Nintai, dressed in the kimono that Sayori had been wearing for the last few days, steps out from behind her tree. Dressed in that particular kimono, she looks more like a queen married to the emperor than a princess. But they still hadn't fixed her hair yet. The problem with that was that she didn't have anywhere near long enough hair, so they planned on putting a cloak over her to hide it.
Sayori steps out from behind her tree next. In the servant's kimono, she seems almost normal to Nintai, which almost makes her forget what's going on. The girl's hair had been cut to length and bleached out with ease. What exactly she and Bo had used, however, Nintai does not ask. After taking a few seconds to check each other over, the girls turn to the others.
The boys, who have waited patiently for the two to switch clothes, turn to look over them. Bo smiles, impressed with the switch, while behind him Jin stares open mouthed at Sayori. The girl blushes a slight pink. Ittosai takes one look at the two, then turns disinterestedly away, probably making fun of them in his head. Muneshige and Mon-Mon eye each girl critically, although Nintai gets the feeling Mon-Mon is doing so for less honorable reasons. Yo jumps up after a few seconds of staring and hugs them both.
"You're both adorable! I wish we didn't have to take you back!"
Muneshige pulls the boy off them and the girls fix their clothes. In addition to the switch, the plan had been modified so each girl has their own protection; Sayori had pulled Bo to the side and insisted. Jin and Yo will protect Sayori, ignoring anything that befalls Nintai as they walk. Mon-Mon and Bo will protect Nintai, ignoring anything that befalls Sayori as they walk. Muneshige and Ittosai are to act as point and rear guards.
"I call rear guard," was all that Ittosai had said when Bo had revealed the modified version of Nintai's plan.
"Why exactly can't I protect the princess," Muneshige had sighed.
Nintai had looked at him with pity. "Because that would make it too obvious that she's herself. Think about it from the enemies shoes. Who would be closest to the princess? Definitely the guy that's supposed to be protecting her. Therefore, you need to not protect her directly. That's why Bo and I agreed on Jin and Yo."
The man agreed with her logic then, and even now, looking at the two girls, he can still see her point. But that doesn't stop him from wishing he could protect his princess himself.
And with everything set, the group starts walking through the trees once more. Since they don't know if any ninja happen to be in the trees, Nintai was already wearing a cloak with the hood pulled up. It seemed rather strange to her when Yo pulled it out of thin air. Then again, plenty of weird things have happened to her since she got here.
In the back of her mind, Nintai is well aware of some other presence around her. But it seems impossible to her; the blue pendant is around Sayori's neck right now. They even went so far as to trade the pendants they wear. Yet, Nintai still feels like there's another person with her.
Shaking the feeling as her spine shivers suddenly, Nintai focuses on what's in front of her once more. It took much less time than she thought it would, and the main road appears before them. Muneshige stops just inside the tree line and looks back. Nintai and Sayori both nod and the man reluctantly continues out into the bright sunshine.
Once outside the dusk of the forest, Nintai realizes why her moods had shifted like crazy. It was the sunlight that she'd been so used to seeing disappear. With the reappearance of that wonderful brightness, she immediately felt happier. The smile across her face right now is bright and filled with joy.
Standing beside her, Sayori smiles as well, taking in the bright blue sky. It seems like forever to the two of them; an entire lifetime seems to have passed them by and they missed this sky during the entire journey. Bo and Yo tap their shoulders, pulling them from their personal worlds and the girls rush to get back into place.
Nintai, walks carefully, not used to the type of sandals she's wearing right now. Her thoughts are on how she should've kept on her shoes, but they had to switch outfits completely or risk something giving them away.
The steps the group takes are drowned out by the rest of the midday traffic. Horses pulling wagons or carts, people travelling by foot in either direction, even the occasional royal-looking transport speeds by on the side of the large highway. No doubt the pretentious people inside just don't want to see commoners as they drive themselves forward.
Nintai recognizes the movements of the land off to the side. The rise and fall of the grasses reminds her of the home that would stand her several years from now. Unfortunately, it also has a darker meaning. Even though they'd travelled so much in the last few days, they hadn't gotten very far away from the castle that they had escaped.
Now that I think about it, I don't actually remember the names of the people after us. Or did I ever even know? This thought proves a nuisance, as she can't ask "Hey, guys? Who exactly is trying to kill us?" in the middle of a busy highway. Definitely ask that. It won't bring any suspicion at all from those around us.
To take her mind off of the thoughts plaguing her, Nintai follows the flight of a single bird. What type, she has no idea, but it's clearly a rather large bird. She can tell it has an enormous wingspan as it turns around and around a far off tree. And not just any tree, but a tree that's grown past its peers.
The tree she now focuses on is several feet higher than the others, and turning pink from cherry blossoms. Sayori and Nintai look at each other as they realize they've both been focusing on it. Behind them, they hear Bo chuckle.
"Would you two like to see that tree before it starts blooming?"
They look over their shoulders and say together, "Really!? Can we!?"
The other boys hold back their laughter, and the two girls stare at one another for a few seconds before their giggling slips by their lips. Once they're closer, the group slips over to the side of the road, much to Ittosai's dismay, and head up a cleared path toward the tree. The girls, once the trunk was in sight, race each other up a small slope to the tree's base. There, they see a small shrine.
"Whoops," Sayori whispers.
"It's alright. Let's just kneel and pray. It's not like everyone who comes to this tree always leaves an offering."
"Yeah, sure; just don't ask it for money."
Nintai looks at the blue pendant around Sayori's neck, then behind her where the boys are gathered, looking at their surroundings.
"You've been really quiet. Usually you try to talk to me, um… her… a lot."
"Oh, um… I had a little mishap."
Sayori bites her lip, remembering the moments before the last ninja attack. The pendant had let it slip that not only could it talk, but that it believed itself to be Nintai's father. She doesn't believe this to be true, since the last time she'd seen the man, Nintai had kicked him out of her apartment, which he pays for.
She forces her thoughts to move on. Her disbelief wasn't the main problem here. She'd kept a secret about something important from her friend, regardless of the fact that it was an accident. Feeling the guilt, she tries to think of a way to broach the subject.
Nintai grabs the pendant and pulls it over Sayori's head. Holding it in front of her, she glares, annoyed, at the stone as it glows a faint blue. The blue nags at something in the back of her mind; a distant memory she feels like she shouldn't have.
"What did you do? Did you insult Bo or something?"
"You gave Bo that thing on purpose?"
Nintai looks at Sayori and nods. "He was worried that I was going insane for some reason, so I gave it to him so he could look at it. The two seemed to have hit it off pretty well, so I didn't think I was needed. That's why I went for a walk that morning."
Sayori looks at the girl with annoyance. She'd been worried about how Bo had gotten ahold of the pendant in the first place, even if she hadn't realized she'd been worried.
"Alright, then. As long as Ittosai hadn't stolen it."
"Ittosai? What's he got to do with this? Don't tell me he looked at it, too!"
Sayori slaps her hands over her mouth. That was supposed to be something Nintai didn't find out until they got home. Her friend glares at her. Sayori looks down at her feet, removing her hands and hanging her head.
"Who exactly knows about this stupid tactician?"
"Hey!"
"Everyone," Sayori manages to squeak.
"That's not very nice, you know!"
"Be quiet, stupid," Nintai growls at the stone. It ceases any sound but remains glowing.
Nintai's face is pale. Everyone knows about the strange thing that's been hanging around her neck. She'd wanted it kept hidden until she knew more about it, or had gotten home, but that plan has flown out the window. The next thing catches everyone off guard.
"Circle up, everyone! We need to talk," she calls out calmly.
After a few moments of confusion, the boys join the girls, gathering in a loose circle. For some reason, even Ittosai the wall flower was among the group. Yo, Jin, and Bo are all staring perplexed. Muneshige and Mon-Mon seem unworried. The wall flower doesn't even try to feign interest.
"Alright then. Since no one decided to tell me that everyone knew until now," Nintai states blandly, "I figure we should at least get the idiot's opinion on the plan before we keep going."
Holding the pendant up, Nintai stares at it as it starts to glow a little more brightly than usual. "I don't really have much of a choice in this, do I?"
The disembodied voice surprises no one, confirming to Nintai that they'd all heard it speak before. Changing her thought's direction, she glares at the pendant. "No."
She hears a sigh, then the pendant starts a long anecdote on the strategy the group had decided on. Halfway through, Jin seemed like his head was going to explode, Yo was dozing off while standing, and Bo was barely keeping up, which says something. Muneshige and Mon-Mon are daydreaming because, like Jin and Yo, they'd gotten lost somewhere toward the beginning. Ittosai was just watching the glow flicker from the pendant.
"Alright, stupid. That's enough."
"Eh?" The pendant's glow subsides a bit as the voice falls silent.
"Since Bo seems to be the only one who understood any of that, why don't we just let him explain it in stupid people words instead?" Nintai slips the pendant back under over Sayori's head.
"Sorry I don't speak stupid," came the last remark from the pendant before it stops glowing completely.
Bo, seeing it go dark, is once more interested in the piece, but knows better than to ask to see it again with Nintai staring at him. She's waiting for him to explain what he'd understood form the necklace's opinion. Unfortunately, that happens to be very little.
"I'm afraid the only thing I can say on the matter is that, although he approves of the plan in general, he doesn't think we should've had you two trade places. I'm not quite sure why he believes that, but that's the basic idea that I got from it."
Nintai stares at him for a moment, then nods. Turning to the others, she stares at them instead, noticing that the majority were still off in their own little worlds; Ittosai was the only one listening. Alright then. Time for a wakeup call.
"PAY ATTENTION!"
The four bodyguards snap from their daydreaming, turning bright red from embarrassment as Nintai continues her stare. Shaking her head, she merely turns around and goes to kneel at the shrine. Still standing in embarrassment and shock, the four bodyguards who had been daydreaming look at one another.
Bo chuckles quietly and walks over to Nintai. Behind him, the others spread out. Yo and Jin stick to Sayori as she walks around the tree, marveling at its height. Mon-Mon and Muneshige are off to the side, watching the entire area and talking about what they'd been daydreaming. Ittosai has lied down off on his own, as much of a lone wolf as always.
"You know, you can't blame them."
Nintai looks at Bo, trying to his blank expression. "Although you are technically right, you're still wrong about his opinion." Bo raises an eyebrow to her and she continues. "It's not that what you said is wrong, it's that you don't have any idea about why he's upset over me switching places.
"Mind telling me your real theory on that one? Or am I to be left out of the loop again?"
Bo sighs and reluctantly lets her in on the secret. He recounts the words that the pendant hand spoken the day she'd left it in his hands. Everything, from the insults shot at Ittosai to the small piece of knowledge he'd let slip.
"I can tell you with ease that that's not my father."
"Oh?" Bo looks at her with interest. "I don't think anyone besides a father would call a woman his 'little girl,' do you?"
"Sure, whatever. Anyways, remind me of something. Who are we running from again? The only person that comes to mind when I think of the enemies we face has long, silver hair and a yellow eye. Oh, and a scar."
Bo claps his hand over his mouth, and Nintai sees his shoulder shaking. She's silent for a moment, then opens her mouth.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm a real comedian... He's alive and well, by the way, with a body all his own. Whatever the guy trapped in that necklace thinks, he can keep dreaming. I've already got a disappointment in my family; I don't need another."
With that, Nintai rises from her spot in front of the shrine and calls out to everyone that it's time to go. She leaves no space for Bo to pry into the disappointment that is her father. Even if she does wish to discuss it, talking about it now could only cause trouble for everyone.
While everyone gets back into order, Nintai feels the eyes of someone on her. Looking up into the tree that's only just started to turn pink, her face pales. No doubts in her mind, Nintai shoves Sayori forward and yells at Muneshige.
"It's failed! Get to running!"
Dropping form the trees, ninja attempt to surround the group, but fail miserably thanks to Nintai's instincts. Sayori's last thought as both Jin and Muneshige grab her wrists is about the blue pendant around her neck. Knowing that not having it could get her friend killed, she shakes off Munshige's hand and, as she runs with Jin to the forest edge, pulls the pendant over her head.
"Nintai! This way!"
And with all the strength in her arm, she chucks the necklace as far as she can. Nintai, who'd just slammed her palm into a ninja's nose, sees the blue gleam in her peripheral vision and moves to catch it.
All around her, confusion is evident. The only thing she hadn't seen yet was the appearance of the leader. Shouldn't he be here, too? Dropping into a slide, Nintai rams her foot into the ankle of a ninja and stops just beneath the pendant as it drops back to earth. The necklace lands with a thump into Nintai's hand and she rises to her feet.
Slipping the pendant over her neck, she remembers the green one underneath her clothes. I'll get it back to Sayori later. Then she hears the laughter. Cruel and excited at once; the man with silver hair leans against the tree the group had stopped to look at, a gleam of joy in his yellow eye.
"Crap."
Nintai looks past him to see Bo and Ittosai knocking down a few more ninja before disappearing into the trees. Once they disappear, the ninja in the area stop chasing after them and turn toward the only one left. Their reason for attacking becomes apparent to Nintai. In her head, she's berating herself for her own ignorance.
I'm their target. They wanted me alone… And I'd walked right into their hands… I'm such an idiot!
"Please tell me you know how to get me out of this," she mumbles under her breath as she reaches up to clutch at the blue pendant once again resting against her chest. It doesn't respond, even slightly
She doesn't even notice the movement behind her before the pain in her head and the darkness that follows her plea. But she does notice one thing. Someone strong picking her up in a princess carry and walking off, holding her gently. Daddy? Why are you here?
A smile plays across the figure's face. The little girl being carried looks into the smile above her in despair. The bond she used to share with this person, whoever it is, is long gone, destroyed by something she cannot, and will not, remember. Looking ahead of them, the girl sees another figure, more desolate and depressing, as if it were being tortured just by standing.
Immediately, the little girl starts to struggle, wanting to stay as far from the horrific thing as possible. But the figure holding onto her tightens its grip on her, keeping her in its arms. The little girl, unable to resist as she's too weak, closes her eyes tightly, unable to look as she's too scared.
Whatever she feels next is lost to her as her surroundings brighten and change.
