"I'm coming Susu, just wait, mama wants me to eat first," Rinni replied.

Rinni came running from his cabin when all of a sudden flashes of red light were striking the village. All the cabins were on fire. Rinni turned around to see his mother's eyes go wide as a flash hit his home and she was gone.

Rinni cryed, "NO! MAMA!"

And begins running towards his once beloved home.

Tsumasa grabs his arm and says, "It's too late Rin. We have to run for it. Rin come on. We must save ourselves."

Rinni looks at her and begins to run but suddely hears his mama, "Rinni help! Help me!" Then her screams along with many others fill the village. Rinni let's Tsumasa's hand go and and runs down the garden path into the fire.

Tsumasa yells after him, "NO! Rinni come back! Please come back"

Rinni is gone right before her sight...She falls to her knees in agony and starts to cry. All of a sudden a figure swoops down from the sky and grabs her. Tsumasa is taken by surprise and is too shocked to do much of anything. One cabin is not on fire...Her own. The figure brings her inside to find her parents tied to the wall with barbed wire, mouths gagged. They take Tsumasa and tie her to the opposite wall.

She screams, "Mama, papa! I want my mama. Let us go right now."

The figure lowers his black hood and looks at the girl and says very calmly but cold, "Shut up. You little brat. I'll kill you if you don't shut up this instant."

Somehow Maru, Tsumasa's mother, has her gag out of her mouth and yells, "She is only 5 years old. Let my child go and kill us. Do not hurt my baby. She has done nothing. And she can do nothing."

The man then says, "You shut up. You are first to die."

Two more figures appear and walk to Tsumasa. The grab her head and hold her eyes open. The first man walks to her mother and says, "Watch your mommy suffer for you. It's all your fault." And then slits her throat.

Tsumasa screams and shakes her head free from the men. "You killed my mama. I'm going to kill you. I hate you. I hate you!," she screams at them.

The man says sinisterly, "You thought that was bad just look at your papa Sumosu suffering here."

Tsumasa's eyes rush to her father. He's drenched in blood..who's blood though?? Then she see's whip marks all across her father's body. HIS blood. Her eyes fill with tears and she begins to sob. Soon her sob is cut short by a scream. She had moved enough for the barbed wire to pierce her even more. She hangs her head and whispers, "Please leave my papa alone. Please you can kill me. But, leave my papa alone."

The man starts to laugh and signals the two men to hold her again. As they grasp her head she looks at her papa. He is looking at her mouthing, "I am sorry my little Susu." And then the man slits her fathers throat and he is gone. She looks at the men holding her and spits on their feet. "I hate you. You've killed my mama and papa..My only living relatives. They were my whole world. Why don't you just kill me already?"

The man looks at her and says, "You. You will not die. You are my only hope of making this world mine."

Then he nods his head and they strip her of her cloths. She just closes her eyes and hopes she will die of her own account.

Then the man finally walks up to her and puts his hands to her wrists. He pushes forward with all his might and pulls back slowly. A vapor appearing. Then he begins to chant in a language she does not understand. She feels her body tingling, going numb. Then the man pulls away a ball of vapor in his hands. She stares at it drowsy, seeing a ghost like figure inside. The figure is gray just like the vapor. She looks at it longer and it seems so sad..Just floating there. Like there is no hope..everything is hopeless. She is shaken from her thoughts when the man says, "This is your soul. This soul is what I need to take over the world. I cannot kill you now or it is a waste. You need to die in battle fighting for your life and lose. Then, and only then you will die and I shall become ruler of the world. This soul will give me access to things you never even can think of. You are one special little girl."

The man turns and the two foriegners leave with him. Then Tsumasa notices someone by the door. It seems like he is a guard. His eyes are filled with such sadness, almost like the sadness from her soul. He walks to her and places a red orb around her neck. "This will help you get your soul back. I used to be a good guy but I did something bad and can never be good again. This will help you get your soul back, I promise. Someday you'll understand."

He then takes his hands and grasps the barbed wire and to the touch it melts away. Tsumasa then collapses to the ground in a heap and lays there shocked. The man slowly leaves and closes the door. The room begins to cover with darkness as the fires outside die down and the screams stop as the innocent people of her village let go of all of their life and die. Tsumasa closes her eyes and everything is gone...

Tsumasa opens her eyes blinks a few times. She sits up and shooting pains like fire engulf her whole body. Then everything that happened rushes into her mind. Rinni..mama..papa..the villagers..her soul. She then looks her wounds where the barbed wire pierced her. They have scabbed over and some are peeling off. How long had she been here? How long had she been asleep? How long had she layed there? It must have been days. But, then she relized she was in a bed... Jumping from the small bed, smothering a howl of pain, she looked out the one small window.. She was not in her village anymore. She was somewhere she'd never been. Which was quite easy for only being 5 and never been permitted to leave her own village. Then she heard voices from behind her closed door.

"Shimasu, have you checked on the girl today? She should be waking up very soon. It has been 4 days since we found her..and she had at least been lying there for 3 days."

So..it had been about a week since the attack.

"No, Mirashu. I did not check on her yet. But, I will do so now. No need to worry she'll be just fine..so sad she was the only survivor unharmed...her mother and father both dead. Tsk tsk."

The woman's footsteps got closer to the door and Tsumasa backed away into the corner. As the woman opened the door Tsumasa saw her beautiful face. She was maybe just over 5 feet tall...Long black hair to her waist pulled away from her shining cheeks. And her eyes her such a deep blue.. Compared to what Tsumasa usually looked like and how she probably looks now she was nothing compared to the woman. Her hair in knots and eyes bloodshot. Her clothes had been changed but some spots of her skin still coated in blood. Most of her wounds were now scabs or scars. The woman was so much prettier than herself. Tsumasa watched her eyes dart to the bed and she gasped. Her eyes became alert as she looked for the girl. Her eyes scanned the room and came to rest on the corner where Tsumasa sat trembling.

In the sweetest voice Tsumasa ever heard, almost like her mama's she said, "Hello little girl. My name is Shimasu. My brother and I found you in your wrecked village a few days back. We took you hear and have cared for you. Are you ok?"

Tsumasa stays quiet and looks at the woman scared thinking to herself, "She doesn't know about my soul.." Then she says aloud, "Yes, I am quite alright. I'd like to go now" She then stands up straight and walks towards the open door.

The woman's eyes fill with sadness and she says slowly as if deciding her words carefully, "I think maybe...you should wait awhile. Get bathed..changed..fed..and some supplies first."

As the woman was talking her brother came to see who she was speaking with. His eyes filled with surprise as he saw the little girl awake.

"Well, well. You are awake. I take it you are hungry, am I right?," he asked her.

Tsumasa stood quietly for a while thinking of what she should do. Then after considering her options and seeing it pointless to do anything else nods in agreement. "Food would be nice, please."

The man then turned around and went back to the kitchen. The woman who called herself Shimasu gets on her knees so she is eye level with Tsumasa.

"I am very happy you are here. Can I ask you name and how old you are?"

Tsumasa's eyes brighten as she says with pride, "I am Tsumasa Lee. Only daughter of Maru and Sumosu Lee. I am 5 years old."

Shimasu looks at the girl called Tsumasa with amusement. But, then the child bursts out crying. She burys her face and turns away. Shimasu is taken aback by the sudden change of emotion but soon understands and turns the child around. She gently pulls her hands away from her face to reveal a face full of sadness. Eyes so deep with sorrow and face so hurt and strained. Shimasu pulls the child closer and holds her as she sobs. She strokes the child's hair and rocks her back and forth very slowly and soon the sobs slow and she begins to breathe steadily.

Mirashu walks into the room and says, "Ok kiddo foods ready for you to.."But he cuts off with the look from his sister as her eyes look from him to the sleeping child.

He nods in understandment and sits next to his sister. Looking at the sleeping child and he wonders what has happened to her and why she is still alive and unharmed unlike the rest of her village.

Very quietly he whispers to his sister, "Shim, what do you know about her?"

She replys in an even quieter voice, "She is only 5. Her name is Tsumsa Lee. And most amazing her parents are..err were Maru and Sumosu Lee. Yes the warriors who fought against the Dark Lord," She makes her last comment by the look her brother gives her of disbelief.

"She told me that and began to cry. She must have remembered her parents deaths," She whispers.

Maru looks at the small child. He had never thought she was the famous warriors child. And if she was, why hadn't the Dark Lord killed her too? What was so special about her she was left unharmed?

His thoughts were broken when the clock chimed noon. His eyes darted to the small child as she stirred and her eyes flickered open. Wow, they had been sitting her for at least a good 45 minutes. It hadn't seemed that long. The child stays quiet and sits in Shim's lap leaning against her right shoulder eyes still droopy.

In a quiet, exhausted voice she asks Maru, "May I eat now, please?"

Maru jumps up and replys, "Sure thing kiddo. Let me warm it up. You're welcome to come into the dining room to wait. It'll only take a minute.

Maru leaves the room and Tsumasa stands and waits for Shim to do so also. Shim begins to leave the room and turns around feeling the child's eyes on her back. Tsumasa stands there quiet and motionless.

Shim reaches out her hand and says gently, "You want to come with me?"

Tsumasa looks a bit wary but reaches her hand out and grasps Shim's.

She thinks to herself, "My hands are so small compared to hers. And dirty. Hers are so clean and soft."

As if reading her thoughts Shim says, "You must like to play. You have beautiful hands. Mine used to get just as dirty when I played with my dolls outside. I loved to run around the yard and lay in the flowers. I loved adventures. Do you like adventures?"

As they continue down the hall Tsumasa looks around at the beautiful paintings and nods yes to Shim's question. As they reach the kitchen Shim turns around and picks her up setting her gently on a chair. Tsumasa eyes are barely level with the table and she looks at Maru desperately. Maru senses her distress and grabs her over his shoulder and goes into the living room. Tsumasa is at first taken by surprise but begins to laugh.

Maru askes her, "Ok pick a few cushions out to sit on so you can actually see over the table."

Laughing, Tsumasa points at two pink ones and he turns so she can grab them and brings her back to the kitchen. He sets the pillows on top of each other and then Tsumasa on top of them.

Maru then says, "There! now you can reach. Are you comfortable, Tsumasa??"

Tsumasa nods yes and laughs again. Her eyes still holding sorrow deep within them but a little laughter in them too.

"What can I call you sir," Tsumasa askes the man.

"Why you can call me Maru. Or really anything as long as it's not chicken liver," he says laughing.

Shim and Tsumasa both start to laugh, and Tsumasa says," Ok..Maru..not a chicken liver."

They all start to laugh and Maru places a large plate of some type of meat and a potato in front of her.

Tsumasa eyes go wide, "Is this all for me," she asks amazed.

Maru replys quite amused, "Yes it is Tsumasa. All of it is yours."

"Wow. Do I have to eat it all? I'm..I'm only 5 I don't even eat this much in a day," she says.

Maru starts to laugh and says, "No, only eat what you feel like eating."

"Maru, she asks him quietly?"

"Yes, Tsumasa?"

"You can call me Susu like my papa did."

"Ok, Susu I will do that."

Susu then goes quiet and begins to eat. Maru and Shim let the child eat in silence. Occasionally looking up at eachother and exchanging looks. After about 15 minutes Susu sets her fork down and looks at Maru.

"I'm done."

Maru looks up surprised. Her plate is empty. He looks to Shim who is also surprised.

"Are you full?"

Susu nods her head yes and sits quietly. She then slips off her chair and goes the the sink rinsing off her plate and setting it down.

She turns to Shim and asks, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Shim looks to Maru and back to Susu. "I'm not sure. I don't think so. You could go play in the garden if you'd like though."

Susu's face become upset for a moment but then is happy again at the mention of a garden.

"Really? I can go to your garden?"

But before anyone can say anything she's shot out the door. Maru and Shim laugh at the girls actions and then become quiet.

"Maru...?"

"Why was she left unharmed, Shim?"

"I don't know Maru..That's what I want to know"

Before they can talk anymore, the child's head peaks through the door.

"Yes..??," Maru asks.

"Will you come play with me?"

Maru looks at her and thinks how tired he is but says anyway, "Well, I'd be honored."

Maru then begins to chase her outside and into the garden.

Susu laughs and runs to apple tree and begins to climb hiding before Maru can see her.

Maru look around for her and says, "I'm gonna getchya. You can't hide. I'm gonna get you!"

Susu jumps down behind him and starts to tickle him. He laughs and tickles her.

She then attacks him and says, "I can beat you up. I'm the strongest person ever!"

Maru rolls on the ground saying, "Oh no! Have mercy, please. I'm so sorry."

Shim watches from the window washing the dishes and laughs as the two play.

After a while Shim yells out the door, "Ok guys time to come in and wash up for supper."

Maru comes running in with Susu on his back. Both of them laughing up a storm. The child's eyes gleaming with happiness.

Maru let's her down and tells her, "Go wash up now like Shim said."v

The brother and sister hear the bathroom door close and then Shim turns to Maru beaming.

"What!?"

"She's taken a real liking to you."

Maru looks at her and then down the hall and then replys softly, "I guess she has, hasn't she?"

Tsumasa stands in the bathroom and looks back and forth from the mirror to the window. She has to decide and she has to decide now... Should she stay or should she go? They've been so kind to her. But, her soul.. She thinks to herself, "I must get my soul..Or I will be doomed."

As tears poor down her cheeks, Tsumasa opens the window, slowly and quietly lowering herself down the side oh the cabin. Looking back one last time, tears streaming down her soaked cheeks, Tsumasa whispers, "Goodbye Shim and Maru. I thank you both with all my heart. I will never forget you."

She then turns and runs from the house down the road. Heading for somewhere unknown. Anywhere but here. She keeps running and begins to think, "I cannot let them suffer with me there. Something bad will come of it. They cannot hurt like my mama and papa."

After Tsumasa was about 5 miles running out of town she begins to slow to a walk. She sits and rubs the back of her legs. It had been so long since she'd gone for runs with her father. Oh how she missed him so. Her mama, papa, and Rinni.... Oh how she misses them all. But, she had taken to her papa and been his shadow since she'd been able to walk. But, now... he's gone. Forever. The memories of her Rinni running into the fire, her mama and papa's throats being slit keep replaying through her mind. Here she is 5 years old, with no money, no home, no clothes, no nothing. "What am I going to do?," she begins to wonder to herself. She sits and burys her face into her hands and begins to sob.

Soon the sobs begin to slow and she knows she has to do something for herself and quit pitying herself. So she continues along the winding road and finds a cave. She thinks of her cabin she had with her mama and papa and how her life used to be. Tears sting her already puffy eyes but she holds them back and begins to look for ways to make the cave more homey. She begins to pile leaves and makes herself a small bed in the deeper part of the cave where she can see the whole cave. Tsumasa then sits in the dirt digging for clay beneath the dirt.

After a few days she has everything she'll need for the winter. Food, supplies, cotton from the cottonbushes, clay and many other things. The winter months go by..And then the years. Each day Tsumasa learning something new. Soon she reaches the age of fifteen. She's learned to make her own clothes and hunt for small prey. Only kill what she can eat then and sometimes she has to keep moving. She's reached adulthood and developed her feminin features.

"I think I'll go into one of the villages today," She says aloud to herself. "It has been about 10 years since I've visited a village. I think it's time.."

She then heads to her home and finds her most normal and nicest clothes and puts them on. A faded blue dress that cuts off the shoulders and goes to about her knees. She slings her sword over her shoulder and grabs her dagger. She looks into her clay pot of water and her hair falls over her shoulder.

"My hair had gotten so long..I need to do something about it," she says aloud to herself.

Taking her dagger from its leather holder off her hip she grabs her hair all at once and slices through it. She bends back to look into the pot of water. Her hair now curves around her slightly sun burnt cheeks. She replaces her dagger to hits case and splashes her face with water. She then heads down the dirt road to whatever town she may come across. After a while she soon finds herself in a small village. As she is looking over the small, neat houses, a boy about her age is standing in a yard watching her. As she walks by he smiles a gorgeous smile and his blue eyes twinkle, leaving a tingling sensation in her stomache she's never felt before...

She lockes eyes with the boy and holds his glare for a minute and lets a smile light up her face.

"Wow she is so beautiful. I have never seen her around here before maybe she's come to stay for a while. That smile is so pretty. I'm going to talk to her. Here I go. Why aren't you going!? Go! Just go," The boy thinks to himself.

He begins to walk towards her, heart beating wildly.

"Oh my god! He's walking right to me. Why am I being so dumb. He's just a human. Who is a boy.. Who is wow...," she thinks to herself.

Tsumasa keeps eyes locked the whole time he walks over, and when he reaches her he says, "Hey. I'm Tidu. This is the village of lions. We call it Liless. Welcome."

He reaches his hand out and waits for her to grasp it and reply.

Tsumasa grasps his hand and shakes it and says, "I am Tsumasa. Everyone calls me Susu. I'm just traveling. No where to stay. Just came for a look and whatnot."

She releases his hand and looks at him smiling.

He returns her smile and says, "Would you like me to show you around?"

She smiles and replys, "Yes, I'd like that."

He begins to show her around the small village. Pointing to various object and talking about them. Susu listens closely but begins to tune him out just admiring his knowledge. He shows her the market and their local drugstore. Then, he shows her the gardens and the river. Once they reach the river he pulls off his jacket and sets it on the ground and sits.

"Sit and watch the river. I can show you some things if we sit awhile," He says softly.

Susu just nods and sits watching the river and then him curiously. He stares at the river stealing glances at her when he knows she isn't looking.

He starts to think to himself, "I have to say something...anything. It's getting too quiet. Is it possible to fall in love with someone you don't even know? I did not just think that! I don't love this girl..Do I?"

He looks at her and begins to feel funny. She feels his look on her back and looks back at him. She smiles and holds her look for a while then looks back at the river.

"Oh my god. He keeps looking at me. He's so kind. What am I doing here? I don't even know him. Is it possible to love someone you don't know? I did not just say that! Oh my god. Please let him say something..anything!," she thinks while sitting in the silence.

"If we be careful we can wade into the river and maybe find tadpoles," he offers her.

They stand up and head towards the river. Coming to the bank they sit and slide down, covering themselves in mud. As they reach the bottom they look at eachother and begin to laugh.

Gasping for breath from laughing so hard Tsumasa says, "You look like you just got done rolling with pigs."

Tidu replys, "You don't look so fancy yourself."

They both begin laughing again and head towards the water. Tidu kicks off his shoes and pulls off his socks and sets them on a rock. By the time he is heading for the water Tsumasa is up to her knees getting her dress slightly wet.

He steps in and continues to walk slowly.

He asks,"Isn't it a bit cold for you?"

Tsumasa replys, "I've been in worse, been in better."

They walk around for a while then Tidu looks at Tsumasa and smiles. She looks up senseing his stare and smiles back.

Tsumasa asks, "What?"

But Tidu remains quiet. But, before she can ask what again he's splashing her. She shrieks and starts to splash him back. They continue this for a while and then she stops. Tidu keeps splashing but soon realizes that she has stopped. He looks at her confused. Her face full of surprise and fear, but also of certainty and bravery.

Tsumasa looks at him and commands him, "Go somewhere safe. Don't ask questions. Just go."

Tidu looks at her quite confused and stays put.

"Just bloody go Tidu!"

She points to the sky a black cloud in the bright blue. He stares at the cloud.. This was no ordinary cloud. It wasn't moving across the sky, It was moving from the sky. And heading towards Tsumasa.

He's shaken from his thoughts by Tsumasa yelling, "Get the bloody hell away. You're going to get yourself killed. I can deal with this, no problem."

He turns and runs to the forest path they came from and hides himself in a thick clump of bushes. Watching from the bushes he see's a lighting bolt shoot from the cloud and strike in front of Tsumasa. He watches as she jumps back and sends a yellow ball of fire towards the cloud hitting the left side causeing it to become white and break off. The white cloud drifts off and becomes harmless. The black cloud becomes even more black and the whole earth shakes with thunder.

Tsumasa looks into the cloud for some sign of what it wants. But, deep inside she already knows.. It's out to kill her as she fights for her life. So, the Dark Lord may own this world. She knows this game quite well. Holding the spell longer than before making the light ball become more powerful she dodges lightning blasts. When the ball becomes strong enough it burns her own hands she sends it flying at the cloud.

Tidu watches as everything happens all at once. The enormous yellow ball of fire headed towards the cloud, Tsumasa screaming from the pain on the burns, and one last lightning bolt headed at the bush. The bush he is in! The lightning hits and catches on fire. The fire laps at his clothes. But he does not catch fire. He is wet. Too wet to be aflame! But, his skin is not. His right arm catches and he feels his flesh burning right off his bones. The smell the horrible smell. He bites down on his tongue to keep from screaming. He tastes the blood. So warm and salty. The flame was now burning so bad he began to scream of the pain. Throwing himself ot ground he tryed to put the flame out.

Tsumasa lets out a howl of pain and then looks up. The cloud has gone all white and began to disappear. Her hands are blistered and bleeding. She looks up to hear screams and sees Tidu aflame. She runs to him and grabs him rushing to the water. She turns sideways and slides down the bank. Pulling the screaming Tidu into the water she thrusts him down and back up. He looks at her eyes wide as they could go. He then turns and looks at his arm. Bone showing in a few spots and steam rising from the open wounds. Tsumasa hols him in her arms and he begins to weep.

Between his sobs he asks her, "What..just.. happened?"

She slowly replys, searching for words, "We...I was attacked by a dark demon force. You were an innocent victim. This is my problem and I must deal with it. I am so sorry Tidu. I am just so sorry."

She pulls him upon her back with some difficulty and begins to leave the river. She slowly but steadily makes her way back to village. Just before they reach the end of the path she sets him down. Tidu looks at her and sits quiet. She opens her bag and pulls out an oil. She begins to poor the oil onto his arm. The skin left soaking it up fast. she poors about half the bottle and then pulls white bandages out. Wrapping his whole arm and crossing his back and chest to make a sling. She pulls out another bottle and poor some crushed powder into her hand and takes a canteen putting a few drops in her hand. She slowly prods his mouth open and poors the substance into his mouth. Tidu looks at her and takes everything she does to him like a man. He looks at her eyes. Filled with such sadness. But, also a confirmed look. A look of her worst fears coming true. And maybe..it was. Something like this had happened before. She had tryed to be normal but couldn't. Now she had tried again..and failed. Maybe that is why she is just traveling. She can't stay anywhere long.

Tsumasa opened her mouth her mouth a few times triyng to decide what to say. Finally, she says, "Tidu. I am sorry. You don't have to worry you will never see me again. This will never happen here again. I promise you that. You will be ok."

With that she packed her bag and stood. She then began walking back to the river.

"Where are you going Tsumasa?"

"There is a path along the river. I shall go back to where I came from. I knew I shouldn't have tryed to come to a village again. It only brings pain to others and myself. I don't know you very well Tidu but, I love you." With that she kissed his cheek and turned to leave.

Tidu watched her walk away in amazement. She had just said she loved him. She..

"Wait Tsumasa!"

She just continued to walk and that was the last time he ever saw her.

Tsumasa walks along the river remembering the day. The attacks had ceased for a while. She thought maybe she could just be..normal. For once..be normal.