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A thunderous snore echoed through the halls of the House of the Fierce, and no doubt could be had that Gosetsu was now asleep. Cassern Qestir found herself laying wide awake, troubled thoughts gnawing at her conscious. Slipping out from beneath her covers, the Au Ra made light of her footsteps as she navigated the hallway. Little more than a faint flicker of candlelight illuminated the walls as Cassern approached Yugiri's room. She parted a curtain breathlessly, hoping not to disturb her rest. To Cassern's surprise, the Raen woman's gaze was already fixed upon her as she entered.
“You’ve improved a great deal since our evenings spent training in La Noscea,” Yugiri spoke softly. “Your footfalls would not have stirred even the lightest sleeper. Had I not seen your shadow over the curtains, you may well have caught me unawares.”
Yugiri Mistwalker lay with her back leaned against the wall, clutching a book in her lap. The dim light of a candle at her bedside illuminated the lustrous white scales of her face, revealing a tired smile. Her olive green eyes betrayed a sense of anguish, or perhaps apprehension.
Cassern smiled as it seated itself next to the other Au Ra. “I see you’re having trouble sleeping as well.”
Yugiri’s smile faded as she lowered her gaze. “Would that I could forget what happened today…”
Cassern drooped her shoulders, dejected. Deep blue hair billowed out over her shoulders like a wave over the sea. Earlier that day, Yugiri had embarked upon a futile mission to assassinate the crown prince of Garlemald: Zenos yae Galvus.
“...You scared the hells out of me, you know.” Cassern said after a pause. Her violet eyes met with Yugiri’s, imparting her concern. “Charging Zenos like that, with naught to show for a plan but a fire in your eyes… It was-”
“It was… Reckless. Stubborn, foolish, and reckless.” Yugiri interrupted. “But I could not stand by and watch that Garlean hound trample upon our soil without fear of reprisal.”
The Raen woman looked away, her face pained. Cassern wanted for words, but came upon nothing. She simply looked on as her girlfriend gritted her teeth, still haunted by her failure.
“Promise me…” Cassern spoke soft, but firm. She clutched Yugiri’s hand in hers, rousing the Raen from her troubled thoughts.
“Promise me, you won’t throw away your life for your cause. That you’ll exhaust every last option available to you before you even think to sacrifice yourself.” Cassern’s heart swelled. Yugiri’s gaze remained fixed upon her.
“Promise me that you’ll live.”
“...I promise.” Yugiri smiled once more.
Hearing this, Cassern came in to hug her, wrapping her arms around the Raen’s waist tightly. Yugiri placed her arms around Cassern’s shoulders, bringing her closer. The two women held their embrace for some time, neither wanting to be the first to let go.
“...Thank you, Cassern.” spoke Yugiri. Her head was perched over the Xaela’s shoulder, nestled among its tousled blue hair. “Were it not for you… I may not have survived. Thank you.”
Cassern let out a quiet laugh. She had begun playing with Yugiri’s hair, her hands being behind the woman’s back as they were.
“Were it not for your training, I daresay neither of us would’ve survived.” Cassern said with a grin. “And I seem to remember, I still owe you for whisking us to safety after the Crystal Braves turned coat.”
“That day when you approached me, asking for guidance…” Yugiri started, breaking the embrace. She held onto Cassern’s arms, faces close. “I could scarce believe what I was hearing. Hero to Eorzea, the savior of Ishgard… Wanted me to train her in the art of ninjitsu.”
Cassern laughed. “It does sound silly when you put it that way,” she admitted. “I still struggle to believe it was truly me at the forefront of those incredible feats. To think that Temulun’s prophecies held merit after all…”
Yugiri perked her head. “I’m not familiar with the name.”
“Just someone I knew during my childhood. ‘Tis someone I should like for you to meet when we make for the Steppe.”
Yugiri grinned, thinking of the adventure that lay ahead of them. “And I should like for you to finally meet my lord when we are there.”
“Tell me…” Yugiri said, changing topics. “What was it that convinced you to become a shinobi? Were you truly that enamored…?”
Cassern’s freckled cheeks flushed red at the suggestion. “And if I was?” she said, playfully.
“No… ‘Tis right that I wished to grow closer to you. But you were not my first introduction to the shinobi of Doma.”
“Ah, I recall now. You lived in Kugane for a time. Did you know any shinobi then?” asked Yugiri.
“You could say that…” Cassern said, trailing off. “He was… An important figure in my life. And though he used all the tools of a shinobi true, in truth he was naught more than a criminal. A samurai bereft of cause, who had taken up the life of a rogue to make ends meet.”
Yugiri’s eyes widened, fixated on her girlfriend’s story.
“His katana is all that I have to remember him by. ‘Tis a shame he could not be here now… What would he think? That scrawny young Xaela he rescued, now championing the cause to liberate his homeland, all these years later…” Cassern trailed off again. She was smiling, though her eyes told of melancholy welling within her.
"...I do not know this man, but it is clear that he has earned your respect. I would have liked to meet him, too." Yugiri said. Her voice had quieted, and she had drawn away from Cassern by some ilms.
“Ah… But that was all so long ago. ‘Twould not do to dwell overlong on the past.” Cassern said. Its attention turned to its girlfriend once more.
In spite of her girlfriend’s affections, it was clear that Yugiri was still troubled. The tip of her tail flicked about anxiously, her gaze distant.
“Yugiri…” Cassern started.
“How can we hope to defeat him?!” Yugiri blurted out. The Raen had tensed her shoulders, now gripping the sheets of her bed in anger.
“That madman. I used every onze of strength I had in our clash, and look where it got us! We were nearly killed. If it weren’t for Isse-” gritting her teeth, the tired shinobi inhaled sharply as she stifled a sob.
Cassern lowered her head in thought. The Warrior of Light was no stranger to battling against her own self-doubt. Her mind turned to the night of the bloody banquet; of the despair in her heart after Haurchefant’s sacrifice. She thought back to that day Livia sas Junius invaded the Waking Sands, slaughtering her fellow scions. How long ago that was, now- and how hopeless she felt. She thought to how she had overcome those fears, those sleepless nights- of those trusted comrades that lent her a shoulder to cry upon.
Mere words would not do to quell the tempest raging in Yugiri’s mind.
With newfound resolve, Cassern grabbed Yugiri’s hands, pulling her forward.
“Come with me. If you can’t fall asleep, I’ve something to show you.” Cassern stated simply.
Yugiri looked to her girlfriend for any hint of what it had planned. The look on Cassern’s face was unmistakable- it had made up its mind, and any objections she had would be merely delaying the inevitable.
“All right. I’m sure Gosetsu will not notice us missing…” Yugiri said.
Cassern grabbed the Raen’s hand once more, tugging her along as the two shinobi departed the House of the Fierce.
* * *
“Cassern- dare I ask… Where might we be going?” Yugiri inquired, still keeping pace behind her girlfriend.
“We’re nearly there!” replied the Xaela.
The two women had left the House of the Fierce through the hidden exit, passing through the slumbering village of Namai along the way. The path to the village had become slick with mud due to a recent rain shower, and their hurried pace had made for a tiring walk. Though neither of them was winded, it was nothing like the peaceful midnight stroll Yugiri had imagined when her girlfriend dragged her out of bed.
What could she possibly have to show me up here…? The Raen woman pondered to herself.
As they approached the top of the hill, Yugiri felt Cassern's hand let go of hers. The Xaela woman pulled ahead with an excitement about her- the pitter-patter of her feet echoed against the cold rock faces on either side of them.
Following behind her girlfriend, Yugiri had begun to take in her surroundings. The crunch of the grass beneath her feet and the sounds of insects- the smell of smoke wafting from the hearths of Namai. Slowly, the tension wound up within her was beginning to unwind. As the Raen crested the hill, a cool breeze washed over her face, rustling the leaves of a great tree overhead. She stopped alongside Cassern, eyes wide.
The vista that laid before Yugiri’s eyes was nothing short of marvelous.
Halting just a few yalms before a steep cliff, the two women held their silence as they drank in the view with their eyes. Directly in front of them was The One River, its crystal clear water reflecting the light of the moon like a shining jewel.
To their right was the striking crimson of the Dairyu Moon Gates, still abuzz with aether. In the distance, Castrum Fluminis marred the landscape with its harsh Garlean architecture. The various structures dotting the basin were crumbling, the east and west Ryurin bridges having collapsed long ago.
In spite of Yanxia’s abundant beauty, the reminders were everywhere. Yugiri’s mind turned again to the occupation, and the monumental task of liberating Doma. The night was still, save for the chirping of crickets.
Finally, Cassern broke the silence.
“You know… This isn’t my first time here.” spoke the Xaela. Her gaze remained fixed upon the horizon.
Yugiri looked to her, surprised. “You have been to Doma before?”
“It was long ago. I was very young. Too young to be traveling alone. But, this is where I found myself.” Cassern stated. Her face was calm, yet focused.
“I came… in search of the Samurai I told you of before,” she said. “It was here, under this tree, that I found him. More than a decade ago…”
As she spoke, Cassern tilted her head upwards, looking to the moon. Yugiri, watching intently, did the same. The two stood parallel as Cassern talked.
“His name was Nobukatsu. The villagers of Namai told me of a sword-brandishing drunkard that liked to sit atop the hill sometimes. I knew at once it must be him,” explained Cassern.
Yugiri raised an eyebrow. “...Why were you searching for this man?”
“He… Was the only one I could think to turn to,” replied the Xaela. “Everyone else scorned him. Yet, I found myself in a similar situation, even at that young age.” she clutched her chest.
Yugiri clued in to what her girlfriend was implying. “To think that the proud Xaela of the steppe would shun a daughter of theirs simply because she was borne a son…”
“Not everyone… But enough to convince me to flee.” replied Cassern. “How foolish I was. But it was that decision that guided me down the path that led me here today.”
Yugiri closed her eyes, breathing deep of the wind around her. She, too, had faced similar hardships in her youth. How ironic, the Raen thought, that she should have found her first ally in a samurai as well. The two of them shared more in common than she had realized.
“A samurai of Doma in name only, Nobukatsu had lost everything in the war. For years he wandered, getting by with odd jobs, and getting kicked out of near every township he passed through. ‘Tis by chance that he found me, though my rescue was all he was prepared to offer. He knew he could not be trusted to take care of a child. Little did he know, that child would return to him in time.” Cassern explained.
“...I said before that his sword is all I have to remember him by. Do you know what he told me as he handed it to me?” Cassern continued, turning to Yugiri.
The Raen woman turned to face Cassern. Her olive green eyes looked on with intent as she awaited the answer patiently.
“Free them. Free my people.” Cassern stated. “Those were his words.”
“Of course… Being the man that he was, he threatened to kick my ass if I joined him in the grave before I accomplished that,” she chuckled. “But if even a vulgar criminal that is detested by his countrymen can yearn for a free Doma...”
“...Then surely, there is fight left in the people here,” Yugiri said, finishing her girlfriend’s sentence.
Cassern finally returned from its reverie, nodding. The Xaela was resolute. Yugiri, on the other hand, remained unconvinced.
“I saw that for myself today, when Isse and the other villagers came to our aid.” said Yugiri. “Your story… It does fill me with some hope. But… Our adversary is possessed of a frightful strength. My heart is clouded with doubt…”
Cassern turned once more to face away from the cliff. “Come this way,” she beckoned, walking towards the village once more. The winds swayed the leaves overhead again, and an animal cried out somewhere. The crickets continued chirping.
“What you did today… It was stubborn, foolish, and reckless.” Cassern said, facing the village. Yugiri looked on at the rooftops from over its shoulder.
“But these people- the farmers of Namai- they stood at our side today. Because of you, Yugiri.” Cassern’s voice trembled, trying to keep a hold on her emotions.
“They came to our aid wielding naught but their farm implements. Sickles and hoes against Garlean steel. What chance did they have, against those insurmountable odds?” She asked. Yugiri clenched a fist at her side. “They were prepared to die for Doma. As were you.”
Cassern turned to her girlfriend, tears in her eyes. Yugiri turned to her as well, as the two joined hands.
“If you can inspire that kind of courage- without any sort of planning or forethought- just think of what we might accomplish when all of Doma comes prepared. It won’t come easy, but… If my master were here, I think he would say ‘we’ve got a damn good shot at this.’” Cassern smiled.
"And... No matter what dangers we may face, I will ever be here, at your side." Cassern said, squeezing her girlfriend's hands. " I promise. "
The moonlight danced through the leaves of the lone tree above them, illuminating the dark scales of Cassern’s face with a delicate azure. At once, Yugiri found herself imagining what it would be like, standing atop Doma castle with her girlfriend at one side, her master at another. What it would be like in that moment, standing triumphant above the defeated Garlean forces… Tears formed in her eyes, as the crickets sang their wistful melody.
"...Thank you, Cassern. Each day, I thank the Kami for having guided you to me. Whatever foe we may face next- there is nowhere I would rather be than at your side." Yugiri said through her tears. "...I love you."
"I love you, too." replied Cassern.
The two women joined for an embrace once more, beneath the moonlight. As their bodies grew closer, Cassern wrapped her tail around Yugiri protectively. Bringing her face forward, Cassern moved her lips to meet Yugiri's. The pair closed their eyes as they kissed, melting in each others' touch.
A storm of blood loomed on the horizon, but for a moment, nothing else mattered. Locked in each others' embrace, the only thing that mattered was the time between the seconds.