The Rise of the Ronin

Shinmachi brothel

The scent of wet gravel is the first thing she feels when she wakes up. And the gentle beat of his heart against her ear. His warmth has her wrapped between both hands; his scent mingled with hers. The breeze gently moves the leaves of the trees and the sound of a river hitting the stones with its cause can be heard in the distance.

Kasumi looks up and sees him. She can barely see his eyelashes and eyebrows, just a little darker than his hair. From this angle she notices that his hair has purplish tints, although in the sun his hair looks almost white. His profile well defined, his eyes hidden behind black painted glasses from which one can see absolutely nothing, like a moonless night.

She wonders how he can wander through the world without a cane. At some point even questioned whether he was blind, but it can't be possible for him to navigate so fluently in the world if he really can't see anything around him. He is extremely particular, as he himself said.

She smiles to herself as she remembers how vain he is and at some point, as she watches him sleep silently, she remembers the way he defended her the night before. Her heart pounds, never had anyone cared for her like that. If it were up to her aunt Nami she probably would have given her up for the right amount of money. She knows not to get her hopes up too much about this idea, as he needs her for a special purpose and guilt sours her expression at the memory of it.

While she is here, nestled in the arms of a stranger, her brothers are somewhere unknown in the region.

Slowly he opens his eyes and then yawns. Kasumi feigns, flushed from having spent so much time marveling at his profile. She breaks away from him shyly and conscientiously avoids his gaze as he stretches.

"How do you feel?" he asks softly and she turns to look at him.

"I couldn't say it last night... but thank you for coming back for me. I know you were excited about the girls and..."

"Hey, no, wait. Don't say that... None of that was important."

His delicate, sincere smile makes her feel something strange in the pit of her stomach and she instinctively brings her hand to her abdomen.

"Hungry?" he asks her, beginning to rummage through the food they pilfered from Ichigo's castle.

Kasumi nods, though she's not entirely sure if it's hunger. It feels strange and different, a feeling she's never experienced before and it doesn't go away even after she's eaten her fill.

Satoru gets up to stretch his legs and pulls out a map from among his things to check the way to their next destination. She feels more and more inclined to ask him about that friendship that will help him find the children, and more inclined she feels to tell him the truth and stop wasting time. But her lips are tight, not a word comes out when he turns with a magnetic smile to tell her to get ready.

It's only been a day, but she's almost used to being lifted like a little girl for him to hoist her onto Oguri's back. She doesn't feel strange, almost, riding with him, occasionally brushing his chest with her back. It's even kind of nice to see new sights having lived all her life in the port city of Yokohama. Satoru has told her that they are heading towards the city of Yuigahama, a small town that next to Sagami Bay.

If they go further north, following the Sagami River, they will arrive in five days at the town where her former teacher, Kusakabe-san, lives.

Kasumi meditates during their journey, though this time Satoru doesn't seem willing to go quietly. Sometime in the middle of the day he began to sing a song.

Cherry blossoms

Cherry blossoms in bloom, cherry blossoms in bloom,

In fields and villages