Several years have passed since Mamezo had last seen his parents while temporary living with his long-lost grandfather at that time before Iga was attacked and destroyed at the hands of Nobunaga Oda. He traveled on a long, but, painstakingly trip to see his grandfather, who had entrusted Mamezo to be with his adopted mother/caretaker, Usagi, after realizing that Mamezo could never become a court noble.

As a very young, but grown, and attractive man, Mamezo has lived on his life as a ninja for many years. He thought happily to finally make amends with the Court Noble, in who Mamezo looked on to respect.

"It must have been so many years, since the last time I've ever saw my long-lost grandfather after he'd let me go with Usa... I wonder how he's doing now?" Mamezo thought to himself. As he walked through one village to another, he came across a local inn when the daylight began to fade away as nighttime began to appear. Mamezo stood for the night in the inn while the inn-keeper brought the food for Mamezo to dine on. After finishing the meal, he retired to go to sleep. "Well, it's time for me to rest... It's gonna be a big day! It's a good thing that Usa let me get a chance to see my grandfather, again." Mamezo fell fast asleep after that.

The next day Mamezo moved on to his destination to visiting the Court Noble's home. As he stumbled upon the road in his journey, he came across a family who was trying to get to the Province of Yamashiro. The husband, along with his wife and three children, approached Mamezo and said: "Excuse us, young man... But do you know where we can get to the Yamashiro region from here?" He replied: "Yes. It's over there by the mountains. But the path is very rough and dangerous, so be careful." The family thanked Mamezo as they went on their way. Turning around and seeing the parents holding their children's hands and laughing, brought Mamezo to being upset in a way that he would never want to forget that day...

The day that he was rejected by his birth parents... The day that he was shunned away by his mother and father... The day that made Mamezo eradicated them from his life, permanently. "That was the day that I will never forgive them. After casting me away for my little brother, Fumihito, and left without saying goodbye to me. I will never accept them." Clutching his fist tightly in anger, Mamezo began to remember what happened on that day.

-Flashback-

As Mamezo sat down quietly with both his temporary caretaker and his grandfather, they waited patiently until his long-lost parents had arrived. "What took you so long? Yasuhito and I have been waiting for ages." The Court Noble said. Mamezo's estranged parents looked towards and saw Mamezo.

"So, Are you Yasuhito?" Mamezo's father asked. Mamezo rose up and ran towards them, but stopped with a cold glare on their faces. "Yasuhito, you must learn in your life quickly to serve the Emperor and the Imperial court." Mamezo looked up and said "Who are they?" "The people for whom all the court nobles work under and live for." His father replied.

Hearing something like serving only the Emperor had Mamezo confused; yet gave him time to think about the words that Hanzo had told him on the rooftop: "We don't do it for the people?" Shocked by Mamezo's words, his father asked "People?"

In an instant, Mamezo explained about Hanzo's teachings. "Hanzo taught me that a ninja must live for the people and die for the people."

The sudden reply of his estranged father's voice was this: "Yasuhito, you must forget about your life before." "I don't want to forget about it!" As Mamezo cried out in a loud voice, Fumihito awoke and starting crying. "Ah... Fumihito is crying. I'll take him." His estranged mother said, as she came to carry Fumihito in her arms when Mamezo noticed his baby brother. He approached to his estranged mother; telling her if Fumihito is his baby brother, but she lashed out at Mamezo; treating him like he was nothing but a stranger. "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Stunned and shocked from his estranged mother's harsh tone, Mamezo stood in front of her as she spoke to her father about Mamezo; in which hearing those words that made him cut them off from his life, forever.

"Father... I have already accepted the fact that Yasuhito was spirited away in Yoshino and was no longer with us. I cannot love a child who has suddenly turned up... the way I love Fumihito."

They surrounded themselves around Fumihito and smiled as he cried, while Mamezo stood quietly in a rejectful manner. Sad and feeling rejected, Mamezo sat alone in a room as his parents departed without coming to say goodbye to him. Such as this, the thought of that day began to fade away in an instant...

-Present Day-

The memories of meeting his estranged parents quickly faded away as Mamezo walked on. He finally reached to his long-lost grandfather, Ichijo's home; greeting the guards as they looked on confused, but surprised. "Master Yasuhito! It's been so many years since the last time you stood with Master Ichijo when you was a child. How's your adoptive family doing so far?" One of the guards asked. Reluctantly, Mamezo answered: "Usa and Hanzo are doing great! So far they have a family, together, and all is well!"

"That's good. Speaking of which, Master Ichijo has been waiting for you for a while, Yasuhito... He's in the living quarters. You can come inside, Master Yasuhito."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." Mamezo shook his head and willed himself to enter Ichijo's home, but the times following that curious incident with his parents proved this uncomfortable fact. Ignoring that, Mamezo continued on foward to the living quarters. Ichijo sat on the tatami floor reading the scroll from his previous vacation in Edo. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Mamezo standing in front of the doorway; smiling while Ichijo got up from the floor and greeted him in such a kind, yet wondrous feeling that Mamezo had only felt for both Usagi and Hanzo. "Yasuhito! It is such a great feeling to finally see you, once again. It has been so long that I thought you wouldn't come here. How is the girl from Iga doing so far, grandson?"

"All is so far, so good, sir. Usa has taken good care of me throughout the years. She gave me permission to come and see what's been going on, so far." Mamezo replied.

,Ichijo sighed with relief, talking to Mamezo and spending some quality time with him had sure paid off. "I'll keep that in mind, sir." As Mamezo said once again. "Very well... But there is something that I must tell you, Yasuhito."

"Yes? What is it?" A question was raised by Mamezo as there was something that his grandfather wanted to tell him.

"Your parents are coming for a visit, later today... They will be arriving in a few hours. It has been several years, but they would want to see you."

"WHAT?! WHY?!" The sudden announcement had made Mamezo engulfed in anger as to why. Why would someone like his estranged parents, want to come, after rejecting Mamezo? Why did they act so cold and distant towards him, when he was only a child? And why did that selfish woman dare say such a thing about not loving a child, after so long?

It should not be. It must not be. It can't be. No. Never.

"Please, Yasuhito. Don't feel so upset about what happened in the past... Times have changed, but you should never let your anger control you." "No, Sir! I'll never forgive those people who rejected me, who hated me, and didn't want me. I would never want anything to do with them. What's done, IS DONE!" Anger developed inside Mamezo as Ichijo tried to calm him down. Nothing could prepared him for the worst.

A Few Hours Later, Mamezo's estranged parents arrived, along with his little brother, Fumihito. As they came to visit, Mamezo sat besides his grandfather; while folding his arms in a cold-hearted manner. Both his mother and father turned and saw Mamezo. Fumihito looked at his older brother; confused and was wondering who was this young man and why is he sitting with his grandfather. The look on Mamezo's parents' faces became a shock to them as they kept looking at Mamezo.

"Yasuhito and I have waited patiently for your arrival. It has been a long time since he last saw you." Ichijo spoke in a calm voice.

Standing up on his ground, Mamezo remained on the same spot; not moving a single inch of his body while his father looked on quietly. First he smiled at Mamezo, but then, he frowned in concern at this strange change from the reaction that the rejected child gave him. Staring coldly at his father, Mamezo stood there; soundless.

He began to speak to Mamezo as to why he chose to be a ninja. "Yasuhito... It has been a long time since me and your mother had came here. I do not understand why you did not want to live your life as a court noble to serve the Emperor. You could have been a great court noble for this family; and yet your grandfather gave you up to a peasant?"

"A peasant? You called my adoptive mother, Usa, a peasant? Usa has been there for me and raised me up as if I was her own child. Always stood by me. Took care of me. And you disrespect Usa in my sight?" Mamezo's voice broke into his thoughts, his hand still held in towards his family as they watched him curiously. The court noble try to reason with Mamezo, but to no avail. "You told me a long time ago, that you wanted me to forget my life from before... You wanted me to forget my friends, my knowledge, my adopted family, my home, my life as a ninja, EVERYTHING! Just so you people would want me to be something that I'm NOT! You wanted me serve the Emperor and the Imperial court! Well, I don't serve the Imperial COURT! I am a ninja, and I only serve the PEOPLE!"

His father froze at the words that came out of Mamezo's mouth. "Say... It isn't... so. Why... son? Why did... you decide... to... make this choice?"

"It was because my grandfather made the right choice of letting me go; to be with Usa. He knew deep down in his heart that I could never be a court noble!" He replied.

Suddenly, letting go of his mother's grasp, Fumihito ran up to Mamezo and asked: "You're my brother... Are you? Are you really my brother?" "Yes. I am your brother... Your long, lost, brother. The brother whom your parents rejected. The brother who you thought was gone." Fumihito's eyes began to water in tears as he reached out his arms; wrapped them around Mamezo's waist and rejoiced with cries.

Embracing Fumihito's hug made Mamezo feel confident and loved, but the anger still burned at the people who shunned him. As his mother try to walk up to Mamezo, he backed himself away from her as they had done same thing to him. "Let go of Fumihito, young man! Let him go, this instant!" As Fumihito still held onto his older brother, Mamezo yelled at her: "STAY AWAY FROM ME, VILE WOMAN!"

She was stunned by what he spoke to her. "Yasuhito! Please restrain yourself!" Ichijo calmly said as he reached out his hand onto Mamezo's shoulder.

Fumihito let his arms go as he stood by seeing his parents being shocked by such harsh punishment being placed on them. Mamezo turned his head towards his grandfather and said: "Sir... I came back here to only see you, because you were the one who reunited me with Usa and Hanzo. You were the only one that cared for me. Sir... I have already accepted the fact that these people had vanished from my life and were no longer there for me when I needed them. I can't respect a parent who has suddenly appeared, in the same way as Usa has loved me."

Tears began to stream down on her face as Fumihito stood by and watched his mother cry instantly as his father was trying to wipe the tears off her face. "Wh...Why, Y-Y... Yasuhito? Why?" "Why, "mother"? Because you said that you cannot love a child who has suddenly turned up the way you love Fumihito!" She gasped as Mamezo turned around and left from their presence.

After the confrontation, Mamezo prepared himself to go back home and returned to Usagi and Hanzo. His grandfather came by to speak to him. "Yasuhito... I know it is hard for you to remain here, but I just want you to know that I appreciate you for doing what was right in your heart."

"I understand, sir... but now, I must go. Usa and Hanzo are waiting for me. I'm glad to have a grandfather that cares about me." "Please do what you think is best, Yasuhito. I bid you farewell."

"Thank you, sir. And farewell to you as well." "Wait! Big brother, wait!" Fumihito shouted as he ran towards the courtyard.

"Big brother, do you have to go? Will I ever see you again?" he said, sadly. "Hey don't cry, Fumihito... I'll come by, once in a while. But when there aren't any missions, I'll come see you and your grandfather, okay?"

"You promise?" Mamezo replied "Yeah, kid. I promise." Giving a pat on Fumihito's head, he bid farewell to both of them as they silently watched his retreating figure until the shadows faded into the darkness.

They will meet him again. someday.