Author's Note: Hey everybody! I bring to all three of my readers, Chapter 4 of Feelings of Regret…yay! Hope you guys like it and have fun reading it. Honestly, up to this point, I'm just going with the flow…writing whatever ideas that pop into my head….

Well, here goes..thanks to everyone who reviewed..I LURVE YOU GUYS!!

Listening to: Bleach Soundtracks; it really helps me write…

I do not own Samurai 7, or the Bleach Soundtracks, well, I do, but not like…actually OWNING them…

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Katsushiro woke up suddenly..

"Oh," he groaned, "It was only a dream.." (Come on, you guys saw that coming…)

He shook his head groggily, and lay back down, trying to clutch at the remains of his dream.

It had felt so real. He could still feel where her arms had wrapped around him, how her lips had felt, and how different the sensation was from when he had first kissed her.

He hadn't seen her in years, and yet, she still had reign over his dreams and thoughts.

It was very early in the morning; the sun had not even risen yet, and he knew he would not be able to go back to sleep.

He sighed, and got out of his tent slowly. He walked toward the embankment of the nearby river, thinking he would wash up a bit.

As he walked towards it, Yume fluttered down onto his shoulder from her perch on a tree, and nipped his ear affectionately. Katsushiro stroked her back in response and she cocked her head inquiringly.

"I'm fine Yume, it was just the dream again," he toldYume, always surprised at how she could tell how he was feeling.

He got to the river, sat down, and stared at the reflection of the moon in the water. He looked up and found himself overwhelmed at the vastness of the sky and the many glittering constellations that filled it.

He let out a lament, and in the stillness of the air, the misery and desolation in the sound seemed more pronounced.

A day didn't go by when he didn't think about Kirara, and along with all his thoughts, came many questions.

Did she think about him? Did she suffer like he did, not finding relief from the sorrow even in sleep?

His troubles assailed him day in and day out.

Even in isolation, when he had more time to think and reason, his mind always steered him to the what ifs…

What if she had loved him?

He reclined onto the lightly dewed grass, and continued to look at the stars.

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Miles away from where Katsushiro continued to torture himself with thoughts about Kirara, Kirara herself lay awake.

She woke up every night at the same time and thought about what she had done two years ago.

Katsushiro had kissed her, risking everything, not knowing what her response would be.

With that kiss, he had hoped to start a spark, maybe even a a small flame.

And what had she done?

She had thrown water on that blaze, and along with it, killed his hope.

She had been an idiot. She had been wrong to fall in love with Kambei-sama, she thought she could change him, make him see how much she cared for him, and he in turn had rejected her.

Kirara thought about Katsushiro constantly, as she worked in the rice fields,as she talked to Komachi, who had replaced her as Mikumari of Kanna village.

The day she realized she was in love with Katsushiro, she couldn't find it in herself to continue as Mikumari.

She had a regret, one that she feared she could never change.

Katsushiro probably hated her now, she told herself constantly. Maybe he had found someone who could truly love him.

She would always imagine Katsushiro with someone else, someone who truly deserved him, but after that picture was painted in her head, she would always find her eyes brimming with tears, and a sharp pain in her heart.

The pain would make it hard for her to breathe, and she would wallow in her misery.

But she knew she had no right to feel that way. After all, the one person she had hurt the most, suffered so much more than she would ever.

She was constantly tortured in her dreams. In them, she would be chasing after Katsushiro, always getting close, but never able to reach him.

She had told Komachi about the dreams, hoping she could help her interpret them, but Komachi had no answer. She did not want to hurt her sister's feelings.

Komachi knew her sister was torturing herself by thinking about Katsushiro all the time. She didn't even know she was in love with him until the first time she told her about her dream. But nothing she said made her feel better.

The villagers were all shocked when she became the mikumari, and it became her job to find sources of water. It had been several years since they had made the change, and she was still asked why by many villagers.

She never gave an answer.

Kirara was battling a fight deep within herself, and Komachi knew that if she lost, she would never be the same again.

She knew she had to help her sister out somehow, but she couldn't help but feel that she shouldn't interfere.

She would leave it up to fate, and maybe, if it was meant to be, Katsushiro and Kirara would meet again.

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Katsushiro woke up slowly, barely realizing that he had fallen asleep by the river. His dream was soon forgotten, but was sure to return to him later on in the night.

He got up and stretched out the stiffness in his limbs, as he walked back to his campsite. Immediately he noticed something was wrong. (of course, he is a samurai folks!!)

His tent was squashed down on the ground, and his belongings were scattered about. (also a dead giveaway, I know)

He knelt down to look at the ground and saw footprints. Judging by the way they had been made, the perpetrators had been in a hurry, as if they had been looking for something….or someone.

He counted the footprints and noted the size differences. There was more than three sets.

He was glad that the night before he had taken his katana with him. It had become a custom for him, ever since he had stayed at a village where his room had caught fire during the night. If he hadn't taken it with him, more than likely the culprits would have stolen it.

Yume fluttered down onto Katsushiro's outstretched arm, (don't you guys like how she appears all of a sudden, kinda like a…dream…haha) and she clicked her beak as she turned her neck around, surveying the scene.

Suddenly, she stiffened, and let out an ear-splitting screech, as she flew up in to the air, her wings beating a steady tattoo above him. Immediately, Katsushiro felt the presence of what he undoubtedly knew was his intruder.

His katana was withdrawn from his scabbard already, as he used it to block the sword that had attempted to cut him from behind.

KLANG! (or is it CLANG?)

(If possible, read this scene while listening to "Frenzied Battle" , from the Bleach: Memories of Nobody soundtrack, if not, it's okay…)

"Well, well, well…looks like the little samurai was here.." said the offending bandit.

His sword was the one that had tried to catch Katsushiro off-guard. Keyword: tried

"So, you're the one who did all this," Katsushiro muttered through clenched teeth, "Where are all your friends!?"

He spun away from him and tried to find an opening, as he maneuvered his katana, and struck out at the man. As he moved away from him, he got a clearer view of him.

He was a slightly paunchy man, with ruddy cheeks, and a deep gash over his right eye, or, at least the spot where his eye should have been. Judging by the way he was dressed, Katsushiro guessed he was a brigand, and they hardly ever traveled alone.

The man jumped away from Katsushiro's katana, but he still managed to nick his arm as he swung it away.

"I have no idea what you mean!" shouted the man, slightly winded.

Katsushiro advanced toward the man, his sword glinting off the sun's early morning rays, as he spun the it in his hand.

"Don't you know it's rude to strike someone while their back is turned?," asked Katsushiro.

The man started to move back, as Katsushiro's sword KLANGed with his sword, each hit becoming increasingly harder and harder to deflect…

"You know how..pant pant..you asked me where my… pant… friends were..pant..?" shouted the man, through his labored breathing. (He's outta shape, remember?)

Yume let out another ear-splitting scream, but it was too late, as Katsushiro was hit hard over the head.

His last conscious thought , before he hit the ground was, Damnit…I can still---.

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A.N.. Woo! That was hard!! Remind me never to write(or try to) a fight scene again!!

*ahem* Thanks for all you people that reviewed!!!!!

CuriousRiz…oh, I know! So many typos, luckily, I can honestly say that that was a loooong time ago…

And if there are typos in this chapter… I have no excuse.. But thanks for reading! Really!!

MYinnerNINJA…THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!..sob..sob… I feel better after you fixed this baby up a bit…

I wonder what those guys want with Katsushiro….WHAT?! What do you mean I'm the author and I should know!??!

I like to be surprised okay!

Well…thanks to everyone!! Until next time!! BYE~!