Kaori stopped when seeing Sakuno on the gardens. She was happily sitting on the grass, under a big tree, collecting pink and white flowers. She took a deep breath and walked towards her sister-in-law.
"Sakuno-san. Can I talk to you?"
The mermaid was startled and got up quickly.
"I'm sorry! Am I doing something wrong?! Ryoma said I could stay here so…"
"It is okay." She touched her hands, feeling bad for her reaction. "You did nothing wrong. Can we sit? I really want to talk to you."
They sat together and Sakuno averted her eyes.
"Are you still upset with me?" she asked, quietly.
"I am not." Kaori was sincere. "I had no right to talk to you like that, I am so sorry. It is just… so much happened." She took a deep breath. "I was sad and feeling guilty for what happened to Ren and I was also feeling alone since Ryoma do not want to live here anymore. All of those were bad feelings that had nothing to do with you. I apologize for the harsh words."
"You really love your brothers, right, Kaori-san?"
"I do." She showed her a sad smile. "I am the oldest after all. Taking care of them was my responsibility."
"It seems really hard. Ryoma told me you also needed to take care of Muramasa for a long time by yourself." Sakuno held her hand gently. "You know, there is still so much for me to learn about many things. But, I have always been alone. I had no family and I thought that, if I helped Ren when he was on the sea, maybe I wouldn't be alone anymore." she smiled. The mermaid placed her hand over her belly and Kaori felt the soft kick. "You were so kind to me, Kaori-san, you kept me alive and saved me. It is because of you I met Ryoma and now we are going to have a child. I am not alone anymore and for that I will always be grateful to you."
"Sakuno-san…"
"I love Ryoma." The scarlet eyes looked straight at the pink ones. "I know you love him too, but, could you give him to me?" she placed her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. "I will love him for all my life and I will take care of him. Please, let me have him."
Sakuno's heart skipped a beat when Kaori hugged her, gently but tight.
"He is my precious little brother, Sakuno-san. He is the best thing my father left to me. And I know how much he loves you too." She looked at the mermaid with a smile and cupped her face. "He is already yours. So, promise me you will make him nothing but happy. Extremely happy."
"Yes!" she showed a big smile.
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"It has been a while, Chichiue." Ryoma said, gently, in front of his father's grave. He crouched down and put some flowers on his grave.
The soft spring wind blew the trees and plants around.
"So much had happened since you were gone. To make things short, I left Muramasa and now Kaori is the new heir. Just like you wanted to."
He took a deep breath.
"I am sorry for what happened to Ren, but I do not think there was another way to stop him. He made everyone suffer so much."
Ryoma touched his name on the grave.
"You are going to be a grandfather. I got married to a mermaid. Can you believe it? Her name is Sakuno. Well, I named her. She has the most beautiful red eyes and hair. Sometimes I wake up by her side and it takes me some time to be sure she is truly real and she chose me. She is so kind and caring, Chichiue. Strong and brave too." He smiled. "She is simply extraordinary and she is already a great mother. I wish you were here, so you could see we are all right. That Kaori is already doing a wonderful job to Muramasa and I wanted you to meet my family."
Ryoma felt his heart tight and lowered his head.
"Thank you, Chichiue, for everything you have done for me. For acknowledge me and the faith you put on me, making me your heir. Thank you for being such a good father. I hope I can be the same for our daughter when she comes."
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"Hello." Ryoma found his sister working on her office. It was almost dinner time.
"Ryoma, come in." she smiled at him. "I am finally being able to balance Muramasa's income for this spring! I had to move some funds around but, it will definitely work and without adding more taxes to the people."
"I have no idea of what you are talking about." She giggled. "But, it sounds good."
"Do you need anything?"
"Sakuno is very happy about the conversation you two have. I want to say thank you for that."
"You should not." The pink eyes were gentle. "It was wrong of me, putting the blame on her for the things that were happening. Sakuno-san is wonderful. You picked well."
"Thank you." He sat across from her on the table. "We are going to leave tomorrow morning, Kaori."
"Already?" she asked, sadly.
"Yes. We need to visit our old house first to get some things and when we are going to the town Toshio-san told us about."
"I see. Well, at least it is a proper city. And just two days away."
"Promise to visit us when the baby is born. I will write you and let you know."
"When is that happening, exactly? Do you have any idea?"
"Not at all." He responded sincerely. "For the size of her belly, Sakuno is close to 4 months, so, we probably have at least 5 months to go. I will stick to that kind of math."
"Do you already think about a name?"
"Not yet. We decided to wait until she is born."
"I am sure she is going to be beautiful." She touched her brother's face. "You deserve to be happy, Ryoma. I really wish you all the happiness in the world, no matter where you are. You will always be my baby brother and I will always be here if you ever need me."
"I know." He showed her a small smile, before hugging her tightly. "I wish you the same, Kaori."