The village folk swarmed a stage where the Kagura dance was performed by shrine maidens. The delicate music they played was almost extinguished by the palaver made by the loud market nearby. Villagers traipsed throughout the marketplace and reached for the boxes full of fruit and vegetables laid out on the tables. The vividness of the fans that hung beautified the cramped streets as Levi made his way through. Iron scent fell off the drying blood on his russet kimono because he was covered in dragon blood. "Ahhh!" A woman had caught sight of the horror and backed away with widened eyes and the rest of the villagers reacted likewise. Flegel latched onto his father and cried whilst pointing at the ronin. "Father! Look! It's Levi! The carrier of the basilisk curse!" Flegel shivered as he held onto his father. "Nonsense! Have some bravery stupid boy!" Dimo faced the small man. "You there! Aren't you a Ronin? Go on your way before my men have you regret you ever walked into this village." Dimo threatened Levi. "I'm hungry." Levi's glare sunk into the merchant's bones and Dimo gulped. "Father?" Flegel was impatient as he watched. "Hunt for your food out in the wild, it's where Ronin like you belong." Dimo spat. The villagers beheld the merchant and feared ronin with disturbance. The sound of armour dawned into the silence. "Why has everyone surrounded this man as if he were a criminal, Flegel?" The henna haired woman wrapped an arm around the younger man. "Ah? Hanji?! What are you doing out here?!" Flegel stumbled over words. "You can't be out and about! Levi! The man cursed by the basilisk is here!" Flegel tried to push her away from the men. A sword was unsheathed and sunlight had kissed it. "I challenge you! Carrier of the basilisk curse! Levi!" She declared. The villagers were quiet. His hair was long and broken imbedded in rainwater, mud and blood. His sapphire eyes could not be stolen with ease, she could tell. "Hanji?!" Dimo shrieked. Hanji Zöe, she is admired by all of Japan for her wisdom to create incredible inventions and will to partake in battles and most of all by the Emperor himself, her father, Hirohito. "You can't! He's stronger then you think!" Dimo warned her with urgency. "The more interested I am!" Hanji smiled with keen coco eyes. She wore a ebony samurai helmet with gold illustrations and a full body armour which was made with mastery. Levi understood the challenge and made a decision. He drew his sword out of his sheath and raised it up. The villagers all watched in fear. "I accept your challenge... Ojo." He sliced through the air and Hanji plunged down enough to dodge the sword and waved her sword at him from underneath yet he sprung up into the air and was about to crash down at her without mercy when an arrow caused Levi to flinch and hurdle away from the shot. A man with caramel coloured hair darted forward towards the Princess on the ground. She wasn't injured in anyway but had a speechless expression drawn on her face. "Hanji-sama! How dare you put yourself in danger like this?!" The man muttered in concern. Hanji got up onto her feet without mind to her loyal dog. Her pupils were fixated onto Levi. Her eyes could deceive, he could tell, but they could also tell a truth, he couldn't. She held her stance as if to seal herself away from him. "Let's call it a draw." She bowed. "I want to learn from you." Hanji said. Their audience who witnessed the bow, the Princess had made, were shocked by the amount of respect she had given towards the Ronin. Levi found it hard to adjust after her unpredicted action. He decided to walk away from her but stopped. "I won." Levi said as he spared another look at her. Hanji had to process his abrupt and childish answer with thunderous laughter. "Hmph." Levi scoffed and avoided her eyes. Hanji had held his shoulder and given up her sword to him. "Hanji! You can't-!" Flegel grumbled in disbelief with his father. It was the Honjo Masamune. "Are you fooling me?" Levi raised his brow. "I'm no trickster when I give... only when I take." Hanji smirked. Levi took the sword into his hands and observed the masterpiece with good eye. "Hanji-sama!" Moblit exclaimed. "Remember this... Carrier of the basilisk curse... The cursed Levi... The only way to free yourself from the chains of this curse would be to ensure you have good health... as long as you are in good health... I believe no plague will occur." Hanji smiled. "What if the earth is a plague itself?" Levi questioned Hanji. "A plague is fear of what once was healthy... it's contagious and when had... hard to live without... yet one drop of medicine can heal one from eternal pain... that one drop of medicine is also a plague... but not made of fear but certainty." Hanji said. "Be certain in the desires of your heart but never in what your heart is not so certain in." Hanji smiled. "Ojo..." Levi kneeled and got something out of the pocket of his hakama. They were eyeglasses. "I cannot teach you, Ojo. Your eyesight if better will sharpen your moves." Levi advised and gifted as he walked away. Hanji held his wrist and wore the glasses. "Arigato gozaimasu." Hanji smiled and neared his face. She kissed his cheek and held his face. "To run away and live together... wouldn't be so bad... right, Levi?" She muttered as she got up on a white horse. Light beamed down onto her and Levi watched her ride away from the village. He put his new sword into his sheath and set out on another journey.
