"I know that there is more to this man in your heart than just a person the Emperor has tasked you to protect," Katsumoto said to Miryu, watching her as she tended to Algren as best she could. Already she had applied what available herbs to apply over his wounds, and now, she was feeding him some water from the nearby stream, Her sapphire eyes were shining with a slight light that Katsumoto had never seen before, despite the fact that she had tended to wounded men in battle before. The frown that threatened to mar her features was subtle and complex, one of worry, and one of meticulous care. He had never seen Miryu like that, the difference was stark.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "He is just my charge," she replied, throwing a cloth into the bucket of water Katsumoto had given to her, wringing it before using it to wipe Algren's blood-crusted face, blood that she did not know was that of his own, or those whom he had killed. "I nursed your wounds too, Katsumoto-san. You were just unconscious at the time to savor the moment." There was a small smile at the corner of her mouth, which made the rebel leader grin as well. Taking a handful of water, she splashed it towards him and chuckled. She remembered that day well. Katsumoto had almost lost his life in a duel against both Saito and Okita, but she had managed to save him and while Taka was busy helping the other wounded, she had assumed his sister's job.
Katsumoto shook his head. She would always be smiling, always laughing. But he knew the pain that she concealed: The conflict within her, and her duty that she had taken up to protect those who needed her the most. There was only anger within her so many years ago, enough anger that could shake an entire nation. And yet, she survived the dark days, only to have her anger be replaced by a sense of duty, which was now being tested by him, the one who dared to openly claim that he understood her more than she did herself. His uprising has no doubt questioned everything that she had believed in, but to see her fight like she had just hours ago, he had seen a different side of her.
Once Algren was cleaned up, Miryu laid him to sleep on the grass, and sat beside him. "Emperor Meiji freed me from the courts, Katsumoto-san," she told her old friend. "He told me that he could see that this man could bring me happiness…" She knew how hard it was for her to come to terms that she would blush whenever Algren looked at her, how he made her heart race everytime he would secretly hold her hand. They were no longer love-struck teenagers, but in a time when the enemy had been bearing down upon them, it was all that they could afford.
"And do you think that the Emperor may be right?" Katsumoto asked, looking at the strange man before him. "Are you sure that you did not feel that way, just because of Emperor Meiji's words?" What he said struck a chord with her, and she knew that it could not be true. She had met him before her release from the courts, and the first gaze that they had shared as he was descending from the ship he came to Japan with, it was more intense than the heat of the Sun in ten lifetimes. She had never seen a man with eyes like his, and his voice… It called to her, like a gentle blanket. Everything about him was so mysterious to her, so strange, and yet, so welcome. Of course, being a female warrior meant that she was ever in the company of men, but Algren… Algren was totally different.
She shook her head, and said, "I have never felt this way before…" Yes, she had experience of men wooing her, and she had rejected even Meiji, of all people. She had turned down a good man, a life of riches and security, just because the eyes of this man told her that somehow, she would be loved… somehow, she had always known that she had wanted a man like Algren to sweep her off her feet, with quiet, yet dashing chivalry. In reality, he was no knight in shining armor, but a man, oftentimes half-drunk, plagued by the nightmares of his past. Unable to continue further, she just sat there under the stars, hoping that this time, Katsumoto would still be able to understand her…
The next morning brought a new day, and of course, a new challenge for Algren. When he had been awake, he was aware that he was being led into the mountains. He was also aware that Miryu had never left his side, and when he caught glimpses of her flawless face, it was constantly filled with worry. Her katana was not with her, for some reason, nor were his weapons, and the pack of books he had constantly took with him. "Where are we?" he murmured to her, finding her hand clasped around his. It was a welcome gesture, and he certainly relished it.
"We are nearing a village in the mountains," Miryu replied, noting all the people around them bowing and kneeling as the company rode past. Prisoner or no, she was still a samurai, and in that village, samurai were still people to be respected. Still, he was barely conscious, but the ability to speak in that state has given her a much needed reprieve. Who knew what damages his body had undergone without proper diagnose? Somehow, she was grateful that they were being brought to Nobutada's village.
And when the procession came to a complete stop, Algren was hauled off Miryu's horse sooner than she could protest. "What is your name?" Katsumoto demanded of him, preferring to know the name of his enemy from the person himself. Algren just stared blankly at him, refusing to utter a word. At that moment, Ujio, one of the samurai was enraged, and held his katana close to Algren's neck, forcing him to answer Katsumoto's question. For a man, injured and in Ujio's mercy, the American showed extraordinary courage and will to stare down that particular samurai, who happened to be Katsumoto's right-hand. Miryu kept her silence, knowing the severity of the matter. However, Ujio did not know that the ways of Algren's countrymen were different than their own, and she threw a glance at Katsumoto, who knew that there was no other way to stop Ujio from continuing further.
He told Ujio to leave him be, followed by these words, "This is my son's village. You cannot escape, for we are deep in the mountains and winter is coming." It was no surprise to Miryu that Katsumoto spoke in English. He had long been educated in that tongue, even before Miryu had Graham as a language teacher. She did not know when had he learnt it, but she knew that it was before the darkness of the Bakamatsu had stirred.
Seconds later, Miryu walked to Algren had tried to help him up, but was stopped by Ujio and a few other men. "I am his bodyguard, allow me to care for him until he is well in the house you have granted to me here," she reasoned, but was flatly rejected.
"He shall be cared for by my sister, Taka," Katsumoto replied, "You, on the other hand, are not to see him until I see fit."
Miryu's eyes widened at those words, but did not offer a response. Friend or no, she had fought against him and his men. She was sure that it was a precaution to be taken, in the case that she would conspire with Algren to take the village when they least expected it…