"Mother! Father and I have brought everything you needed." Little Hana announced in a hushed tone. The healer opened the slide and ushered her husband and daughter inside. "Mari dear, is it right to harbor a soldier in our care?" The healer's husband asked in a worried tone. Mari looked up at her husband questioningly. "Why are you worried, Ryuu?" She replied as she gently lifted the soldier's head and placed the neck rest on the back of her neck. "I'm afraid that she will bring harm to our village. She is a samurai after all, and the samurai are corrupt people."
"Ryuu, you are too uptight. I am certain that this warrior will not harm us. Do you think she would hurt us in exchange for the hospitality we've given her? No, darling. As a matter of fact, she would repay our hospitaltity. She might even protect the village from any harm."
"How are you so certain?"
"Women think alike. I am a woman and so is she. Just you wait."
"...Alright. I will go see the tailor to see if the soldier's name is on any of her garments."
Ryuu stood up and silently left despite his many doubts. Women may think alike, but a warrior is different. They're always different than anyone else. Mari hoped her prediction about the soldier was true. But something inside her heart told her that she was right.
Hana began gently undoing the soldier's tight braid. She then softly plopped the long curly hair into the bowl of warm water and began soaking the hair through and through. Hana noticed some dark red dye slightly tint the water. It looked like blood. She wrinkled her nose in disgust but grabbed her bar of honey soap and began washing the hair with her mother's help. Mari took the difficult task of untangling the ebony curls and combing the soldier's long mane of hair. It took them an hour and a half to cleanse, comb, and dry the soldier's hair. Mari ran some herb oils through the woman's hair before re-braiding it and placing it near the soldier's sleeping body. Mari lifted the soldier's head and placed it on the pillow once more.
The mother and her daughter left the warrior to finally be at peace. They washed their hands before meeting up with Ryuu and Michi. Ryuu beckoned little Hana over to teach her some writing skills as Mari prepared dinner. Michi went off to train himself in the art of the sword, despite being so horrible at it. But he didn't know.
The sun was beginning to set outside, and the shadows it made danced across the land. Somewhere in the far off skies, Kyuzo was healing in a clinic on board an airship. Wires of all sorts clung to his chest as his arms and one of his legs remained engulfed in bandages. He was thinking as always. He didn't enjoy talking to anyone anymore. Words weren't enough. He always kept silent and only talked when he needed to, which was rarely, nowadays. He only answered the questions that the doctors and nurses asked that regarded his health. Other than that, he kept to himself.
"After I get better and leave this place, where will I go? Is there even a place to retreat to? Samurai are starting to become outdated… only remnants of war. I doubt anyone would want to hire a samurai. That's pathetic. The Merchants have ended the era and are starting a new one. There will be no place for the true samurai. But there will be plenty of fakes here and there. I know that for a fact… I suppose I could at least become some sort of bodyguard. Who knows? Kiyoshi would laugh at that… if she was still here… there is no way in hell she could've survived. Did she ever think about me? Yeah, she probably did. I wonder what would happen if we ever saw each other. Would she kill me…? Or… would I kill her? No… I… I wouldn't. I wouldn't bring my blade down on her… not even if she asked for it. But would she kill me…? No. I know she wouldn't. Wherever she would go, her emotions often guided her. Maybe that was the cause of her downfall. D-damn it…"
Tears began falling down Kyuzo's cheeks as he strained to control himself. He was alone in the little room he was given, but he didn't like to cry. Flashes of Kiyoshi's face were repeatedly projected in his mind, which only made him weep harder. He needed to let go. He needed to cry. He'd bottled himself up for far too long.
"Kyuzo, it's okay to cry. It's part of a human's nature to weep when upset. It's normal. You don't have to be such a tough guy about it. We all have those moments where we need to let go. You're not alone."
Of course that memory of he and Kiyoshi would come back. But maybe it was her spirit telling him… okay, now he was starting to go mad. He let the last of his tears fall as he breathed to steady himself. "Goodbye, Kiyoshi. I will see you again."