[[I’m so rusty. Sorry if this is bad, but I really did miss this story! Lol ]]<br/><br/>Chikage didn’t mind it when she went off to say her goodbyes. He only thought that it was fair that she should do so. The village had been there for her as much as she had been for them. And this little girl that had such a grand impact on her life, he felt indebted to her. He knew that while he was away that she had kept her company. And when he had come to find her, he was surprised that she hadn’t gone berserk or had been going on a rampage. Or even worse, she could’ve been allowing herself to rot away.<br/><br/>Just thinking about it made his heart ache. He sighed and shook the thoughts away. It wasn’t before long that Mishiko had returned from her final meeting with the little girl. Well, perhaps not the final meeting, but for now. He would be sure to come and visit the village when he could with Mishiko so that she could remain in contact. He half smiled when she returned and reached for her waist. He brought her body close to his and leaned in to lightly brush his lips against hers. “I’m thrilled to have you along with me, but it is indeed a new and refreshing feeling to have a companion come along with me. And I especially enjoy it when the person is as beautiful as you are.”<br/><br/>The Oni Lord knew that from then on they would be together all the time. If they weren’t together under some circumstance, he knew that they would come back together again and that nothing would keep them apart. He moved his hand from her waist to her hand and held it for a bit before giving the village one last look over. He then pulled her gently along the winding path back into the forest. When he arrived back in his own village, he would make sure to have someone oversee the village while he is away.<br/><br/>Usually there is something over every village that he takes over. Their responsibilities are simple. All that needs to be done is to keep the people safe, make sure that they were happy and prevent invasions from other roaming Lords. In his mind, this is a very simple thing, but sometimes humans are cowards or incapable of performing these tasks.<br/><br/>But enough of that.<br/><br/>For now, they would be returning to the main village and meeting up with the other members; Amagiri and Kyo. He was sure they had some things to complain about the Shinsengumi or even the group of girls that had been staying in his mansion. He’d been thinking about cutting some of them down, but he would tend to those matters later. As for now, he would enjoy his journey with Mishiko back home and his time with her there. He’d love to hear about her adventures.<br/><br/>He looked to his lover and then back ahead. “When we return, there is much that needs to be done. But I will be sure to catch up with you as much as I can. I feel that…you deserve that much. I don’t want to waste any more time without you.” Somehow he knew that she was a bit off balance. A woman that he felt had such beauty and togetherness was currently trying to pull herself back together. He knew all too well what that might feel like.<br/><br/>At first, he was uncertain. She had been asking him questions and seeming unreasonable. But when he put it into perspective, he came to realize that he was in the wrong. A village would feel skeptical towards a Lord who had never come to heed their cries and so she must’ve felt the same. Chikage cleared his throat and continued facing forward. So many thoughts were running through his mind.<br/>The oni wanted to catch up with her. He wanted to know what might’ve happened after their last battle against her so called brother. He was a man of obsession and devious thoughts. He knew that he had not killed him, but he had not sensed him around his mansion for quite some time. And even as he traveled, he had not caught wind of him either. He had hoped that she never had another problem with him. If so, he would have to deal with the situation swiftly.<br/><br/>It wasn’t a matter of whether or not he should ask her about her ordeals. The blond wasn’t a man that feared bringing up things. He was just a man that didn’t always liked what he heard and he didn’t know if she would say what he wanted to hear. So for now, he thought that he would ease his way into the conversation and talk about the small things first and then move on to the bigger things that settled in the back of his mind.<br/><br/>“That village back there, I see that you’ve been doing well. Or rather, you’ve been doing as well as you can. And that girl, Sara she seems to have a grand impact on you. She was the only one that you truly cared to give a formal goodbye to.” Although Chikage didn’t take kindly to other human beings, he knew that his beau cared for this little girl. And he wouldn’t mock her as he did others. If Mishiko found her to be precious to her, then he would do everything in his power to respect her. He couldn’t say that he liked small children or in particularly her, but he didn’t know her well enough to pass judgment. And of course, he knew that she was only a child.<br/><br/>Old habits die hard.<br/><br/>The blond had hoped that when he returned to his mansion that there wouldn’t be many questions, but he knew not to hope for too much. And he also knew that the women there, particularly Natsu, would cause a problem. He had not gotten rid her, simply because she had been there for so long. But if Mishiko saw fit, he would get rid of her without notice. For now, he had hoped Natsu had learned her lesson from their last run in. “As a form of notice, the women are still there as well as your archrival.” He smirked a bit playfully. The thought of those two bickering was very entertaining. He enjoyed every minute of it. For some odd reason, seeing Mishiko riled up pleased him….in all the right ways.