A Cook, A Doctor, A Ghost and A Ronin.

Farewell

Uzui opened his eyes. He gets up from where he's laying down. He scoured around. He didn't remember why he is here. He is confused at why he's here. Somehow, he got a very bad headache.

He look to his left and right. The place doesn't seem to be familiar at all. He's in someone's Zen garden. There are few traces of battle all around the garden, which brings him the question, what happened here?

He didn't sure what was happening, but it seems that he fainted in the middle of a battle. That was his assumption. He forgot what he was doing here. Arghh! My head! What am I doing here? It is midnight, and he's in someone else's backyard.

What am I actually doing here? I didn't drink before, so how the hell did I get here? He gets himself together. he tried his best to remember what had actually happened in this night. He look at his tattered clothes, and he started to remember bits by bits.

Wait, I remember it now! I was supposed to infiltrate and gather information about them since their background is extremely shady! He remembered his mission and his own suspicion of the Voyagers.

Then, I lost....to that guy! Looking back at his tattered outfit, he could guess who wins their duel. There are one clean slash on his torso, but it didn't injure hi or anything. Only his clothes are affected by it.

But, I thought that I'm dead! My uniform are cut, but I didn't even inflicted on any wound? How is this possible? He checked himself for any major wound, and there's none. He only got light cuts and bruises.

"Ah, you're finally awake." A voice interrupted his monologue and startled the Sound Hashira. Uzui turned his head. A smiling skeleton greets him from afar. Uzui picked up his swords, but it broke to pieces.

"I'm sorry about your swords." Brook apologizes. He sit on the engawa while sipping hot tea. Admiring the beautiful night while waiting Uzui to wake up. Looking at his broken sword, he dropped it.

"Never mind. I lost to you anyway." He throws the grip away as the blades had broken into pieces that is practically useless. Uzui admits defeat at the hands of the skeleton.

"Most importantly, how?" Uzui asked Brook a question.

"How did you managed to break my swords? And-

"Why even though there's a large cut on your uniform and there's no wound? I use the back of my blade." Brook explained that he uses the back of his blade, making Uzui fell unconscious just like Ryuma did back in Thriller Bark.

"I have no intention to kill you" Brook never intended on killing the Sound Hashira. After all, he just wanted to drive Uzui out from his property.

"Tea?" Brook offered a cup of tea to Uzui.

"Ah thank you." Uzui gratefully accepts the offer as Brook handed him a cup of hot tea to warm Uzui up. After all, sleeping outside will definitely lead to cold.

"Be careful. It's still hot" Brook warned. Uzui sat opposite to Brook. He ignored Brook and just chug it down.

"Putting everything that happened aside, why did you spy on us?" Brook went ahead and interrogated the Sound Hashira. Well, Uzui can't hide it anymore can't he?

"To be honest, Master might trust you but we Hashiras don't. I took it upon myself to see if any of you have any ill intentions." Uzui tell Brook the truth. Uzui is the one who took it upon himself to infiltrate the mansion.

"So you decided to investigate us by yourself?" Brook is quite impressed by how Uzui is willing to take on the risk. He understand what Uzui is feeling. He really does have an undying loyalty towards Ubuyashiki.

"Correct." Uzui stated.

"I'm apologizes for doing such a thing. I really didn't take into the account of what will happen if I failed." It will soured the relationship of both parties because of his foolish act. Uzui who is sitting opposite of Brook apologizes.

"You don't have to apologize." Brook insisted that it's okay. Uzui is confused.

"I mean, this does happen from time to time. Some of us got quite used to it." Brook confessed. Usually, it's not some sort of ninja that would spy on them but bounty hunters that would want to claim their heads.

"Don't worry. I won't tell this to no one." Brook promised to not tell anyone about what happened this night. Brook would like that to happen since stirring up a conflict will be much more difficult to handle.

Uzui didn't believe that Brook actually would let this slide that easy. Brook didn't even hold a grudge at all towards him. He didn't understand. His act is one of a gentleman. 

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. And we learn from the mistakes that we made, so we could strive further tomorrow. It's okay." Uzui shakes his head. Huh, he really is one hell of a flashy skeleton.

"Let's keep this secret then." Uzui had no actual choice than to go with Brook. He agreed. He find it amusing. He find the Voyagers amusing. They are really a bunch of freaks eh? Awesome, flashy freaks.

"Glad that you thought the same." Brook took a sip of tea. He tapped Uzui on the shoulder, as if they weren't trying to almost kill each other before.

"By the way, can I have more?" Uzui asked for another serving of chamomile tea. Its' the first time he had ever taste a tea this exquisite before.

"Of course!" Brook smiled with relief. Glad that we could come on an agreement together. Brook is glad that they could reach a mutual understanding.

---------------------------------------------------

"Hahahahahahaha!" Uzui laughed wholeheartedly.

"Yohohohohohohohoho!!" Brook also laughed until it hurts his stomach and tear run down his face. Both of them found it hilarious how they first met each other.

"Ah, that reminded me of so much stuff we did together!" Uzui is taken aback at how much times had passed before he gets into retirement.

"True. It's been quite the journey for you." Brook supported what Uzui just said.   

"Good golly! Look at the time!" Brook is reminded that he had stayed on Uzui's mansion for quite some time. 

"Thank you for treating me as your guest. To bad that I have overstayed my welcome." Brook stood up on his feet, with his head reaching the ceiling.

"You're leaving already?" Uzui wondered why is it so early for Brook to leave.

"I do not want to trouble you any further. I do not want to interrupt any plans that you have. I hope you understand." Uzui understand what Brook mean. He can't change the skeleton to do the otherwise.

"Fine then, if that's what you think, thank you for visiting me." Uzui thanked Brook for willing to go and visited him personally.

"Farewell and Happy Retirement, Tengen Uzui." Carried by the wind, Brook disappeared leaving only the residence of the mansion behind.