This is one LOOOOOOOONG chapter.

Hi, I'm back again. This chapter is the absolutely longest I have ever written (almost 20 pages). But I think I have done something really wrong. I have checked up the years and everyone's age, but I am still not sure I am correct everywhere. So if you find something that lookes strange, please tell me so I can change it. I am planning a "shut down, reupdate" thingy. You know, erase the story entirely and then put it up again (since I'm finding other wrongdoings as well every here and there).

But I will leave you to decide that for me. You are the ones who read my story after all.

I shall not occupy you any longer. On with the fic (the longest chapter in this story, I promise)


Yuniko's tears

Yuniko's life seemed to get harder every day. Her freedom was slowly ripped away from her as she grew older. Atemu always covered up for her when she and Malin sneaked out to just be themselves and relax for a moment. Malin wondered why Yuniko always sat in her window staring south every morning, but the young princess wouldn't answer such a question.

"You have been sitting at that window every morning for almost three years, Yuni," she stated one morning, shortly before the princess's sixteenth birthday.

"I know," Yuniko said, not taking her seeking eyes from the still dark cliff in the south.

"Are you waiting for something?"

"Like what?" Yuniko asked and finally turned her eyes towards her. For a moment Malin thought she saw the sky through the treasure's head by her eyes; they held the exact same colour.

"How would I know? You will not tell me what you are waiting for," the blonde girl complained.

"Have I told you I am waiting for someone?" Yuniko asked surprised.

"No," Malin muttered.

"You should know by now I tell you everything I can," the princess said with a gentle smile, but Malin felt like lying down and die right there for her suspiciousness.

"Forgive me," she whispered, looking down at her feet and began fumbling with her fingers.

Yuniko gracefully glided off the window hill and embraced her friend softly. She hadn't lied. She did tell Malin everything she could, but she simply couldn't tell her about her mother.

"You will turn sixteen in three days, princess," Malin said softly into the loving embrace she used to hide herself.

"I know," Yuniko said calmly, not letting her friend go, and Malin really didn't want her princess to let go.

"Stableman Kay and I have a special gift for you, and we have to give it to you in the early morning, by sunrise. And then…"

"Then what?"

Malin turned her head so her ear rested against the princess's chest so she could hear the calm beating of her heart inside. She tried not to pout, but failed miserably.

"Joel told me to ask you to keep your window open on your birthday morning, before the sun rises."

"By your face I can tell you think his gift is better than yours," Yuniko smiled down at her.

It was kind of funny; Yuniko was short even for her age, but Malin, being half a year older, was half a head shorter, but she would grow past her in a soon future, still she was quick like the wind and her tongue as sharp as razors. She wasn't afraid of anything.

"He has put down so much more energy behind his gift," she mumbled and this time pouted without trying to hide it.

Yuniko smiled a happy smile. "But I am very sure yours comes right from your very heart, my treasured friend."

Malin had to blush at her princess's words. It actually was a gift from her heart, which she had sneaked out late at night to talk to Kay about for a long time.

A knocking on the door shattered the cosy atmosphere and Malin shivered from the loss of Yuniko's body heat.

"Enter," Yuniko called unfazed.

"Milady, his majesty order your presence at the meeting with the council as soon as you are dressed," an old servant said when he opened the door on the princess's call.

"He always orders me around nowadays," Yuniko said with a sigh and walked to her dresser. Malin helped her dress into a formfitting, sky blue dress, which toned over into white in the edges. Its sleeves were wide and the material was thin enough to let her skin breathe in the midsummer heat.

"It is as if you were the closest advisor always expected to be there whenever his majesty turns around," Malin said as she combed the treasure's hair and pulled it into a knot on top of her head, skilfully tying up the hair without a ribbon. Last she tied the broad, blue ribbon around the princess's thin waist and the two of them left the safety of the princess's room.


"Princess Yuniko, I would appreciate if you could take a little less time to make yourself look perfect," the king scolded his daughter the moment she entered the meeting room.

"If I take less time for it, I will not look as perfect as you wish me to be," Yuniko gave back unembarrassed.

Malin had long since figured out a way to give back on the king for his never-ending complaining. She imagined the clever words coming from the princess's mouth was her own, but she let in much more contempt in her voice.

"There is a problem outside the village by the cliff south of the castle," Honda said once Yuniko had settled down with Malin standing like a bodyguard behind her chair.

"What kind of problem?" Yuniko asked.

"I do not know. The reports say it is robbers living in the wood, but seemingly they attack only riding people, not those who walk by foot."

"Only I, the owners of the inns and the church own horses around here," the king stated. "Why attack those riding?"

"Yet to be revealed," Honda said.

"Father, I and Malin will take three men and go south to find out what is happening this evening."

"You should be more in case it is dangerous."

"If we are too many they may not dare to attack. Three men, handpicked by me, will be enough."

The king nodded his head and the meeting continued. The king and council brought up problems and Yuniko solved them. At the age of only fifteen, soon sixteen, Yuniko was a used ruler of the kingdom, yet she was it undercover. If it came out she was the real ruler, the king would be embarrassed in front of the entire kingdom. But the truth was: Yuniko was born to rule.

Ending the meeting with many problems solved with just a few words, the council set their many orders into action and the young princess went to pick three of the guards to ride out in the evening.

"Why in the evening?" Malin asked. "They might as well attack in clear daylight; no one is brave enough to go out riding after dark. To me they seem to be travelling robbers like I was. Used thieves of cause use the night, but they do not need to pay heed for the time of day."

"No," the princess said almost sternly. "These are not travellers, and they are not real thieves. They are after something and I will find out what. You will have to help me comb and tie my hair. I want it to be a pigtail in a wreath around my head. That way it will not be in my way."

"Yes Milady."

Since the day it was announced that Malin would be Yuniko's nurse, Lisa and other servants had learnt the former thief how to act and talk and various other things. Yuniko did not usually boss her around, if not in a bad mood, but Malin would marry the Devil if her friend ordered it, even in a fit of rage. After all, Yuniko had saved her life, and so had Atemu. She had asked the prince as well how she could ever repay him. He had smiled and only told her to stay close to Yuniko and keep herself from all harm.

"Why are you so tense today, Yuniko?" Malin asked after a moment.

"Because I can not believe my father and his advisors," the young princess almost whispered. "I can see the solutions of the problems as I can see my own hand in clear daylight, but they have to think of it over and over again to come to the same answer. It is like they have never talked to anyone below their own class."

"I believe not many of them have," Malin agreed. "It would help them much if they did. Knowing how usual people live and think will lead to knowledge of how they wish their country to be. And as you once said; you never wished anyone to fear what inhabit your land."

"I know even brother could come to quicker decisions than the council. He often talks to the villagers. When I was younger he used to tell me quite funny stories about what normal children use to do, what no one could ever believe me to do even if they saw me."

Yuniko's smile was not forced. Talking about passed times and her kingdom always calmed her when she had awakened on the wrong side. By now they had reached the princess's chamber and were met by a bored-looking Atemu.

"Greetings sister. Mind if I join whatever you will do today?"

"Of cause not brother," Yuniko said with the brightest smile she saved for her brother alone. For Malin the princess saved an own kind of smile, the one of love and thankfulness.

"What is Lady Tea doing, my prince?" Malin asked as she closed the door behind the royal siblings.

"She is a real pain in the ass," Atemu said unembarrassed. As long as no one else was around he could use a rougher language than usual. Yuniko always found it amusing to listen to it, but she never used that kind of language herself.

"What is she doing now?" the princess asked amused, grabbing a comb and giving it to her brother with an apologizing look at her nurse.

"She wishes us to go to the northern woods and play. She has not understood it is not safe to go to the north woods yet. And even if I tell her she just laughs and says I am too paranoid," Atemu complained as he gently drew the comb through his sister's silky waves of black and blue hair. By now it was so long it reached her hips.

"But the northern woods are indeed dangerous. Evil comes from there," Yuniko said with a worried expression. Malin grabbed her hand in a calming gesture.

"I know, but she will not let it into her head."

"She is too much of a child," Malin stated. "But I guess she is more fun than that sister of hers. She was just sitting on her ass giving orders to left and right. She is the kind of ruler to sit on a throne in a kingdom of chaos."

Yuniko couldn't help but giggle at Malin's version of the beautiful older princess of France.

"Tea has a golden heart," she defended the older fellow princess. "But I agree that she is yet too much of a child."

"I can not wait to see her face when I explain she will not become the queen," Atemu said sarcastically with a tired sigh. "I will be king, but you, my sister, will be the queen."

"How is that?" Malin asked curious. "I know both you and Yuni will take over the throne, but I have yet to understand how."

"I am the heir to this kingdom, and I will marry the day father pass away or decide to step down from his throne, and at the same time I will be coroneted to king. But Tea will not be queen, because Yuniko was born to rule this kingdom, with or without me. She will be coroneted with me the day I marry. You will see it all when the day comes."

"I still am not sure if I understand, but I will wait and see since it seems to be the smartest thing to do."

"Talking of which. Brother, you wish to join me the entire day?"

"If you allow me to," Atemu smiled.

"Then you will help me pick two guards and we will go hunting robbers this evening."


That evening, with Samuel, a skilful young soldier and Atemu, Yuniko and Malin went for the stable to pick out horses that was fast but looked just a little of lower class. Yuniko had decided that they should pretend to be upper-class travellers. It was wide known such could borrow the king's horses to travel faster to the nearest inn, but a soldier always had to follow to make sure the horses returned.

Yuniko chose a rather small but strong black and white horse with eyes of wildness, her favourite horse Darkness. He was a little harder to tame than the others, and the young princess had made it her duty to keep that untamed nature in him. Malin took her own horse, Sunset, a grey mare with wise, black eyes and black mane. Atemu, as Yuniko, was attracted to the wilder horses, and he was as good with them as his younger sister. He locked eyes with a dark bay named Shadow, a mighty horse who only let Atemu and Yuniko ever ride him. The young bay loved the young princess as every other animal in the kingdom, and he had deep respect for the prince. But he looked a little wilder than any of the other since he often refused to let the stable men brush him. The other two found much kinder horses that were easy to lead and had experience of battle. Samuel would play the role as a guard of the 'travellers'.

"Are you ready?" the princess asked as she sat on her horse, skilfully manoeuvring him to move as she wished.

"As ready as I can possible be, milady," the young soldier Hermes said with his eyes shining from excitement. He had never done something like this before.

"As am I," Samuel said.

"We all are, sister," Atemu said softly after a silent agreement with Malin, his hood shadowing his eyes from the afternoon sun, as well as hiding the royal mark in his forehead.

"Then we will ride and solve this problem," Yuniko said and turned Darkness toward the gate and the other four followed in her tracks.

Malin glanced at the princess, dressed as a boy once again. Seemingly the young princess didn't really like dresses. Both girls were disguised as boys, having tied their chests as hard as a corset to hide their very female curves, especially Yuniko's. The deep blue cloak's hood covered her beautiful hair, which was tied up in a perfect wreath around her skull. Malin and prince Atemu had made three pigtails which they tied into one and then set up the wreath. Then there was the sword that gave even more respect to the already respectable princess. Even dressed as a boy Yuniko's mere appearance demanded respect.

Malin herself was not even half as respectable as her princess. She knew it, and had long since made it a part of herself. Her own outfit was as simple as the princess's, a white shirt, the blue tunic, deep blue cloak, grey pants and boots. Even Atemu looked more respectable than the others, even if he was even simpler dressed than the rest.

"Malik," Yuniko called her friend forward as the sunset coloured the western sky in crimson, gold and orange, to leave the east part of the sky in darkness only eased by the tinkling stars. She had sternly told all her fellows to call them by male names.

"Is something out of place, Yugi?" the nurse asked, careful to not allow her tongue's protest against the male name.

"Very much so," the princess said lowly. "I have a strange feeling, yet I can not say if it is good or bad. There is something about this group of robbers that does not feel right. Why attack only riders?"

"As your father said: only he, the church and the inn-owners have horses."

"I can not believe this is about only gold, it must be something more, but what?"

Malin knew what to do. The easiest way for the princess to think of any kind of solution was if she was asked questions. It was a game Yuniko herself had created. "What are we going after?" she asked slowly.

The princess sighed. "Robbers who only attack people riding."

"Riding what?" Malin asked. She knew she had to ask every kind of question, even if they seemed obvious.

"…Horses," Yuniko said firmly.

"Why horses?"

"Because horses are only owned by richer people… because they need the horses."

"They are after the horses?"

"Most likely," the princess said solemnly, having found the missing piece in the blurry picture she had painted in her head.

"What could they do with stolen horses?" Malin asked now more of curiosity.

"I will have to ask them why once we meet them," Yuniko said with a satisfied smile.

Atemu patted a restless Shadow in order to calm him. The young bay knew perfectly well what was up, and obviously the dark horse didn't like what he felt. Glancing up Atemu noticed also Darkness was uneasy and jumpy. The prince rode up to his sister's side.

"You have noticed?"

"Of cause I have. Darkness does not like the smells from ahead. Neither does Shadow."

Atemu cast sharp eyes at the shadows in the trees of the south woods that would soon surround them.

"The others are uneasy as well, but are not as eager to show it," Yuniko said after glancing back at her fellows.

"If I did not know better I would say they told you," Atemu said lowly in a joke.

"Their bodies and eyes are talking as much as your mouth, brother," Yuniko smiled at him.

Suddenly Darkness neighed and rose on his hind legs.

"Darkness, calm down," the young princess started, before she hushed softly at the nervous and more and more angry horse. He could feel something was ahead, something that would hurt the treasure on his back, but her soft hushing calmed him enough to stop awkward.

"Be careful," the princess said loudly, trying hard to sound male. "The horses sense danger. We better keep our eyes open."

Malin listened to every sound she could make out around her. She knew many thieves' way to communicate and how to make out them from the real sounds. Suddenly she heard what she had waited for.

Riding up to the princess in the lead they glanced at each other, she had heard it too.

Shadow's powerful body trembled with anger and the will to fight under Atemu. The prince had to lean forward and whisper in his animal friend's ear so the mighty bay wouldn't do something crazy.

Malin and Yuniko heard it, but not the other three; they were too busy trying to calm their horses. Yuniko yelled something, but it was too late. The robbers were already over them.

"Brother!" the princess yelled when she saw her brother be hit in the shoulder by an arrow.

"No time to think of him," said a voice in her ear.

Hissing the young princess managed to grab the leg of the man behind her and pull him off Darkness. The royal sibling's horses could no longer be controlled. The princess's sudden anger and anxiousness caused them to attack the attackers.

Malin threw a few knives at limbs and hands that were trying to grab her from different places. These robbers were used to climbing trees.

Darkness and Shadow kicked and bit at everything that was moving in order to protect their beloved princess. Two men had fallen victim for their blood thirst and more was to be if Yuniko did not manage to calm the battle soon.

"Malin, grab the youngest you see!" the princess called over the sound of battle. She totally forgot they were supposed to be boys, but no one reacted at the female voice.

Sunset looked at her back in confusion when she no longer felt the weight of her friend and rider; Malin was no longer on her back. The grey horse looked over the mass of green clad men with cloth-covered faces and shadowed eyes, but she couldn't make out her rider.

Someone grabbed the mare's reins and tried to lure her with a red apple, but Sunset was not interested. She just wanted her rider back.

When the man realized the beautiful mare would not take his apple he simply let it slide back into his pocket and forced the horse away from the place.

"LET GO OF MY HORSE YOU BASTARD!" Malin yelled with the top of her lungs when she noticed her horse being dragged away from the rest of the battle.

The former thief girl had jumped up into the trees to be allowed free hands to grab the youngest one she saw, but in the trees she had been surprised to see the robbers was so few. Just two more of them sat in the trees, and they were not young. She knocked them out anyway since they sat with bows and arrows, aiming for the wild horses' eyes.

The man holding Sunset was almost knocked unconscious by a hard handle of Malin's knife. Sunset was overjoyed to see her rider again and happily nuzzled the nurse's chest.

Malin patted Sunset in a calming gesture before she lifted up the man by his cloths, just to discover it was no man, but a tall boy at her age.

"Princess!" the young girl called without thinking.

All fighting stopped almost immediately.

Shadow and Darkness jumped away from the robbers they had managed to kill and harm badly. Atemu had one of the older men in a firm grip and was not to let him go. What men who could still stand stood up and gave up any try to escape at the sight of their youngest in the blonde one's firm grip, a knife tightly pressed to the tall boy's throat.

Yuniko got off Darkness's back and gently patted his bloody muzzle before she went over to her friend and took over the boy.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked with her sword placed at the boy's shoulder. No one answered.

"I see you desire our horses, what for?" Yuniko tried again, the blade drawing slightly closer to her treat's throat. Still no one said anything.

Yuniko found this similar to the case of Malin's family, though they had tried to deny and sneak away. Malin picked up nervous side-glances between the men and knew this boy was someone important. The princess had known what to do all along.

"Malin," the princess said, her face cold and hard, but it was nothing but a mask. "Kill the child."

"No!"

The young princess looked at the man who had talked; one with long, crème-coloured hair and narrow eyes. The child's brother?

"Why not? Obviously the boy is not important to you by the way you risk his life to protect your reasons."

The man kept quiet, his eyes closed shut to not betray his feelings, but his furrowed eyebrow gave him away.

The princess nodded at Malin, who placed the half conscious boy at a tree and lifted a knife to stab his heart. Another nod from the princess and the knife lowered swiftly.

"Stop it, please, I will tell you everything!" the same man yelled as he fell to his knees, tears running down his sun kissed face.

There was a sound of a knife hitting wood and the man looked up at Malin and his brother, finding the knife in the hard wood a hair from the young boy's throat.

"I see nothing but hatred in the eyes of your fellows," the princess said. "Malin, take the boy, Samuel and Hermes tie these men between your horses. You," she looked at the man who had begged for the other's life. "Come with me."

Malin knocked the boy out so he wouldn't wake up and have a panic attack while on the horseback. She easily threw him up on Sunset's back before joining him, the grey mare happy to have her friend back behind her.

Samuel and Hermes tied the robbers' hands together with a long rope before tying them to their saddles. Yuniko helped her brother pull out the arrow from his shoulder and tying a rag from her cloak around it to stop the blood. The man silently stood by with his head lowered in shame and self contempt. When Yuniko sat back up on Darkness's back she had to calm the suspicious horse down before reaching out a hand to the other to join her.


"You need money?" Malin asked, trying hard to not yell in anger at the man, who they had found out was named Jocke. It was almost midnight, but Yuniko had ordered to have this done before sunrise.

"There is a hundred ways to gain money," Atemu said as a matter of fact. "Why lower yourself to stealing?"

"My father is a man of pride," Jocke said lowly. "But he is too lazy to get himself a work. We are a big family with mostly men, and he forced us all to go out and steal every horse we saw and take them to him so he can sell them to the governors of England. They pay much for good horses, which means fast gold."

"So to protect his pride he sold yours? Am I right?" the young princess said, looking out of the window in the small room they occupied. Her father was furious to say at least when Atemu came back hurt and wanted to kill the group of robbers right there, but Yuniko's eyes and Atemu's unique ability to make the man think instead of react had demanded him to calm down and think clearly.

"Right, your majesty."

Atemu sensed his sister's distress and caressed her hair gently. He couldn't stand seeing his little treasure like this. Her innocence and purity could not accept this rough truth.

"Why would a father ever sell his sons' pride to save his own?" the girl asked, her eyes crying though no tears were visible.

"I do not know, dear sister," Atemu answered lowly.

"Your majesty?" Jocke asked very carefully. "What will happen to us now?"

Atemu saw his sister was too distressed to make the decision, so he answered in her place.

"You and your men can stay here until your wounds have healed. Then I will send with you an escort back to where you live and take your father here to judge him. I can not let him stay as your family's head. What will happen to him, father and I will decide."

"And my little brother?"

"Will stay here," Yuniko said softly. "If he wishes to he can come back to you when this story is over, but for now he will stay here, where he is safe."

Jocke nodded his head, trying hard to not let his nervousness show.

"No one will hurt your little brother," the prince ensured the other. "As long as he is under my sister's protection nothing can harm him."

"But… you were about to kill him."

"I could never kill a child," Yuniko said as she turned to face him and Malin joined her at the window, smiling apologizing at the other man. "I needed to know your reasons since you are disturbing the harmony in my kingdom. I have promised myself to never let my people fear anything as long as I am alive."

Jocke heard the truth in the young princess's words and saw the wish in her clear eyes. He bowed for her, believing what she said. Turning to Atemu he bowed again, thankful that he was trying to solve his problem.

"Please take good care of my little brother," he said.

"Forgive me," the young princess said instead of giving an answer.

"For what?" Jocke asked surprised.

"For choosing such violent horses," Yuniko whispered, shame washing over her at the thought of the men Darkness and Shadow had killed. "Animals are very eager to defend me, I should have known this would happen."

Jocke stared at the little princess hiding in her brother's arms, but then a kind, forgiving smile grazed his face. "You are forgiven."


"What is your name?" Yuniko asked the very nervous young man. It was morning and he had been called to a room by a grey-eyed slave who told him the princess wished to talk to him.

"I… my name is Joey… uh, your majesty."

Malin tilted her head slightly. This boy obviously was not used to this kind of situation. Yuniko tried her best to sound as friendly and bright as she could, but the knowledge of her position as a princess was causing the young blond nothing but uneasiness.

"Very well, Joey," Yuniko said as she took in the other's looks. Not until now she could get a good look at him. Joey was a pretty, blond teenager with kind, honey brown eyes. His face was kissed by the sun and made his bright blond hair seem a little pale, but otherwise he looked good. "My name is Yuniko of Scotland. You are from now on under my protection."

"Huh?" Joey said unintelligently.

"Milady means that with your family's crime you are not safe from anything around you now when you are exposed. With Yuniko's protection you are safe from everything, including mosquitoes."

Joey looked over at Malin, who stood at the door to just watch what happened from there.

"You…?"

"Malin," the nurse presented herself, walking up to the other and smiled friendly. "I am the princess's nurse, so there is no need to be formal towards me. A mare servant has no title."

Joey nodded and relaxed a little when he stood in front of someone not as high as the princess.

"I can place you among the other servants if you wish," Yuniko said while looking out of the window at the small village where the servants and slaves lived. "Tough I believe it is far under your dignity to be a servant. You have to stay here until your father is judged. After that you will decide for your own if you wish to return home or stay here."

"You will kill my father, will you not?" Joey asked the princess darkly, for a moment forgetting she was the princess.

"I leave the decision to my father, he is still the king. Your father's crime is to have sold his sons' pride to save his own when he had no more money to keep it. It is a serious crime, but if his sons forgive him, father has no right to execute him."

"So you will let father live?"

"If you all forgive him. But he can not stay as the head of your family, nor can he keep his title, which is already decided with your brother Jocke's agreement. Who will take your father's place is up to you."

Joey suddenly remembered Yuniko was the princess and looked away from her, mumbling apologizes.

Yuniko still looked at the courtyard below her when she saw the younger guards training in their corner of the yard.

"You wish to be a soldier?" she asked innocently.

Joey and Malin both stared at her.

"Well, I can not help but notice you have the body of a fighter, you are muscled and somehow keen. I see it in your eyes. My soldiers surely can teach you to fight. And I will gladly help as well."

Joey stared with eyes wider than Yuniko's own. "You must be kidding me," was all he managed to say.

"Of cause not," Malin said as if it was the most obvious in the world. "Milady is the castle's best fighter."

Joey totally lost his jaw. "You… But… I mean… You… You are a girl," he finally managed to say. "You are the princess!"

"Does that have to mean I am completely harmless?" Yuniko asked with an amused smile.

"Uh…"

"Come, I can present you to the masters and you can make your decision then if you wish them and me to teach you how to fight."

"Um… princess?" Joey said uncertainly as the young treasure walked towards the door.

"Yes?"

"Why are you so kind to me? I come from the southern parts of Scotland, and the governor is really stern towards us. Why are you acting so kind? What are you trying to do?"

"Do you want me to be mean towards you?" Yuniko asked surprised.

"No."

"Then why are you complaining? I have no desire to take away your family or freedom. And about governor Duke, he is very strict with rules, but otherwise he is a very good man."

"You know the governor?"

"Of cause I do, they come here once a year to report. I ensure you they are all good men, with different goals and ways of life. Father is even stricter with them to be sure they are loyal towards him though."

Joey followed the princess and Malin out. He had often heard his father talk about the king and the royal family as complete jerks and blackguards. Being the child he was he of cause believed everything. But now when he met the youngest of the family, and she proved to be really kind, he didn't know what to believe.

"Joey?"

The blond jumped at the voice and looked straight into Malin's purple orbs. "What?"

"Go ahead, Milady," Malin said to Yuniko who waited for them a few steps ahead. The princess smiled and nodded before she walked off. Joey had to admit she moved gracefully and with royal pride in her entire being.

"Your father does not talk well about his majesty and the princess, does he?" Malin asked quietly. Joey suddenly felt very guilty for some reason. "My family was no admirers either. They hated the royalty as illness."

"Why is that? My father hates the king because he can not sell his stuff. It is against the law he says."

"My family was travelling thieves."

Joey had to pick up his jaw from the basement and set his eyes back into their holes before he could talk again.

"B-b-but… I thought… you are the nurse… that is not… I mean…"

"I came here ten years ago. Father had in thought to lighten the king's chest of gold a bit. But the princess scared him off."

Joey stared after where the princess had vanished. The thought of her scaring a bunch of thieves off were very hard to imagine as he had talked to her in person.

"Milady is almost always surrounded by animals. Birds, dogs, horses, even the beasts of the woods watch over her like bodyguards. Prince Atemu told me it was because Yuniko is so pure. My twin sister tried to trip my princess when I came here, but she noticed her foot and stopped. By doing that she saved all our lives, because if sister really had tripped her, the dogs and Guardian would have ripped us all apart and eaten us."

"The dogs? Guardian?"

"There are dogs living in the yard serving as pigs and guards, they eat everything, and Guardian was a golden eagle who always watched over my princess since before I came here, he is dead now though. As you can guess they were the ones scaring my father."

Joey nodded, thinking he understood, but his brain started to spin with questions.

"My family was rough towards me since I was not as perfect as my sister. But then Yuniko came, and she saved me, showing me that not everyone wished to hurt me even if they knew of me being a spy. Prince Atemu I also own my life to, he saved me from being beaten to death. The king and Atemu punished them all very hard for trying to kill me and treating the prince. But I was saved. The princess took me in and to pay back I always stay by her side. I have asked Atemu too what I could do as payback, he said I should stay close to his sister as she is the one he loves most."

"So… are you trying to tell me to trust the princess?"

"Very much so, since the story of mine should not be told. But I trust you to keep my secret from anyone."

Joey nodded and followed Malin as she started to walk again.

"Miss Malin!" someone suddenly called and the nurse turned to Mokuba, the same slave who had brought Joey to the princess this morning. "Help me, help me."

Mokuba hid behind the surprised nurse as he giggled from naughty amusement.

"MOKUBA! I KNOW YOU ARE HERE SOMEWHERE! COME OUT RIGHT NOW! I WILL CUT YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Malin fell over with laughter as she saw the object of Mokuba's affection run around a corner with a broom lifted over her head.

"I GOT YOU NOW MOKUBA!" the young errand girl screamed and started to chase the other once again.

"What did he do?" Joey asked as the girl stopped for a second to catch her breath.

"That jerk lifted my skirt!" the girl said loudly and pointed in Mokuba's direction who stood sniggering in the corner, waiting for her to run after him again. Malin was by now crying from laugher and had to support herself against the wall.

"You are so cute Rebecca," she laughed before the girl saw Mokuba make a face towards her and took off after him with her face red from anger and embarrassment.

"Young love," Malin said once she had calmed down. "They are so cute together."

Joey could just shake his head at the strangeness of it all as the two of them once again started to walk. When they went out into the bright light of the sun they met a giggling Yuniko with a very clingy Mokuba hanging around her waist and a death-glaring Rebecca standing further away. The broom was taken over by the dogs which were busy having a wild tug-of-war with it.

"I love you so much, Lady Yuniko," Mokuba stated as he nuzzled her stomach playfully, smiling like a silly.

"Be careful, your pretty girlfriend may hear you," Yuniko giggled as she patted his hair amused.

"I AM SO NOT THAT PERVERT'S GIRLFRIEND!" Rebecca yelled, scaring the dogs off, which took the broom and ran away from the angry girl.

"But you are pretty," Mokuba said smiling, if it was possible, even broader.

"Now, now. I would like to have my sister back without being any leaner," Atemu chuckled as he approached the cute scene.

"But if I let go I will not be protected anymore," Mokuba said, trying to imitate Yuniko's puppy eyes.

"Too bad I do not fall for that when it is not my sister doing it," Atemu smiled, though he tried to be serious.

Mokuba glanced over at Rebecca who stood ready to chase him again the moment he let go of the princess's waist.

"Wish me good luck," the errand boy said before he let go and ran with a yelling Rebecca in his heels.

"The perfect couple," Tea said as he made her way over to them.

"Come Joey, the guards are waiting for you," the princess said and nodded at the boy and Malin to follow her.


It was the night before her birthday when Yuniko awoke with a jolt. There it was again, the feeling of wrongness; evil. And once again it was so unnervingly close.

"Not again," she whispered as she walked to her open window to stare out into the night. She hoped she would catch a glimpse of what was out there, but saw nothing. She felt the evil moving beyond the northern woods and how it restlessly pulsed out its energy. The new moon and lack of stars made the night so dark Yuniko could hardly see her own hand.

"Pure princess," she suddenly heard a voice whisper above her.

"Who are you?" she asked unfazed, unafraid.

"My beautiful young love. How come you can sense us?"

"You are a threat to my kingdom and my family. Of cause I can sense you then."

The owner of the voice seemed to nod at her statement. "My love," he said, moving so that he was beside the window. "Beautiful princess."

Yuniko sensed rather than saw the dark hand that reached out to touch her face. "Do not dare to touch me," she hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "I can hurt you if I have to. But why do you call me your love?"

"Is it not obvious?" the voice said, and now the eyes of the man emerged from the darkness, or rather the one poisonous green eye the man had. It was not the same who had watched her earlier. "I love you."

"Stay away from me," Yuniko hissed sharply and backed away from the window and the man.

"My love…"

Yuniko was angry. How dared this man talk to her like this? How dared he say he loved her when she could feel nothing but evil and coldness from him? His heart held no love, but desire.

"Light, come to me. Lit my path and hunt the darkness away," she mumbled, summoning the magic she had hidden in her heart.

The man in front of her hissed and covered his eyes as the princess's body started to shine with the light of her heart. It was a tall man with dark crimson red cloths and silver hair pulled back into a low ponytail. His one eye blazed with anger before he jumped out of the window to flee from the bright light that came from the princess's heart.

"Never come again," she whispered into the night.

The young treasure was not able to go to sleep after the incident and therefore heard the sound of Malin running towards her door two hours later.

"Milady, you have to come right now. My gift can not wait."

Yuniko had already dressed when Malin entered, to the nurse's slight surprise, but it didn't matter anyway. With a smile Yuniko took Malin's eager hand and ran with her through the castle and out in the cool night air. Her nurse dragged her with her towards the little hut beside the stable. The stablemen took mares during their pregnancy there so they could give birth in peace.

"Kay, we are here," Malin called softly into the hut and a very sweaty Kay came out to them with a little lantern in his hand.

"Milady, please be quiet when you enter. She is major tense now."

Yuniko nodded confused. She had no idea of what her gift could be. But as she entered she spotted Midnight, the most beautiful mare in the whole kingdom, on the hay about to give birth to her foal. Yuniko had noticed her getting round and aggressive a few months ago, but why was she brought here? Kay and another stableman could take care of this without her. But there were no other there but Malin, Kay and herself.

"Can I help?" she asked, a little unsure of what to do.

"No, Miss Malin and I can take care of it, but you should watch closely," Kay said with a mischievous smile. "Besides, Midnight seems to be calmer now when you are here."

Yuniko just nodded and stood on a safe distance to watch. She had never seen any of her animal friends giving birth before, so this was rather exciting for the young treasure.

Midnight neighed tiredly and started to push the foal out of her. Malin helped by firmly pushing on her fat stomach and Kay by taking the frail life when it came out. It had the colour of pure silver with a mane of pale gold.

"It's a girl," Kay whispered as he laid the new life with her mother.

"Malin," Yuniko suddenly asked. "Why did you bring me here?"

"To watch as your gift was born," Malin said with a kind smile. "You seemed so depressed when Starlight died, so Kay and I decided to give you a new horse, which is yours from birth. Midnight has already agreed."

Yuniko turned her bright eyes toward Midnight, who watched as her foal tried to stand up on her thin legs. Then the beautiful mare moved her eyes and met the princess's gaze. The dark eyes shone with motherly pride and wisdom. She stood and slowly walked over to the princess, the foal following straggling.

Yuniko and Midnight had a silent agreement. The foal was the princess's to rise, but as long as she needed her mother it would stay with her.

"Then her name will be Unicorn," Yuniko whispered, and Midnight nuzzled her affectingly as to say it was a fitting name for her foal.

"Midnight and Shadow," Kay said quietly as he looked closely at the new life. "Who could have thought it to be such a light colour of their offspring?"

"Midnight knew from the moment she looked into Shadow's eyes the foal she would have with him would be born for me," Yuniko said as she lovingly caressed the mare's soft muzzle, using a little of her magic to understand the horse's reasons. "Shadow knows it too."

Malin felt her lips smile in tenderness at the sight in front of her. Yuniko was really happy about her gift, it was seen in her eyes which burnt and sparkled with new life, love and passion.

"Thank you Malin and Kay. I love you."

Kay blushed deeply, though he knew the princess didn't mean it the way he wished.

"You should return to your room now, milady," Malin said softly. "Joel would be disappointed to see that you are not there to receive his present."

"Yes, of cause," the princess said from where she greeted her newborn friend. "Take care," she whispered to Unicorn and Midnight as she left.

Yuniko kept the loving smile on her face all the way back to her room, the encounter with the one-eyed man already forgotten.

"And you thought Joel's gift would be any better than yours?" Yuniko asked with a smile that told her nurse she could not believe anything was better than Unicorn.

"I know how much you love animals, everyone does. And Kay somehow knew Midnight would give birth to it in time for your birthday, my princess."

"She is wonderful," Yuniko said dreamingly. "I am sure she and I will be the best of friends."

Malin pouted slightly.

"Do not make that face, you know I love you too," the princess said, noticing her friend's face. "You will forever be the friend I love the most."

The young nurse smiled happily at her best friend's words and blushed slightly at the thought of Kay, whose dream was to hear those words with a deeper meaning. The only one who stood closer to the princess's heart than Malin was Atemu.

At the arrival to the young treasure's room the sun started to rise over the eternal horizon. The red light of the treasured, burning globe that created the day turned Yuniko's sky blue eyes into amethyst.

At the sight of the open window though, Yuniko remembered the nightly guest she had had and made a mental note to once again tell her father and brother about it.

But suddenly something caught the princess's eyes. It was a bird that aimed for her window from below, from the courtyard. For the second time this morning Yuniko was at a loss of words as Joel's present landed in her window.

"A golden eagle," she whispered and went up to the still very young king of the sky.

The eagle's eyes were clear and keen, his youth's curiosity shining in them. He was eager to learn more about the world he lived in, but right now he was more interested in his new mistress. His feathers were lighter than Guardian's had been and his beak were a little more yellow.

A knocking on the door and Yuniko answered automatically. Joel came in with a satisfied smile on his face.

"His name is Mini guard, but that is what I call him," he said and peeked mischievous at the wide-eyed treasure. "Her majesty can call him whatever name she can come up with."

"Why?" the princess asked breathless.

"I noticed Guardian's retreat. I looked for a long time to find another guardian for you, since I got slightly nervous to now know you had no Guardian to watch over you anymore."

Yuniko turned back to the eagle, her eyes softening quickly. "He is not Guardian," she said to Joel, who blushed in misunderstanding. "He is someone else, someone who is actually bound to me."

"Huh?" was the only thing Joel could mouth.

"You never noticed? Guardian watched over me simply because he wanted to, not because he was obligated to. He was grateful I saved his life, and in return he defended mine. He even spared me from the pain of seeing his dead body."

Yuniko reached out a hand and carefully patted the eagle's neck, he in return playfully nipping her sleeve.

"Is he not desired, milady?" Joel asked insecure.

"He is," Malin answered in Yuniko's place. "Milady is just stating facts you have misunderstood."

"He is Sky," Yuniko said after looking into the eagle's eyes and communicated with him, which the young eagle found very interesting and showed his eagerness by spreading his wings and lifting one foot at time as if trying to walk closer to her, though it was not possible.

"It is the perfect name, your majesty," Malin and Joel said in union.

Sky squeaked in his throat as he moved to sit on the princess's arm. "It is a very wonderful start for a wonderful day," the princess stated.


Night fell and so did many eyelids, having celebrated the now fourteen years old princess's birthday since noon, slave and nobleman alike. Yuniko had chatted away her day with Joey, who was now in training to be a soldier, which he had decided to fulfil before he went back home again just because one of the in-training soldiers had made fun of his thinner body. Kay had also talked with her about many things, mostly about horses, whish were something they both burned for. Kay's eyes lit up at the sight of a horse, as did Yuniko's, always had, always would.

Malin had been at the princess's side most of the time, but she was also the one who knew the exact order of the very carefully planned day and had to go aside sometimes for advising. She had also talked to Kay, and he had confessed his painful love for the princess to her. Now that Kay fell asleep he felt a lot better to have it all off his chest for the time being.

Atemu also had been close to his sister most of the time, much to Tea's disappointment since she wanted to play around. He had given her a locket, which she promised both him and herself to never take off. Inside it the prince had painted a picture of himself. "So I can always be with you," he had said when he placed it in her hands.

The king had something just as personal in store for his daughter. The very small table painting that he had ordered two years ago now stood at the treasure's night table, supported by two legs that were attached to the frame. The picture was of himself and his two children at each side of the throne. It had taken so long for the artist to paint since he couldn't have the royal family there as models since it was supposed to be a surprise gift for the princess. He had in secret walked around the courtyard and drawn quick drawings with blue ink of the princess. But they weren't as perfect as he wished them to be, so her face wasn't really fair to the princess's true beauty.

Yuniko was still smiling softly when she finally fell asleep that night, long after the sun itself had gone to bed. But she hadn't been sleeping for long when she felt it once again, the wrongness in the air; the evil was there once again.

"No, not now," she whispered out loud.

But this time she couldn't feel it coming towards her room. It was on their way to…

"Oh my God," Yuniko whispered, and just as the words left her lips she flew out the door, running as fast as she could towards her brother's room, not caring about the eerie silence around her. The air was filled with a mist that should have made Yuniko faint or fall asleep, but for some reason she didn't.

When she had her brother's door in sight she saw Samuel outside his door lying sound asleep on the floor, bleeding from a wound in his forehead from his fall.

"Brother!" she called as she pushed the locked door with all her might, hitting it with her small fists. "Open up! Do not touch my brother!" she yelled with tears burning behind her eyelids.

Suddenly the door flew open and the princess was thrown at the floor. A cold hand clasped over her mouth and another over her eyes.

"Make no sound," a sooth whisper breathed in her ear, it wasn't the same from the night before. "Do not look, your brother wishes so." The hand over her mouth was removed.

"Brother, what is happening?" Yuniko said, her voice trembling from fear. Something was definitely wrong.

"Do not look at me, sister," Atemu's voice said, yet it wasn't really his voice.

"Brother?"

"I am so sorry, sister."

The one who held her down pressed a cold, male body against her back, both his hands slowly moving down from her face to her arms, on which she supported herself in her kneeling position. The being knew she wouldn't open her eyes.

"We had to do it, little human. We need something from you."

"What do you need?" Yuniko whispered.

"We need your tears. I have found the one who is your brother is the only one you entrust with your tears, therefore we had to use him."

"What have you done?" the princess whispered, her tears burning behind her closed eyelids.

"Sister, it happened the night you saved me," Atemu's voice said from somewhere. "He poisoned my blood, and now it has made me into one of them."

"What… are you now?"

"We are undead," the one at her back said, still caressing her arms up and down almost lovingly. "We have died, yet we are alive because of the poison in our blood. Our hearts can not beat. Our lungs need no air. All we know is our desire… and huger."

The hands caressed her neck now and cold lips tenderly kissed her warm skin.

"Stop that," Atemu hissed angrily.

"I have never been this close to such an innocent being," the soothing voice said in slight aw. "It makes me long to touch her. As do all humans. Have you not noticed?"

Yuniko heard her brother move in a corner behind her. "Noticed what?" Atemu growled.

There was no answer, but yet another sound, one of wings coming towards them. Yuniko recognized the aura of the one-eyed being that had visited her the night before.

"My, my. I have not said you could go so close to my love."

"Go away," Yuniko hissed, now very close to tears. She felt the man behind her press his cold lips against her neck once again and smirk darkly. The sharp fangs in his mouth almost pinching her skin.

"Have you touched her, Crow?" he asked, his voice as smooth as ever.

There was another, darker growl from the direction of the window.

"You have no right to touch my love. I am the one she will marry."

"You stay away from my sister," Atemu's voice said, his shadow telling Yuniko he had placed himself between the one-eyed being and her.

"Oh me, oh my," Crow said with a hint of amusement. "If it is not the one and only prince? One of us, are you now?"

"Stay away," Atemu hissed, dark energy coming from his being.

It got too much. Feeling the dark energies Yuniko knew her brother really was turned into one of them. The first tear rolled down her cheek, and after them followed a silent river of hot, pure tears. She never noticed the man at her back caught them all in a silver bowl.

The argument in front of her continued and she heard her brother and the one-eyed man start to fight. She could so clearly hear her brother's hisses of pain, and they made her cry even more. The one on her back just kept on caressing her arms and sides in a smoothing manner. Once he even was so bold he let one hand sneak under her arm to gently cup one of her breasts, but he quickly moved away from it.

"Hush, little princess," he suddenly whispered, acting as if the fight in front of them wasn't there. "You will ruin your beautiful face if you cry too much."

"Why do you need my tears?" the princess asked, not able to swallow her tears and grief.

"They help us survive. It is strange really. We, who are such dirty creatures, swimming in our sins covered with blood, we need the purity in you, which is mirrored in your tears, to survive."

"What are you?" Yuniko asked again.

"… There is no real name we call ourselves," he said, leaning forward and managed to kiss her jawbone. "But a human once gave us a name: vampire."

"Vampire?"

"You have heard the word before, have you not? It comes from the bats which live of blood. As do we. We feed of human blood, but I will not hurt your flawless skin. If I did it would not be flawless anymore."

"Stop that. I can not take anymore. Please stop!"

Atemu looked back at his sister's cry, and immediately Crow had him pinned on the floor, ready to kill him for good.

The man behind her suddenly left in a flash, and then there were the sounds of bone cracking.

"Crow, leave now. You better report to the lord about the night's hunt," the man said, his vice now colder than his body.

"I will kill the prince first," Crow hissed, both in anger and pain.

"I will kill you if you try."

Yuniko felt how her last tear fell, she had no more to cry.

"You are evil," she said, despise in her voice. "Your words are poison. If it is my purity you seek…"

The tree men stared at her trembling form, but it trembled out of anger, not of fear and crying.

"I will taint myself. I will make myself as dirty as you!"

"Sister, no!" Atemu gasped, shock evident in his voice.

"My love can not taint herself," the one-eyed vampire said with a sneer, though Yuniko couldn't see it. Her eyes were still shut closed tightly. "Such purity can not taint itself since there is nothing that can taint it."

Deep down the princess knew he was right, but before she had the time to think about it, there was another loud crash and the sound of bone cracking and someone screaming that inhuman high-pitch scream of pain.

"Leave now, Crow!" the still nameless man hissed with anger clear in his dark energies. "Or I will make sure you can never leave!"

Crow hissed with hatred expanding from his being, but he left with nothing but the knowledge that he had ever been there.

"You too, prince Atemu. You should leave before your sister decides to open her eyes," the other vampire said, his voice much softer this time and his aura gentler.

"Only if you promise my sister stays out of harm," Atemu said quietly, almost a hiss.

"You have my word she will not be harmed. Not as long as I am still undead."

There were the sounds of footsteps, Atemu's footsteps, then a sound of wings and he was gone, half of the young princess's heart with him.

The last one moved gracefully towards Yuniko, kneeled in front of her and cupped her face gently.

"Look at me, princess," he said in a soft whisper.

Hesitating Yuniko opened her eyes to look into the same blue eyes she had seen twice before, years ago.

"Do not taint yourself just because of this." His voice was soft and his eyes truly compassionate. "I just follow the lord's orders. After all I can not rest until my desire is complete, and it will never happen."

Yuniko was about to ask something again, when the vampire suddenly lowered his head and captured her soft, warm lips in a deep passionate kiss.


"HONDA!"

The young consul man fell out of his bed as the furious voice yelled at him.

"Collect the council and as many servants as you can. I want every man, child and woman in this castle in the great hall as soon as possible!"

The man never had time to see who it was yelling orders at him. It surely wasn't the king, and not prince Atemu. But he never got the time to wonder who it was when a servant entered his room with a hunted face.

"The princess is furious," he said with wide, scared eyes. "She yells that every single human inside the great wall shall gather in the great hall right away."

Yuniko rushed around in her ripped nightdress yelling at everyone in sight to get everyone into the great hall. On the way she met a very scared Malin.

"Milady, what has happened? Come and let me change your cloths."

"There is no time," Yuniko said, calmer now when she was talking to her nurse though her eyes still shot flashes in her fury. "I have important news. I have to tell everyone here about it."

Malin stopped and let her friend walk away towards her father's chamber. She had never seen the princess like this, and judging by the scared faces of the other servants, no one else had either.

After much fuss and guesses of why the princess was so mad, everyone, from slave to king, was stuffed into the great hall, which was the biggest room in the entire castle.

"Is everyone here yet?" Yuniko asked as she scanned the sea of people in front of her.

"Everyone but the prince and a few guards, Milady," Honda said from her side.

"Listen up everyone, I have a message," the princess called over the heads in front of her, raising it enough so everyone could hear. "My brother was killed tonight."

There were startled gasps all around her, Tea looked about ready to faint right there.

"My girl? How can you say such a thing like that?" her father shouted at her.

"For a few nights, spread out over years, we have been visited by evil beings. All the time they seemed to be after me, and they still are. They filled the castle with a magical mist that made everyone fall asleep. I guess most guards have already found out as much."

Yuniko had found out Samuel, who had guarded her brother's door, and a few more down the corridor had died from the mist. It had been too strong where he had been standing. The inhabitants next door was saved by the walls and their own pillows, which they had their faces buried in.

"Tonight those beings made their move, which was supposed to hurt me the greatest. They killed Atemu and turned him into one of them; an undead. My brother is from tonight a living dead."

It got too much on poor Tea. She fainted with her face distorted with grief and shock. The same happed to the people with weak hearts in the hall.

"Still, this is not over. They called themselves vampires, human creatures which live of blood. I know there are not many humans living in the north from where I sense their dark energies, and the ones who lived there must already be dead, emptied of what blood they had. This castle is the closest place inhabited by humans that will be attacked next. But we can not send a warning to the people."

There were whispers and scared gasps all around, even from the king.

"My daughter, if we do not warn the people they will all be dead in no time."

"Warning the people will kill even more of them in less time," Yuniko called so everyone heard. "Telling the people about the vampires will cause panic and they will try to leave this land. But running will take us nowhere. We must stay and fight. We have to find some way to defend ourselves and the people, then, and only then, the warning about the vampires will be spread. If the people know how to defend themselves the risk of panic is not as big."

The princess's words made sense, but there was one among the others who had a more pained expression than anyone else. The princess was suffering, she saw it, and now when she needed her friend the most she couldn't be there. Without being able to be enough Malin didn't even try to stop the tears from falling.

"We will have no burial for prince Atemu," the princess said next, her voice not as steady. "I will let a stone be raised in front of the northern woods where everyone who wishes to can go and mourn the loss of my brother. Tell the villages outside the great wall prince Atemu have fallen ill, and in a few months he will be officially dead." The princess took a deep, silent breath. "Everything else that has to be done will be so, but not until morning. A lot has happened tonight and I am tired. Good night."

And with that the young princess walked away, her posture as proud and confident as ever, nothing giving away she was suffering. Malin let her go. Right now Yuniko didn't need a friend. She needed her father, or maybe even more, her lost mother.


Yami lay in his bed today even if he actually had school. There was a pain in his heart, and it shot through his entire being, leaving him completely numb. He stared unfocused into the ceiling, his eyes so lifeless as if he had lost his very soul. Jono had come over earlier with his books, but Yami had hardly even registered it and hadn't said anything, not words at least.

His mother had come in too, but she hadn't said anything either. She just sat beside his bed, once in a while stroking his hair lovingly. When she left she had placed a tender kiss on his cheek and smiled softly before she left.

Suddenly a small sparkle of life lightened in his eyes though and he turned his head towards the black book lying innocently waiting on his night table.

He reached out for it, seeking answers for his sudden pain in it. He hadn't read much in it, just the first page and the one of the person's sister's fiancé.

But now he opened the book the wrong way, searching for the last written page. The last ten pages were clean, but then he found the last written page. It was written in haste, as if to just pull down the last river of emotions this book was filled with.

Pain, regret, desire, hunger… it is too intense. I can no longer control it. The lord keeps whispering words into my ear and it is driving me over the edge of insanity. I am becoming one of his hungry pets. I have no control. I am losing it. Aku can not help me, the lord sees to it. No one can I trust. No one can I turn to but the lord who has me captured in a corner with no other way out but to fall into his arms.

Save me. I will end up hurting her. I will lose my heart forever. Sister, I know you will never bring yourself to do what I so desperately need you to do. The lord will soon lead us into war. I know he has already sent you a message. Sister… it is you or me. Please. I beg all higher forces and powers I know for it to be me. Let your light defeat the lord and once again seal his evil.

Sister. The lord is using all our desires to make us into beasts. Hungry beings with no own thoughts. Only Aku's desire is far out of his reach and is therefore the only one who is still somehow sane, but even he is losing control of himself. My desire is the greatest force the lord has against me. Sister, my desire is…

The last bit was unreadable. The hand had spilled blood and ink over the last words so Yami couldn't read it.

Suddenly the book started to burn.

With a yell more of surprise than fear Yami threw it away from him. He saw the flames turning black and purple, before they rose and created a ring. Like a mirror.

Curious, Yami leant closer to the ring, the mirror to somewhere else. But with a sharp gasp Yami jumped back and the fire faded away along with the black book.

Yami's heart beat so hard he was sure his ribs would break at any moment.

"Oh my god," he whispered hoarsely to himself. "What was that?"

In the mirror he had seen two things: the desire the book couldn't uncover, and then the image of the female Yugi, her dying eyes staring at him as her naked, badly injured body were covered with darkness. She had said something that Yami hadn't heard, but still he knew what she had said: "I love you anyway…"


Well, that's it for this month (an maybe the next too)

I am not sure if I may be able to update next month. I'll turn into the hosp for myself for some time (I don't know how long though) But to be sure you won't hate me for the rest of my days, I will probably make an early update the next month.

Don't forget to REVIEW! I love everyone who push the purple button and write me a little note.