"Do you see her, Shaolin?"
The young girl fixed her eyes on her shoes. Next to her, her kinsmen knelt on the floor with their heads bowed, awaiting the passing by of the entourage. Shaolin Fon heard her oldest brother's voice in a low murmur. "You will protect her with your life." The young girl looked up at the procession as the newly-installed head of the Shihoin family passing through the distance, regal with an unmistakable strength. Shaolin's eyes grew wide, and her mouth opened. "Do you understand, Shaolin?"
Yes, Onii-san. She could not turn away. The Lady Shihoin's image had been seared into her mind's eye. In a flash, three of her five brothers disappeared and reappeared on the bridge, following in the trail of the Lady Shihoin.
Shaolin Fon stood rooted on the spot until the sun had set, its fires ablaze in her.