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Hidetada, once he heard the man beginning to follow him, walked out of the compound without looking back.

"I want to show you why Japan must do something about it's population problems."

Hidetada had been slightly hesitant, after he had thought of his idea, of following through with it. He was going to show foreigners a side of Japan that marred it's spotless image, something that no one, he thought, should see. However, thinking about it for mere seconds, he had decided that his desire to have these people on his side and show them Japan's motivations was more important at this moment. He felt pleased with his pragmatism.

They had come to the edge of the grounds upon which the Shogunate stood. The immaculate gardens on their side of the fence immediately tapered off into an empty void as the fence was crossed. Hidetada led them along a quiet, silent street, devoid of colour. Hidetada finally came to a small, cramped alley, which he ducked into and continued to walk along, standing up perfectly straight while doing so, as the width of the alley forced him to. As they walked further, a pungent, sickly sweet and rotting odour enveloped them.

Shee closed her eyes as the scent hit her. Stopping for a brief second, she resisted the urge to clutch her stomach, bend over, and be sick. The smell was nothing more than a minor annoyance; Shee had been around it too much for it to bother her. But the resurgence of the unwanted memories, however vague, hit her hard. Those undefinable voices surrounded her, pushing her away from Hidetada, Asmadai, and the present.

Desperately, she tried to focus on Asmadai and his moving figure, on his footfalls as he stepped further away from her. She ran up to him, nearly colliding into his back, but managed to stop herself in time.

The alley opened onto the banks of what appeared to be a river, until upon further inspection, what flowed through the banks looked little like water. Muddy brown run-off and sewerage churned between grubby tent villages set up on either side. Women washed tattered remains where the banks slid down low enough, and impossibly small children ran naked, slipping between the poles holding up the rundown tents.

The children still ran, unaware, but all other eyes, dull and defeated, turned towards them.

As Asmadai mouthed those words to her, Shee felt relief as she was reminded that she was not alone. Trying to form the words I'm fine, but failing, she nodded to the priest as they continued.

Shee surveyed the scene, and felt a foreign stab of bitterness. She could hear the affectations in Asmadai's voice as the gravity of the situation stared him in the face. She knew she should feel something; pity, or hopelessness. She felt none of these things. It was too similar, too repetitive, and it had dulled her senses. From her past, it was all she remembered.

Hidetada turned to Asmadai, a small glimmer of humanity that had been absent before manifesting itself in his eyes. He nodded stiffly, as if entranced, at the mention of negotiations, and whispered, "Please. You must help us."