The Rebellion of the Northern Tribes

Chapter 4: The immortal leader

"Shin!" Aikyo ran to her lover, a wide smile on her lips. The exhausted soldiers were coming back to the portal for a well deserved rest while new troops were sent to the fort for reconstruction and to secure the position. The water girl stayed to guard the portal when Rin ran off to find out what happened at the fort, so the moment she saw Shin walking back, she couldn't help but throw herself in his arms. The Suiko bearer was surprised to see her there and moreover, to see her wear an armor.

"Aikyo? What are you doing here?" His tone was soft and calm, nothing like the angry tone she was expecting. He hugged her tightly but with their armors, they both felt it wasn't the same thing and Aikyo ended up laughing at the lack of physical contact.

"What do you think I was doing? I did my part of course!" She gave him a proud smile, but he knew she was hiding something. "I defended this position. My job was to make sure no one will cross this gate."

"And you protected this place all by yourself?" He couldn't believe his ears.

"I was with Rin and Shiro. They had to protect me if I had to cast another spell in case the first one didn't wipe the soldiers out entirely." She took his hands and looked down.

"Aikyo, what's wrong?" Shin put a finger under her chin and lifted it up gently to make her look at him. Her eyes were dry but he could see the sadness in them. Understanding her thoughts, he stroked her cheeks slowly with his thumbs. There was no words he could think of to tell her it was ok, she did what she had to do. He was saying this to himself all the time, but deep down, it didn't make him feel any better. He hated war. He hated fighting. When he agreed to take Aikyo with him, he thought she would have a bystander role just like Nasuti or Jun and his job would be to protect her. He was ok to fight if it meant she would be safe. Now, he realized that he was a fool to believe she would stay put. Finally, he simply pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

From her horse, Rin saw the couple hugged as she and Shuu passed by. The orange Trooper opened his mouth to comment put Rin put her hand on his lips to keep them sealed. He huffed a few words under her firm grip but they finally passed by without disturbing their friends. Once they crossed the portal, she removed her hand.

"Argh! Why did you do that?" Shuu asked with a pouting face, turning his face to her. Despite his hunger and tiredness, he insisted to be seated on the front of the horse he was sharing with his new girlfriend. He was tough and he didn't want her (or Shiro) to think otherwise. The tomboy only shrugged at his request, knowing it was a waste of time to argue with him.

"They were having a moment. No need to break it."

"Oh," was all Shuu could think of saying. Rin tightened her grip around his waist, smiling shyly. "You think they made diner yet?"

"I don't know. Probably," Rin chuckled and rested her chin on his shoulder. It felt right to be with him like this. "If not, I'll see if I can cook you something."

"You can cook?" Shuu raised an eyebrow and winced quickly. He already forgot about his cut.

"Not as fancy as you but I manage," she stuck out her tongue to him, a bit insulted that he thought she was clueless about cooking.

"I'm sure it would be delicious then!" he replied with his usual enthusiasm.

"But you need a bath first!" Rin exclaimed, waving her right hand into the air in front of her nose. "I don't cook for muddy boyfriends with crusty bloody hair."

"You break my heart! I got all those scars for you!"

"I thought you wanted to protect the rations above everything else." She narrowed her eyes to him but inside, she was making fun of him. Shuu choked and gave her an embarrassed smile.

"W-Well, food is important for a soldier! You can't fight on an empty stomach!"

"Huh-huh. I'm sure..."

As Shuu tried to explain himself, though every explanation only put him in more trouble, Rin smiled to herself, enjoying his clumsy attempt to tell her that she was more important than food. Without a doubt, food would always be on Shuu's mind but she hoped with all her heart that he will able to show his strong feelings for her as often as she wished.

"Stay here," Touma told Azhure as he put her down on her bed. "I'll go see if there's some food ready." The archer flew the princess back to the castle as soon as he could once they flew through the portal. She's been quiet ever since they left the fort but it didn't worry him since Orion assured him she was only tired from all the spell casting.

"You don't have to," the young woman told him as she made her armor vanished. Her normal clothing, a pair of jeans and a black long sleeves shirt, replaced the cold metal on her skin.

"Someone has to take care of you," he smiled to her. "And I'm solid enough to carry a tray, unlike your ghostly brother."

"I could make things levitate if I really wanted to," Orion replied with a glare.

"Not enough to bring food to your sister. I got this, Azhure. Just relax."

"Touma! I..." she saw him turned at the door to look at her and once again, courage failed her. "Thanks." He nodded to her, smiling still and left the room. She sighed before taking out her brother's blue headband.

"Why didn't you tell him?" her brother asked, floating in front of her.

"Tell him what? That I love him?" she chuckled sadly before looking up at him. "Don't be stupid. What difference would it make? He doesn't love me."

"You don't know that."

"Look, I'm not blind. He's been on Kayura ever since she came around. It's her he wants. Not me. I...I'm just a friend to him."

"You should at least try to tell him." She shook her head at his suggestion.

"I don't think I can handle another rejection...especially from him." The thought pained her and she fought back the tears. What was she supposed to do? After he moved out of Nasuti's home, they saw each other a lot still, but most of the time, it was to talk about her studies and how she was handling her new life. She was the one who had to drag him out for some social interactions and those were her favorite moments. She has learned to know more about him during this period and although she tried to show him that her interest in him was more than just friendship, Touma didn't seem to get it. She concluded he wasn't ready...until Kayura arrived.

"Azhure," her brother began.

"Just leave me alone." She didn't wish to discuss the matter any further and went under the blankets. Before she knew it, she was already asleep.

In the meantime, Touma found the kitchen after a few wrong turns and asked the cook to prepare a tray for his friend. His eye caught a plate of chocolate chip cookies and their sweet chocolaty odor suddenly reminded him that he was starving. As he grabbed a cookie and took a bit in it, Kayura walked in the kitchen.

"Touma, I know we all just came back but we really need to talk about today's fight and think about our next move," she told him urgently.

"Now? Can't it wait until we all rested up a little?" The archer knew that a strategy over a tired brain wouldn't do much good. "Shuu surely needs a proper look at and I heard Anubis had it rough since his unit was cut off from the rest of us after the first wave of arrows. One hour or two should be enough."

"We don't need them. Just you and me... Oh! And that ghost of yours, Orion. I can't believe his strategy worked!"

"Don't be so hasty. It worked yes but only because he managed to get reinforcements there. That portal looked like one of Azhure's spells but I have a feeling she didn't cast it." He shook his head. "Our enemy is quite something. I would never imagine that they were so many. And they're not that stupid. They send the weakest first to tire us out then the stronger warriors. It's heartless but it does get the job done."

Kayura observed his features attentively while he talked. Touma always had that serious look when he stated his observations and yet, he wasn't looking at those listening to him while speaking. It was like he was talking to himself but he was fully aware of his surroundings and his listeners. She was surprised he didn't start pacing in the room during his explanations like some mad scientist.

"Anyway," Touma continued, "I was getting a tray ready for Azhure. Surely this meeting of yours can wait until I can bring it to her, right?" The smile he gave to Kayura made her blush immediately.

"Of course," she told him, trying hard to not sound disappointed. As she watched him leave, she surprised herself thinking if he would ever bring her a tray while she was in bed. The thought made her blush more and she hurried to the meeting room in hope her wild imagination would calm down by the time Touma would come back.

On his side, Touma was grinning like an idiot. He picked only food that Azhure would like for sure. Hopeful, he started to open the door of Azhure's room when he met face to face with an angry ghost. Clueless, Touma blinked at Orion.

"Listen to me, hot shot," the ghostly prince started, pointing his transparent accusing finger to the archer's nose, "you better make up your mind soon before you do something you will regret." The dark blue Trooper blinked a couple of times again. "And before I make you regret it."

"What's going on?" the young man finally asked. The only answer he got was a huffed sound and a dismissive hand gesture.

"She's sleeping," the protective brother finally said. "Just put the food next to her. I'll make sure she eats it."

"I can-"

"Thank you, Touma," the ghost cut him off, making him understand he wasn't welcome any longer. "That will be all."

"Don't you dare treat me like one of your servants," the Trooper managed to say as coldly as possible before putting the tray on the night table. He would have said more, but something inside of him warned him it would only make things worst so he kept his mouth shut and controlled his anger by not slamming the door on his way out and left to check on his friends.

The tide of the war was now in the favor of Kayura and her troops. The victory at Fort Kinnum was only the first and as the days passed, the former army of Arago slowly regained its territory. However, as they kept pushing the enemy back, Orion foresaw a major complication: the lack of soldiers.

Indeed, the war raged on far before the Troopers were involved and the many defeats before the first victory left an important number of soldiers 6 feet under. Even with the best strategies, Orion knew their small numbers would not be able to stand forever. They had to look for reinforcements. The Mashos and Kayura weren't very encouraging on that point during a meeting between them, Orion and Touma.

"To whom do you want us to turn to?" Naaza hissed. "They came from our northern borders so we will find no allies there for sure. As they failed to break into the Fort of the Abyss, they came from the east which means any other nation that was there is already under their control. The west is a dead land ever since Arago made an example out of that country to show the Youjakai that he was the strongest and should take the lead of the land."

"That leaves the south then," Orion pointed out. Anubis chuckled sarcastically.

"There's no way the Reds are going to help us," he said to the ghost.

"Who are the Reds?" Touma asked.

"We call them like that because they are always wearing red, especially during battle," Rajura explained. "Their nation changed names often in the last millennia so it's hard for us to keep track."

"The only constant thing, besides the color of their uniform, is their leader," Kayura continued. "Rumors said she's immortal and is even older than Arago himself."

"I think it's time to pay her a visit," Orion nodded.

"Are you out of your mind?" Anubis nearly screamed. "She lost to Arago in the last uprising to bring him down. Her attempt ended in failure, just like Kenbukyou's. She even lost lands in that battle."

"In order words, she's the last person in this world that will help us," Naaza crossed his arms. "Surely, she must be happy to see us struggle like this."

"Look, we're cornered. If we don't find more troops, we might as well surrender. Is that what you want?" the prince frowned at the Mashos. They all failed to keep up with his gaze. "I thought so. Let me handle the negotiations with that woman. I'm sure I'll make her see our point of view."

"You sound very confident," Kayura observed. Orion gave her a grin.

"Women have no secrets for me, my lady."

"How will you get there?" Touma asked.

"Now that the spirits know Azhure's teleportation spell, I'll just have one of them to take me there."

"But you said you couldn't leave Azhure's side. Is she coming with you?"

"No but don't worry. I have already thought about that little problem..."

"Why did you want to meet me here, Orion?" Seiji asked without hiding his annoyance. No matter how much he tried to be polite, he hated the ghost. Moreover, it was hard to be polite to someone who was more than happy to annoy, bother and piss you off. "Why did you specify me to wear my full armor?" He stood at the center of the castle's battlegrounds, where the spirits usually cast the teleportation spell. The altar of teleportation was built there for many reasons, one of them being close to the camps of the troops. Also, the Ankoku priests started to hang there on their own after Arago's defeat, so it was easier and faster to cast the spell at that place.

"Ah, Seiji. My dear friend,"Orion started.

"Please, don't insult me." The blond shook his head. He hated it when Orion pretended them to be friends. "What dangerous mission do you need me for?" At this remark, the ghost grinned.

"You know, I'm glad we don't have to pretend around each other."

"You kind of made your point very clear the first time we met," Seiji frowned some.

"I would say it was the other way around but whatever," the prince made it sound like it was not important. "Listen, I do need you for a mission. And-OH MY GOD! ARAGO IS BACK!" He yelled, pointing behind Seiji. The Trooper quickly turned around and took out his sword. Before he could ask where Arago was, Orion entered his body and possessed him. There was some internal turmoil but since he caught Seiji's off guard, his mind went to sleep rather quickly.

After a few minutes, Orion, now in Seiji's body, opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the weight of the armor. He moved his limbs carefully then did some stretchy exercises and ran around a bit. His host was strong and possessing him didn't make his body lost any of his strength. Orion concluded that he will be able to fight using this body if necessary. He looked at the long no-dachi sword that came with the armor.

"Size isn't everything," he blinked at his own words. "Oh ewwww... I forgot I will sound like him until I leave his body. I will have to resist the urge to slap myself." As he walked toward the altar, he stopped at a small pond and looked at his reflection. He made a few faces before checking his traits more carefully. "You so need to smile more. Wrinkles are not going to kill you. Seriousness will." Smirking at his own reflection, he made his way to the altar. One spirit came out of his meditation stance and flew to him.

"What is your business here?" it asked politely.

"I wish to travel to the home of the leader of the Reds," Orion replied. "Kayura must have warned you that I would come by."

"The Lady did mention the two of you would come," it acknowledged. "Please choose your return." The return was the term used by the spirits to the Ankoku priest coming along with the traveler to come back to the castle in case the portal couldn't stay open until the return of said traveler. Unlike Azhure who could cast the spell whenever she desired it, those without magical powers had to use a 'return' to teleport back and since the princess refused to share the spell with Kayura and forbade the spirits to share the knowledge by using another spell, everyone had to use a return spirit.

Once Orion made his choice (it wasn't hard since ALL spirits look alike and had the same level of power), the Ankoku priest who greeted him entered some sort of trance: his eyes turned into two big balls of light, his mouth opened and in a blink of an eye, Orion was teleported to the entrance of the City of the Eternal. The prince didn't know what to expect honestly. The Mashos and Kayura couldn't give him much information about the Reds (or whatever they called themselves now) but considering their current enemy were a bunch of tribes, Orion thought that maybe the south was about the same. How wrong he was.

"Who goes there!" one of the guards asked, pointed his long spear toward Orion. The visitor raised his arms slowly.

"I'm Korin no Seiji," he said calmly, "and I'm here to speak your leader." Both guards looked at each other. The higher in rank just sighed and both took back their position.

"Ok, sure. Go in."

"What? Just like that?" Orion blinked at the answer. The guards laughed.

"Anyone can go meet Lady Sorshania," the first guard told him with a grin. "We'll just take bets to see how long it will take her to kill you."

"Or kick your ass out of the room," the other guard added.

"She surely sounds like a cranky old lady," Orion said with confidence. The guards quickly made hushing sounds.

"Don't mention her age in front of her! She's very sensitive about that!" one of them told him.

"Yeah. Try to at least last 5 minutes," the other one went on.

"Thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind," Orion patted the shoulder of the guards and entered the city. The city was much more different than the City of Desire: smaller buildings, brighter colors, big windows with lots of wooden decorations, streets made of volcanic stones and a lively and warm atmosphere. The people in the streets didn't mind him. In fact, they didn't even seem to care about his presence. Kids were running around, feathers in their hair while parents argued with merchants over a fine silky like fabric or food. It was hard for the prince to understand that kind of attitude. Were they careless or did they really think he wasn't dangerous?

The way to the palace was very clear. His eyes spotted it the moment he walked into the city: straight forward and at the center of the busy merchant district. An armed page greeted him at the door and took him to Lady Sorshania's room. He couldn't help but compare the present castle to his own back in his world. While white and silver were the colors of the royal family in his world, a bright red and gold seemed to be the color theme the royalty here. The furniture and decoration were simple while his were more sophisticated. However, the work done on the furniture was amazing. Everything was made of dark brown wood and the carvings were diverse and different on every chair, table and painting frame. People lived simple here but their lives were rich in a cultural sense.

"Wait here, please," the page asked before entering Lady Sorshania's study. Less than a minute after, he walked out. "She will see you now, sir." Orion nodded and walked into the room. What he saw defied logic itself.

Lady Sorshania was a girl.

More precisely, a young woman.

Vivid green orbs were studying him intensively while their owner was eating an apple, her feet on the wooden study and her body leaning against the chair. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the crunching of the apple under the small woman's perfect white teeth. Orion did his best to keep a straight face.

"Korin no Seiji," she finally said after a long silence. "The same Korin no Seiji who defeated Arago some years back?"

"The one and only," he bowed theatrically to her, which made her laugh.

"What a legend like you do in a place like this huh?" She gave him an all-knowing smile.

"Something tells me you already know but it will be my pleasure to answer you still, my lady."

"My lady?" She chuckled. "Are you trying to impress me or are you some weirdo prince from another country?"

"I am shocked," he grinned.

"Yeah right. Why did that Kayura bitch sent you here?"

"You are far more knowledgeable than I anticipated."

"Don't flatter me. I wouldn't be leading this country for all those centuries if it wasn't from my information network. To survive, you need to know what you crazy ass neighbor is going to do."

"As you know, Arago is dead and we have a small pest problem."

"Pest? The northern tribes are much more than that."

"Rats?"

"Blood thirsty monsters is closer to the truth."

"So we have noticed."

"If you are coming here for support, get the fuck out." Sorshania turned her juicy apple to ashes before leaning forward with a fiery glare. "I have no desire to help Kayura and her puppies."

"I did hear about your past troubles with Arago, but I still believe you will help us."

"Oh really?" the young woman raised an eyebrow and stood up before slowly walk toward him. Orion was able to take a better look at her features and he was surprised to see there weren't any wrinkles, even hidden by makeup, on that pretty face. She curved her lips in a smirk. Orion knew that kind of smirk very well. "What makes you believe that, pretty boy?" It meant she liked what she was seeing.

"Because once they are done with us, it's only a matter of time before they come to you."

"Hn. You're not as dumb as you look. I'm impressed. Most womanizers are stupid. You wouldn't be the first one to have tried to get in my pants...but you really are here about the war."

"Womanizer?"

"Please," she gave him her all-knowing look again, "I've lived for hundreds of years. I got a few special senses to evaluate someone. Very useful to guess if the guy you chose as your page is going to try to kill you someday in your sleep."

"I can sense you're speaking through experience."

"Exactly." She went back to her study and sat on it. "I do believe you are right. My country is probably the next on their list if you lose the war, but I wouldn't mind to see Arago's lands being torched."

"I understand but think of your people."

"Hn. You speak like someone who used to rule." She crossed her arms. "I will help but I have my conditions."

"Tell me what you want and I'll make sure you get it."

"I want my lands back."

"Consider it done."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I'll make sure Kayura even put a bow on it." Orion could see a big grin on Sorshania's lips. "What else?"

"A date. With you."

"I thought you hated womanizers." He grinned back at her.

"No. I just said that I knew that you were one. You're smart, interesting and handsome to boot."

"I got the handsome line a lot."

"I'm sure you do." She remained silent for a moment. "Do we have a deal?"

"We do."

"Good. I'm coming with you to seal the deal with Kayura. I want to see her face when you tell her I want my lands back." She jumped down her study and ran to the door. Orion blinked at her when she swung it open and started to yell. "HIEI!"

"WHAT!" the page screamed from the front door, which was at the far end of the very long corridor.

"I'M LEAVING WITH THE HANDSOME GUY! YOU TAKE CARE OF THINGS WHILE I'M GONE OK?"

"OK!"

"AND TELL THE GUARDS THEY LOST THEIR BETS! BUY YOURSELF SOMETHING NICE WITH THE BENENFITS!"

"THANK YOU, MY LADY!"

"THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE! TAKE CARE!" She turned back to Orion. "Shall we go?"

"Ah... Yes," the prince managed to answer before offering his arm to her. I know other kingdoms have other customs but that was unexpected... Sorshania smiled and glady took the arm. He nodded to her and looked at his spirit. "Return." Just like the first time, the Ankoku priest took a meditation stance and the last thing the couple saw before being teleported back to the castle was its glowing eyes.

When Seiji opened his eyes, he was sitting on a chair. He couldn't remember everything and he felt his head would split open so much he was in pain. It took him a few minutes to realize he was in the meeting room and there was some arguing nearby. But none of that matter to him. He knew Orion used him and no matter the headache, he wanted the head of the ghost. His sudden movement when he stood up made Kayura, Sorshania and Orion looked at him.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up already," Orion flew to him.

"What did you do to me?" Seiji angrily asked.

"A simple possession. Nothing that will leave a permanent mark, I assure you."

"If you needed my body for something, you could have asked! I would have given you the permission!"

"Oh really?" Orion suddenly felt bad but there was no way he would give that satisfaction to Seiji. "I guess but it was more fun that way."

"More fun?" The green Trooper slammed his right wrist onto the table. "Dammit, Orion. Don't you ever do that again because I will send you back to spirit world!" He wanted to say more but he felt a feminine gaze on him which gave him goose bumps. He slowly turned his head to the right and noticed Sorshania giving him a nice grin.

"Wow. I thought only a weak minded person would succumb to a possession but you have a will of steel. I like that."

"Excuse me?"

"Seiji, let me introduce you to Lady Sorshania, the leader of the Orbo lands to the south. She is your date."

"WHAT?" Seiji lost all self-control at those words.

"Possessed or not, I want you, handsome."Sorshania walked up to him and chuckled. "Relax. I'm not going not eat you."

"I didn't agree to this!"

"Technically, you did. I made you say so while I possessed you."

"You have no right!"

"True but like I said, it's funnier this way."

Sorshania watched with amusement Seiji running after the ghost with his no-dachi before turning to Kayura.

"I think I like him better when he's not possessed."

Kayura just slapped her forehead.