The door of the restaurant slide open and two clocked figured walked in, the one on the front was somewhat short compared with the one in the back, the clocks hide the majority of their features but it was clear that they were a man and a woman

They sat at the table closes to the door, the man sat facing the door and the woman sat in front of him

"My feet are killing me," she said and lowered the hood of the clock

"I'm sorry," said the man bowing his head slightly "I've never tough that it would take this long to get to Nagazawa"

The woman smile politely and said "it ok, it my fault after all"

The man was about to said something, but the voice of a young girl interrupted him

"Excuse me, do you want something" said the girl

Her tone of voice was a mixture of politeness and fear, and her fear was more than appropriated since on the man hip was a katana

"Yes of course" said the woman "I want a tea and some mochi"

"Ok" said the girl "and you?" She asked the man trying not to stare too much at him

"Water is fine," he said with a frown

"O-ok" she said bowing her head and left to get the orders

As soon as the girl had left the woman, giggle a little

"What is so funny?" the man asked with a perplex look on his face

The woman after staring at his face for a couple of second said, "You need to learn to relax, or you will never found a girl to marry with"

"Pleas, Selina-sama" the man said letting his embarrassment show on his face "this is hardly the time to think on something like that"

"Jason-kun, I asked you not to call me that," She said with stern look on her face "We are equals now"

"I apologies"

"Sorry for the wait" the waitress said and put in front of them a plate with half a dozen mochi, the tea and the water "I, hope you enjoy it" she bow at both of them

"Thanks" Jason said, this time trying to show the girl a smile

She bow once again this time Jason notice that her face had gone a little red

"See, that's better, isn't it?"

"H-h-hoow arre you? Gorgeous" Suddenly a man said an sat beside Selina and put a hand around her neck

"I'm fine," she said to the disheveled men "thanks for asking"

The man took a glance at the table and said "shiiit ish that all yore boyfriend can buy ya" the man's breath reaching her nose almost made her cry

"We are…" she tried to said but the man cut her off

"Comsit withus" the man slurred and point a table with about eight men all with some form of scar all looking rather drunk as well "weee just goth her and w-w-w are kind'da lonely and we need somone to serve us sake "

"It would be an honor to do so" Selina said while with her eyes plead to Jason who had already grab the hilt of the katana on his hip "but we are press for time right now"

"Cooomonnn juts onecup" the man said and reach fro Selina's chest

"That's enough," Jason said standing up from his sit and removing the hood of his cloak "I will not tolerated such disrespect"

Just like the man and his friends show it on their, Jason's face showed his age

"I'm-m-m sorry," the drunk said and pull Selina closer to him "I thought she was your woman not your mom"

"She is my…" Jason started to talk but stop himself

After been force to flee the castle he and Selina had com up with the story that she was the wife of a merchant that had hire a samurai as bodyguard on her journey to Kyoto to see her family

However, this man made him so mad that he almost let escape the truth

Therefore, after taking a long breath he said, "She is my client, and she is obviously not interested on the company of a band of drunk"

The man let out a roaring laugh "who've thought that the kid had balls" the man said surprisingly cleared for a man that could hardly talk a minute ago "but one thing is having balls and another different is having skills" the man said while looking at Jason katana

"Pleas Jason-kun," Selina said, "there's no need for blood to be spill"

"Youheard the woman" the drunk said, reverting to his drunken speech "so calm down Jason-Chan"

Jason's blood was at boiling point, but the last thing that he wanted to do was to upset Selina so he pull his katana out of his obi and resting it on the edge of the table

"Don't worry; I can deal with you without spelling blood"

This time was the man who stud up "listen hear you little shit" he said, again clear as day and grab the collar of Jason's kimono "you have no idea who you are messing with"

Now that the man was out of his sit, Jason had an opportunity to look at his body, and for his surprise the man body was full whit scars, it was clear the this man had seen his fair sheer of battles

"Hey you two" a third man said from behind the two "I don't know what is happening, but you are frightening my clientele so if you are going to kill each other do it outside"

After the owner of the restaurant finished talking Jason realized that almost every one was starring at them

"What happen kid, lost the nerve," the man said

But Jason just slapped the man's hand from his collar and walked out of the restaurant while leaving the katana behind

"You stay hear ima going to deel withhim and then we can havsumfun" he said as he first walk to his original table to grab his katana

The majority of his friends were encouraging to go and kick the ass of the disrespectful brat as they call him, but there was one who was doing the opposite

"Com on Gou, just forget the whole thing and let go to the Yūkaku I'm sure there are better looking girls there"

"Shut it Sogo, this is no longer about that woman, this is about my honor" Gou said and walked out of the restaurant

"You are either going to kill or get kill by and unarmed kid, where is the honor in that" Sogo whispered

"Com on, don't be like that" a fiend of them said "lets go and see Gou kill the kid"

The man and the majority of his friends got out of the restaurant to found Jason sitting on the porch of a house in front of the restaurant, but Sogo instead grab a bottle of sake and two cups and walked towards Selina's table

"I'm sorry about my brother," he said as he started to pour sake on the cups "he can be hand full, pleas drink with me" he finish saying and offer one of the cups to Selina

"Thanks" she said but declined the invitation "but I'm not a heavy drinker "

Sogo putting the cup in front of Selina said, "It is a family tradition, to offer a drink to the ones in mourning"

Selina chuckle a little and grab one of the mochi from the plate "I'm sorry sr. but you must have me mistaken for some one else, I'm nor in mourning"

Sogo drank one of the cups and said, "This one's for one to come, my brother is not the most merciful of men, especially wen he feel his honor is at stakes"

Selina finished eating her mochi and grab the bottle of sake and the empty cup from Sogo's side of the table "Well, Jason isn't very merciful either" she said and started to pour sake into the cup "though I doubt he will kill your brother" she finished and gave the cup back at Sogo

As soon as Sogo had grab the newly filled cup, a man came crashing through the window next of the door

"Murata-san!" Sogo got up from his sit and rush to the man said "what happened?"

"G-G-G-Gou" was all he could say before passing out

After failing to wake Murata up Sogo, rush out of the restaurant, to see all five of his remanding friends of the floor, but who caught his eyes was his brother Gou

"P-p-p-pleas" he was saying while on his back, crawling towards a wall "I'm s-s-s-sorry"

Normally Gou was a man that put his pride and honor about all else so seen him begging for his live was shocking to said the least for his brother

"I told you I wasn't going to draw blood" Jason said and stood on top of him and grab his collar ready to continued his assault

Sogo reflectively reach for his hip in search for his katana but realize that he had leave it behind on the restaurant, and it would be to late to help his brother if he tried to retrieve it

But before either Jason or Sogo could move Selina's voice came out of the restaurant

"That's enough" she said her voice coming out somehow both sweet and commanding at the same time

Selina walked up to Jason and said "we need to find a place to stay before it gets dark lets go" with that said and with Jason's katana in he arms she started to walked towers the crow that had form

Jason pulled at Gou collar while leaning forward to met his ear and whispered "lucky you" and dropped him

It took Jason a solid minute to catch up to Selina

"What were you thinking?" Selina asked Jason and shove his katana on his chest as soon as he was closes enough to her

"I'm sorry," Jason said, casting his eyes slightly downwards

"Don't give me that look" she said trying to push out the memories of the time when Jason was a kid and could get away whit anything as long as he looked at her like that "you're suppose to know better than that"

"What was I suppose to do? Let those drunks disrespect you like that"

"Yes!" Selina shouted

Selina's words took Jason by surprise so he didn't had anything to said

"I don't care about stupid thinks like honor, I care about ours lives and who know what could've happened back there"

"You're…" Jason started to said but his words got cough on his throat

"I'm what?" Selina asked with her eyes burying on Jason face

Jason tightening the grip on his katana finally said, "You're right"

After Jason said that Selina's face relaxed and showed her usual warm smile "well as long as you understand it its fine, no let's go and fine a place to sleep"

Jason smile and returned his katana to its place on his obi, but when he did that he realist, that there was something else hanging from it

"Se-li-na-sama" Jason called her emphasizing each syllable, with a tone of reproach

A fact that didn't went unnoticed by Selina

"What is it Jason-san?" She said showing him a smile akin of that of child that have ben caught stilling from his parents

"Care to tell me how you pay for the food and drink" he said and showed her the money pouch on his waist

"Oh, that" she said and showed him a smirk from ear to ear "don't worry our friend Gou took care of that"

The Aoi Ōkami an inn a little more expansive that the ones that they been slipping in for the past week but thanks not having to pay for the lunch they could afford it without been set back that much in terms of money

"This is so nice," Selina said, as they walked into their room

The room it self wasn't anything fancy, they were still on a tight budged so it wasn't as if they could afford a room whit a view

Nevertheless, unlike the other rooms that they have been sharing, both of them could comfortable sleep

"Yhea, I guess"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just tire"

"Mmm… well the girl down stairs said that no one was using the bath, so if you want we could go there and relax for a while, like we used to" Selina said to Jason with a caring smile and placing her hand on Jason's face

"I'm not a kid anymore "Jason replied, grabbing Selina's arm by the wrist and pulling it away of his face "I just need to sleep"

Selina did her best to hide the twinge of pain from showing on her face "ok if that's what you think I'm going to go and soak for a bit"

Even if she hided it Jason knew her well enough to know when she was trying to hide her emotions, but he also knew all to well what could happened if he when alone with Selina's games so e chose not to

"Have fun," he said in a dry tone while Selina got out of the room ad made her way to the bath

It was a open air bath big enough for twenty people to bath at the same time whit out been to crowded

So the fact that Selina was the only one in there made the feeling of loneliness that had been buried for a long time claw its way back to her

"I wonder how he is doing." She said with a sigh while looking at the stars

She closed her eyes and let her mind wondered back in time before her and Bruce's paths cross

Before in the noise of the many servants all eager to attend to her needs or the constant bickering from Jason and his brothers fill her days to the point that some times she was exhausted

But now if it wasn't for Jason she would go back to that loneliness that she managed to escaped all those year ago

Suddenly a noise coming from behind the bathroom fence snapped her out of her trance

"w-w-who is there?" she asked nervously, but no one answered

She got out of the water and started o walk towards the fence while doing her beast to cover her body

"I'm warning you if you are going to be sorry if you don't go," she said carefully climbing on a rock big enough to see to the other side

However, when she finally reached the top there was no one there

"Mmm, that's weird I could swear …" she said as she made her way back down "Kyaa!" but suddenly she lose her footing on the rock and fell down between the rock and the fence hitting the floor pretty hard

"Excuse me" the voice of a girl came from the front of the bath "is everything ok?" she asked Selina concern showing in her voice

"Ye-yes!" she yelled from behind the rock whit a voice more a kin with a teen girl and not the woman she was

"O-Ok," the employee of the inn said "Selina-san?"

"Yes" she answered managing to get her voice back to normal

"I'm sorry, but at this time the bath is male only, so you should get out"

But Selina didn't answered, her eyes were glued to a white creature that was squeezing it's way into the bath

"Selina-san?" the girl once again asked

"Yes!" she said, once again taken by surprise by the girl "yes just let me finish in here"

"Ok" the girl replied with a polite ton of voice

It wasn't until she hear the doors of the bath close, that she finally got out of her hiding spot with the white thing on her arms "what I'm going to do whit you"

The thing looked up and from its small mouth a weak "nya" was heard

I took her a couple of minutes to made her way to her room whit the kitten hidden since animals where prohibit inside Aoi Ōkami and apparently it didn't like to be inside Selina's robe

"Ok, Ok" she whispered and pulled it from her cloths "now be on your best behavior so I can convince Jason to…" she continued until seen Jason

His back was against the wall; his sword was firmly in his grasp resting in one shoulder and his eyes were gently shut

The last time that she had seen Jason sleep that pleasantly was after Jason managed to get better from a pretty bad cold but before the castle was the night before the castle was attack

After that night Jason had spend his nights either making sure that she was safe wen they had to sleep outside or doing different jobs to get money for the trip to Kyoto

"Even now you spoil me," she whispered with a sad tone in her voice when she realize that he had spread a futon big enough for two to sleep in, so she lean over him an kiss him in the forehead "thanks" she said when she finally stop

"Com on" she said to the kitten and got under the blankets whit it in her arms "I tell him about you tomorrow"