'...M'Lord, we have captured the Princess and her companions... ..We will hold them at this inn, and await your further instructions..' Kakeru read on. '..We will trade them for our Kingdom.. ..Kakeru stays with us.. ..I await your arrival..' He gasped at the next words. 'Lord Obari.. .. Signed, The Baron.' At first he was positive it was forged. But the seal, the seal from Tyler's ring, the ring he NEVER took off, was on the paper. He clenched the paper in his hand, and felt pure anger run through him. His own cousin had betrayed him. And he was going to send Keiko, and Anji and the others to be killed! A figure in the darkness met his eye. He didn't have time for this, he had to warn the others.. The figure stumbled about slightly as he or she walked closer to him. 'Obviously a drunk..'
"Prince?" The person, now determined to be a woman, said.
"Mai?!" He took a step back.
"Did you hit him?" She asked as she cocked her head towards Gohei, as if to point.
"It's not your concern.." Kakeru growled.
"Who are you to tell me what is and isn't my concern?" She smirked slightly. Truly, she was one for spunk. Kakeru couldn't believe someone of her social standing could possibly question the authority of someone of his. He didn't have time to explain, and he shouldn't have to! His mouth gaped open at this. "I have to go."
"You didn't answer my question!" She grabbed his sleeve forcefully.
"How dare you!" He pulled away. Such a remark would seem somewhat haughty, normally, but he didn't care. He had no idea how soon it would be until Obari came, and he had to inform the others! Mai wasn't making any of this a simple task by keeping him here.
"What's that in your hand?" She asked slyly.
"Nothing." He turned away.
"Is it a love letter?" She grinned.
Kakeru blushed. "..No."
"Is it.. A secret admirer?" She smirked. He knew she was reading his expressions. Assassins were always unpredictable, and they always knew when someone was lying.
"No."
"Then it must be a war declaration."
"No!!"
"Perhaps a thank you note?"
She was really starting to annoy him. He decided to just walk towards the building without answering her.
"How rude!" She said outloud. 'I must be getting sloppy. I should have figured that out.. I've got to stop drinking this stuff..' She thought.

Staci sighed in as she looked at the ceiling. The other girls were fast asleep by now, except for Mai who's bed was vacant. Her thoughts were upon Tyler. She worriedly wondered if he was to be trusted. If they'd known how she knew him, then they would know what he really was. She wouldn't admit that he used to love her. That she rejected him, and he threw her out of Allaras. She never told them that she used to live in Allaras. Kakeru knew. She couldn't believe they didn't notice when he recognized her when she bailed them out of the prison. Her thoughts began to wander, but then..
A light. The door was opened. A dark figure headed towards them. She sat up in her bed, and he noticed her. He was holding a candle, and when she finally looked closely, she saw that it was Kakeru.
"What are you doing in here?" She said loudly. Most of the girls perked up from that. Keiko was on the verge of screaming when he put his hand over her mouth. In return, she bit him.
"OWW!!" He yelped. Rina blushed furiously and covered herself up with her blanket.
"Kakeruu! We're in our undergarments!" Naoki cried. He in return, blushed furiously.
"Shh!! The walls have ears!" He whispered. "We have to get out of here. Now."
"What?" Aika blinked.
"Tyler is a traitor." He closed his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his chest. "My cousin is a traitor."
Rina, Naoki and Aika gasped.
"Why would he betray you, if you're his cousin??" Aika asked.
"He's not betraying me.."Kakeru sighed.
"You're wrong." Staci admitted.
"What??" They all looked at her.
"Shortly after Tyler went up the stairs, I.." She paused. "I went to speak with him. But he was in there with Gohei, and.. And I heard him say that he was going to kill you.." She looked at the floor. 'I can't tell him about his parents..'
There was a long pause. "Get your stuff ready. We have to leave now." The girls nodded, and Kakeru made his way towards the men's room(not THAT men's room, *rolls eyes*).

Otaru looked through the window. He felt so fortunate to be treated this way, after everything else he'd been through. I mean, he was sleeping in a room with royalty! That must have been an honor! Although he couldn't sleep, considering he was given the 'priveledge' of sleeping next to the smelly, dirty, Mitsui Ken. Jiro was now awake, his head pounding from the massive hangover he received from his drinking match, and his arms sore from the great battle on the stairway. Recent events not in counting, Otaru respected the Knight greatly. As a child he'd dreamt of being a Knight. Saving princesses, and slaying dragons, that was his dream. He'd also wondered about being a merchant, or a noble. Maybe even an innkeeper. Many respectable people were innkeepers! Plus, he would feel the satisfaction of knowing he could give weary travellers shelter when they needed it. He could be an explorer, or a sailor! Or a farmer like his father. Growing food for the hungry, t'was truly a noble cause. But he never expected to be a slave when he grew up. No one dreams of being a slave. Maybe when he found his past again, he would get his dreams back. The door opened, interrupting his thoughts. Kakeru stepped in.

A million thoughts went through Rina's head. All of them started with, 'How did I get myself into this?' It's true, trouble seemed to follow these people around, but she hadn't ever had this much fun and excitement at the.. OTHER place she worked at.. As the girls hurriedly packed their belongings(and some of the items they would 'borrow' from the Baron), Mai walked in, whistling.
"Are we leaving now?" She blinked.
"WE are leaving, you can do what you like," Staci said.
"I guess I'll go with you then." She smiled. "I'm sure Rina and I still have some catching up to do since she left the brothel." She smirked.
Rina furrowed her brows.

"That rat!!" Anji exclaimed.
"Keep it down!" Kakeru whispered. 'These people don't know what 'QUIET' means!!'
"Your highness, I can't let you stay here! He'll kill you!" Jiro said to Kakeru.
"I have to make sure they don't see you! Better I die than all of us.." Kakeru said. 'I just hope none of us die.'
"T'is truly a noble act, indeed." Jiro bowed at his bravery.
"If Jiro can't convince you, I will." Anji said. "This is stupid! We'll get out just fine! You shouldn't risk your life when you don't have to!"
"It's not stupid to want you guys to get away safely!"
"You're just doing this so that you can come back and be the hero!" Anji exclaimed. "If you're staying, so am I."
"Don't be stupid! You have a sister who loves you! I don't have anything. I'm expendable." Kakeru narrowed his eyes at Anji. "Don't be a fool.."
"Then let me stay." Otaru said quietly.
"What??" They looked at Otaru.
"You said it yourself. You have no family to tie you back." Otaru sighed. "I have no proof my family is even alive. And you are a Prince, and a great help in fighting. A much more experienced fighter than I am. They can benefit greater from your help. Besides, I.. I feel like I owe you something."
"You don't owe us anything. I'm staying. And I'm the ONLY one staying. That's final." Kakeru said. For a split second he was proud of himself. Then it was gone.
"Who are you to order me around?!" Anji growled. "Maybe those two, but I, I take orders only from my Father, the King of Sosaria."
"What happens if you stay, and you do die? If Obari kills your parents? What will happen to Keiko?" Kakeru hoped Anji realized he was right.
Anji paused. "..Your right.." Score. Now he just had to set the plan in motion.

"I can't believe these guys!" Keiko whispered hoarsely to the other six women as they huddled around the door of the room the four men were sharing. Her ear was pressed against the crack of the door, as was most of the other girls.

"Keiko, be quiet!" Staci commanded, pressing her ear closer to the door.

"But, they're being so dumb!" she fumed, her voice raising slightly. "Kakeru shouldn't stay behind, and neither should Anji, or Otaru!"

"Keiko, please don't make a scene..." Aika uncharacteristically requested of her brown-haired, though sometimes troublesome, friend. Keiko glared at her for a moment, then pressed her ear against the door once more.

"They're coming out!" Rina announced in an urgent whisper suddenly, struggling to rise to her feet, for she was positioned on her stomach, listening at the crack underneath the door.

"What?!" Naoki squeaked, also struggling to get back from the door. The only thing this managed to accomplish, however, was to knock the six girls to the ground, each falling on top of the other until they were in a messy pile.

Jiro was first to step out, his newly polished chainmail glistening in the light of a single candle. He blinked in surprise when he saw the scene inches from the door.

"I gather thou hast been eavesdropping, then, Ladies?" he asked nonchalantly, as a ruffled Anji stepped out from behind him.

"SHH!" Anji commanded, a finger rising to his lips, "You don't want to wake anyone up, do you?!"

Otaru followed behind the red-haired prince, looking about cautiously. "We'd better hurry," he suggested, "It's only two hours until dawn. Perhaps less."

The six women were roughly helped up by Jiro and Anji, and were on there feet again in no time. Mai sullenly brushed herself off, then turned to Otaru.

"Isn't the other prince coming?" She asked, her tone not really holding any concern. Otaru looked nervous for a moment, his eyes darting back to the bedroom they had just emerged from, then answered.

"He's not coming."

"That idiot!" Keiko suddenly burst, keeping her voice low and hoarse, even in her anger. "What's he planning to accomplish by staying behind?!"

"It appears the Prince and Princess have the same kind of temper, wouldn't you say?" Jiro quietly commented to Rina. The tiny girl nodded nonchalantly, fully expecting an argument to break loose. However, that was just the same moment Prince Kakeru decided to emerge from the room, his packs and supplies in his hands.

"Are we ready to go?" he asked, as if leaving had been his intention the entire time. The group stared at him for a moment, struck by his uncharacteristic change of heart. Anji nodded, picked up his own packs, and lead the way down the stairs.

The stables were still dark, but none of the group dared light a torch and risk being seen. Silently as possible, they gathered their horses (two extra for their packs and supplies), and led them out of the stables.

As most towns are at three in the morning, all was silent, save for the occasional 'meow' of a stray cat. Kakeru now led the way, determined to get the group out safely. They had nothing to do with any of this, he surmised. Why should they be caught?

They safely reached the gates of the city, but were slightly puzzled at the fact that there were no guards posted that night. Such a large, successful city would have guards every night, wouldn't it?

"Perhaps they went out to get a drink," Anji suggested, looking slightly apprehensive.

"Well, this'll only make it easier," Mai said slyly, pushing her horse forward. The company watched breathlessly as the careless assassin neared the gate, then abruptly stopped. Keiko opened her mouth to ask what the matter was, when, almost as if she had predicted Keiko's action, Mai held her hand up to silence the princess.

The air became abruptly still. Quiet. The city seemed almost more desolate than ever. Kakeru didn't look around, as the others of the company did, but closed his eyes and listened to this odd silence. Something felt strange...

"Something's coming..." he murmured, and Keiko turned in her saddle to look at him.

"Kakeru--"

Her voice was interrupted by a sound that brought terror into the hearts of the company. Jiro unsheathed his sword upon hearing this sound, and tore his eyes away from the road ahead to look back into the town, up past the rooftops.

"A dragon!" He nearly roared, his eyes going wide.

Keiko, Aika, and Naoki all shrieked in unison as they brought their eyes to where Jiro had indicated. Indeed, hovering in the sky on golden wings, was a dragon, bigger than any of the houses in the town itself.

"Should we run?" Rina asked in a tiny voice to no one in particular. Anji, unable to take his eyes off the flying lizard, nodded in affirmation.

"Otaru, you lead," the red-haired prince ordered, taking control. "Kakeru, Jiro, and I'll take up the rear. Mai, you help him--make sure we don't get seen."

Both Otaru and Mai nodded silently, and turned their unsteady horses toward the gate once more to lead the group out of the town.

Both Anji and Kakeru, like the knight Jiro, unsheathed their swords. Then, giving one last glance to the dragon (which seemed to be drawing closer), they turned and fled with the others, swords in hand.

As they slipped past the gates of the large city, Mai promptly ordered them to take cover under the trees on the outskirts of the city walls. They did so, though with some difficulty, as their horses caught sight of the enormous dragon that seemed to pursue them. Once they were well-hidden, Naoki and Aika immediately began to bawl, hiccuping between each muttered and indistinct sentence. Keiko, everyone was surprised to notice, didn't cry, but remained silent.

"Will it come after us...?" Staci asked Anji quietly after a few moments of waiting in the cover of the trees.

As if in answer, the group could hear the fearsome screech of the dragon. Naoki and Aika both screamed at the sound, and clung closely to eachother for comfort. The sound of the dragon seemed closer than ever, and nearly every member of the company began to shiver with fright.

"I thought that the last of the dragons had been killed off centuries ago..." Keiko commented, her voice quivering as she spoke. Anji looked to her, and turned to stand next to her. Again the dragon screech, and again it seemed to draw closer.

"Maybe it'll just go away..." Mai whispered fervently, almost to herself. Even Mai seemed to be frightened now! This fact was almost too much for Keiko, and she gripped tightly onto her brother's muscular arm.

The dragon's screech crescendoed into a might roar this time; a sound that shook the very ground they sat upon. It was drawing close, no longer in the air. It was sniffing them out, trying to locate them...

Kakeru took a step forward, as the dragon took another step closer to them. The group could almost feel the dragon's presence near them, but where? It was so large, it could easily approach them from anywhere it wanted! Kakeru took another deliberate step out from under the protection of the trees. The dragon's movements shook the ground this time, it was so close! Another step, farther from the shadows.

"Kakeru!" Anji whispered hoarsely, "What do you think you're doing."

The Allarian Prince gripped his sword tighter in his hand, but did not reply. He took a few more steps, and the shadows no longer covered him. He was outside the trees, and, nearly fifty feet from him, stood the dragon.

The rest of the company gradually drifted to the edges of the shadows, signalling with their hands and beckoning Kakeru back to them, back to safety. The stubborn prince adamantly kept his back to them, and faced the dragon who, in turn, faced him.

They watched the scene in utter disbelief. Why wasn' the dragon moving? From the stories that had been passed down for generations, it had been told that dragons, once their meals were spotted, flew upon them and tore them to pieces. This huge, tawny-colored dragon, however, stood on its haunches, watching Kakeru with watery-green eyes. Strange eyes...

Kakeru kept his gaze locked with the enormous beast for what seemed like hours to the party watching him. However, the dragon did something that seemed almost entirely impossible--it blinked, its two, thick eyelids closing over the green eye from left and right, then opening again. This immediately brought the Prince to attention, and he held his sword in both hands, pointing it at the dragon.

And then it charged, its odd mouth seeming to curl up in a sneer. Its huge mouth opened to reveal rows of shining silver teeth, gleaming in the light that the fading moon provided in the small valley outside the city.

The clash the two different beings created was unlike anything Keiko had ever seen before. The dragon had charged so fiercely, Keiko was almost certain that Kakeru would not survive, and a shaky hand went to her mouth. However, much to her amazement, Prince Kakeru swiftly avoided the dragon's swiping claws, and managed to slice at the dragon's flank; but, to no avail.

There was a clang as Kakeru's sword met with the dragon's skin. It was as hard as stone! He thought with all his might on anything he'd heard about dragons. What were their vulnerable spots? The ends of their tails and their stomachs? Kakeru was willing to bet that this information was correct, but he had not enough time to put any thought to it as he expertly dodged another swipe at his head. It missed him by inches. If he simply kept dodging, he would never get anything accomplished!

If he could just get near to the dragon's hind quarters, he could get it into enough pain to subdue it for a moment, giving him a large enough space of time to think of some kind of plan!

Next time, it was the dragon's tail that swiped at the Prince. Kakeru took this as an opportunity for some retaliation. In adrenalion (sp?) strengthened hands, he quickly chopped at the dragon's still-swinging tail. Success! He had managed to create a reasonably good-sized cut in the tail of the beast's trunk-like tail.

The tawny dragon screeched in pain, its head raised to the sky in dire agony. Seizing this opportunity as well, Kakeru continued to hack at the monster's thick tail. Again and again the dragon screamed, until its enormous claws reached behind its back to seize the creator of the pain. However, in doing so, the dragon only caused itself more pain by ripping away at some of its own armored flesh. Gaping wounds now were scattered about its back, and Kakeru went to the side of the dragon.

The beast had almost become immobilized by all this pain. Never in its life had it felt anything such as this pain!

Kakeru quickly located the other most vulnerable spot of the dragon: its stomach. However, getting to the spot would prove to be a difficult task. The dragon's snake-like neck flailed wildly as it writhed in pain, making it difficult for Kakeru to predict what its next move would be.

Kakeru waited for too long, it seemed, as the dragon's pain subsided--however slightly--and it swiped at him once again. He barely dodged in time.

He began swinging his sword wildly, in hopes of reaching the dragon's soft spot, while the dragon's attacks became more frantic. Both were out to kill, and neither would give up until one or the other of them had fallen.

A furious swipe was given by the dragon that succeeded in ripping apart the prince's cloak. That's when Kakeru noticed something. Every time the dragon attacked, its vulnerable spot was unprotected!

But, how could he ever reach that spot? He surely was quick, but he had nearly worn himself out, by now. His motions were becoming slower, sloppier. How could he reach the spot in time after the swipe, without getting himself killed?

The Crowned Prince had once overheard a certain strategy used by the noblest of princes in facing a dragon. Each had, in turn, died in the attempt, but the dragon, each time, had been successfully slaughtered.

So, Kakeru was decided. He would use this age-old strategy, and go down as a noble prince. He stopped the wild and frantic movements of his sword, and slightly positioned himself. He knew the dragon would take this kind of halt as defeat, and it would, undoubtedly, attack.

And attack it did. Kakeru steeled himself, for, as was part of the strategy, he would allow the dragon's blow to strike him.

It was more painful than anything Kakeru could ever remember encountering. Falling in the thorn bushes had never felt like this, nor had the time he'd accidentally sliced his leg with an arrow.

The dragon's enormous claws had managed to pierce his side, much like three swords all at once. Blood gushed from these fresh wounds, and covered the dragon's silvery claws. It was all The Prince of Allaria could do to keep himself from collapsing then and there.

However, the opportunity had sorely been opened to him. In the same instant that the dragon had cut at his side, his sword had lunged for the vulnerable spot on the dragon. In an instant, the spot had been pierced by the Prince's gleaming sword, and the dragon stopped moving entirely. New pain swept through it as the sword dug into its lung, then into its heart, breaking it.

Urging himself on, Kakeru, gripping with both hands, slowly began to pull out his bloodied sword. The entire world seemed to go deathly still in that instant, as if listening to that one, shimmering sound of the Hero's Sword as it slid out from the dragon.

Ever-so-slowly, the Allarian Prince backed away, gripping at his bleeding side.

The earth seemed to rumble as the dragon gasped, then fell to the ground on its devestating wound, blood puddling underneath it.

Kakeru silently stood over the giant's tawny-colored head, his blood dripping from his side and onto the creature's seemingly pale, and wide-eyed face.

It was then that the Prince realized that it was not the dragon's face whom Kakeru's blood fell upon, but Tyler's.

His mouth gaped in utter horror and disbelief as the prince fell to his knees.

Fresh blood had begun seeping from the Tyler's mouth. He coughed once, gasping with the want of air as the blood filled his lungs. His piercing green eyes had become shallow, and they blankly pleaded with his dark-haired cousin, as he lay on his stomach helplessly.

"K...Kakeru..." he muttered, a slight grin crossing his face. "I... was supposed to kill you."

Kakeru was unsurpised by this, yet he began to tremble violently. "Don't talk, cousin," He murmured, clinging desperately to the wound at his side. "We can still save you, just don't talk..."

Tyler smiled slightly, as the blood on his face continued to flow. "I... betrayed you, cousin..." he said simply, ignoring Kakeru's request.

Kakeru's hands shook as he layed a hand on his cousin's tawny-colored hair. "Come with us, then," he said quietly, his voice quivering. "Forget about anything that's ever happened; we'll forgive you..."

Tyler grinned in a self-mocking fashion. "Would you... be so forgiving..." he muttered, "if you knew...?"

Kakeru's brows furrowed. "Knew what...?"

Tears suddenly mixed with blood on Tyler's pale and drawn face, and he coughed again with the effort to keep breathing.

"Kakeru... it was my father..." Tyler struggled with the words. "My father killed your parents..." he gasped again, and more blood seeped from his mouth.

A sudden coldness filled Kakeru, a fresh new wave of hatred for his Uncle and disbelief at the fate of his parents. His breathing became slower, more exaggerated, and his grip loosened around his wound.

"So..." he said, barely above a whisper. "They're dead... after all..."

"I'm sorry..." Tyler sobbed and coughed at the same time. He clenched his teeth, blood staining them instantly. "I'M SORRY!" He yelled the words, as if doing so would give them some kind of meaning. However, no words can bring back the dead, no matter how sincere they are said.

Kakeru watched his cousin in silence for a moment, no longer shaking. "I'm sorry too..." He murmured, and his cousin smiled softly at him.

"Do you know why you're Crowned Prince... Kakeru?" Tyler asked unexpectedly, taking Kakeru by surprise. "Do you know why... it's not me...?"

Kakeru's eyes suddenly softened. He remembered his cousin asking this question once before. The answer remained the same as last time. "It's because I'm older..." Kakeru responded quietly. Tyler smiled slightly, a sad, ironic smile.

"You're... wrong..." he retorted, "I used to think that... but not anymore... it's all because they knew this would happen..."

"What... do you mean?" Kakeru questioned in a low voice, unsure of himself. Tears began making a steady flow down Tyler's pale and bloodied face.

"Nobody wants... a dead king..." The blond answered somberly, his eyes going blank as the tears continued to flow. Kakeru shook his head slowly, disbelief and agony crossing his own pale face.

"You won't die!" He argued, the pain in his side abruptly becoming close to unbearable. "Just lay here, I'll get the others--"

"Kakeru..." Tyler murmured suddenly, ceasing his cousin's foolish argument. "Please... make a good king..."

His eyes closed, and his tears slowed, leaving a glimmering, wet trail down his cheeks.

Kakeru's eyes shadowed with pure remorse as he realized, with drawn breath, that his cousin and friend was no longer with him.

Shiranui Kakeru, Crowned Prince of Allaria and Heir to the throne, layed a quivering hand on the still face of his cousin, and he wept like a heart-broken child.

"That idiot!" Keiko raged, tears streaming steadily down her pale face. She hiccuped, then coughed, burying her face deeper into her brother's warm shoulder. "What did he think he was doing?! Now he's gone and killed someone, and gotten himself injured!"

Anji's faced contracted, slightly, with annoyance at his sister's comment. Had she no common sense? "Keiko," he murmured, finding that a lump had formed in his throat. He swallowed it back. "If you're so concerned, why not just go help him?"

"Wouldn't it be best to leave him alone...?" Otaru questioned timidly from beside Anji. The red-haired prince furrowed his brows, studying the quivering form of Kakeru from the cover of the trees.

"If we leave him there, he'll die..." Rina responded for Anji, her eyes overbright with tears pleading to be shed. Then, quite deliberately, she began to walk forward. Jiro followed her, his sword in hand, and was promptly followed by the others.

As they approached the prince, the scene became too much for Aika and Naoki to handle, and they retreated back to the cover of the trees, nearly in tears. Mai and Staci went with them, saying that they needed protection against anything that might come. Keiko had her suspicions, however.

Kakeru was almost a shadow, his dark clothes and hair causing him to blend in with the darkness of the early morning, which had been duefully shrouded by deep, heavy clouds. The prince's shoulders still shook with the effort of deep sobs, and he clutched at his bleeding side desperately. Keiko's heart ached, suddenly, feeling that this sight was almost too much to bear. Beside her, she heard Otaru gulp, preparing to speak. Nothing came out but a squeak, however, as Kakeru spoke.

"Stay back..." he murmured quietly, "Stay back!" His voice rose. Keiko, Anji, Otaru, Rina, and Jiro all stopped in their tracks. Kakeru gasped in pain as he let out another sob.

"P-Prince Kakeru," Otaru began, "What--"

"I don't want you near me..." The Allarian Prince lamented. "Please, just go away..."

"But, you're inujured!" Rina said in way of protest. Her face was pale with the sight of blood, and her hands shook.

"Then let me die..." Kakeru pleaded with the tiny girl. "Just go and let me die!"

Anji opened his mouth to let out some obviously furious comment, but Jiro silenced him with a wave of his hand. He valiantly approached the still-sobbing prince and, quite deliberately, picked up the prince by the shoulders and stood him on his feet. Kakeru gaped at him, surprised at such an action. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead gripped desperately to the gaping wound at his side.

No words were necessary, however. The knight knew exactly what the prince was going to say, and he grinned openly.

"Thou art our companion, Your Majesty," he said simply, taking Keiko by surprise by slinging the young man purposefully over a broad shoulder. "We would sooner dine on raw worms than abandon thee."

The prince's face looked stunned for a moment at the knight's words. In his throat he made a choking sound, then he began to sob once more, his salty tears falling onto the knight's polished chainmail. He didn't seem to mind, though.

Smells of breakfast met Keiko's nose as they neared the camp. She closed her eyes and breathed it in. It'd been a while since she'd had porridge; she hoped fervently that they had honey with them.

There was a silence as they walked back to their small fire. Kakeru had quieted, and their movements seemed somehow muffled in the morning fog that was settling over them. Keiko rubbed her arms, suddenly finding that she was chilly in the dense haze.

A cry broke out, breaking the silence that surrounded Keiko and the others.

"What was that?!" Anji burst, his hand at the hilt of his sword. Rina gave a frightened squeak, startling Anji into looking in her direction. She silently pointed toward the forest where they had been heading, and covered her mouth with a shaking hand. Curious, Keiko also looked in that direction.

Aika, Naoki, Mai and Staci were all being held by the neck by a group of burly-looking men in plated armor. By the shape of their armor, Keiko could only judge that they were soldiers, not mere ruffians that Jiro and Anji and Otaru could easily take care of. Instinctively, she broke out in a nervous sweat.

Beside her, Anji let out a surprised yell. Keiko looked to him; a soldier had latched onto him from behind, keeping his neck between the crest of an arm. More of the soldiers came and did the same to Otaru, and Rina, and Jiro (much to Keiko's own surprise). Then, as Keiko had anticipated they would, one more soldier grabbed her by the neck, also.

They were unwillingly dragged back to their fire and pushed to the ground, cords immediately being tied to their wrists by more soldiers.

/is there no end to these guys?/ Keiko thought dryly, but quickly dismissed that thought as another soldier-- clad in black armor with a visor that covered their face--approached them.

"Obari will be pleased," The black-armored knight murmured smugly. Chuckling, the knight reached up to their visor and, in one smooth action, pulled it off.

Keiko could hear Rina gasp beside her as the black knight's face was revealed. Keiko also gasped. Rina must have been just as surprised to find this knight was a woman as she was! However, tears brimmed in the tiny girl's eyes, and she cried out.

"Mistress Nakaijima!"

The orange-haired woman, now known to them as Nakaijima, grinned at the tiny blond girl. "Rina, child," she almost cooed, kneeling down beside Rina and patting her head. "So nice to see you again."

"That's REALLY Nakaijima?!" Keiko could hear Staci muttering to herself. "I always thought she'd be more elegant; but in MAN'S armor--!"

"Quiet." One of the soldiers hushed her mutterings. Nakaijima looked to the blue-eyed girl, then to Mai, who sat beside her. In turn, she looked over every one of the captives. Her eyes fell on Kakeru, who was breathing hoarsely and leaning on Jiro and Otaru for support. Her eyes seemed to melt with an odd kind of pity, spotting the boy's wound, but that quickly faded as she once again rose to her feet.

"They're our captives, now," Nakaijima said coolly to one of the soldiers. Keiko could hear Anji muttering curses to himself, and she sent him a piercing glare. "Get them in the wagons and tie up their horses," Nakaijima continued. "And get the injured one fixed up a bit." She grinned. "I'm sure Obari would be disappointed if we brought the last descendant of the Shiranui family to him dead."

Hands on her hips and visor tucked under one arm, she turned to mount her horse.

The carts they were forced into were bare and pulled only by one, scrawny horse on each. Keiko was put into one with Anji, Jiro, Otaru, and Kakeru, while Staci, Mai, Rina, Aika, and Naoki were shoved into another. Keiko found it a comfort to be with her brother, though that didn't help the condition of the cart.

One of the soldiers stayed in the cart containing Kakeru, half-heartedly tending to his wounds. At first, Keiko had been curious to see Kakeru's wound tended; she turned her face in horror as the gash in the prince's side became plain. She didn't look again until he was bandaged, and the soldier had lept from the cart to tend to one of the horses tied to one of the many carts of the odd caravan.

Keiko heard Otaru make a disgusted sound from the other side of Anji. "He didn't even clean the wound..." the dryad-boy growled under his breath. Keiko was then thankful that she hadn't watched the procedure. She turned to Kakeru, who lay at the back of the wagon, covered with a thin blanket.

"Feeling better?" She asked, attempting to lighten the distraught young man's spirits. He didn't answer her right away, but continued to stare blankly at the dark, foreboding sky. She repeated herself, and he looked at her.

"Yeah. 'M fine." He muttered the response then turned back to his observation of the sky. Keiko leaned against the rim of the wagon, making herself slightly more comfortable, and sighed.

"I hate when people do that..." she murmured, sighing deeply. Before she was even aware of closing her eyes, she was asleep, exhausted from the morning's events.

When Keiko awoke, the carriages had slowed to a surprising speed for people so determined to get them to Obari. She searched around but could only see the eerie fog that had obviously developed from the early morning mist. Her vision was also cloudy from her previous nap, thus making it extremely hard to see.
"This ain't right.." One soldier, a short stocky man, muttered.
"Aye..." Another said.
"I don't understand.." Nakaijima furrowed her brows. Keiko looked around to see what they were talking about, but her eyes still hadn't adjusted. "I thought we were in Par Duneth..." The woman brushed some of her red curls away from her eyes, peering at what seemed to Keiko as a blanket of grey nothingness. But soon, things started to appear before her eyes.
"..Oh no..." She heard Jiro, the usually collected knight, say under his breath in a tone that frightened her. She gasped as they came nearer.

Jiro clenched his fist. The town, HIS town, had been destroyed. Marble pillars with intricate and beautiful designs, that once had held up the city hall were in pieces. Crumbled cement and stone lay scattered across the ground. The statues of the great warriors who had died for this city were mere rubble.
"Looks like the baron 'ad 'is breakfast out this morning.." A tall soldier chortled. Jiro didn't know from who, but someone threw a shoe at him. "Ow! Hey!!"
Served him right, the pig. How could this have happened?? How could they all have been destroyed?! Rage grew inside of him. This town, no, this fortress to all that was right and just, lay in ruin at his feet. The people who once fought against evil and blasphemy, the valiant people, had been killed for nothing. Not honorably in battle, protecting the innocent, but in their own homes.

The soldiers were now at a dead stop.
"What are you doing?! Keep going!!" Nakaijima growled.
"M'lady.." A man looked at the destruction. "What happened?"
"Obari obviously decided that this city was an obstacle in his plan," Nakaijima stated, as if the lives lost were mere peices on a chess board. ".. And REMOVED it."
Rina was almost in tears at that statement. Naoki and Aika WERE crying, and Keiko looked almost as infuriated as Jiro.
"It wasn't an 'obstacle', you witch!" Rina cried. "Those were PEOPLE!!"
Nakaijima was, to say the least, shocked. Rina seemed shocked, even more so.

Rina hastily slapped a hand over her mouth. "Mistress Nakaijima..." the tiny girl murmured from behind her quivering hand. "I..."

From across the seat in her own wagon, Keiko could see plainly that Rina was struggling with the words in her throat. Pity nearly overwhelmed the princess as she watched her tiny friend. Nakaijima, the woman who she had once considered a type of mother-figure, was proving to be everything but motherly; this hurt Rina deeply--it was obvious by the pained and confused look on her face. Keiko looked to Nakaijima's face, and gasped silently. It seemed, fleetingly, that the stone-hard glint in the woman's eyes faded, and she looked at the blond girl before her.

Then her eyes went cold again, and she turned her mount to the front, saying nothing. Rina's hand dropped helplessly to her side, fighting an onslaught of tears. Keiko didn't care to watch her friend suffer anymore, so she turned her head to the back of her own wagon. It was only then that she noticed that they were leaving the ruined city of Par Duneth behind them.

And there were tears in the Knight's--Jiro's--eyes.

/So many people are sad!/ Keiko thought with near bitterness, turning her head away from the knight to observe the rest of her wagon's occupants.

Anji grimly busied himself by polishing a sword he knew he would not get the chance to use. If he were to take that sword, leap out of the wagon, and attack, he wouldn't stand a chance; guards were posted on every side of them, and Anji--armorless--was no match for six or seven knights. Otaru feigned sleep, leaning on the rim of the wagon in the same fashion of Keiko had. She wondered why he did this, faintly, but remembered how she had not wanted to see the others sad. She smiled toward him, though his eyes were closed and could not see it.

A weak cough caught her attention, and her eyes turned toward Kakeru, who lay on his back in the cold wagon, his blanket discarded and his bloody bandages visible. Keiko cringed when she saw the blood staining his wraps; he should have them changed. The dark-haired prince coughed again, this time more hoarsely, and his face contorted with pain. He clutched at his side, briefly, before covering his face in his pale hands.

"You'll catch cold," Keiko commented to the prince, warily eyeing the blanket he had earlier discarded. He removed his hands and looked to the princess. Keiko noticed that his face seemed paler than usual--if it were possible.

"I feel hot," Kakeru retorted weakly, resting a palm on his forehead. "I don't want the blanket. It's too hot."

Was he crazy? Keiko breathed in the foggy air around her; it was certainly too chilly to be even the slightest bit warm. She stared at him, brows furrowed, the leaned across the wagon toward the stubborn prince.

"Move your hand," she commanded, and Kakeru reluctantly did as he was told. She laid a tempid hand on the prince's forehead, a few strands of dark hair getting in the way--

She removed her hand as if she had been bitten. "You're burning up!" She declared, thrusting the discarded blanket back onto him. "If you don't keep this on, you'll freeze, and won't even know it!"

Kakeru clenched his teeth and growled his pain as Keiko roughly elbowed him in the area of his wound. He sat up and clutched at the afflicted area, pushing Keiko aside in the process.

"Princess," a gentle voice said from across the wagon, and Keiko's eyes turned to meet with a pair of dark green ones. "I think you'd better go sit down away from Prince Kakeru."

The Princess pouted, but immediately obeyed as Otaru shuffled to sit next to Kakeru. In a strangely uncharacteristic voice, the dryad-boy sternly commanded Kakeru to lie down, and to keep his blanket ON. If he did indeed have a fever, he would be getting chills in no time.

For a moment, the prince simply stared at Otaru. Then, his face turned an odd shade of green; he leaned over the rim of the wagon, and allowed his stomach to speak for him. It had much to say, and left a mess at the side of the trail, which the soldiers on horseback found difficult to avoid. Finished, he lay back down at the back of the wagon, and pulled his covers over him.

"There's also that," Otaru commented, grinning despite his best efforts. "I take it you don't get sick often, do you, Prince Kakeru?" Kakeru shook his head in reply, pulling his blankets tight, his teeth suddenly chattering with cold.

Keiko looked to the front of the wagon, where the rest of her group was seated, looking grim. Staci had one arm cocked about Rina's small shoulder's, attempting to coax the girl out of her tears. Rina sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her head in her knees. Aika and Naoki sat at the back of the wagon, talking quietly, while Mai stayed at the rim, her legs folded indian style, her hands rested on her knees while she kept her eyes closed. Was she meditating? Keiko shook her head, unable to believe that it was possible for the girl to attain such a peaceful state.

Keiko turned her attention to the front of the caravan, and looked at the road ahead. The fog seemed to cover most of the dirt road ahead of them, though, despite the fact that most of the road was invisible to her vision, to Keiko it seemed endless. With every turn of their wagon, they moved forward; and with every inch forward, a new piece of road extended before them. The fog would then ominously close behind them, leaving only what was under their wagons visible to them. This small range of vision unnerved the girl, and she shivered unconciously. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she knew immediately who it belonged to. Looking up, she smiled weakly at her brother, then turned back to the road.

"You seem worried," Anji commented, and Keiko merely "mm"-ed in reply. His grip tightened around her shoulders--an almost protective gesture--as he, too, stared at the condensing fog ahead of them.

"It only seems to get thicker as we go along," he said, squinting against the thick mist. He shook his head, resolved to tell his younger sister the information he had gathered while she slept.

"Kakeru told me why his cousin turned into a dragon," Anij said, and Keiko looked up to him in surprise. Her eyes silently urged him to spill more information to her, and he grinned. "He said that Tyler is a real descendant of the old dragon clan."

"Isn't that only a myth?" Keiko inquired, and Anji's brows knitted.

"Apparantly not. We were witnesses to that," he continued. "As it turns out, the King of Allaria--Kakeru's uncle--was not Tyler's real father. Tyler didn't know this, though, and Kakeru had found out by accident. He says he overheard his uncle talking to someone, one night, and he found out that Tyler was the last descendant from the dragon clan--which the King had actually killed off himself. It appears he has a soft spot for children."

"Why do you say that?" Keiko asked; Anji grinned again.

"When the King slaughtered the dragon clan, Tyler was the only child. He took Tyler with him and raised him as his own. Also," he added as an afterthought, "Obari killed Kakeru's parents but didn't kill Kakeru. Instead, he took Kakeru as his own, also. He doesn't have the heart to kill children."

Keiko's head felt as if it were spinning, and she closed her eyes to try and stop the feeling. "Wait," she told her brother, "The King of Allaria killed Kakeru's parents? So, that means... Kakeru has nothing to look for anymore. His running away from home--"

"Was useless," Anji completed, nodding his head understandingly. Keiko swore, at that moment, she could feel her heart breaking. All this time, Kakeru had been convinced that his parents were alive--he'd spent his life searching for them--only to find that his own Uncle had killed them himself!

Briefly, this made Keiko wonder of her own father and mother. She came to realize that the last words she had spoken to them were bitter words--her adamant refusal to marry the Prince of Allaria. How she had hated her parents then; now she missed them more than anything. Anji, being the brother he was, sensed her guilt, and brought her into a tight hug. It was unusual for the Princess, but she found that no tears came. She buried her cheek into her brother's warm shoulder, listening to her own, steady breathing.

The wagon was so steady, her brother's and her breathing so rythmic, the steady clatter of horse hooves on dirt so melodic, she fell asleep again without realizing it.

Keiko gulped and broke into a nervous sweat. Everyone in their caravan was still, except the few who trembled fearfully. Even Nakaijima, astride her elegant, jet-black horse, cringed with fright. It seemed almost like a staring contest between humans and beasts, one that would last forever unless someone thought of something fast.

"Whaddawedo, whaddawedo, whaddaawedo, whaddawedo--" Keiko was muttering to herself, when Anji put a hand over her mouth to silence her. One of the gryphons had just taken that inevitable step forward, growling through its bird-like beak. Keiko swallowed hard and shut her eyes, waiting to be eaten...

There was something coming in the distance, Keiko could hear it. It sounded almost like music, someone singing to their lute... As the sound drew closer, the music grew louder, and Keiko opened her eyes. Before her, the gryphon that had been approaching them wobbled, slightly. What was going on?

The music became louder yet again, and more clear for Keiko's own ears. Indeed, it was a lute, and it was playing the most soothing song Keiko had ever heard. There was also a slight familiarity in that song, and--by the looks on the faces of her companions--they felt that familiarity, too.

The gryphons continued to sway, until one of them--unable to stay awake and listen to that music any longer--collapsed into its nest. After that, as the music slowly became louder, more of the gryphons fell, until every one of them was asleep again.

The whole caravan let out a sigh of relief in unison, but still not too loudly, not wanting to wake the gryphons again. The music still played, and this time, it was almost directly behind Keiko and her friends. Chancing a look behind her, she gasped, as did the rest of her companions.

"Ken!" Anji gasped, directing his comment at the singing minstruel on his fat donkey. Ken grinned and stopped singing, though he continued to strum on his instrument.

"Oh, yeah," Staci said absently, staring at her brother from the back of her wagon. "You were with us before we got captured. How ya been?"

For that comment, Staci recieved a slap on the head from both Aika and Naoki. "How could you lose your own brother?!" they both hissed at her, while she rubbed her head.

"It's easy!" she replied indignantly, "He's just easy to forget, that's all!"

Slowly, Nakaijima approached the singing minstruel, and bowed awkwardly from atop her mount. "Thank you for saving us," she said quietly, and Ken beamed, still strumming. Then, quite suddenly, two soldiers grabbed shoulders from behind and pulled him off his donkey, roughly throwing him into the wagon that held Staci. His head landed on Mai's lap, and she shoved him off roughly. He smirked, and continued to play.

"Move out!" Nakaijima ordered gruffly, and the company lurched to a start. From across her wagon, Keiko listened intently to what was being said between Staci and her lost-but-found brother.

"So, how did you get them to sleep?" Staci asked her grinning-fool of a brother. His eyes seemed to light.

"It's easy," he said with some smugness, shrugging indifferently. Everyone leaned forward to hear his secret. "Gryphons are suckers for the classics."

Keiko could hear Staci sigh loudly as their caravan passed the last of the sleeping gryphons.

How could it have already been five days? How could they have not reached their destination yet?

Where was Obari...?

Keiko sat once again at the rim of their crowded wagon, staring out onto the desolate road as it rolled from underneath the wheels. Within seconds, it would disappear from her vision and into the fog that continued to consume their company, and grow thicker. Keiko wondered, drearily, if she would ever gaze upon blue sky again.

Behind her, at the front of the wagon near the driver, someone let out a hacking cough and groaned painfully. Kakeru again. Keiko didn't turn to look at him, or to watch as Otaru carefully changed the cloth on the prince's head. She knew that Kakeru was sick, growing steadily worse. Looking at him made her heart hurt.

Within a few minutes after Kakeru's coughing, Anji took a seat beside his sister. His wrists were bound, and Keiko grinned to herself from behind her knees, which were pulled up to her chest. Anji had become impatient with travel and had tried to escape. Most obviously, he had failed, and Nakaijima had ordered to have him tied.

Anji sighed, staring at the road in the same fashion his sister did. "Nakaijima's refusing to answer our questions, now," he stated, and Keiko nodded in response. For the last few days, they had been trying to get answers out of the red-haired woman about anything. A few questions she had answered, but most she had not. It appeared as if she was now entirely vexed with them. "She won't even speak to Rina," Anji said gravely, and brought his knees up to his chest. Again, Keiko nodded.

"Perhaps thou shouldst take it as a sign," Jiro said quietly from one side of the wagon. Keiko turned to glance at him. Since they had passed through the burned rubble that was once his city, he had spoken rarely, and only when what he had to say was of some importance. Anji raised an eyebrow at the knight.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Jiro shifted in his armor, which had begun to rust, slightly, at the hinges from lack of cleaning and moist air.

"Perhaps the Lady Nakaijima doth not speak with our company because we are close to our destination," Jiro explained, and Anji's eyes seemed to glaze over thoughtfully. Keiko groaned inwardly; he'd been doing that a lot lately, and he'd be at it for quite some time. Raising herself, slightly, she scuffled to the front of the cart to see if she could assist Otaru in any way.

However, the cart gave a sudden jolt as Nakaijima called a halt. Keiko tipped forward unsteadily and barely missed landing on the ailing Kakeru. Otaru's eyes were wide as he assisted her into a sitting position; he lightly scolded her for standing up and almost hitting his patient.

"Well, if I'd had some warning..." she muttered, rubbing her head. Looking to the front of the caravan, Keiko saw that Nakaijima dismounted and walked forward a few paces. Keiko watched curiously. Where was she going?

Briefly, the red-haired woman disappeared into the dense fog, then returned, mounting once again. Waving a hand forward in the air, the caravan started once again.

"I wonder why we stopped?" Otaru asked quietly, voicing Keiko's thoughts. Kakeru coughed again, this time sounder weaker, and Otaru smoothed a fresh towel over the prince's forehead.

The air began to smell different. The fog was even thicker, making it almost impossible to see two feet ahead. Nakaijima kept a steady lead, however, and on they went.

Keiko couldn't define the smell better than the fact that it smelled like burning things. A mixture of things she couldn't correctly place. The road they travelled became smoother, also, though Kakeru coughed more. Keiko could feel her own lungs tighten from the smell of the air. Something seemed wrong about it.

And then it was there. A wall, more massive and intimidating than anything Keiko had ever laid eyes on. Not even the walls surrounding her own kingdom had been that large, and she shrunk back instinctively. Gates were embedded in those walls, thick, iron bars that rose up a hundred feet or more. Keiko gulped.

The gates slowly swung open, and two soldiers stepped out to greet Nakaijima. Keiko squinted at them, and felt her teeth grind. One of them was unfamiliar to her, though the other was one she had seen once before, not too long ago.

Gohei stood there, speaking quietly with the red-haired woman on her black mount. Keiko could feel Anji tense up beside her, and Otaru gaped. Jiro clanked noisely as he shifted restlessly in his armor. Unnoticed as she listened to the others, Keiko noticed that she had been digging her nails angrily into her palm as she made a fist.

Nakaijima and Gohei stopped speaking, and the blond beside him saluted. He and Gohei slowly pushed the metal gates open to their full width and stood to the sides, directing the caravan in several different directions. Keiko and her friends each went right, in the direction of several stone buildings, while the rest of Nakaijima's soldiers and their horses went to the stables.

Nakaijima still rode in front of the company, leading them in front of the first small building. She stopped them, and ordered them roughly out of their wagons. They complied, and immediately each of their wrists were bound, including the ill Kakeru. Keiko grimaced as she watched the prince climb weakly from the cart, Otaru assisting him as best he could with tied wrists. The prince's wraps were bloody, and needed changing, and he was unsteady on his feet. Keiko felt her heart wrench, and she looked away.

Nakaijima then led them toward another building. There, she stopped in front of it, directing the girls to follow her, and the boys to follow Koji, the blond soldier that had been standing with Gohei at the gates. Keiko sullenly watched her brother disappear with the other males, and followed the girls.

Inside the small building was the most beautiful bath Keiko had ever laid eyes on. It steamed refreshingly, and bubbles filled the room with a deep, lavender smell. Since being captured, Keiko had only had the chance to wash her face and arms in a tiny stream they had made camp by one night, and she felt her body quiver in anticipation of the warm water.

"Why're you doing this?" Staci asked suspiciously, and Keiko blinked. She hadn't thought of that. Nakaijima smiled, something Keiko hadn't yet seen on that face, and moved toward the door, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"You should all be presentable for your new overlord," she said, a hint of smugness apparant in her voice.

"Overlord?" Mai asked from the other side of the room, kneeling next to the giant-sized bathtub. Nakaijima's smile widened into a grin, and her eyes lit.

"Hurry and wash, ladies," she said, more of a suggestion, really, than a command. "You wouldn't want to keep Lord Obari waiting, would you?"

Without saying anymore, she untied their wrists and left the room while the group bathed. For a moment, Keiko considered this to be folly on the red-haired woman's part; they could escape while she was out! However, upon close inspection of their surroundings, she discovered that they meant to keep her and her friends there; iron bars enclosed all openings. Sighing, she undressed and entered the bath.

Nakaijima came back for them a half-hour later, and took them back outside. Keiko found that the scent she had detected earlier in the fog, that /wrong/ smell, had become worse. It almost clogged her nose, and her lungs tightened. Meakly, she coughed, and Nakaijima turned to her as she led them to another, larger building.

"You must be smelling the reapers," the woman commented, and Keiko flattened out the skirts on her dress, which had been laid out for them after their bath.

"What're reapers?" The princess asked of the red-haired woman.

"They're war-creatures," Nakaijima explained, her chain-mail clinking. Keiko hadn't noticed before that the woman had switched a full armor suit for the mail. "After a battle is finished, reapers act as the clean-up crew, dining on the dead and leftover fear of battles. Fear has a strange scent, and because reapers feast on so much of it, they leave a stench about everywhere they go." The woman smiled at the pale expressions on the girl's faces. "Don't worry, they're gone; the battle here finished nearly two weeks ago."

Entering the building, Keiko and the girls met up with the remainder--the male part--of their group. All of them wore the same blue doublet (with the exception of Ken, who was looking particularly dirty), much like the ones Tyler had provided for them at the Inn. Kakeru still struggled to stay upright, though he did so valiently; he wouldn't even allow Otaru to help him.

/That idiot,/ Keiko thought bitterly, /He'll get himself killed while he's trying to act tough!/ She sent him a glare across the room, plainly telling him of her irritation in him. He noticed this, and turned away.

"You will be joining my Lord for dinner," Nakaijima announced as she led them to a pair of large, wooden double-doors. Keiko held back a gasp of shock. They... were really, SERIOUSLY going to eat dinner with Obari... without KILLING HIM?!

Nakaijima silently pushed open the huge doors, and signalled the group to follow her in. There, sitting at the end of a vast, beautifully decorated long-table, was Obari.

Setting down a wine glass, Obari smiled, his eyes cold as ever. Keiko realized that she recognized that coldness; it had been in that man's eyes as long as she had known him. Why hadn't she known what it had meant?

"Welcome," Obari said in his quiet, almost wispy voice. "Please," he said, waving a hand across the table. "Have a seat."

Grudgingly, the guests obeyed, slowly stepping toward the table. Keiko took a seat between Otaru and Kakeru, Anji sitting across from her. Around them, dreary-looking servants appeared, setting before them plates of steaming vegetables and roasted ham. On separate platters around the table were various other foods, like potatoes and cooked deer. Keiko's stomach growled expectantly, though, in her mind, she knew she shouldn't eat any of it. What if it were poisened?

"I know what you must be thinking," Obari said suddenly, his cold eyes placing themselves on the princess. "But, I assure you, I would not sink so low." He grinned maliciously. "If I chose to kill you, I would do it with my own hands."

Anji leaped from his chair, intent on strangling Obari. However, Nakaijima restrained him, and forced him back down, pulling out a sword threateningly. The prince folded his arm, and contented himself with growling at the plate of food in front of him.

Mai was the first to raise her fork and begin digging into her vegetables. Everyone watched in awe, amazed at her courage; then Keiko reminded herself that Mai was an expert at poisons, and would know if the food was contaminated or not. Satisfied at the fact that Mai hadn't rolled over, dead, Keiko took a bite from her own food.

Soon, the meal was gone.

"If you'll excuse me..." Obari said, in his silky voice, as he stood and turned to make his exit.
"Wait a second.." Anji stood as well. "First you try to kill us, then you capture us, then you FEED us, now you're leaving?!"
Obari didn't answer; instead he smirked devilishly and left the room, despite Anji's protest. Anji blinked, then looked around. He realized that every guard in the room was now gone.

"This is crazy!" Staci said. "It's like he WANTS us to leave!"
"He does." Jiro said casually, as he drank some of his wine.
"This is all a game to him…" Otaru said angrily.
"Then we'll play his game." Anji growled. "..For now."
"What do you suggest??" Aika asked.
"I don't know about you, but if I'm going to die, I'm going out fighting.." He clenched his fist. Mai was overcome with laughter.
"Pitiful!" She cried. "No plan, no weapons, and you plan to fight? I'm sure you'll survive."
"We don't need your sarcasm, Mai." Rina scolded.
"Let me see.. Four men, one wounded, another with no fighting skills whatsoever, and yet another in a drunken stupor, and a bunch of women, only one who can to any harm, unless you count Naoki's so-called 'healing' as a weapon.." Mai continued to snicker at the bunch.
"I've had enough!" Staci yelled. "If you don't want to be here, then go."
"Fine. If you want to die, so be it." Mai said as she walked off into the shadows of the room.

They all paused, then Anji continued, as if the conversation had never happened.
"We must make a plan." He said.
"Shh!" Rina whispered. "The walls have ears.."
"Wha?" Ken giggled.
"It's a metaphor." Staci rolled her eyes.
"We'll split up into groups." Anji said, quieter this time. "Jiro, you go with Rina, Keiko, Kakeru and Aika to the right."
They all nodded.
"Otaru, Naoki, Staci, and Ken, you go to the left." He added.
"What about you?" Keiko asked.
"I'm going to go get Obari for what he has done to our kingdom.." Anji looked toward the door Obari vacated through.
"Then I'm going with you." Keiko said determinedly.
"No! I want you to go with Jiro, where you're safe."
"We don't always get what we want.."
"Don't be so stubborn!!!"
"Anji, this is suicide. You can't even fight! You expect to kill a master swordsman like Obari??" Aika said, interrupting the brother-sister argument.
"At least I'd be trying.." Anji folded his arms.
"You'd be DEAD!" Naoki cried.
"I think his actions are noble." Jiro added to the conversation.
"Don't be stupid! You-" Staci started.
"Hey…" Rina interrupted.
"What?!?!" They all yelled.
"It seems someone is missing.." Otaru pointed to Kakeru's empty chair. They all stopped and looked around. He was gone.

Kakeru stumbled through the eerily empty hallways. If no one else knew where they were, he did. This was one of his Uncle's fortresses.. He would take revenge for his parents, if not on his uncle, then on Obari. The fact that he could barely walk, much less fight, made no difference to him.

With a little more discussion, Anji finally decided to join Keiko and the rest.
As the others went to find a possible exit, they decided to find some weapons. Deep inside, Jiro knew that escape was not an option. Then what? There was no escape, not for them, only battle.. Corridor after corridor, they quietly checked for weapons. Any weapon would be fine, just SOMETHING. The next room they entered was filled with decorative suits of armor, complete with swords, axes, shields and spears. As Jiro dawned the armor and weaponry, something moved in the corner of his eye. He looked over. Nothing there but suits of armor.

Anji also equipped himself with a sword and shield, and handed weapons to the girls. After a while, he, too, saw something move. Keiko gasped. The suits of armor were moving!! Keiko, Rina and Aika moved towards the door, as the suits surrounded the two boys. Anji made his way towards the girls, while Jiro stood, not moving a muscle. A cackle erupted from behind a curtain.
"Gohei!!" Anji yelled.
"At your service." He bowed mockingly.

Meanwhile, weaponless, the other group sneaked about the dark halls.
"Even if we find an exit, how do we-" Naoki started.
"Shhh.." Otaru said. "Listen."
Everything was silent. But wait, what was that? A snore! Someone was sleeping! Otaru motioned for them to wait there, as he turned to corner. Two guards sat at a door, one with keys in his hands, the other fast asleep. He returned and informed them of the situation.
Staci whispered, "We can rush them."
"With no weapons?" Otaru shook his head.
Ken, obviously NOT catching on to the 'silence' thing, said loudly, "Oh well!!", and then hiccupped.
"Wha?? What was that??" They heard from where the guards were. "Who's there??"

"Anji, you go ahead." Jiro stared at Gohei, begging him to attack. Anji stood watching him, shocked.
"They'll slaughter you!" He protested.
"Go, my friend. You must protect your sister." Jiro stated, glaring at Gohei.
Anji reluctantly agreed, and he and the girls ran down the hall.
Jiro stood perfectly still, watching Gohei.
"Aren't you afraid?" Gohei asked. "Not even the least bit??"
"Fear is a weakness.. Fear isn't for the noble…. ..Only the cowardly." He replied. The soldiers all took a step back.
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Gohei snarled.
"You killed them, didn't you?.." Jiro closed his eyes in rage. "You and your troops…." He paused, and then yelled as he charged towards Gohei, "You SLAUGHTERED my people!!!!!"
A battle ensued, and Jiro, amazingly, was holding his own. For the time being…

Kakeru, after finding a suitable sword, found himself in a dining hall. The heat of anger flushed over his face, as he saw his Uncle sitting on the head chair.
"Kakeru!" He greeted in an obviously fake enthusiasm. "How strange to see you here."
"Hello Uncle.." He narrowed his eyes. "I came here to kill you."
"I suspected as much. Especially after hearing the news that you killed poor Tyler. I expected more from you, Kakeru. I'm truly disappointed." Sarcasm dripped from his over-friendly voice.
"I expected more from YOU." Kakeru gritted his teeth. "How foolish I was! I went on a wild goose chase, chasing the hope that my parents were still alive. You let me believe in a lie, that they were alive, somewhere. But in the end it was you, all along."
"I TOLD you they were dead. Don't blame your naiveté on me. " He stood, and picked up his sword, looking in its reflection. "You always were quite stubborn."
"Murderer…" Kakeru growled.
"Why you little brat. It was a mistake leaving you alive."
"It was a mistake teaching me to fight.." Kakeru said, as he walked closer to his Uncle.

The guard stood up, and out of the shadows came… Mai!!
She walked towards the guards, an impish grin spread across her face. Staci and Otaru peered over the edge, watching.
One of the guards awakened the other, and then smiled evilly. "It must be one of Nakaijima's girls…"
Mai didn't say a word, but in a flash, she threw a small vial towards them and started to flee.
"Run, idiots!!" She yelled to Otaru, Ken, Naoki and Staci. A reddish cloud of gas engulfed the two, and when it dissipated, the two men were dead. Mai smelled the air from a safe distance, to make sure it was gone, and then walked towards the two. She looted their corpses, then kicked one of them. "Fool."
"Why did you do that??" Staci asked.
Mai put an innocent expression on her face, and clasped her hands together. "Because It's hard to find decent people in this world. People who accept me and want to be my friend, and-.. I really had you going, didn't I?"
They all fell down.
"I did it because I want to get out of here, end of story. Besides, what would you guys do without me?" She winked.

Jiro was struggling to hold on. Every time he killed one soldier, another appeared! "Hiding behind your men, coward?!?" He managed to make out, as he ran another through. Gohei scowled. Jiro HAD to win! He had to avenge his people! Not for honor, not for glory, but because his family, his people, would NOT die in vain.

At that moment, a battle had ensued between Kakeru and his Uncle. As hard as he tried, he was evenly matched with his Uncle. He dodged, and parried, and attacked, and yet he still couldn't gain an inch. He leaped up on the table and continued the battle.
"You've gotten better… But, I sense you're holding back.." His Uncle said.
"Nothing could hold me back from taking revenge..." Kakeru said as he lunged at his Uncle, stabbing him in the arm.
Though wracked with pain, he managed to counter Kakeru's attack by stabbing Kakeru in the stomach. Kakeru fell down off of the table and onto the floor, as he wrapped his arm around his stomach.

Anji told Keiko, Aika and Rina to stay there, as he walked into the next room, which appeared to be the throne room. Obari sat in the throne, smiling as Anji entered.
"It's about time." He said.
"We took the long way." Anji said.

"You pitiful, spoiled child." Kakeru's Uncle said, clasping his arm with one hand, and his sword with the other. He towered over him on the long banquet table. "You were right when you said you'd see your parents again. And you shall die by the same blade.."
Kakeru closed his eyes. His efforts were for nothing. His end was upon him.
"Goodbye, Kakeru.." He looked in fear at his Uncle as he raised his sword.

As Jiro finished off the last of the soldiers, he walked slowly towards Gohei. Blood covered his armor. He didn't know if it was his, or the soldiers'. Gohei backed off, in fear. "What are you?!" He screamed as he backed himself against a wall. Jiro was now right in front of him.
"A man of honor." Jiro replied. More blood spilled to the floor as he finally took revenge on his people by killing Gohei. "And now may my people rest in peace." He said as he left the room.

Kakeru cringed as the blade came towards him, only to fall from his Uncle's hand. He dodged it, then looked at his Uncle, who had a shocked look on his face. A knife had been thrown, in the blink of an eye, and now his Uncle fell to the ground. Kakeru wrestled to stand up, and saw Mai and the others in the doorway. After a long pause, Mai laughed and said, "What? No 'Thank you for saving my life'? No 'I'm ever grateful'? Fine, be that way.." She walked off and muttered something.
"Are you okay??" Otaru asked.
"Fine.." Kakeru said silently.

Jiro ran to the throne room (magically knowing where it is, I guess..) to see Anji fighting, or rather, losing to, Obari. He ran in to save his friend, and blocked what would have been a striking blow to Anji. As they both fought Obari at the same time, the others arrived. They gained the upper hand, and the others looked on. Attacking from both sides, one of them, though neither knew who, managed to stab Obari in the chest. He was shocked that any of them could actually hit him, and after shaking off the pain, began fighting again, though his efforts were futile. Anji stabbed him again. Obari stood still now, as Jiro stabbed him as well. Then an arrow came from nowhere, and he fell to the ground. Keiko stood, tearful, with a bow in hand.
Everything was quiet now. The realism of everything finally clicked. Obari was dead. They killed him. They won.

After all was said and done, they freed Keiko and Anji's parents, and restored order to the Kingdoms. Rina was accepted as a Lady of the royal court, Jiro was commended for his bravery, and given a large estate, and Otaru was freed, where after he found his parents and now lives happily as a farmer, but holds now not only the title of Dryad legend, but is also known as 'Sir Otaru'. As for Aika, Staci and Naoki, things went back to pretty much normal. Anji decided to take extensive fencing lessons, after being reminded many times of how inadequate his fighting skills were. Kakeru was proclaimed King of Alarras, and as for Keiko..

"Keiko, you still refuse to marry The King of Alarras, after all he's done for our kingdom??" The King of Sosaria said, tapping his fingers.
"Yep!" She smiled, obviously irritating her father. Kakeru stood beside her, trying to hide his disappointment. "Marriage is a big step! I'm not ready to banish all my hopes and dreams so that I can move away just to become someone who's only purpose is to have children and rule people I don't even know.." Everyone around Keiko sweatdropped in embarrassment.
Keiko nodded at her answer, and then left the room. Kakeru hurried after her.
"So.." He sighed. He paused and looked at her as she stopped. "You're saying… There's no chance?"
"You REALLY thought I was going to MARRY you, just because you saved my life a couple times? But really, I'm surprised you're giving up so fast. I thought you were more determined than that." She grinned at him. "Besides.. Who knows what the future might hold?"
He blushed, as she winked at him, then walked away.

..As for Keiko, well, that has many stories of it's own.

THE END