Chapter Three

Hello! I want to skip straight to the story, so I'm not going to answer reviews. Okay?

.......

The first thing he heard was a rushing sound, and he was floating in a vast empty space, where he couldn't feel any pain. Then he began to hear voices.

"...can't do anything..,"

"...magic...,"

"...it's morning..,"

In his state of mind, he rather irritably wanted them to be quiet. But the voices seemed to be getting louder and louder, and he could make out phrases now.

"Yahiko, hush. He's coming to."

He felt something wet and cold be pressed onto his face; he tried to flinch away, but a firm hand held the cloth in place. His eyes flickered open, only to show blurred shapes in shockingly bright colors. After blinking a few times, however, the room settled into its proper place. He looked up to see the people who saved him...and doubled over again when pain exploded in his chest. Dimly, he heard another voice.

"Hey, I thought you said he was healed!"

"I did not. Anyway, the spell is imperfect, to say the least. He'll feel a bit delicate for a while."

"I guess so...But what I want to know is how he got all sliced up like that. Those were sword wounds, right?"

"Correct. Speaking of swords..."

"What?"

"I have his over here. It's like none I've seen, though. The blade looks almost...backwards."

He heard the familiar sound of a blade being drawn out of a sheath—his—and a small gasp.

"It's a reversed-blade sword."

Even in his incapacitated state, he could hear awe in the supposed child's voice.

"And that means..."

"They're impossible to kill with, unless you turn it over or club someone to death. I thought nobody used these anymore. Still, we'd better hide it somewhere, so he won't decide to use it on us."

"Don't. He won't hurt us."

"But..."

"Must you always argue with me? It's all right. He can't do anything when he's like this."

The pain had receded, and he tried to sit up again, gasping. He felt an arm snake around his shoulders to support him, and through blurred eyes, he saw the vague outline of a face.

"Can you sit up now?" he heard the woman's voice saying. He tried to answer, but whatever he said was drowned out by coughing. His throat was dry, like he hadn't drunk water for a month. His eyes watered, and the room came into an almost painful focus.

A small boy with bright eyes was staring at him curiously, a familiar sword resting in his lap. Sitting next to him, supporting him, was a concerned- looking young woman. Both of them looked tired, with bags under their eyes.

"Yahiko, darling..."

"What do you want now?"

"What made you think I wanted something?"

"I know you."

"Hardly. Anyway, go outside and get a bucket of water. I need to clean up, and he needs a drink."

"I'm going, I'm going..."

His voice trailed off as he picked up the bucket and sauntered out the door. The lady stared straight at him, and an inquisitive look came into her eyes.

"Since when does the Forest King wander around the countryside half-dead, in a country where people would willingly kill you without a thought?" she asked directly, obviously not caring how her question might be received. The young man's head snapped up, and despite his parched throat, he was on the verge of answering when the door banged open again, and the boy—Yahiko—strode in, and his mouth shut with a snap.

"Hey..." Yahiko said, laying down the bucket, his eyes slightly thoughtful. "Do you know where the hag is? She usually stops by the stable each morning to cram whatever she's made for breakfast down my throat. I wonder what happened when she went back inside last night."

The young woman covered her mouth, a worried look on her face.

"I don't dare go in the house, so were going to have to wait. Yahiko, go outside and call me if you see her coming. No, don't stick your tongue out at me."

"But I want to stay in here! It's cold outside!"

"Our guest and I need to talk. Anyway, don't you have chores?"

Yahiko rocketed off of his perch on the hay bale and swore.

"Now the lady's going to beat me!"

As the child rushed outside, Megumi turned back to her visitor, who was eyeing the water with undisguised longing. She stood up and swept into a graceful curtsey. The as of yet nameless man blushed, and held out his hands in a mollifying gesture.

"Your Majesty, would you please explain what happened?" Megumi said coolly.

...

The sun poured through the thin slats in the shutters, and fell on Kaoru's sleeping face. She twitched, and rolled over, scrubbing at her sleep-filled eyes. She looked around her tiny, shabby room in the servants' quarters, and wearily stood up. Stumbling over to one of the walls, she peered into a shard of a long-broken mirror, and hissed. Spread over half of her face was a large purplish bruise.

"You would think that a woman who always giving parties, sitting inside, and worrying on how she looked wouldn't be so strong..." she mumbled to herself. Taking care not to jostle the bruise, she dressed, and skipped down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen, Kaoru leaned against the wall and pondered.

"My cooking's really awful, and Yahiko hates it, but he eats it anyway... I'll just give him a cold breakfast," she decided, making her way to the breadbox. As she was slicing the food, Kaoru, her mind somewhere else, accidentally cut her palm. While staring stupidly at the small wound, she remembered.

/Blood...That man! /

Moving as fast as her feet would carry her, Kaoru snatched a basket off the counter, crammed as much food as she could in it, and ran outside.

...

I'm so sorry! I left you hanging again! But it couldn't be helped. I need to get off the computer anyway. Nothing really interesting happened here, did it? Sorry...