Author's Notes:
Sorry these first couple chapters are so short, but I'm actually having so much fun writing this AU. I've never really had the motivation to actually finish any of my AUs but seeing that some of you like it and are actually looking forward to it gives me the motivation to keep going. So to all those people, you know who you are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
-Zee


Fire. Fire as far as the eye could see. No matter how fast she ran, there was no escaping the raging inferno. The ash filled air stung her eyes and left her choking until she was finally swallowed by the unyielding flames.

Chizuru was startled awake when her sister, who she had been curled up next to, abruptly sat up with a panicked expression on her face. Her eyes were wide with fear as she frantically looked around the room until her gaze landed on the concerned girl next to her.

"Chizuru! Oh thank goodness!" The woman scooped up the little girl into her arms and held her tight, as if she might disappear at any moment. Chizuru had stayed by her sister's side ever since the doctor Kondo brought by left after tending the wound. The kind man had tried to make her more comfortable and even offered her a small flower shaped candy, but she had shied away by hiding under the futon her sister had been laid on. She didn't want to leave her sister's side even for a moment, waiting for her to wake, but that had been hours ago and morning had already turned to dusk.

"Nee-san!" Chizuru had been so scared her sister would never wake, but now tears of relief began to stream down her cheeks and her sobs echoed in the small room. Even the woman wasn't exempt from the young girl's emotions and had tears already gathering at the corners of her eyes. She held the crying girl close to her neck and carded her fingers through her hair like she had always done.

"It's alright Chizuru. I'm here. Nee-san's here." Her quiet reassuring words slowly calmed the girl until her cries died into soft sniffling. For the first time all day, Chizuru finally felt safe. She had her sister back and that was all that mattered.

"Excuse me, Chizuru-chan? I'm coming in." A male voice announced his presence before the door slid open to reveal the man from that morning kneeling outside with a tray of food. The woman immediately saw the human as a threat and hid Chizuru behind herself, grabbing her katana that had been set beside her futon and drawing it in one graceful movement.

"Stay the hell away from us!" Kondo looked at the silver blade in astonishment and fear. He had noticed Chizuru's older companion carried two beautifully crafted swords, but he never expected a woman to wield them with such skill. But it was the tone of her voice that made him flinch and slowly back away from the open door. However, it was the quiet sound of Chizuru's voice that ultimately saved him from actually making a break for it.

"Nee-san, wait! Kondo-san helped us!" Chizuru grabbed her sister's sleeve to try and tell her that the human had helped them and did not serve as a threat, but even then the woman was still wary of him. She had trusted humans once, but look where that had got them.

"I'll give you one chance to explain yourself. Who are you and what is this place? What do you want with us? Answer carefully, or else." She could feel her sister still tugging at her sleeve to get her attention, but she wanted to hear the truth from the human himself. Either the human was going to tell her what she needed to hear or he wouldn't live to see the next sunrise.

"M-my name is Kondo Isami. One of my students found you and your sister in the forest. You were badly injured so we brought you to my dojo to heal from your wounds." His usually steady voice trembled as he spoke to the woman, but he said all that he could and he could only hope she believed him.

"Nee-san, please don't hurt Kondo-san. He really did help us. He even called a doctor for you." The woman's eyes went wide with surprise at Chizuru's plea and immediately her entire body relaxed. She sheathed away her blade then turned to face the man as best she could without bothering her wound and bowed her head.

"I see. I apologize for my behavior." Kondo could only stare at the woman in surprise. Gone was the deadly warrior from moments ago and instead there sat a proper young lady. Chizuru noticed her sister bowing and hastily bowed to Kondo as well. She knew if her sister was bowing then she should as well, after all it was the least she could do to show respect to the person who had taken them in.

"N-no, please! There's no need for that. I only did what I thought was right and helped another person in need. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I should have realized you would be unfamiliar with your surroundings, especially after what happened." The woman could tell his words were genuine and really had no intention of hurting her or her sister. She lifted her head with Chizuru following suit after peeking up to see when to stop bowing.

"How rude of me, please come in." Kondo entered the small room, carefully bringing in the tray after himself then gently sliding the door close.

"I know it's not much, but please help yourselves." He placed the tray of food next to the futon then sat back to wait for the sisters to eat. It had been an entire day since the last time Chizuru ate and at the sight of simple miso soup, rice, and a small plate of vegetables had her stomach growling loudly.

"Go ahead and eat first, Chizuru." The woman pushed the tray closer to the hungry girl and her innocent eyes lit up with happiness as she quickly clapped her hands together. After thanking Kondo for the food, Chizuru quickly dug in to the smaller bowl of rice without a second thought. She noticed her sister's amused expression out of the corner of her eye and bashfully started eating slower. The woman just smiled at Chizuru's sudden switch in behavior, but soon returned her attention to the other presence in the room. She had to tell him something, but she couldn't just tell him everything. Her words had to be precise and deliberate.

"I think it would only be right if I told you our story after all that you've done for us." Her words caught Chizuru's attention and and she dropped the near empty wood bowl, looking at her sister with scared eyes. She didn't want to hear about what had happened. A small whimper escaped the girl as her sister scooped her up and and held her close, gently rubbing circles on her back. There was nothing she could say to comfort the girl; even she didn't want to believe what happened.

"Chizuru and I lived in a small village in the mountains. It was a quiet place with kind people and we kept to our own, not wanting to get involved with outside problems. But one day we were attacked. Our village was surrounded and everyone and everything was burned to the ground. It was a miracle I was able to get Chizuru to safety with just a single wound, but...the two of us are the sole survivors. We only have each other left. " She could feel Chizuru's small frame shaking in her arms and her tears through the thin fabric of her kimono. Her eyes became downcast as she recalled every bloody memory, and she held the crying girl even tighter.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what the two of you must be going through." Kondo couldn't believe what he heard. He knew the world was a cruel place, but to completely destroy a village and its people; it was an atrocious waste of life. The woman was quiet as if to give a moment for the memories of the past to pass and to remember all those who had been lost.

"I would rather not dwell on painful memories..." An uncomfortable silence filled the room and even Chizuru's sniffles had died down. Kondo couldn't think of a single thing to say that could help, but the woman spoke up to break the silence instead.

"I remember you telling me one of your students found us. Do you know where he is? I would like to thank him." The change in topic immediately lifted the heavy atmosphere and Kondo was all too grateful for it.

"Ah, yes. His name is Okita Souji, he's one of my youngest and most talented students. Let me see if I can find him for you." The man stood up and slid open the door only to find the boy kneeling right outside.

"Souji. Were you listening in on us?" Kondo looked down at the brunet disapprovingly and crossed his arms while the boy just looked away to break eye contact. He had actually been listening in ever since the door first closed, but not just because he wanted to know what they were talking about. He had been curious about the two new people, especially the older woman. Souji slowly nodded which just earned him a tired sigh from the instructor. Kondo knew the boy always had a knack for getting himself into trouble, but he was still young and most of the time whatever he did was harmless. Most of the time.

"You might as well come in then. There's someone who would like to see you." Souji reluctantly stepped into the room and kneeled in front of the two strangers as Kondo closed the door behind him. His curious eyes wandered over to the young girl he had met that morning. It looked like the kid had been exhausted from the partial retelling of their story and had fallen asleep right there in her sister's arms, her eyes swollen from crying. What a troublesome kid.

"Souji-kun, right? Thank you for finding us. I don't think I would talking to you now if you hadn't." The woman's warm words reminded him of a time before he was taken in by the dojo. Memories of his own big sister flashed through his mind and what he wanted more than anything at the moment was to be held just like how the girl was.

"I didn't really do anything." His voice was quiet, almost to the point where even he couldn't really recognize it, but the woman just smiled sweetly at him. This wasn't normally how he acted, but everything about the situation made his behavior milder than usual. It was strange. His mind was comfortably blank when he realized something.

"Onee-san, what's your name?" The woman realized she had never introduced herself properly until then and finally gave them her name.

"My name is Yukimura Mayumi and this is my sister, Yukimura Chizuru, but I think you two have already met." The girl in her arms let out a sleepy groan when she heard her name, but didn't wake up. Mayumi's expression softened and she gently pressed her lips to Chizuru's forehead. Kondo smiled at the sweet gesture between the sisters and placed a hand on Souji's back.

"You must be tired. I'll come to see you again in the morning." Kondo and Souji bid the woman good night before leaving the two sisters alone for the night. Mayumi, careful not to wake Chizuru or reopen her wound, slowly laid down on the futon and pulled the blanket over both of them. She didn't know what the future had in store, but she knew one thing for sure. For better or for worse, their lives from this moment forth would be drastically changed.


Thanks for reading! Tune in next week hopefully for the next chapter!