At that rare, deep inflection that came to the Princess' voice as the young one spoke, Asuka raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Twas the same tone she had taken before with the warriors, at the start of this very journey to Mount Fuji, back at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto when some...bad blood had been stirred between Kaede-dono and Noriaki-dono. It surprised Asuka much, these mood-swings the Princess had recently gone through, at first cheerful and full of whimsy as any innocent young woman such as she, but then this shift to a more stern persona, this transformation of her childish and jovial self to this more stoic and determined state of mind. Perchance it was the maturation of their fair Hime-dono, the blossoming of youth into the full grown spirit of adulthood, but so swiftly? Now Asuka was thinking it had to be...[i]that[/i]....that being the demon's essence lurking within her mortal figure. "Ah...don't be going too far off now, Hime-dono. It would be wise to stay within eye of your protectors, that it would." The ronin called to the princess, again strolling off on her own, that rambunctious and determined spirit. It made the woman smile a little, despite the trouble their Princess had gotten into time and time again. Still...it was cute and very noble of the young girl.

Turning to Akane, the samurai chuckled, scratching the back of her head, "I do believe that isn't the last we've seen of Natsume-sensei, that I most certainly believe, Akane-dono. As brash as she may be, she is still a woman capable of sincerity, that she is, but...it's rare in these occasions." Still, it was quite the braveness of her sensei to belittle a woman of royalty such as Hime-dono, or really to mock the entire Empire in one go. Others would indeed be fearful to besmirch the honorable name of the Emperor and his noble family, lest they desired to have their heads removed, but even the threat of demise did not hinder the snarky, poisonous tongue of her master. And....who couldn't blame a woman who held such hatred and disdain for the ideologies of the empire and the Feudal Lords for clearly speaking her mind? Still...if there was anything Natsume-sensei wasn't...it was afraid. "I'm sure sometime down the road of time, our paths shall cross again, indeed they will, but until then we should keep our thoughts upon the well-being of our Hime-dono, that we should certainly, Akane-dono." Letting out a deep and relaxing yawn, Asuka stretched her limbs and looked towards the west, towards the sun, now only a fading glow of orange. "It is growing late. It's time we rest and prepare for what may come of tomorrow. I should probably fetch our honorable Hime-dono before we turn in for the evening, that I should." Giving one last smile to the demon slayer, Asuka nodded a farewell before slowly moving down the very path Mizuki had tarried into the village.

But all the while she ambled with a pleasant look to her face, she heard...Hanami....speaking to....Ariiko?! "Oro?!" Guh....it seemed possibly the worst for the ronin now. "Oro...maybe I should consult Noriaki-dono about this...that I should...." Hanging her head, her pace hindered into a demeaning trudge. [i]Why? Why must I be tormented so by these unrequited emotions?[/i]