TW: This chapter is heartbreaking. Read at your own discretion.

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She was finally leaving for Gotham. From the salary she earned by working at the academy, she had managed to save enough money to cover for the travel expenses.

She had still not been able to talk to Jack directly but there was no other way for her to find out other than going to Gotham herself. So she decided to get the city first and then look for her brother and father.

She had only one bag containing a few clothes and essentials as there wasn't much of her belongings left after the fire at their base. She wouldn't have to carry a lot of stuff and she felt it was better that way.

Besides, in all the time that had passed with her taking refuge at the academy, she was somewhat certain that the League would no longer be pursuing her. Ra's Al Ghul definitely would have more pressing matters to deal with rather than continuing the search for her.

But she couldn't leave the country without visiting the Ishikawa family's lodge. She felt she had to or else she would keep on regretting that she had discarded a very important part of her life before stepping into her new beginning.

She needed a proper closure.

And that couldn't be possible until she visited the place for one last time.

She had no plans of returning to Japan because everything she had valued there had been destroyed and all the people she had memories attached with were no longer alive.

So when she took her leave from the Ninjutsu Academy after thanking them profusely for helping her out in such a trialing time of her life, she took the rather familiar path to the concealed lodge belonging to the Ishikawas.

She had her happiest memories attached to the place so returning there after losing the source of that happiness was going to be hard.

Her hands trembled as she walked up that path, the lodge distantly visible. By the time she reached there, she saw that it was in a much shabby state than she last remembered. She did not have the keys but pushing the door slightly, it opened as the lock had been broken already.

Looking around, she could see that the place had been ransacked by the League back when they had imprisoned the Sasuke clan. She stepped in at last and closed the door behind her, sinking down on her knees to see everything in shambles.

The house where she held the best memories with Ryuu and Kai was reduced to a ruin, nothing showing that it had once been so full of life and happiness.

She did not know how long passed with her sitting there, tears streaming down her cheeks. When she stood up at last, her steps were shaky as she came further in, hands brushing over the furniture that was upturned and broken.

The current situation of the lodge was drastically different from the cozy little home in her memories. But everywhere she looked, she could find a memory attached.

In the kitchen, she recalled Ryuu hugging her from behind as she made breakfast. It was also the first time he had drank coffee and definitely not liked the taste.

In the living room, she recalled herself putting Kai to sleep by walking around the place and humming lullabies. In the bedroom, Ryuu's light laughter resonated around her and she closed her eyes, trying to overcome the pain stabbing through her heart.

She had spent such a short time of her life in that lodge but it was definitely the happiest she had been.

But after all that had happened, that chapter of her life had drawn to a painful close. And there was no way she could go back in time and stop it there.

Even though it was heartbreaking, she knew that it had to ultimately happen so she was trying her best to accept it. There was no way she could bring Ryuu and Kai back so there was no use dwelling upon something that couldn't be possible.

She sat down by the cot, straightening it as she rocked it gently, just like she used to back when Kai would fall asleep.

The last time she had seen her son was on the day they had been leaving for Nanda Parbat and she had put him into the cot herself, rocking him to sleep before leaving. And after that, all she had gotten to see of Kai were his bloodstained blankets.

Her hands tightened on the cot's handle, heart aching from the pain. He had not even been a year old, he had just come into that world and yet he had been snatched away from her mercilessly.

She knew all the good things in life eventually came to an end but for them to come to such a horrible end so soon was what she hadn't expected.

Ryuu had been right.

What use was a war that had to be ended with another war? A blazing fire could never be put out with gasoline, it only caused further destruction.

And as she sat there in the ruins of the lodge she had once envisioned as her home with her little family including Ryuu and Kai, she could see that blazing fire of war had burnt everything, leaving only the ashes of their memories behind.

At last she stood up unsteadily, holding onto the walls for support. Unlike earlier, there was no Ryuu who would gently place his arm around her waist and hold her whenever she was tired or needed someone to lean on.

Unlike earlier, she was left all alone.

And with no one else to hold onto, she had to be her own support.

The last words Ryuu had told her were still reverberating in her memory. He had asked her to stay strong for herself and for Kai.

Kai was no longer alive nor was Ryuu but she was still breathing. Even after going through so much, she had survived.

And as she was alive, she had a deep feeling that Ryuu wouldn't want her to give herself up to depression and sorrow. He would want her to be happy.

Just thinking that gave her courage and she took in a deep breath, letting herself accept that fact.

"Itsu made mo aishimasu," she mumbled the very last words he had spoken to her, "I will love you forever."

Ryuu and Kai were no longer in her life but she would never forget them. They would live on in her heart and in her memories as nothing could replace the special place they held within her.

Even with her leaving Japan and vowing never to come back, a chapter of her life was coming to a close. But she wouldn't shut out the memories of her husband and son.

She had lost them too soon but the time she had spent with them was the happiest she had been. And she would cherish those moments she had had with them.

She would love them and remember them forever.

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