Hello readers! I tried to churn this out as fast as I could, so I hope there are no grammar mistakes. Please pardon some of the more awkward phrasing.

Just to clarify:

Things which are Italicised- they refer to thoughts or conversations that are telepathic. Basically anything which happens in the mind is telepathic.

Things which are Italicised and bolded- they are usually someone else's thoughts or sound effects

I hope with this, it'll be clearer throughout the story.

Also, I've changed the age of some characters but they will still remain in character. This is to fit in with the plot!

Without further ado, PLEASE ENJOY! :)


Chapter 2: Tenshoku; Calling

Ruka stirred from his sleep once the sun's rays hit his face.

"Ugh…" He rolled over to his side, planning to catch more shut eye, but immediately sat up when a homing pigeon tapped on the window.

"Sir, sir! Please wake up and let me in! I have an important message to deliver!"

"It's a little early Pigeon-san," Ruka yawned and opened the window, "who is it from?"

The pigeon flew in and sat on the small table in the corner of Ruka's room. Closing the window to keep the cold air out, Ruka walked to the pigeon and removed the letter from its outstretched leg.

"He didn't leave a name and said that you'll know."

Rolling out the parchment, he read the short message and his breath hitched in his throat. Reading the message two more times, he threw it on the table and started changing into his guard's uniform with haste.

"Erm sir, I'm still here." The homing pigeon tapped at the desk.

Ruka pulled out his small braid, which hung on the right in front of his ear and had three crimson red beads intertwined with his blonde hair, from his white blouse. "Oh sorry, here," reaching for the small jar of biscuits which he kept on his desk, he gave the bird a small piece, "thanks again." Then throwing the window open, he watched the bird fly into the sky.

Standing by the window, he let the cold air cut into his skin, then grabbing his sword hanging on the chair; he stuffed the note in his pocket and fastened the belt with his sword. He walked out of his room and made his way to his commanding officer's office.


Sumire yawned and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She never liked waking up so early in the morning but since her father sent instructions personally, she had no choice. Stifling a yawn which was surfacing, she turned to look at her half-sister.

Unlike Mikan's rich brown hair, Sumire had very dark green hair which was very hard to tame. As such, she decided to have her hair cut short all round except for a few strands which start to curl at its ends. She never understood how Mikan could keep her hair in such a shiny state and yet spend time doing up her hair every day.

"Well, she most probably has her maid do it for her." Sumire thought as she started twirling one of the longer strands.

Mikan so happened turned and caught Sumire looking at her. She stopped playing with the light orange fabric which her dress was made of and greeted Sumire.

"Good morning Sumire." Mikan beamed.

Sumire could never fathom how her half-sister could be so happy at all times of the day, "Hm... morning."

"Do you know why otou-san called us out?" Mikan looked quizzically at the girl and put a finger under her chin to think.

Letting out another yawn, Sumire answered, "No idea, though it should be something important since he called us so early in the morning."

As soon as Sumire finished what she was saying, the door to the King's study opened and in walked Ruka and the Izumi.

Both girls curtsied and Ruka stood behind Mikan.

Seeing Sumire standing beside Mikan, Ruka nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement to the other princess. "Thump b-thump thump. I didn't know Ruka was going be here otherwise I would have chosen a more flattering dress!" Sumire blushed a shade of red as the King's Guard walked in to stand behind Mikan.

"Good morning my lovely daughters, I trust that you had a good sleep?" Izumi looked at each of his daughters which were blooming with beauty before continuing on, "well, there is something that we must do today and this must be kept a secret. Do I make myself clear?"

Both girls nodded and Izumi proceeded to his large bookshelf. Reaching out to one of the books, he pulled down and the entire shelf moved backwards revealing a passageway.

"Ruka if you could please stand at the entrance way and make sure no one enters?" Looking at the blonde haired guard, he received an acknowledgement and went on to light a small lamp. "The door will close after we enter. So if there's a pressing matter that requires my attention, just press this," Izumi handed Ruka a small buzzer, "it will ring for me and I will return. In that time, you need to keep this room empty. Also if one of my ministers asks what you are doing in this room, there's a stack of documents that need sorting out in order of urgency. I'll leave this to you."

Taking the small lamp, Izumi walked down the stairs first, and motioned to both his daughters to follow suit.

"Watch your footing; it tends to be a little slippery." Izumi warned and walked down gingerly.

Mikan and Sumire lifted their floor-length skirts from the floor and used their hands to navigate down the dark, narrow stone staircase.

Once Mikan's skirt cleared the doorway, the bookshelf moved back to its original pace, blocking out any light which was illuminating the path from the back. Staying still for a while, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness and saw small plants which glowed in the dark to reveal the steps.

Slowly walking behind her sister, her father soon came to a stop at the bottom of the staircase and blew out the light to his lamp.

Putting down the lamp, Izumi instructed, "Let your eyes adjust to this new level of darkness then we will proceed." Feeling the wall for the button, he pushed his body weight against it and a large bolder moved out of place. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he stepped inside the large stone cave.

Sound of trickling water was heard in the darkness and Sumire, who was already on the ground, gawked in amazement at the scene in front of her once her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Mikan slowly made her way down the last two steps and once her eyes adjusted as well, she too was dumbfounded.

In front of them was a large cave lighted up by numerous glowing plants which glowed blue and green. The roots of the plants above also gave off small amounts of light and decorated the top of the cave randomly. On their right, was a small waterfall and the water trickled into the larger water body which flowed under the stone pathway which they were now standing on.

In the middle of the water body and at the end of the stone pathway, stood a large bolder with something shiny sticking out. Izumi had gone before his daughters and stood before the large rock. Resting his hand on the boulder, he felt the flow of warmth enter through his palm.

"Come here when you are ready." Izumi's voice cut through the serene sound of the trickling water.

Looking at each other, Mikan walked first then followed by Sumire on the narrow stone pathway.

Upon walking closer to the boulder, both girls noted that the shiny thing embedded in the rock was actually the hilt of a sword.

As soon as Mikan stood within 2 meters of the boulder, a gush of cold air immediately blew past her and she shivered.

"…you…"

"Did you say something Sumire?" Mikan turned immediately to Sumrie.

Sumire looked at a wide eyed Mikan, "erm… no?"

"Then… did you hear someone saying 'you'?"

Either Mikan was losing her head or she was hearing voices, "no Mikan, I didn't hear anything."

Izumi who was watching them from the corner of his eyes gave a little smile before interrupting them.

"Do you remember the girl in the story of how the world was created?"

Both of them nodded and stared curiously at their father who had his hand on the boulder.

"Remember there was a sword which was given to her from the gods?"

Mikan's eyes widen even more. "Is otou-san saying that the sword behind him is Kami's Sword?"

"…you… here…"

Again Mikan looked at her sister but seeing that her mouth was not moving, she looked all round for the source of the sound.

"Is that Kami's Sword?" Sumire asked, seeing how pale Mikan had become.

"It is. Our bloodline is one that relates directly to that girl and we have been entrusted to care for this sword. To protect it from misuse, our ancestors placed the sword in this stone until the time calls for it."

"…you… here… release…"

This time Sumire heard the whispering voice and looked around for its source like her sister. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand as she felt an immense power being emitted from the boulder.

Seeing that both girls were looking around, Izumi chuckled. "You are hearing voices aren't you?"

Both girls fixed their eyes back on their father and the same thought passed through their head, "how does he know?"

"I know because I was once the master of it. The sword is calling out to the both of you, just as it does to me, though I must say it took some time before Sumire could hear it, am I right?"

The green coloured hair princess looked at her father and nodded slowly.

"Over time, the sword developed a conscious of its own and by the end of the story; it was communicating with the girl through telepathy. Now on to pressing matters, at your age, I was brought by my father to this place. Not everyone is able to remove the sword from its boulder despite being able to hear its voice, only those who are the true heirs of the young girl will be able to pull the sword out."

"Come Mikan, you first." Izumi motioned for the older princess to remove the sword.

Stepping up in front of the boulder, Mikan felt the cold air rush through her body again.

"…you are here… release me…"

Using both hands to grip the hilt of the sword, Mikan took a deep breath and drew the sword. It was heavier than the ones she used to practice during her training, but willing all her might to her muscles, she eventually pulled the sword out from the stone.

Once it was released, Mikan saw her own reflection in the sword's shiny blade surface. Somehow her surroundings began to fade away, and the noise started to dampen.

"Mistress…"

"Put it back Mikan." Her father instructed her and snapped her out of her trance.

Shaking her head to clear it of its fogginess, Mikan replaced the sword back, and then stepped back to where she was originally standing.

Sumire saw the whole ordeal and the glazed look her sister gave once the sword was released from its boulder.

"… release… me…"

Shuddering with fear, Sumire slowly stepped forward to the boulder and did as her sister had done. She too, placed both hands on the hilt of the sword and summoning all her strength, she attempted to lift the sword out of its boulder.

However, unlike her sister, the sword did not move on bit. Trying again, Sumire took a deep breath and tried to lift the sword but it remained stuck in the boulder.

"… re…lea…"

The voice in her head was also fading away and after several attempts, she gave up and stood at her place.

"Well, it seems we know who the sword has chosen." Izumi patted Mikan on the head.

"Why won't it move for me?" Sumire demanded, unable to comprehend the choice of the sword.

"As I said just now Sumire, not everyone who hears the sword will be able to remove it from its boulder. Our ancestors have created this ward in such a way so that only the true heirs are able to remove it."

"But I am your daughter; I have the same amount of blood, which is from you, in me as Mikan!" Sumire was clearly not going to accept that explanation.

"I'm sorry Sumire. I do not choose the sword's successor. This world is fair, what you have, Mikan doesn't, and what Mikan has, you don't. This is the ultimate law which the God's have bestowed on us and it is upheld in every single thing we do. Do not envy your sister Sumire, for you are the successor to the throne." Izumi sighed and looked sadly at his daughter.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Sumire held her tongue and awaited further instructions from her father.

"Remember, the location of the sword is to be kept in secret and its existence should never be let known to others, except those in the direct line for the throne. Am I understood?"

"Yes otou-san." Both girls answered in unison.

Then a buzzing in Izumi's pocket indicated that their time in this cave is to be cut short.

"If the kingdom ever comes to ruin, or I am assassinated, both of you must retrieve the sword together."

"Together? What use am I if I cannot remove the sword?" Sumire questioned her father's instructions.

"Despite not being the sword's successor, it does not mean you are omitted Sumire darling. When the time comes, you will find out. Both of you need to come together to draw it out. Now, I have matters to attend to, so let's return before Ruka gets lonely."

Touching the boulder one last time, Izumi walked away and his daughters followed suit.

"… don't… leave… time… come…"

The haunting last few words of the sword echoed loudly in both Mikan's and Sumire's heads as they turn their backs against the sword and passed the large boulder which slide back into place, shutting any cold air which Mikan was feeling and the words of the sword.


Hidden between the long blades of grass, he stalked his brown furry prey. Squatting down, he drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and placed it in between his fingers.

"Stay there for just a while longer…"

He pulled the arrow backwards and felt the tension in his arm. Once he knew he got a good shot, he released and the arrow zip through the air and pierced not one, but two rabbits.

"Great, I don't have to hunt for a few days now."

Standing up, he let the blood slowly return to his legs before making his way towards the animals and started to drain their blood.

"I wonder if I should cook rabbit stew or let them dry…"

A cold winter's breeze blew and his thin cotton shirt provided no protection against the chilling wind.

"I guess I should start to dry them, winter's approaching."

Picking up the rabbits by their ears, he carried his prey back to the humble cottage which was in the middle of a green valley. No one came around this area due to its distance to the capital of Nuru and the conditions at night were harsh for someone who had no survival training.

Upon reaching his humble abode, he placed the rabbit by the outdoor stove and opened the door.

"ONII-CHAN!" A scream reverberated throughout the house.

He quickly dropped his bow and quiver on the dining table before rushing to the sound of his sister's cry with his dagger drawn.

"ONII-CHAN HURRY UP!" The high pitched voice shouted with urgency.

Following the source, he stood with his back against the backdoor which lead to the well. Hearing the scuffling of feet, he pounced from his position, ready to slash at the perpetrator's vital points. However the only thing he saw was a fifteen year old girl with raven black hair crouching on the ground.

"What happened Aoi?! Did they hurt you?! How did they find this place?! Where are they?!" The string of questions rolled off his tongue.

The younger girl looked back at him with her crimson eyes in puzzlement, "they? There was no one here except you and me onii-chan! Anyway, hurry up and go bring a small jar!"

"What's with the shouting then? And why do you want a small jar?" The older boy let out an exasperated sigh and sheathed his dagger.

"Just get it will you! I spent a whole hour chasing this bug!"

Returning into the house, the young man took a glass jar from the drawers and handed it to his sister. Not bothering to see what kind of bug she had in her little jar, he returned to the front of the house and began to start a fire for dinner.

"What do you want to eat Aoi? Rabbit stew? Or Rabbit kebabs?"

"Stew please! Onii-chan look!" The young girl shoved the glass jar in her brother's face, "It's such a pretty beetle right?"

"You know Aoi, girls your age hate things with more than four legs. Why'd you go trap the poor lady bug for?" Brushing aside the jar in his face, he got up to take the rabbits and began to skin them.

"Cause they remind me of your eyes, and of the beads in your braid."

Aoi sat herself opposite her brother and put the jar up into the sky so that the sun's light could reflect of the beetle's hard surface. The young man instinctively touched the braid on the right side of his face. Each time his hair grew longer, he would cut it to the required length and began to re-braid it, along with the three emerald beads. After all this while, he could never bear to cut if off completely.

Snapping himself out of his trance, he tucked the braid behind his ear and got to work on their dinner.

"Onii-chan… something is about to happen… something that will change this peaceful times…" Aoi said in a trancelike manner.

The man stopped in his work and looked up at his sister who was looking at him with a glazed expression.

"I know Aoi. But there's nothing we can do. Hopefully the storm will pass us by." He looked up at the crimson read sky.

"Hopefully… but we are still pawns in this game… if the game comes to us, we have to choice to play it…"


It all happened with a bang, literally.

The scene before me was a sea of red. Blood dripped from the bodies of those slayed, the night's sky was painted red with the fire which was spewing out from the palace windows. People were screaming in pain and fear.

To me this was all irrelevant. I pushed my legs to run, my ears to shut out all those screams; all I had to do was to get her to safety, to get her out of this hellish place.

If only I believed what he had told me. If only I believed the previous time. All these would not have happened if I believed, if anyone believed him.

"Save the princesses! Get them to safety!" Voices rang throughout the palace walkways.

"Protect them at all cost. Protect them with your life men!" The young commander yelled at his men.

"RUKA!" The young commander, Akira Tonochi, shouted at his subordinate, halting me in my path. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, then upon opening he shouted, "CATCH THIS!"

He threw a light purple stone in my direction. The stone smacked into my palm and I looked up at his superior, "PASS THAT TO HER! SHE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO! KEEP HER SAFE!"

Immediately after, he dodged the attack of one of the masked man before promptly stabbing him in the stomach.

Turning on my heels, I urged my legs to run again, to make up for the time lost.

"She has to be safe… hurry!"


I hope this chapter has made some readers happy due to HIS appearance! Need I say more as to who it is? ^^

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED! IT MADE ME REALLY HAPPY AND THE THOUGHT PROCESS FOR THE PLOT CAME MUCH SMOOTHER!

It will take about 10 days max for the next chapter to arrive! If I have more inspiration, it will come out faster, but for now, it'll be 10 days.

Now on to replies! (I will try to reply everyone so I'm sorry if you're name is not mentioned here!)

spica14: Thanks for the review! I try to make my stories as suspenseful as possible, though many of the readers don't like it cause of the many cliffhangers. Please bear with it and I promise you that this will be as good a fanfic as my previous one (if you've read it)!

adrienna22: I second you on that. When I created Luna for this role, I really wanted her to be hated. But she has her reasons. :) Yeah I was torn between revealing that much information of the characters or withholding them. Since I didn't want to drag on the beginning, there was that much info on them. But don't worry, I didn't reveal everything. :D

miko647635: Hm... you're the second reviewer to say that. haha! I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, the sword was calling out to Izumi. If you want to know why, I'll be happy to tell you in the next chapter or PM you if you really can't wait!

Lessthanthreeanime: haha I can somehow imagine you fangirling away when Natsume came in the story (i presume you're a girl, sorry if you arent'!). Yeah, there's a lot of stories with Luna as a love rival, but I feel she was more of Yuka's rival? :) Natsume's gonna meet Mikan next!

A Writer With Braces: THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT! Do hold on to your seat for more action! I'm sorry it takes a long time to unfold though, it's just that I like to be thorough. Yup, exactly! I love it when people review cause it shows that they care a lot and it's really inspiring to know that people support your fanfic! :D Keep reviewing!

His Lopsided Grin: Hello faithful reader! I noticed you read Enigma Sonata as well! :) I'm really hooked to the princess-era thing, so it's going to be a while before I write any other era. But with that said, it's a one of a kind story! Hope there's no errors!