Stirring, Yusa slowly wakes up, rubbing her eyes drowsily. Looking around she notices Akira is already up, "I see you're awake. How are you feeling after what happened yesterday?" Stretching she gets up and goes over to her stuff. Rummaging in it she pulls out the things she needs to clean up and get dressed. Looking through her clothing she sees an outfit Akira had gotten her, deciding to wear it she pulls it out.

Akira freezes momentarily as he hears her voice. It is very subtle though, as he almost immediately answers her, with a smile on his face. "Oh. good morning," he says in his usual cheery manner. "I'm fine, thanks. And thanks for taking care of me while I was in that state."

His mind goes back to the events of last night and he almost feels like slapping himself. He still can't believe he did that to her. What must she be thinking? Hopefully, she'll chalk it up to the alcohol and forgive him. "I hope I didn't do anything... wrong, yesterday?" he asks, tentatively.

Surprised, she turns to look at him, "You mean you don't remember what happened? After you started drinking while we were eating?" Turning back she continues to get ready, using the screen to cover her as she changes. She doesn't want to freak him out by stripping in front of him, even more so if he doesn't remember about the night before. "You drank so much that I ended up having to take you to the baths and get you washed up. Luckily by that time it was only the two of us there."

Akira shakes his head, implying that he doesn't remember. That's a lie, of course, and he's quite sure that if Yusa saw his face, she might easily see that he's lying. Still, he doesn't want to embarrass her. Or himself. Lucky for him, she's gone behind the screen to change.

"My God," he said. "That might have been a rough time for you. I'll try to make up for giving you a hard time." He says it sincerely, hoping she'll let him make it up to her, though he has no idea how he can do that.

"Hm...? Rough time? The only annoyance was how people were looking at me weird for helping you to the bath. Other than that everything was fine, I just figured that if you did something I didn't like I could easily just shove you into the water. If anything you seemed a bit down about something, I had thought it was because of how my father was and the trouble he's caused for us. But as you talked more it seemed like it might have been something more. Before I got a chance to find out what was bothering you the alcohol finally caught up with you." She puts her robe aside, using her hair falling over her face to shield the blush she has.

Akira laughs out loud as she mentions getting the idea of pushing him into the water if he did something stupid, momentarily forgetting his blunder from last night. But only momentarily. As she goes on, his smile disappears to give way to a dead pan expression.

You should have pushed me underwater as soon as we got to the baths, for drinking like an idiot, he thinks grimly. He looks up briefly as she tells him that she thinks he was worried about something different from what she had originally thought. She's right about that, he thinks.

After a brief moment of silence, he gathers enough courage to ask, "What do you think I was worried about?"

She fiddles nervously with her belongs, as if organizing her belongings. "Well, I'm not completely sure to be honest, though you were saying something about your grandmother and something she would have said if she saw you now. It didn't really seem to make sense to me..." but it seems like you're interested in me she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to do so.

Akira listens to her in silence. So, she couldn't make sense out of what he said. Or she understood and just doesn't want to embarrass him. Then he remembers something from last night.

Akira, you weren't drinking because you were worried about me, were you? Do you...

So she DID understand! That question couldn't mean anything else. Not sure how to respond, he sits there in silence, while packing his stuff. Or more like unpacking and packing them again. He has no idea what he's doing.

"Akira, is something wrong? You keep packing and unpacking your stuff. Do you need help organizing it or something?" She had been doing something similar herself, maybe not remembering what happened is upsetting him? She starts messing with a lock of hair, getting a bit nervous since he might not like her like she likes him.

Akira looks up at her, briefly wondering what she's talking about. Then he realizes what he's doing. In an attempt to cover up, he takes the idea she gave him.

"Yes, I..." he chuckles nervously. "I just can't seem to get it all to fit properly. If it's not a trouble, could you help me out?"

Silently, he curses himself for spacing out like that. He's supposed to be the best ninja in the Koga clan. He feels thankful that no one from his clan can see him right now. He looks at Yusa and notices that she too is nervous. For obvious reasons, he thinks. After a huge slip-up like last night, he's surprised she didn't leave him already.

Coming over to help she stands so that her shoulder is brushing up against his, helping him sort through his belongings. She blushes slightly when their hands touch, but she doesn't show any other reaction. Though at this point her heart is beating very quickly as she tries to think of something to say or do.

"So, are we going to continue to heading away from the dessert as planned? It will be a few days of walking to the next village, but there will be lots of beautiful mountains to see along the way."

Akira is trying his best to stay calm as she helps him pack. As they continuously brush against each other, he almost feels like he's going to lose it. He looks up, relieved to be able to make conversation.

"Going through the desert sounds good," he says, trying to keep his voice steady. "I like the thought of going through the mountains." He smiles as he imagines the two of them walking through the mountains, in the fresh air. He's always liked mountains. His village was quite close to one.

"Alright then, we'll be heading through the mountains then." Finishing up with the sorting she goes back to her own belongings, swinging the pack onto her shoulder. "We should probably grab some breakfast too before we leave, and get some traveling gear for while we're on the road. We should probably at least get one umbrella in case it rains." She was disappointed that Akira couldn't remember what happened, now she'd have this question bothering her that she's too scared to ask otherwise, but she wasn't letting it bother her, or at least doing her best not to.

Akira nods his head in thanks as the packing is finally done. "You're right," he says. "We can leave after eating in the dining hall." And this time, I'm staying away from the sake, he thinks grimly. A repeat of last night's episode would be undesirable, at the very least.

He looks down at his bag and considers getting a new one, but decides against it. He thinks of some things to get. "We'll get two umbrellas because there's two of us. And I think you said we need a whetstone and medicine."

"Hmmm...yes, those we'll need as well, we can't let our weapons go dual just because we've left our villages. We should also have a small training session in the morning, maybe even a sparing match, just so that if we do have to get in a fight we won't be unprepared. I guess we can head on down then." Shouldering her pack she gives him a faint smile and leads the way out of the room and heads to the dining area.

Akira looks at her as she speaks and nods in agreement. He had been training, but in the past two days, since Yusa had joined him, training had somehow taken a back seat. He resolves to train diligently from now on.

"That's a good idea," he says, following after her. Then a small, playful smile appears on his face. "Just don't think I'll go easy on you, because you're a lady." He smiles at her before going to the reception counter to pay for their stay.

"Who ever said I was a lady?" She smirks back at him, smiling sheepishly when they get to the counter. He obviously wanted to pay for their stay, and it would be rude of her to stop him from doing so, or at least she thought that was how things worked. Or was that a thing a couple did? Her face turns a bit red at the thought of having Akira as her partner, he was good looking after all but he'd probably prefer a woman with less...fierceness than her own. Or she would think so if what he said last night was really just drunken talk. Thinking about it she sighs, a bit depressed that she missed her chance to ask him about it.

Akira smiles back at Yusa. He is relieved that everything is fine between them despite his stupidity from last night. He then pays the man at the counter, bows to him and turns to Yusa. "Let's go," he says and leads the way out.

Once outside, he turns to her again. "So, what all did we decide to get?" he asks. "Food, water, a whetstone, umbrellas and some medicine. Is there anything I missed?"

"Hm...we'll probably want some kind of tent and flint for making a fire. The tent to keep the rain off of us. I don't know about you but getting drenched can easily make people sick, and I'd proffer not to sleep on wet ground. They will probably will have them in the same area as the umbrellas if not the same shop."

Akira nods his head. "All right then," he says. He takes out the money in his bag and hands it all over to Yusa. "Here, keep this with you. I need to go get some more, seeing how we're going to be spending quite a bit before leaving this place. You can buy the supplies in the meantime, and I'll catch up with you later in the day."

Getting money is just an excuse. He needs time alone to think, and for him, hunting is a way of doing that.

"Alright if you're fine with that." She takes the money from him and starts getting the supplies. With all the added things she has to get a bigger bag, so she just sticks her own inside of that one and puts the tent gear around it. She does get some looks from people as she walks down the streets, what with how much stuff she's carrying most people are surprised she's not dragged down by the weight of it.

Akira nods and sets off in the opposite direction. He manages to kill three huge boars and goes back to the same butcher he had gone to two nights ago. The butcher is quite happy to see him and the boars he has brought with him. He pays Akira a generous amount of money, for which Akira thanks him politely before leaving.

He goes about looking for Yusa, thinking along the way. His head is relatively clear, and he should be able to act normal around her now. As he walks, he spots her carrying a load of stuff and goes over to her.

"Let me help with that," he says and smiles as he takes some of the bags she's holding.

"Thanks, I had to get some more bags so that we could carry all our supplies and equipment." Taking off a couple bags she hands them to him, "So do you think you got enough money to last awhile?" Adjusting what she's carrying now so that it sets better she begins walking towards the way out of the village.

Akira chuckles. "Yeah. It should be enough to last two weeks at least." He swings some of the bags over his shoulder and looks at her. "How about you? Are you done shopping or do you want to get something else before we leave?" He wonders if there is anything they might have missed.

She thinks for a moment as they walk, then shakes her head, "As far as I know we should be set for traveling. Just wondering, have you ever set up a tent before? This one is set up a bit differently than a regular tent, but if you know how to set up a regular tent you should be fine setting up this one. Do you know to fish so that we can save on our supplies? This way it lasts a bit longer."

Akira listens to her and nods. "Yeah, I can do both of those things," he says. He has set up tents before, and he usually went and fished for his family, back when he was living with them. He was often commended on bringing the biggest fish in the lake. Akira supposed it was his good luck.

He turns to Yusa and smiles. "I also remember promising to teach you how to cook something simple," he says. "Maybe I can teach you how to make that fish that my mother used to make."

Her eyes sparkle when he remembers about his promise, "Are you sure you can do it with the fish around here? They are different from the ones where you're from. Some of the fish are really strong too, swimming up river to lay their eggs." She dances around gleefully a bit as she walks with him, excited and eager to learn new things. "Alright then, so when we make camp I can show you how to set up the tents and then you can show me how to make the fish dish."

Akira raises an eyebrow at her question and is about to answer it, but is saved by her statement. He smiles widely as he sees how excited she looks at the prospect of learning how to cook. He thinks she looks rather pretty in that state.

He almost points out that he has in fact set up tents before, but not wanting to burst her bubble, he smiles. "It's a deal," he says cheerfully as he walks - or tries to walk - normally beside her.

Realizing she's off setting his pace, she blushes and returns to normal walking. "When I was little my mother used to take me on strolls into the mountains. I don't really remember them too much, but everyone always said I was really happy when I was with my mother on them. Apparently she always got sick easily and walking in the mountains always made her feel better. Which is odd considering she was a ninja too. Though I think she mostly just did information gathering instead of actually fighting."

Akira listens to Yusa talk about her mother and smiles. It sounds a little like what him and his father used to do. Of course, not that Hiroki Koga was ill or anything. He simply enjoyed the fresh air, and his adopted son's company.

"Well, who wouldn't like a nice, calm stroll in the mountains?" he says. "My father and I used to do it too, all the time." He chuckles a little as he remembers it. "He taught me some basic survival skills while we were on these walks. Like how to keep a fire going even in the coldest of winter nights."

"Very true, and that will be handy knowledge in these parts. Winter can be pretty harsh. Not to mention the occasional flooding." She leads him through the mountains, having walked these trails dozens of times as a child and still remembering them. Finally they reach the top of one of the smaller peaks, looking our over the green expanse before them. Getting close to the edge Yusa looks out at the view, tears falling from her eyes. "From here on out I've never been this far from my village, and this was also the spot me and my mother last came to before she died. So it feels like I'm leaving a piece of myself behind..."

Akira follows her up the mountain trail and admires the view from the top. It is breathtakingly beautiful. He looks at Yusa, who seems to be getting nostalgic. He looks at her a little sadly before putting an arm around her.

"I don't think you should think about it in that way," he says, smiling a bit. "If this is the place your mother took you to before she died, then I would say that you are keeping all your memories with you and at the same time, you're moving on with your life." He looks around him. "It really is a beautiful place, I must say."

Wiping her eyes a bit she nods, "I was told she loved traveling before she became sick, which is why she walked with me a much as possible. And you're right, I shouldn't look at it that way because my mother wouldn't look at it that way either. auntie always did say my mother had a free spirit, and I guess I take after her now that I have an idea of what I want to do with my life." Turning she looks up at Akira, smiling happily.

Akira smiles back at her and is silent for a moment, feeling glad that she's fine now. "I really wish I could have met your mother," he says, a little absently. "She sounds like a wonderful lady." He turns to her and smiles.

He then turns to look at the scenery. "Man, I could stay in this place my whole life!" he says. "What do you say we rest here for now and start walking again early in the evening?"

"I wish I could have known her more myself, its all I remember about her to be honest. But she seems like she was." Hearing his suggestion about setting up came she nods in agreement, smiling as she sets down her bags to begin unpacking the camping gear. "So who's setting up camp and who will do the hunting for food and wood? The wood will be easy but getting game will be harder if there's not a stream nearby."

Akira considers her question. "I don't think doing those things alone will be easy," he says, after a bit of thought. "How about this? We could go hunting together and then come back and set up camp. If we do it together, then the hunting will get done faster and neither of us will have to set up the tent alone, which I'm sure will be difficult."

"Hmmm, good point, it would probably be better that way. So you want to take to the ground and me the trees? I can signal you when I find game for us, I'll use a morning dove call for that, it's too late in the day to be hearing them making that kind of call anyways." Climbing up into the trees she ties off the camping gear, it's far easier to leave it tied up like that than to leave it where someone can find it and run off with it or a wild animal finds it and get into their supplies.

Akira watches her tie up their gear in the tree. "Yeah, sure," he says, noticing her adeptness at travelling through trees. "Let's get going, if you're done tying that up." He begins walking slowly through the forest floor, trying to be careful because they're on a mountain and he's walking on a slope.

Nodding her head when she finishes, Yusa moves stealthily through the trees, being careful not to make any sounds or alert the animals on the ground about her presence. Going a head of Akira, she spots a rabbit in the under bush, sniffing around for food. Watching it for a moment to make sure nothing is around to scare it off before making the morning dove call for Akira to follow her to this location. Taking out some of the gear she has she begins setting up a manual trap in case the rabbit begins to run off.

Akira watches her leave and goes in the direction that she took, making sure not to be too far behind that he can't hear her. He walks slowly and when he hears the dove call, he stops momentarily before nodding to himself and picking up his pace.

Soon, he spots Yusa from a few meters away, setting up a trap. He catches her eye and nods, telling her the trap is not necessary. He moves silently towards the unsuspecting rabbit and pounces on it, killing it in one strike.