'Lady Khyber, Lady Khyber!' A little girl, no more that nine, splashed across the shallow brook that meandered its lazy way across the meadow of flowers.

'Yes Tetsumi?' the reply came from a girl with thick blue hair with pink streaks through it, wearing a cloak as black as night with the hood down.

'Milady, I found a really strange flower! Can you tell me what it is?' The child beamed up at her, dimples marking ehr sweet face.

'Im not sure. How about you show me and then I might know what it is.' The cloaked girl suggested, charmed, as always, by the younger one's innocence.

'Kay!' Tetsumi grabbed her hand and pulled the older girl across the brook to a shaded spot in which a single bloodred flower grew.

Khyber's eyes widened as though in shockas she gazed at the crimson bloom.

'Well, I never thought I'd get to see one of these again,' She muttered, before glancing at Tetsumi. 'You didnt touch it, did you?'

'No mi'lady. You told me never to touch something unless I know what it is,' Curiosity finally overcame the child, and she blurted out, 'What is it mi'lady?'

'It's a very rare flower called the Crimson Wish. Legend has it that a young woman from a village fell in love with the lord of a great castle. But, he married another, and her heart broke. Knowing that he truley loved his new wife, she made a wish to Kami-sama that he would be happy in his new life and have many children. Kami-sama granted her wish, but at a price. For at the very instant the wish was made, her broken heart stopped beating, and she transformed into a flower; the Crimson Wish. Now her soul watches over his desendants always.' Khyber told the story in a soft voice, a small smile gracing her features.

Tetsumi sighed happily, she loved a good story. 'That was so sad, but so beautiful too. Was the village girl happy that the lord was happy?'

Khyber, still kneeling by the flower, said 'Aye, she was happy because her lord had a good life and many children. But each year on the night of her death, you can hear her crying by the flower that is the reminder of her love for the young lord.

Tetsumi stood with a solemnity that was rare in one so young. She thought for a moment, then said 'I'll leave it here then, instead of picking it.' before running of to make daisy chains by the stream.

As soon as the younger girl was out of sight, Khyber allowed the happy facade to drop, revealing a face full of heartbreak and pain. It aged her, and as she reached out to touch the flower, she sighed and turned away, allowing the hand to drop to her side. Pasting a bright smile on her face, she called out to Tetsumi, 'Hey, wait for me!' and ran after the girl-child, smiling all the way.