Fin opened the door, her other hand grasping her best friend's gently. "Yui! Miaka! Come see who I've brought home!" She yelled up the stairs and quickly heard the sound of little running feet. "Fin was unable to hold in the laughter when one of the servants carrying a teapot came into the room wondering what the noise was about and cursed in Yamani as she dropped her teapot at the sight of Ruveila. "Told ya.." She teased gently.



((heh ya I just realized that the kids had been with her at the market at first but oh well...shhh))

Ruveila gasped softlya nd bent down to try to help clean up the mess but witha wince, she realized that she was still not too healed to bend like that just yet. " Gomenasai..." She said to the woman in Yamani, apologising. Looking up to Fin as she rose to her feet, she smiled. " You are not seeing a ghost, I am Ruveila and alive though I am sure I am rather gross looking now."

The servant bowed her way out of the room after cleaning up the mess, too shocked and amazed to answer Ruveila. Fin turned to her friend, pointing to her sitting room as she walked over and sat down on her sofa just as Yui and Miaka came running. They stopped short when they saw who their mommy had brought home before squeeling and running over to pounce on their aunt, screeching her name. "Yui! Miaka! Be careful, you're aunt is hurt.." She scolded gently, waiting patiently for the two to unglue themselves from their aunt, which they did.

Ruveila used her Yamani training to keep from yelping and cursing as Yui's elbow jammed into her wounded side. " I'll heal up before you know it girls, then you can flatten me good." She said, offering a weak smile. She then removed her outer robe after the girls got off her lap. Her body looked like a cat had clawed it up from the stomach and down the legs. " Sorry.. just was overheating here."

Fin's eyes widened at her poor friend's wounds. "Yui, Miaka go upstairs. There will be plenty of time for a reunion later." She said softly, though Yui and Miaka knew not to disobey her, they could tell by her face. When they were gone, Fin gazed at her friend, her face horror stricken. "What happened?" She said barely above a whisper.

" It put it bluntly, I got beat up." Ruveila replied, figuring that Fin would not want nor need to hear everything they did to her, some things were best kept secret. Brushing a strand of hair from her face, she looked at her friend. " I'll heal Fin, don't worry... " She added though she knew it was pointless, her sister in law was going to worry anyways.

Fin's face twisted in concern, she knew this was the understatement of the century. "Yes you'll heal, but there sshouldn't be anything for you to heal from." She stated, a bit angrily. She had plenty of pent up hatred towards whoever did this to her best friend and husband. She looked at her friend a moment. "Well atleast you haven't lost weight due to the trauma.. To be honest you're looking a bit more than healthy." She said, realizing that, if anything her sister had gained weight.

" I know.. I feel so fat.. and right after I got rescused by Nobutada, I started throwing up all the time.. I wonder if I was poisoned during that time but thankfully it stopped right before we left to come here." Ruveila shared, her hands resting on her stomach. " I try to stay away from odd food urges but its soo hard.. like right now I want peaches and I hate them." She added, laughing softly.

As she listened to her friend, Fin dropped the container she was holding, which had a very hard to make healiing salve in it. Though luckily it did not break. Fin didn't even bother to pick it up as she walked over to her sister. "Ruveila...did...did someone violate you when they hurt you?" She asked hesitantly, praying it wasn't so.

The color drained from the Princess' face as she spoke. " ....Many.. times..." She replied, filling tears welling up in her eyes. " No.. I.. no.." She replied, starting to catch onto what could be causing all these weird symptoms. It was then she started crying hard.

Fin gazed at her sister, her heartbroken for her. As she cried, she ran to her. "Shhh...it will be okay. I promise...it will be alright.." She whispered into her best friend's ear as she rocked her back and forth. "Everything will be fine, you'll stay with me. I'll take care of you..and the child."

" I can't ask you to do that Fin... you have so much on your shoulders already.." Ruveila managed to get out between sobs. The female's shoulders where shaking something fierce and she had no idea what she was going to do about this, should she keep the baby or let someone else adopt it? She had no permanant place to live right now and no way to bring in money needed to raise a child. She knew girls her age back home were probably having babies but at least they had husbands to provide for it.

Fin took her best friend's face in her hands and forced her to look at her. "Now calm down Ru. You hear me? You can't get all worked up like this. It's not healthy for the babe." She stated before kissing her friend's forehead. "Listen to me. You will stay here. Atleast until Leon takes you in, which I know he will. Because I'm going to beat the sense into him if he doesn't" She added firmly. "Now we're keeping this baby and it will be raised to the best of our ability. Got it?" She stated as if reading her friend's mind.

" You forget Fin.. he thinks I am dead and I am not so sure he will believe its truely me.. especially given the circumstances and my marred appreance. I used to be pretty... now.. not anymore." Ru replied, trying to calm herself. " How would you even beat any sense into him.. he's too tall and too fast to catch.. I know.. I've tried to in jest at times and I always miss." She said, her hands now clasping around the jade pendant. " How could I ask him to take in a child that is not his and being that I am broken by another.. I am not worthy of him."

Fin could not believe what she was hearing. "Because he loves you! That's why! You are beautiful Ruveila! A couple scars will not change that.." She whispered vehemently. "You must believe that Ruveila, he loves you so dearly its killing him."

" I know he loves me and I him but how do you convince someone who thinks you dead that you are really alive, especially with this baby in me and the dead eye and my body looking like i had been mangled by a mountain cat." Ruveila replied, biting her lower lip. " Oh Fin.. I feel like sure a failure..." She started then looked to the doorway and her heart froze... it was her mother.

"He'll know. He'll come to realize, love like that doesnt die just because you look a little different." She answered softly, reaching for her vial of salve. She opened it and lifted her sister's sleeves before rubbing some of the cream into her cuts and bruises. "Your skin will be as smooth as it was before with this stuff, just you watch." Fin stated confidently before looking up at what Ru was looking at. "Oh..." She said shocked, what was her mother-in-law doing here?

Hinote dropped the teacup she was holding, it falling from suddenly numb fingers. Now it all made sense and the older woman began to cry and then looked to Fin. " Oh Findabhair... tell me I am not dreaming.. is that really Ruveila?" She asked, daring to hope it was, due to having went to visit her daughter's grave, which had a clear top on the coffin and was shocked and bewildered to find a male dressed in her daughter's clothes lying within it. It was after this she had gotten to Tortall as quickly as she could to share this with Fin, as both of them had refused to give up hope.

Ruveila felt the salve helping with the burning pain from the wounds but was speechless and could not speak. Fin seemed to have been equally suprised as she was to see the former empress.

Fin couldn't help but giggle at the whole situation, it was just too amazing, wonderful even. "Yes...yes mother its really her." She said softly, looking over at Ruveila as well just to make sure.

Hinote started crying as she crossed the room quicklya nd pulled both Fin and Ru into a hug, crying hard. " Bless you Yama... you gave her back to us... " The elder woman cried out joyfully then released both females and tried to regain her composure.

Ruveila was crying but her eyes were dry so no tears came at this point. " I am really glad to be able to see my family again... and Fin... thank you for all this."

It was after Ru had spoke that Hinote related the tale of the body change in Ru's coffin and how this made all that real to the Empress and she knew her daughter when she seen her, despite the changes in her appearance.

Unlike Ru, Fin's tears were falling like a waterfall in the beginning of spring. "It is nothing Ruveila, you are family and my best friend, anything for you." She said between joyfull sobs.

As Fin listened, she couldn't help but giggle. "Sheesh Ru, you may be dense at times but you sure can be brilliant." She teased, like old times.

Ruveila grinned sheepishly. " I had to get away.. evidently that spell took a while to wear off, I only intended it to last a day or two." She said, clearing her throat. Hinote smiled gently and leaned over to Fin. " She'd still the same girl in a lot of ways." The woman whispered to Fin. Ruveila rolled her eyes then spoke. " You will find I can hear really well now and I heard that, mother."

Fin giggled, kissing her mother- in-law and sister both on the cheeks. She had missed them both desperately. "Yep, same ol' Ru." She teased, sticking her tongue out at her best friend. " Really? Then can you hear this? I LOVE YOU RUVEILA!!" She said, the end a sort of shriek/squeal.

" Orooooooo..." Ruveila replied, as the sheer volume of Fin's exclimation. Hinote began to laugh herself, breaking face one of those rare times. " I've not heard her do that in years." The woman replied, as the Princess gave them both a playful glare. " I am sooo outnumbered here.."

Fin giggled at her sister, smiling widely. "Yes well, you're just lucky your hurt otherwise we would have tickled you to death by now." She teased, poking Ruveila's side. What were the chances that her tiny index finger hit something painful?

When Fin's finger touched her side, Ruveila felt something stir within her then got a slight jolt as the infant inside of her kicked. " What the.. did you feel that Fin? Feels like something moved in there." She said, pointing to her stomach.

Fin grinned happily as she placed the rest of her hand on Ruveila's stomach. "It's the baby! It's kicking! Feel it mother.." She said, taking one of her mother-in-law's hands and placing it on her sister's stomach. "Oh Ruveila! This is so exciting! I'm going to be an aunt! You're a mother Ru!" Fin couldn't get over it, so many amazing miracles happening in one day.

Hinote smiled at Fin's excitement, happy for her daughter but mourning at the same time due to the circumstances of the conception. But she did not let it show on the outside as the woman concentrated her aura sense on her daughter's stomach. " I bet he can't wait to see his mother." The elder replied, smiling inwardly, wondering if Fin might catch the reference to the gender of the baby.

Ruveila blushed a bit and looked looked down at her stomach as the child kicked again. " That almost hurts sometimes.. this one is going to be a fighter I bet." She replied, becoming slightly excited for the arrival of the baby.

Findabhair had to do a double take as she listened to Hinote. "A he...you said he...there was a definite he in that sentence!" She stammered excitedly. "Is it a boy?!" She squealed, Fin adored baby boys, you got to put cute little sailor outfits on them and dress them up so handsome and aw.

Ruveila paled slightly. " A boy... oh no...." She replied, scared that if and when the infomation got out that she was having a boy, the Ranmatsu clan would want to take him from her, as they valued all males of their bloodline. Hinote nodded to Fin.

" Its most definately a boy, and he might be Gifted but I can't tell that." The woman replied then noticed her daughter's anxiety. " They will not take the child from you, Fin, myself, Lord Nobutada and Kataru will not allow it... though I would figure if Leon knew of her living that he would help protect her and the child." She assured the anxious Princess.

Fin's eyes widened at this, she hadn't thought of the downside of Ru having a boy. Oh no..."No! He'd be the most protected child ever. We will never let him out of our sight Ruveila." She stated, nodding her head derisevly. "Nor will Leon, I'm sure of it."

" I... want to name him Saihitei...." Ruveila replied hesitantly, feeling a bit like she was stabbing Fin in the heart but hoped her sister would understand it was to honor him and not to remind one of his death. " Saihitei Kojiro noh Ryushikawa... named after aniki and grandfather.. the two most strong and loving men I grew up with." She replied, then looked at Fin, to gauge her reaction. Hinote remained silent and her mask was on at this point.

Fin froze, looking down at her lap as memories flooded in. Gods she missed Sai terribly, she wanted him back..she couldn't let herself hope that maybe he wasn't dead either, she just couldn't it'd be too much to ask. Tears fell though as she looked up at Ru, she smiled. They were tears of joy, she wanted Sai's memory to live on. This was the best way she could have asked for. "Thank you Ru.." She whispered softly.

Ruveila felt a bit bad about the tears until she got a clue in on the nature of them and nodded. " He will be a strong and healthy and honorable boy... just like his namesake. Its only right that we keep the name going..." She replied, wiping at her own eyes, though they were dry of tears.

Findabhair wrapped her arms around her sister's neck suddenly. "I don't think I've been this happy in such a long time.." She whispered honestly. Her sister was back, pregnant and naming the child after her husband. Fin was honored for the memory of Sai.

Hinote poleitely excused herself and left them room having to go prepare a formal announcement about Ruveila being alive. She was careful to leave the pregnant part out, for as much the safety of her daughter as for the child.

Ruveila returned the hug as best as she could. " I wonder when I will have this baby... I don't think its quite time yet." She commented, getting excited seemingly for the first time in a while.

Fin moved back and gazed at her sister's tummy. "I'd say you're maybe 6 months along? So you should have two or three months more." She said, patting Ruveila's stomach. "You're beautiful pregnant, I was so blotchy and bloated all the time, you get all the luck." She teased.

Ruveila blushed, as she viewed herself more as fat and ugly. " How am I beautiful... my feet are swollen my hair has went nuts thick and grew like crazy, I constantly have to file my nails and I get backaches all the time and dang it, why do I want peaches.. I hate them so much.. yet.. my mouth is watering over them." She ranted, pausing for a breath. She did look different, her skin was soft and smooth, save for the scarring, she had a glow about her face and her good eye seemed brighter than normal and her hair was shiny and sillker than it had been when she was last in Tortall.

Fin rolled her eyes, Sai had told her the same thing, that she had been beautiful. She didn't believe him then so she guessed it was a pregnant woman hormone thing. "Trust me, that's not how everyone views you right now. You've got this...glow about you. Especially when you smile." She stated before giggling at her friend. "I think we should have some peaches..would you like one?"

Yes.. before this little bugger kicks my insides around again." Ruveila replied with a sigh but it turned into a giggle. " I wonder if he is going to look like me..." She mused aloud, a finger to her lips, which was a Ru-ism indicating she was thinking.