Kailor: Hands hurt. Sigh. Oh well.

Naruto: We can cut them off!

Kailor: NO!

Nuriko: Hey, look. Beef pasta!

The rocks…they weren't a distraction. They weren't a hindrance.

They were a help.

She controlled her breathing and cocked her head to the side. Once again she heard the rustle, closer this time, off to her right. But she stayed still, head cocked, ears perked up. Instead of going after the sound she waited. The rustle moved behind her. Slowly, she turned her head the other way and held her breath.

CLACK.

She listened to the way the sound of the rocks colliding bounced off her surroundings. To her right she thought it took a moment longer to hear them. She turned that direction and stepped forward. Her own foot hit a root and the thud worked the same way the rocks clacking together did. She paused and kicked the root again. And again.

In her mind a map began to build itself. She could almost visualize the tree in front of her and the bush beside it. Carefully she stepped around them both and reached her hand out to where she thought the tree was. Rough bark caressed her fingertips. She couldn't help but smile.

CLACK.

She cocked her head, listened, and slowly made her way between the trees. She kicked roots, rustled bushes lightly, and tapped tree trunks. Just ahead something rustled. Just the slightest of sounds, but it was there. She moved towards it, carefully pinpointing the direction in her mind, and tapping a tree she passed.

There.

A breath to her right caught her attention and she turned reaching out, grasping.

And tripped over a root, landing flat on her stomach. In frustration, she pulled the blindfold off. And found Kaede looking down at her.

"That was incredible for your first time!" The fox-eyed girl grinned wide, excitement in her voice. "You actually got it!" She pulled Setsuna to her feet and dusted her off. "It's amazing how quickly you realized the rocks were to help you! Incredible, really!"

CLACK.

"Konoka, you can stop now." Kaede called, laughing.

"Ok!" Konoka's voice answered in the distance. Kaede turned her grin back on Setsuna, shaking her head.

"That was just…wow." She threw her hands up and laughed. Setsuna felt her frustration quickly exchange itself with excitement. Kaede threw an arm around Setsuna's shoulders and led her back to the clearing. Konoka was sitting idly by the tree, twiddling her thumbs. When she saw Setsuna she smiled.

The forest suddenly seemed much lighter.

Lighter?

"How is there sunlight in here?" Setsuna asked, looking up. She now realized it was bright as midday in the forest but when she looked up she could only see brightness between the branches.

"It's a spell Eva cast for me. Very useful. The whole room is actually a spell. You thought I actually grew trees and such in here?" Kaede laughed at her rhetorical question. Setsuna flushed slightly, because that was exactly what she had thought. Kaede praised her a dozen more times then replaced the blind fold. Six more times they played their game of Hide-and-Go-Seek before Kaede deigned it was time for them to go find food. They exited the forest and made their way downstairs. In the Great Hall there were a few groups of servants lounging about, eating breakfast. Konoka indicated a chair near the door and Setsuna pulled it out for her. Kaede nodded at the chair next to her, showing Setsuna it was ok to sit and eat now. A small girl in a green tunic approached them, bowing low.

"Good morning, Princess. Good morning, Honorable Guardians." Konoka waved a bored hand at her. Setsuna and Kaede nodded in turn.

"I'll take a salad. And something sweet. I don't care what, but it better not be cake." Konoka sniffed haughtily. "I'm not in the mood for cake." The servant nodded fervently and quickly looked at Setsuna and Kaede.

"The usual please," Kaede smiled friendly. The girl returned it. Then she glanced at Setsuna.

"Ah, can I just have soup?"

"Chicken soup?"

"That would be great. Thank you." The girl bowed again.

"I'll take that too, please." Brace said from behind the girl. She jumped, faced him, and flushed red, before nodding and rushing away.

"The girls do love you so, Brace." Konoka snapped sarcastically.

"Perhaps it's my boyish charm, M'lady." Brace winked at the princess. Setsuna saw the corner of Konoka's mouth curl up for a second. Then she was back to being still and impassive. Brace sat next to Setsuna.

"How has your training been thus far?" he asked. Setsuna showed a couple choice bruises, including the solid knot on her forehead where she had hit a tree. "Fun, then? Heh, just wait. It gets worse." Setsuna grimaced. Brace chuckled and shifted his attention to Konoka. "Your father refuses to leave his rooms. He has told his guard and servants to stay away."

Konoka leaned forward and flipped her braid back. "Does he still have Reed in there?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and her lips moved so imperceptibly that had Setsuna not recognized her voice, she would have looked around to see who asked that. Brace sighed.

"He does." Konoka dropped back into her seat.

The servant girl hurried toward them and placed Konoka's salad before her. Beside it was a plate of scones, dipped in honey. A servant boy brought two bowls of chicken soup, and an old woman laid out a glass of milk and oatmeal before Kaede. They bowed and excused themselves.

Setsuna and Brace wasted no time in eating their food. Kaede chewed slowly, taking her time. Konoka simply poked at her salad, staring at the scones as if they had offended her in some manner.

Just as she finished her soup Setsuna looked up and saw Felix walk in. He was dressed fancifully, in flowing robes of lavender. He was walking with a group of court entertainers. They settled down to eat.

A minute later, Felix excused himself. He looked rather pale and he kept touching his neck where his collar had once sat. As he left the hall, Setsuna quickly stood.

"I'll be right back," she whispered to her friends. Nonchalantly, she followed the small former slave out of the room. A little farther down the hall, Felix ducked out into a tiny courtyard. He crossed to a dark corner and stopped, leaning against the wall. He looked like he was about to be sick.

"Hello, Felix." Setsuna stepped out into the courtyard. Felix jumped, gasping. When he recognized her he relaxed. A small smile fleeted across his face.

"Hey, Setsuna." He swallowed and fidgeted with his robes. "What brings you out here? Shouldn't you be with the princess?"

"I should. I thought I might check on you. You don't look well. You should be very happy. Last night's performance was…worthwhile." She clasped her hands behind her back, and smiled friendly. She had seen Kiona charm people for years, to lower prices or to get them to pay more for her products.

Felix licked his lips, turning a little green. "Last night?"

"The Dragon Dance. Surely you enjoyed it."

"Oh, yes. Yes, I did." She stepped closer to him.

"My favorite part was definitely the costumes everyone wore."

Felix coughed and fidgeted more. "Yes, yes. They were very nice. Very comfortable."

"Really?" Setsuna feigned surprise. "They looked quite itchy. I mean with all the straw and all." She watched as Felix's eyes widened.

"Oh, uh, yes. Th-they were. Itchy, I mean. But they were comfortable too." His stuttering did not escape her. "I really should be getting back to breakfast. Good day, Honorable Guardian." He bowed and rushed past her.

"You know…" He halted at the archway back into the palace. "I just wanted to tell you that it was very entertaining. Especially the part where you danced with that fat noble in purple."

For a moment, Felix did not respond. He stared down at his feet and shuffled them. Then he glanced back at her, his tentative smile back in place.

"Yes, that was rather fun. Good day." He disappeared back into the hallway.

Setsuna crossed her arms and frowned. What could this mean?