The sky was red.
Was this the feeling of death?
He ignored the yelling of his comrades, lying perfectly flat on the ground. A man knew when his time was near, the only thing he regretted was not being able to see Tae's smile one more time.
Kondo let out a grin, choosing to ignore the sting of the wound, refusing to die with a scowl on his face. He had lived his life to the fullest, dying like a man, a soldier on the battlefield, protector of justice, destroyer of evil, no regrets.
The sky was red. The only thing he hoped for at that moment was that the sky was a bit pinker, just to match the kimono that Tae always wore.
He smiled one last time as he closed his eyes.
The sky was truly red that day.
The Next Day
The sky was blue.
There was a quiet calm in the Koudoukan Dojo, the Shimura residence. Tae had sat on the patio and looked at the sky for a long time. She recollected what had happened earlier, a Shinsengumi officer by the name of Yamazaki had knocked on her door, early in the morning, seeing the sadness in his eyes and whispering the two words that crushed her heart:
"I'm sorry."
She didn't need anything else, no explaining, nothing of detail. She thanked him with a smile, resisting the urge of breaking down in front of him, made a sarcastic remark and ushered Yamazaki away. She knew immediately when she saw a Shinsengumi officer knock her door. She dreaded and pushed away the qualm of this very day coming, now she can do nothing but look at the sky.
The sky was blue.
She had spent the last couple of hours, sitting on the patio of her home, staring at the sky. Normally, this would be one of those times where he would arbitrarily appear and proclaim his love for her for the umpteenth time in so long. It had grown old, routine, and quotidian. Now the Dojo will be idle, quiet, and desolate, like a dead zone. She'll have to pass the days by watching the clouds in the blue sky pass by.
They say that you don't what you got until it's gone. But what happens when you reach the point when the thing you love and cherish is gone? What do you do then? Tae didn't know the answer, couldn't even muster up a word. She couldn't do anything.
All she did was stare at the sky.
And the sky was blue that day.