"Battouryu, there is no need for you to know who am I" said the voice, now light-hearted and now seemed to be resisting a laugh from within. Yet, the person wasn't succeeding in his task. "I bring word from Katsura"
Miryu was sure that she would kill the person with her bare hands, now that she was sure who that person was. "Iizuka, do that again, and I'm sure that I'll chop you into twenty pieces, skin you alive, boil you in hot oil, and then, I'll kill you" she said furiously. Among everyone, Iizuka should know how dire the situation was for her. "Or maybe I shall make sure that you can never visit the red light district EVER again"
By her threat to castrate him, Iizuka decided to bring down his little victory speech on finally succeeding in scaring her out of her wits, and went to the real business, "Katsura wants you to go to Otsu and reunite with Kenshin" he said, unsheathing his katana, "and he wants you to go as soon as possible"
"Otsu? Now?" she asked in disbelief. "What about hiding?"
"I will contact you when the time comes"
"Then I will leave, first thing in the morning" she replied, gathering the dishes and heading back to Hiko's abode. In her heart, she was overjoyed that she would be back with Kenshin, whom she loved as a brother, and Tomoe as well, although she did not know what intentions she had for the both of them. Still, she knew that the road to Otsu, as safe as it appeared to be, was laden with dangers. There was an organization of ninjas trained in the stratagems and tactics of the West, which name she did not know, based there. The only downside was that they fought for the Bakufu.
When she returned to her master's house, she found him sleeping at the log directly before his kiln, snoring loudly. She kept the dishes and went to his bed to fetch his blanket, which she covered him with it. Then, she felt him grasp her wrist tightly, which shocked her to no end. "Ryumiko… Do not leave me…" she heard him say softly, his eyes still closed, I knew it, she told herself, he still misses oka-sama.
She couldn't bring herself to tell him of her departure and decided to wait till dawn, which was a few hours later. She took the time to pack her belongings and weapons, and found her old training-katana leaning on the wall, as she unsheathed it, and found there were a few words engraved on the blade. Miryu's first katana, were the words. Then, when she went to the cupboard to take a few of her kimono, she found a comb adorned by a single pearl the size of a fish's eye.
"It was your mother's most precious possession, this comb" Hiko said, taking it in his hands, "Her mother got it from her grandmother before the latter died, and she wanted me to keep it."
"Shishou…" she said, "I've received word from Katsura, and I have to leave for Otsu at dawn. After that, I do not know whether Kenshin and I will return alive. I do not know how will the war end, whether in victory or failure… But if you do not hear from me again, please remember Miryu, Ryumiko's daughter" She did not know why tears fell from her sapphire eyes, but she knew that she could not stop them from falling. She has seen so much death, wished for it, even, but somehow, she felt afraid to die, for if she did, she could not revisit the happy memories she had concerning Hiko or Kenshin, or create new ones with her newfound friends who are fighting for their lives and the Emperor.
"Then, I wish you good luck, Miryu" he replied, "Oh yes, I demand your safe return, and the baka-deshi's as well"