A pleasant breeze was blowing among the fields of blood red flowers that danced gently in the wind. As far as the eye could see, those red flowers were spread out merging with the clear blue shades of the sky at the horizon. 

Sayuri found herself walking among the fields of those flowers though she had no idea how she had turned up there or for what reason. All she could see were the flowers laid out around her and the clear blue sky offering shelter from above.

She recognized that she was in a dense field of Manjushage also known as Higanbana in her language that translated to hell flower. Those blood red blossoms were native to her birth country, Japan, and had many symbolisms in her culture. 

Her mother had told her a lot about different flowers and their symbolism back when the two were together and Nuriko was alive. And as she walked among the crimson field, her mind echoed with the words her mother had told her about that specific flower.

She bent down to look at the flowers closely but did not reach out to touch any for she knew that each part of it from the root to the petal held venom. In that sense, the flower symbolized death and was known to bloom near cemeteries.

But the other symbolism of the flower related it to the heavens and incarnation, representing the changing of summer to autumn, the end of one season and the beginning of another. 

Yet the most common symbolism was that it was considered the flower of afterlife.

Sayuri recalled that according to legend, the scent of the Manjushage brought back all the beautiful memories of the dead for one last time so she closed her eyes, inhaling the delicate fragrance deeply.

And as she had hoped, the memories began to play in front of her though her eyes were still closed. Lost memories of her mother from her childhood, memories of her friends with whom she had trained and last but not least her most cherished memories of Ryuu and Kai.

As the scenes unfolded in front of her, a haunting sadness tightened its hold over her heart because even though she had left the past behind and tried her best to move on and have a fresh start, she couldn't help but long for those very few days when she was at peace with her husband and child, her happy little family that was snatched mercilessly away from her.

A slight rustling of leaves broke the trance she was in and she stood up, turning towards the place where the sound had come from. Her eyes had welled up with tears that she wiped away from the back of her palm, focusing on the sight in front of her.

Among the countless flowers spread out ahead of her far away was another person whose silhouette she could barely make out. Curious to find out who else was there in the Manjushage field, she edged closer to the form, taking cautious and silent steps in order to prevent any unnecessary attention towards her.

As she edged closer she saw that the man had his face turned away from her though he was dressed in a pure white yukata, a common dressing for people in her country. His dark hair reached down his shoulders and flowed majestically in the breeze while a gleaming silver Katana was attached to his sash, its sharp blade was spotlessly clean and shining in the daylight.

She paused a few steps away from him for all of a sudden it seemed as if the blood red blossoms underneath him had somehow begun to merge with the pure white of his dress, giving off the impression of splatters of blood and no matter how much she blinked to clear her vision, the sight remained as such.

The red splatters reminded her of the fateful night when the Sasuke had gotten captured by Ras Al Ghul and imprisoned. The red of the flowers crowded around her seemed no different than the pools of blood that had littered the floors that night after their ruthless torture. And seeing it all so vividly in front if her made her lose her balance as she stumbled but barely manged to stop herself from falling.

The scent of Manjushage now reminded her of the horrible stench of death and torture that had reeked in those prison cells where she had been held captive. It was all so blatantly vivid that it made her feel dizzy, but before she could loose her footing and collapse, firm arms encircled her in support and she looked up to see the white clad man standing rather close to her.

And as he looked down and her eyes took in his features, a short gasp of shock escaped her for he was none other than Ryuu Ishikawa, the man she had lost years ago in that dreadful battle against the Al Ghuls.

Yet at that moment he was standing with her, his arm holding her by the waist and his face set in that genuine smile she had fallen in love with. She had no idea what was happening but seeing him so close to her after such a long time made her quite overwhelmed.

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, threatening to streak down as she could still clearly recall how Ryuu had passed away bleeding out to death in her own arms. But his hand reached out to gently touch her face, his thumb wiping away the stray tear that had escaped.

"Ryuu...?"

Her voice got stuck in her throat and she could not speak more but he simply nodded in reply, his deep brown eyes gazing lovingly at her just like he used to back when he was still alive.

She straightened though she had clasped him by the arms, holding him close as if afraid he would vanish any moment, "Ryuu, anata wa koko ni iru?"

"Hai," he replied and hearing his steady voice after so long she rushed forward, burying herself in his embrace, tears pouring ceaselessly down her cheeks.

"Mō watashi o oite ikanaide," she mumbled, holding on to him tightly for she knew it could not be real yet she wanted to hold on to him for as long as she could, even though deep down in her heart she was aware that it was probably a dream.

A dream that would end soon and then Ryuu would no longer be with her. The truth was inevitable but she didn't want to let go just yet.

"Anata wa tadashī basho ni imasu," he spoke in his soft voice, gently running his fingers through her hair as if to sooth her, "Kai to watashi wa anata no tame ni shiawasedesu."

She looked up at last, grey irises locking on to his brown ones, "Kai... Kai wa anata to isshodesu ka?"

He nodded, a gentle smile playing upon his lips, "watashitachi wa shiawasede, anata mo shiawase ni natte hoshīdesu."

She rested her head on his shoulder and she sighed in relief for it seemed as if a heavy burden had lifted off her, "mata aete ureshī wa."

"Ore moda," his palms gently cupped her face as he tilted her head upwards so that she was looking straight in his eyes, "anata wa kako ga anata no shiawase kara anata o torimodosu koto wa dekimasen to yakusoku shimasu."

Her hands had clasped his wrists, eyes welling up with tears once again for she knew the moment had come for him to leave, "yakusoku suru."

Ryuu's face broke into a sincere smile as he bent down, capturing her lips with his own in a sweet lingering kiss. The kiss was tainted with longing and her eyes fluttered shut as she savored the moment right before it faded away.

"Itsu made mo aishimasu, Sayuri," his lips brushed against her skin delicately as he whispered in her ear and when she opened her eyes, she was standing alone in the fields of Manjushage though countless blood red blossoms were drifting all around her as if Ryuu had somehow shattered and taken the form of those flowers.

She stretched her hand out, clasping one of the flowers that fell right into her palm and soon as her fingers closed around the blossom, the fields vanished and she sat up with a jolt.

Darkness engulfed her surroundings and as she rubbed her eyes to see clearly, she realized that she was back in her room and all that she had seen was a dream. Yet it had been so vivid that she could almost feel the soft caress of Ryuu's hand and the fleeting touch of his lips against her own though he was no longer with her. And right at that moment as her fingers lingered over her lips that had kissed him, every single word that he had spoken to her came rushing back.

He had made her promise to not let the past hold her back from the happiness that was waiting for her and she realized that he had indirectly referred to Richard. When he had said that she was where she was supposed to be and both him and Kai were happy for her, it was a sign that she was doing the right thing.

It was a sign that she had taken the right decision.

"Itsu made mo aishimasu," she mumbled recalling his last words to her and a soft smile spread on her face despite the fact that her cheeks were still damp from tears. But she knew what she had to do as she finally let go of all the sadness that had filled up inside her in all those past years, "Itsu made mo aishimasu."

***