Chapter Three: Until We Meet Again

Tetsuya watched in horror as Ume stood in front of him. Bleeding for him, he, the one who's supposed to protect her. All the other Emperor's Six Warriors took off after the enemies leader, who fled after the attack. As Ume fell back she could feel her body getting heavy on her. This was a feeling that she's never felt before. She only felt relief when her body was caught by Tetsuya.

"Ume! Ume! Why did you do that?! What happens to me doesn't matter, but you... this isn't supposed to happen to you!!" Tears were building up in the Shadow Warrior's eyes. His beloved Princess was dying in his arms.

"T-Tetsuya... p-please don't cry. It was my choice to put myself in danger. I did it for you... I did it for my people. I know father will be upset, but I'm happy. Not a single villager from this village had to be sacrifice. Tell him that Tetsuya." Ume suddenly coughed up a great amount of blood.

"Don't speak Ume! You need to hold on until we get you back to the palace. I promise you'll be alright!" Panic started to set in to the usual calm and stoic Tetsuya. Holding tightly to Ume he tried to stand but when the sight of pain showed on Ume's face he quickly knelt back down.

"It's alright Tetsuya... even if you did get me back I most likely won't make it. My body is heavy, and I can barely see now. I don't regret what I did Tetsuya, you're important to me, even though my father asked you to protect me like you have all these years I figured it was time that I did the same for you. You my precious Shadow Warrior..."

"Don't call me that. What kind of Warrior am I if I can't protect the one I'm supposed to protect! What purpose do have now if you die!" The tears that Tetsuya was trying so hard to fight back finally broke through. His tears stained his face as they rolled down his cheeks and landed on Ume's face. Out of the corner of his eye he could Ume's hand trying to reach up to him. It was shacking as he took it in his. Tears were starting to build in her eyes as she smiled up at him.

"It's alright Tetsuya. It's like I said, I don't regret what I did. I'm glad that you're alright and I know that there will be a day when we'll see each other again. It might take some time, maybe eve in another life time, we might even forget what we had together. For the longest time, I wanted you to be free. Free from being a shadow. But as long as I'm alive you'll never be free from the fate that was force onto you. You'll be stuck as a shadow forever, but don't worry. I'll be watching over you, father and everyone else with mother," A suddenly look of realization suddenly washed over Ume's face. "T-Tetsuya, I'll get to see her! I'll get to see mother again. I'll get to see her smile, hear her voice, listen to her sing. I-I'll get to see her again after all this time. I'll say hello for all of you, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it." With a smile still on her face Ume slowly closed her already heavy eyes and took her last breath.

Just after Ume's last breath of life the rest of the Emperor's Six Warriors returned to find their comrade in a full brake down. Crying his eyes out while holding tightly to Ume and rocking back and forth. They've never seen him like this. Tetsuya was the strong one, but he was also the one who knew Ume best. She was everything to him. Since they were small children the two have always been together, that's why Emperor Kohaku made Tetsuya her shadow. Finally, after moments of hearing their comrade crying it was time to head back.

"Kurokocchi, let's get the Princess back home. She would want to rest by Lady Rei. Don't you think she'd like that?" Ryōta knelt down next to Tetsuya, placing his hand on Tetsuya's shoulder only to have it slapped away.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child Kise-kun. Did you get the one who did this?"

"No. Unfortunately, the bastard got away on us." Ryōta said in a sad tone.

Tetsuya stood up from where he was kneeling, holding the limp body of Ume in his arms. "Let's go back. We may have saved this village, but we failed to protect the Princess. I'll take responsibility for what happened. Princess Ume was my responsibility."

"Stupid! You might have been the one responsible for the Princess, but we all had a mission to bring the two of you back alive. We all have to take responsibility for this one, not just you so don't carry this burden all by yourself." Daiki scolded Tetsuya. He looked up at all his fellow warriors and realized that he wasn't alone in this. Every one of them had a special bond with the Princess, even if it wasn't like what he had with her.

"Sorry, let's just go back."

When they arrived back at the palace Emperor Kohaku and Shūzō Sensei were waiting for them at the front gate. When he saw Tetsuya carrying Ume he right away went to the conclusion that something was wrong. He ran as fast as he could and when he saw his daughter his worse fear came to realization.

"Wh-what happened? How did this happen to my precious daughter?" Emperor Kohaku took Ume's body from Tetsuya.

"It's my fault sir. I failed to do the one thing you asked of me from the very beginning. She protected me when I was supposed to protect her. I'm sor--" Tetsuya suddenly felt himself being grabbed and wrapped in an embrace from his Emperor. "Sir?"

"Thank you for being with her in the end. You meant the word to her and I knew she meant the world to you. I'm just glad she wasn't alone when she died. Thank you Tetsuya. Thank you, all of you for being with her." Tetsuya could feel Emperor Kohaku starting to shack. In a response to console the Emperor Tetsuya wrapped his arms around him.

The land mourned the loss of Princess Ume. Emperor Kohaku took a more aggressive approach towards the enemy like his daughter would have done to protect their people. Tetsuya and the others made it their mission to track down the leader of the army that attacked the village and killed their Princess. When they did meet again on the battlefield, it was Tetsuya who brought him down in the same manor that he had to Ume.

After the enemy lost many of their soldiers they had no choice but to surrender. They had won the war. A war that Tetsuya knew Ume would be happy to see end. After the war was won the Emperor's Six Warriors disbanded, able to go their separate ways if they wished. None of them had a reason to stay but none of them also had a reason to leave. They were connected to this place and they felt like it was necessary for them to stay in honor of Princess Ume.

Centuries have now passed since that time but the promise between a Princess and the Shadow Warrior is still in play. It is now in modern times and both the Kohaku family and the Kukoro family are still living in Japan. Although the two families were no longer connected, the promise that their ancestors made was still buried deep in their bloodline.

One beautiful spring morning a modern day Ume Kohaku was getting ready for a day of school not knowing that today was going to be the day when the ancient promise of her ancestor would come to light. Down the street, a modern day Tetsuya Kuroko was doing the same. The two only lived blocks away from each other and they didn't even know it.

"Dad, I'm heading off to school!!" Ume yells as she looked into the kitchen where he father was sitting at the table having breakfast.

"Alright. You be careful Ume!"

"I will! Oh, and I have a club activity today too, so I won't be home right away!" Ume rushed out the door and out of the front gate of her home. She carefully closed the gate door and then made her way to school while reading a book she had gotten into a couple days before.

A couple houses down, Tetsuya was also making his way to school. Having his nose in his own book as he made his way down the sidewalk. The two came close several times of running into each other as they made their way to school, but each time something seemed to stop them.

The school day went on as usual. Nothing was special about it. But when the bell rang and after school clubs started. Ume made her way to the Seirin gym, where she would be starting her first day as the Seirin Basketball Team's new manager. The squeaking of basketball shoes on the court echoed in Ume's head as she reached the double door that lead to the gym. When she opened the double doors all who were inside turned their heads to see an unfamiliar face walking in. Seirin's coach Riko Aida rushed to Ume as the Seirin team looked on.

"Who do you think she is?" Seirin's Small Forward Shinji Koganei asked as he looked towards the new face. "She pretty cute don't you think Mitobe?" Shinji looked to his old friend Rinnosuke Mitobe, one of Sierin's Centers, who replied with a head nod.

"Coach seems to knew her. I wonder what she up to now?" Seirin's Shooting Guard and Team Captain Junpei Hyūga questioned out loud.

"Alright everyone, gather round! There's someone I would like you all to meet a new member of our team!" Riko calls over to her team. All Seirin team members came rushing over. When everyone was gathered Riko introduced their new member.

"Alright everyone, I made the decision to bring in a Manager to help us out. This here is Kohaku Ume, everyone be good to her!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, my name is Kohaku Ume. I'll do my best as your new Manager." Ume bowed as she introduced herself. Everyone on the team welcomed Ume as they greeted her. After words everyone went back to practice, all except for one. Tetsuya stood in place and started at Ume.

"Kuroko, what are you doing? We need to get back to practice?" Riko yells to their Phantom Player.

He didn't respond. He stood there and stared at Ume which made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Can I help you?" Ume asked as a sweat drop started to become visible on the side of her head.

"I think I know you. Have we met before?"