A/N: Well, working on this Christmas weekend didn't work out at all like I hoped, much like the rest of this month. sigh Well, here's the revised chapter 3, other revisions to follow as soon as I am able too. I have a lot of catching up to do in other areas of my life at the moment. I do plan to resume new chapter postings right after the revision so hang in there. And please let me know if these revisions are easier to read? Thanks.

They reached the store house front but found it locked. Ginji examined the lock on the door, it had an octagonal design on it. Ginji was trying to think of what it could mean when Himiko said, "Ginji, look..." Ginji walked over to her.

Just beyond the store house, in the fence that connected to it, was a small door. Himiko and Ginji looked at each other a moment, then Himiko went to open it; it opened. Himiko looked back at Ginji, he nodded and followed her through the door.

As they walked toward the back of the store house their guards were up; unsure of what they would find around the corner. When they reached the back they found themselves in a small yard, all they could find besides debris, was a small stone statue. Carved into it was what looked like two girls, Himiko knelt beside it to get a closer look.

Ginji stood not far behind her surveying the rest of their surroundings when someone from behind them both cried out. "Munakata-san! What are you doing!? You're not supposed to be here!" Ginji and Himiko both spun around and saw, through a small barred window, a young boy with platinum blonde hair. Ginji's mind flashed again to the young man pleading with the villagers, "Where is Itsuki!?"

"Who are you!?" Himiko shouted, but the boy did not respond to her. Ginji moved forward, staring at the boy, his platinum hair shone in the moonlight as he bowed his head. "You weren't supposed to see me like this..." he said, his voice down-trot. "I...Itsuki?" Ginji said. Himiko stared at Ginji, 'What on earth is going on here!?!' she thought. The boy nodded and looked back up at him forlornly.

"You have to get out of here!" Itsuki cried. "Why?" Ginji said, "What's going on here!?" "You have to get Makabe-sensei out of here, they're going to do it! They're going to use him for the hidden ritual!" Itsuki cried, urgency in his voice.

Ginji and Himiko both looked surprised, but Ginji's expression soon turned to confusion, "Hidden ritual?" he asked. "Yes!" Itsuki exclaimed, "They've already taken him to the Ceremony Master's house. Hurry!!" "The Ceremony Master's house?" Ginji said, now more confused, "Where's that?" "Through the gate in the center of the village, across Whisper Bridge," Itsuki told them. Recognition flashed in Ginji's eyes, "But that gate's locked!"

Itsuki was talking about the gate Himiko had taken him and Ban to, the same gate they were trying to open, Ginji was sure of it. "The keys to the gate are hidden in those statues somewhere in the village," Itsuki said, nodding his head toward the small statue behind them; the same statue Himiko was examining only moments before.

Ginji and Himiko both looked back at the statue, then Ginji turned immediately back to the boy. "Do you know where?" he asked him. Itsuki shook his head, "All I know is that one is higher than the other." Ginji cocked his head to one side, confused again. "Go, Munakata-san! Hurry before they catch you here!" Itsuki cried.

Ginji simply looked back at the boy, but then he felt Himiko push him. "I think we should go," Himiko said, concern in her voice. Ginji nodded and looked back at the boy one last time. His head was bowed in sorrow. Himiko pushed him again and the two of them went back out the door to the front of the store house.

Ginji stood a moment at the entrance trying to take in everything that had just happened, 'One is higher than the other...What does that mean?' he thought to himself. However Himiko interrupted Ginji's train of thought, "Ginji, what just happened back there!?" She looked more concerned than before, "What do you mean, Himiko-san? That kid was nice enough to tell us where the keys to that gate were...sort of..." Ginji trailed off, but was snapped back again by Himiko. "Didn't anything seem wrong to you Ginji!? Like for instance why he was calling you Munakata?"

"Huh?" was all Ginji could muster, 'What?' he thought to himself. Himiko's concern grew, "Weren't you paying attention? Ginji, what's wrong with you? The entire time we were back there that kid called you Munakata; do you even know anyone by that name? Because I don't!" The man from before flashed in Ginji's mind again, "That guy?" he muttered. "What guy, Ginji!? You better start coming clean because you're really beginning to scare me!"

Ginji blinked, "Uh, well Himiko-san, you see, I don't really know what's going on myself..." Ginji feigned a smile, but it soon faded. Himiko was amazed by this last statement, he sure fooled her back there, he seemed to carry on that conversation with the boy quite well to her. Himiko shook her head and pressed on, "And another thing, why would that boy only talk to you? He acted like I wasn't even there?" Ginji just shook his head, "I don't know, Miss Himiko..."

Himiko's expression turned grave, "I really don't know what to do now Ginji, something's amiss here. This place was abandoned for some mysterious reason, yet that kid's back there locked in a cell, and now to top it off you're acting strange and don't even realize it or know why!" Ginji frowned, he didn't have any answers for her, not yet, "I'm sorry, Miss Himiko, I really don't know what's going on, but I promise I'll protect you..." "Even from yourself?" Himiko asked staring at him straight.

Ginji didn't quite know what to say, "I'll do my best, but right now we should probably go look for those keys."

Himiko sighed, she knew Ginji was trying to avoid any real commitment to that answer because she could see he honestly didn't know. Things were getting more complicated by the minute, and now she wasn't sure if she could trust Ginji, but he was right, they needed to stick to the plan and find those keys. "Where did the boy say they were again?" she asked him. "He said they were hidden behind those statues and that one was higher than the other." "Alright, lets get going, I remember seeing those statues all over this village." "But what about the high and low part?" Ginji looked at her confused. "

Himiko looked at him, "Well, where do you think the highest point in this village could be? The graveyard where Midou was?" Ginji stood a moment thinking, then shook his head, recognition filling his eyes again, "No, I think there's one place that may be higher, it's where I came into this village. That hill back there." "Alright," Himiko said, gesturing him to lead, "that's as good a place as any to start."