"…If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."

The cold sorrow in her heart retracted a little, and Tomoe looked up, shocked. The raven sat perfectly still, then opened its beak and repeated its melody.

"Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Where they strung up a man they say murdered three

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would they be

If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree."

The hanging tree.

Tomoe remembered it. The hanging tree. Where she first met him.

Alone.

Hadn't she always been so alone?

So alone.

She lived in a village, a village full of people, full of connections, full of friendship. Everyone knew each other there, everyone loved each other there. The village she lived in was not many, but one.

So why did she feel so alone? She was surrounded by people, all with smiles on their faces, so why did she feel so alone? She always felt that there was a wall around her, a barrier, blocking her from the rest of the world. Although there were people all around her, she felt as if she was trapped in a vast, desolate world, thousands of kilometers away from the rest of the universe.

Every day, she would see people turn away from her, walk away from her, leave her alone. Every day, no one spoke to her, no one at all. She spent her days watching people from afar, always from afar. For if she tried to approach them, they would leave, walk away before she could even say "hello".

Why?

Why was she so alone?

Why did everyone ignore her?

She knew why, she knew exactly why. She knew that they would point and laugh at her behind her back, spread rumors of her while her head was turned. The poison sacs of the village had began to work against her, spreading their hatred of her through the whole village, spreading it like venom. And now everyone thought that she was strange, someone different, one that should be avoided.

She walked slowly, with her head down, staring at the dirt beneath her feet. Around her, children laughed as they chased each other around, playing. But she didn't hear them, for all she heard was the silence of loneliness. In a corner of her heart, she felt longing for their happiness, for their laughter. Deep in her heart, she wanted to join them, to laugh with them and let her worries fade away in the wind. But she knew that they would reject her, leave as soon as she approached, as they found her strange, different. She knew that they would just run away, and she would be alone once more.

Alone.

Ahead of her, the road to the forest stretched. It twisted and winded around a few straggly trees, then vanished into the darkness of the forest, swallowed by the trees. She started on the path, walking into the forest, walking away from the village that had ostracized her for all her life. The forest ahead of her seemed to be full of shadows, but she could see the sunbeams dancing between the trees. The forest had been avoided too, thought to be shadowy and dark, but she could see that it was actually full of light and sunbeams, a lighthearted place full of life.

She looked down, and saw a puppy. It sat cold, shivering, probably abandoned. She reached down to pet it, thinking that she could bring it home and feed it. But the puppy's hollow eyes widened, and it scampered out of her reach and ran away from her, vanishing into the shadows. She felt a pang of sorrow, and a tear slid from her eye, running down her cheek. Truly she was alone. No one, not even a dog, no one wanted to be near her. She didn't understand why. Why did everyone avoid her so? Why didn't anyone, anyone, anyone want to come near her? Why? More tears fell, twin rivulets of silver running down her face, and she ran, unable to take it anymore.

She ran.

Ran from it all. All her sorrow, all her loneliness, all her despair. She ran from it all, unable to hold it in her soul any longer. She ran down the path, tears falling from her eyes, hollowness burning in her chest. I just can't take it anymore!

Soon, she was swallowed by the forest.

Branches snagged at her kimono, threatening to rip it. Her feet caught on roots, and she stumbled, but kept running. The obstacles in the forest was nothing compared to the pain in her heart, the pain of being left alone, and she ran harder, harder, trying to shake of the sorrow gnawing at her soul.

Then she stopped.

She burst into a clearing and sat down hard, unable to go on. The grass tickled her nose with is fresh scent, and she brushed it away with a wet hand, wet with her tears. The loneliness caught up now, and hollowness filled her heart, hollowness echoing with sadness. The sky above her head was covered in clouds now, and the sunbeams she had seen were all gone. The sky was gray, all gray, just like her soul.

There was a tree in the middle of the clearing, and she saw ropes tied to its branches. Nooses, she saw. Tied to the tree's branches were nooses. This is the hanging tree, she realized. The hanging tree.

She remembered hearing the elders of the village discussing it. It was where criminals were hung, executed. Eventually, the body would be taken away, but the noose would remain tied to the branch. Now, she could see thousands of nooses tied to the branches, each a sign of a life ended.

Suddenly, she heard a branch snap, and froze. Fear rose in her throat, and it spread its icy fingers into her heart, locking her body in place. Rumors of strange things, supernatural things, haunting things occurring here, they whirled around her mind. Images of horror, ghosts, and unexplained deaths popped into her head, and she felt the fear solidify into terror. She was going to die, she just knew it.

Then she heard his voice.

'What are you doing here?"

Slowly, she turned around and saw him. He was a boy around her age, but with flaming red hair and gentle purple eyes, ones that shone with kindness.

She managed to find her voice. "You- you don't want to avoid me?"

He looked confused. "Why would I?" Her eyes widened.

Maybe she wasn't alone after all.

Suddenly, she found herself crying again, crying out her story. She found herself speaking in short bursts, relating of how everyone in her village avoided her, left her alone, so alone. She spoke of how she had no friends, how everyone thought that she was strange, weird, different. She spoke of the loneliness in her heart, of the hollowness in her soul, echoing with grief. And he listened, with sympathy in his eyes, and when she finished, he smiled.

"Then let me be your first friend."

Above, a sunbeam pierced the layer of clouds and fell towards earth, bringing hope and light. It landed on her tearstained face, light as a silken butterfly, and her face was lit up with the sun's rays and hope.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Tomoe" She whispered.

"I'm Kenshin."

And in that moment, she knew that no matter how dark the sky seemed now, the sun would rise.

No matter how dark the sky seems now

The sun will rise.

Now, Tomoe felt hope again, fleeting and small, but bringing light into the cold in her soul. It warmed her cold feet, and she stood, letting the new warmth spread through her body. Above, the clouds shifted and the sun peered through cautiously. Pale light seeped into the snowy world below, and the fallen snow glittered with a new hope. Perhaps all was not lost. Perhaps Kenshin was not gone forever.

The wind began to sing, softly: "Are you, are you, coming to the tree…."

Tomoe began to walk towards the hanging tree, where they had net so many years ago. Pale light from the sun fell upon her again, just like it had when they had first met. Once again, her face was lit up with hope, hope of finding Kenshin, hope of reclaiming him from their grasp. Although snow still fell all around her, the cold no longer reached her. The wind still blew snowflakes into her face, but she just brushed them aside. Kenshin was at the hanging tree. He was not lost. All was not lost.

The broken wind sang the rest of its song hollowly, whispering:

"….where they strung up a man they say murdered three….."