For the time being, the ronin remained stoic and indeed silent as always as she listened, though begrudgingly inside, to the poetic banter of Noriaki, braggling ever so of the women for whom she betrayed her comrades to lie with for one night. Such deceit the blue haired wretch exhibited so flauntingly, so flamboyant, enough to make even the most patient of warriors loose their cool every once in a while, but still no need for violence, not upon this time, which was to be a time of [i]joyful[/i] reunion for their band of protectors, but so be it if the loathsome woman wished to travel with this other, the one she called her [i]muse[/i]. Less of a distraction would she be to the true samurai, the ones who shall give life and limb to protect the honorable Princess and swear fealty to her until this journey had reached its end. A deep sigh being released from her swelling lungs, Asuka merely shut her eyes for a brief moment of quiet meditation to calm her frazzled nerves, but twas when she opened them, they fell upon the [i]muse[/i] in question.

And to the ronin's surprise, judging by the mismatched scraps of armor the woman adorned, the [i]muse[/i] was also a samurai, but possibly a true warrior and not a facade as Noriaki displayed in her vaudevillian nature. However, as the ronin quietly observed Noriaki's poetic inspiration, Asuka couldn't help but feel a strangeness about this young woman. It felt as though a second presence was about her, an energy the ronin couldn't decipher so easily, yet could feel it as if it were very...very close to her, a sensation of malevolence and oddly seduction looming about the woman, and the way her eyes gazed upon their noble Hime like a miser awe-ing over a priceless gem or a shard of valuable gold, lustful and indeed dangerous. it didn't take long for Asuka to notice the energy spike in the samurai and suddenly her eyes widened in a shock of fear when she saw the shift of the muse's natural color to....blood red. "Miko-dono!" Hurriedly she warned the maiden of the dark presence, just as soon as it overtook the woman and lifted their Princess into her arms, in a courting way....but Asuka could tell clear off there was nothing courting of this hellish entity.

The maiden was way ahead of the warrior too, already nocking an arrow of purity charged unto her bow, just as Asuka's hand fell upon her sakabato, ready for the draw. Just once, that would be all it took for this demon to try something ill upon the fragile girl and Hell would be the penance to pay. It was just a matter of who would reach her first. Surely it would be Hanami's arrow pinning the creature to a tree with her arrow, which would leave the use of Asuka's blade to draw back, still was the warrior vigilant, even as the presence faded and the woman returned to her self, asking if the Princess would like to be carried...not by this woman she wasn't. Releasing her grip from the hilt of her sword, Asuka yet again sighed, but this time with relief more than bother of Noriaki, taking yet another deep breath in and exhaling slowly through her mouth in an effort to calm herself again. This journey alone, it was indeed a test of her very patience, and likewise she may have slipped a few times, but she made sure to never falter again, unless called for. "Please, allow me to carry Hime-dono, if you would, Ariiko-dono." Asuka spoke, mustering her kindest manner to combat the suspicious glares and the battling urge inside her, a smile etched across her lips as she carefully took the young girl from the strange woman's hands, just as she was seemingly uttering something in a whisper to her lover, Amaterasu help the woman when Noriaki decides to latch to another pair of legs. "I believe our honorable princess would be more trustworthy of her protectors, indeed she would." Taking the small body into her arms, Asuka was rather amused at how light the Princess was, about as light as a child should be. 

Carrying away their Hime from the nefarious sort, Asuka overheard Hanami speak word to the flirtatious one. She spoke of how it was the will of Amaterasu that brought the group together again, and that to tarry from such would mean shattering the chains of destiny that bound them together, and as much as many of these women wished to part from the impudence that was Noriaki, the will of the Goddess would have otherwise. "Miko-dono speaks truth, that she does Noriaki-san." Calmly the ronin stated. "For if your muse, Ariiko-dono is to travel with these women, should it not be wise for you to tarry along with them as well? As the Goddess would deem it so, that she would indeed." Afterwards, the ronin stepped over to the miko, a concerned whisper shared, "But I am unsure of this one following us, that I am, Miko-dono, for I too sense what you have sensed before. This one, she is certainly a malevolence, that she is, and while it would be dishonor to I to abandon her, I am uncertain if Ariiko-dono should follow us, especially after her movement towards the Princess, indeed I'm very uncertain."