearly.

Katsumi inched towards the end, reaching for a small dagger, and she held it defensively in front of her. The woman kept listening intently, slowly working herself forward. Those dark hues searched and searched, but saw nothing. She was so focused that when a few birds flew out from the clearing, cawing loudly, the woman let out a high-pitched yelp.

Making a sharp turn in surprise, she could not keep her grip on the bottom of the hot springs, and Katsumi slipped. With a sharp gasp, the merc fell backwards and splashed into the water rather ungracefully, which was so uncharacteristic of the woman. She became completely submerged, overwhelmed with heat, and the woman hit her injured shoulder against a rock.

Upon making it back up the surface, Katsumi hissed, blade falling from her hand and disappearing into the water. She clutched the shoulder that a handful of hours ago had been dislocated and, of course, crouching down made her cracked rib feel absolutely spectacular.

The poor girl had tears in her eyes, the pain causing her to momentarily forget about the sound she had heard earlier, and she was cursing under her breath, trying not to cry out in pain from her throbbing shoulder.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Eyes snapping open the moment he heard a high-pitched yelp issue, following after a few birds flew out from the clearing, cawing loudly, he would quickly stand up in the water, water running down his body and dripping off into the hot spring. Quickly snatching his spear up nearby, his eyes would dart over to the side as he caught the sound of a splash, and would cautiously move in the direction the sound had come from, his spear held in front of him.

As he continued forward, his foot would hit against something, causing him to halt immediately, and would slowly reach down into the water, feeling around before enclosing his hand around something, and straightening back up, would find himself holding a small dagger in his hand. As the dagger had to belong to someone, he would look around, but the thick steam made it impossible for him to make anyone or anything out. Someone was here definitely, but who and where, he couldn't tell.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

"Shit!"

Despite the pain, she leaned down and tried searching for the dagger, but it was gone. Now the woman was weaponless, losing her damn knife, and her whole body hurt like a bitch. Today was just ending up becoming a spectacular day.

Wading through the water, the woman tried searching for the knife, but couldn't see through the steam. So with her uninjured arm, Katsumi tried feeling for the blade carefully, brows furrowing deeply.

Oh hey, her hand came across something, but that definitely wasn't metal. In fact, what she felt seemed... fleshy. Katsumi's hand, which unbeknownst to her was gripping the man's foot, moved up, traveling up his ankle and shin.

"What... the hell?" she muttered to herself.

Unfortunately for her (but fortunately for me and my amusement), the merc was still moving forward and kinda collides face-first *hopefully just into his thigh, or wherever the hell she would reach from down there. >.>;

Anyway, so she glanced up and, even though she can't see his face or his whole body due to the steam, it was unmistakably a person she just ran into and was gripping. She was without a weapon and there was a man there, and... her eyes bulged. Katsumi wasn't donned as a man right now. In fact, she was just as naked as the day she was born, except sustaining far more injuries.

Her mouth gaped and she gasped sharply, pushing herself away as quickly as she could, if she was able. No, no, no, no, no! She couldn't let this guy see her. Fortunately there was plenty of steam and her torso was now in the water, as she quickly submerged herself so that only her head was out. Kat was really hoping he didn't see anything, like, most importantly to her in this moment, her breasts.

Those funbags would definitely give away her sex pretty quickly, now wouldn't they?

[Sanada Yukimura]

As he continued to wade cautiously through the water, the moment he felt something grab onto his foot, Yukimura instinctively reacted by jerking backwards, his free foot moving back a step to keep him balanced as whatever held onto his foot traveled up his ankle and shin, tickling him slightly. He would then feel something collide with his thigh soon after, causing him to jerk back even more, and combined with whatever held onto him suddenly pushing away from him, caused him to lose balance.

His arms flailing slightly in an attempt to keep his balance, it would be for naught, as the young master would end up taking a dip, spear and dagger included. A few bubbles rising to the surface and popping, immediately after, Yukimura would break through the water with a loud splash, completely drenched... again.

"!?"

With dagger and spear in hand, Yukimura would then begin searching around the hot spring for the person that had grabbed onto him. The facial features felt distinctly female, well as distinct as he could figure from his thigh saying hello to the person's face.

"I know you are there, there is no point in hiding. I have no intention of harming you, I just wish to speak with you."

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Yup. That was definitely another person, and her situation just got really bad. She couldn't let this person see her like this, completely exposed. The world was hard enough as it was to be a women, but a female mercenary? A female fighter? It was unheard of, and plus there was all of that damage her father caused with how she was raised. Being a female was a terrible thing, and so she had to pretend to not be one, to walk around with the mask of a man. She had to keep her appearance up. If Katsumi didn't, she'd lose everything, and she had so very little to begin with. Right?

Anxiety gripped at her, tears brimming within her eyes, and she quickly waded back, ignoring how her muscles and bones screamed in protest. She had to get away, far away. Perhaps Katsumi would be able to slip on her robe quickly. There wouldn't be time for the wrap, but there was plenty of steam. If only she could just get over there fast enough.

This man talked of peace, but she didn't believe him. Well, at least not entirely. At this point, she was panicking far too much about her exposed body to worry about actually getting physically harmed. Her lost dagger could wait. Right now she just needed to get covered.

Katsumi made her way to where she entered the spring, trying to stay quiet, although she could only be so quiet moving through the water. She tried pulling herself out, but one arm was useless and there was that cracked rib, plus her short stature. Poor Katsumi was having a hard time, and by the time she grunted a response with a forced low voice, only one leg was partially up, "In... a minute...!"

[Sanada Yukimura]

Despite the thick layer of steam muffling the sounds of the other person in the hot spring, Yukimura could still faintly make out the sounds of the person moving away from him. Carefully placing the knife down on top of the rocks lining the side, with spear in hand, he would begin twirling his spear from in his hands, generating a whirlwind of sorts, to clear the steam away. As the steam began to thin out, allowing him some semblance of sight, he would hear the person's voice speak up, though sounding more like a pained grunt.

His eyes narrowing as he tried to see through the steam, continuing to keep the whirlwind up, the wind generated would clear the steam out much quicker, and soon enough, all the steam was gone. Wading across the hot spring, he would come up from behind the figure, spear in hand.

"... Who are you? And what are you so desperate to hide that you would drop a knife into the water?"

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi was trying to unsuccessfully climb out of the hotspring when she felt a sudden gust of wind. She clenched her eyes shut and clung to the ledge. What the hell was going on?

Upon opening her eyes, she saw that the steam was gone, and could hear the man approaching her from behind. This elicited a shriek, the woman panicking, and she released her hold on the ledge, splashing into the water. He was right there! She would be able to get away! What was she to do?!

When she emerged to the surface, Katsumi gasped loudly for air and immediately hugged her chest, eyes wide with fright. The archer (who sadly did not have her bow at this time) pushed herself against the wall, shrinking down, hiding her body within the water and clutching at it frenetically. Katsumi was panicking, body creating adrenaline to course through her so she couldn't feel the pain of her terribly aching, injured body.

"G-Get away from me!"

There was no logic right now, or even listening. Simply hysteria, the instinct of flight overwhelming her body. Her dark eyes were searching for a way out, and she was just about to bolt to the side. Hell, she was starting to. She would swim the hell away if he had to!

[Sanada Yukimura]

An ear-piercingly high female shriek bombarding his ears, Yukimura would automatically wince in pain, clamping one hand over his ear and this expression on his face: >__O

Seeing the figure tumble back down into the water with a loud splash, he would quickly step towards the figure, only to jerk back slightly as the figure broke through the surface of the water, hugging his or her chest and eyes wide with fright. Frowning slightly at first, he would crouch down to get a better look at the face, body hidden in the water, only for his eyes to widen in shock, as he would automatically take a step back... or he would've, except he was crouching, instead resulting in his falling backwards into the water with a loud splash, as he would scramble backwards a bit.

"Y-you're a girl!?"

His eyes shifting over to the clothes located on top of the boulder behind her, he would look at the pile, then at her, then back at the clothes, noticing the bandages neatly on top, then back at her once more, panic visible in her face and body language. Slowly climbing to his feet, a frown appearing on his face, there would a reasonable distance between the two of them as he would make no sudden movement towards her.

"... Here."

If she looked up, she would see the knife she had dropped held out to her, Yukimura having moved back towards the side he had left the knife on, his spear pointed downwards, towards the water, except the hilt was facing her, meaning Yukimura was holding onto the blade, and sure enough, he was lightly holding onto the blade of the knife, a calm but slightly concerned look on his face as he looked down at her.

"... If you feel threatened by me, then you may take your knife back and use it against me. But I meant what I said. I have no intention of harming you."

And to get his point across, she would see a thin trail of blood run from his palm and down his hand, drops of blood gently dripping into the water.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[Lololol that expression xDDD]]

The man leaned in, and it felt as though her heart were going to explode. But just as she was about to bolt, and she even began to, he fell backwards and splashed into the water. Did he slip? What happened? She couldn't be certain, but felt that it was a perfect opportunity to escape... if only she weren't practically trapped in this damned hotspring due to her height and injuries.

Shit! He figured it out. Exclaimed her gender! Katsumi was fucked. He would hurt or even kill her for being an insulate woman, daring to think she could fight. Or, like in her father's case, simply because she was a female.

He moved away, offering her knife and promising not to harm her, but there was distrust on her expression. Why was she to believe him considering her past? With all of those scars on her back, and the back of her upper arms and thighs, and with their society. She waded back so that her back pressed was pressed against the wall of the springs and tears welled in her eyes.

Katsumi wasn't ready to die. Not after working so hard to survive. The man offered peace, but she was in a compromising position. To get her blade back, she would have to draw near, and he was far larger and presumably stronger than her. He could easily overpower her and then what? Many terrible things could happen from there.

The merc remained silent, hugging her injured body, trembling and cowering like a trapped animal, and her eyes clearly conveyed, 'How can I be sure?'

[Sanada Yukimura]

The expression on her face, along with her body language clearly conveying her fear to him, without a moment's hesitation, Yukimura would let go of his spear in his hand, allowing it to drop into the water beside him. Now weaponless, he would continue to hold the knife out for her to take, the thin trail of blood continuing to run down his hand and steadily drip into the water. Contrary to what she believed, Yukimura would not harm or kill her for thinking she could fight, as his own sister-in-law, Inahime, was an extremely skilled archer, and he had seen her skills in battle before.

"... Do you believe me now?"

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Her eyes widened when he dropped his spear, the weapon splashing in the water, and Kat's dark hues caught the blood trickling from his hand. The archer's body was tense and her throat was tightened, breathing constricted, and she still looked at him hesitantly. But he simply stood in place, holding out her blade.

After several long moments, the merc slowly inched her way forward, trembling hand moving out of the water and taking the blade. Her shoulder was exposed, the dark bruise from when her shoulder was dislocated lit up by the moonlight. As soon as she took the blade, Katsumi waded back to the edge of the hotspring. She winced a little at the movement and her back hitting the wall.

"Why...?" It was almost a question of why he wasn't hurting her already, and her dark hues shimmered with confusion and apprehension.

[Sanada Yukimura]

His hand slowly releasing its grasp on the blade once she took hold of the knife, he would allow her to slide it easily from his hand, his eyes drawn to and widening at the sight of the bruise on her shoulder, lit up by the moonlight. Lowering his hand back down, blood continuing to drip from his hand as she waded back to the edge of the hot spring, Yukimura would remain where he was, his arms held loosely by his sides. He would not approach or make any sudden movements, because she appeared apprehensive enough, and he wanted to prove he would not harm her in any way.

"Because I have no reason to. Trust me. My own sister-in-law, is a fighter herself, and her skills in archery are impressive to behold."

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Her brows hues widened at his words. Was it true? Was there another excellent female archer? And she was open about her gender? It seemed surreal to Katsumi and she gulped. But still. The thought of another female archer fascinated the girl and the merc looked up at the man, wide eyes filled with interest, with curiosity.

"A... A female... archer?" She glanced over to where her bow laid and then her gaze went back to the man. "And she does not... hide who she is? No one tries to... punish her? You... are okay with it?"

It was obvious how foreign of an idea this was to Katsumi, brows knit and expression holding her confusion.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Yes, and she does not. I cannot imagine why anyone would try to punish her, and of course I am okay with it. Married to my older brother aside, her skills are truly impressive to behold. I myself have seen first hand what she is capable of."

Slowly lowering himself down so he was crouching and at face level with her, he would give her a kind and gentle smile, before bowing his head slightly to her.

"On my honor and pride as the youngest son of the head of the Sanada clan, I speak the truth to a lovely maiden such as yourself."

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Incredible. This woman was so highly praised for her skills and accepted, and this man didn't seem to understand why she wouldn't be. That entirely baffled Katsumi, and she mused about what kind of world he lived in where women were seen as equals.

Her gaze cast down, resting on the blade in her hand. Kat's lids were drooped and her expression was somber. "There was no praise for me until after I got away and dressed as a man..."

His name probably should have meant something to Katsumi, but she had been isolated for so long that she knew next to nothing about the politics of her country. She simply killed for hire, and there was little else she knew besides where her skills lied.

Katsumi blushed a little at being called a lovely maiden. It was almost painful to hear, because her whole life was spent being abused simply because she was a woman. All Katsumi had wanted was to please her father and to be a man, and so she did the best she could, before and after his death.

Her voice was soft as she spoke, words slow, "A maiden... it has only brought me grief. But... I appreciate your honesty, Sanada-san. I... I have never lived in such a world where... that would be acceptable."

And by that, she meant being a female fighter and, in her case specifically, being a woman at all.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Truly? Is that the truth? I am certain there was a reason you had to dress and masquerade as a man, but to receive no praise before, as a maiden, it is truly a tragedy that breaks my heart."

A sad but gentle smile on his face, Yukimura would stay firmly rooted to where he was, his hands resting on top of and over his knees, blood continuing to steadily drip into the water.

"Then that shall change here and now. Instead of grief, I bring you praise. To have met such a lovely maiden as yourself, with such fighting skills, is truly an honor. Would you like to meet my sister-in-law? To see a world where female fighters are accepted and treated with respect?"

Although it was not apparent, Yukimura's vision was beginning to become blurry, had he lost that much blood from such a small injury? Still, for her sake, he would fight back and remain conscious.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

The woman spoke as though what she was saying was a fact. There was a sadness within her eyes, but it was distant. It was acceptance of her fate and what her father had instilled in her, made her believe.

"I... was hated. Nothing I did was right. I was an... abomination."

Was she still? Katsumi didn't like to think about it, lest she fall into a depression. Her life was already hard enough to believe she wasn't worth living. It was difficult enough simply going day by day surviving and keeping up appearances.

She blushed a little at his compliment, gaze dropping from his. To be complimented like this... why, the girl was simply not used to it in the least. It seemed strange to accept such a compliment, always finding flaws in herself and wishing she could be better because Katsumi believed she was never good enough.

With a little bit of unease, Katsumi shyly stated, "You... haven't even seen me fight. I..." her gaze moved up to his before dropping again and glancing over at the side, fingers gripping at one another, "still have more improvement I could do."

Katsumi thought about his offer. She inhaled deeply, almost afraid of her world shattering as it was all she ever knew, and then nodded head. The girl was curious if this, in fact, could really be true, and deep down that chance of freedom was just so enticing. Her eyes then caught the blood flow from his hand. It was steady, and her brows knit.

"Sanada-san, perhaps... you should sit down and rest. I have bandages I can use for your hand. Please..."

[Sanada Yukimura]

"I don't think you're one. In fact, I think you are truly magnificent. I may have never seen you fight, and no matter how much one knows, everyone can improve, but I know your skills are simply superb."

Smiling kindly at her, he would offer his uninjured hand to her, as if asking her to take his hand, to set her free. Poetic perhaps, but it was simply his gentlemanly behavior unconsciously surfacing.

"Hm? Oh... Yes, my hand. I will be ugh...!"

Having been fighting to stay conscious the entire time, he would fall to one knee, one eye closed, as he felt rather light-headed. Still, he would struggle to his feet, literally dragging himself to the edge of the hot spring to climb out. The moment he was out of the hot spring however, he would fall to one knee once more, before eventually falling onto his back unconscious.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Her blush only increased, cheeks becoming a deep red in colour. Why was he saying all of this? He didn't even know her. It made no sense to the girl.

"Why... are you being so... nice?"

He offered his hand to her, but he staggered, and Kat blinked. Sanada moved over to the edge and lifted himself up, and she avoided looking at him and seeing his bare form. But when she heard a thud, the archer jerked her head up and saw that Sanada collapsed onto the ground.

Her eyes widened and, struggling a bit due to her petite form and aching body, pulled herself out of the spring. She quickly went over to the man and checked his pulse, feeling his forehead. The man didn't seem to be in danger, but the bleeding needed to be stopped. Katsumi got up and went over to her things, slipping on her clothes, and then she went through her bag. Taking out bandages and some supplies, Katsumi went over to him. Kneeling down, she went before him and wrapped his hand, applying pressure. Depending on how long he was out, when the flow stopped, she would stitch up the wound and bandage it up, all in absolute silence. She was calm and worked skillfully, having plenty of experience from having to tend to her own wounds over the years.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Because it's true. I did not know I needed a reason to be nice."

The blood loss finally catching up with him, he would fall unconscious the moment he was out of the hot spring, sprawled out on his back. As Katsumi checked his pulse, she would find it was rather high, since his heart was working hard to keep him alive, and his forehead was only slightly warm, so he did not have a fever. Just as she finished stitching and bandaging up his hand, his eyes would slowly open, as he would slowly look from side to side, his eyes landing on her.

If she looked over, she would see him smiling gently up at her, his injured hand resting on top of his bare chest.

"... You truly are magnificent. Thank you... Are you still afraid of me now?"

[Shinomori Katsumi]

His reasoning really made no sense to the woman, but Katsumi didn't respond back, remaining quiet.

Katsumi had been reaching into her bag for a blanket when Sanada came to. She turned to face him, and set the blanket over his form, both to cover himself so he wouldn't lay there in the nude and for comfort. The archer was not used to seeing smiles directed at her and she actually felt a little uncomfortable, hand sliding some free locks of her dark hair behind her ear.

"You continue to compliment me," she murmured, trailing off. It was evident with her expression that she found it odd, to say the least. She wasn't offended or angry by it, by any stretch. It was simply something that Katsumi was not adjusted to in the least and didn't know how to take.

"It was no problem, Sanada-san," remarked the girl. She stared down at him when he asked whether she was afraid and paused. Was she? Despite her innate distrust in people, Katsumi no longer feared this man. He seemed genuine, and Katsumi found herself releasing her breath softly. Shaking her head, the merc answered Sanada quietly, the lids of her eyes drooped in the slightest as she looked down at him, "... No. I am not."

[Sanada Yukimura]

Pulling the blanket closer to his form, effectively wrapping himself in it, though it was clear that she was puzzled by his continual complimenting of her, it was not something he did consciously. He just happened to say whatever came to mind, that was all. Seeing her shake her head, he would smile warmly up at her, his eyes looking up into hers.

"That makes me happy to hear. You know my family name, but I do not know yours. I am Sanada Yukimura, may I humbly ask for both of your names?"

It was clear by the last part of his sentence that he would not reveal her secret to anyone, and keep it... well a secret. Slowly he would try and sit up, though he would struggle a little, as he only had one arm to help him, the blanket falling off his chest and bundling in his lap.

"I cannot give you a reason why I am being so nice to you... Because I have none. That is simply who I am."