If there were ever a more painful, tear rendering sight to behold in all of Kushiami's lifetime...it was here upon these palace grounds, being forced to watch a man of such honor and bravery suffer so much inside as he hugged his beloved sister, quite possibly for one last time before they parted aways. Oh how naive the young Princess was to what may be her untimely fate at the hands of whoever or whatever lurked upon that mountain of fire. Asuka indeed felt torn inside. For one, the heart-wrenching spectacle of a family so caring to one another as this having to be torn apart by the cruel talons of destiny crushed the ronin under such a hefty and loathsome burden. And two, the samurai was still at odds within, wrought with the choice between who is to live and who is to die, when she made a vow to not only herself but Sensei, wherever that woman may be, that she would use her sword to protect all from harm, no matter the cost....but if to defend the Princess from this encroaching demise was to put several others in the pathway to peril....what choice could Asuka even consider...

Bowing her head, she slowly sheathed her sakabatou, keeping her eyes, slowly brimming with burning tears of anger and resentment, averted from the smile of the Princess and the mask of false joy her brother the Prince had adorned. "I too can understand how one simply cannot wash blood from their hands, indeed I do." She muttered in response to the Prince's parting words. "But it is as you say, honorable Prince, there is not much of a choice in the matter, that there isn't." What a lie she told to herself. There was sure to be a way to spare numerous lives from whatever may come. "We need to begin our journey soon, that we must." Asuka sighed, brushing a few dark strands of hair from her face, a visage now of doubt and perplexing melancholy. "But....there should be no need to rush your goodbyes to your sister. Take my advice as from one who had never known the love of a family, that you should." And with those last parting words, the ronin once again hung her head and shuffled forward to the gate, passing by Noriaki-dono of all people and of course a fellow comrade of her warring days, the red beast Kaede-dono. She tried her damn'dest to feign a smile to the blue-armored courtesan, lightly chuckling, yet still an apparent thorn of guilt upon her voice, "Quite the card, that you are Noriaki-dono. I look forward to traveling with a companion who could humor me as much as you, indeed I do."