Previously:

"Let's get started on lunch," Chizuru said as she and Sumiko closed up for their meal break.

"Sounds good to me," Sumiko said. They were about to step out onto the veranda, when Hijikata and Kazama zoomed past them.

"RAAAAAHHHH!" the two men roared as they raced. Sumiko and Chizuru blinked and stared after them.

"Well, at least they're getting along," Sumiko said, smiling wryly. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Yes," Chizuru agreed, also smiling wryly. "I bet they'll be hungry after being so energetic."

"Let's make a big lunch," Sumiko agreed.

Chapter 67: Seeds of the Future

The following week, Chizuru and Hijikata were married, and they had another reception. Three days later, the four of them were ready to leave for the Yukimura Village. They traveled on foot from Edo to the Shirakawa Domain in Mutsu province. It took them a little over eighty hours of walking to get there. When they reached their destination, they found the rundown, overgrown ruins of what had once been a prosperous and large village. As they drew closer, they could see fire damage on the remaining structures.

"It looks like it was burned down..." Sumiko said.

"The Yukimura clan followed the Way of the Oni. They didn't involve themselves in human affairs. Because of that, they were destroyed by some humans affiliated with the shogunate after they refused to intervene on their behalf in a war," Kazama explained. "Aside from the two of you, Nagumo Kaoru, and Koudou, there were no other survivors."

"They killed everyone?" Sumiko asked, feeling particularly sick thinking of the children. Kazama nodded.

"Humans are indeed foolish," he said, putting an arm around her to comfort her. Hijikata looked down. He couldn't argue with that, not while he was standing there looking at the ruins of Chizuru's clan.

"How terrible..." Chizuru said, taking another step forward.

CRUNCH.

Chizuru froze when she felt something odd under the sole of her shoe and looked down. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that she had stepped on a child's skull. She immediately stumbled back away from it and fell.

"So cruel..." Chizuru said as tears formed in her eyes, imagining all the people that had once lived there who had been killed. Hijikata kneeled down next to her and held her.

"... I want to bury them," Sumiko said after tense silence. "They've been like this long enough. ... Don't you think?"

"Yes," Chizuru agreed, wiping her eyes as Hijikata helped her stand back up. "It's the least we can do."

—∞—

For the next several days, the four of them worked together to hunt for and collect the bones of the fallen Yukimuras and bury them together in the graveyard just outside the village. They got supplies from a village that wasn't too far away and camped near the well, which thankfully was still full of clear, clean water.

On the fifth day, someone unexpected showed up. Kazama paused in digging when he sensed a familiar presence approaching and looked up to see that Amagiri was making his way over to them. Hijikata stopped digging, too, when he saw him.

"You..." Kazama said, narrowing his eyes. He hadn't forgotten how Amagiri had threatened to hurt Sumiko before because he thought she was a bad influence. "What are you doing here?"

"That is my question," Amagiri said. He looked at the grave they were digging and the ones they had already finished. "Burying the dead?"

"What of it?" Kazama said.

"I think it's admirable. They have been abandoned for far too long," Amagiri said.

"It was Sumiko's idea," Kazama said, narrowing his eyes at him. He had better not be there to hurt her.

"I see," Amagiri said.

"What are you doing here?" Kazama asked.

"There were rumors you were in this area. I came to confirm them," Amagiri said.

"And now that you have?" Kazama asked.

"I would ask what your intentions are," Amagiri replied. "Do you intend to revive this village?"

"Hmph. And how would I do that? There are currently only two remaining Yukimuras," Kazama reminded him.

"But there are more Stray Oni," Amagiri said.

"I'm not going out of my way to gather them, if that is what you're asking," Kazama said. His frown deepened. "Were you sent by the Kazama family?"

"No. They want nothing more to do with you," Amagiri said. "They've completely disowned you."

"I thought they would," Kazama said. "In that case, why bother checking up on me?"

"I was curious," Amagiri said. "I wondered how far you had fallen and if you had come to ruin yet. But I find you here burying the dead with an enemy." Hijikata glanced between Kazama and Amagiri. His grip on the shovel he was using tightened slightly.

"We have settled things between us. There is no need to keep fighting," Kazama said. "If you are only here to cause trouble, you can leave, Amagiri."

"As I said, I am merely curious," Amagiri said. "Where is that woman? Have you married her yet?"

"Right here. And he has," Sumiko said as she approached them with Chizuru, both carrying more wooden basins filled with bones. "Hello."

"Hello," Amagiri returned her greeting, bowing politely to her and Chizuru. "So, you kept your promise. And now all of you are here together. What a strange turn of events."

"I hope you're not here to stir things up," Sumiko said. "If not, maybe you'd like to help?"

"I would. The people living here were admirable Oni," Amagiri said.

So, like that, they gained another worker, and they went on until night began to fall. Once the light started to fade, Chizuru and Sumiko began cooking enough supper to feed all of them. Amagiri seemed to have no intention of leaving yet.

"Did you have other business in the area, or did you come all this way just to see us?" Sumiko asked him as they were eating.

"I was not sent here officially, but the new head of the Kazama family has expressed his wish to have the Douji-giri Yasutsuna that you bear returned to them," Amagiri said, looking at Kazama.

"Hmph. So you weren't 'merely curious' after all," Kazama said.

"Douji-giri Yasutsuna?" Chizuru asked.

"It's the name of his sword," Sumiko said.

"Is there something special about it?" Chizuru asked.

"It was used by Minamoto Yorimitsu to slay another Oni, Shuten Douji," Hijikata said. "Cuts from its blade can't be healed quickly."

"That's right. The blade is special and can inhibit the healing process for Oni," Amagiri said.

"Oh. I see," Chizuru said. That sounded like a very serious weapon.

"It is a treasure. I can understand why they want it back," Kazama said, though he was reluctant to surrender his sword. "Who is the new head? Hayato?"

"It is Akihito-sama," Amagiri replied.

"Hmph. I suppose that's all right, then," Kazama said. Akihito was reasonable. He wouldn't come after any of them without cause. "Has he said what he plans to do about me?"

"As long as you do not endanger the family, he plans to turn a blind eye to your waywardness," Amagiri said.

"How benevolent of him," Kazama remarked sardonically. But he was grateful for that. He didn't want Sumiko to get dragged into trouble because of him. He removed his sword from his side and returned it to Amagiri, who gave him the sword that he had carried before he switched in return. It may not be a famous oni-slaying blade, but it was high-quality and a well-crafted katana. Amagiri set his choptsticks down on top of his empty bowl. He had finished eating.

"I shall take my leave of you, then," Amagiri said. "Thank you for your hospitality." He bowed to them, then stood up and left with the sword he had come to retrieve.

—∞—

They were just finishing the last grave when two more familiar faces came to visit them.

"Osen-chan! Kimigiku-san!" Chizuru said, surprised to see their friends again.

"Are you well, Chizuru? Sumiko?" Sen asked, smiling at the two women.

"Very. How about you two?" Sumiko asked, giving her a friendly smile as she greeted her.

"We're well, thank you," Kimigiku said.

"Is it true that you've married Kazama?" Sen asked Sumiko.

"That's right. And before say anything, it wasn't against my will or anything," Sumiko said.

"Oh, good. We were concerned about that," Sen said, relieved. "I guess you finally learned how to treat women right, if Sumiko accepted you," she added, teasing Kazama a bit.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kazama said, smirking as he put his arm around his wife.

"And congratulations are also in order for you two, right?" Sen asked Chizuru and Hijikata, smiling at them.

"That's right," Chizuru said, blushing a bit as she looked at her husband and smiled happily.

"I'm so glad everything worked out! You two had me so worried for a while..." Sen said, looking at Chizuru and Sumiko.

"Sorry about that," Sumiko said, smiling wryly.

"Yes," Chizuru agreed, smiling apologetically. Sen looked around at their handiwork.

"It's good that you're doing this. Maybe now they can rest in peace," Sen said, feeling sorry for the slaughtered villagers. "Are you going to revive this village?"

"Well, we were thinking of settling here, but we're not sure about the rest of it," Chizuru said, looking at the ruined village. Despite the evidence of destruction, it was a peaceful, beautiful area. A little group of sparrows was chirping and hopping along on the ground not far from them in search of food.

"If you need help, we can lend you some of our people to clear the ruins and start building again," Sen offered.

"I think we'll be all right. We're not planning to clear the whole village, just enough land to build our own homes," Hijikata said.

"Well, I, personally, would appreciate the help," Sumiko said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have no experience with building houses, and I'd rather not live in a shack."

"That's very true..." Chizuru said, considering her point.

"I don't want to live in a shack either," Kazama said when he thought about it. "How much experience do you have with carpentry and so on?" he asked Hijikata. Because he had absolutely none.

"Ah, there is that..." Hijikata said, sweat-dropping. He could probably build a rudimentary shelter, but the girls did deserve better.

"It's settled, then," Sen said, smiling, glad she could help them out.

"Is it okay for you to associate with Stray Oni?" Sumiko asked, not wanting to get her in trouble.

"It's fine. It's not like any of you have committed any crimes, and you aren't a danger to our race," Sen said, waving off her worries.

"Then we appreciate your help," Sumiko said, smiling.

"Anytime," Sen said, smiling back.

—∞—

Sen and Kimigiku spent the night with them at the Yukimura Village, then they left to return to Yase and organize the help for them as had been promised. They didn't have to wait long, and soon the land was cleared for two houses to be built and construction began.

"I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's finished," Chizuru said cheerfully as she and Sumiko were gathering water from the well to give to the their husbands and the workers. Hijikata and Kazama were doing their part to help out, too.

"Yeah," Sumiko agreed, smiling. She knew Kazama was definitely looking forward to having a bedroom with more solid walls again. She was, too. Her smile fell as a wave of nausea swept over her, and she quickly turned away from Chizuru and the buckets of clean water as she lost her breakfast in the grass next to the well.

"Sumiko-san? Are you okay?" Chizuru asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. Whatever it was passed..." Sumiko said as the nausea left her, but she furrowed her brow slightly as she wondered what it could be. 'Don't tell me...' she thought as a bead of sweat slid down the side of her face.

—∞—

Sumiko began to pay more attention to her body after that, and a few days later she was very sure that she knew what was going on with it. "Um, Kazama..." she said tentatively that evening, wondering how she should tell him. She supposed just saying it straight was probably best. "I think I'm pregnant," she stated as he was caressing her face and leaning in to kiss her. Kazama paused and drew back slightly.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"As sure as I can be," Sumiko said. Kazama looked her up and down and then closely at her face, as if searching for evidence to confirm what she was telling him. He smiled at her, finished kissing her, and held her.

"Wonderful! We'll need to get another doctor or a midwife here to help care for you," he said. "I don't want to take any chances." She may be part Oni, but childbirth could still be dangerous.

"I've helped pregnant patients and delivered their children before," Sumiko said.

"You won't be able to do it for yourself. What are you going to do? Yell orders at Chizuru?" Kazama asked. "Something could go wrong. Like I said, I don't want to take any chances," he said earnestly.

"... All right," Sumiko agreed after a moment. Childbirth was more dangerous at this time than in the future. "I guess it can't be helped."

The next morning, they had a request sent for a doctor. Kazama insisted the doctor should be an oni in case the baby was born in its Oni form, which did happen sometimes. It would protect them from being exposed if it did. A doctor was sent and Sen and Kimigiku came with him, because Sen wanted to see Sumiko and congratulate her in person.

"Don't worry! We'll help you take care of everything," Sen told her, grinning.

—∞—

Sen was true to her word, and nine months later, she was there in the birthing room with Sumiko along with Chizuru and the doctor as they prepared for the baby's arrival and tried to comfort Sumiko through her labor pains. The men were waiting in another room in the house.

"I'm sure your wife will give birth to a strong child, Kazama-san," one of the newcomers, Shiranui Gorou said pleasantly. Over the last nine months, word had spread among the Oni about the new settlers in the Yukimura Village, and more Stray Oni had trickled in to join them until they had a very small village full of people. As he had experience acting as the head of the Kazama family, Kazama Chikage had become the village head, and he ran the village with help from Sumiko, Hijikata, Chizuru, and another Stray Oni named Himura Fumihito, who also had some human ancestry. Normally Kazama was a calm and composed leader, but at the moment he couldn't completely conceal the anxiety he felt for his wife while he waited to hear that she had given birth safely and was pacing back and forth.

"Gorou-san is right. This is Sumiko we're talking about," Hijikata said, wishing Kazama would sit still. He was not unsympathetic, but Kazama's pacing was starting to put him on edge.

"Yes, you're right," Kazama said, but he didn't stop pacing. He knew Sumiko was strong and healthy, but even strong and healthy women could be done in if there was an unexpected complication. Hijikata sighed. He gave up and resigned himself to watching Kazama walk back and forth.

"Urgh!" Sumiko groaned, gritting her teeth against the scream that threatened to tear out of her as she gave birth to her firstborn.

"That's it, Sumiko-san! You're doing really well!" Chizuru encouraged her, wincing at how tightly her hand was being held by the pregnant woman, but she didn't complain.

"Almost there!" the doctor assured Sumiko, letting her know the end of the pain was in sight.

"You can do it!" Sen encouraged Sumiko. "Just a little more..."

Kazama froze mid-step when he heard the first cries of his child. They were faint, but he heard them. He immediately headed for the birthing room with Hijikata following behind him. Chizuru had stepped outside just as they arrived.

"Oh! Kazama-san, I was just coming to get you. She's here!" Chizuru said, smiling brightly.

"She?" Kazama asked. Chizuru nodded, still smiling.

"Your daughter was born safely. She and Sumiko-san are both all right," she said. "Would you like to see them?"

"Yes," Kazama said, amazed and excited to meet his firstborn. And it was a female Oni, no less. He couldn't have been prouder. That was what he thought, until he entered the birthing room and saw his beautiful Sumiko holding their daughter. She was a tiny little thing, and she had indeed been born in her Oni form. Her eyes were closed, but she had silver hair, pointed ears, and two small bumps on her her head where her little horns were already forming. She also had her mother's nose. His heart was bursting with so much pride that it felt like it might split open. He took over supporting Sumiko from Sen. He kneeled down beside his wife and put one arm around her as he kissed her sweaty forehead and placed his other hand gently under the new daughter she was holding in her arms. "She's beautiful," he told Sumiko, looking at the pink, squishy baby. "And you? No complications?"

"None," Sumiko said, smiling tiredly. "I'm all right."

"Good," Kazama said, relieved.

"Any idea what you want to name her yet?" Sen asked.

"Ayame," Kazama said, looking at his wife as he said. "I want her to be strong and beautiful, like her mother." Sumiko blushed, recalling how he had told her before that she was an Iris rather than the weed she thought she was. The name Ayame meant 'iris'. She smiled.

"I like that," Sumiko said, looking lovingly at their daughter. "Welcome to the family, Ayame." As she spoke, Ayame transformed to take on a more human form. She had Kazama's golden hair.

They worked hard to give their eldest daughter and her five younger siblings that followed (one of which was another girl) a good life, and—as clichéd as it may be—they all lived happily ever after together in the revived Yukimura Village alongside Chizuru and Hijikata and their children.