Hello. It's been a while. I apologize for this much delay...this chapter took me more than two months to complete yet it is short. I have my valid reasons though. Apart from I have a life outside this site and couldn't write much recently, well I've been too busy with Christmas and New Year, and then second sem enrollment. And just last week I think I overdid myself and got sick on the first week of the semester. I know how painful waiting is, but it's worth the wait isn't it? I can't thank you enough for your extended patience.

About the Hakkenden anime, if I were not mistaken there is a season two. The ending is quite a cliffhanger.

As far as I understand, Satomi and Shino are siblings and the blonde woman manequin in the anime is the replica of their mother. Satomi had erased the memories of Shino about his family that's why when Shino saw the manequin he had felt something and Satomi had to take action. That's my theory based on 'reading between the lines' after watching anime.

Yaniel, I got this hunch that you're from the same country as me...turns out you really are. XD kababayan!

Chapter Seven: Woman's Son

The day after the woman was found, the said person lied in bed. The afternoon rays filtered through the translucent curtains and caressed her pale face, slowly waking her up. The woman's eyes fluttered open, and revealed a pair of green eyes that was the shade of Shino. Seeing the window of the room, she slowly got up with her dark hair flowing behind. "Where am I?" she whispered whilst looking around before she made up her mind and went out of her room to wander around the mansion without knowing where to go. "This house is so huge and yet it seems no one's present. I have to thank the person who saved me from dying in the hands of wild teddy bears."

"Really? Wild teddy bears." spoke a man from behind the woman, who got startled by the sudden voice.

Turning around, the woman saw Kaname leaning on the wall with his arms folded against his chest, eyes closed, and smile adorning his face.

"Uhm... Y-yes. We-were you the one who saved me, mister?" asked the woman.

Kaname pushed his person off the wall to face the woman formally. "No." he replied. "One of my friends did. I am Kaname, and you are?"

"M-Meiru. Meiru Yagashi."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Meiru. I bet you are hungry?" the woman called Meiru nodded meekly. "Come on. We've prepared you something to fill your stomach."

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Sousuke helped Shino sat. He placed one large pillow behind his charge to lean on, and placed the tray on Shino's lap. "Here's some porridge, Shino." he said.

Shino sighed, blowing some hair that had gotten into his face. "Can you tie my hair please...Sou?" he asked.

"Of course." said Sousuke, turning to the chest of drawers and pulling the top drawer. He searched for a thing that could tie Shino's long hair and found a ring of rubber. He picked it up and went to tie Shino's hair. "Done." Sousuke informed Shino once he finished tying.

"Thank you." replied the purple-haired teen, and picked up his spoon to eat.

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Night time fell, and the men that kept searching for murasame were back in their homes. Each of them was frustrated of the outcome of their search. They even tried to find the missing bead, yet it was fruitless. They could not ask the right people for any possible information and lead. And, thinking of the enemy possessing both the bead and the raven scared them all because they had no idea who to look out for or what to anticipate for that made them blind to things that they should see in order to solve their problem.

Back at the mansion, however, Satomi was back from his errand. But then he was preparing to depart again.

"Take a close eye on Shino, Kaname." Satomi said as he packed some papers in his case, and added, "And a closer eye to that woman." as he halted his task to stare at Kaname on a couch petting his huge white fox.

"Got it." replied Kaname, and watched the other man leave the room before sighing. "He's stress over his brother's health, don't you think so?" he mumbled to the fox that merely cracked an eye open to look at him.

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Meiru woke up. Her eyes that were glowing in the dark met the ceiling. She turned to the window and saw the full moon peeking in through it. Pushing her person up, Meiru pulled the blankets and got out of bed. She made her way out of the room, opening and closing the door behind her as quietly as it could, and she walked aimlessly in the hallways until she stopped in front of a closed door.

The woman grabbed the doorknob and turned it to open the door with a soft click. She stepped inside whilst pulling the door closed. In the room, Meiru found two beds occupied by two person. She went to the one by the window and looked down on the sleeping teen, Shino.

A smile then morphed on Meiru's face; a smile that could match a woman who found something she had lost and had been searching for so long.

"I finally found you...my son." Meiru whispered as a tear escaped from her right eye and cascaded down her cheek.