YATTO/AT LAST

SAKURA

The soles of my feet begin to ache before I finally slow to a stop,the sandals worn in this era are not pleasant to someone with fallen arches.
I wipe the spots of my arms where Tennami touched me so hard that even through the multiple layers of fabric these kimonos are made,I actually rub my arms a deep red.Can't erase the feeling that his mere touch gives me.

Nor can a new vision stop either,the very reason I ran away from them all.
Even The Warrior.

It is snowy in the vision,I walk calmly onwards to a small shrine like house,I hold my hands to firmly I could be trying to make them the color of the very snow itself they become so white.My eyes become so red from tears I almost believe they are bleeding and my feet continue on.
Tennami I can see from the river by the side of the house is in my near sight and I sit motionless staring at the water,waving my hand in it left and right finding that my soothing balm until I hear his voice.
"What do you think you are doing?You can not just LEAVE your home after nightfall,nor can you just LEAVE after the death of our child."
I laugh at that,I laugh and laugh and laugh.
Tennami becomes full of rage as I just look on at him,my eyes really now beginning to bleed and words become nothing to him,he just rushes to me and I simply picture in my mind his body pulling apart slowly.
It does,slow enough though so my peace is spoken.
"I can not do what exactly?I gave my all away to a creature like you all for the purpose of saving lives,saving families because I dreamt it was to be the best way.I listened to words from a trusted source and you....YOU....you said that you would love me,cherish me and get to know me.Love a child that would hopefully be born and become a light to help out the world to come now that the war is over.Yet,you..y-you took our son,OUR NEWLY BORN SON who just came out of me,begging for life and you threw him away!"
I can't even enjoy the struggle he puts up to fight the pull on his body and I release him,I am not the sort to be so cruel for so long,MY son doesn't deserve to to have a mother that is as evil as his father.

A father I would never want a child to have.
I only ever wanted one person,a large part of why I even married this snake was to save him.

It suddenly becomes my present again,all that I saw after that was myself walking away towards a large red well.The same well from my first dream,vision before I ended up in Pre- Meiji although I never understood how I could even in a dream harm a baby.
I honestly don't even believe it was even me in that part yet somehow I recall it like I lived it.

"Snap out of it,just...j-j-just leave this place.Maybe it is for the best,for everyone concerned...."
Even saying it,my eyes drift backwards to where I ran from and think on why I haven't left here at all.
"What kind of evil are you that seems so genuinely kind until one is locked to you for life?What am I to do now when I just want to stay here a little longer,try to fix his history and show the future what kind of good The Warrior is...."

I think all this to myself and decide to keep walking away.
Further and further away until I hear a voice behind me.

"How long have you been remembering?Itoshi-hito."

NOROI

I look her in her eyes,they are warm and dark like honey to me.
At the moment they look so haunted and afraid.She is always afraid for so much of our brief time but perhaps it may be different this time,more has changed than any other time between us.

She walks further off and pauses.It takes a lot out of me to simply remain motionless.
I have fought on battlefields,in villages burning and more awful things with my blade I have done for the cause of another but standing here watching Sakura as though she is withering away is worse to me than any other act I have done from the time of my families murder.

I hang my head for all of a moment,trying to muster what is left of my strength from this evil night to remain here and not to fetch her as she obviously does not wa-
"Since I came to this time,bits and pieces all in shambles and I can't breathe through it...."
Sakura is before me,her arms circling my sides and she angles her head to focus on where my hearts beats.
Pounds.
I hope she allows this,I am not hers yet to her.
She is always mine to me,vows or no.
I place my hand atop her head,hold her with my other arm and with comfort being my least effective trait I simply hum my mothers tune.

Wishing she could advise me on how to comfort a frightened woman properly.