A stranger in Seirin? What does this mean for the struggling kingdom?

Dawn was just breaking, but already the barracks in the capital were full of life and movement. In his undersized bunk bed, blissfully unaware of the commotion going on elsewhere in the building, Kagami slept on peacefully. His legs hung out over the edge of the bed, and his sword rested underneath it, and for the meantime, his snores filled the sleeping hall.

Feeling something sharp brushing against his face, his eyes immediately shot open and he lunged forwards at whatever threat had woken him. Grasping thin air, he toppled out of bed and hit the stony floor with a thud. Cursing, he writhed in the dust for a moment, wrestling with his worn blanket, before discovering that Kuroko was standing over him with a small knife held in one hand.

"Good morning, Kagami-kun," the small man commented lightly as he sheathed the knife. Kagami stared at him in disbelief –the man had woken him with a knife?

"What's the big idea?" he snapped aggressively, suddenly seeing that he was the last person left sleeping in the hall. Now he became aware of the sounds of cheering and swordplay coming from outside. Rolling his shoulders to remove them of sleep, he grabbed his sword and staggered to his feet.

"The Captain will punish you if you sleep late again," was Kuroko's answer, "At the moment he is preoccupied, but I suggest you do not let it happen again."

" –Preoccupied with what?" Kagami frowned, opening the nearest window shutters to let more light stream into the room. He blinked at the sudden brightness, but caught sight of a huge crowd having gathered in the yard –a crowd made up of both soldiers and civilians. "What's going on out there?"

"The city is in celebration," Kuroko replied, catching up as Kagami began making a beeline for whatever was going on outside. "The threat of the bandits has been eliminated, rumours of your prowess at the pass have spread, and the spoils taken from the dead have been gratefully received." He allowed a small smile to grace his features, and Kagami's expression softened at that look.

"It is a good day," Kuroko concluded.

"So where's the Captain?" he inquired flatly.

" –With our victory, the people have gained a little faith in our strength," he replied, "The Captain and the Chief are busy with men and women seeking to enlist. And those of us not training on the plains are still –" His words were cut off as Kagami all but kicked open the door of the barracks and stalked out into the yard.

Towering over the common people by at least a head, he moved through the crowd with ease. They stared at him in awe; having heard of this stranger from another land with hair like flames and fighting fury like none other.

It was to his delight that he discovered that those who were not out on the plains were conducting training of a different kind.

Mitobe, this time, armed with a sword, was facing off against three of the rookies. Like always, he said nothing, merely giving a nod of acknowledgement or a scathing look depending on their responses to his strikes. Children from the city were staring through the fence with wide eyes; impressed by these strange, strong men. Poor maidens seeking husbands were eyeing the young men in interest, giggling amongst themselves as they swooned over the strongest and most handsome of them.

Somewhere, out in the crowd, Kagami could hear a lute. Perhaps even a brave, wandering bard had heard about the celebrations and sought to make a few coins here. Well, he mused, he'd be out of luck. The people here might appreciate his songs, but they had nothing to offer, unless he could turn dirt into gold.

"Kagami!" one of the new recruits –Furihata –called out, waving him over to join the ring. He grinned wickedly; excited with the prospect of crossing blades with a warrior like Mitobe. He swapped his huge sword with the blunted one that they used for training and anxiously joined the line that had formed. Izuki had joined Mitobe, the pair of them testing six rookies together –Izuki calling out improvements where necessary.

"Don't fidget so, Kagami-kun," Kuroko's voice suddenly remarked from beside him, and he was lucky that Furihata was so jumpy that he had incredibly reflexes –otherwise he might've wound up with a nasty welt from the blade as the redhead flailed out in shock.

"Kuroko –give me some warning!" he growled aggressively, with an apologetic look towards the jittery Furihata. Kuroko's blue eyes just looked up at him innocently.

"I've been right here the entire time," he assured him politely and Kagami gritted his teeth, but noted that for some reason, Kuroko looked troubled. He pushed this to the back of his mind as the melodic notes of the bard drew closer. He chuckled lowly to himself, unable to prevent himself from thinking that perhaps if the bard saw him, he could write a song about him and spread the word around the land…

As he reached the front of the line, he took a deep breath and stepped forwards, lunging into the fray and being met with Izuki's blade as the officer blocked.

The fire that filled his veins in a fight suddenly burst alight, and he parried when Mitobe lurched forwards –taking advantage of his failed attack to surprise him. But Kagami had been waiting for this –having noticed that Mitobe and Izuki made a powerful team when duelling together –and leapt back a pace with astonishing speed for his size. But Izuki was ready once again, swiping at his feet in an attempt to unbalance him.

Kagami grinned to himself, jumping over the attack and then batting aside the stab to his chest. These men truly worked flawlessly together, and appeared to almost be communicating without words.

But he could sense that at least for the moment, they were going easy on him, like they had been for all the recruits; testing their basic skills and how they improved. Kagami wasn't like the rest of the rookies, and he intended to make sure they saw that.

Suddenly, as he caught a block, he forced Izuki's sword out in a wide arc towards Mitobe and spun around him in the opposite direction. As Mitobe leapt back to avoid the stray swipe, Izuki's eyes widened in horror; knowing what was coming next. He wasn't a slow fighter, by any means, but the force behind the blade forcing back his sword arm had meant that he couldn't pull it back in or counter Kagami.

The redhead, already at his superior's back, gave a single, clean swipe upwards and Izuki's flyaway sword went soaring from his hand and clattered uselessly into the dirt. A gasp went up in the crowd as Mitobe pulled up his blade approvingly and nodded at him as Izuki –a little embarrassed but definitely impressed, headed over to retrieve his fallen weapon.

Kagami let out a short breath of satisfaction as he headed back to rejoin the line. He couldn't see Kuroko anywhere, but kept on his guard, just in case the phantom decided to try and surprise him again.

Had that been an actual fight to the death, he would've run his opponent through the back as opposed to disarming him. It was a technique that had saved him dozens of times. First, there was that block that pushed back with tremendous force to leave an opponent reeling –opening up their chest. Some enemies recovered from that though, so Kagami had taken to rolling around to their back to meet the blade. If he made it to that point, then usually the fight was over.

Riko had witnessed that small fight between Kagami and Izuki, and couldn't help but be impressed. That giant never failed to surprise.

She let out a sigh but allowed herself a small smile. They'd suffered losses at the pass, but news of their victory had spread across Seirin already, and they had new recruits enough to make up for what they had lost. Some of them were here today, wanting to test out the strength of some of their officers.

A bard was playing loudly, and it was charming to hear music for a change. The city and the kingdom needed cheer, that was for sure, and she was glad that the people had something to lighten their spirits for a change. It was good of him to visit such a poor kingdom –bards usually sought to make a living with their songs, and it was obvious from the state of their cities that they could make no such coin here.

That was when she saw him, sidling through the crowd, strumming on his lute with a bright smile gracing his elegant features. Just looking upon him, she felt herself blushing. It was obvious that he was foreign; his hair was a sun-stained gold –a colour very uncommon to Seirin, and he was dressed in rich, vibrant blue –his blouse of silk and his dark pants and boots untarnished by the dust of the plains. A bright, silver ring was visible in his left ear.

And then the blush faded as she drank in that face. The peaceful look in her eyes hardened to one of wariness and shock as she grabbed Hyuga from nearby and stalked towards the ring –halting the current fight.

"Chief…what's the problem?" Hyuga inquired in worry, but then the words fell from his lips as he followed her gaze across to the beautiful blonde man who was stepping forwards from the crowd and returning his lute to his back. A whisper struck up as the crowd shrank back under Riko's angry gaze. Kagami, who had been eagerly awaiting his next fight, joined them in staring across at the newcomer.

"What's your purpose here?" Riko called out warningly as he chuckled as some woman from the crowd complimented him with a giggle. "Speak."

"My purpose?" the man remarked playfully, breaking into a smile, "What reason does a bard need to spread his songs?"

"Except that you are no bard," Kuroko's voice suddenly called out as he appeared at Riko's elbow. The whole crowd, minus this newcomer, drew back in shock; not having been aware of his presence in the ring. Kagami scowled, looking from the phantom to the gold-haired man who he privately agreed was no bard. He was reaffirmed of this as he saw cheerful gold eyes narrow into a look far more mischievous.

"Oh?" he remarked knowingly, "…I'm hurt that you think so little of my talent!"

"…You always had so many gifts…Except that it is war, not music where your true talent lies," Kuroko replied curtly, "Commander Kise Ryouta-kun." The man named Kise just chuckled, inclining his head happily.

"Oh Kurokocchi! I'm so glad you remember me!" he called out, taking a few steps forwards with his hands raised to show that he wasn't armed. "It's been so long! I thought you'd forgotten!"

"I could never forget you, Kise-kun," Kuroko replied coolly, dipping his head slightly in greeting. Kise clapped his hands together in delight.

" –That makes me so happy!" he laughed, "I've missed you so much, Kurokocchi! I tried to find you after you left, but you hid too well!" He pouted with a sigh, "Teiko wasn't the same without you…"

Teiko.

At the sound of the name of that fabled kingdom, a shiver of anger and fear ran through all those in the crowd. Kagami could've sworn that he misheard, and just stared in disbelief at this pretty, vibrantly dressed man who Kuroko had greeted by name, and called 'Commander'. Was it possible that this…

"Kise Ryouta?" Riko inquired softly, "…That's…It's true…You really are one of the Five Commanders of Miracles?" Kise scratched his chin in embarrassment as the vibe of the soldiers around him began to sour.

" –Forgive me," he chuckled, waving away the question, "I'm flattered to be called one of the Five…but the truth is that I'm the weakest of them –I was a little lordling before I was a soldier, after all. Kurokocchi and I were always mocked by the others when we were kids." He looked over at Kuroko with a friendly smile.

"That never happened to me," Kuroko informed him and he pouted, his eyes watering dramatically at the realisation that he had been the only one to suffer such treatment.

Riko didn't know what to make of this man. He was so exuberant –so flamboyant –but she knew his name, and had heard tales of his beauty and his strength was legendary. A true golden boy.

It could mean nothing good that he was here in their midst. His golden eyes were centred on Kuroko, and she could see the dangerous glint hiding there behind the playful façade. She was worried, but Kuroko held no fear of him.

"When the army dissolved, I wanted to come and fight with you again," he informed him sadly, "…But you were always so good at hiding that no matter where I looked, I couldn't find you. Now, I fight for Kaijo, in the east; the Kingdom of the Sun."

"I had heard as much," Kuroko replied staunchly, "And I now fight for Seirin."

"So I can see," Kise sounded amused. "Ahh, I always knew you were soft, Kurokocchi…but this…" He let out a small bark of laughter as he gazed around at the tattered warriors and the ragged civilians that were watching him with awed by fearful eyes. He seemed about to say something, but was prevented doing so as he leapt backwards, snatching something from the air as a sword was hurled towards him.

He caught the weapon deftly by the hilt and spun it around before planting it firmly into the ground; gold eyes hardening and searching the crowd suspiciously for where the attack had come from.

Riko already knew who had thrown the blunted blade, and her gaze shot over to the broad redhead swordsman striding forwards with a weapon in hand.

"Kagami!" she and Hyuga growled warningly, but there was a fire in his eyes and a smirk on his face as he surveyed Kise.

"…I can't just stand by," he growled, his voice oozing competition and his aura radiating with the challenge, "…Not when there's one of the Five Commanders standing right here in front of me. I came back here to fight men like you…and I can't wait to see what you have to offer." Kise raised an eyebrow and looked over at Kuroko.

"Is this guy serious?" he remarked incredulously.

"Very much so," Kuroko assured him calmly. Kise chuckled to himself, removing the lute from his shoulder and placing it against the fence of the ring.

"I didn't come here to fight, I promise you," he informed Kuroko and Riko, "I had just heard rumour that Kurokocchi had surfaced again and had to see for myself. But…" He looked over at Kagami with that dangerous look in his eyes, and smirked, "…I can't ignore such an obvious challenge."

The ring cleared in an instant, Kagami and Kise staring each other down.

"I am worried," Kuroko remarked softly to Riko, and she turned to face him rather sharply, "…It has been seven years since I fought beside Kise-kun. Even back then he was strong…I do not know how Kagami-kun will match up against him." She nodded in agreement; her brow creasing. The pair of them were using blunted blades, and Kise had said that he hadn't come with intent to fight –so it seemed likely that both would escape with their lives intact; but Kagami had never known the power of the Five. He had challenged this Kise, assuming that he could be defeated like any other man.

But the Five were not men. They were monsters, each with terrifying abilities that had crushed kingdoms and felled kings.

Kagami was learning that the hard way.

Kise moved with such grace that was far more suited to a noble than to a swordsman. His blocks were swift and elegant, and Kagami couldn't break through his guard. Not only that, but his attacks came from nowhere, and he could dance out of the reach of Kagami's attacks with ease.

"I must say, I'm disappointed, Kuroko," Kise admitted with a sigh, as Kagami picked himself up from the dirt for what felt like the tenth time. Without his usual sword, he felt unbalanced, and the unpredictability of Kise's strikes were sending him reeling. And it further incensed him with the knowledge that Kise was almost toying with him. He looked across at Kagami as the redhead prepared himself for a charge, "…Shame, really. You talked so big. I had hopes that perhaps you were a challenge." That taunt was enough to send Kagami lunging forwards, aggressively aiming a two-handed strike at the blonde's side.

"…There is a reason he has been named Prince of the Sun," Kuroko whispered, his eyes widening in horror as he recognised that dreadful glint in Kise's eyes, "…Because of his power, he became Kaijo's champion…but that was not the first name he was given."

Kise blocked Kagami's charge; absorbing the impact, before suddenly, with a huge stroke of force, flung Kagami's sword away from him. There was shock written across Kagami's face as his arm was thrown wide; blade going with it with too much force to stop it. He watched as a gold blur whirled past him on his other side, and with a horrible feeling, felt a judder in his sword arm as Kise's blade made contact with his –sending it flying across the ring in the exact manner that Kagami had used against Izuki not so long ago.

He turned, unable to believe what had just happened. His own move...it had just been perfectly executed against him. How was that even possible? Sure, the fake bard may have seen him use it against Izuki…but there was no way that…

His red eyes flicked across to Kuroko, and the look on the pale man's face told him that it was indeed possible.

"The Mirror," Riko breathed in understanding, a hand pressed to her lips in shock as Kise tossed his blunt blade at Kagami's feet –showing the redhead that he had been defeated. The crowd was whispering amongst themselves again; their faith in Kagami having very suddenly waned as they saw his utter defeat at the hands of one of the Five. But also, they were wondering at this stranger; of how he had managed to copy Kagami's technique so flawlessly.

"The Mirror?" Kagami growled out through gritted teeth as Kise turned his back on him to reclaim his lute.

"His eyes know no limits," Kuroko informed him quietly, heading over to console his comrade, "He can watch a man fight once and copy his every move. He's a…formidable opponent." Kagami's eyes widened. Fighting against a man who could reflect everything he had, straight back at him?

Perfect.

This was what he had been waiting for.

Despite having lost the fight so quickly and with so much lack of effort on Kise's part, Kagami couldn't help but let his heart soar. This was the strength of the Commanders of Miracles? And there were four more even stronger than a soldier with an unlimited number of skills?

He couldn't have hoped for more.

If Kise noticed that Kagami was grinning, he ignored it, and instead addressed the small man standing next to the towering swordsman.

"Ahh, even if I got all hot and bothered for no reason…at least I got to see you again, Kurokocchi," Kise chuckled, dusting off his vibrant blouse. "…Come back with me?"

"What?" Riko and Hyuga exclaimed sharply, but Kise didn't even spare them a second glance. Kuroko's eyes narrowed.

"…I respect you, truly I do," Kise continued with a shrug, and gestured at the poverty around him, "And I hate to see your strength going to waste here. Why couldn't you have found a stronger kingdom to serve? This really isn't like you; what happened to the drive to be victorious? You shared that with us –"

"Seirin is strong," Kuroko assured him quietly, "And you are wrong. What I shared with you was a kingdom and an army…and as time wore on…that changed." Kise's expression fell into a frown, "Nothing could beat us…but we were not united. That was no way for a kingdom to be, and it was why Teiko fell when the nameless king died." Kise quirked an eyebrow in interest as Kuroko's eyes narrowed, "I promised Kagami-kun that I would help him defeat you, to teach you that there are things more important than power."

"You never used to joke like this, Kurokocchi," Kise chuckled, waving away his claim with a pointed look at the defeated Kagami.

"I'm serious," Kuroko assured him. Kise smiled at him; a knowing, confident smile.

"I see that," he admitted lightly with a shrug and a toss of his bright hair. "You always did entertain me. So… even though you've vowed to beat me, for old time's sake, I'll give you a warning." Suddenly, his voice grew darker; a trace of a threat seeping in.

"I am a part of a scouting force sent from Kaijo that is making its way through the land; testing military strength in the different kingdoms," he informed them sharply, "Very shortly, this company will enter the Kingdom of Ashes. Defeat us, and you will prove that perhaps your vows mean something. Defeat us, and my king will be forced to acknowledge your strength. If you triumph, I may convince my Captain to let you grow –war wouldn't be fun without strong enemies, and I have no wish to see you dead, Kurokocchi. But fail…" he shrugged simply, "And your kingdom of dust will be completely swallowed up by the Sun." He smiled at them as though that was just the way of the world.

"What if I were to kill you now?" Kagami dared, and Riko shot him a warning look, which he promptly ignored. Kise laughed openly as he arrogantly turned his back on the swordsman dressed all in black.

"You could try," he replied lightly, "But this poor little kingdom needs all the swords it can get, if you plan to stand against anyone." Kagami gritted his teeth angrily, knowing with all his heart that Kise was saying that should he try to kill him, he would die.

The worst part was that Kagami knew it was true.

"I fear I've overstayed my welcome," he laughed teasingly, as he waved to Kuroko and began vanishing back into the crowd, "I wish you luck. Come meet us on barrens to the east of this kingdom! I'll be waiting, Kurokocchi!"

"…I'll be there…Kise-kun…" Kuroko whispered, so quietly that only Kagami heard it. The redhead looked down to see that Kuroko was staring after Kise with something conflicted in his eyes. Hyuga moved closer to Riko and saw that their chief was shaking slightly.

"Should I shoot him down?" he inquired lowly, but she shook her head.

"I don't believe you'd hit him," she replied softly, "…And he freely came into our city; unarmed and with no malicious intent. Killing him under those terms would spark instant retaliation from Kaijo. We already have a scouting troop to deal with; we don't need their army coming down on us." Hyuga let out an annoyed growl but had to admit that she was right. He too, turned to look over at Kagami and Kuroko, who were still staring off to where Kise had been standing moments before.

"…A bluff, perhaps?" Hyuga suggested, "A trap? What purpose would he have in warning us of an arriving force?"

"No," Riko shook her head, "He's telling the truth. He's arrogant, that's why. He thinks that even with all the warning in the world, we couldn't stand against Kaijo. He wants to show Kuroko that he chose the wrong king to serve." Hyuga's expression darkened at the insult; being taken lightly was something that no soldier could stomach.

"…Men!" Riko called out sharply; having made her decision, and the soldiers who had fallen silent, now turned to look at her. "Training resumes at dusk! We don't have time to waste; an enemy is approaching!" Immediately, the yard sprang back into life as the scared and confused civilians scattered back into the city and those in the army scrabbled for weapons and headed back into the barracks.

"Kuroko," their chief whispered quietly, and saw electric blue eyes turn to face her, "Kaijo is just another army, and they will fall like any other…but Kise the Mirror; is it possible to defeat him?" She paused and then rephrased her question, "…Can Kagami defeat him?"

Kuroko pondered this for a moment, looking across to where Kagami was accepting his huge broadsword back from Furihata's care. Though defeated, there was no trace of shame upon the redhead's face. There was laughter in his eyes and his mouth was set in a determined grin.

"…Though he suffered no physical wounds…" he mused aloud, "He has taken a serious blow to his pride. I have known men like him, and though they can endure many an attack on their body…damage to their pride is something they cannot let go unrepaid." Riko looked at Kuroko; truly looked at him, and wondered at his smooth tongue and his way of speaking. He met her gaze unwaveringly.

"Kise-kun has vastly improved these years," he informed her solemnly, "His strength and his ability to reflect have far surpassed his skill of when I last knew him. I cannot say if Kagami-kun can defeat him…" They, the captain, and the other veterans who stood nearly, glanced across at Kagami. The swordsman was striding towards the barracks with vigour in each stride –a man with purpose; and a man who had something to prove.

"…But he will try."

Almost as if he had heard the exchange, Kagami looked back with a reassuring smirk on his face. Again, he startled them all with that strange fire dancing in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Chief. I won't just try," he called out, in a tone with arrogance that could have easily equalled Kise. There was confidence in his voice and face that suddenly lit a spark of hope in Riko's heart; lightening her worries.

"…I'll win."

Kise the Mirror has issued his warning. Battle lies on the horizon for the young Seirin. Kagami has suffered defeat at the hands of one of the Five, but when they meet again, will he be able to triumph and bring a young kingdom that much closer to earning the respect of stronger kings?

I really hope you're enjoying this sort of take on the story! Leave me a review if you like?
Much love for reading!
xx K