Chapter Six: The Jaws of War:

Unbeknownst to the lovers, a war was breaking out all over the country. Two war lords probably fought over some fresh land. Against the will of some, the men ended up dragged into this petty war. Ichiro might have been one of its causalities. This fact cannot be confirmed or denied, however.

This war last about six years. Neither side would let up. All the while, Kate waited back at home for Ichiro’s return. What would her have to gain by getting involved in this war? They paid their debts with rice like they were supposed to. The lords weren’t really interested in their little piece in the sticks. However, the village would end up being dragged into the war indirectly.

Right now, the war only started. It didn’t take long for it to snowball into a mass-scale sea of bloodshed. Now, how do Ichiro and Kate fit into this? They did get dragged into this sea of blood until the middle or towards the end. His involvement wasn’t too clear even to this day. Some believe that he wasn’t involved at all. That might be true given future circumstances.

Meanwhile, Kate waited for Ichiro to come back. She tried to keep herself busy to take her mind off of him. The girl even prayed for his safe return. However in two years’ time, the war and gossip started to catch up to her village.

The young men were first called in to fight. Their mothers naturally didn’t approve of this.

“No son of mine is going to die in a pointless war!” one mother shouted. No mother wants to see her child die in a war they view as pointless. The lords don’t view it that way. In the end, they only wanted that rich piece of land that cried out to them every night. They didn’t care how much blood had to be spilt for their greed. Because of them, Kate had no idea that she would be changed by this war forever. She just wanted to be reunited with her true love. The following summer set her fate into motion.

In high noon that year, a messenger came running through the village announcing the dead. By this point, most of the people learned to live with it. However, this particular death count caught one girl’s ears in particular.

“Ichiro found dead on the battlefield!” the young boy shouted as he raced up to the temple. Kate happened to be carrying a basket full of herbs back to her home when she heard the news. The basket fell to the ground at her feet.

“No…” she murmured. “No! No!” Kate raced all the way home and locked herself in her room. She sat on the floor, trembling. No! It can’t be. He wasn’t in the war. He wasn’t a samurai, was he? Kate froze as she realized that she knew nothing about the man she became infatuated with. Sure she knew about his crime and his wife, but what else did she know about him? As her mind dug for the answer, nothing came up. She didn’t even know his last name. Kate grabbed onto her knees.

“That can’t be true,” she murmured to herself. “That can’t be true!” The girl just had to find out for herself. Kate rose to her feet as a plan formed in her head. That night, she packed up what little that she could and snuck out into the night to find her beloved Ichiro. With each footstep, a new legend was born.