Mako the Wanderer

by Shadowthedark1

The Battousai's son takes over a major title and doesn't know what he possesses... He finds out the secrets to the life of his father and his self. First story on here, r&r!

A pastoral scene, festooned with flowers and foliage was amuck in Mako's sight. Calmness and serenity prevailed, creating an odd supernatural feeling in the air. It was a perfect balance of a harmonious realm, with no sharp edges, only organic shapes. The scene almost made Mako feel as though an enchanted creature was abounding. If only he believed in such silly nonsense…

It was nighttime Mako also observed, the stars above twinkling like diamonds across a velvet blanket. He was minding his own business, walking alone on a journey that would be unforgettable, through the serene woods filled with danger around any corner. It would seem that tonight would be a lovely and peaceful night for the son of Kenshin, a man whose power ultimately led to his downfall…

"Give that back!"

Mako heard an unfamiliar voice say. He saw in the distance two thieves stealing money from two younger kids, one girl and one boy. The girl looked almost his age, maybe a year apart, and had blondish brown hair with greenish-blue eyes. The boy looked related to her, except his eyes were red as sienna could get.

Mako unsheathed his sword, glimmering in the moonlight of a beautiful silvery color, almost as luminous as the moon itself. It was a sing of challenge to the thieves as Mako drew out the blade. He clunked the first thief on the head, a man with a bandanna covering half of his face and wearing very ragged and torn clothes. Not much of a match for the boy. But the other thief was another matter. He was swift and graceful, difficult for Mako to see. But his eyes finally averted to the man, and from what he could see, the man had black hair with a very rugged face, and clothes in better condition than his companion.

He caught glimpse of the man again, as the thief ready to strike him. Not if he struck first; after all, Mako could do his favorite technique, the Ryuusen! But the thief caught him by surprise and did the Hitenmitsurugi style. Which Mako only thought his father could do that style. But the boy found out the hard way, as his first loss made him slip into a haze of unconsciousness only to find himself awoke again sometime later, in an unfamiliar place...

'Are those kids all right? Did they get away? Where am I? Ow… my head hurts… and I'm hungry…'

Mako's thoughts ran amuck, until a strange girl came into the room. Come to think of it, he hadn't even looked around yet. He could see sunshine peering into the nearby sliding door, made of rice sheets of course, and he was lying on a nice pallet bed, adorned with flowers.

'A girl's bed,' he thought. Then his eyes went to the girl who had just walked in.

'Must be HER bed,' he figured sarcastically.

"How did I get here?" Mako decided to ask.

"Well, I was taking a stroll last week at night when I found you in the woods nearby, passed out. There were kids nearby who were crying in fear and they told me everything. You saved them, as the guy they said ran away after he attacked you, because I showed up. And they told me to thank you when you woke up," she explained.

'Good, they're safe,' he sighed.

"How long ago was this?" he thought he misheard.

"Hmmm, about a week I said," she said casually.

"A week?" he sputtered.

"Yeah. You had a humongous cut on your forehead, and I thought you were either in a coma, or you had a concussion. I think it was a concussion…"

She said hopefully. Mako felt fine now. He wasn't feeling super up to par, but he was fine. She left the room without saying anything else and left him to look around he assumed. He opened the door to let in a nice breeze, and also saw outside some training equipment. It had to be a school for swordsman beginners or higher with the arsenal he saw outside.

A moment later the girl came back into the room and told Mako to lie down.

"But I'm fine," he protested.

Mako was arrogant and refused help. It was bad enough he was 'saved' by a girl. He would have preferred to lie in the forest for a week. He noticed she must've helped herself to taking some of his clothes off and putting some bandages on a few other wounds from the recent battle before helping the kids and the cut on his forehead. He put on his black kimono shirt, which made him think of his father. They were hand me downs of course, and it was as if Mako picked the color himself, his favorite colors being black and dark blue.

"But you should let me change your bandages first!" she piped up, watching him take the sheath which held his Reverse Blade, his father's weapon, handed down to him.

Mako only shrugged her off and left the building he was in. On the outside it looked very small, but he was sure that if he were to delve deeper into the place, he would have found it to be a humongous school as he predicted it to be. And it was: "Senshi's School of Training Better Swordsmen and Beyond". It sounded familiar to him, but he had never really thought about going there. He didn't need the training. It was natural. He even felt the bandages were unnecessary, so he took them off as he walked out and left them there to be handled by someone else.

The girl didn't follow him like he thought she would, but rather, he left un-followed, and went back into the cool shady forest. Near this part he had found a waterfall, not huge, but bigger than his old house. It was a gorgeous sight to behold, and a perfect place for a nap. And Mako was tired and hungry. He sat down by the calm waterfall and nodded off to sleep, forgetting of hunger for now.

He dreamt of the past. He dreamt of his last moments with his father, back when Mako was younger. The famed man told his son not to become a Battousai. It would upset his father to see his son get killed because he followed in his footsteps. But as Mako thought he was getting better at being one, it was almost impossible to persuade him not to be one. But he was going to follow his father's rule… or try to.

"I'm not going to be a Bat…tou…sai…" he said in a monotone voice aloud.

Half asleep, he could hear someone in the distance, walking nearby sneaky as possible. But this didn't trick Mako one bit. He woke up, seeing that the thief was above him, ready to slice his head off! But Mako dodged in time, making the thief cut the ground and make dirt clods kick up.

"Why didn't you kill me before?" Mako demanded.

His tone of voice was anger and hate. It was shameful to be a thief, and this man would pay for his crimes and misdeeds. The thief said nothing and merely began slashing furiously at Mako, who was caught off guard, thinking he saw his father in the man's eyes. It was a hard feeling to explain, but he felt as though this man 'knew' his father.

"Hey! Wait! List—" Mako was cut off, seeing the man's sword slit across his throat, drawing only a small scratch.

It shocked Mako enough to make him draw out his sword very unprofessionally, but he began hacking away, hoping to his the agile and fast man. The thief sped up about ten times faster and gained the upper hand, striking down Mako with a very fatal blow.

'Am…I… dying?' Mako thought, seeing the man about to plunge the sword into his back.

His whole world collapsed into darkness, and he thought he was dead. No questions asked. Just him and good 'ol death. And he didn't even succeed being a Battousai yet! Mako refused to die. He wouldn't die. He couldn't. For the sake and honor of his infamous father, he would never give up on living, even if it meant his spinal cord being ripped out through his stomach and then being shoved down his throat, he would by all means live no matter what. And that was a promise.

Mako was awake again, staring into the eyes of beauty, or at least, better than a demon's. He wondered how he now ended up in the same room he was in only hours ago. But it was better to forget about it, as it was probably the same excuse again.

The same girl from earlier was sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the room that Mako hadn't noticed before. Her Kimono was a violet color, embroiled with gold designs of flowers, not unusual. He also noticed the fact that his clothes were faded with blood, as someone must have attempted to clean them. Did a pretty good job, whoever did it. It was very unnoticeable on black. The girl's greenish eyes batted at him innocently, awaiting him to talk to her.

"What's your name?" he decided to ask, breaking the silence. He was curious now, wondering who she exactly was.

"My name if Yamamoto," she answered shyly.

Mako looked at her funny and started laughing to himself.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit aggravated.

"It's an… unusual name," he remarked nicely, trying not to laugh.

"Unusual? Like your name is any better!"

"Yeah, it's Mako," he snickered at her still.

The girl looked at him furiously and said,

"I know you're healing and all, but that doesn't mean you can be ill towards me! After all, if it weren't for me finding you those two times, you might be in pain right now! I challenge you."

This caught Mako completely off guard. What could a fragile looking young girl do to him? But Mako never turned down a challenge. So he accepted. He went to stand up, only finding that he only had underpants on.

"Um, could I have my clothes back please?" he asked sheepishly, red as a ruby and pulling the blanket over himself to hide.

She threw his clothes at him, and he got dressed. He then followed Yamamoto to an indoor training ground. It was just the two of them.

"Ready to begin?" she asked.

"Yeah, ready to win!" Mako grinned evilly.

She laid the rules down, making the last one specifically the most important one, 'do not kill your opponent.' Mako started the round off with a simple drawing of his blade, the Battou Jutsu technique, which in counter made Yamamoto take hers out. She did fancy swirls that made her hard to track down. Not nearly as hard as the thief, he was a truly skilled opponent. Mako never learned to read his opponent's move's either, which made this fight all the more difficult.

Yamamoto used the Ryuusuisen, a strange aerial attack. It was so powerful; it knocked Mako back into the nearest wall. He could feel his spine crack a bit and thought he heard his arm snap out of place. Lucky for him it didn't, but the force of the move made him pass out again, which in turn was also because he was suffering from the previous battle he had probably a few hours ago. His last thoughts were around the lines of, 'Man, if I lose one more battle, I don't know what I'm going to do for a living…'

Another flashback ensued from Mako's mind, not much longer than the last dream, reminding him of the time he had last talked to his friend Shinryu Torumoshu. This was taking place back when they were younger though, about five years ago, and back at his old homo in Kyoto. They were young but not stupid. They had ambitions and goals for the future. But Shinryu was having a rough time going down the path he was choosing.

He was very slightly younger than Mako, with a slender body and dark blue hair that was styled naturally half covering his face in a way. His eyes were dully black and soulless, as if no emotions were running through his mind, and as a young kid, he seemed to be wearing his struggles on his face, with a number of scars from the many fights he had been in.

"Why do you fight so much?" Mako asked his friend, who was out of breath at the moment. Shinryu coughed up a bit of blood, letting it dribble down his lip.

"Because I have to…" Shinryu answered toughly as he could. Mako could feel the false sense of pride in his voice.

"But you're letting yourself get beat up!" Mako cried.

"So?" Shinryu spat back.

"Don't you care about how any of us, your friends, feel?"

"No… because if I back down from a fight, I will be humiliated… after all, I live to fight, and I can't let petty things like emotions and friendship ruin that," Shinryu answered coolly.

"Aren't you scared at all then?"

"Who isn't scared? We learn from our fear, and soon that fear pushes us to our extreme limits of power, forcing us to use life energy and will to survive… and that is how humans should live. In fear, giving fear, and dealing with it…"

Those words echoed through Mako's ears like a church bell on Sunday morning. Shinryu's advice was good, but it wasn't helping Mako right now. Right now though, Mako was filled with more determination that fear, and he had no clue why this dream still held meaning to him. Perhaps it was the distant friendship him and Shinryu still have. But it has been years since they've last seen each other… would Mako recognize him? Mako was easy tight spot as it was, looking exactly like his father. Except with blue hair, shimmering like the midnight blue sky in the late evening. But Shinryu could have changed quite a bit in a short time… maybe Mako was wrong. He sure hoped so.

Mako was tired of waking up in the same bedroom after losing. It was the third time in this past week losing a battle. Was he losing his touch, or going insane? But this time he didn't wake up in the bedroom. He was still in the training room, but it was empty. No sign of the girl. He saw out the window the bright last quarter moon. Must not have been out that long. Mako was now starving and wanted to raid someone's kitchen. But he took his leave now, before that crazy girl decided to bring him into the bedroom. He put on the shirt again; as it was pulled off, thinking aloud,

"Let's not have to put this on for the fourth time…"

He began to wander, which is what he and his father did best, when he felt someone was following. It was a tingling feeling that made Mako shudder as if a cold harsh wind blew on his scarred up back. It was a good thing his father taught him how to track god-like speed. Yeah, right. Notice the hint of unreliable sarcasm. Mako sighed, knowing that if he turned around, the person would be gone. And surprise, surprise, he was right.

Mako found his way to the building's roof, a short elevation of only three stories tall. He lay down to look at the nighttime sky, stars shining like bright little fireflies.

'Why am I losing so much?' Mako thought in frustration.

He had never lost in his life before, only when he was a beginner and that was an ok cause for it. But now wasn't the right time to be losing; his life was on the line now, not just a spar between student and master. A sudden break of the seemingly everlasting silence broke his running thoughts, hearing someone on the roof with him.

"Who's there?" he asked, as the silence mysteriously returned, nothing for a moment. Then he heard,

"It's only me," a soft gentle voice replied.

It was Yamamoto. She had found him yet again. But she must know the area better than him of course.

"Why are you up here?" she asked out of curiosity.

Mako sighed. "Just thinking."

"Sorry I knocked you out… it was rude of me to be at my strongest knowing you were already in weak condition…" she said shyly.

Another sound was heard amongst the conversation. Mako hushed her for a moment, ignoring her comment, and trying to see where it was coming from. A rock near Mako's foot encouraged him to pick it up and throw it at the rustling bush below. As soon as he did, the person in hiding came out unharmed, and jumped up on the roof in the flash of a whirring light.

"You…" Mako spat.

Yamamoto looked confused, but she sure wasn't. She knew who it was.

"You're the one who beat me twice in a row, correct?" Mako questioned.

"Yes… yes I am…" the man said in a low tone of voice. It was almost mocking.

Yamamoto pulled out a hidden whistle from the depths of her kimono, and blew it. The shrill cry of the high-pitched noise screeched across the woods, rung throughout the school, and suddenly at the beck and call of Yamamoto were a many number of students dressed in pure onyx black. They were in many judo and kung fu stances ready to fight. The man shifted a bit uncomfortably. But Mako was very angry, and wanted this to be his fight.

"Back off! This is MY fight!" Mako shouted.

The students were very startled, as his head grew big along with huge fangs. They backed off all right; right back into the school. Yamamoto was startled as well, but only flinched a bit, and bravely stood her ground.

"Come on…" Mako taunted the thief, now standing in a Gatotsu stance.

The man didn't move at all. The wind didn't even bother him as it blew a full artic blast against his ragged clothes. Mako shuddered a bit, not yet experienced enough to magically withstand any weather conditions. Yamamoto was curious as to why Mako and the thief weren't going at it yet like ravenous dogs fighting over half decayed meat scraps from their master.

"Yamamoto, step back," Mako warned her. She obeyed, knowing he was filled with all the determination you could fit into the planet Jupiter. He was ready to do the Ryuusen.

'I know how to avoid the attack after this stance… I have seen it before of course…' the thief thought sneakily, resting his hand casually on his sheath.

Mako was very impatient and decided to make the first hit. He charged at the man, ready to strike an almost killing blow, but the man merely sidestepped, avoiding it entirely. Mako's sword crushed down through the roof's tiles, slicing a considerably big chunk out of the roof.

'This isn't going to be easy…' Mako sighed, pulling the sword out of the reddish earthen brown tiles.

Shards of the tiles crumbled from beneath the sword, falling into the cracks and crevices of the newly branded hole. The thief took no hesitation to draw his sword now, pointing it dangerously at Mako. He snickered a bit at the boy's naiveté.

"What are you laughing at?" Mako asked, rather mad at the fact he was losing his touch lately, and here was this guy mocking him and all he was represented for.

"You. But only because you are just like your father."

"You knew my father?" Mako asked in hope.

"Yes, but I loathed him… I loathed even more the fact that he would never give up, and he found some way to defeat me… but he was kind, and he spared me; which to this day I despise him even more for."

"But he let you live. Can't you accept that he was generous enough to do that…?" Yamamoto cut into the conversation.

"No… he's angry because he didn't die with 'honor'," Mako emphasized on the last word and continued, "… and because that since my father is…" he paused looking for a good word, "gone, he can't kill him to return the favor of disgrace…"

"What's with men and their honor codes…?" Yamamoto scoffed.

Mako shrugged and decided now was a good opportunity to attack. But the thief seemed to be two steps ahead of him. He sliced right by Mako, a bare illusion. Mako barely jumped up, his kimono shredding at the bottom below his knees, and followed through, flipping over the thief.

"RYUUSEN!" Mako shouted, and the man had no time to move for this new surprise.

The sword went right the man's stomach from behind. Blood splattered forth, gushing from around the sword. Mako pulled it out, slowly and painfully, letting blood fall to the roof's tiles. The smell was fresh of the blood, and the man looked at his wound, gaped, and then surprisingly laughed. He fell to the ground saying,

"Heh… that's where your… father stabbed me too… just not as badly… I thought he had me… and then he offered me friendship… but I didn't accept it… and I won't now… so leave me to die respectfully this time…"

Mako gaped at the wound, and saw from the moonlight that as he had pulled out the sword, he severely damaged the thief's stomach and ripped a small amount of his intestines, as he had brought them out a little, dripping with stomach juices and gooey red fluid we know as blood. Yamamoto screamed in horror, seeing the gruesome gore. Mako picked up the man, and with the thief's pants he ripped up some of them, and wrapped it around the wound. He applied direct pressure as you're supposed to. The man sputtered a bit, hacking up blood onto his white stained shirt.

"Don't… death is the only way I can rest… and I can be truly be happy…"

"Don't sound so sure of yourself… I'd rather be alive right now, because there's always someone who loves you and for you to protect…" Mako said in a hushed voice. Yamamoto teared quietly, her eyes sparkling illuminating through the serene darkness.

"I have no one…" the thief said.

"Then find someone… I'm sure that person will be worthwhile… forever," Mako finished, watching as the man drifted into unconsciousness, and eventually stopped breathing.

Mako sadly laid the man into the newly dug hole in the cold hard earth, a nice taut space for a man of his size to be put in. Yamamoto covered the man in daisies and other flower petals of mixed colors without an exchange of words. Then they both made a silent prayer to the man, and Mako hauled the dirt over the man in a wheelbarrow.

'And I didn't even get to ask him what he knew about my dad… or even get to ask the guy's name… I didn't mean to kill him… but… I don't know what to think… I think this is a dream… no a nightmare, from reality…' Mako was about to go insane thinking about it. But he finally gave up on thinking things out right now and looked at the sky.

It was very late at night. It was probably long after midnight, as the stars changed positions from North to South from last Mako observed. In fact, he could even see the horizon begin to dimly show in the West. But he didn't care. He'd seen a sunrise before. So he plopped down onto the nearest grassy area and fell asleep, snoring like a baby. Yamamoto spotted him falling to the ground in exhaustion. She sighed, not knowing what to do besides but to have someone help her drag him into her room again, and fix any wounds he might've gotten. She gestured over to the nearby early trainers, two boys who were new to the school, and had them help her pick up Mako and take him into her room as an extra credit task type of thing. The two boys were just out for their rounds of running and decided they could be off task by a moment to help her. They left them afterwards, and Yamamoto started to examine him as he slept on her pallet-like bed. It helped that she took off his kimono once again, and saw on his back was three strange looking cuts that were still in the scabbing process.

"No… father… don't leave me… don't die on me… me and mom… and my brother and sister need you…" she heard Mako mutter in his sleep, as he tried tossing and turning on her. She blushed as his face became crushed into her chest. She pushed him off immediately, resisting the urge to slap him like a pervert. But she thought for a moment, feeling sorry for him, leaving him to sleep in his own little world.

'So that's what he meant by 'gone' when he explained earlier…' It clicked into her head.

And so the morning came and went as Yamamoto watched the sky change from a light azure, to a glazed ocher, then a deep settling violet. The colors looked like a kid scribbled crayon across the sky and it melted into the scenery perfectly. Then the sun rose, the horizon turned the blue, and the rays gleamed across the land. Sunrise was over. And so were yesterday's problems. Hopefully. Mako awoke more energetic than ever, even without food, and seeing Yamamoto on the chair across the room like a Sleeping Beauty. He breathed in and then out, and then walked over to the window in a stagger. He saw above outside was a very dead looking tree, containing a nest with a mother and father bird and three eggs. Mako began to tear at the sight of happiness within a family that he would never have again. He crumbled to the ground and felt hot tears stream down his cheeks. Yamamoto woke up dazed, and through her blurred vision she saw Mako off the bed, and on the floor. The sunshine made him look like a beautiful statue in a fetal position in her opinion.

She heard his soft choking back of tears and asked, "What's wrong…?" she asked cautiously. He jumped at the sound of her soft voice.

"Everything," he answered sharply.

She got up and went to pat him on the back. He seethed a bit, and she stopped.

"Don't you have any friends? Family?"

"I haven't seen my friends in a long time and probably, and my family… well, my father passed away, I left my mother to raise my brother and sister, because she said I was part of the reason he died, so I was useless to her… and my life is one big fight one after another…" Mako answered, pausing to swallow back tears to look tough. But it was a miserable attempt.

"I'm sorry…" she apologized, and then asked politely and curiously, "Is that what you were talking about and reliving in your dream last night?"

He was shocked and unaware that she knew by his talking in sleep. "You don't know what I've been through!" Mako snapped, towering over her.

"No, I don't," she snapped harder back, "but I don't have a family at all, so get over it!"

She ran out of the room, crying like any normal girl would after a fight like that. Mako's kinder half wanted to go after her, but the other half said forget it, it's not worth the extra trouble, not to mention the debt he owed her. He heard a door slam not too far off in the building. Mako turned around, looked out the window, and as he suspected, it was Yamamoto running into the woods. With the window open, he acted strong, jumped out the window, landed on his feet, nearly tripping over his traditional footwear sandals, and took off after her. It was like she vanished into thin vapor.

"YAMAMOTO!" he yelled. No answer.

'Girls are so damn stubborn…' he thought, walking through the quiet and peaceful woods.

He passed a creek, and continued walking until he reached the familiar waterfall. It looked darker than usual, as if something evil were nearby. And he was right; he went to the opening of the waterfall underneath, and saw Yamamoto standing there, basked in the midst of the water and sunlight. She looked even more beautiful to Mako now than ever, as she wasn't looking at him, and her body shone radiantly in golden light. Mako accidentally kicked a rock, causing her to turn her attention to him. He smiled sheepishly, but she didn't return the grin. Rather, he saw that her eyes were definitely not human anymore, as they glowed in radiance almost demonic. He could almost see the red sparking in her eyes.

"Stay away from me…" she said in a pained voice.

She huddled down to grab her knees. Mako watched in confusion as the girl rolled around upon the ground in torment, gripping and clawing at her. He went to touch her, but she growled and hissed dangerously. He backed away, seeing her still roll around, and pulling at her air, then shredding her kimono. Yamamoto finally stopped, her face in the ground. She was breathing heavily, and Mako could hear loud and clear. She suddenly stood up, not on her own will, but floating up mysteriously. Her feet hovered above the ground an inch or two. Mako stared in awe as she swiftly drew her sword in the blink of an eye. It glimmered silver, and before Mako could make sense of what was happening, Yamamoto flew at him screaming like a banshee-like war cry. Mako's agility kicked in just in time to save him from a stab through the chest. His arm was pierced, cutting through some flesh and missing the bone luckily. Mako cried out in pain, feeling the nerves in his arm starting to give out on him. He got a hold of his sword and while blocking, knocked hers into the water. She dived after it. Mako wondered why it hurt so much, and saw that Yamamoto had a different sword in hand. It was a Katestu, a very powerful sword. On the side it said Ak…touh…Zah, which translated meant 'Slay Evil Immediately'. A cold chill went down his spine, as he saw her rising from the water, soaked, and her hair was as if an invisible aura of energy sparked from around her, or in other words, it was gravity defying, cackling around her face. She shot out from the water, flying at him, her sword poised to slice him in half, right across the stomach. But Mako got his balance back, and jumped at her, and blocked the cutting motion of the sword. Thinking quickly, he moved to the side, and she sliced down in his original place. Only the sleeves of his kimono were cut. He would be needing a new one soon.

"I am kinda grateful for my semi-god-like speed…" Mako sighed, now observing the big chunk of stone the sword cut through. She then demonstrated on a few nearby great oaks, and cut them all down with one swift motion of her weapon.

Her attack, as Mako recognized, was the Azuna. The Azuna was a ground-based or aerial attack. She obviously just did the aerial one. Mako decided not to stick around much longer to see the other one. He jumped high, as he usually could, and into an intact great oak tree, and hid. Yeah, hiding was good. Yamamoto was coming closer though, and she could find him if she tried hard enough. Mako held his breath, hoping not to be discovered by the newly turned psychotic girl. She simply walked passed, ignoring her surroundings. She was using no effort whatsoever to try and find him. That wasn't a good sign. Mako now felt as though he should splint his arm, and stop the bleeding. He did, ripping off some of his kimono to hold his arm in place and pressured down on the humongous gash. Good thing it wasn't his dominate arm. He was right-handed as matter of fact.

"Why do you run away from a girl?" an older sounding voice came into his ears.

Mako nearly fell, catching sight of a wrinkly old man right behind him as he turned around. The old man grabbed Mako's kimono and held him in place. Mako's arm twitched a bit in pain, but Mako intended on ignoring it.

"Who the Hell are you?" Mako asked calmly as possible.

"You will find out soon enough, but first answer me why you run from a girl?"

"How do you know me? Answer that. And why are you here? Answer that as well. Then maybe I'll be so kind as to answer you," Mako smartly replied.

"Stubborn samurai's and their false pride," the old man sighed, "as you wish… after you defeat me—that is, if you can!"

The old man jumped into the air, agile as if he were 30 years younger, but still delayed in speed, and drew his sword and shouted to Mako,

"RYUUSEN!"

Mako's face was pure shock as he only thought that he could do the Ryuusen. Mako dodged the attack, and tried to counterattack, but there was no avail. The old man was fast, not as fast as the thief was, or as fast as Yamamoto had demonstrated, but faster than Mako, and that was enough to have him outmatched at the moment.

"Soon son of Kenshin, you will lose this fight eventually and find out who I am, but only because your soul is not at peace, and in order to focus and become a true warrior, you must become one with yourself and the storm in your mind, clouding out all distractions around you. Perhaps then, you will learn the balance of nature will help you keep in tune with your hidden power…"

Mako tried to ignore this, but he had heard this type of advice from his father, and come to think of it, this guy did know who he was.

"Did you know my father?" Mako asked in general. He at least wanted to know that. And if he did, then maybe Mako was one step closer to achieving his goal of becoming like his father—or better. The old man ignored him.

'Grrrrrrrr… why doesn't he answer me? And does he even have a weak spot…? Maybe if I beat him, he'll talk… man, today just hasn't been my day—first a sweet-turned psycho girl attacks me, my arm hurts like Hell because of her, and now this crazy old geezer is kicking my butt. Why me?' Mako growled, watching the old man dust himself off for no reason and waiting for him to attack.

"Quit while you're ahead you novice, you cannot win against me!" the old man teased.

"Did you just call me a 'novice'? That's it!" anger flared up in Mako's eyes. He forgot about his arm, and drew his sword anyway with his other arm starting to twitch in convulsions. He ignored the searing pain.

"Let's see you dodge this! KAZUSOUAMARYUU!" Mako screamed.

The old man moved too late, smacked to the ground by the impact of the attack. He felt as though every bone was temporarily broken in his body at that moment. After all the yelling though, Yamamoto wasn't finished, and joined into the battle again, throwing herself at Mako. He grabbed the old man, and they landed safely by a tree. The sudden quick movements Mako was making stunned Yamamoto.

"Move to your left… a little," Mako heard the old man whisper. Mako moved, grabbing the man again, and avoided the wave of a ground-based Azuna attack, followed by multiple air Azuna's that sliced down every tree that the force could reach.

'How did he know which way the Azuna was coming from?' Mako thought in surprise. Even the crazed Yamamoto was surprised that she missed him. Thinking on his feet, Mako left the old man for a moment, seeing Yamamoto mirror his every movement.

"Use the Souikazuchiryuu now!" the man shouted out.

Mako did as told, performing the move he had only done inexperienced once before. Through his blade, he charged some life energy into it, and made the blade glow an eerie bluish color. Yamamoto did the air Azuna at the same time. The two forces connected, making a bright light flash of yellow beam across the sky. Yamamoto was knocked to the ground, as the power was too much for her to take. Mako barely was able to. He landed, falling to his knees. She stood up, pointing her sword at Mako and saying, "You will meet your maker…" and then threw a ball to the ground, creating a mist of smoke, and she disappeared into thin air.

"Ok, you are going to answer some of my questions, and I mean right now," Mako turned around and gesturing to the old man.

"My name is Jubei if you'd like to know, and if you'd like some answers, than you'd best follow me to my house. You are more than welcome to stay and eat dinner with my wife and me. And maybe if you're up to it, as you have proven yourself worthy, I can perhaps teach you the ultimate move, 'The Sleeping Dragon'."

Mako only stared. He wasn't expecting that. But it was a start. And who knows? He might just find what he's looking for. And maybe that new move might make him invincible like his father. Or, thought he was.

'Starving… hunger… haven't eaten in about a week…' Mako was gripping his stomach after re-sheathing his sword.

His arm was more settled and didn't hurt so much anymore. The bleeding had stopped finally too. They were walking through a haven of green and bamboo, hence the name of the woods, 'The Bamboo Woods', which was filled with the strong plant, and other types of unusual vegetation. The woods than turned unusually dark, and Mako found himself standing on thin air. Mako thought Jubei had turned on him, and he drew his sword ready for the old man to attack. But rather, Mako then noticed he was becoming enveloped in silky white string, which was sharp like killing thread. Jubei drew his sword and cut Mako loose in time, before a great big, ten foot oversized Black Widow spider came down by them ready to chow on a Mako-sandwich. Jubei's Ryuusen took care of the gigantic pest in a hurry.

"Thanks…" Mako muttered in shame.

"Of course…" Jubei replied.

They walked for a short time, until reaching a cozy looking home, a cottage in the woods setting. Jubei entered first, and Mako followed reluctantly and closed the door. In Mako's sight was a nice indoor palace-like setting. Jubei called out for his wife. There she came 4 feet wide, 5 feet tall, and six inches. The woman went straight for a smooch on her husband's cheek.

"Hello darling! Ah, and I see you brought a guest! Who is this young gentleman?" she asked.

"My name is Mako," he answered for himself. She opened her mouth, and Mako got the impression she was shocked, and then she said, "Well, my name is Michiko."

Michiko, Mako knew, meant 'Child of Beauty.' Now he wasn't so sure. But she was lovely looking in the way as in kind and gentle like a grandmother. But she didn't look old and decrepit as he pictured to be Jubei's wife.

"Well, take a seat, dinner will be ready in a few," Michiko offered.

Mako threw off his shoes politely, and sat down on a cushioned chair close to the kitchen. Intriguing smells made Mako's mouth water. He was so hungry he could eat an entire kitchen full of everything—literally. Moments later Michiko came in holding trays of sushi, rice, and other items of yummy looking food. Mako grabbed three plates and loaded as much as he could haul, and devoured it in a record breaking 5 minutes. Jubei and Michiko just stared as he gobbled down the food.

Michiko laughed,

"You eat like it's going out of style! But that's ok. I'm sure your job is tough. I'll just cook up another batch for me and my hubby here," and she left the room.

Mako rubbed his tummy in content. Jubei couldn't help but be amused.

"Hungry I presume?"

"It's been a couple days, I've been fighting over and over again, doing techniques I rarely use, and I haven't eaten since last week man!"

Jubei nodded in understanding. And so time passed, Jubei and Michiko ate. Mako was giving himself a tour of the house. In Jubei's room he saw many prized swords that Mako only heard of in legends. Some paintings were hung on the wall, titled to show it was a younger Jubei. The man was red-haired, not as long as his father's, but almost. They wore a similar kimono, and Jubei even had the same stance his father held.

"So, you've figured it out?" Jubei asked coming out of nowhere.

"Wha? Oh… what?"

Jubei sighed. "Never mind…"

'Some people really are thick headed…' Jubei thought.

"Well, I'd like to know more about my father if you don't mind… I mean, stuff I don't know enough about," Mako asked sheepishly.

"20 years ago your father was a manslayer. He killed everyone who challenged him, and showed no mercy whatsoever to those that even begged for forgiveness. After 10 years, he disappeared and was thought to be nonexistent. But he reappeared after those 10 years as a wanderer. He wore to never again kill anyone, and that's why he had the Reverse Blade Sword…" Jubei explained.

Mako looked down at the sword his father had handed down to him. It meant so much to him to have possession of something that held the most value to his father as a weapon. But knowing his father was a murderer like that; it was very sad and disappointing.

Jubei continued. "Your father was well known for his famous technique, 'The Sleeping Dragon' and I knew it in order to teach you… so in the morning, I shall be more than happy to fulfill that task, if you are willing to learn. It will take some time, patience, and practice, but only because it takes mind and body to learn, just like any other inherited sacred technique."

Mako nodded slowly, turning around and going outside. Sunset had fallen already, and the evening glow of the darkness made the place seem more comfortable. He climbed up to the roof, wondering if he could do the attack. If his father could do it, so could he.When Mako landed himself on the roof to relax, he watched as the stars above seemingly exploded into a flurry of meteors that came sparkling into the earth's atmosphere. He knew it as a blessing from heaven, as his mother told him, but he honestly thought it was a strange phenomenon that occurred very rarely. He was feeling a bit better though, not only because of his newfound information, but because his arm was nicely wrapped in clean bandages and was given a replacement kimono. It was the same one basically, but the material was a lot silkier smooth.

"Just looking at the sky, I think of my father, that he was a manslayer… he gave me this sword so I don't make the same mistake… and I won't… I won't become a man… slayer…" Mako yawned, nodding off with a full belly and a more aware mind. He fell asleep on the roof, as the nighttime sky above settled quietly into nothingness.

Morning came sooner than Mako felt it did, when he heard Jubei calling for him. In short, Mako startled awake and fell off the roof. Jubei laughed as Mako opened his eyes to the old man.

"Heheheh, just when I thought you were quick on your feet, you make me wonder sometimes… but anyway, Michiko cooked us up some breakfast before we start training."

"Uh… ok," Mako said stupidly.

He got up and followed Jubei inside once again. When Mako came inside, he stopped dead in his tracks. Michiko had no shirt on. No robe, no moo-moo, no poncho, just bare skin. She was eating louder and more than Mako did last night. She looked up from her feeding frenzy, blushed slightly, and continued snarfing down food like a tiger who hasn't had its catch for a month. Mako simply turned around and fainted.

Jubei picked up Mako and poured some water over Mako. He jumped up in shock.

"Why did you do that?" Jubei asked.

"She's just too much of a woman I guess," Mako answered.

Jubei and Mako snickered a bit. Then Mako asked,

"Can I skip breakfast? I just want to learn the Sleeping Dragon right now."

Jubei looked at him and said,

"You're going to want a lot of extra energy to kill to perform this move. Trust me, it will take a lot out of you."

"Ok, ok…fine…" Mako scoffed.

So they ate fresh vegetables and fish for breakfast, and then Mako and Jubei went outside into the opening that Mako presumed was a backyard. The surrounding was beautiful, a garden of pansies, daisies, and violets were huddled up in bushes and baskets galore. The grass was clean cut and perfect true green.

"I have a question before we start…" Mako said.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, last night, I was thinking, and I put 2 and 2 together, and I think that picture on your wall wasn't just a coincidence…"

"Yes, so?"

"Well, I think… YOU'RE MY UNCLE!"

Thud. The old man fell with a tick mark over his head.

"AHH! HOW CAN YOU BE MY GRANDSON!"

"Grandson?" Mako asked.

Jubei sweatdropped. "Yes… I am Himoura's father."

Mako's jaw nearly dropped. "That can't be… dad said you disappeared and never came back…"

"Well, I did leave, and I did promise him that I'd take care of any of his children, and so here I am now. Well, what do you know?"

Mako's eyes became sparkly. He went over to his grandfather and hugged him tight. Mako nearly cried.

"Not to break the family reunion, but we have unfinished business…"

Yamamoto was walking up to them.

"Oh great…" Jubei said, evilly eyeing the persistent young lady.

"I'll take care of her Grandpa…" Mako let go of Jubei, facing Yamamoto whose face was darkly scratched and stained as if her face was swimming in a dried pool of blood.

"Are you sure? We can both take her…"

"No… I want to know why she is doing this… and I don't intend on hurting her anymore…"

Jubei simply nodded, and went inside. He didn't even look back.

"What is your problem? And what did you mean by 'meeting my maker'? I thought you were a nice person!"

Yamamoto laughed vile, her voice swimming thick with evil. "I'm a nice person? I thought my name was funny."

"Well, your name to my knowledge, your name means 'Base of the Mountain' so I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you could cut through one…" Mako said with humor.

Yamamoto's smile softened, a smile Mako could see that the true Yamamoto was fighting for. But it wasn't the same.

"Right, no wonder you hid when I tried to kill you. Like it was my fault I don't even have a family, no one to be loved by, and for God sake, I don't even know my full name!" she cried out, spitting one word out in pain after the other.

'She must be fighting whatever possessed her. I can see her effort… if she keeps talking, it will go away. It will leave her,' Mako figured in all hope and faith.

"And then I look at you, and you have a mother with some siblings, and no father… Me, I have, let's see… NO father, NO mother, NO siblings at all, nothing. And when I first saw you I… I thought you could be my big brother… because you looked like a kind person when I found you…" she explained.

Mako could see that spilling out the truth was hurting her. He could feel every inch of her body shatter with each word. And as she went to open her mouth again, Mako went to the girl and comforted her, wrapping his arms around her. She lies in his arms, crying now, and let the evil sprit that possessed her from the start fly free of her body. She was free now. Free of pain and torment. The spirit couldn't handle the truth, and free her soul from the clutches of forever torture; Yamamoto's reign of terror was over. Mako held the fragile Yamamoto in his arms and took her inside the house. He asked Michiko to watch after her. She gladly agreed.

"Thanks… grandmother…" Mako said in hesitation.

She hugged him happily and sobbed into his chest, finally knowing she truly had a grandson to call her own. He patted her on the head and told her he had to get learning. She nodded, and wished him luck.

"So, did you defeat her?" Jubei asked, wondering where Mako had gone while Jubei was preparing for the lesson.

"No…"

"No? Then how are you unscathed?"

"She defeated herself… I guess last night she was in pain trying to fight whatever possessed her. And she won. But at the price of fainting for now."

"Oh… I see… so then you are still ready to learn the technique?"

"Of course," Mako agreed.

They went back to the garden area, and Jubei sat down.

"Um… Grandpa? What are you doing?"

"We must meditate."

"What! That's boring! Who needs to do that?"

"Fool! I told you once, and I'm not telling you again; you must cloud out all distractions, clear the storm in your mind, and focus all energy in your body to do this powerful skill!"

Jubei crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Mako did the same. But everything around him was bothering him all of a sudden. The bugs suddenly got louder with an annoying cricket. The wind blew in his ears. The flowers whipped against his kimono. The birds chirped and whistled.

"This place is definitely not training proof," Mako broke the silence.

"Quiet. We must do this for an hour, or you may not be able to do it at all. It all comes with time, my grandson…"

Mako shrugged, and tried concentrating again. His mind was filled with Yamamoto and her condition, but he had to do this. He had to prove he could do it. He could. He would. And he can. The hour passed slowly over them, the sun beaming on them as they focused their power intimately. The silence was so thick; you could cut it with a knife.

"Alright then, we are ready. Of course, I didn't have to do this. I only felt it necessary to help you understand what to do," Jubei said, standing up. Mako grumbled a bit, feeling like a real novice now, and stood up.

"Now, let the Swordsman Spirit guide you, try using your life force and body energy together to create an invisible force to excel into the Reverse Blade and let the power unleash onto whatever your target is," Jubei explained carefully.

Mako drew his blade, doing as told. And he attempted the technique for a couple hours into the late afternoon, being either too quick, or too slow, or not enough energy, or too much energy. This was taking more out of him that he expected. He collapsed with his head hanging low in disappointment.

"Let me demonstrate for you then, and show you the power and why it will take you a long time," Jubei sighed. He took out his sword, and did a few fancy swirls, swirls that made you and the opponent dizzy, Mako felt.

"Sleeping Dragon!" Jubei yelled.

He jumped high into the air and span round and round in a swirling fury, as if to strike down and create a fissure, but he stopped swirling halfway down and landed. He then immediately broke into a run past a tree. He maneuvered the sword so fast during this time that all Mako could see was a whir of silver. The tree burst into dust, crumbling into ashes that flew along with the wind as it danced playfully across Mako's cheek. It made Mako's eyes bulge out in total awe.

"How…did…you…do…that?" Mako asked in total wonder, his jaw dropped.

"Just do what I did… I was hoping you had seen it before and you would have done it sooner, but apparently, I was wrong. So I hope now you will get it sooner. If not, there's always tomorrow."

"No way! No tomorrow! I won't wait that long! I'll learn it now!" Mako jumped into the air, ready to impress his grandfather. Jubei threw a piece of bamboo at Mako, who in turn, flipped over it and shouted the technique. He maneuvered the weapon as fast as he could and chopped the bamboo into slivers.

"I… think I did it! I'm the King of Dragons!" Mako landed, and made a peace sign.

Jubei laughed,

"Almost. That was really good, at least, for the Reverse Blade. If you were to do that on a living, moving thing, human or animal, it would just knock them out for a matter of maybe days."

"And what if I were to…" Mako paused, thinking that what he was about to say sounded sort of stupid, "reverse the Reverse Blade?"

"Well, let's just say you would have a person or animal that ends up like that bamboo stick you just annihilated…"

Mako whistled in a low pitch. Jubei nodded,

"Yes, well that's enough for today. Maybe another day I'll teach you something else. Something I may think will be the biggest challenge yet…"

"What is it?" Mako asked eagerly.

"You'll find out… when you mature even more…"

"Awww… darn it," Mako scoffed. Jubei walked inside and sent Yamamoto who was conscious again over to Mako. She shyly went up to him.

"Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Mako asked in a sweet voice.

"Um, fine… I'm sorry for the way I was acting… I mean—"

"It's not your fault at all. I understand now what happened…"

"Yeah… I'm glad its over…"

"Me too…"

Yamamoto cuddled into Mako's arms and began to cry.

"But I'm really, really sorry!" she sobbed.

"It was nothing," he took her chin and looked into her eyes. They sparkled with tears brimming on the edges.

"You have beautiful eyes Mako…" she shyly commented before he could say anything.

"But yours are more precious than gold…" he said back. She cried smilingly, and buried her face in his chest.

"Ummm… Mako, can you be my… my…"

Mako thought he knew what she was asking for, and as he was about ready to kiss her, she started again.

"Will you be my guardian?"

Mako stopped trying to smooch, and thought for a moment, almost sweating.

"Yes… of course. I promise," he was slightly disappointed, but now he had someone to protect. And he'd never go back on his promise now. He did care about her more than ever, all the more reason to protect her with his life.

"Can you walk me back to the school? They're probably worried about me…" she said as the sun rolled off into the east. They had been sitting and talking in the garden since late afternoon, and sunset was just starting.

"Yeah, of course. I'm your protector!"

Yamamoto smiled and stood up. Mako did too and yelled to the house.

"Grandpa, I'll be back soon! I'm going to walk my 'friend' home safely! I'm her body guard!"

As Mako and Yamamoto walked into the darkening woods, Jubei came outside and smiled, with Michiko at his side. He gave thumbs up to the unbeknownst boy, and Michiko grinned widely.

"I think he'll be all right," Jubei said to Michiko, who nodded in pure agreement.

And so the two walked hand in hand through the forest, no difficulties arising of any kind.

"You know Yamamoto, thought you hated me…" Mako started a conversation as they walked.

"To tell the truth… I did. After you insulted my name…"

Mako chuckled at a bit, and she continued,

"And after we had that argument, I ran out, wanting to hide and cry. And as I was running, something was taking over me, a spirit of evil kindred. It took over my soul, and revenge was on my mind. A kind of revenge that a manslayer would make… killing and spreading the blood of the innocent."

Mako made a bitter and nervous laugh, as Yamamoto's explanation began growing dim. He even shuddered at the mention of a manslayer. It was too awful to think about at the moment.

"But," she continued, "When I felt you wrap your arms around me, I felt all the caring in the world from your warmth… and I was free…"

Mako blushed severely, his face like a strawberry.

"I did care about you… and I always will… and when you wanted to change my bandages, I didn't want to admit that I wanted you to touch my skin…" Mako said, holding his head down in embarrassment.

Yamamoto smiled at him, as they arrived at the school. It hadn't taken very long to walk from the woods to there, despite having to walk by pokey branches and bushes of burs. Mako wished it would have lasted longer. But parting is such sweet sorrow, and Mako would always see her other days.

"Well, I must bid you farewell," Mako said.

Yamamoto nodded, letting go of his hand, and then pulled out three orbs and handed them to him.

"One is knockout gas, another is paralysis powder, and the other is a hallucination inducer. Use them wisely," she explained, putting them in his hands. She then reached up and gave him a small shy kiss on the lips, and walked inside. Mako's face was filled with content, happiness, and puzzlement.

Mako put the orbs in his hidden pockets, a new addition to a new kimono. 'Did my dad see that?' Mako thought in nervousness. It would be wonderful to know that his dad knew Mako was lucky to finally have a 'girlfriend'. Well, technically, he was just protecting her, but Mako felt as though it was something more than that…A shadow stalked in the trees, following Mako. He whipped around and drew his sword.

"Show yourself," Mako's voice was shaky. He didn't quite trust these woods anymore. Mako was near Jubei's home, but he still didn't feel so peachy even on home turf.

The shadow came out, showing itself. Mako nearly fell over. He thought he accidentally dropped the orb of the hallucination stuff, but the three orbs were intact in his pocket.

"Yes Mako, it is I…"

"Bu-b-but y-you are… you can't…" Mako couldn't even get out what he was trying to say.

"I am not what you think I am… but I have a limited amount of time…"

The shadow was none other than Himoura Kenshin, Mako's long dead father. His red hair matched that of the red skies on Mars, almost orange in certain glimmers of light.

"I saw what you just did son… I am very surprised."

"Yeah, well, I have a girlfriend, so there!"

Himoura fell over with dizzy eyes. He stood up again, saying, "Not that! I mean what you did the other day! What you did was very noble, and do not have any regrets for the damage you caused. After all, he asked you not to save him, and even though you tried, and he didn't make it, that is his fault, not yours."

"Oh… well, I also found out what you did…"

"I know… and because of that, I am here to tell you not to become a manslayer again, even though your grandfather already told you. And a really good reason is because when you die, anyone and everyone you killed will become evil spirits that will be after you, of will roam the earth causing trouble for those that I love and care about for revenge…"

Mako gasped. "That means that the evil spirit that took over Yamamoto was probably one you slayed…"

"Most likely… I am sorry…"

Mako wanted to kill his father. But he realized he couldn't for obvious reasons, and said instead, "Why? Why her? I thought she was going to kill me! And I thought she was dying when she fought it!"

"That's exactly the reason. The spirit wanted to kill you. But the girl you call Yamamoto fought it and won. Her mind's purity drove it out and destroyed it."

"I see… but now what? Will these spirits try doing that again?"

"I do not have much more time," Himoura began to fade, "But one day, I will explain everything I can to you… for now, I just want to let you know I'm very proud of you son… become a warrior to protect the weak and the ones you love…"

Himoura vanished. Mako sat down to avoid from staggering to the ground. The cool grass tickled him as he lay down to think about what his father just told him.

'I can't believe it… all because of my father's past, me and anyone I know must suffer… why? Why? WHY!' Mako found that he was still holding his blade. He jumped into the air, wanting to take his anger out on something.

"SLEEPING DRAGON!" Mako shouted, going into a swirling fury-cutting spree. He aimed for the nearby trees and found himself cutting down many of them until he found out that he was back at the school again. He had ended up cutting a long trail of trees into dust as he was standing in the training field outside the school.

Yamamoto was talking and gossiping to her friends about her new guardian.

"Wow! He must be big and strong! And handsome!"

"Yeah… he is… he's that guy I brought here to the school unconscious… but despite that, he is VERY strong…"

"Oh, that guy is cute. And he did look strong, what with that muscle and all when you took his kimono off."

Yamamoto and the girls giggled.

"Hey, look!" one girl pointed at the window. Yamamoto looked, and saw Mako lying in the field, with his sword thrown out beside him. He was exhausted with fury, and using the Sleeping Dragon relentlessly and repeatedly made him pass out. She ran outside with the other girls to see what was up. He was breathing shallow low breaths.

"Oh my gosh! What's wrong with him?" another girl asked.

"I don't know…" Yamamoto bent close and laid her head on his chest. It was rising slowly, and his heart was beating even slower. The girls helped her carry him inside. He was laid down for the hundredth time on Yamamoto's bed.

"Well, so much for Mr. Big Strong and Handsome…" one girl commented.

"He's strong… I just don't know what happened. I'm sure he wasn't in a fight. He probably just got really exhausted while training or something," Yamamoto made and excuse. She believed in him. But if he kept passing out like this, it was going to be really hard to trust him as a protector of any kind.

"Wake up sleepyhead…" Yamamoto teased. Mako woke up finding Yamamoto kneeled by him with a big bowl of pasta.

"Food…" Mako said in desperation.

Yamamoto handed it to him and grinned.

"Ahhh! Hot!" Mako bit down into the noodles, and spit them back out again, waving air onto his tongue.

"Well silly, it just got done cooking," she told him.

"Oh…" Mako blew on the noodles and began chowing down again.

"What happened?" Yamamoto asked vaguely.

"You're not going to believe this…" and so Mako explained.

"Are you sure you didn't set off the hallucination orb?"

"Very sure," he showed her the three orbs.

"Oh, and by the way, thank you," he added.

"It's nothing," she shrugged, "It's just that I have so many, and I usually use them for training, but maybe you can use them one day for a battle of some kind… anyway, it is unusual for you to have seen your dad. But at least he explained why I was the way I was. And maybe we can warn anyone else we know about them, and protect them."

"Yeah, I guess," Mako slurped down the last of his pasta.

Silence conquered the room. The two stared at each other until Mako decided to say something.

"Well, I should be going… and thank you for dinner—I hate to eat and run…"

"It's alright, I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight… I'm rather tired," she yawned.

"I see that," Mako said.

Yamamoto took his hand and led him to the door, and he kissed her on the cheek before closing it. She sighed dreamily, and finally accepted the fact too, that they were more than what meant to be. Mako went through the trail of nothing he created, a perfect pathway from the school to his grandfather's house. It sure beat cutting through vines and braches every time. And so ended one of Mako's many adventures.