"Why do we always get to do the laundry?!" Tala, Corazon's little sister groaned as she tread along the grassy path leading to the nearby stream.

"Well, would you rather be in the kitchen all noon? We both know you hate cooking." Corazon said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "Times are hard, Tala. So I want you to be as helpful as you can. You know that we already lost Mum and Dad from this war."

"I hate those Japanese soldiers. They killed our parents." Tala grumbled, full of spite for the people she just mentioned.

"Hey, don't say that. You know that those people are only doing what they are being asked of." Corazon pointed out.

"I just wish this war would end already."

Corazon looked at her sister with eyes nearly in tears. She felt so sorry that her little sister had to go through a time like this. No matter how much she wanted to improve their way of living, she couldn't because the only way to survive during this time is either to become a comfort woman or hide and pretend you're a man in order to prevent yourself from becoming a comfort woman.

She was just about to sit down by the stream to do her laundry for that week when he noticed something floating by the water.

At first, she thought that it was just a big white sack of god-knows-what. She picked up a stick nearby and used it to poke the object she just saw but it turns out that it was a man. Worry and fear started to fill inside her as she touched his neck to check for a pulse but they were soon washed over with relief when she discovered that there was a faint one.

"Tala, come and get help from the men in our village! Someone is wounded over here!" Corazon ordered Tala to which the latter followed.

She looked for anything that would help her identify the man, only to find a golden dragon hairpin in his left hand. She carefully took the hairpin and hid it in the pocket of her long brown trousers, thinking that she will give it back to him once he regained consciousness.

—

"Well, this one got lucky." The barrio medic told her when he was finished bandaging the man's wounds. "His wounds weren't too deep; a few more inches and it could have hit his vital organs."

"Thank you so much. Please... take this basket of fruits. It's not much but-" Corazon offered but the barrio medic shook his head.

"I won't accept anything in return for treating this one. All I want is for this man to survive and wake up. His family must be worried sick, looking for him." He told her and then already left after leaving the medicine he has for the unconscious man.

Not long after that, the man already opened his eyes. The man said something in his own language as he winced in pain while he tried to sit up to which Corazon assisted him in doing so. Even though Corazon couldn't understand, she seemed to get the hint that the man was confused.

"I am Corazon, and this is Tala." Corazon told him while Tala just stared at the man sitting on their wooden bed, carefully analyzing his intentions. "You're in our house."

"What's your name?" She asked. The man only stared at her in response. "Uhh... me, Corazon. Her, Tala. Name? You?"

"Akihiro-san." He replied in his strong Japanese accent.

"I am not liking this man already." Tala whispered to her sister. "He's Japanese! You know what the villagemen here will do to the likes of him. He's gonna get killed here!" But Corazon just told her to keep quiet.

Akihiro asked Corazon something but it was in his language once again; however, Corazon just seemed to understand him as if the words he just told her automatically made sense in her head. "You're gonna be okay over here. We'll take care of you." She reassured him.

—-

"Akihiro, do you remember anything that happened to you before we found you by the stream?" Corazon asked him as they both washed the dishes they just used that evening during dinner. It had already been a year since they found him and yet, no one has come to claim him.

Akihiro shook his head, "Not really. All I remember is my name... and that feeling of being scared." During his stay with Corazon and Tala, they had been taking turns in teaching him their language to which he quickly caught-up on. It also made Tala grow fond of him and is now treating him as if he was her own big brother. Some people in their village accepted him despite his original roots but there were also some who still continued to be defiant of him and his existence in their community.

Corazon is also starting to get worried because what if one day someone comes to their house and takes Akihiro away. She knew that she needed to return him as soon as possible because the hairpin he was holding when she found him looked like it wasn't just an ordinary one but rather a symbol of his status; but a part of her wanted to hold onto him a bit more. Just then, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

"Don't worry, I won't disappear." he said, "I'll stay here with you and Tala." He inched his face closer to hers which made her feel flustered.

"You know you're gonna start some rumors for us with the way you're holding me right now." Corazon said in a joking manner.

"I don't really care anymore. We're getting married soon anyway." He replied with a playful smirk and then he gave her a soft, quick kiss on the lips. The two had fallen in love within a year and were planning to get married. Others advised them against it because of the still ongoing war but the hearts of a couple cannot be stopped, especially when in love.

"By the way Akihiro..." Corazon said as she pulled the golden dragon hairpin from her pocket. "You were holding this when we found you by the stream. Does this seem familiar to you?" She handed him the hairpin to which he carefully inspected with his own eyes.

As soon as his thumb grazed over the golden dragon crest, a vision of a young man giving the golden dragon hairpin to a young woman flashed through his mind and then it suddenly cut through to another young man holding his bride in his arms while crying in pain and loneliness.

"Akihiro?" Corazon's voice pulled him back into reality. He looked over to her and realized that the woman in his vision looks exactly like her but with just whiter complexion. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah... I just got a headache, that's all." Akihiro replied.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be forcing you to remember things. Let's just go to bed, shall we?" She said as they both hurriedly finished washing the dishes and then went to bed after that.

On the other hand, Akihiro knew that those weren't the memories of his current life but rather they were memories of his previous lifetimes; lifetimes which he had shared with Corazon. He watched her sleep peacefully beside her and planted a kiss on her forehead. He feels happy that they've managed to meet somehow in this lifetime but he's also worried about their future together because their last life was a tragedy. He continued to wonder how he could protect her right now when he couldn't even remember who he is in this current lifetime.

Akihiro decided to get up and take a fresh breath of air outside, only to find Tala sitting there as well, looking up at the moon and stars in the night sky. "Can't sleep?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He replied. "And you?"

"Same." She replied. "You know, I can't help but wonder when this war will be over." Akihiro just grinned, the memories from his past life still play at the back of his mind.

"Do you ever feel resentment towards me?" He asked the now thirteen-year-old Tala. "Y'know... I'm Japanese and my kind caused all of these sufferings to your country."

"Well, at first I didn't trust you. I mean, how could I? I was twelve when I saw those soldiers of your race kill both of our parents." She continued, "I was afraid that you'd do the same to us, especially to my sister."

"But then, I saw that you're different from those soldiers. You were more accepting than our fellowmen here." She added while smiling at him. "You were kind, loving, and strong - just what my sister needs."

"Your sister needs you too, you know." He pointed out. "She will always need you."

"She won't need me, trust me Akihiro." She looked at the vast rice field before them. "Soon, you two will get married and have your own family. And I will try out my luck in town to support myself. I will continue to pretend that I'm a man so I can keep myself safe from those pervert soldiers."

Akihiro was astounded and at the same time, he felt pity for Tala as she is only thirteen years old and yet, her mind is already filled with thoughts of survival instead of just enjoying her early adolescence without any worries.

"Akihiro?"

"Yeah?"

She offered her pinky finger to him. "Can you promise me that you will protect my sister, no matter what?" She smiled. "She felt like a sister and a mother to me so I don't want to see her get harmed in any way, shape, or form."

He smiled earnestly at her and intertwined his pinky finger with hers, "I promise to love and protect your sister at all times, even if it costs my life." And with that promise, he thought that it sounded all too familiar with him and the anxiety of fulfilling that promise started to build up inside of him. He knew that he was unsuccessful in keeping the said promise in their previous lives but he will and shall try again no matter how this lifetime tries over and over again to tear them apart.