"Utena-sama!" Wakaba squealed happily, jumping on her almost as soon as Utena stepped out of her and Anthy's tent. "Oop!" Utena staggered, grabbing at a nearby tree branch to steady herself. "Wakaba, you're heavy as a sack of rocks today," Utena gasped. Wakaba snickered, bouncing down to stand on the ground. "So is Anthy up yet?" she asked her cheerfully. "Just getting some coffee for both of us," Utena explained. She and Wakaba walked over to the cooking fire, and Utena steadied two mugs as Wakaba filled them up. A bit of honey, and Utena returned to the tent. "No morning hair," Keiko noted admiringly as Utena walked by her. "She brushed it before stepping out," Shiori shrugged. Juri raised her eyebrow, and Shiori added "She used to do that back in the mercenaries, too." "Anthy?" Utena called out. Anthy rolled over, then after a few moments sat up. Her eyes were heavy lidded, and her hair was sticking up randomly. She sniffed the air, "Hmm, coffee." Utena sat down by her on the blankets, carefully handing over the mug. "Good morning," she smiled, kissing Anthy gently on the cheek. "Thank you," Anthy smiled, and raised her mug to sip at her coffee. A few moments later both ladies stumbled out of the tent even as the process of breaking camp went on around them. Miki was in charge of this step, efficiently organizing the dismantling of the tents and making sure the troops had their breakfast. The sun had barely rose over the hills when the merry band set out. The outriders rode on ahead, while Anthy's carriages and the wagons were surrounded by the guards. Utena rode by Anthy's door, while Juri and Shiori rode together on the other side. Keiko looked oddly uncomfortable, her hawk not waiting on her shoulder. Miki frowned, "Where's your hawk?" "I sent Artemis with the outriders," Keiko glumly explained, "if there's trouble they can release him, and he'll find me." Miki fought a smile at the expression on her face. "Thank you for your sacrifice," he said, sounding completely deadpan. The brown haired young woman made a face, "Thank you so much." Under her breath Keiko muttered, "Tsuwabuki, if you hurt Artemis I'll so kill you." Up with the outriders Tsuwabuki sneezed suddenly. The hawk perched on his arm shifted a bit, then gave him a strongly disapproving look. "You all right?" Hiro asked him, his long black hair flowing around his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," Tsuwabuki rubbed at his nose, "I guess somebody's talking about me." They made good progress throughout the day, stopping for only a short while to eat some lunch. "So what was Utena like when you first met her?" Juri asked Shiori quietly. They were sitting together under a tree, eating, while Utena kept an eye on the guards. Once Juri was done, it would be Utena's turn to eat. "A pink haired little savage," Shiori admitted. Juri gave her a disbelieving look, and Shiori elaborated, "She was a country girl, living pretty far from civilization. She rode well, and had a knack for the sword, but when she arrived at the camp she hadn't bathed in days, and all her clothes were clearly home made." Juri looked over at the elegant, capable captain of the guard and shook her head, unable to imagine her looking like that. "So what changed her?" she asked. "Tarma and Kethry, mostly," Shiori smiled fondly. Once they were on the move again, Anthy joined in on the conversation. "What are Tarma and Kethry like?" she asked. Utena listened with a smile, but decided to keep her mouth shut. "They were mercenary partners before they joined the Skybolts, and it showed," Shiori smiled. "They're incredibly close, part of the same clan, and many in the camp assumed they were lovers," she grinned. "And were they?" Juri asked. "No, though that perception did create some problems for the very heterosexual Kethry," Shiori chuckled softly. "After Utena was assigned to Tarma, they sort of took Utena under their wing," she shrugged. "Kethry taught me to read and write," Utena spoke up, her voice fond, "and Tarma taught me how to survive." She smiled suddenly, "Tarma always said that I was lucky and brave, and that would only take me so far. So, she taught me fighting and tactics." "You're very fond of them," Keiko said quietly. The others started a bit, surprised at her sudden appearance. "What?" she looked around innocently. "Never mind," Utena smiled. She looked over at Anthy, "They were like parents to me, far better than any family I had before." An odd look appeared on her face. "What?" Anthy looked at her worriedly. "I haven't told them about our wedding plans yet," Utena blushed faintly, "I'd better do so as soon as we reach the capital." "Get ready for some teasing," Shiori advised her, and Utena nodded glumly. They hear a hawk's cry, and Artemis dropped down from the sky onto Keiko's arm. She unwrapped a note from his leg, reading Tsuwabuki's note. "All's clear," she reported. The sun was starting to slip behind the trees when they decided to make camp for the night. It was Wakaba's turn to cook, and the stew pot soon spread savory smells across the small clearing. The food was dished out to the guards protecting the edge of their camp, then the rest of them were fed. Tsuwabuki took a careful spoon of the stew, then grinned. "It's good," he said. "Don't sound so surprised," Wakaba suddenly loomed behind him. Klang! Wakaba smacked him on the side of the head with her scoop. "Owee," a teary Tsuwabuki retreated to eat his meal. Utena joined the others around the campfire, "Since the embarrassing stories today and last night were about me, it's someone else's turn now." "I suppose she's right," Anthy smiled. Shiori was about to speak up when Utena gave her a look, "And we're not up to hearing about your sexual exploits tonight." Shiori made a face, "Darn." Juri and Miki exchanged a glance, and Miki nodded slightly. Juri cleared her throat and then she took a small drink, "Back when Miki and I were in the guards together, we had a few interesting adventures." Once she saw she had all of their attentions, she continued, "It was just after we finished our training..."
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