I took in a deep breath before rounding the corner. I hadn't been home since Lady Kagami had destroyed the village and Tatsumaru- I stopped my pondering and tried to put the memory out of my mind.

The morning sunlight crept over the tall mountains and touched my face, the heat felt nice and I lingered in it for only a moment before continuing. As I rounded the jagged corner from the mountain side, I looked down at the place that was once home. It was so worn out, the flags were torn and some were lying on the ground. The creek was almost dried up but one thing remained the same, Master Sheng Si's hut was still in tacked. Yes, it had been aged and it looked abandoned and abused but it still stood.

No one said anything as we made our way down the now hidden path. We walked slowly over to the only building that stood. I stepped up onto the wooden walkway that surrounded the building and walked in.

I looked around the empty room and my eyes lay to rest on a stained spot on the floor. I sighed, walked over to it, and knelt down. The stain was blood, Master Sheng Si's blood; this was where his body laid after Tatsumaru killed him. I touched the blood stained floor with my hand and the memories came flooding back to me. My hand became a fist and I hit the floor as hard as I could. "Damn." I whispered.

Ayame walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder, "Riki, we should not have come here."

"No, it is a good thing we did. What has happened in the past is done." I stood up and turned to face them both. "All three of us have been through hell, we have lost people we care about and we had come to hate each other-" I paused and hung my head. "How the hell did we wind up like this?"

"Funny isn't it, how fate has brought us all together again." A stranger's voice floated to my ears.

I looked up and studied the surroundings behind Tatsumaru; he slowly turned around and backed into the small hut.

"Show yourself!" I yelled.

A tall dark figure approached, all three of us had our hands on our swords. "You won't need those; I am not here for a fight." The stranger said as he stepped up into the hut. He had on a black coat that reached to the floor and dark shaggy hair. He looked up at me with the sad face that he always wore and I knew who he was.

"Shigi, it's been too long." I said to him.

"Not nearly long enough."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you and I have not come alone." He waved behind him and another figure approached, she was dressed similar to Ayame, I had never seen her before. She had one long sword strapped to her back, long black hair, dark green eyes, and a beautiful face. She walked over to Shigi and put her tiny hand in his.

"Wait, I'm missing one….Come on! You have to come out!" He yelled.

A man jumped off the roof and swung himself into the hut, he looked up at me with a crooked smile. I grinned at him, "Tesshu, I do believe I remember the last thing you said to me."

"Yes, the next time we would meet one of us would die. I have not forgotten, but fortunately for you, given the circumstances, we must put the past behind us." He had laughter in his voice and was spinning one of his needles between his fingers.

"I suppose your right." I turned my attention back on Shigi, "So is it just us then?"

"Afraid so. By the way this is Tatiana, I met her about 3 years ago and I trust her with my life." We all nodded our heads at her and she did the same. "So what is your plan?" Shigi asked me.

"Well, it is pretty simple really. We will go back to the cavern where Asami first took Ayame, that's where Onikage has been hiding. Hopefully we can avoid a war with Goda's guards-"

Tesshu cut me off, "Wait a minute, you got Goda's soldiers against you too? Well that's just great, just great. Why am I here again, someone, quick, remind me!"

"You're here because if Onikage wins, then you will have no boss to give you jobs, therefore you won't have any money." Shigi reminded him.

"Right, thanks for that." He said sarcastically.

"We will rest tonight, and tomorrow we shall go to war." I told everyone. They nodded back to me as I left the small hut. I walked up a little hill and climbed up into one of the tall trees that stood there. I needed to ponder my thoughts.

The cool wind blew and sent a shiver down my spine; I could smell winter in the breeze. It was only early September, but winter was going to come early this year. I figured we would have snow on the ground in the morning.

My eyes wandered across the land and for the first time in ages I was seeing everything. I noticed the birds nesting down for the night and the deer and her fawn getting a drink of water. I could hear the wolves howling and the faint ripple of the creek. I had always taken advantage of things before, like I knew they would always be there, but in this moment it felt like I would never smell the sweetness of the cherry blossoms, or feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I felt like my short happiness that I had was leaving me, I was afraid, afraid of what might happen in the following days.

Saysa's voice tugged at my mind, "Because you kill my mother." Could it be true, did I really kill his mother in the past that he remembers? Why was it so hard for me to believe? After all, I killed Kiku, someone who trusted me, who cared for me, and I for her. I have killed people who were close to me before, so why would this time be any different?

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, I tried to focus on all the good memories I had and tried to block out the bad. There was so much evil in this world, Onikage was by far the worst. I had killed him so many times in the past but he just keeps on returning. Why would this time be any different? If we win, chances are he will return in a year or so. There has got to be a way to defeat him.

I was deep in thought about defeating Onikage when I heard a bark, a familiar bark. I looked down from my perch and standing at the bottom of the tree was an old dog looking up at me. I studied his face, his bright eyes met mine and a smile stretched across my face. "Semimaru" I thought to myself.

I jumped down from the tree and landed a few feet in front of him. He walked slowly over to where I was and laid down at my feet. I knelt down beside him and he looked up at me. His face was so grey and old; he had to be 14 or older. He was just a pup when we Azuma first got him, and he had served us well. I scratched his head, "It's so good to see you Semi, have you been living here all this time?" I asked him.

He nodded his head and blinked his eyes.

"I am sorry that I never came back for you. Can you ever forgive me?"

He pushed his head into my side and tipped me over on my back, I laughed and he curled up next to me. I laid there with my old friend at my side, and for a few moments it felt as if everything was as it should be. Like I would get up, walk down to my master's hut and find him, wise and old, sitting there, ready to teach me. It felt as if Ayame was down by the creek with a young Saysa, showing him how to skip rocks. It was almost like I could hear Asami's footsteps walking up the hill so she could lay with me and my old friend. For only a moment it felt like all was right in the world. I smiled at my tiny paradise, trying to linger in it for as long as I could. Only a few minutes pasted and I drifted into dream.

authors notes: so here is yet another chapter, sorry its kind of boring but i had to get this in here somewhere! next chapter will be Asami first person, so things can make a little more sense :) enjoy! oh yes and if you have any ideas for me i am all ears!