Before Misao could go on the sound of bells ringing strongly from the center tower made them look at themselves and ran out of the place. As they got closer to the center of the village where the tower was built more and more people appeared. The bells of the center tower weren't ringed unless it was a matter of huge importance. Fast as they got they still couldn't find a nice spot so instantly Misao climbed to Sano's shoulders where she could see better what was about to happen. The 3 elders of the village where there, sitting on their respective places and with not a pleasant look on their faces, something must have happen to get the 3 of them together at such an hour and in the mood they where. The head of the village, respectable Lord Takani stepped from the crowd and made his way to the center in front of the elders, where everyone could see him and hear him.

"Am not going to lie to you about what's going on! People! It's true the Gean village is nothing more than a few days from us! We have to do something against them if we don't want to lose our home and not to mention our lives, they are not going to spare us just because we decided to leave this place, it's well known they don't care about the place but the ones that live here. Please do not panic at this situation, it is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to let panic overtake us. My self and our town elders are getting an army together, we already have elements but we need to increase force by uniting us, woman and children will go to every hideout this town has and all man, not kids please; all man will come to the low valley where we have our army hidden, please try to act calm in all way… I know this is a difficult moment but we must collect ourselves in order to stay alive."

There was no room for discussion there, immediately everyone was doing as he said, went back to their houses and picked what they need starting to move every women and kid to every hideout while man went to where Lord Takani had said, there was no time for whining and for some reason no young man was in the mood for arguing, certainly it was a moment any mother would have being looking forward to, not that they where glad about their current situation at all.

"I must go then, they could use someone like me"

"Sano, there is no way they could use someone like you for ANYTHING (XD) but anyway you can try… as long as you don't die we'll be ok with what you do."

"Misao-chan is so evil with me!!!"

"Sano…"

There was a sudden moment of silence between the group, thought they knew they would be seen each other, something in their hearts was telling them something was not right.

"I will see Soujiro soon, don't worry I will take care of your little brother…"

"Thanks…. Please take care of you… don't do something stupid…"

"Sano… don't make a fool of yourself, that won't save you if you try to win the bad guys with your attitude and charm…"

Kaoru tried to say the last words like she used to tease him about his fighting qualities but she wasn't really in the mood for that and Misao was better for that job. Sanosuke didn't waste any more time and left, not looking back like they always thought.

"Every time you leave… don't look back… there's no one behind you to turn back too… so don't"

Misao new Soujiro for technically all her life, they have being brought to the village orphanage the same day and from then on they where always together in everything, she met Sano years after that, he was the only survivor of a massacre, the last one of a group of warriors he later told her, an orphan like her, so they became friends. After so many years living there they understood no one would want kids like them, problem kids they could say, something in them wasn't right for every parent that came. With time they where old enough to look for themselves so they left the orphanage and working hard made their lives a little better.

"Don't die yet… Sano…"

Misao and Kaoru left soon afterwards, but against Lord Takani's orders they went to Misao's house.

Kaoru looked at the place she was, not really recognizing it but at the same time feeling there was something familiar on it. She walked a bit more through the trees until she came to a clear part and in front of her a river, running calm and easily, then again it was familiar but she didn't knew the place. She turned feeling someone was walking to her but she saw no one, then turning to face the river again noticed how small bolts of light danced in the air; fireflies, they where flying all around her, the place was full of them. The air… nostalgic… the trees… words… and a goodbye… why this all seem so familiar to her? Why it seem to be so much in the place that give her the need to cry to hold to him forever, and then of course the question she couldn't help… who was HE

She though about going back to where she was before, but it was too late to even move, the moment she turned around she came face to face with the one she had being wondering about; it was him she was sure, night was over them so she could barely see his features but there was no mistake, she knew that long hair on a low ponytail, the clothing he was wearing was somehow familiar to her, then she looked at her own clothes and noticed she was wearing something really different to what she usually did, it was a long somehow tight dress, with a huge peace of clothing in the middle, hugging her waist; adjusting the dress to her body. She didn't continued with her exploring, he was now hugging her again but this time from her front, resting his head on her shoulder and she could feel something like tears falling over her… was he crying? There where no words but she knew what he meant with those tears… he was leaving, and probably not coming back, she started crying and negating with her head, words couldn't come out of her mouth and certainly tears could and were; as much tears as her body could create, he was leaving her…

She tried to hug him again but there was no use… the place was a blur again and she new she was waking up…