She is so lovely. He thought watching her from his hiding place. Many of the villagers were unsure of the young pottery maker. They mostly whispered mean-spirited things behind her back but he didn't care what others thought. It was just not possible that someone who looked so sad and lonely could be evil. How could someone who made such beautifully detailed pottery and made the children of the village laugh and smile be a demon? He envied the children anytime she graced them with one of her rare smiles. A mere apprentice like himself had nothing to offer a woman but one day soon he would have a vocation.

"Enju?"

"Yes?"

She gave him a melancholy smile. The young apprentice sword smith was always so kind to her. Too kind in fact, so kind that she knew it was time to leave. Promising to live was one thing but marriage was quite another. A clay body can not have children or offer warmth. In truth it was only a matter of time before she crossed on. It was not that she was giving up on living it was the opposite. Looking into the warm eyes of her suitor she knew that marriage and a family was something that she wanted. Sadly she knew only in the next life could that dream become a reality. Perhaps she and the sword smith would meet again but until then she could only push him away.