Torakichi and Keii stared at each other blankly for a moment.

“I know you’re here somewhere! Whispers of your journey are spreading far and wide. They speak of a hunched samurai travelling south with two women by his side. Who else could that be, other than you?”

The voice from before yelled.

“Pack up.” Torakichi whispered before checking the stable to find a large hole near one of the last stalls at the back.

“Northerners?” Keii asked.

“No. Those are the men who burnt Kama and killed its people in the dead of night.” Torakichi said as Hanabira and Amai snuck into the last stall.

“Head south towards the forest keii spoke of. I’ll meet you there-“

Hanabira wrapped her arms around Torakichi, leaving him taken aback.

“Be careful.” She whispered.

“Alright. Now go.” Torakichi said as Amai pulled Hanabira out of the stable.

“You have such loving daughters… Anyway, what now?” Keii asked.

“I’m going to kill the man who has hunted us since Kama.” Torakichi said as be fastened the binds around his chest.

“I’d like to help, but I cannot kill my fellow soldiers. I won’t stop you, but watching what’s about to unfold will be tragic, regardless of who the victor ends up being.” Keii said crossed arms.

“Thank you.” Torakichi said before ruffling Keii’s rather short hair.

“Hey! Stop that. You and I are the same age, ya know! Treat me with the respect I’m due.” Keii said with a pout.

Torakichi simply smiled before turned to face the stables exit.

The rain hadn’t stopped and so he used it and the cover of night to move.

He then spotted Keitaku and his men.

Seven men in total and they were on horseback.

Two of them held torches in their hands while the seventh and rearmost one wielded a bow.

“What’s happening?”

A familiar voice asked.

Torakichi then spotted two soldiers walking up to Keitaku and his men.

“We’re looking for an old hunched samurai. Have you seen him?” Keitaku asked.

“Yes! He arrived not to long ago and tried to kill us, unarmed as we were.” The soldier said while making exaggerated movements and expressions.

“Despicable. Where is he now?” Keitaku asked and the soldier simply pointed at the stable.

“Ah-ha. Come out, old man! I heard you killed a demon in some shoddy village. Go.” Keitaku instructed, prompting two of his men to hop off their horses and walk towards the stable, torches in hand.

“I’m sure you think that somehow makes you better than us.”

Torakichi ignored Keitaku as he returned to the back of the stable to find that Keii was gone.

He then hid in one of the stalls as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

The stable was then lit up by the flames of the torch wielding soldiers.

Torakichi then spotted the two soldiers as they cautiously walked past each of the stable’s stalls.

He then dashed out from the stall where he hid with his katana raised before stabbing the front most soldier in the neck.

The second soldier hurriedly raised his katana before swinging it downward towards Torakichi’s back, only for it to bounce back with a loud clang.

Torakichi kicked the second soldier in the chest before stabbing him in the eye.

The torches the soldiers once held then rolled into some straw, starting a small fire in the stable.

Torakichi ignored it as he caught his breath.

“I know you’re still in there. Come out and face me, coward! For a samurai to fight the way you do... have you no shame at all?” Keitaku yelled as smoke and fire filled the stable.

“Fine. I’ll gladly wait here as you cook yourself in there.”

Torakichi took several deep breaths before wiping and sheathing his katana. He then unsheathed his Ōdachi before walking towards the stable’s front exit.

He emerged from a cloud of smoke, but just as he stepped onto the muddy village streets an arrow shot across the right side of his face, leaving a scar that went from his lip to his ear.

Torakichi winced in pain as Keitaku raised his sword.

“Kill him!” He yelled before charging towards Torakichi, who stood with his Ōdachi raised.

“Haha! Finally!” Keitaku yelled as he got ever closer to Torakichi, who immediately dashed to the right before violently hacking off Keitaku’s horse’s front legs as it approached, sending both it and its rider tumbling forward.

Torakichi then took several quick and deep breaths before running towards the three remaining horsemen. Two of which were charging towards him.

Torakichi hurriedly dashed to the side again, but slipped and slid across the muddy ground, narrowly avoiding getting decapitated.

He then quickly stood and dashed towards the bow wielding horseman, who frantically unsheathed his katana as Torakichi approached.

Torakichi’s Ōdachi met the soldiers katana in a violent class, only for the large blade to easily knock back the katana.

Torakichi then forced his blade across the soldiers neck, showing himself in the soldiers blood before turning to face the last to soldiers who stood motionless in the distance.

Torakichi pushed the lifeless corpses off the horse next to him before slapping its hind leg, prompting it to run off. This gave Torakichi the space he needed to stand at the street’s exact centre.

The two horsemen then slowly cantered towards Torakichi, who’s Ōdachi wad held high once more.

They cautiously rode passed him, their weapons lowered and their eyes quaking with fear.

“Where are you going?” Keitaku asked as he crawled out from beneath his horse with his left arm hung awkwardly next to his body. His face was covered with deep wounds and his entire body wad covered in mud.

The two horsemen then rode off to the north without saying a word, leaving Torakichi with Keitaku, who stumbled towards him.

Torakichi wiped the blood off of his Ōdachi before walking towards Keitaku as he sheathed the large blade.

“What are you doing?” Keitaku asked as he raised his katana with a hand that trembled.

“Don’t you want to kill me? As your people have always done? As we have done in an endless cycle of war and bloodshed. Why stop at me?” Keitaku asked as he struggle staying on his feet.

The rain and mud didn’t help either and he found himself using his katana to stay upright.

Torakichi crossed his arms before deeply sighing.

“Come on! Fight me! Kill me!” Keitaku screamed.

It was then that Torakichi noticed the heads of a few villagers as they watched from within their homes.

Torakichi sat on the ground before gesturing that Keitaku sit as well.

“What? No. This ends now.” Keitaku said as his face became purple and swollen.

He then raised his katana, but he quickly lost his footing and fell into Torakichi’s arms, dropping his katana in the process.

“Unhand me!” Keitaku yelled, but Torakichi simply held him as the rain continued to pour.

“My pride will not allow this! I cannot allow you northerners to continue to draw breath!” Keitaku screamed as tears fell from his eyes.

“I don’t want your pity! Where was this false sense of mercy when your people killed my brother? Where were you when your people came into our homes and took everything! I was a child, old man! A child! Left to fend for myself in this wasteland of a place we call home.” Keitaku screamed once more before completely and loudly weeping in Torakichi’s arms.

Torakichi sighed deeply before tightly holding Keitaku.

“Shh.”

.

..

Hours came and went before the rain eventually stopped.

Torakichi looked up and the greying morning sky and sighed.

His face stung, but he paid little mind to it.

His focus was solely on the man in his arms.

“Keitaku.” Torakichi called.

“Keitaku!”

“What is it, old man?” Keitaku asked, his voice a low, gentle growl.

“I must leave now. I am needed elsewhere.”

“Oh? So you’re really not going to kill me? Even after I burnt Kama to the ground?”

“No.”

“W- what will I do with this life you’ve chosen to spare. I am beaten and broken. Unable to defend myself. I will surely parish soon.” Keitaku said as Torakichi grabbed him firmly.

He then moved him towards the side of the street before looking into his eyes.

“Goodbye.” Torakichi said before walking south.

“Don’t leave.” Keitaku wheezed.

“Don’t leave me here to die alone.”

Torakichi’s eyes narrowed as a certain figure emerged from a certain house to the right.

“That was… intense.” Keii said, his clothes damp.

“True.”

“I checked on your daughters. They’re just down the path in an abandoned hut. It seems as though they were planning on returning as soon as the sun rose.” Keii said.

Torakichi didn’t respond.

The two then reached the hut Keii had mentioned and inside it was Amai and a sleeping Hanabira.

Amai’s eyes widened upon noticing Torakichi and Keii.

“My goodness” She gasped as Torakichi sat by her side with a loud groan, awakening Hanabira in the process.

“Mr. Kanemoto!” She cried as sat upright.

Her eyes then ran along the scar across Torakichi’s face.

“We need to close that wound!” Hanabira said with a panicked voice.

“Maybe there’s a doctor in that village, but for now I suggest we let him rest.” Keii said as Hanabira noticed that Torakichi’s eyes were half closed.

She quickly pushed Keii to the side before gently lowered his head onto her lap.

“What are you doing? I’m wide awake.” Torakichi muttered weakly.

“Shh.” Hanabira sounded as Torakichi’s eyelids fell.

“Can you sing me a song?” Torakichi asked, prompting Hanabira and Amai to exchange glances.

“My… during times of hardship, my mother would often sing me a song.” Amai said before breathing in deeply.

“Winter or thaw, evergreen leaves never seem to fall…”

.

..

Torakichi opened his eyes to find that his head rested on Hanabira's lap.

He tried getting up, but she firmly forced his head down.

“Please stay still. You need to rest. Mr. Umihara said that he was going to get a doctor.” Hanabira said with a rather strict tone.

Torakichi sighed before lightly nodding.

“Where is Amai?” He asked upon looking around.

“She’s cooking just outside. Mr. Keii was kind enough to buy some eggs for us from one of the villagers.” Hanabira said.

“I see. We mustn’t forget to thank him after all this-“

“Are you tired?” Hanabira suddenly asked.

“Mmm? Just a little. I should be ready to move after a short rest-“

“Are you tired of getting hurt for our sake?” Hanabira asked, interrupting Torakichi again.

“Where is this coming from?” Torakichi asked as Hanabira allowed him to sit upright.

“It… it hurts. Watching you return to us all bruised and battered. Perhaps you’ve grown frustrated by all the pain you’ve-“

“Hanabira.” Torakichi said, silencing the teary eyed Hibana.

“As long as I draw breath, I will protect and accompany you. No matter how fatigued I become nor how much I bleed. That being said, I understand how you feel.” Torakichi said with a sigh as tears fell from Hanabira’s eyes.

“Come here.” He said as he opened his arms.

Hanabira leapt into Torakichi’s embrace and there she silently wept.

“Besides. Where would I be if not here. Back in Ippai? Fighting against an entire army? My place is here, by your side. I need you to find the resolve to push through the pain. The time may come when I am unable to continue-“

“Please don’t say that!“ Hanabira cried as she raised her tear drenched face.

“Hanabira. You must find the resolve to take little Hibana up that mountain even without me. Also, I was speaking hypothetically.” Torakichi said as he gently brushed Hanabira’s hair.

He then heard footsteps and it wasn’t long before a certain someone entered the hut.

“Well, look at that. You’re awake.” Keii said with an unfamiliar man standing by his side.

“Who is he?”

“This is the village medicine man. He just finished patching up that soldier and now he’s here for you.” Keii said with a grin that almost as bright as the light from outside.

Torakichi allowed the man to stitch up his wound.

After that was done, the man bid everyone goodbye and promptly left.

“Where is Keitaku now?” Torakichi asked as he poked at his bandage only for Hanabira to slap his hand away.

“Who? The soldier? He’s in an unoccupied hut in the village although his current state is… different, to say the least. A far cry from the soldier who you fought yesterday.