Kozo finds herself a child again; In a familiar garden, where flowers once bloomed. But now, many of them are withering, petals drifting down like quiet reminders of loss.
"Why are you crying?" a voice said as Kozo briefly weeped alone on her knees inside of the garden.
Her sister's voice sounds almost distant, layered with both the gentleness of memory and the sting of something unresolved.
Kozo wipes at her eyes, feeling like the child she once was and now is.
Vulnerable and frustrated.
"I… I'm not crying!" Her voice cracks as she tries to stand her ground.
Her sister chuckles softly, crossing her arms. "Don't lie, crybaby. You always did get upset when things didn't go your way."
Her sisters face was akin to her own but obviously more developed.
These were simpler times in Kozo's life, she was at the age of ten and her sister sixteen.
"See?" her sister says, crouching down to Kozo's level, holding out a single bright flower she's picked from the fading blooms. She presses it gently into Kozo's hand. "Nothing to cry about. Look, you can keep this one. And we'll plant it again when spring comes around. Flowers always get their chance to bloom again."
Kozo clutches the flower tightly, her voice trembling as she pouts, crossing her arms. "But why can't they just stay beautiful all the time? Why do they have to leave?"
Her sister's face softens with a wisdom that feels just beyond Kozo's reach, like a hidden secret in her older sister's gentle eyes. She leans closer, lowering her voice as if sharing something precious. "Because… they're stronger that way. They grow back even after they're gone. Just like you will, one day."
Kozo stares down at the delicate flower in her hands, clenching it gently in her small fists, the petals brushing her fingers. She looks up at her sister, searching her face, trying to hold onto the words she's only beginning to understand.
"Promise me?" she asks, her voice small and hesitant.
Her sister reaches out, her fingers brushing a tear from Kozo's cheek. "Promise. But you've got to be strong, too. No more tears, okay?" She places a gentle hand on Kozo's head, tousling her hair softly. "We'll plant it together next time, when spring is back."
Kozo's heart swells with hope, nodding as she holds onto the flower like a lifeline. But before she can say another word, her sister's figure begins to blur, her voice fading, distant as a whisper.
"Just like the flowers… you'll be fine without me, right?"
Kozo reaches out, clutching the flower tighter as her sister's presence slips away, leaving her alone in the garden.
Petals drift around her, carried on a wind that grows colder with each passing moment, and as if no one was ever there to begin with, Kozo was alone.
She cried and she cried some more as everything began to dissapear around her, even the flower her sister had given to her had vanished without a trace of it ever being there.
In the blackness of the abyss, the child felt a presence unbeknownst to her.
She stood up once more and turned her back only to see a pretender no better than herself, the Kozo of today.
As the little girl looked curiously at the figure she simply asked
"Who are you?"
and the figure simply looked to her and a single tear shed from her eye as she fell to her knees and began to weep as well, only comforted by the child who stood in front of her, the child she had forgotten about ages ago.
With the final flowers fading into the abyss, A sudden jolt shot through Kozo, as if she had been thrown from the garden into another abyss.
But this time the "abyss" was simply reality.
In an instant, she gasped for air, eyes fluttering open to the dim light of her room. The weight of the dream still lingered in her chest, a bittersweet ache that tugged at her heartstrings.
She blinked, the familiar surroundings slowly coming into focus. The walls were bare, the air cool against her skin. But the warmth of the garden still wrapped around her like a gentle embrace, and the sound of her sister's voice echoed faintly in her ears.
Kozo breathed heavily her heart racing from the nightmare and what it could have meant.
After a bit Kozo's body began to settle down as she took in her surroundings.
A bed that wasn't hers, walls that definitely weren't hers and a home that absolutely could have never been her own.
and to top it all off an amazingly made door with beautiful tapestry stood alone amongst an unusually old feeling house.
The door was red and definitely made separate from the home, amongst the tapestry Kozo could make sense of a few things on it, there were wolf like animals at the top of the door, carved in gracefully showing the very essence of cruelty and violence in their genes.
The wolves were chasing sheep, cows, and what seemed to be chicken or duck like creatures.
After admiring the door for a bit, Kozo stood up from her bed and went around the room to see more, looking around the home Kozo noticed what seemed to be a miniature varied collection of literature.
Russian literature, what seemed to be Chinese literature and even some books concerning learning the Spanish language.
Looking around a bit more it was clear that whosever home this was they had dogs and likely multiple.
Scattered across the corner were a pile of dog collars, all varied in size.
and finally after turning around, a grand painting demonstrated itself, it as well carrying the same beautiful tapestry that the door had around its framing, a painting of Xing likely at what seemed to be some kind of dance.
As Kozo got closer she began to hear footsteps from beyond the door.
"Kozo?" A familiar voice said before Xing suddenly opened the door to peak inside
"Thank goodness!" She said sighing as if this was the first time she could truly breathe in a while.
"I was beginning to think our new boss was out for good"
She brought in a tray containing what Kozo thought was tea and what was sliced bread.
"Sit down Kozo you should rest"
"I'm fine" Kozo said suddenly and with a hint of annoyance.
"You didn't have to bring me to your home, give me an email and I'll pay you for anytime you could have been working"
Xing laughed, "We're family now aren't we? Don't worry about it"
To begin with it was a stupid sentiment, Xing had as much money as anyone and it was obvious, if her being one of the saints my father praised didn't say it, her antique but expensive home made it clear.
Kozo grabbed her own jacket, ignoring the platter Xing had served for her.
"I'll be on my way now" Kozo wasn't sure as to where she'd go, only that she wanted to go.
"Kozo- Wait!" Xing said reaching out for Kozo who had already opened the door.
Standing in the hallway were four men, four men who'd be recognized by anybody.
The governing body of the church, the single strongest and most influential group in the world whom even the saint of all saints like my father had to answer to.
"What? What the hell are you guys doing here?" Kozo said unbothered by their presence.
"Don Zahran" one of the men said in an attempt to show respect.
"I'm no don" Kozo said before putting her light black coat on as she noticed the snow outside the window.
"Well that's exactly what we wanted to talk to you about" One of the men piped up.
Dante Enfantaze, the previous don of the Enfantaze family and the Enfantaze the Zahran's had their most battles with historically.
"What's that mean? Kozo quickly quipped back.
"Let's face it we all know an Enfanti's next in line for your fathers business."
As he spoke Kozo began to walk to him in a violent nature as though she intended to strike the man no matter who he was dead to rights, but Xing mediated quickly.
"KOZO" Xing shouted before she walked to the hallway and grabbed Kozo's hand forcefully dragging her back into the room she had awoken from.
The men laughed almost in unison, their laughs disgusting Kozo to her core.
Ha-hahaha-ha
"The saint's daughters a a fiery one isn't she?"
Kozo heard one of the men say softly as a settle smiled across her face before Xing closed the door.
"Listen to someone else for a change" Xing said to the obviously not thinking right Kozo.
"What the hell did you know about this??" Kozo spat out angrily
"KOZO" Xing finally shouted.
As Kozo caught her breathe and she tried to settle down and not let her anxiety take control of her as it had so many other times.
"Let's try things my way" Xing said softly
"Those BASTARDS they came for it all while I was out, the business they're gonna-"
Suddenly Xing sprang into an anger that was unbecoming of her pristine nature
"MAYBE that's not the case! Maybe there's a way we can solve all this if you'd just ACT LIKE A SAINT"
As Kozo looked to Xing with only malice in her eyes, she finally took a seat and looked to Xing, waiting for an opportunity to continue her frustration.