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The ruins of Aoba Castle stood white against the sky. Sasuke shaded his eyes with his hand as the stinging heat of the sun hit his lenses and tried to blind him. This year, he hadn't returned to the Honnoji memorial for the anniversary, though the wormhole research might have provided an excuse for that. No, it was time to move on. Fate had brought him to this moment, so it was worth seizing what it offered him.
Yet the past held on to the hem of his jacket. Not painfully, but tightly, nonetheless. So once a year from now, Sasuke was determined to make a journey to all the places whose splendor he had witnessed 500 years ago. This time also to a place he had never had the chance to visit but whose importance could not be denied. As he followed his guide through the castle's corridors, he breathed in a history that had once been the reality. His reality for four years, Mai's reality even now... if you could think of it that way.
"Date Masamune was known for, among other things..." The guide's words poured out of Sasuke's ears without revealing anything new. He had lived in the same era as Date Masamune, and before that had heard numerous stories from his parents. He had known that this trip would bring no surprises, but still, its importance could not be denied. It was a tribute to a man whose determination Sasuke had to admire. Not just as a warlord, but as a holder of Mai’s heart.
"It is said that this room belonged to Date Masamune's wife, who was known as a skilled and passionate seamstress. Numerous ladies traveled to Sendai Prefecture to order a kimono made by Maihime."
This time the guide's words made Sasuke stop. They jolted something close to his heart, made it shudder so hard he couldn't even breathe for a moment.
Mai.
Sasuke took a closer look at the room. Its tatami rugs, which were probably not from 500 years ago, though. Mai hadn't stood on those rugs, but the kimono that hung out looked like the one Sasuke had once seen Mai in. Similar, at least.
"The story of Maihime has remained a mystery, and not a single historian has been able to discover who she truly was. She is believed to have come from a good family with alliances with the Date clan. Other stories suggest that Maihime may have had connections with the Oda clan, but no certainty has been found."
Sasuke made sure his face did not falter, but he couldn't help his inner chuckle. He had the answers to all the questions that historians had been spinning as they investigated Maihime's secrets. Yet Sasuke would not tell. He would keep Mai's secret and every other grain of information about the warlords of the Sengoku era hidden from historians. Not all things were meant for the public and a ninja - if anyone - had to know how to keep his secrets. Even if shinobi skills were of little use in modern times, there were still certain things you could hold on to. 500 years did not wipe everything away.
"Masamune and Maihime had several sons..."
So Mai had lived a good life. Again, Sasuke let the guide's speech drift away and followed the group into another room. He wandered through the entire tour, concentrating on seeing the details that were still visible in the castle.
This was good. Mai had been able to walk these halls, sew, and live alongside the man she loved. The idea felt right. Fate had drawn both, Sasuke and Mai, into the past and wrapped its knots around them. Mai's part had been to remain as a piece of history as a princess who captured the heart of the famous warlord completely. Sasuke's part had been to return. So, it had been written in the stars that shone in the sky 500 years ago and still do today.
Everything had gone exactly as it should.
The sun had traveled to the other side of the castle ruins when Sasuke stepped into the blaze again. He turned to look again at the glowing white buildings, whose beauty was undeniable. At the same time, however, a steady, gentle thumping sound bounced into his ears. The rhythm he had come to know so well over the past months.
"I’m sorry for being so late…" The nasal, chirping voice caressed Sasuke even before he met the dark, yet glimmering gaze.
A hand grabbed Sasuke’s sleeve and tugged, making him chuckle. “Emi?”
When Sasuke turned around, his arms were full of the slender body and the dark hair that curled over her shoulders. The frames of her glasses poked his chin as Emi buried her face against his neck.
"Did you like the castle tour?" The young woman pulled back from the hug. A smile beamed on her lips.
It was beautiful.
Unforgettable.
A smile written in stars.
Sasuke was destined to return to this time, otherwise that smile would never have found him.