Oceans of Butterflies

044 | Path

xxx

"KAW! UPPER RANK ONE HAS BEEN DEFEATED! KAW! KAW!"

"Brother... you said your dream is to be the strongest samurai in the land, right?"

"I... also want to be like you."

"And become the second strongest samurai in the land." A little boy with long hair tied in a ponytail have spoken, showing a very gentle and lovable smile.

"I'd rather play sugoroku or fly kites with you..."

"Rather than talk about swords, brother."

"I wish only to say my goodbyes to you."

A small flute from a small child has been given to his brother. Gently and with a smile in his face.

"This flute... I will strive, day after day."

"No matter how far from home I drift, I will not lose heart."

"Because I will think of my elder brother who gave me this flute."

Flowing memories.

Giyu who was standing in a corner of the fortress, his eyes started to fill with for unknown reasons.

He held his katana tighter as he listened to the sounds of relief of the demon hunters no far from him.

"Kokushibo-sama's presence is gone" the upper moon one thought.

With that, Giyu's knees have weaken that caused him to fall in the shredded floor as tears slowly fall into his cheeks. He shield his right hand in his face and the left held the katana even tighter than before.

"You're a hopeless being..."

"Oi, speak up."

"Na... Na... Do not be like that Akaza-dono~ he seemed to be uncomfortable seeing you" a man with blonde hair spoke, fanning himself with sharp gold fans.

Giyu's have only kept quiet in one of the corners of the unknown place he have seen, for some instance he manage to witness how it changes places and shape when he heard a sound of a biwa.

"Konbanwa~" the funny looking guy with fans waved at him.

The poor boy didn't answer nor wave back as he only looked down on the floor, quietly.

Because of that the man with blur complexion and stripped pattern tattoos have made an unpleasant noise and was about to hit Giyu-

"Akaza..."

The young man's eyes have widen as he saw the blood splattered in the floor and also in his face.

He slowly looked up and saw an unfamiliar back, it seemed to have the strongest scent in this room...

"...You have... went too far" the man spoke in a cold way.

"Tch, he's weak... what do you expect for us to do? Train him like those demon hunters?!"

"Pathetic!" the man with tattoos shouted.

Giyu peeked to the man's side, still curled up in the corner.

He have seen how the eyes of the tattooed man looked at him with anger, while the funny fan man trying to stop him.

There were also some other guys with strong demonic presence, one girl with white hair who was looking at him with confuse eyes.