"Ma'Ma!" Atsuko smiled down at her son who was rolling around on her feet, making her smile and she was just about to tickle him when Yuuta came in. He sighed. "It has been 2 months now since Keiji declared war. The soldiers will soon be ready."

Atsuko frowned sadly but said nothing as she looked back at her son, who continued to roll around, laughing as he did. Yuuta raised a brow. "What on Earth is he doing?" Atsuko chuckled. "He's playing, Yuuta."

"But what is funny?"

Atsuko rolled her eyes at her husband; he was way too serious, and it sometimes made her wonder why she fell for him. "He is a baby, Yuuta. He is developing and learning different things every day. Kids are like sponges; they absorb everything life gives them."

"Hmm..." Yuuta hummed simply in knowlegment but then looked down when he heard a cooing sound. Yoshi had stopped rolling when he rolled on top of Yuuta's feet and started chewing up on his own feet, growling as he did. Yuuta shook his head and picked him up, pulling his foot out of his mouth. He looked into his son's eyes, eyes that were so much like his mother's before looking at Atsuko who was heavily silent.

Yuuta sighed. "I hate it when you do that."

"Do what?" Atsuko asked, confused.

"Stay silent when you obviously wish to say something," Yuuta clarified and Atsuko stared at him then looked away, chin to chest. "Do you really have to go?"

Yuuta frowned, offering his wife a sympathy look while Yoshi began to grab his hair. "You know I must, Atsuko. I am the headmaster; it is my duty and we both know we must stop the Foot Clan. We have been fighting them for years, just to reach this moment...we both knew it would come."

"Yeah, but I didn't think we would have a child," Atsuko said sadly. It truly was a miracle she and Yuuta were able to have a child. They have tried for so long, (many losses) then finally, Yoshi came, and they became the family they dreamed of. Now, it might all be taking away.

"Atsuko, part of this is for Yoshi," Yuuta said firmly. "The Foot will never stop trying to destroy us. Yoshi is my son, that alone puts him in serious danger if we do not stop the Foot."

"I know...You're right. I just-!" Atsuko exhaled then turned to him. "I just hate this, Yuuta! We have been fighting them for so long and now that we're finally nearing the end I... I just wish I could fight with you."

"But you can't. Yoshi needs you here, more than I," Yuuta said, wincing when Yoshi begins to yank on his ponytail. "Okaasan could-!"

"Atsuko no," Yuuta said strictly, pulling his hair out of Yoshi's grip. "You can not come. There is no telling what will happen on the battlefield. Yoshi needs his mother." Atsuko glared. "He also needs his father!"

"Atsuko this war can last years," Yuuta tried to reason. "By the time I come back, Yoshi will be two or three, maybe even older. Do you honestly think you can be away from him for that long? Do you think you can help me fight without worrying and wondering about him every second,"

Atsuko was stumped at that. She hated to admit it, but Yuuta did make good points. She will be unable to focus on battle because she will be too worried about Yoshi and being away for that long without seeing her son would just be heartbreaking. Three years is a long time. Yuuta had to go because he is the clan's head, but she doesn't, even though she wanted to. Yoshi needs at least one parent around; he could not lose two...Atsuko could never put her son through the same pain she went through.

As Yuuta continued to try to pull Yoshi off of him as he continues to grab his hair when Atsuko marched forward, taking Yoshi and slapping Yuuta on the face. Yuuta was speechless and she took the chance to speak, pressing a finger in his chest as she glared furiously. "You come back alive, Yuuta, hear me? If you don't, I'll bring you back to life and kill you all over again!"

Atsuko tried to hold back the tears, tried to remain strong and stern but Yuuta could see that she was about to break. Atsuko lost so many people in her life, her mother, her father, her sisters, her brothers, and even her friends. Yuuta can not let her go through that pain again, but could he? It seems out of his hands, in war, anything could happen but...he must try, for her...and for Yoshi.

"Promise me, Yuuta!" Atsuko demanded, her voice cracking slightly. Yuuta did not want to make a promise he was not sure he could keep but he knew his wife needed the assurance and comfort that he would do anything to make it back to her. Gently, Yuuta cupped her face and said, "...I promise."

Just then, a soldier barged into the room, panting with a panicked look on his face. "Master Yuuta! *Pant!* Word from the council! *Pant!*" Unable to speak while catching his breath, the soldier held out a scroll and Yuuta took it from it. He quickly opened it and began to read it. "What does it say?" Atsuko asked anxiously.

Yuuta slowly lowered the letter, his hands shaking. "K-Keiji attacked our allies."

"The Lotus Clan?" Atsuko asked worriedly and Yuuta lowered his head, closing his eyes shut. "There were no found survivors. The Foot slaughtered them all." Atsuko gasped. She was not close with the Lotus like her husband was, she had only meant the master and his wife a few times but last she heard, they were with child. If there were no found survivors, then that must mean that their child did not survive as well. Yuuta gave a shaky breath. "Without our allies...we have even less chance of winning."

Atsuko looked at her husband and grabbed his hand. "Yuuta, you will win, you must. For us, remember? You just promised. You must come home alive, no matter what." Yuuta looked at his wife and his little son and nodded. "I will do my best."

...

In China,

Four figures were running up the mountain with all of their strength and energy, trying desperately to find safety. Once they reached the top, they took a moment to rest. "Did we lose them?" A woman with dark brown hair that she wore in a bun, light-skin and gold eyes asked. She wore a purple kimono and Lotus pendant necklace. A man with light brown hair, tan-skin, and brown eyes was panting beside her. He wore a white button shirt and blue jeans. "I-I believe so."

An old short, thick man with a long thick gray beard, mustache and long gray hair, gold eyes and tan skin looked around as the young couple cached their breaths. He wore a dark purple kimono. The old woman next to him had long gray hair she wore in a low braided ponytail, brown eyes, light skin, and she wore a purple kimono.

"I believe we lost them," The old man said. "Are you sure, Mr. Tang?" Mr. Tang Fu nodded. "Yes. I do not sense anyone." When he said that, the young woman looked down the mountain as she watched what was once her home, burn up into flames. She gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth as the old woman came by her side. "There was nothing you could have done, Ren."

Tang Ren sniffed. "I should have been stronger. I could have saved them. I could have saved Uncle, I could have saved the clan, I could have saved someone!"

"Ren, please," Fu said firmly. "You did everything you possibly could. No one predicted this attack, not even my brother."

"Couldn't we, though? How long has the Foot attacked us, Father? The Hamato Clan? It seems to me that we could have predicted this attack!" Ren said angrily as she tried to fight back tears. The young man grabbed her hand. "Ren, do not blame yourself for this. You could not have done anything, you would have just died too and besides, you did save someone. You saved us."

"Kenshin..."

"Your husband is right, my daughter," The old woman said with a smile. "If you had not come back when you did and got us out of the house, we would have probably died too."

"I just wish I could have been faster. I wish I could have saved Uncle and his little son...Chung I. He was only born a week ago and now he is-" Ren choked up a sob as Fu came to rest a hand on her trembling shoulder. "The Foot caught us off guard and though we lost many, we should be grateful that we still have each other. The Foot will reap what they sow eventually, my daughter but for now, we must focus on finding somewhere safe to stay."

"But where?"

"What about my old home in Fukuoka?" Kenshin suggested. "I doubt the Foot will ever find us there."

"Then that is where we will go," Fu said before turning to his wife. "Is that alright with you, Lin?" Lin smiled. "Yes. I do not care where we go, just as long as we are together."

"Then come, if we hurry, we may be able to catch a plane," Fu said, leading his family away from their old home, Ren glancing one more time at her clan before following.