"Avaron, dear, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Honoka said as she slid the door shut to their private coach. The train had just whistled its final warning that it was departing and was now starting to slowly chug along. "At least you got to make peace with the young man."

"At least," Avaron agreed, but her tone and posture revealed she was still low in spirit. While Soujiro's last words to her had been kind and sincere, she couldn't help but feel he still harbored contempt for her by how he kept a certain distance from her with arms crossed and barely being able to meet her gaze. She had long wished now she had never brought up their brief past together. It had been so brief and wasn't worth the pain and turmoil it had clearly put him through.

She looked away from the window she had been facing to gaze up at her aunt. Her shoulders dropped in disbelief when she observe what her aunt had brought in their private coach. "Is that a bottle of sake?"

"Don't act so surprised. You know what traveling does to my stomach," she tried to justify it. "Having just a cup or two will help me sleep through the worst of it." She sat down across from her niece. "Maybe a drink will do you some good. I brought an extra cup," she tried to tempt her niece as she held up the extra cup.

Avaron didn't respond and turned her gaze back out the window as the train accelerated in speed. After just a few short minutes, she suddenly found she couldn't stand to sulk at the window while her aunt drank. She stood. "I need some air. I'll be back shortly."

"Avaron."

She sighed inwardly before turning to face her aunt.

"Everything will turn out for the best. If what you said was true, he may just need time to sort it all out. I'm sure he's already sorry," she smiled hopefully for her niece. She then started to pour her first cup of sake. "Now, if I'm already asleep when you get back, you just go ahead and help yourself to a cup."

Avaron finally smiled for her aunt. "Thank you Aunt Honoka, but as usual, I'll have to decline. I'll return soon. I just need a moment."

She slid the door shut behind her and was relieved to see the narrow corridor empty, though, it still wasn't enough. She continued down the narrow passage towards the front of the train and exit out of the passenger car to the small platform before the door. The air was chilly, but she was dressed for the weather and found the cold rushing air to be refreshing as she recollected her thoughts. While she wished she had avoided telling Soujiro altogether of their brief past together, she still desired to remember it and had spent her moments alone trying to remember. She had not been able to give satisfying answers when he abruptly questioned her and she felt that was part of the reason he had stormed out of the hotel. She knew she might not ever see him again, but if by chance she did, and he was ready, she wanted to be ready to tell him what she knew.

She leaned back against the wall of the passenger car and closed her eyes to try and forget the present world for a moment and focus back when her path had briefly crossed with Soujiro's.

A shoji door was slammed aside. "Daddy! Daddy!" Five year old Avaron ran into a humble home of the family they were staying with. "Help!"

A woman rushed into the room to meet Avaron first. She was flustered at the sight of the girl, but relieved to have found her safe and sound. "You daft girl, you shouldn't have wandered from my sight. Your father was just about to go off and search for you. Don't you think he has enough on his plate caring for my sick children?"

"I saw something! He needs help!" She beseeched.

A moment later, her father was seen rushing out of the children's room at hearing the distress of his own child. The moment Avaron caught sight of him, she ran to meet him halfway and fell into the safety of his open arms. "You're trembling," her father remarked. "Is everything all right?"

"There were these men in a field...and a boy. They were...they were-"

"No, wait!" A new voice interfered.

The three present turned their attention to the door left opened to see a young boy standing in in their midst now. He was panting softly and had blood and dirt smeared across his cheek he had apparently tried to wipe clean with his sleeve. One of his eyes were bruised and swollen and his bottom lip had been busted open. Despite all that, he was smiling, especially when Avaron met his gaze. "Look, I'm okay," he took a shaky step towards her to try and reassure her. "You don't have to be afraid. They were-we were just playing. You don't need to-" he grimaced as his hand went to clutch at his side, but he refrained from actually clutching it. "You don't need to be afraid anymore."

"Thank you, Soujiro. We'll take it from here," the woman spoke up first.

Soujiro was still smiling when he nodded to the woman and started to turn away to leave.

"Wait a moment," Avaron 's father spoke up. "Come here, boy."

Soujiro paused and slowly turned his gaze back to them. "Me?"

The man nodded and reached a reassuring hand out towards him. "It's all right. I mean you no harm. I'm a doctor and you' re obviously hurt."

Soujiro's smile faltered as he worked to distance himself from them. "I said I'm fine."

"Then come here."

Avaron was still clutching at her father's side. What she had witness was still clear and vivid in her young mind. Soujiro had been working the field by himself until these two older men approached him to taunt and urged the boy to work harder or he would not eat that night. While Soujiro had his back turned, Avaron saw one of the men take a farm tool, a nata Soujiro used to work the fields and hide it in his pocket. Soujiro had caught sight of what he was doing at the last moment and demanded he returned the tool if he were to finish his work in time.

The man then abruptly punched Soujiro for daring to accuse him and the other had started to kick at Soujiro repeatedly to further teach him a lesson. When Soujiro was finally allowed to move, he got to his hands and knees to beg the man to return the tool he took so he could finish his work and be able to eat. The man finally returned the tool by thrusting it against Soujiro's face and busting his bottom lip open. That's when Avaron screamed. They all had turned their attention to her as she mustard all the strength in her small legs to run back to her father.

What she couldn't understand was how on earth Soujiro managed to get away from those terrible men and catch up so quickly. Now that he got away, why was he saying he was fine? Why wasn't he running away while he could? Why was he smiling?

Soujiro remained standing in the doorway and had lowered his head in a state of panic. All he had to do was walk up to the man to prove he was fine. He felt it should have been an easy request to fulfill, but it wasn't. "I..." he stuttered weakly. His hand was now hovering over at his side where he had clearly been hurt and his breaths were short.

"This isn't necessary. Go home, Soujiro." The woman persisted.

Soujiro seemed relieved to hear that and offered a small bow of his head. He turned too quickly to leave. "Gah!" He suddenly fell to one knee cradling both hands against his rib cage. He struggled all the more to breathe.

"Soujiro!" The woman yelled.

Avaron's father was already rushing to his side and caught Soujiro when he started to collapse on his side. "Easy there. You're safe now," he tried to console him. By the time he took Soujiro into his arms, Soujiro became limp against his torso as he was safely carried back inside. Once Avaron's father shut the door behind him, he gently lay Soujiro on the floor and pulled his sleeve down to examine where he had been harmed in his side.

The woman stepped forward, clearly opposed to helping the boy. "This is normal. He's always been rather sickly and weak. You should make the Seta family aware before taking it upon yourself to treat him. They have their own way of caring for him."

"He's not sick, he's hurt," Avaron's father felt he need to bring out the obvious. Soujiro had several bruises from where he had been kicked in his torso, but one stood out amongst the rest on his ribs where it was the darkest and swollen. "His rib is fractured and its affecting his breathing." He then directed his eyes to Soujiro's shoulder when he saw more discoloration of the skin, like something had been wrapped too tightly or been too heavy for him to carry. "The Seta family. I think I've heard of them around here. They're merchants, right?"

"Rice merchants," the woman replied. "Why?"

He lifted Soujiro's other sleeve off his shoulder and saw his other shoulder had the same discoloration. He pulled the sleeve back and looked back up at the woman. "If he's known to be so sickly and weak, why does his family work him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"These marks on his shoulders are from something he's been carrying. A heavy load of some sort... As in rice?"

"Look, I don't know what your daughter saw, but the Seta family have a strong influence and reputation in this village. They bring a lot of wealth here and I'm not sure how this village would function without the work and money they bring in. Soujiro couldn't possibly be trusted with such responsibility and the labor the work demands. He could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Children often wander off where they shouldn't," she said as she cast a glance at Avaron. "He probably wandered too far and was attacked by bandits."

"That isn't true!" Avaron yelled.

Her father got a better sense of what was going on and decided to quickly stop pressing the matter. He wasn't about to buy Soujiro simply having been attacked. The boy looked he couldn't possibly have been carrying anything of any value and be worth the time a bandit to threaten.

He, instead, carefully cradled Soujiro back in his arms so not to further agitate his injury and stood with him back in his arms. "Either way, he needs time to recover. Let me know if someone comes looking for him. You can tell them he's receiving the care he needs." He then carried Soujiro off to the next room down the hall to care for him there as little Avaron went trailing after him.

Two days passed and no one ever did come searching for Soujiro. No alarm had even been raised from his family and the family Avaron and her father stayed with had also kept quiet about it. Clearly, they had some fear of the Seta family and did not desire to get on their bad side, but they continued to pressure her father to give Soujiro up. Avaron's father refused to give in, especially when Soujiro remained unconscious the whole time.

"Why hasn't he waken up daddy?" Avaron asked.

Her father had just brought in a tray with freshly brewed medicinal tea to give Soujiro in case he woke up. He sat the tray down beside him and took the small towel resting on Soujiro 's forehead and dipped it in a bowl of warm water he brought in with the tea and wrenched the excess water out before placing it back on his brow. "He's healing normally. He should have regained consciousness already unless..." he pondered a moment.

"Unless what?" Avaron asked in dread.

"Unless he's just tired." Her father stated with a hopeful smile. "He's safe here with us and he must know that to be sleeping this long."

"Huh?" She questioned confusingly.

"Even with his injury, and to my disbelief, he had to have run to catch up to you, dear. I believe what gave him that strength, sadly, was fear. Fear of whoever was harming him in the first place and running like that could have only wore him down even more. As soon as I told him he would be safe, he seemed to completely give up. Either way, taking just a bit of that fear away must have been a relief to him. He probably hasn't felt safe enough to sleep like this in awhile. If that's the case, he needs this rest. It's probably long overdue."

"I always feel safe with you daddy," she smiled fondly at him.

A knock came on the door.

"Come in."

The door was slid open to reveal the mother. "It's my son. He hasn't stopped coughing."

"Be right there," he said before turning his attention back to his daughter. "Stay with him in case he wakes up. His memory might be a little hazy and he might not remember why he's here."

"Okay daddy."

When her father left to tend to the mother's child, the mother lingered for a moment staring at Soujiro. "No word out of him, then?"

"Not yet, but daddy said he's already getting better. He just needs rest."

"Hmph," she grunted out disapprovingly before following after her father.

Avaron had been oblivious to it and had already turned her full attention back to Soujiro. Her eyes widened hopefully when Soujiro's chest rose to take his first deep breath he's been able to manage since fracturing his rib. "You are getting better," she said happily. Her smile grew when he shifted his head in response to her cheerful voice. The towel placed on his forehead was about to fall and she quickly grasped it to keep it in place and began stroking it across his forehead to continue gently waking him. Her father would have disapproved trying to force him awake in any way, but the five year old was tired of waiting.

His eyes finally opened to meet her energetic, green eyes.

"You're finally awake!" She grinned happily for him.

Soujiro's brow furrowed in confusion and he flinched when she stroked the towel across his forehead. He suddenly twisted in pain and softly cried as his hands clutched at his side where he had agitated the fractured bone. "Oh no! Just when you started breathing normally." She cried out in guilt. She then remembered what her father would do. "Here, lay on it." She tugged at his arm to urge him to lay on his fractured bone.

"Wha-?" Soujiro huffed out, already out of breath.

"Trust me. Lay on it. Daddy first laid you on your side when he brought you in here."

He slowly obeyed and grunted painfully as he tried to relax against the fractured bone. It was excruciating at first, but the more he relaxed and focused on his breathing, the easier he settled into position. Then Soujiro realized after a moment, he was breathing almost normally again. He took a moment to take a deep breath.

"See. I told you." She grinned again. Her lips fell straight when she saw his eyelids grow heavy on him again. She didn't want him to go back to sleep already. Then she remembered one more thing. "Wait. You're probably thirsty." She scrambled for the tray of tea her father brought in and eagerly poured him a cup of tea. "Here you go. Wait," she held it back and took a sip from the cup. "Yep, it's the perfect temperature," she held it down for him.

He shook his head. "I can't..."

"Oh that's right, you just got comfortable again." She then thought for a moment and smiled. "Here, I can hold your head up for you. You need to try."

He reluctantly obeyed and let her lift his head in her small hand as she carefully brought the cup to his lips. He wasn't so reluctant once he got his first taste of sustenance in two days. She was being too careful in how she was feeding it to him so that he eventually brought his hand around hers and tilted the cup so he could drink more. He drank it until the cup was empty.

Soujiro dropped his hand from the cup and she felt his head become more heavy against her hand. She gently rested it back against the pillow. "You're safe now, Soujiro. You can sleep until you're better." She wanted to assure him just like her father had done.

Soujiro shifted his head one last time towards her and smiled thankfully as she pulled his blanket back over his shoulder. Even then, he had not known whether this had been real or if he was just dreaming. He just knew for the first time in his life, he truly did feel safe and protected. He wanted to hold on to that feeling while he could.

Soujiro opened his eyes back to the present. He now stood on the steps of the storage car, his hands barely grasping at the handrail as he watched the world pass him by. He had never traveled by train before and was taking a moment to take in the breathtaking views of the mountains now surrounding him as the train itself traveled the mountainside. He had thought he might just let himself go, let himself die if he could. He couldn't count on his minor injury to finish the job, especially since the bleeding had stopped for the most part. His strength was still dangerously low from being sick in the alley and from bloodloss and performing the shukuchi in such a weakened state. He was certainly not in a state to where he should be standing, let alone off the edge of a moving train traveling through the mountainside.

He didn't want to die. He had never wanted to die. He had spent his whole life trying to live after all, but now, he was running out of options. He truly, utterly felt cornered being hunted by the Meiji, facing a deadly disease and putting Koharu at risk. An innocent girl would now become a target of the Meiji because he didn't have the heart to abandon her in the first place. Even now, he knew ending his own life would be abandoning her, but it was better than having to make her watch him suffer to death or her becoming a target of the Meiji. He had only encouraged Koharu to leave for this very reason. He knew she would never reach Avaron. She would be riding in first class at the front of the train. Koharu would be caught long before she ever reached there. She would be taken into custody until they reached Tokyo and eventually end up in an orphanage where she would be cared for. Soujiro had argued it would be better than having left her on the streets of Kofu. Even if Koharu, by some miracle, did reach Avaron and told the truth like she was instructed, there was no way Avaron could allow herself to get involved. There was too much at risk for her and surely, her aunt would not allow it. He had set Koharu up to fail. Soujiro knew he had said his last goodbye to her.

He had then started to remember. He remembered her. He remembered Avaron. Now that he remembered, he wondered how he could have forgotten. Of course, he had spent half his life trying to forget that whole chapter in his life. Even now, he still couldn't quite remember how he ended up back with his wretched family after staying with Avaron and her father. He just knew he had been sent back to live with them. Avaron had said there had been several reasons why her father couldn't just take him away. Maybe that's why he decided to forget Avaron and her father. He had been let down after they had promised he would be safe. He hadn't been angry at them, but it hurt more to remember and reflect how they had made him feel while under their care than to not. It hurt too much to think he could never feel safe again. He had to go back to sleeping with one eye open and being daily tormented by his family. Even now, he couldn't remember what it was like to feel safe and protected. It had been better to forget, and eventually not feel anything at all.

Is it really so bad to be weak? He dwelled on those words he had asked not too long ago... Because staying strong is wearing me down. Then what's the point?

"You're right, Koharu. This life doesn't suit me." He released the handrail as he held his chained wrists down in front of him. He stepped onto the last step and gazed down at the steep mountainside. "And I'm ready for it to be over."

Avaron was startled back to the present when she suddenly heard nearby screaming and hollering fill the passenger car within. She stood from the wall as it got closer until the door was finally thrown open . "You better let me go or there will be hell to pay!"

She saw the train conductor first before he yanked out a very distressed Koharu, who continued to scream and resist his hold on her.

"Koharu?" She couldn't believe it.

"Avaron! I finally found you!" She stomped on the man's foot to free herself and shoved him aside.

"Ow! Hey!" The man yelled as Koharu threw her arms around Avaron.

"Thank goodness! I was beginning to think I wouldn't find you!"

"Why? What's wrong? What are you even doing on this train?"

"You disrespectful little brat! How dare you!" The train conductor gripped and yanked at Koharu's arm to tear her away from Avaron. "I apologize Miss. Please return to your seat. It isn't safe for you to remain out here."

"No, wait! It's okay. Let her go."

"Pardon me, Miss, but she was found without a ticket."

"I'll take care of it and sort it out of the station," Avaron said. She then cleared her throat and promptly placed her hands on her hips as she glared at Koharu. "As for you, young lady, you're in a mess of trouble for sneaking on this train. You just wait until Aunt Honoka hears of this," she said as she pulled Koharu with her.

"Who?" Koharu questioned.

Avaron hushed her before shoving the girl back inside the passenger car. She turned to face the man one last time. "I apologize for the trouble my ...cousin has caused. Aunt Honoka will give her the punishment she deserves, you have my word."

"Now wait a min-"

"Thank you for understanding. I'll take it from here," she said and shut the door behind her. She grabbed at Koharu's arm and rushed her back to their private coach.

"Ow! My foot is still sprained," Koharu complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Avaron said as she slowed the pace. She opened the door to their private coach and urged the girl inside. "Now, what's going on?" She asked as she slid the door shut behind her. "Where's Soujiro?"

Koharu opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sudden loud snore. They both turned their attention to see Honoka already passed out in her sleep across the bench. Her empty cup was about to fall off her opened hand and drop next to the bottle of sake on the floor. It really did only take a cup to knock her out. "Who's that?"

"It's my aunt," she said then impatiently snapped her fingers in front of Koharu to get her attention. "Focus Koharu. Are you alone on this train?"

"No, Soujiro's here but...he's hurt really bad."

"Does he need a doctor? I'm sure we can find one on this train."

"No." Koharu promptly stated. "No one can know he's here."

"If it's a matter of money I'll be more than happy to cover it."

"No, it's much more than that. Please, Avaron. It has to be you. You're the only one we can trust," she begged.

Avaron crossed her arms. "Koharu, what's going on?"

Koharu's face remained just as serious. "Before I tell you anything else, you have to promise to help Sou, and only you."

"Koharu-"

"Promise!"

They both looked over at Honoka when her snoring came to an abrupt stop from Koharu raising her voice. Both girls held their breath for a moment as Honoka shifted around. She finally settled in her new position and her snoring pattern continued.

Avaron exhaled in relief and turned her gaze back at Koharu. "All right. I promise. Tell me what's wrong."

Koharu at first smiled hopefully, but a look of dread was quick to replace her face at revealing the truth. She knew she had no choice, however. She quickly tried to explain what happened...

...Avaron backed away from Koharu as she finished explaining the most important details. "He's a criminal?"

"Yes, but he's a good one," Koharu tried defending.

Avaron shook her head in a confusion. "Koharu, there's no such thing. Given that he's a swordsman, it's not hard to imagine what he's guilty of. I can't-"

"You promised," Koharu cried softly.

"He needs real help." She tried to make the girl understand. "There's nothing I can do. Are you sure he sent you away just for me to help him?" She didn't know Soujiro well, but he certainly didn't seem the type to request help, let alone like this. Surely he had to have known she couldn't be allowed to get herself involved.

"Please." Koharu begged. "He could..." She didn't even want to say it, but she knew it could be true. Soujiro never denied he wasn't. "He could be dying." She saw Avaron's face becoming more anxious at hearing that.

"I'll help him, by alerting someone else of his situation," she started to open the door before Koharu blocked her.

"No." Koharu struggled to keep her voice down. "You're right, Avaron. This isn't his idea. It's mine. I came to you because you protected and helped him already. And I know you like him. I saw how you were staring at him."

Avaron's cheeks turned a shade of red. "That's not why I was staring. I -"

"He's all I have," Koharu continued. "If you tell the authorities, they'll take him away and then I'll be sent away... I could never see him again."

"Well, I'm sorry, but he has to answer for his crimes." She tried to remain firm, but her voice lacked the conviction she wanted it to have.

Koharu's face had slowly been twisting into one of rage as Avaron spoke and her words sunk in. She couldn't believe this was the same girl that had rescued her just the day before. She couldn't believe now she had ever trusted her to watch over Soujiro. Avaron suddenly seemed as vile as the police officers and thugs that had been after them.

Koharu reached her boiling point when she couldn't ball her fists any tighter and released them by thrusting them into Avaron and slammed her against the wall. She felt absolutely betrayed after feeling confident Avaron would be eager to help them. "Fine then! Tell them! By the time I get back to Sou, we'll be long gone!" She slammed the door aside and darted down the corridor.

Honoka bolted upright as soon as the door was slammed aside and only saw her niece with her back against the wall, her green eyes widened in shock and mouth agaped.

"What's going on? I'm trying to sleep!"

"I...fell," Avaron uttered out.

"Clumsy child. Be more careful," she said as she got back into position to sleep. "And close that door!"

Avaron ignored her as she stood straight and rushed out the door after Koharu. She came to an abrupt stop when she found the small girl had fallen over her knees in her rush because of her sprained ankle. She was crying. She knew she wouldn't get to Soujiro in time. "Why won't you just try?" she cried softly.

Avaron continued to approach her carefully. "Are you okay?"

"Of course not!"

Avaron hushed her. "Every moment spent fighting and delaying is going to come at a cost for Soujiro."

Koharu balled her fists angrily as she looked over her shoulder at Avaron. Her fists relaxed when she saw Avaron's new kindhearted face. She held her hand down to her. "Take me to him and I'll see what I can do."

"How will I know you'll keep it a secret?" Her voice broke as she tried to speak.

Avaron lowered her hand back to her side. "Is it really worth his life?" she had to ask. She decided quickly not to go that route when she saw Koharu balling her fists again. Avaron still decided to kneel down next to her as she gazed compassionately. "I'll see him first and see if I can help him but if there's nothing I can do, I will get him other help." She made clear to her. "His secret isn't worth his life."

Koharu's gaze softened. She finally saw sense in Avaron's words. Even if it meant Soujiro getting caught, it was still better than letting him die. She had first been repulsed by the idea because she knew all around Soujiro would rather die as he was now than receive help from the government, but Avaron, and now Koharu, didn't see it that way. "You promise you'll try to help him first?"

Avaron nodded and stood as she extended her hand out a second time. "I promise. Come. We shouldn't delay anymore for his sake."

"This way. Please hurry." She now rushed Avaron. "He's just over that door."

"I'm trying," Avaron said as she reached her hand out for Koharu to help her across to the last car. "It's not exactly easy to maneuver across a train in a kimono," she said watching the tracks fly breath her.

They had managed to travel safely towards the end of the train and without drawing too much attention. It had been awkward for Avaron traveling through the lower class where they were not seated in private coaches, but everyone sat clustered together on rows of benches. The hardest part for her was trying to blend in like she always belonged. It was not not that she didn't want to have to lower herself down to them, but she knew it wouldn't do any good to be drawing attention to herself. Her clothes thankfully drew little attention, but her hairpin did and so would the bottle of sake if she wasn't careful in how she concealed it.

Koharu opened the last door to jump inside and turned to face Avaron to help her across. As she helped Avaron, her eyes focused on the bottle of sake Avaron had carried their whole way back. "Why are you bringing that? I don't think Sou drinks."

"I'm not bringing it for anyone to drink," she made clear. "If he's hurt as bad as you've told me, his wound will need to be cleaned and disinfected."

"Sake can do that?"

"Alcohol can. I've seen my father resort to it in such dire situations."

Koharu grinned. "I knew I wasn't crazy to come find you. Come on."

Koharu turned away and finally was able to enter the storage car where she left Soujiro. She was quick to find, however, that he was not where she last left him. She carefully walked ahead first and shook her head confusingly as she rushed to the opposite end. "Sou?" There was no response. She started searching behind the large crates stored around them. He was no where to be seen.

"Koharu?" Avaron asked with concern as she entered. She paused halfway when she noticed the blood staining the door. The sight of the blood put a lump in her throat and she clutched at her heart in angst. "...Where is he?"

"I don't understand." Koharu said as she approached Avaron. "He could barely hold his head up when I left. I hope no one found him. What if they did? What if he's already gone?" she panicked.

"He can't have just disappeared. We would have seen or heard the commotion if he was caught. Let's check -"

"Outside." Koharu spun around to face the opposite for and ran for it. She clutched the handle of the door and threw it open.

"Koharu, wait!" Avaron sat the bottle down before rushing after the girl. She feared what the young girl might see.

There he finally was and lying on his side against the guardrail just before the steps. He almost looked as if he came out to enjoy the view and take a nap, but the idea was preposterous given the weather and temperature and the state he was left in. "Sou! What are you doing?" Koharu yelled and shook his shoulder. When she got a better look of his face, she saw how pale and cold his skin now was and he made no reaction to her voice and touch. "Sou! Wake up! I'm here. Avaron's here. Wake up!" She shook him more aggressively, but he remained limp. She looked up at Avaron when she rushed into the doorway. "Please help! H-he isn't waking up."

She stepped aside to let Avaron take her spot. She promptly sat beside him and reached her hand around his neck to feel for a pulse. "I don't believe it," she could exhale in relief. "He's still alive. In fact, his heart is still beating rather strong," she said hopefully. She used her hand to hold his bangs aside and openly reveal his bruised and battered face. She could tell he had been hit several times and she knew it was not done by fists alone, but he had been struck by something harder. Koharu's face looked about as bruised but not to the same extent. Soujiro had been hit enough that he had bled from his mouth and right cheek from the blunt object.

She knew something had clearly been bothering Soujiro that morning. He had even seemed scared, but she never could imagine it resulting to something like this. It was as if he never left the life she thought he had been freed of. He looked exactly as he had when she last saw him as a child. He had the pure look of defeat and surrender even in his unconscious state.

"Soujiro? It's me. I need you to wake up!" She gave him a firm shake, but he remained unresponsive. She knew if Koharu couldn't wake him up, she was less likely to. She lowered her hands and gazed at the blood staining the front of his shirt where she assumed he had been shot. Feeling sure he wouldn't wake up, she quickly unbutton the front of his shirt to examine where he was hurt. She knew she needed to get him out of the cold, but it was just as dangerous to move him depending where he was hurt. She noticed how his shirt had been sliced through before realizing the blood covering his shirt was from a sword that had stuck him. "I thought you said he was shot," she said as she looked back at Koharu. Koharu was hugging at her arms trying to withstand the cold wind blowing into her. Avaron realized it was colder than she realized for them because they were not properly dressed for the weather.

"He was shot in his arm... so he wouldn't be able to wield his sword as affectively."

Avaron's attention was drawn to his chained wrists before she glanced back at him and then Koharu confusingly. Chaining his wrists alone felt like it should have been enough to hinder him, but someone thought otherwise. Soujiro looked as if he had been tortured. Shooting and chaining him had obviously not been enough if he managed to escape, she figured. She knew he would have had to run holding Koharu to make it on the train without someone noticing him. Avaron was only just beginning to understand he was much more than a skilled swordsman.

"He's not weak," Koharu suddenly uttered softly.

Avaron turned her gaze to Koharu to find her in a state of confusion and dismay. "Of course not." She wanted to assure the girl for her.

"No. I mean it." Koharu continued. "He let them do this to him. He wouldn't fight back. He surrendered too quickly. He was going to leave me behind," she uttered softly. "He let them do this to him, " she said again.

Avaron looked back at Soujiro and felt the guilt she carry magnify over her. She felt she was to blame. Soujiro had been a completely different person until she brought up his past. Overall, she had only known him for a few hours, but Koharu was only confirming that something was off about Soujiro. Things didn't change with him until Avaron stirred painful memories. She knew she had nothing to do with Soujiro being attacked, but she felt she had led him to giving up too quickly. She knew he couldn't be surrendering because it was the 'right' thing to do. Besides, it seemed odd to even her that he would abandon Koharu like that. She didn't know how to feel towards Soujiro. It seemed just as wrong for him to surrender as it did for him to remain on the run.

She finally lowered her hand and stood. " It should be okay to move him. I need to get him back inside. Being in this cold is doing nothing but hindering any chances of him coming back to us." She then stooped down from behind to lock her arms underneath his. She carefully was able to lift him a ways off the ground and pull him safely back inside the storage car. When she got him back into the safety of the storage car, she fell to her knees still holding him against her.

Koharu closed the door behind her. "What now?"

Avaron pulled Soujiro upright against her. She then slowly raised her arms, but then hesitated. "I'm really sorry," she whispered to him before she wrapped her arms around him. "But it's for your own good." She looked up at Koharu to explain her actions. "His body temperature is too low and losing that much blood has not helped. Extracting the bullet is only going to cause him to bleed out again. I need to raise his body temperature back up and wake him up before attempting it or he might not wake wake up at all, even if I succeed in extracting it."

" What was he even doing out there?" Koharu questioned bitterly. "Why would he make it harder to save himself?"

As soon as Koharu questioned it, Avaron knew. She knew Soujiro must have been counting on her not coming for him. He must had even known Koharu would get caught. She was ashamed to know now she had nearly fallen for the trap he was counting on. She had nearly let him down again and what was worse about it, he had been expecting it.

She kept his true intentions to herself as she pulled him all the more close and brought his head to rest just under her jaw. If he really wanted to die, he'd be dead already.