A/N: Well, here it is, chapter two. First of all, I'd like to thank my reveiwers: Black Lotus Flower, totallyadpot23, Shining Silver Phoenix, QuothTheWren and Narq. I actually wasn't expecting all of these reveiws, but I'm happy you all left me one :D Well, after a month (or so) I've finally update. Well, here it is.

Just a note, all of this is the backstory of Rika. I've started to think that I put this maybe a bit too early in the story, but ah well...

Chapter Two

What had started out as a sunny day had quickly become chaos. Children had retreated into their homes and young men had rushed outside. Soldiers; Government soldiers, clad in white uniform, the judicial crest clearly visible on their attire; these soldiers had marched in with swords in their scabbards and guns at their sides.

"Why, what might the government be doing here?" Even the town mayor had stepped out at hearing the clicking footsteps of the booted feet.

"You know very well why were are here," the leader replied. "This village is harboring a criminal; the murderer of one of the three powers; the man who killed the great Admiral Saicho; the man by the title ex-lieutenant Kisho Yoto."

By now, a large group had gathered in the central region of the small village. Men, women and their clinging children all stood present, murmuring their worried thoughts among themselves. However, one family was absent; the family of this very ex-lieutenant in question.

• • • • •

A young Rika and her little brother stood at the entryway, observing the events outside through the small opening.

"Mama, these people said papa's name," the young boy informed. "Is he in trouble?"

"Shh... be quiet Jin," his sister scolded. "We don't want them to hear us."

"But why?" he whined with a pouting face.

"Did I not just tell you to be quiet?"

"Come on you two, stop fighting," their mother ordered.

The children instantly quieted their mouths and turned away from each other.

"Let them be, Kana," said their father, speaking to his wife. "I hear they want me outside. Well, duty calls." He quickly slipped past his two children and opened the door up wide and walked outside. Instantly, eyes of every citizen and soldier fell upon him, Kisho Yoto. A smirk began to show on the commander's face as he saw him.

"Well, look who finally decided to show himself. What? Are you finally tired of running and hiding form justice?" he mocked.

"When was I ever hiding? I am certain that you all knew well enough that I was living here." He glanced over at his family as he spoke. His son stood holding his mother's hand, his daughter gripping the door post, and his wife holding the small hand of her son, tears starting to form in her eyes. She knew all too well of what he was going to do.

"Are you going to surrender yourself?" the commander finally asked.

"He let out a large sigh. "Yes," he began. "As long as you will not harm the villagers, I will willingly go." He dared not to look at the faces around him, but just started at the sky above him.

"Papa..." the young Rika whispered to herself. "Papa... no..."

"Very well then. Come with us."

"Wait!" called the mayor. "Kisho! Don't be selfish. I know you think you are doing the right thing, but you're wrong. You're striping your wife of a husband, and of your children a father. Is this what you want?"

Kisho opened his mouth with an objection, but before he got to speak up, he mayor continued with his words.

"As mayor, I will not stand here and watch you die. I will fight, even if it may not pay off in the end!"

The crowd of villagers cried out in agreement, raising what little weapon they had into the air.

"It seems as if you aren't willing to cooperate with us," the commander remarked. "I was hoping this would be a simple task. I guess I judged wrongly."

"Come on, let us show those government dogs that we can fight! That we are gladly willing to sacrifice ourselves to save one man!," the mayor announced with all dignity.

The villagers roared out in agreement raising their weapons are charging in. There was a loud cry from every fighter from both sides of the battle; but one voice seemed to resonate about all others.

"Stop this madness!" Kisho yelled. "What sense does it make if you try to save one life, but lost many more in the process? All that effort would have been in vain."

"If it all be for nothing, then let it be," he replied. "This one life that we may save today is of utter importance. And what kind of citizens would we be if we didn't try to help one another?"

Kisho rose up his hand and opened his mouth with many more objections to be said; but before he got to speak, his children, young Rika and Jin, left their post at the door and ran past the crowd of townspeople to reach their father.

"Papa, please don't leave us," the young girl begged, tightly gripping his hand with two of her own.

He gazed down on the two children who were now clinging to him. They held onto him as if to prevent him from being taken away from them. He looked at them with a compassionate expression before kneeling down to their level and giving them a tight hug.

"Kisho," the mayor continued, "if you will not allow us to fight for you, then we will do this for your family; so they won't have to suffer the loss."

Without even giving him a chance to speak, the mayor had begun his charge on the government soldiers with many villagers following behind. Within moments, which felt like nothing more than mere minutes, many citizens and soldiers had fallen, and the dirt on which they fought on slowly became a dark crimson red.

Women had brought their children into their homes, seeking safety; but in a battle such as this, danger was inevitable. The ruthless government cadets had gone around, burning buildings and slaughtering innocent people. In actuality, all of these villagers were innocent. They had no cause to deserve such condemnation; but they got it nonetheless.

Yells, cries, bullet shots, the clang of metal upon metal; the sent of blood, the smell of burning wood; fear, anxiety, worry, strife; this is all the village had become, nothing more than a tattered battlefield of war, covered in blood and clouds of smoke. Many homes had become reduced to ash, even beyond recognition of once housing a family; but though it all, one household still remained.

"I'm going outside to fight," said the boy, holding a wooden rod as if it were a sword. "I'm a man too! I have to join the fight!"

"Where do you think you're going Jin?' asked their mother, placing a hand in front of him, bidding him to halt.

"Mama, I'm going to–"

"No you're not," Rika said, stepping forward to stand by her mother.

As he began to whine, Kana continued to speak. "Jin," she began, speaking wit that parental tone of discipline. "Jin, this is nothing to joke about. This is serious; this is warfare. We cannot have little children running about when our villagers are fighting a battle. It is dangerous, to both our fighters, and to you. Do you understand?"

"But..." he complained.

"Jin, do I have to–"

Before she got a chance to finish her sentence, the door slammed open and a man, clad in white uniform, marched inside. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said, holding his sword in his hand. "Looks like the ex-lieutenant's family is still here. Well, I–"

"Go away from here!" exclaimed the little boy, instantly lurching forward to attack the soldier with his little rod. His puny attack was easily deflected by the government war veteran, who, in doing so, had left a gash on the boy's forehead, and sent him flying to the corner of the room, unconscious.

"Jin!" the two exclaimed, Rika instantly running to his side and holding her brother in her arms.

The government soldier let out an airy laugh to himself at seeing the pitiful children. Without any mercy, he lifted up his sword, getting ready to attack once again. He glanced over at their mother, before turning to look at them. A smirk appeared on his face as he rose his sword at the two children who were too concerned with themselves to notice that he was attacking.

"Rika! Jin!" exclaimed their mother as a warning. But the warning was too late. He had already let his weapon fall. But if she had stepped in front of them any later, her children would have been victims of the government; she had saved them.

"Mama!" Rika yelled in worry as she saw her mother fall to the ground with a bloodstain on her chest.

The government fighter let out another laugh before he spoke. "You kids are lucky you're mama saved you. But who's gonna save you now?" He continued to chuckle to himself as he stepped forward to attack them.

"Rika! Take Jin and get out of here!" Kana ordered, trying to sit up while clutching the wound on her chest. "You have to escape. No matter what happens to me, you two have to live. Run, escape, flee, get away from here, and bound for someplace safe."

"But mama..." the young girl mumbled as an objection.

Kana put on a frail smile for her daughter. "Rika, be strong. Don't worry about me. Whatever happens, stand behind your decisions, and don't let anyone tell you that you're wrong, as long as you think you're right. Take Jin and escape; you must live on. After this is over, I will meet with you again. For now, just run to a safe place."

Rika bit her lip as she tried to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Yes mama..." she choked. She took her brother on her back and ran outside without taking another look behind. "Bye mama..." she mumbled to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks, for she knew too well that her mother's last words were nothing but lies, that she was never going to see her again. But nonetheless, she pressed one, for that was her mother's last wish, for her and her brother to escape to a safe place; and so, she fled, running to wherever that safe place may be.

A/N: I think the ending was kind of...well, I guess you could say it was rushed a bit, but oh well... Oh, and just to tell you, the flashback isn't over yet.

Anyways, as always, leave me a review and I'll be happy :D Well, thanks for reading, and happy Thanksgiving!

-PolkadotBubble625