Bankotsu was still awake hours later. He wasn't tired, and he wouldn't have been able to sleep anyways. Kame mumbled again, and her head rolled to the side a little. She was still holding his other hand, and he didn't mind.

"Stop..." She whispered. He looked down at her. Her eyes were still closed, but she had sounded awake. He frowned. What was she dreaming about? Her hand tightened around his, and her expression changed, but only briefly. But those few seconds, it looked like pain.

"No..." Her hand gripped his ever more tightly. It didn't bother him at all, but what did bother him was what she was dreaming about. She gasped, and shot up, her eyes wide open. She stared right at Bankotsu, and she sighed. She laid back down, and took his hand again. Had she known she was holding his hand the entire time?

"You okay?" Bankotsu asked quietly. She nodded, looking out to the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise.

"Yeah, I just- my dream..." She closed her eyes, holding back her tears. She wanted so badly to cry. She had seen her family, how broken they were, how they all cried. Her mother was crying Kame's name. She had never seen her father cry, but he did. Tears were running down his cheeks as well, though he didn't make a sound.

"Sadness is a bitch." She mumbled, sitting up, and wiping her eyes. Tears still rolled relentlessly down her cheeks. She found it pointless to wipe them away, now. Bankotsu watched her without a word. Why was she crying, he thought.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He said. She smiled.

"Yeah, I guess." Kame whispered.

"You don't sound so sure, Kame." He said. He scooted closer, and put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him gratefully, still crying. She forgot that they were still holding hands. She forgot that she was blind, and she forgot that she and Bankotsu were killers. Right then, they were both normal people, humans, with feelings, and they loved each other. Right then, she was normal, and he loved her.

She stood up on the branch, using the one above to help her up. She pushed herself up onto the next branch, and began playing her flute. She heard the girls begin to wake up. Whenever Kame was up, and she began to play her flute, that is what they designated for an alarm clock.

She put her flute back in the ribbon, and jumped from the tree. Bankotsu was already on the ground, waking up the other members of the Band of Seven. Kame looked through the trees as they heard marching footsteps. It was coming their way...

She jumped from the tree. "Up! Hurry!" She snapped. All of them were standing, their stuff gathered.

"When I come back, and say it's clear, we leave. We can never stay in the same place for too long." The Band of Seven and The Sebun Kira talked quietly amongst themselves, as Kame disappeared into the forest. Bankotsu watched sadly after her.

––

Kame peered through the bushes, and saw thousands of warriors. Her eyes went wide, as one spotted her. She ran, and a lot of them ran after her. She burst in through the clearing. "We'll meet in the middle. Mari, take Tamiko and Kasumi with you in your barrier. Moriko, you come with me. Bankotsu, would it be okay if the twins go with you?"

He nodded, and they all departed. The soldiers followed after Kame and Moriko. They soon surrounded the two, because they spread out through the forest. The warlord stepped up to the two girls and laughed arrogantly.

"Take the red head, tie her up, and toss her out. This half breed will be of good use, though." They didn't struggle as they were bound, and Moriko was taken away. She could handle herself, even if she was tossed off a cliff. Moriko was only concerned for Kame, because she couldn't see, they would find that out eventually.

The warlord snatched Kame by her hair, and they walked for a while. They were in a building after a while. They threw Kame in a room, her hands behind her back. "Watch her. Make sure she doesn't try anything funny."

"Yes, sir!" The guard said.

"That was corny." Kame laughed.

"Quiet!" Kame heard the click of a gun, and she quieted down. It was silent for a long while. The guard kept pacing, muttering under his breath.

"Are you bored?" Kame asked. The guard stopped. She looked at him, but he felt something different about her. She looked like she wasn't really looking at him. Her eyes were different.

"It doesn't matter. Here comes my lord." The door slammed open, and Kame flinched. She had hoped the guard would fall for it so she could play her flute, and tell him to untie her. The warlord sat in front of Kame, and waved a hand in front of her face. Her eyes didn't follow it. He laughed.

"She's blind!" He chuckled. "We could challenge her. Bring her." The guard grabbed her arm, and dragged her along behind the warlord. She sighed. She was getting bored. The guard pushed her into a room, but it must have been small, because she hit the wall after sliding a few feet.

"We're going to challenge you, half breed. We're going to set this place on fire, and if you escape, you can stay that way, but if you can't, well you know your fate." The warlord snapped her ropes, and walked from the room. They were going to burn down the entire castle. Soon Kame could smell the smoke. She ran from the room, and could feel the heat of the fire to her right.

She cursed under her breath, and ran to her left. She put her arm on her nose, blocking the smoke with the cloth of her kimono. But it could only work for so long, because little did she know, the warlord was having guards waving poisonous smoke into the flames.