The moment Kyou realized that he was retrieving—not a corpse—but a beautiful and still breathing girl, the young Sparrow tossed the staff aside, then his grass cloak and hat, and splashed out into the water!  He gathered the girl in his arms and hurried back up onto dry land!<br/><br/>He growled at the news that the little rat monsters had taken the bride.  By all rights he should have left the girl here with a blanket to live or die on her own strength.  She was just a henin, even if she was clearly a treasured servant, and beautiful too...<br/><br/>It wasn't Kyou's lechery or the girl's beauty that stopped him, though.  He was simply too compassionate a person to leave the girl to freeze, or be devoured by wild animals.<br/><br/>The young samurai quickly laid the girl on his cloak.  “Shh... shh...  You'll be okay.  Just relax.”<br/><br/>He acted quickly, throwing out his blanket, then stripping out of his armor, then his clothes, even his loincloth.  Turning back to the girl, he was quick to untie her obi, then work her out of her kimono.  If she wore anything else, he simply tore it away through pure strength.<br/><br/>He lay the girl on his blanket and lay down facing her, chest to breasts.   Pulling her tight against his hot, hard body he wrapped the blanket around them both.<br/><br/>Holding her tight and stroking her hair, he groaned as images of her beautiful body played in his mind.<br/><br/><em>Ancestors, gods and fortunes she's gorgeous!  <br/><br/>   Don't think that!  Not now!  Plenty of time to appreciate her gratitude when she's no longer on death's door!   <br/>   </em>