-Messengers-

[Kirin]

The two messangers arrived in The Valley without much trouble. They carried a handwritten scroll bearing the daimyo's plain handwriting. The messengers travelled by horse until they reached the gates. Ryuu Dai'ichi glanced at his partner, Fujiki Nori, as he led the horses. Exhaustion was prevalent on both of the faces of the young men.

"When I get home, I cannot wait for a nice sip of wine and maybe some rice cakes." Dai'ichi muttered.

"Oh, I know." Nori replied.

"What do you think about Lord Teruo ascending to becoming the Shogun?"

Dai'ichi smiled. "The loyalty of the Ryuu clan will remain with Lord Teruo and Lady Shinkan."

"Yes, the Fujiki are loyal as well. Well, my brother and I are."

Dai'ichi frowned. "Yes, that's right.."

They paused, glancing around for a guard.

"Lord Dai'ichi, I'm grateful to your father for taking us into your household. I truly am. My brother and I would have been lost." Nori smirked.

"Ah, Nori, my father knew what to do when he heard about what happened at the Sasa Temple. He did what was right."

Dai'ichi and Nori wandered along the wall, looking for a guard post.