She was hard to look at when she was like this. Bandages wrapped around her shoulder with swelling purple bruises all over her body. Her shallow breathing moved her chest ever so and even that sounded labored. It was a more common sight for Momo than she would have liked, though she couldn't remember it being so bad. She sniffled as she knelt beside the slumbering form of Isane, carefully monitoring her breathing. The slightest pause in her breathing pattern was enough to cause panic to rise in her until it was righted.

Two days. It had been two days since Daiyo had showed up. For the entirety of those two days Isane had been in and out of consciousness, barely coherent and mumbling nonsense in her sleep. The only thing keeping her halfway calm was that their attacker had suffered some fairly severe wounds of her own. Even with her foul sorcery Momo doubted she would be in any condition to immediately come after them.

The samurai lay beneath the cover of her futon, still for now but for her breathing. She had done all she could for her, now she just needed to keep her drinking and eating during her brief bouts of consciousness. She nibbled at bits of chopped fruit and drank well enough; so far she didn't seem to be sick at least. Momo had feared she might run a fever but thankfully that wasn't the case.

With a sigh she stood and shuffled outside, slipping her sandals on. Her steps took her in the direction of their boat. Whatever settlements had once existed upon the often walked path were little more than rubble now. Of course scavengers and looters were drawn to the site and those foolish enough to find themselves upon her path today received a very good look at the underside of her sandals.

The short walk passed without incident for her as she arrived at the boat and retrieved and few more bandages. She needed to change Isane's today. Best to give the wounds some time to breathe so they didn't fester. With the new bandages in tow she made her way back, her mind mired in how much she had screwed up. If she hadn't gone for that stupid walk and then got caught unaware none of this would have happened. It was her fault the samurai was in such dire condition.

Daiyo was right in one sense, she was worthless. She'd stabbed the sorceress in the back but had faltered at the sight of her blood welling up around the weapon. She should have kept stabbing, should have been willing to kill to save her mistress from certain death. Instead she had stopped because of her own stupid weakness. Just looking at what she had done to Daiyo, someone she should hate, had caused her vision and head to swim quite a bit. Momo had very nearly thrown up.

She shook these thoughts from her head. There would be time for self-loathing after Isane was taken care of. The young woman stepped inside their tent and what she saw nearly made her drop her bandages on the ground. Lounging casually in the corner of the tent was a young woman, no more than sixteen years old most likely. She was dressed in a white and red patterned kimono and wore nothing on her feet. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of golden, an almost animal intensity within them. She was happily snacking away at one of the pink fruits Momo had collected earlier in the day, her canines slightly elongated.

The girl noticed her and continued snacking away, the fruit lacking any humans upon it. "Hey Momo-chan, still serving the princess of stupid I see." She said through a mouthful of fruit, her cherub cheeks filled with the stuff.

Momo bristled at the familiar address from the other woman. "Ryoko-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The woman bit off the last bit of fruit and tossed the remains at Isane, smacking against the side of her face. The injured woman groaned and shifted in her sleep but otherwise did not stir. Ryoko smirked at the livid expression rising upon Momo's face at her disrespect for the wounded creature.

"I was in the neighborhood and saw that Princess Stabby finally was about to kick it. Figured I'd check in, pretty disappointing honestly. She's still breathing." She said, scratching behind her ears for a moment.

It took all of Momo's will power to resist screaming at the woman sitting in the tent. It was exactly the reaction Ryoko wanted. "You've seen her. Now please leave if you aren't going to be useful."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'll leave when I feel like. Unless you want to try and make me leave?"

Stiffly Momo walked over to Isane's side and gently wiped the juices from the fruit core from her face. "It would be folly to attack the fabled Nine-Tails."

With Daiyo having shown up Momo supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that Ryoko had appeared. The kitsune typically tended to go where trouble followed them. Most typically regarded powerful and old fox spirits like Ryoko as signs of good fortune but Momo knew quite well how the fox delighted in her little games. She was just trying to get a rise out of the retainer and she knew just what buttons to press.

The fox spirit smirked and grabbed another fruit from the basket. This one she could see had people within and upon it. She supposed it was only a matter of time before the tiny civilizations upon the island had the misfortune of being happened upon by the larger ones of the world. The fox wondered if the ever gentle and caring Momo knew just how many lives had been extinguished under her step and within her belly. Oh how the knowledge would shatter the poor dear.

Instead of scarring Momo for life however she contented herself with dragging her silky tongue along the tip of her pinky before dabbing at the fruit lightly. The nine-tailed fox could see most everything that happened in the world, even on the smallest of scales. As such she could see the terror in the eyes of the tiny folk as one by one they were trapped upon the pad of her finger, struggling against the slight film of saliva. They were trapped, sticking to her smallest of fingers with no ability to escape. Those that might have... well, it was a long fall to her ample breasts below. It amused her to watch them writhe and struggle, to cry out to her as she quite clearly knew they were there.

Unlike Momo she was unto being an actual goddess. As such she could hear their prayers and their promises and their pleading. She dipped into her well of power and reached out with her mind. The sound of her voice would echo in the skulls of all those trapped upon the tip of her finger; however it was understandable to them.

"Each of you will make offerings to the shrine in the village I will send you to. Make them to Ryoko of the Nine-Tails. If you do not pay me my dues misfortune will befall you." She projected.

With that she sent them away, the people upon her finger vanishing in the blink of an eye. With that she snacked away at her now human free treat. If there was one thing she had always liked about this place it was the fruit. Her eyes turned back towards Momo, who was lifting Isane up so that she could slowly unravel her old bandages. The wounded samurai groaned and her face contorted in pain.

"You know, I could help you two out here. For a price of course." Ryoko said, setting Momo's nerves on edge.

Of course there was a price. No deal with Ryoko was ever free. She had wisdom that surpassed any mortal understanding but how she used it disgusted Momo. She could whisk them away with a mere thought, or turn Daiyo into a toad, or heal every injury Isane had but she dangled the promise over their heads with a cost. She was more akin to a shrewd merchant than any sort of goddess in the retainer's opinion.

"I have indeed indulged in mercantilism. Two of my former lovers were travelling traders and I found I was quite adept at it. It does grow rather boring after a time though." Ryoko said.

Momo's face turned slightly red in embarrassment, she had forgotten-.

"Yes, mortal memory does tend to be rather flawed. Especially yours, Momo-chan. Most of the space between your ears is rather an echo chamber."

"Stop that!" Momo demanded.

Ryoko chuckled. "Your mind is an open book, Momo-chan, don't feel so offended."

Momo was finding that her patience was quickly wearing thin the more she spoke to Ryoko. Sometimes she found it hard to believe the immature brat was one of the most powerful beings alive. She locked her jaw and set Isane back down, turning fully to face the fox spirit. Ryoko had returned to her snack, letting the juices dribble down her chin with very little concern.

"How would you help us?" Momo inquired, knowing full well that while she disliked the fox her powers could help them.

"I could heal Isane completely. All the injuries would be gone just like that. I'll even get rid of those nasty bruises on you. In exchange I want Isane's sword." Ryoko said, her tone casual.

The retainer blinked. Isane's sword. Her beloved katana. Momo had needed to pull the weapon from the sea after the battle and had it resting outside. According to Isane it had been passed down from her grandfather. It was the sign that she was a samurai. She could remember the desperate look upon her face when she had once lost it. To just give something like that away... it seemed like a betrayal in and of itself.

She narrowed her eyes. "No. I won't give you her katana."

Ryoko raised a hand and set aside her finished fruit, her expression shifting to a more serious one. "Listen closely before you refuse. Kyoske Isane is perhaps one of the greatest samurai of this age; however she is still only mortal. The wounds she suffered in her battle with Daiyo would have killed any other. At this point she could go either way. Not even I know if she will live or die."

Momo opened her mouth to speak but suddenly found her voice was gone, no doubt a magical trick of Ryoko's. "Even should she recover her injury taken from Daiyo's sword will cripple her. Her arm would be unusable. What good will having her sword be to her when she cannot properly use it?"

"I ask you, what is the worse fate? Having your sword but no longer being able to use it, or losing it but being able to fight properly?"

Momo felt whatever hold over her voice had existed vanish and she thought long and hard about the offer. "Why can't you just heal her? Why take her sword?"

Ryoko's smirk was back. "I have my reasons. Moreover it is a fair trade. As Isane's retainer, your duty is to anticipate her needs and act accordingly. What do you think she needs right now?"

What would Isane want? She knew that sword meant everything to her. It had seen battle after battle and was all that was left of her clan. To lose it was to lose her spirit. However if she was indeed going to be crippled that would destroy her. The samurai was so proud of her prowess and skill in battle; she strove to be the best. Would she trade away her most prized possession for the chance to continue fighting?

Then there was Daiyo. She was an immediate problem. If Isane didn't recover quickly then Daiyo would come for them. Isane would be killed without being able to raise a blade in her defense and Momo dreaded to think what the sorceress would do to her. What was a sword compared to the value of their lives? The retainer balled her hands up, scrunching the fabric of her kimono as she agonized over the choice. Her eyes flitted over her mistress' face before she bowed her head.

With tears in her eyes she quietly shuffled out of the tent, returning with the katana her mistress valued so highly. Its pure black sheath was smooth in her fingers and its hilt was well worn by the fingers of the samurai. She knelt before Ryoko and bowed, holding the weapon before her. She sniffled and swallowed hard, hating herself for this. She hated for having to do this, for realizing she had to do something that would hurt Isane to save her.

The fox-spirit took the blade in her hands, looking down at Momo. "Most mortals would have denied me. I know for a fact Kyoske-san would have. Sometimes what is best for a person is not necessarily something they want. You have more wisdom in you than most give you credit for, Momo-chan. Your mistress is lucky to have someone that cares for her so much."

"Just do it. Just heal her and leave. Please, Ryoko-sama." The retainer said, sniffling miserably as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Ryoko's eyes softened by a fraction and she rose, stepping past Momo and towards the wounded samurai. Her human form melted away and in its place was a great gold and white fox, nine tails sway hypnotically in the air. Between her jaws was Isane's sword. One of her tails touched Isane and Momo watched as her bruises started to fade and her injuries were healed. The bandages fell away, the only sign that Daiyo had stabbed her being a new scar. Her breathing leveled out and the color that had fled her skin returned.

One of Ryoko's bushy tails brushed over Momo, instantly healing her own bruises. The fox turned and looked up at Momo's awed expression with something bordering upon amusement in her ancient yellow eyes. With her task done and her deal settled Ryoko bounded away out of the tent, her prize in tow. Momo knelt at Isane's side and pressed her forehead against the samurai's own, staining the slumbering woman's face with her own tears.

"I'm sorry, Kyoske-sama. I'm so, so, so sorry. Please forgive me. Please..." The retainer wept, begging for forgiveness from the samurai over and over again.