Quick note- ages in this little piece of fiction may not fit in with the original storyline. This is a spur of the moment fic and I didn't take the time to research. Apologies for any minor annoyance.
Part I
Tea with Suzume had started to become a chore for Ayame. Every Tuesday and Friday was filled with Suzume's empty laughter and meaningless banter. Her younger sister could speak of nothing but her new young husband. Having been married only six months before, it was understandable to Ayame. That didn't mean she enjoyed it, though.
Her closest playmate and confidant in childhood had become someone she would rather avoid in adulthood. It was so pathetic and sad it made Ayame want to cry, and Ayame hadn't cried since that day she saw Hiro's body hoisted up and carried away by a policeman.
"Don't you agree, nee-san?" Suzume's childlike voice rang through Ayame's thoughts like a bell, and Ayame quelled her first reaction, which would have been to roll her eyes like a teenager.
"Excuse me, Suzume-chan. What was that you said?" Ayame asked politely. She lifted her teacup to her lips, so she'd have something to do with her hands. Suzume stared at her for a minute, looking deep in thought.
"It wasn't that important. You seem distracted today, nee-san. Should I come back another time?" Ayame stopped herself from nodding vigorously and exclaiming 'YES! Try me next year!' and instead told Suzume that she wasn't feeling so well today.
"You've been working too much, Ayame! Isn't it time you rested, perhaps even go out for a night on the town, sometime? Natsu and I would enjoy it if you came by our house for dinner—"
"I'm not really up for it right now, maybe another day. I really must excuse myself, Suzume-chan. I didn't sleep very well last night and I have some house calls to make today," Ayame said with the best smile she could fake. Suzume didn't believe her in the slightest but left cheerfully enough anyway. Sliding the shoji shut behind her sister's retreating back, Ayame exhaled slowly.
Things hadn't been the same since Grandfather died. Oh Hell, everything had gone downhill since Ken-nii had died and taken Kaoru with him. Ayame had become angry after that, rebellious. No one seemed to want to stay. Everyone always left her alone as soon as they found something better. Who was she but a burden, a dose of reality? It made her wonder if she should be alive herself, and what she possibly had to live for. Everyone was busy with their own lives, too busy to pay any mind to her. Even Megumi, the woman who had cared for her after Grandfather had died in his sleep on a quiet Spring night. Ayame had run off to Aizu that very morning that she discovered him still in his futon, stiff and looking nothing like himself. She had left a twelve year old Suzume behind with Yahiko at the dojo and turned a deaf ear to Suzume's pitiful cries. With tears in her eyes she had found Megumi's new residence in Aizu, had stared for several moments at the sign outside her clinic that read 'Sagara Megumi Clinic' and wept. Sobs had spilled from her when a young assistant had opened the shoji at her sharp knock. Megumi, taken aback, had invited her in and given her soup and tea.
Megumi had not taken it upon herself to ask questions yet, waiting for the girl to calm herself down. Megumi had guessed that Ayame's puberty would make her rebellious and inclined to run off should Genzai deny her some sort of privilege. Humoring the young teen she had smiled as she offered more tea in a grown up way. But her smile was quickly wiped away when Ayame blurted her news, sugar-coating nothing, even going so far as to describe the smell wafting from Genzai-sensei's bedroom when she walked past on her way to breakfast.
Megumi had acted quickly, taking Ayame under her roof and sending for Suzume from Tokyo. Sanosuke-san had taken it all in stride, letting his wife act as she thought best and even trying to offer comfort and understanding to the two girls. Suzume had taken it gladly, seeing him as a second chance for a father she never knew. Ayame, however, had known better. Sanosuke was loathe seeing them arrive and unpack their things in his comfortable home and would be glad to see them go. Ayame chose to ignore the sincerity her heart detected in his eyes and the pain reflected there when she had decided to move back to Tokyo. Who wanted her, anyway? No one.
Ayame knelt onto her unrolled futon, gathering her emotions together before setting off to the clinic. Feeling sorry for herself was something she hated to do, but felt inclined to do so all the time now.
*
"Well, I saw the young man in town today and he looked very modern. Very handsome too and exotic! His eye color was breath-taking. I seem to recall you knowing him some time ago, Ayame-chan. I wish I could remember his name at the moment," Ayame's patient babbled incessantly, and who could blame her? She was an old woman living alone with grandchildren far away in Osaka. Ayame had actually grown quite fond of the woman, who suffered from painful arthritis and even more painful loneliness. Often she would pretend to be suffering from more bouts of pain than usual just for a house call. Ayame saw through it, but didn't mind it.
The woman continued without taking a breath, paying no attention to Ayame at all. Despite herself, Ayame found herself interested in the woman's ramblings today.
"Green eyes! Can you believe that? And such a strange green, too. Never seen anything like it. He must be foreign, but he looks as if he has a Japanese spirit. Can you remember his name, Ayame-chan?" No, she couldn't, and she said so. She didn't like remembering anymore.
"He asked Tanaka-san from the flower stand if he could direct him to the Kamiya Dojo. You used to spend a lot of time there. I wonder what he could possibly want with Myoujin Yahiko? Certainly not lessons, he had no children and was much too old to just begin. Why, when my son was—" but Ayame had drowned out her voice, trying to control her flaring emotions at the mention of the Kamiya Dojo. She never went there anymore if she could help it. The memories...
Ayame finished up and packed her medicine chest again, bidding farewell to the old lady who seemed sad to see her go. But Ayame had a mission.