EDIT/UPDATE: A HUGE thanks to Imperator Justinian for reviewing this. His review really really helped me! I corrected as many mistakes as I could, and removed the Haiku so it wouldn't interrupt the flow of the story ^v^ I think I still screwed up with the transition between Kanetsugu's PoV and the general description ^^; but oh well! There's always room for improvement!

Ok so, I've re-entered the Pokemon Conquest/Samurai Warriors fandom recently... I've been playing Conquest ever since it came out, then stopped for a while, and remembered it a week ago... heh, now that I am older I can fully appreciate it's epic-ness! (Still haven't played SWs though... ugh XD)

So, this is actually my third attempt to write a fic for this fandom! The first one was sort of a... well, fail, with Kotaro attacking Illusio for some reason and the Heroine having to help Illusio thus uniting Aurora and Illusio and yadayadayada. The second, still being written, is Aya getting sick and Kenshin being mad (and overly caring) about it -which is not such a bad idea huh...

Anyway! I think I like this one the most, as of current standings. While the first two hold some shipping into them (and no, it's not Kenshin x Aya that's incest ew), this one is completely shipping free! XD

It revolves around Kanetsugu and Aya actually... I kinda do ship those too, yet sometimes, I also imagine them in a very close teacher-student kind of relationship. Like, Kanetsugu really looking up to Aya as his absolute mentor and teacher, rather than his potential lover. Yes, this fic is one of those cases XD

(I also decided to refer to Aya as Ice witch/Ice mage since she looks a lot like it XD With the staff and hood and all XD)

And with no further delay... I present you my first official Pokemon Conquest fanfiction! (Or is it Samurai Warriors...? God I don't even know under which category to put this...)

(oh and the lyrics down there are from a Haiku called 'The Samurai' -with a few alterations to fit this story of course.)

Crystals of Illusio

''Kanetsugu, are you aware of myths ancient to our Kingdom?''

The prominent young warrior turned to look at his mentor and teacher, Aya.

''Pardon me, my Lady, but I do not recall being told any of those myths, at least not recently... I do remember my mother narrating some of them to me, but I was too young then...'' he trailed off, lifting his eyes to the sky.

Aya nodded her head slightly, aknowledging what had just been spoken. ''Very well then, shall I repeat a myth for you? It's the myth of the crystals.''

Kanetsugu did not as much as even think to refuse. ''But of course.'' he said, following his mentor's action as she sat down on the grass, with slow and graceful movements. There were a few moments of silence, and Kanetsugu found himself eagerly waiting for her to start.

''Look all around you, Kanetsugu. What do you see?'' she finally asked.

The man turned, slightly confused and wondering what she could have meant. He scanned the scenery around them. Soon, he figured she must have been referring to the crystalls, scattered all around them -much alike through out the whole Kingdom- in every size or colour. They were, in a way, Illusio's trademark symbol.

''I see the crystals.'' he reasoned, however he kept a thought at the back of his head, that the answer to one of Aya's questions could not be such an obvious thing.

He was half-right, at least. ''Yes, that's a reasonable way to put it. But do you actually know what the crystals are?''

''They're the manifestation of Psychic energy. That's why, above all, Psychic-type Pokemon thrive in Illusio.'' Kanetsugu felt a small amount of pride swelling inside of him, for knowing the detailed answer in this question -or at least, what he believed to be the answer.

Aya let out a small chuckle. ''And that's, dear Kanetsugu, where you're mistaken.''

A confused expression crossed Kanetsugu's face. ''I do not understand, Lady Aya...''

''You see,'' Aya went on to explain ''the crystals, according to the myth, are souls. Souls of those who perished in battle, fighting to their last breath, their last ounce of blood, and dying an honourable death. Their souls, the myth goes, turned into those crystals, so they would be able to watch over us even from the other side of this world. The Psychic energy is the gift their sacrifice provided us. The gift to live. They fell on the battlefield, so we could live on and prosper in our lands.''

Heavy silence plucked the air as the Ice witch finished narrating. Kanetsugu's eyes glared over to the distance, pondering and running the tale over his mind. Finally, he found the courage he needed to ask.

''Do you... believe in this myth, my Lady?''

A soft chuckle left the woman's lips. ''Well, of course I do. Do you not?''

The redirection of his question took him by surprise and he nibbled on his lower lip thoughtfully. It was, of course, like her to do this in such a discussion. But was there a correct answer? Or was he welcomed to state his true opinion?

He decided that maybe, it was worth risking. ''I... do not think it's true.'' he sputtered out reluctantly. Last thing he wanted was to insult or anger her.

Aya, however, did not make the slightest inquiry to correct or scold him. ''I accept that.'' was all that she calmly said.

Again, silence...

''Sometimes they talk to us, you know.''

Kanetsugu jolted abruptly out of his thoughts. ''What?'' he asked in bewilderment, not sure to what or who she was referring.

''The warriors' spirits. They speak to people and Pokemon.'' she raised her hand to stop him as he opened his mouth to protest. ''Not in a language understandable by our minds. Inside of our hearts. You can feel their love for us. The reason why they spilled their blood and abandoned life... it speaks like a language to one's soul.''

Kanetsugu found it pointless to disagree at this point. ''Yes. Maybe you're right.''

None of them spoke any further, and so Kanetsugu had enough time to think of what had been said.

Honestly, this was maybe the first time in his life as Aya's apprentice, that he had disagreed with her in something. Usually he either accepted anything she'd say as a law of sorts, or he'd agree, whether what he said was close to his opinion or not...

This time was different though. He didn't even know why... maybe the idea of the crystals being inhabited by deceased spirits seemed impossible to him... he couldn't really be sure. All he knew was that his heart screamed 'no'...

He decided that overthinking it would do no good, and that maybe Aya had just wanted to confuse him, so he abandoned the thinking process and instead turned to watch over Kirlia and Cubchoo, that were happily playing a tag game of sorts, a short distance across from where their trainers sat.

After what could be described as a long while, Aya spoke. ''Shall we head back to the castle? Kenshin will be looking for the both of us, I believe.'' she stated -and there was a strange melancholy present in her voice.

Without a reservation, Kanetsugu stood up. ''Yes, Lady Aya. I believe that's a wise thing to do.''

After calling for their Pokemon, the two warriors wordlessly took the long way back to Illusio's castle...

The silence of the night was shattered into a million pieces by the shrieking, piercing sound of the alarms.

''We're under attack! We're under attack!''

Kanetsugu found himself jumping off of his futon and dressing in his battle armor before his senses were even fully awake. Making sure his weapons were within reach and that his Kadabra and Kirlia were by his side, he headed to the main hall, ready to face the enemy. On his way there, his ears picked up bits and pieces of conversations that helped him build the general picture of what was going on.

''Who's attacking?''

''Lord Kotaro of Yaksha!''

''We do not know why! He just attacked out of nowhere!''

''It seems that he may be acting on Nobunaga's orders!''

The strongest warriors of Illusio gathered in the castle's main hall in mere minutes, all clad in battlewear, ready to defend their kingdom to the death. Kotaro's attack had taken them by surprise -the Dark Ninja lord truly living up to his name- and Illusio's army was already counting multiple casualties in both humans and Pomemon. Panic had ensued, spreading like Viperia's poison gases in the air, as the attackers struck with all their might, and the defenders struggled to reform their lines...

''Do not lose courage!'' every single head turned towards the imposing voice as Kenshin strode into the hall, followed by his Gallade, already firing Psycho Cuts towards the enemy. He was also followed by Aya, whose Froslass and Beartic were already leading the battle in the center of the large room.

A united battle cry left the throat of every man and woman of the Psychic-type kingdom as, encouraged by the prescence of their leaders, they charged into battle, fiercer and angrier than before. Their kingdom was under attack, and they had to protect it. No one would take it away from them in such a sneaky manner, not even the Dark Ninja. Kanetsugu himself wasted no time, and leapt inside the chaos, sword and charms in hand, spreading chaos amidst the enemy.

Aya's voice was echoing through the battlefield as she stood there, amidst the mayhem, staff raised and glowing, healing the wounded and supporting the weaker ones.

''Do not back down! We will emerge victorious!''

Kanetsugu let a small smile lift the corners of his lips. That was what he fought for. For his great leaders, for Kenshin and Aya Uesugi, for his homeland, for his fellow warriors... No one would stop him from protecting all of these.

''Let's do it, Kadabra!'' He called out to his faithful Pokemon, and once again charged amidst the battle, his sword fearlessly slashing through the enemy lines...

Absorbed by the adrenaline of the battle, he paid little close to no attention to his surroundings. And so, when he saw the stray Night Daze barrage heading his way, it was too late...

''Kadabra!'' he called out, and heard his companion cry a response and rushing to shield him with a Psychic barried, but even then he knew that the Pokemon would not make it in time. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the deadly impact...

It never came.

''Look out!''

That was all he heard, as he turned to see Aya standing between him and the attack, blocking it with her staff and trying to absorb it with the aforementioned item... Kanetsugu's every cell screamed for him to do something, anything, to help, but all he could do was stare in shock, as the woman stood between him and death. How had she even got there in such a short amount of time, he could not tell... It was as if she had just materialised in front of him -which was a very likely explanation, seeing her powers were not limited only by healing.

But now it was no time to think of this. Aya's hands begun to visibly shake, as it became obvious that she wasn't able to keep up the defense for much longer. Even for a Warlord as strong as her, there were things she could do on her own, without the assistance of her Pokemon.

Eventually, to the horror of everyone watching the scene amidst the raging battle, the female Warlord's powers ran dry. The staff snapped in too and fell from her hand...

And the attack exploded right in front of her, filling the room with blinding white light...

After the light of the explosion slowly faded, Kanetsugu needed a few seconds to re-adjust his sight. After blinking a few times, he was finally able to open his eyes and look around.

He wish he hadn't.

In front of him stood Aya, looking at him with this apathetic yet gentle expression that characterized her. At first, everything seemed normal, and Kanetsugu was ready to bow before her and thank her for saving him... but then he saw the dark, rapidly-spreading red splotch over Aya's chest.

The man jolted in shock. It felt like it was happening in slow motion, when he managed to jump forward and catch her just as she fell lifelessly towards the floor. At the same time, Kenshin's voice ripped through the air.

''Sister!''

Kanetsugu's could swear that Kenshin's voice had never shown so much emotion again, always being flat and collected, even cold, one could say.

But that was not the case now. If Kanetsugu had heard a heartbreaking cry before, this was certainly one. Kenshin being worried or scared enough to show any form of emotion was unsettling enough on its own. It meant things were very serious...

Kanetsugu barely became aware of Kenshin rushing towards the place where he was kneeling, but he did not care. Neither did he fully register that all the battle had ceased and everyone was looking towards him too.

No, not him. Him and Aya, who lay motionless in his arms, arms limp to the sides of her body as blood was flowing out of the wound in her chest, alike a terrible crimson river.

He only was aware of her. Of his teacher, of his trainer, of his mentor, of his ruler...

...that had thrown away her own life to save him.

Yet, she was still able to look at him with a smile etched on her abnormally pale face, making everything all the more real, all the more painful. Her hand moved and held his.

''Kanetsugu...'' she choked out.

He nodded in aknowledgement, fighting back tears and trying to keep his voice steady. ''Yes. I am right here my Lady. Don't worry now, everything will be fine... W-We'll heal you.'' as he spoke those words, his glance darted around the room, seeking any Pokemon with healing abilities, maybe an Audino... but there was none to be seen.

She squeezed his hand as much as she could in this state, to get his attention. ''Listen... I am proud of you, Kanetsugu. You will become...a great... Warlord...''.

He could not hold it any longer and openly sobbed above her. ''Why, my Lady? Why?! Why did you have to save me? Why did you have to go and kill yourself for me?'' he shouted out in pain, his mournful cries merging with those of Froslass and Beartic, grieving next to him for their fallen trainer. Kenshin was also standing a few paces away, unable to believe the scene that was unfolding in front of his eyes.

''... The crystals are... the souls of warriors... who perished... in battle... to protect those they... loved...'' Aya's voice faded in her throat as her eyelids fluttered closed, forever sealing her snowy blue eyes.

Kanetsugu was ready to scream at her not to dare die, because she couldn't leave him, she couldn't leave lord Kenshin, she couldn't leave Illusio, she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't...

But before he could do so, bright blue light flared in front of him, blinding him and, seemingly material, pushing him away from his mentor's limp, dead body... Everything went white and unearthly, and Kanetsugu was pretty sure that he had passed out for a short while.

When he woke up, desperately looking for her, all he could see where Aya's body used to be was a massive, pristine ice crystal, reaching up to the roof of Illusio's castle...

~*THE END*~

Em, yeah... the warning at the summary is there for a reason :3

Still, I don't believe I killed Aya... XD I mean, okay, this was planned but... wow XD

Anyway, sorry for breaking your heart hah ^^; (and also apologising because I am pretty sure that, if I ever made a sequel, Kenshin would be in a very very bad mental state XD)

Please review, it helps me improve ;)

(PS: I know Aya's eyes are brown in SW, but in Pokemon Conquest they are blue -I guess it was done that way so her and Frosslass's eyes would match).

Katja~