Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Kannazuki no Miko. Kannazuki no Miko is copyrighted to Kaishaku and Geneon studios. Any and all cameos are copyrighted to Tite Kubo.

(A/N: Dedicated to CrazyNinjaPenguin for the fast updates and Heath Ledger's Joker. Because he nailed that role.)

Insanity

The princess survived. There was not a scratch, bruise or even a sweat drop on her. In fact, all of the kingdom, except those who finally doused the inferno of the stables, came out unscathed. Normally, people would have questioned this. They would have asked questions concerning why the rebels attacked half-way, and not go after the queen. That would be unless a great controversy filled the air, and soon every person in the kingdom attended the trial of the century.

Mizu Abuki was being charged for treason, conspiracy and murder of a member of the royal family.

The normally still Room of Judgment was flooded with people. As best as the guards did to keep the people from coming, blocking and shoving masses of people, people still rushed forth. A handful of children managed to sneak past the guards and look high above from the balcony. The dukes who were permitted to the trial sat comfortably in the wooden benches, cut smoothly and comfortably. It was common for the high class to get the best seats in the house, after all.

The Room of Judgment wasn't designed to be complex. Despite a long and wide hallway for the audience to watch, there was a dome-shaped room in the middle. In that dome, slots of seating were made, its height according to how much power each person had. Most of the Elders, save Kazuki Oogami, generally sat higher due to their age. Kazuki Oogami was only below the princess, and no one else. Then, the crowd created a commotion of gossip and whispers as down the aisle, the defendant was marched down, a troop of guards surrounding each corner of him.

Normally, the defendant would have been washed, dressed and made to wear a set of clean clothes to the trial. However, the princess demanded that the trial take place as soon as possible. Chikane-hime, however, shuddered at the sight of the man. People thought she would leave immediately seeing the defendant covered in horse blood, twitching and licking each part of his body.

The man was pushed forward by the guards, and brought before the Elders and the princess.

"Mizu Abuki, how do you plead?"

"Full!" The audience groaned with disgust, hearing such a praise. Some individuals, more bolder than the usual mold, had burst out in laughter. Chikane-hime, however, was not moved by this. She merely looked at the horse-breaker with contempt in her eyes. The defendant, obviously caught up in his moment of fame, couldn't care less.

"Mizu Abuki," Kazuki Oogami stated in his bold voice, "You are hereby sentenced to life in the dungeons. You will be under constant watch and will not be allowed to move freely. You finally get your wish. I hope you're happy."

The defendant snickered and licked a trail of blood on his wrist. "You bet I'm happy! With the rebels getting closer and Pantera at our doorsteps, the dungeons are the safest place for me to be!"

"Do you have any regrets?"

Then something different happened. The horse-beater stood absolutely still at these words. The audience leaned in, possibly seeing an epiphany in the works. The Room of Judgment became silent, the air stilled and not a soul breathed. The defendant, looked up to where Kazuki was standing and gazed into his brown eyes. "Regrets?"

"Yes, defendant, do you have any regrets?"

He spoke honestly and earnestly, "The only thing I regret..."

This was it. Finally the people of Mahoroba would hear what entered into the mind of Mizu Abuki, and finally understand what he truly was.

"Is not having a glass of wine when I ate her! Hahaha!" The audience groaned with illness once more. Several of the dukes excused themselves so they could leave and depart at once. The princess' mouth shook a little at the thought of this. Her eyes did not quiver but she bit her lower lip, inciting blood to drop.

"Oh, and princess..." The azure-haired girl looked at the old man with as much patience as she could afford.

"About the remains, should I bury my droppings or will a nice funeral pyre do?" Finally, the princess lost her patience and pointed towards the door, gesturing the guards to drag the defendant to the dungeons. The crowd watched as the horse-beater had become what he had done all along. And he looked genuinely happy about it, if a bit touched in the head. However, the horse-beater's last words would forever haunt them.

As the defendant was dragged away, sealed to his fates to the lower dungeons, he cackled and sang a familiar tune.

"Horse-eater, Horse eater

Abuki, Horse eater

If you have a horse,

Then let Abuki have a taste of her."

Himeko didn't want Chikane-hime to be alone, not after all that had happened. Her amethyst eyes began to tear when she wasn't allowed into the princess' chambers. The golden-haired maid knocked on the door once more. She wouldn't let the princess be alone in her sadness.

The door creaked open to reveal the princess, quiet and beautiful as ever. Chikane-hime gave a small smile at the sight of the girl. But there was a sort of look on her face. Thin lines collected under her eyes as she seemed silent as ever. Himeko paused, looking at the princess as before. "Why won't she talk to me?" Himeko thought. "Did I do something wrong?"It took a few brief moments of silence before Himeko could muster up the courage to speak.

"Chikane-chan, is everything...alright?"

The princess, still smiling, gave a small laugh, "Of course it is, Himeko. It's just...I need a few days to myself."

The maid felt slightly disappointed at the sound of this. "Can I come in? Maybe you'll feel better."

Miya-sama shook her head. "No thank you, I'll be fine." The princess locked the door, shutting Himeko out. As she gave a small sigh, she thought of the rebel's attack on the stables. "Why...why would Tsubasa do such a thing to Sungest? It should have been me, not Sungest-san. If I didn't talk to Sungest during the attack, then she would still be..." Himeko gritted her teeth, realizing what she had done. "It's because I felt so scared and I didn't know what to do. I killed Sungest. I killed her because I was afraid to choose." Just as Himeko was about to wallow away in her sadness, a emerald-haired priest came from the distance.

"Kurusuagawa-san, are you well?" Kazuki asked, wearing his oblong hat.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Himeko looked down the stairs, thinking of possible chores that Otoha needed done. "If you'll excuse me, I really should get going." As the golden-haired girl quickly walked down the stairs, the priest's baritone voice cried out.

"You heard me that night, when I yelled at Chikane-hime, correct?"

Himeko stopped in her tracks. Normally, she would have continued down the stairs. But something about Kazuki's voice made her turn around and face him.

"You're right to be upset with me. What I did was wrong. But now, the princess needs us more than ever. Can I count on you, Himeko, to keep her safe when things go awry?"

Himeko nodded.

"Thank you. I'll be holding a service for Sungest in a little while. I would appreciate it if you would come."

Himeko would've responded, if not for the helmeted captain and his three men following suit. "Kazuki-sensei! My men and I just completed the itinerary for the supplies."

Kazuki looked at the guards with sharp eyes, darkened by the subject. "What have you learned?"

"It's just as I feared. The stable fire was just a distraction. They're real goal was for the food supplies. They stole a month's worth of food. Lucky my men were there or they might have taken more."

"A month's supply is an acceptable loss. Things will be tough for a while, but we can manage."

Even though Himeko never saw the captain's face, she knew that his concerned speech wasn't over. "Another thing. Strangest of all, we reported a keg of cannon powder gone missing."

"Cannon powder? The rebels don't have cannons."

"Even if they did, they only stole a keg. That's good for, what, two shots? Maybe three if they're conservative."

The people stood in confusion, wondering what the rebel leader was planning.

The camp huddled around gazing at the new invention the rebel leader had made. After a successful attack on the stables, the rebels huddled together from the night cold to the bonfire. They had waited all afternoon to see what this device did, and why they needed something as unwieldy as cannon powder to do it. The rebels looked on its strange shape, not seeing anything like it before.

One man called it a bludgeoning tool of some sort, hence the wooden bottom. Other's claimed it was a device to breathe from, therefore explaining the elongated metal hole that the wooden bottom attacked to. The strangest thing of all was the notch at the bottom. They were constantly told to pull it and a mechanism would light a small flame on top. Whatever theory the rebels had, only Tsubasa knew the truth. Only Tsubasa knew the true purpose of the weapon.

"Now, gently pour the cannon powder into the slot." The rebel leader ordered. The man did so, pouring the black powder into the slot. He was confused why he was doing this and why the rebel leader ordered him to put an iron ore into the enlongated hole.

"Finally, pull the notch and watch our victory at hand." The man did so. At first it seemed like nothing happened and the project was a complete failure. Just before a lone man would've have accused Tsubasa of being a traitor, the notch lifted the match, lighting the fuse. Then, as the fuse traveled to the inside of the hole and fire burst out of the other hole, wounding a man in the process. The people stood in shock on what had happened. Cries of fear and panic filled the sky. The man who carried the gun dropped it immediately.

"The Devil!" He cried. "It's the Devil's work at hand. It's some type of witchcraft!" The people screamed and cried in panic only to be stopped by a deep loud voice, echoing to the forest.

"Enough!" Tsubasa demanded, thereby silencing the group. The people stood still, entranced by the deep voice, the crimson eyes full of determination and his iron resolve.

"This is no witchcraft! This weapon will lead us into victory."

"How? How do you know this, Tsubasa-sama?" A man cried out, unsure how to react.

"Because, God showed me this himself."

The people's whispers became hushed and low, muttering and commenting to themselves. "Is that true? Did Tsubasa-sama speak with God? Is that where he went to when he disappeared for a spell? Why didn't he tell us? Is God really that heartless?"

"Excuse me, Tsubasa-sama." One old lady asked carrying her grandchild, through all the mutterings. "What does God look like?"

The crimson-eyed man stood in silence for a while. Finally, he marched up to the podium and stared at the audience. "God would not reveal his true form to me. He was afraid that people would know of his existence. However, if it's one thing I know, it's that God wants us to defeat the Himemiyas."

The crowd murmured with shock and confusion. "Yes, as merciful as God is, he has shown me that great injustice must be punished and the only way to do such a thing is to be rid of royalists and those in power, so that our freedom takes place."

The crowd started nodding and agreeing in unison. They smiled and cheered, now knowing they had the Lord's blessing.

"My comrades, God has offered us the the gift," He took the weapon and rose it above his head. "...of the rifle!"

Himeko sat on her stiff bed, miserable at the fact that the princess had shut her out. "Is this what it feels like?" She thought as she gazed at the fireplace, growing dimmer with each log. "Is this what I've been doing to Chikane-chan all along? Not letting her in my heart as she's doing right now?" Himeko gave a heavy sigh and turned over, not wanting to be disturbed by anybody or anyone. She sat in her maid's uniform, just realizing how lonely the maid's quarters were. The maid's barely talked or noticed each other, many of the beds were tough or torn or infested with locust. And the only view of the outside was the sill, located high above them, with a faint moonlight showing out.

When the door knocked, Himeko barely sat up, still miserable. When the door opened to reveal the princess, however, Himeko jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around the gentle warmth of Chikane-hime.

"Chikane-chan-" Before she could utter a word, the princess' slender finger was put on her lips. Himeko couldn't help but feel entranced by its delicate form.

"Himeko, I have to do something very quickly. Please stay here for the remainder of the night."

The golden-haired maid couldn't believe what she heard. She shook her head in protest but the princess was unmoved. "I'm ordering you to stay within these chambers. Understood?" She said with a slight smile. Reluctantly, Himeko nodded, as Miya-sama left without even an embrace.

At first, Himeko thought the task was easy, that she had to do nothing but sit around and read books. She picked up one of the novels, thick with dust, and started reading the material. "Her guilt was endless. She, of all people, could have saved the one she loved. But instead, she foolishly listened to her lover's advice, letting him go without protest." Himeko shut the book, stating the all too familiar. She shook her head and gazed at the fireplace, kneeling by its soft heat. It wasn't until she heard Otoha's familiar shrill that she began to worry.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Himeko listened to Otoha's scolding of another maid. She didn't like it all when Otoha yelled. "We need to cook food as soon as possible. You don't want that Spaniard king to kill us all on a whim, do you?" Himeko gasped. She realized why Chikane-hime had to go alone.

Quickly, but silently, she opened the door to peer around. She closed the door at the sight of the rushing maids, but afterwards, she snuck through the halls. Making her way up the foyer, she glanced at the painting of Sungest, causing a sense of guilt to rack within her. Slowly, she ducked behind corners and hid from passing maids. Finally, she heard the sweet keys of the piano, being played elegantly and beautifully. "Only Chikane-chan could play like that." As she snuck to the auditorium, she noticed the door was slightly open and gazed inside.

Her mouth didn't fall open because the auditorium had been rearragned, or that the piano was much closer to her view. Rather, the view of the blue-haired, white-gowned king, staring at the princess that scared her. She watched, the princess' right side in her view as El Rey stared at her, seated right across from her. Two guards closely stood by Chikane-hime, their hands on the hilt of their sword. The same could be said with El Rey's men, sitting lazily by him. There seemed to be a calm in the air, possibly due to the princess' piano playing.

"That's odd." Himeko thought as she looked closer at the company of Pantera. "Each of them have numbers on their bodies." Himeko gazed at each men, trying to figure our their numbers. The Chinese announcer had the number 11 on his torso. The burly man with red hair had the number 13, and the man in the bandaged mask wore 16. She would have figured out the other numbers if not the cries of the king.

"Oi, will you quit with that crappy noise and answer the question?" The king's baritone voice, became more thuggish and more brute. His anger shone to Himeko, even with her sight limited. "Tell me where's that little blond bitch otherwise I might lose my patience."

The princess slowly lifted her hands off the keys and put them on her lap. She looked at the king and gave a slight smile. "Gomenasai. But I do not know where she is. If you would-"

"No!" The king yelled staring at Chikane-hime with darkened eyes. "You will tell me where that bitch is, or you don't get my help, at all."

The princess raised a single eyebrow. "Oh? I believed that I turned down your offer, El Rey."

The king gazed at her, his face becoming more contorted. "You can't turn me down. You need me. You can't even survive without me. You think you can defeat these freaking peasants when you can't even protect a bunch of horses? Face it, the rebels are coming soon and they're pissed. Now, get that woman here or I might just leave you here to die."

The princess' gentle deep eyes stared into the king's, obviously unmoved by the situation. "She is unimportant to you. She is merely a maid among many of my-"

"You see this?" Himeko gasped seeing the king's deformed left side. His cut cheek, or what remained of it, had been stitched together at the end, near his mouth. But the rest of it, was exposed skin. His bleached molars with his pink gums stuck out and remained the same, whether he smiled or frowned. In this case, it was the latter. "Anybody who cuts me, ain't nobody. You get that bitch here right now, and I'm going to show her what I do to people like her."

Chikane-hime gave a slight frown, showing false curiosity. "People like her, what do you mean?"

The king's eyes burned with rage, it's blue hue becoming darker with each second. "People like you, people like her, people like that old man who I had to take care of when I arrived here. People who look at me with those condescending eyes!"

The princess gave a slight smile and asked, "By whatever do you mean-"

"There they are again! Those eyes, those eyes that think they're so goddamn better than me. What makes you better than me?" The king began to circle around her and gaze at her with hatred. "What have you done? Sit around while people clean your crap? Play the piano while people bow down to you? Just show that damn smile while your parents throw you money? Meanwhile, I slaughtered everyone and anyone in my way to get here. What makes you so goddamn better than me?"

Finally the king gave a heavy sigh, and stared at her. "You know what? There is one other thing I'd like better than that maid. Bow to me."

Himeko closed her eyes, and looked away. She didn't want to see the princess be put through that horrible destructive act, ever again.

"Gomenasai, but my legs are a bit sore. I'd rather not." Himeko stared, seeing Chikane-hime resting at her seat.

"You little-" Just as the blue-haired king would have rushed to her, the guards drew out their swords.

"That's as far as you go!" The captain shouted, muffled by his helmet. Just as the guards faced their swords, El Rey's entourage, drew out their kantanas, eager for a fight.

"Captain," The princess spoke silently, "While I appreciate your concern, this is a conversation between El Rey and I. Please, step back and let us finish our conversation."

"But, Chikane-hime!" The captain said, his words being stolen from him.

"Captain, this is my will. Do you oppose it?" After the princess' speech, the captain sighed and sheathed his sword. "Then please, do not interrupt us again." The other guards and El Rey's men, followed suit.

"El Rey, as I said before, my legs are very stiff and I would prefer not to bow down this day." The princess spoke politely, only to encourage the king's wrath.

"Don't you get it? I could come down here with my army and take you over, right now!"

The princess gave a slight giggle, "If so, then why did you leave them at home?" The king fumbled his words, trying to explain. Miya-sama grinned pleasantly, looking at the unfortunate El Rey. "I suspect you need me more than I need you."

El Rey drew his katana and swung it short of Chikane-hime's thin neck. Himeko gasped, not wanting the princess to be harmed for something Himeko did.

"I could kill you, you know? I can just kill you right now, and I wouldn't give a damn."

For some reason, for some odd strange reason, the princess laughed. She giggled pleasantly in the presence of the king, the king's men, the captain and, unknowingly, Himeko. She sat firmly on her piano seat, as she glistened beautifully under the candel's light. It was almost as if, she were the moon, shining brilliantly when things were dark. "Chikane-chan" Himeko spoke.

"Kill me, so that I may look down on you from Heaven."

The audience was dumbfounded. The captain's let their guard down, reeling from the shock. The king's entourage started shaking their head slowly, thinking of what the princess had just said. Himeko didn't know whether to smile or shudder in fear. But most significant of all was El Rey's reaction. It was the face of complete shock, as if somebody had taken his testicles and cut them in front of him. His light blue eyes were wide open as his jaw seemed to slack a little while his mouth remained closed. For a few of the longest seconds, everybody stood still. Finally, the king's face contorted once more as he raised his katana, cluctched in his hand.

"Bitch!"

Himeko shut her eyes, relieved only to hear a smacking of the flesh, and not a slash. She opened her eyes to see the princess on the ground, and the king's fist covered in fresh blood. El Rey sheilded his sword and gripped the princess' long blue locks through his knuckles. He grabbed her firmly by the hair and dragged her, the princess not making a sound.

Himeko would have run. She would have rushed in and protected the princess with all of her might. But when she rose up, she was gripped hard, an arm covering her mouth, seeing the head maid prevent her from moving.

Himeko cried in pain, seeing what had happened. The king, his patience waning, began to slam the princess face into the side of the piano, it's black edge denting with each blow. Himeko struggled uselessly against Otoha's hold, trying to escape. When she tried to protest with a muffled breath, Otoha hushed with with a whisper.

"Don't you understand, you stupid girl?" Himeko fell silent to this. "She's doing this for you. She's trying to redeem herself in front of her eyes. This is the...only...way she can...can." Himeko turned back. She stood in shock seeing Otoha's face, becoming pained and fearful. Fresh tears ran down the head maid's face as her mouth quivered. Himeko then realized why Otoha was so loyal and commited to the princess. Slowly, Himeko stopped struggling.

She watched with Otoha as the king began to bang Chikane-hime's face against the keys of the piano, creating a chaotic mixture of sounds each time her face was pushed and slid against it. El Rey's anger did not stop there, now holding the princess by her hair and delivering hard jabs to the stomach. Each time he delivered one of his punches, the princess' smile grew even brighter and stood forever firm. The Spaniard king became irritated and threw the princess on the ground. There, he placed his legs between the princess' torso and began to work both his fists into the princess' face. Each time, however, the princess continued to smile.

"What's so goddamn funny? Those eyes. I hate those eyes!" His hand began to rush to grip at the princess when he was stopped by a single voice.

"El Rey." One of his entourage, the Chinese man, said in a cold, uncaring fashion.

"Shut it, Shawlong! I need this!" But the Chinese man would not be silent.

"If you lay another hand on her, she will die." The king's hand stood still, unsure how to react. Finally, it rushed forward, trying to claw the eye out, only to be stopped one more time.

"And if you kill her, who will win?" El Rey looked up, staring into the wall with his cold fashion. He lifted himself off the princess and cracked his neck.

"I'm raising an army, that makes your whole kingdom look like crap. If you want my help, you will come see me personally and beg. You will beg before my feet and think of me as your better. And when that happens, I might give you my army." The king stood up and left for the door.

Himeko, staying hidden from Otoha, knew who's fault all of ths was. "If I didn't talk to Sungest, if I didn't cut that man's face, then Chikane-chan wouldn't have suffered so much. Next time, Chikane-chan..."

Himeko thought to herself with a determined look. "I'll tell you everything."