Mornings at Rengoku Estate always began the same way with the sound of bamboo pipes striking rhythmically against the stone in the garden.

The soft rustle of the wind between the spruces, the chirping of birds perching on the edges of the roof, all mixed with the scent of fresh tea and wood that breathed warmth through the paper walls. That day, when the sun was just beginning to break through the thin mist over the hill, you were already on your feet you walked across the tatami mats with your bare feet, the folded kimono in your hands, gently smoothing the folds.

There was a peace around you that you only knew here. There were no demons, no threats, just this house a place that Kyojurou had made safe. You found him on the porch.

He was sitting cross legged, his back against a wooden pillar, his fiery hair illuminated by the first rays of sunlight. He held tea in one hand, a book on the art of the sword in the other, but you knew that he was listening to the garden more than reading. Sometimes he did that he absorbed the world. And in such moments he seemed closest to the fire, from which he seemed to come. He didn't say anything when you approached, but he knew you were there.

He put down the cup and moved slightly, leaving you a place next to him. You sat down, feeling the warmth radiating from him spreading down your back. Without a word, he took your hand, placing it between his own larger, rough from the fight, but always careful of you. For a moment, everything disappeared. There was no past, no future.

There was only a day at Rengoku Estate a day that tasted of silence, the sweetness of rice cooking somewhere far away, and the smell of jasmine tea. In the distance, somewhere beyond the garden, Senjurou ran with a bamboo sword, practicing the blows that Kyojurou showed him. The future was still going on and you were a part of it. The smell of baked fish began to rise from the home stove.

The water in the kettle began to hiss. The thought of getting up and getting breakfast came to mind, but his hand wouldn't let go. And though he didn't say anything, everything in his gesture said, "Stay a little longer."