The Ninjutsu Academy was located in Kyoto and it was a long journey from the base. A carriage had been prepared for Sayuri and the three warriors who were already enrolled there were going along with her.

Ichiro Haga's daughter Miyu was also going with Sayuri as she had been enrolled in the Academy too and would be staying with her at all times. Miyu and Sayuri were in the carriage while the boys were on horseback, alert and on the lookout.

They couldn't send a large procession to the Academy or else they would attract attention. So even though it was risky in sending only the five of them, the risk had to be taken. Besides, Sota trusted his son and the other two warriors to make sure nothing bad happened on the way.

Ryuu was at the command of their little group and he was twice more vigilant than usual. Any place they stopped for a break, he would first make sure that there was no ambush laying in wait for them and then let the others come forward.

Night had fallen and there was still a long distance to cover until they would reach Kyoto. So Ryuu found the safest place they could rest for the night and they brought the carriage and their horses to a stop. It was a small clearing in the woods as they were using a discreet and hidden path to go back to the Academy for safety measures.

The other two boys, Tanjiro and Keiji, fetched wood to light a bonfire in the center. They had some food that could be warmed up and shared. 

Sayuri was curious about what was going on outside so she opened the door of the carriage and stepped out. However, she was met by the boy she had briefly seen back at the base, his careful brown eyes focused on her.

Seeing it was her and not some intruder, he drew back, letting her come down from the carriage.

Miyu had drifted off to sleep so she didn't wake her up just yet and came out to the bonfire that had been lit by then. Tanjiro and Keiji bowed their heads to see her and she bowed her own head in return.

"May I?" She asked, watching them take out the food, "it needs to be cooked more, I can do that."

The boys looked at Ryuu as if waiting for him to say something but he only nodded in reply, silently telling them to let her do what she wanted. Even though Tanjiro was older than Ryuu and it was his last year at the Academy, he treated Ryuu with respect due to him being the chief's son and higher in rank as compared to himself.

Keiji was Ryuu's batch mate and they could be deemed close enough as friends but when others were around, Keiji too treated Ryuu respectfully. Ryuu, on the other hand, couldn't care less for those honorifics but he knew it was tradition so he no longer objected to it.

Sayuri had taken the food and as the boys had fixed up a frame made of twigs tied together, she carefully placed the pot on top, stirring the stew they had brought with them.

Ryuu watched her cautiously, seeing to it that she didn't hurt herself while warming up the stew. He hadn't spoken a single word to her, intentionally keeping a safe distance between them because to him it seemed she no longer remembered him. 

And perhaps she didn't recall him or else she would have said something to him herself.

A slight gasp from the carriage sounded and Ryuu quickly stood up to go and check. Miyu had woken up and she was worried to find herself alone in the carriage.

"I'm sorry, I thought you all were... Well..." She stuttered seeing Ryuu in front of her.

"We are fine. Come, we are having dinner," he replied vaguely, letting her step out of the carriage.

She joined the other three while he checked their surroundings once again before coming to the clearing as well.

Sayuri had divided the stew into the five bowls equally that Tanjiro took from her and placed on the sheet they had unfolded. She could see that life would be very different for her back with her people but so far they had been kind to her. And even though she didn't know much about the boys as she had only been able to talk to Miyu, she felt they were trustworthy too.

Especially the one who seemed to be in charge. His brown eyes felt very familiar but she hadn't dared to speak to him because something about him radiated that he preferred being silent. It didn't seem as if he was arrogant or stiff towards the others but Sayuri just couldn't bring herself to talk to him without making things awkward.

Miyu had told her that his name was Ryuu Ishikawa and he was Kaiko and the chief's son. Being the chief's son automatically put him at a higher rank than the rest of them. But of course, as Sayuri was back, she was the one who held the highest rank due to being Nuriko's daughter and a direct descendent of the Sasuke lineage.

After dinner, as it was dark all around, they decided to stay there until dawn and rest. With the first ray of morning light, they would embark on their way again.

Clearing up the dishes and dimming the fire by reducing the wood burning in, they rolled out their sleeping bags. Sayuri felt as if she was camping, something she had seen only in movies.

The night sky was spread out above them dotted with stars that twinkled. She lay down in her sleeping bag next to Miyu and looked up at the starry sky, thinking about her father and Tim.

She knew she would get to talk to them the next week as she had already made one call to them and told them that she was safe and happy with her maternal relatives. 

The boys had taken shifts in keeping watch over them all so at first Tanjiro was awake while the other two rested, then Keiji kept watch and in the end, as the night deepened and there could be more risk of an attack, Ryuu took his turn. 

Sayuri had gone to sleep briefly but was awake again and she looked around, hearing the soft snores of her companions. She sat up and saw that the fire was still burning and Ryuu's silhouette was visible, his eyes vigilant as he was keeping watch.

Curious and somewhat drawn to him, she stood up and his eyes immediately flickered toward her. That gaze held concern as if he was wondering why she was up at that hour. But he didn't say anything so she came up to him by the fire.

If she hadn't seen Ryuu talk to the boys, she could have assumed he was mute because he talked very seldom and especially not when she was around. Even at that moment, he said nothing but unfolded the sheet beside him, making room for her to sit.

She smiled slightly, sitting down on the sheet, and thought about what to say to him. She wanted to ask him about his mother Kaiko but didn't because she didn't want him to turn sad. She had seen the way Sota's expression had changed while mentioning his wife so she didn't bring that up in front of him.

She was still thinking of what to say to break the silence and the awkwardness between them but was surprised when he held out a pouch towards her. It was tied with a ribbon and something clicked in her memory as she took the pouch.

She undid the ribbon and opened it, seeing that it was full to the brim with peanuts. Peanuts had been her favorite dry fruits to eat and she was surprised he knew that. Perhaps she had been friends with him before she had been sent to Gotham. 

"Arigato," she mumbled, seeing his lips twitch into a very faint smile for the first time since she had been there. 

That awkwardness she had felt suspended between them seemed to grow thin slightly. So she put the pouch between them, taking a handful of peanuts herself and pushing it towards him as if silently telling him that they could share.

He kept his gaze ahead as he was on the lookout and couldn't afford to let his vigilance drop even for a second. But he took a few peanuts from the pouch as well, unpeeling them before eating.

***