A/N: The last chapter was meant to be confusing as it was more of a prologue of sorts even though it happens way later in the story. This would be the thought process in the posting of the previous chapter: Once you post it you'll have to keep up with it so ha! Anyway, I still want that chapter read first, so I'll leave it as is. I now present the first real chapter of Final Chase! (None of these characters are mine!)

Even before Ritsu and Mio had turned 14, most people could tell that they would both be receiving invitations to the castle, as it was clear that they were both brimming with large amounts of power that they couldn't control. For Mio, this was a curse as she had a habit of shocking things or people whenever she became embarrassed. More often than not, Ritsu would use her own power to force this reaction out of the taller girl. And more often than not, Ritsu would have a bruise on her head afterwards.

However, their playful days of Ritsu's torment and Mio's cries or punches were quickly dwindling with neither sure of how to deal with the coming developments. An invitation to the castle couldn't be politely denied and young children with magical power were always scouted to be recruited into the palace guard. Training was excruciating and the more successful spellcasters were given privileges that would be otherwise impossible for a citizen of the kingdom to achieve. When faced with such a decision, most parents readily allowed their children to receive the tutelage that came with so many years of training in hopes that a better life would be provided. Such a gamble was well worth it if there was a good chance the children had high power; in Ritsu and Mio's case, they almost had too much as they were always giving it off at one time or another.

When the invitations had been received, Ritsu had been wary to accept, but Mio's logic that they should just consider it an option had won over. The trek there hadn't been too tumultuous, as their parents had arranged for transportation through the castle's army, yet something still seemed wrong about the whole situation. Ritsu felt that every time they passed through a village they were being eyed with suspicion, which pulled out the worst reactions from Mio. Anytime her power was released by accident, anyone in the area seemed to view them with disdain and they had to hastily leave to avoid trouble.

It became clear that since they were untrained and unpredictable, as well as traveling with soldiers, villagers may have gotten the impression that they were thieves; orphans living off their superior power in order to get by. It was far from the truth as their village had been quite well off compared to the ones they were passing through (and much more knowledgeable about how power affected those who wielded it) but it didn't stop the stigmatism from following all the way to castle.

When viewing the castle from the outside, one could only wonder at how such a marvel could've been built and how anyone would dare try to destroy something so magnificent. The castle had seen its fair share of battles, recently and in the distant past, but still held a type of rugged beauty that shouldn't have been reserved in a structure that was so old.

"All guards are to report to their stations as specified in quartering lodge," The man who stopped the cart said in a monotone. He had probably been repeating himself all day by the look of the number of carts that were in the surrounding area. "All guests are to report to the main hall."

They were shuffled inside without an escort or another word. Ritsu shrugged and began leading the way deeper into the castle. Mio could only follow, seeing no other option but to try and find their way to their destination.

"So this is how it is," Ritsu said lowly as she and Mio began their trek towards the main hall. The castle they had entered was enormous, filled with unmoving guards at every other turn and lavishly décor that made both inhabitants feel even smaller. Although Ritsu claimed they weren't lost, Mio already knew that the brunette wouldn't admit it if they were. Being lost inside a building was a lot more embarrassing than being lost out in the wilderness, especially when every other person moving about seemed to have the layout memorized without an issue. "You think there are any ghosts?"

"I'm not listening!" Mio stopped outside a door and knelt down in her habitual way, unintentionally creating an obstacle just as someone stepped outside.

The crash that ensued would have made any lover of chaos (such as Ritsu) proud. Both girls apologized profusely as soon as they regained their respective stances while Ritsu looked on with a grin, trying to quickly formulate a plan to make the situation more embarrassing for Mio.

"Mio! You've run into the princess!" Ritsu withheld a snicker as she saw Mio's face become horrified.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"Ano (1)…" The soft voice from the other girl was easily overpowered by Ritsu's next exclamation.

"That's not how you apologize to royalty, Mio! You'll get us beheaded!" Of course Mio's imagination ran wild at the thought of gore and she was once again crouching on the floor, this time safely away from the door. Ritsu laughed without abandon then, clutching her stomach as she thought of how easy it was to fool Mio.

"Princess Tsumugi! Your presence is required in the main hall!" Ritsu immediately froze; this was the actual princess! Mio looked up, tears in her eyes as if she was silently begging to keep her head upon her shoulders and waited for a response. Princess Tsumugi merely smiled and nodded at the guard that had appeared behind them with all the regal grace expected of the princess.

"You're expected at the main hall as well?" It was more of a statement than a question as she clearly already knew the answer, but habit dictated (demanded) politeness. Mio and Ritsu nodded dumbly, one afraid to speak, the other shocked into silence. Her smile widened slightly (they were quite entertaining, after all, and the walk to the main hall was quite a far one if she lead them through the gardens) and she beckoned for them to follow her lead.

They started their walk in silence and had soon made their way to the gardens, which Tsumugi considered the most beautiful part of the castle. Although most of the castle's guests never set foot inside it, Tsumugi admired the natural beauty far more than the luxurious and unnecessary furnishings that were prevalent within the castle's walls.

And the garden will only be more beautiful once it's filled with all the pretty trainees! Tsumugi had convinced her father to only invite talented females, claiming that there were too many men in the castle that made her uncomfortable with their stares. It was far from the truth and she suspected her father was aware of this as well (since he would have banished anyone who would make his daughter uncomfortable) but he willingly complied as it seemed he had already chosen who would be receiving the best training.

The thought that this gathering was mainly a charade saddened Tsumugi but she decided to enjoy it while it lasted as a temporary reprieve before her duties were to begin full-force. In truth, Tsumugi's father believed that the most pressing issue was the fact that Tsumugi didn't have full-time spellcasters to defend her and that her own skills weren't at a level appropriate enough for her to defend herself. That was due to the fact that she had been receiving training in more pressing issues, such as how to behave in society. But now that Tsumugi was maturing, she was nearing the age where she may have to act as a delegate; or worse, begin traveling to see potential suitors. Either way, guards were vital to her safety and it was the first step in allowing the kingdom to flourish after the war.

Enter the annual invitation service, where those that without a future beyond their family's farm had a chance of being freed from the cycle of poverty, provided they were strong enough. Of course, all the applicants were unaware that they were being observed so closely for such an honor.

Tsumugi preferred it that way as she hoped they would be more serious. The last thing she wanted was a load of weak or unprepared trainees garnering for her attention.

"Whoa Mio!" Ritsu spun about and ran to the enormous fountain that lay in front of them. "Our families could bathe in here!"

"This fountain was built right after the end of the 3rd Clan War," This was routine. Playing hostess was simple and as per training, Tsumugi was required to know the castle inside and out. "It's meant to symbolize the mixing of cultures."

The magic that had been cast on that commemoration day held strong almost a year later, for the water still sparkled in a beautiful array of colors that swirled together in the pool. Around every two years the spell would have to be recast but it was relatively simple and could be used as an excuse to gather the nobility from around the kingdom.

Suddenly a blur ran by, causing Mio to jump and release a yelp. She moved to Ritsu's side, repeating a mantra that Tsumugi couldn't fully hear, but sounded like "I didn't see a ghost." The blur backpedaled towards them and turned her attention to Mio as she was now the closest.

"Do you know how to get to the main hall?" Tsumugi wondered how the girl had ended up in the garden as it required a huge detour away from their original destination. At having the attention focused solely on her Mio immediately did two things; she began unconsciously channeling power and she began to turn red. The new arrival, fascinated by the tall, beautiful girl becoming embarrassed leaned forward further, only serving to rouse Mio even more as a wave of sparkling water rose behind Ritsu.

Tsumugi wasn't especially sensitive to the amount of power people held but she was quickly tuned into the way Mio's lack of control was turning into something complicated and draining for more experienced spellcasters. To be able to maintain something of that sort required a fair amount of concentration; yet Mio was doing so just because she was in an uncomfortable situation.

Ritsu was next to notice the when the water sloshed slightly and dripped onto one of her shoulders.

"Wha…Mio, watch it!" Tsumugi's amazement was carried further when Ritsu used her own power to quell what Mio had been brewing. To counteract someone's spell was a feat in itself when you had no training. Ritsu gave off a small sigh once the water was normal and Mio was composed. "What would you do without me?"

In Tsumugi-view, this was a display of affection between two people who must be very close. In fact, they must know each other quite intimately in order to affect each other in such a way…

Cue Tsumugi distortion of the situation: Mio's eyes filled up with tears at the thought of losing Ritsu and she instantly enveloped the girl in a bone-crushing hug.

What really happened: Mio's eyes filled up with tears at losing control so easily, especially in front of the princess and she hugged Ritsu in order to not have to show her face.

"Ahh, the main hall is where we're headed!" Ritsu supplied as she patted Mio on the back. Ritsu wasn't sure why but the princess was staring at her and Mio with an odd, dreamy look on her usually peaceful features, but she decided to lead the conversation until the other girl wasn't spaced out.

"Your armor is so pretty!" The girl turned her attention to Tsumugi and ran a finger along the smooth metal, whistling in appreciation. Ritsu coughed awkwardly and looked at Mio to see if she was witnessing the same thing they all were. Mio furrowed her eyebrows as the remaining three tried to figure out what the other girl was doing. Ritsu could only shrug while Mio thought she finally understood; this girl recognized that it was the princess before her and was bowing on one knee.

However, her thoughts were shot down when the brunette uttered her next sentence.

"Hey, if you look at it from this angle, it's like a reflection pane!" She jumped up excitedly and yanked Ritsu down next to her so they could both see their reflection in Tsumugi's stomach plate. Mio's jaw dropped open as Ritsu readily agreed and then circled the princess to see if the view was the same in the back.

"Enough!" Mio grabbed both brunettes by the wrists and pulled them away from Tsumugi, unsure of her reaction. "Show some respect!"

"At least I didn't crash into her!" Ritsu whisper-yelled while the girl beside them bowed and apologized sheepishly.

"That was your fault!" A second later Ritsu was sporting a nice-sized bump on her head, courtesy of Mio's fist.

"Shouldn't we keep going?" The short brunette struck a confused look as if she hadn't been the cause for their stopping in the first place.

"Right, we wouldn't want to be late!"

Tsumugi was already aware of the fact that they were late as she was always instructed to enter gatherings late in order to attract attention and show how busy she was. She suddenly didn't want to go to the gathering; she wanted to show them around the castle and perhaps see more interactions between Ritsu and Mio. Yet such desires were beyond that of the princess as she knew she had to succumb to her duties first and foremost.

"If that is the case," Tsumugi turned swiftly and was once again leading the way, something that was quite foreign to her. "We should make haste."

(1) Using "uhm" sounded too undignified…I wanted to avoid using Japanese as much as possible in this fic but I feel it was necessary here :D