---Just outside Kyoto---

"This is as far as I can take you, ok?"

"Thank you." Kanna smiled warmly at her friend. She didn't want to leave Souzou like that, but she really had to get away from him so that way she could come to terms with her sins and not break down to tears over it. "You can leave. I left the tip in there." She turned and started to walk towards Tokyo, where she was going.

Kanna had entered the forest when she turned around and looked at the beauty of Kyoto one last time before she walked away. She smiled weakly at the beauty of the lights floating on the water and turned away, tears finally streaking down her face. Even if Souzou came to say goodbye, he wouldn't make it, since Kanna had always beaten Souzou in relfexes and speed.

She began to walk into the darkness, ignoring the path that people had trodded out through the forest and going her own way along it. She looked up at the stars and held up her hand, as if to touch them, and then she spoke aloud, her voice drifting away on the soft breezes. "My beloved Sagara... could we have watched the stars just one night? Like you used to with all of your sutors. Could I have been there to be your beloved wife? Would you pick me over all of them?" She lowered her hand and it dropped to her side as she looked forward. "Your voice was soft like this breeze that sweeps through my hair, your hands were strong like the earth, and your words were like heaven's grace touching this sinner's heart. I wish that I could have been your lover, be the woman you cherish in your heart... but that wish was never to be granted, was it, Souzou-kun? Will I ever be loved in this world?"

---Souzou's room---

He opened the door and saw a box right on his table. He stared at it for a moment and the closed the door behind him and slid over to see what it was. Souzou was still a little heartbroken over his lack of words for Kanna.

He opened the box and saw a letter on top of something wrapped in white silk. He looked at the letter, it was blank, not a single to or from on it. He opened it and saw her words;

Souzou-kun, I apologize for not being what you wanted. I really did try! I just couldn't take the pain of watching you every time with your new sutor and knowing that I was loosing you everytime, so I just up and quit.
I'm in love with you and it's utterly torture when I can't even make you smile anymore. I loved you since we first met, it seems. I remember how I had saved you and cared for you and suddenly I was shunned away from you, and I always loved that beautiful smile on your face.
Please, take my gift to you and let me know that I will still be loved by you. I give you the thing that made you happieset back to you. My love, will you still love me?

Souzou noticed she hadn't signed it and opened the silk. There it lay, that white kimono, bathed in moonlight, and he felt a soft tear trickle it's way down his cheek and he suddenly gasped and wiped it away. He ran his hand over the soft cotton of her kimono and he felt that warm breeze of the day he woke to her face.

---flashback---

Souzou felt that gentle breeze and heard the soft chime of the wind chime nearby. He slowly opened his one good eye and saw that bright sunlight warming the world around him and felt the warm futon lying over him. He heard someone shift and he turned to see her, for the first time in his life.

She was a vision of white, her white kimon shimmering in the white light that seemed to come from absolutely no where as a white dove flew off, shedding some feathers that feel around her as she put a hand on his shoulder. She smiled softly at him and put a finger to his lips when he tried to speak, a touch that was as soft as a rose's touch.

"Where am I?"

"Your in a place you can heal." She smiled brightly. "Don't worry though. This girl can hold her own in a fight, so you can rest peacefully. Oh! And try not to sit up to much, it might open the wounds that just healed." She stood up and slowly closed half the door so that way the sun wasn't right over his face and she looked over her shoulder and smiled. Her hair was tied up with white sticks that had white roses on the ends and some beads. A charm dangled free around her waist, a jade bear with gem eyes. "I'll get you something to eat, sir."

---end flashback---

Souzou was running down the halls and ran right past his guests' rooms as he darted out into the open air and took off towards Tokyo, ignoring the rain that weighed him down. He knew where she was going! She was going back to her old home in Tokyo, back to the servant's life she had for that old man who hurt her so. He didn't want that.

He managed to make it to the outskirts in record time, he stopped for a breather, staring into that darkness and then he took off at a run. 'Why does it always hurt when she looks away? Why am I chasing after her? Why? Does that tale of love really true? People in love do crazy things? If that's true, I'm doing something crazy for you.'

He managed to stop not to far from Kanna's resting spot and he saw her when she stood up and looked up at the rain under her umbrella. She heard him snap a branch and turned to face him, water rolling down his face, cold like an icey wind, in his fighting uniform. She stared him down as he walked towards her.

"K-Kanna-kun?" 'Why do I love her? Is it because she's still here after all these years?'

"Souzou?"

His eyes widened as he saw a hand coming up to snag her. He suddenly pushed her to the side and managed to twist the arm side-ways. It was Saito. They glared each other down as Souzou held Kanna behind him, holding her arm. As he didn't have a weapon to fend off Saito's blade he had to improvise, but couldn't in a short time, so Kanna stepped in.

She flipped her fan shut and blocked the fatal blow to Souzou's shoulder. She held fast to Saito's strength, just like she would against any man who tried to harm her or some innocent person. She suddenly released. The sudden lost in power threw Saito off and he only scraped Souzou's shoulder.

---Souzou's guests, Sano---

He stood there, shock washing over him. He didn't know Captain Sagara could fly by like that and not even make a sound. He stared at the open door at the now-heavy rain. 'First it drizzles, then it rains... what's next? Hail? Snow? Blood?' He sighed as he felt Kenshin tug his sleeve. Being shorter than Sano was kinda funny for such a powerful guy who seemed to like dressing in pink, which made Sano always blush crimson when he looked down at Kenshin and his eyes wandered down to the exposed chest. "Yeah?"

"Shouldn't we follow? Kanna and Souzou may need help, that they might." He smiled his cute smile and Sano had to do all he could not to hug Kenshin tight and constrict him. "Sano-kun?"

"Ken, that isn't our problem. Besides, I think they can handle. Kanna was always a good swords-woman, ever since I first met her when we were just oh, I dunno, when I was like twelve and she was almost seventeen... but your twenty-eight and she's something like only twenty... that confuses me."

"Kanna always lied about her age. She is indeed older than me, but she always said by a few months, which was almost true. She's a year and a few month's older, that she is. She's twenty-nine and sum odd days." Kenshin sighed. "She always did that because she didn't remember one year of her younger life because of a disease that erased her memories of stuff like love and family, so, she was an orphan until she dissappeared."

"No. I remember. The Sekihoutai saved a young girl from an ambush and we named her Higashi Yura, because we thought the name fit. When she grew a little more accustomed to travel, she would travel with us and be the swordswoman that every girl loved to hear about, and then she, along with the rest of the Sekihoutai, just vanished that night. I didn't think they were still around." Sano looked out at the rain again. "It was raining the day we met her... and the day she save Sagara's life in return for us saving her's... so we thought she was going to keep living with this rich guy who wanted her to be his 'hand-maid' and I never thought I'd see her again... looks like you weren't either." He put his hand down and managed to grab Kenshin's. "I guess we should go take a look and see if their ok." He smiled and brushed his lips against Kenshin's cheek and ran off, abandoning the redhead there to be stunned, a smile on his lips as he looked back. 'Yes, I think Yura was right to tell me that she disliked Higashi Yura when she and I first talked. But she was also right by saying that I would find love in someone strong.'