EPILOGUE
"They're gone."
Iris stood in the open doorway of Ohgami's empty room. Sunlight poured into the room through the windows, and the small wisps of dust were visible in the light.
A minute ago, she watched Sakura bolt to her room, then a few minutes later, zoom out with an untidy suitcase. She probably packed so fast, some clothes stuck out in the edges. As always, she brought with her Arataka, tightly bound in cloth, strapped together by rope.
She almost missed Iris as she ran, passing her by. She stopped a few steps after she passed her, turning on her heel. Sakura then said, "Iris, please take care of yourself while we're gone."
Already, she was already using "we're." She was already confident that Iris' Onii-chan would permit Sakura to go with him.
But she never doubted her. Her feelings for him were strong, the young French girl could tell. She remembered what she said to her while they hid from Tenkai's wrath. That was proof enough that Sakura would probably go to the ends of the Earth if needed.
She smiled, as she sat in her room, on her bed, Jean-Paul sitting across her, staring at her with his button eyes and a permanent smile. She picked the toy up and hugged it tight, feeling the soft brown fur seemingly caress her, embracing her.
Iris felt oddly fine, despite the fact that Ohgami and Sakura had left. She knew, somehow, that they would be fine, and they would eventually come home. She didn't need any psychic powers to determine that. She had strength of heart, and it told her to believe in their return.
"Ganbatte, Sakura, Onii-chan," she murmured.
"They're gone."
Yoneda sat in his room, treating himself to a healthy dose of morning saké. He was smiling. It wasn't a smile that drunken old men show when they drank themselves to a terrible hangover, the type that made them sing odd songs about usually everything. Rather, it was a smile of confidence, the kind that told of inner peace and contentment.
"But they're good kids. They'll be okay. They'll be back soon," he muttered to himself.
Kayama was there, in the shadows, looking at the old man with an amused look on his face. Not only did the Taichou of the Tsukigumi find out that the old man had so much faith in the two, but also Kayama realized that Yoneda was really a raving drunkard. Not that it mattered, though, but Kayama made a mental note of it.
"Kayama," Yoneda said, who was starting to get a little tinge of red around his cheekbones, "Do me a favor and look after them, will you?"
Kayama then said, "I thought you said they'll be okay?"
He shrugged his shoulders, replying, "I said that? I think I didn't. Now obey your commander and find out where they're headed. Ohgami-kun bought a ticket so stealthily, he makes the Tsukigumi look like exhibitionists."
A tinge of blue appeared in Kayama's face. The thought of male ninja exhibitionists, wearing only a cowl, jumping from building to building was unnerving.
"…Yokai," he muttered. "We already took the initiative. We know where the train's headed."
Yoneda nodded. "Well, wherever it is, go there."
"Oh yeah, Ohgami-san, that reminds me."
Sakura was munching on ebi tempura when something came up within her head. Ohgami, eating too at the time, nodded to urge her to continue.
"I know that I said that I'd go with you to whatever place you planned to go to, but you haven't told me where we're actually going."
Ohgami blinked. She was right. He hadn't told her yet.
Outside, the capital zoomed past by, seemingly flooded by a sudden blast of lush grasslands and plains. Rice fields could also be seen, and some farmers tending to them. The sun was beaming down radiantly, though huge clouds were forming.
He set down the tekka maki and looked out the train's window. "That's the other reason why I didn't want you to come, INITIALLY," he quickly added, seeing Sakura grimace, "because if I did, you'd be compelled to go even if I actually wanted you to go, WHICH I do now," he quickly added again.
Sakura was puzzled. "Then, where are we going?"
He sighed. "Sakura-kun…we're going to a place where spiritual energy is strong, where the people were born into an environment protected from the darkness of the Kouma. There, spiritual powers were strong, growing at a fast rate, unhindered by external forces."
He stopped for a while, hesitating to complete what he spoke. Seeing Sakura's desire to learn more, he said, "The land of the Haja No Chikara."
She pieced together what Ohgami told her, and she gasped, not believing what was being told to her. "Iya...Ohgami-san, you aren't serious!"
Ohgami sadly nodded, and Sakura knew that he was only telling her the honest truth.
"I am," Ohgami said, then looked back out the window.
Thunder rumbled. It began to rain.
"We're going to Sendai."
TSUZUKU...
DISCLAIMER - "Sakura Taisen" is a trademark of Sega and Red. Sakura Shinguji, Ohgami Ichiro, Tenkai are characters based on the said title. But the plot of this fanfiction, along with the events and scenarios stated here, belongs to me, Mookamori, so there!
Thanks to Dementedchris for giving me advice on how to do disclaimers, considering that this is my first fic EVER, though I completely disregarded her advice, because she told me to put it up front, but I lost my HTML copy of Chapter One, so might as well put it here.
Thanks to all the readers who wrote a review and for the time you took to put up with my late updates. Gomen!
Thanks also go to The Online English To Japanese To English Dictionary for all the Japanese words I looked up.
Thanks also go to Sega and Red for creating Sakura Taisen.
Most of all, thank you to the Big Guy Up Above for inspiration.
As a final note, I'd like to thank myself, for having such great talent. MUUUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No shame!
Thanks again for reading and MABUHAY!!!
