Sakura looked outside the window of her hut as her memories began to wander nine years ago. "I will… protect my wife." Sakura closed her eyes. Nine years had passed by so quickly… nine years. "… I promise to make you happy for the rest of your life. Tomoe, would you marry me for real?" Before, her name was Tomoe Yukishiro, She was engaged but during her fiancé's mission, an assassin killed him. She vowed to avenge but every thoughts of vengeance vanished when she saw the gentleness on those amethyst-colored eyes.
"Kenshin…"
"Mother?"
She turned around and looked at the questioning eyes of her daughter Miyako. "She has her father's eyes," she smiled.
"Are you alright?" Miyako asked with worry filling her little eyes.
Sakura's smile grew wider, "What made you think that I am not, Miyako?"
Miyako scrunched her little nose in deep thought then getting tired of thinking; she shrugged her shoulders. "I love you mother," she said smiling and gave Sakura a big hug.
Sakura hugged her daughter back as small laughter came out from her. "At least, I have her… That will do." She closed her eyes and reminisced.
Tomoe opened her eyes. Was it just a dream? Did Kenshin really accidentally killed her?
"Kenshin?" she called then tried to sit down. She felt the pain in her back. "So it was true."
An old man she doesn't know greeted her with a friendly smile, "Ah… you're awake, child. Here, I made a flower soup. Drink up, this will make you feel better."
Tomoe obeyed. After sipping the soup, she looked up again, "is my husband here?"
The old man wrinkled his forehead, "husband? You are married, child?"
Tomoe looked down and with a silent voice answered, "Yes."
The old man sighed. "He probably thought you died, my child. Your wound was very fatal. I thought myself that I couldn't save you but the heavens are on your side, they allowed you to live."
Tomoe nodded.
Sakura kissed her daughter's raven-colored hair. Miyako might have Kenshin's eyes but she has her hair color. Miyako began to sniff her.
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked her while smiling.
"I'm smelling. When I grew up, I will smell like you mother. White plum," she answered with glee.
Sakura chuckled, "Go along and play… go…" she said.
Miyako let out a small shriek of excitement then hurried to the door. However, before she completely ran away, she went back to Sakura.
"Mother, I have a question," she said with voice filled with innocence.
"What is it this time? Why are the flowers colorful?" Sakura teased. Miyako is a smart child and oftentimes asks questions like 'why the skies are blue? Or 'why the frogs say ribbit' one time she even asked, "Why am I a girl".
Miyako smiled sweetly, "No."
"Then what is it?"
"Mother, your name is Tomoe right?"
Sakura nodded.
"Then why do our neighbors call you Sakura?"
Sakura took a deep breath. She knew this moment would come. She knew that one day Miyako would notice everything. And at this moment, she silently regretted telling her, her real name. But Miyako is smart. It's about time she told her the truth.
"Miyako, tell no one about my real name. It will be our little secret, alright?" Sakura told her.
Miyako nodded repeatedly, "but why mother?"
Sakura was about to tell her when a commotion was heard outside. Her heart beat fast as her intuitions instructed her to peek from the window discreetly. Her eyes widened in fear at what she saw. Shoguns. "How did they find me?" She hurriedly went to Miyako and hid her inside a closet.
Miyako's eyes showed fright, "mother, is something wrong?"
Sakura hurriedly embrace her in response. "Promise me Miyako, whatever happens today, you will live."
Miyako's little lips began to quiver as her eyes started to water, "is this the reason why you are called Sakura?" she asked.
Sakura kissed her forehead then heard footsteps nearing them, she closed her eyes and opened it again harshly, "Listen to me, Miyako. You have to live. Promise me you'll live."
Miyako cried softly, "If you're not going to live then I wouldn't either."
"Please Miyako, do not be stubborn." There was a knock. She looked at her daughter one more time. "Whatever happens, you stay here. Be silent. You will survive Miyako, your father is Battosai," with that she closed the closet immediately and answered the door.
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Miyako obeyed. Though shaking, she remained hidden. It has been a very long time that she was inside the closet. She tried to listen to any conversation but she cannot hear any. As if there are no people inside the hut.
"Battosai? My father?" Her thoughts questioned. Her father was never mentioned until now. "Is his name Battosai? But why do his parents gave him a name meaning 'manslayer'?"
Miyako scratched her head then decided to come out from hiding after feeling the stillness of the place. She slowly opened the closet door and peeked, there was no one inside. She stepped out and walked very, very slowly planning to run back inside the closet when she hears even a tiny noise. There was no one inside the house. She looked at their bedroom. Her mother is not there. She looked at the kitchen. Still, her mother is not there. Miyako decided to look outside, fear starting to creep up her spine. She stepped out the house and saw one of her neighbors sympathetically looking at her. She wrinkled her forehead and slowly headed to that neighbor.
"Have you seen my--?"
Her neighbor grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth. "Miyako, no. You are not going to tell anyone that you are Sakura's daughter, do you understand?" The neighbor whispered to her.
Miyako, beginning to comprehend something tragic happened whispered, "where is she?"
"They led her to the rice fields. Be careful Miyako."
Miyako nodded her head and headed for the rice fields. She quietly walked looking down at her feet. She was very scared but at the same time she was eager to see what 'they' did to her mother. She walked and walked and walked until she came to the end of the rice fields. It was a road. She looked right and left, "where could they be?" she said then began to walk to her left. She kept on walking until she saw a group gathered, apparently looking at something. Breathing deeply, she continued to walk slowly. She wanted to run but her feet were affected by the current emotion she's feeling. An emotion she couldn't explain. Finally, she reached the group.
"Oh poor lady," said a passerby.
Miyako looked at the 'lady' they were speaking off. She froze after seeing who it was. It was her mother. She wanted to cry but she was scared. What if the people who killed her mother are still there? She looked up after feeling a hand on her shoulder.
"Kid, do you know her?" A guy with a brown rooster-hair asked her. Miyako studied the tall guy talking to her, he was young, yet he is carrying a big 'something' in his shoulders "was she your mother?"
Miyako looked at her dead mother again. "No," she heard herself answering.
"Very well then, you have to go home kid. Your mother is probably waiting for you."
"I'll stay here for awhile and look at her, mister."
"Weird kid," she heard the young man uttered quietly.
Miyako did not move.
The young man shrugged his shoulders then walked away. Miyako looked at him as he goes. "Bad," she silently read the letters on the guy's shirt. Miyako looked back at her mother's remain. "There will be no one waiting for me anymore." She closed her eyes and sighed. Then, without thinking she turned to her left and walked away. She's not going back to their hut. She needs to forget. She continued to walk not knowing where to go then an idea hit her. "Battosai… that's right." She's going to look for him and stay with him. After all, he's her father.
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"Hey Miyako, come here," the leader called her. He was sitting down across his ugly 'extravagant' post.
Miyako headed to his direction with her eyes looking at her feet.
"How much did you earn today?"
Miyako shrugged her shoulders. She did not pickpocket today. It was her thirteenth birthday, she prayed and promised to God that she will not steal today if God will give her news about her father's whereabouts. True indeed, she heard that Battosai is in Kyoto, in their town visiting a friend named Okina. She ran to go to the restaurant but then like just always, she's late. He was not there anymore.
"What do you mean by that?" the leader asked her and grabbed her shirt. "You better had a good explanation, missy."
Miyako just looked down and remained silent. The leader pushed her away. She fell on her behind.
"Oh, okay? Let's play a guessing game, Miyako." Miyako looked at him. "First question is, what have you done today?… Let me guess… you played with your friends…" he said then crept closer to Miyako, "no… you don't have any friends..." he said shaking his head then looked up again and pretended to think, "Maybe, you met a kind lady and you are about to steal from her but you change your mind…" He said then looked at her again. "No…" He stood up. "How about… you looked for your father, again?"
Miyako's eyes widened. She never told anyone about that, "h-how did you know?'
The leader shook his head in irritation; "You think you can fool me Miyako?" he said then grabbed her again. "NO!!!!! I knew all of your little schemes. You join us so that you can look for your father in every city that we go to. Am I right or am I right?"
Miyako's eyes began to water. She smelled trouble. The leader of the gang she is involved with didn't become a leader for no reason at all. He is scary, strong and heartless.
The leader pouted his lips mimicking a small little girl about to cry, "You think his name's Battosai?" He narrowed his eyes, "First of all, that is not even his real name."
"You know him?" Miyako asked. The leader pushed her away again.
"Yes I do. But what made you think I will tell you?"
"Please, I beg you leader, tell me." She said and bowed down at the leader's feet.
The leader laughed, "you promise you'll behave?"
Miyako looked up and nodded repeatedly.
"You're so pathetic. I'll give you information but after that you will not escape a sound lashing," he said. After saying that, he snapped his fingers and a man with a whip came in.
Miyako grew scared.
"He has red hair and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek." He said and ordered the man with the whip, "now take her out of my sight." The man pulled her harshly. "Hold it," their leader said and gripped Miyako's chin tightly, "listen to me Miyako and listen well, because I'll kill you with just one mistake. Looking for your father is a pathetic and annoying act. He doesn't know you exist. And besides, it diminishes my profits. So missy, you better stop this foolishness because you cannot escape my wrath the next time." He said and laughed, then he stopped. "Oh maybe you could… that is… if you kill me." He added then laughed evilly again as the man with the whip took her away for her punishment.
She closed her eyes. It will surely hurt.
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Azumi entered the alley where she knows their newfound assassin is. She saw the young lady standing right beside a dead body. Azumi tilted her head trying to comprehend the silence of their new assassin. "She is really quite different compared to the others." Miyako's silence is not a kind that exudes danger but of innocence.
"Nice work Miyako," Azumi told her. "A clean cut. The boss was not mistaken in taking you in." She said again and smiled.
Miyako sheathed her sword. "So you come here to clean this up, right?" she said then slowly looked at Azumi. Azumi looked at their best assassin. Their boss in the group introduced Miyako. He said she's a keeper. At first, she has doubts because Miyako doesn't know any sword techniques. But six months passed, she proved her worth. She is actually becoming her favorite assassin.
Azumi nodded her head. "So what style did you use this time to end his life?"
Miyako began to walk away, "The same, I copied his."
Azumi smirked with great pleasure as Miyako walked away. "You're growing up good Miyako. You're learning well." She looked as the eighteen year-old disappeared from her sight.
The boss will be glad the mission was completed successfully and accurately.