A big thank you to ServantofGrima for helping me come up with the central idea of this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, Koei, or anything associated with them.

Perhaps it was simply a result of the anticipation, but to many of the current occupants of Chrysalia's castle, the days seemed to drag on longer the bearable as the day of the festival neared. Finally, as the sun finally rose on the date, the usually vibrant port city was overflowing with traffic; merchants running about to set up stalls to sell their products, citizens working hard to ensure that every decoration and item was in its proper place, visitors and travelers finding themselves caught up in all the hustle. The castle itself was not immune to the energy of the city; most of the warriors inside having found themselves gathered in the great hall discussing the upcoming celebration.

"Oh, the festival would be the perfect time to share the joys of Pokémari! Wouldn't you agree, Forretress?" Yoshimoto's cheery comment was drowned out by the chatter of the other Warlords, but his partner still hummed in agreement as its eyes scanned over the crowd. Ginchiyo was currently pacing back and forth in front of Muneshige, going off about some topic of the other while the Junior Warlord leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, and listened with a slight air of indifference, nodding or giving a one-word reply when necessary.

Motonari, in an extremely predictable manner that one would assume to be detrimental given his position, was engrossed in a book, while Kanbei and Takakage stood nearby, equally engrossed in their own discussion. No one noticed Hanbei slowly sneaking out of the room with a picnic basket in hand. Mitsunari, Kiyomasa, and Masanori were arguing over the festival in one corner of the room, while Oichi was sitting down in a relatively more quiet corner of the room, eyes quickly scanning over the various supplies spread out in front of her while she delicately bent the paper in her hands into the desired shape.

"What's all this, Oichi?" the girl looked up from the item in her hand, which slowly bent back into its original shape due to the loss of pressure, in time to see Tadashi taking a seat across from her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lord Tadashi! I wasn't in your way, was I?" he only smiled.

"Not at all," taking a second glance down at the various items spread out in front of the girl, from the paper in her hand to various colors of brown paint, scissors, and pieces of wood and glue, he raised an eyebrow.

"Building something?" she nodded in response, quickly reverting the paper in her dainty hands back into the angle she wanted.

"A lantern for the festival tonight," her reply elicited a curious "hm" from the Warlord.

"Lantern? What for?" Oichi's porcelain features were momentarily overtaken with a bout of disbelief before she recomposed herself into a more reserved facet.

"It's tradition to release lanterns during the festival," the Auroran raised an eyebrow.

"We never did that in Violight..." Tadashi let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "Though, now that I think about it, releasing a bunch of paper balloons into storm clouds seems like a pretty stupid idea."

"Would you mind if I helped?" he could tell his question had taken her off guard while he absentmindedly turned a piece of wood over in his hands.

"Well, um..." he gazed back up, watching her gaze shift down to avoid making eye contact with him. "It was supposed to be a surprise, actually."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'll leave you to it, then," the male twin quickly stood up and gave a quick bow before heading off awkwardly. Oichi returned her attention to the materials strewn in front of her, biting her bottom lip as she went back to work.

As he finally climbed through the last flight and ascended into the rotunda of the tower, Ranmaru let out a heavy breath and slumped down slightly, hands clutching his legs as the page steadied his breathing. Though the boy had made the trek to the top of the tower more times than he could count, perhaps it was simply because the expansions to the castle were complete that the climb felt more grueling than usual. Quickly remembering where he was, Ranmaru blinked and straightened himself completely, arms falling to his side as he turned to where his lord would usually be.

However, much to the raven haired boy's surprise, rather than dueling with his Hydreigon or silently plotting out his conquest, Nobunaga was standing at the edge of the elevated dais that now occupied a large part of the pavilion, looking out through one of the gaps in the wall that offered a stunning view of the mountainsides and the horizon. Though it was not an unusual sight, what did cause the page to stop for a moment was that the conqueror was flanked by his faithful partner and Ieyasu, both joining him in gazing out silently at the sunset. No words were exchanged, the only noticeable sound erupting throughout the tower being that of a slight breeze weaving through it, the only signs that it had even been there being the flickering of Ieyasu's cape, Nobuanga's coattails, and a short change in the tempo of the beating of Hydreigon's wings.

Curious as to what had so occupied the three's attention, Ranmaru shifted slightly, careful to ensure that his boots made no sounds out of fear of intruding, but all he managed to catch was the various hues of the sunset splashing across the horizon and landscape of Dragnor. He returned to his previous ramrod-straight posture and blinked confusedly, wondering what detail the three saw in the horizon that he did not. Finally, as if someone had read his thoughts, and for a mere second the boy wondered if it was possible given that he had not been addressed yet, Ieyasu's voice cut through the silence.

"We have come far from that day, have we not, my Lord?" Ranmaru saw Nobunaga's purple coat shift slightly, accompanied by the sound of his armor clinking as the Warlord lifted one of his crossed arms to his chin.

"Yes. But there is work yet to be done," Hydreigon let out a sigh, the Pokémon lowering its head-arms.

"Hy..." the Dragon's comment was surprisingly restrained, an amount of wistfulness entering its voice that the page had not heard before.

"Perhaps," silence descended over the room again after Nobunaga's reply, and Ranmaru moved to leave as quietly as he could, the purple-clad boy deciding that his usual presence was not necessary this time. But as he moved quietly, shifting down through the staircase, the silence was shattered again and he momentarily froze out of fear.

"Have you ever wondered, my Lord, what would have happened had that battle gone differently?" the page relaxed at hearing the question, shoulders lowering and letting out a small breath he wasn't aware he was holding in as relief replaced the fear in his veins, while an apathetic chuckle escaped Nobunaga's lips.

"Nobunaga does not entertain such thoughts, Ieyasu," there was a short, but tense, pause, and Ranmaru remained out of curiosity. "But we are both aware of what the inevitable conclusion would be; Motoyasu would still live, the Demon King would not have been born, and Ransei would be no closer to peace."

Another tense silence followed Nobunaga's statement, and Ranmaru could practically feel the Valoran's discomfort. "Forgive me, Lord Nobunaga. I know now is not the time for such musings."

The page heard an acknowledgement from his lord. "The sands of time continue to flow, Ieyasu. We cannot afford to dwell in the past; simply carry onwards if Ransei is to know peace."

Ranmaru finally forced himself to leave the three, inwardly berating himself for his intrusion, and began his silent descent back down the seemingly endless flight of stairs that led into the tower.

Mitsuhide stared up at the at the quickly darkening skies of Dragnor, ones that only seemed to encourage the noise and celebrations around him to carry on. The chatter was deafening, music swirling, lanterns were shining against their dark backdrop, and people were weaving about the area like waves crashing against each other. Here, in the very heart of Nobunaga's empire, life swirled around him; none of the denizens of Dragnor had any reason to be concerned. There was no looming threat, no shadow of war or disaster casting itself over the kingdom, certainly not when the Demon King himself resided above, looking down and watching over all of them, protecting his people from any such threats.

In a way, the Nixtormite found himself envying them. They had no concerns; no true burdens. They did not have to carry the responsibility of a kingdom upon their shoulders, nor weigh the lives of others or fight incessantly. They were free to live their lives, to delight in such pastimes, and affected as they might be by the constant conflict, they did not have to bear the burden of ending it. Being born with the capability to form links with Pokémon was seen as a blessing by most, but to the Ice Type Warlord, it had morphed into a curse; chains that he could never unshackle himself of, ones that had dictated his life since his birth, ones he would pass down.

"Papa! Papa!" Mitsuhide was pulled out of his thoughts as Gracia pulled on his arm, the Warlord stumbling slightly from the unexpected force as his daughter looked around in awe at her surroundings. "This place is so big!"

Her voice was filled with as much awe as her emerald eyes, darting from side to side as she took in the festival. "How come Nixtorm doesn't have anything like this, papa?"

The man smiled at her question as he looked down, violet eyes staring into pools of green as Gracia looked up expectedly. "I don't think Nixtorm is really capable of hosting something like this, dear."

His daughter's next question was anticipated. "Why, papa? Can't you make one?"

"I could, but it wouldn't be the same," Mitsuhide gave a reassuring smile to the disappointed girl, his gaze rising again. Out of idle interest, he began looking around through the shifting forms of the crowd, and managed to spot a small booth selling dolls of various Pokémon, amongst other items, and then another behind him that sold various Pokémon-related items. A hand moved to his belt, and he retrieved his coin pouch and pulled out a few of the gold pieces inside, before bending down again to Gracia's level.

"Here, Gracia. You see that booth over there?" he motioned quickly in the direction of said place after placing the coins into her small hands, Gracia quickly following his gesture and nodding. "It will probably be a while before we get to come to another one of these, so go buy whatever you want and come right back, okay?"

The girl's eyes lit up. "Really, papa!?"

"Yes," a small smile had returned to his face. "You're a big girl, right?"

"Yep! You can trust me, papa!" Gracia spun around and cheerfully went into the crowd, Mitsuhide watching her slowly get swallowed up by the masses with an amount of trepidation, before finally forcing himself to turn around after he could no longer see the scarlet of his daughter's hair as she faded away from his vision. And, once he quickly purchased the item he wanted, and there was nothing else to occupy his mind, the Nixtormite slowly began to sink back into the bog of his thoughts.

Though every nerve in his body, every parental instinct, screamed at him for letting Gracia go off alone, no matter how short the distance, at such a place, the memory of the wide, cheery smile that broke out on her face at hearing that he trusted her enough to go off on her own was enough to pacify those thoughts.

But, even then, he hated himself for letting it come to such a point. For sheltering her so much but rarely being around for her, for having to place his rank above his family, for being the cause of her loneliness. And so, for the short time that he was here, he resolved that he would try to make this festival as enjoyable as possible for her, and hovering over his daughter like a Braviary was not the way to go about making amends to her. Regardless, the Nixtormite still felt uneasy, a nausea creeping up from his stomach and into his veins that reminded him he was out of place here.

His lord was inexorable; but his legions were only composed of men. They needed rest, too. And so, here he found himself, uncomfortably surrounded by so many people, feeling as if he was stuck in a limbo; so close to their happiness, but still so detached from it. The Nixtormite could never be his lord, he could never discard everything for the sake of ambition; Gracia was his reason for fighting, but also an anchor to the realities of it. Nor was he foolish enough to believe that he could ever truly live a life free of such worries and responsibilities, either; abandoning his people would be no better than abandoning himself. If only for a few hours, though, and for her sake, he decided he could entertain the illusion of being a normal father.

The Warlord was suddenly jarred out of his thoughts as some passerby accidentally bumped into him before heading on his way, and Mitsuhide suddenly came to the realization that Gracia had not come back. The man frantically looked around for her, finding no sign of his daughter in the nearby crowd or at any of the stalls, taking a short note that the sun had descended noticeably further than when he first arrived and was nearly hidden behind one of Dragnor's many mountain ranges between his panicked running about, before stopping mid-sprint, centering himself as he realized, and accepted with no small amount of anger, that she wasn't nearby.

As if fate had decided to play a cruel joke on him, though, reminding him of the price of trying to live an illusion, when Mitsuhide raised his gaze with as much calmness as a panicked parent possibly could, he caught the sight of a small tuft of red hair peeking through the mass of people. Casting all caution to the wind, he immediately broke into a frantic pace towards his newfound hope, and silently decided he was a horrible parent.

As the sun was beginning its descent, the festival in Chrysalia finally began to pick up full momentum. Tadashi found himself lost in the surging crowd, and even as he looked around aimlessly, basking in the commotion and furor raging around him as the celebrations began to pick up in full swing, the Auroran felt a sense of loneliness creep over him. Most of the Aurora Army had parted upon entering the crowded city, going off to explore at their own interest, and given that they had left the Pokémon behind at the castle out of fear of losing track of them in the crowd, Tadashi was, for the first time in a very long time, truly alone.

The teen blinked and scratched the back of his head, uncertain of what to do or where to go, and though it was the storm of people around him that was causing the noise, Tadashi found that it was his own thoughts that were threatening to swallow him whole; slowly beginning to wonder why he was even here. Would anyone miss him if he suddenly vanished in this crowd, never to be seen again? He doubted it, the Warlord mused; Kazumi could easily fill in his role without so much as blinking, and probably get things done much easier without having to constantly clean up after him.

Was it bad that he felt a small, sad smile spread across his face at the thought?

"Lord Tadashi!" the Warlord stopped abruptly in his tracks at hearing his name being called out, blinking when he realized that he had been walking the entire time he was engrossed in his thoughts and was somewhere he no longer recognized, before turning around to the source of the voice. He saw Oichi worming her way through the crowd, a basket in hand, and a smile on her face as they made eye contact.

"I've been looking for you!"

"You have?" Tadashi silently hoped he hadn't sounded too desperate in his reply, but if he had, she said nothing.

"Yes; I thought you might be lonely, and I don't think that's any way to spend the festival, is it?" the Auroran felt a more genuine smile breaking through his half-depressed, half-surprised veneer.

"No, I guess it's not," the two fell in stride together, and over the course of their ensuing conversation, Oichi noticed her companion slowly slipping into a more downcast atmosphere, a slight slouch taking over his stance, eyes narrowed as if he was trying to see through a thick fog when it was perfectly visible outside, and steps a bit heavier than his usual fashion.

"Is something troubling you, Lord Tadashi?" the auburn-haired girl saw something in him shift as she asked that; a glimmer of recognition in his eyes amidst a small amount of surprise. He looked down at her, lips straining to give a smile, but ultimately failing and resulting in a pensive expression, and he finally gave up his attempt to mask his worries with a heavy sigh.

"Please, Tadashi will do just fine, Oichi; I'm no leader. And yes, I suppose you could say that..." silence reigned for a moment after his admission, and it was plain for Oichi to see that he was torn over the topic.

"Would talking about it help, Tadashi?" she frowned afterwards; saying his name without the title felt too awkward for her tastes. Tadashi replied with a shrug; at this point he no longer saw anything to lose from it.

"I just feel... unnecessary," he glanced down at the ground while they continued their walk, his voice becoming more difficult to make out. "Sometimes I wonder what Aurora would be like without me. All I've done is get in the way or rush headfirst into action like a fool. Kazumi's the one who's done most of the actual work, in addition to cleaning up the messes I've made, and though sister's said otherwise, I feel like I constantly live in her shadow, and the only difference between the two of us is that I'm just a hindrance."

"That's not true, Lord Tadashi," the Warlord felt something inside him stir at her comment, some warm, hopeful feeling beginning to take root in him at her rebuttal. The Auroran turned to look at her, and though his face remained impassive, Oichi could see the eagerness in his eyes for her answer.

"Hm?"

"You might have acted rashly, my Lord, but you shouldn't discount your own accomplishments. If you hadn't been willing to attack, to encourage others to follow you, then we wouldn't be where we are today, let alone have been able to triumph over Hideyoshi."

"I- I guess, but-" Oichi shook her head.

"Lady Kazumi's wise, but she can also be a bit too cautious. If you weren't around to balance her out, my Lord, then I'm afraid we might have been defeated a long time ago, and there would be no hope of being able to stop Nobunaga," his expression became unreadable; a strange mixture of relief trying to break through while guilt attempted to force it down.

"I know, but... How much damage have I caused in the process? What if I destroy Ransei in the process of saving it?"

"We all make mistakes, my Lord, but we also learn from them. If you aren't even willing to try, then how will you ever improve? The very fact you're actually worrying about whether or not your doing a good job as a Warlord shows that you are, Lord Tadashi," any more doubts the twin had over himself soon died away at her reply, a smile finding its way onto his face. The two held their gaze for a moment, and Oichi saw the gratitude in his eyes, lips quivering as he tried to express it.

"Thank you, Oichi... I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else," he turned back to the crowd, and for a moment the pink-clad girl thought she saw a few tears beginning to form in his eyes. "You've... You've been a good friend to me."

"If it's any consolation, my lord, I also know how it feels to think you live in someone else's shadow..." Tadashi turned back around at hearing Oichi's quiet comment.

"You do?" his voice contained gentle sympathy, reassuring her, and she gave a nod.

"I remember that my brother was filled with life... He was always smiling and he seemed to naturally attract others to him. I was never really comfortable with all the attention, though," she wore a thin, bitter smile. "But I guess I'm just one of those people that fades into the background."

"Not in the slightest," she looked up, confused, and he only smiled. "You've been the biggest help to me and Kazumi out of everyone. Aurora would have fallen apart at the seams if it weren't for all your hard work, and we would have never come as far as we did if you hadn't been at our side. Heck, if you weren't around, I doubt we wouldn't have even won our first battle," she mouthed a silent 'thank you' at his encouragement, while he looked upwards.

"Huh. Dark already?" Oichi blinked at his observation, before looking down at the basket in her hands, quickly opening it and pulling the object inside out.

"That means we'll be releasing the lanterns soon," Tadashi took a glance at the cubic lantern in her hands and let out a small chuckle at its design.

"An Eevee lantern?" Oichi gave a quick nod and handed the item in question to him.

"Do you like it?" the Warlord's eyes gazed over the object in his hands, silently admiring the craftsmanship.

"You've done an incredible job with it," after turning it over a few more times, Tadashi returned the item to Oichi, who was watching some of the nearby citizens light their own lanterns.

"It's time!" the girl enthusiastically pulled out a small matchbox from the basket as well, hastily lighting the candle suspended within, giving the brown item an orange glow, before quickly lifting it up into the air to join the countless other lanterns that were beginning to float away. The two Warlords stared up at the mesmerizing sight in silence, watching the seemingly endless array of lights float up into the sky.

"I wonder where it'll end up?"

"I can't say, my Lord," the two remained in silence afterwards, still gazing skywards even as the vibrant celebrations resumed around them, both wishing that, contrite as it might be, the peace of this moment could last.

Night had begun to fall over Ransei, and after a bit of less-than subtle prodding, Hanbei had finally managed to convince Kazumi to leave the still roaring festival behind and follow him out of the city and onto one of the hills overlooking it and the countryside. The brunette squinted slightly, straining to make out the shapes around her as they got further and further away from the light of Chrysalia, while Hanbei seemed to be having no trouble navigating the increasingly dark terrain. Fortunately for her, the tactician's white and gold attire, not to mention his less than quiet steps, made him easy to follow, and soon enough both came to a stop at the top of a hill. Almost instinctively, she looked upwards, gazing up into the clear night sky and the stars that dotted across it, and after a few seconds sat down to get a better view. Hanbei, who had turned to a nearby tree, stopped his approach and turned back to look at her.

"You okay?" the Auroran blinked at her companion's question, turning her gaze from the constellations above to his purple eyes that she managed to make out through the dark.

"I'm fine," her reply was simple, and Kazumi found herself taking another glance back towards the sky. "The sky's pretty clear tonight."

"Yeah, it is," Hanbei had moved over to her side by know, the sound of his coat flickering giving his movements away. "I always liked stargazing as a kid."

His comment perked her interest, and the Warlord turned to face the tactician, who had sat down besides her, amusedly watching him trace out the shapes of various constellations before deciding to question him. "Really?"

"Yep; I even kept trying to make a telescope so I could see them more clearly," the Ignite let out a small chuckle at his own comment, muttering something about beginnings and hobbies before clearing his throat awkwardly. "But what kid isn't fascinated by the stars?"

"Brother was never really interested in them," the brunette replied, a small smile having spread onto her face. "I loved them though. On the few nights it wasn't overcast in Violight, I'd always be outside looking up at the stars. Tadashi would usually come out to keep me company, and we'd usually stay out late enough that Uncle would have to get Mr. Dosetsu to drag us back inside."

The girl finished her reminiscence with a small smile, leaning back and using her elbows to support herself, before a thought dawned on her and she turned back to Hanbei.

"Hanbei?"

"Hm?" the white clad-boy sat up, having laid down in the grass himself, hands interlocked and cradling his head while he looked up into the sky.

"Why did you bring me here?" a small silence followed, in which the tactician's eyes widened, and with more speed then Kazumi had ever seen him move with, he was standing back up. He gave her one of his usually sheepish smiles, stumbling over his words to apologize for dawdling, coughed a bit between, and then realized that his loose-fitting beret was not on his head. Realizing it must have fallen off in his haste, the raven-haired boy looked back down to where he had been resting, only to feel something being shoved in his hands.

"Thanks," Hanbei quickly donned his hat, giving an appreciatory nod to Kazumi, and then spun around. "Follow me."

She raised an eyebrow at his vagueness, but quickly fell behind pace with him as they rounded the sole tree on the hill. The Auroran took a small step back in shock at the massive silhouette she saw behind it. Hanbei carried on, and after a few moments of rummaging, had produced a candle. The sudden burst of light forced Kazumi to shield her eyes for a moment, but when she lowered her wrists she gawked at the massive, lantern-like object in front of her, while Hanbei undid the rope that had tied it to the tree and began pushing it away from the foliage.

"What is that?" her question was marred by a large amount of hesitation, and when Hanbei was finished he turned to face her.

"A giant lantern, basically," he then lifted the candle into the top, causing the white material to suddenly glow with a yellowish tint, providing light to the surrounding area and revealing the object to be very much what he said, minus a sizable basket that was hanging from the bottom; presumably the reason why the object was still anchored to the ground. Hanbei then proceeded to climb into it awkwardly, having to duck down to avoid hitting the wooden rim while stepping in, and the co-Warlord of Aurora took a hesitant step forwards. He smiled reassuringly and held out an open hand, and Kazumi shakily took it, stepping into the somewhat cramped basket with a bit more ease due to his help. The girl looked around slightly, eyes darting between the darkened landscape while she absentmindedly wondered what was going to happen, only to turn back as she heard the tactician grunting just in time to watch him toss a large, heavy-looking sack over the side of the basket.

"And what was that?"

"A bag of rocks."

"Why did you ne-" her own question was answered as the basket began to shift slightly. The white-clad Warlord yelped in shock in response, blue orbs shooting downwards to see that the short grass of the hill seemed to be growing shorter with every second, and then looked up again to see that they were ascending above the height of some of the tree branches that the lantern had been tied to.

"It works!" Hanbei cried out in triumph, pumping a fist energetically as he watched the ground get further and further away. The raven-haired boy's comment did nothing to ease Kazumi's growing anxiety.

"You didn't know if it would work!?" Hanbei laughed nervously, eyes closed and a small, toothy smile having complemented his sheepishness.

"Well, I was so excited to get it built, I guess I didn't have any time to test it..." when the tactician turned back to face Kazumi, his embarrassment turned to curiosity at the sight in front of him, arching a raven eyebrow in the process. The girl had a very uneasy smile plastered on her face, blue eyes fixated down to the ground, which they were now a considerable distance from, and she was grasping the edge of the wicker box hard enough that her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"You're afraid of heights?" his comment provided a much needed distraction to her, and the Auroran turned back to him with a smile that seemed to mimic the one he had worn only a few seconds ago.

"Apparently," her reply was laced with a strange mixture of nervousness and amusement, and the narcoleptic placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile.

"Just don't look down," Hanbei's eyes quickly adopted a more mischievous gleam to them, and the boy put his weight against the edge of the basket. "Or lean over the edge like this."

"Hanbei!" the tactician was standing back upright even before she could finish her hasty exclamation, letting out a dry laugh while she shook her head, futilely trying to resist the urge to smile along with him. Perhaps it was simply how confident he was, but the tactician's very presence seemed reassuring, energizing even; his laidback personality seemed almost infectious as his smile, and she no longer thought, or cared, about how high up they were, and finally gave in and began laughing alongside him. After a few short breaths once the laughter died down, the Warlord took another glance towards the horizon.

"Look!" Hanbei turned at her exclamation, his eyes lighting up at the sight of hundreds of lanterns of all shapes, colors and sizes slowly floating up from Chrysalia and into the clear night sky, giving the skies ahead the illusion of being a sea of lights. Both Warlords gaped at the sight, breathless as they marveled at the sight.

"It's incredible..." the tactician in white nodded.

"Yeah. Watching it from the ground is one thing, but from this angle..." the two stood in silence for a few long seconds, Kazumi placing her wrists on the railing as she became lost in the moment, before a certain, nearby lantern, caught Hanbei's attention. Slowly, the tactician strained as he reached out, hoping not to shake the basket or crush the desired object, and managed to wrap his fingers around the paper edge of it.

"Lady Kazumi," the Auroran looked over to her companion, blue eyes brightening at the object in his outstretched hands. It was rectangular, brown with cream patterns running across the bottom, two small, similarly colored flaps sticking out from the top, and two black eyes painted on the front.

"An Eevee lantern?" another smile spread across her face at the illuminated object, before lifting it up slightly and blowing out the flame inside, a small trail of smoke escaping from the fragile lantern's bottom as she placed it down. "Thanks."

The brunette let a small chuckle escape her lips as a thought came to mind, and she faced the tactician with a raised eyebrow and smile that seemed to blend happiness with an entertained mischief.

"So, Hanbei," Kazumi leaned in slightly. "Is this a date?"

The tactician smiled and let out a laugh that, though cheery, betrayed a small amount of nervousness over her question. "What? I can't do all this for a friend?"

Kazumi chuckled slightly, though it was plain for Hanbei to see that she was slightly disappointed by his response. As the Auroran turned back to the front, the Ignite quickly reached down and grabbed a picnic basket that was lying in the corner closest to him and placed it on the ledge. Kazumi eyed the container with bated curiosity, and Hanbei smiled excitedly. "Now it's a date."

From there, time seemed to fly by, lost in their many conversations. They talked, laughed, speculated, shared, and, once a comfortable silence had descended between the two after neither could think of something else to say, simply watched the sky in silence, enjoying each others presence as the wind slowly drifted their ride about. Kazumi leaned back slightly and spared a glance at Hanbei. The warrior's eyes were beginning to droop slightly, but he still gazed up at the open sky. It was his smile, though, that drew her eye; it seemed almost out of place on him. It was in his same goofy fashion as usual, almost lovesick, even, but it was somehow more reserved at the same time. The female twin raised a hand to her chin, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out what was different. And, in thinking back through all the other instances of his smiles she could remember, the Warlord slowly began to come to the conclusion of what nuance made it feel different to her: it was that his smile was natural. Most of his smiles were usually given as reassurance or encouragement, or occasionally broke through in moments of confidence; they were less an expression of his own feelings and more of an attempt to encourage others. But the one she saw arose of its own accord, and the girl saw genuine contentment in it. Feeling another smile spread over her face, in a similar vein to his, Kazumi decided that she wanted to see Hanbei smile like that more often; that she would be there to cheer him along as he had for her.

The basket shook a little as she placed more weight against the edge of it in her contemplation, shaking both Warlords out of their reverie. They managed to steady their footing, and thus their impromptu carriage, but another, very pressing, thought suddenly came to mind as Kazumi got another glance of the grassy glades below.

"Uh, Hanbei? How are we going to get down?"

The Ignite's dreamy expression evaporated at her question, eyes going wide and his mouth going slightly ajar. She felt the blood begin to drain from her face as Hanbei stumbled for words, and then he suddenly spun around to take a look below. They were now a good distance above Chrysalia, slowly floating in the direction of its castle, and the narcoleptic made out a particularly large tree in its courtyard. The tactician's eyes then flickered upwards to the flame that was keeping the lantern afloat, and before Kazumi could figure out what was happening, Hanbei had moved over by her side and had wrapped his arm around her, eliciting another surprised cry.

"I really recommend you hold on, Lady Kazumi," the direness in the tactician's voice left no room to argue, and that was the only warning Kazumi had before he blew out the flame.

Kanbei let out a pensive hum as he leaned back against the base of the tree he was sitting against, a gauntleted hand hovering over the various pieces on the chess board that he was staring down at. Enough light was being provided by his opponent that the albino could make out the board, running various stratagems in his head to drown out the noise of the nearby festival while he mulled over his next move. Finally, lifting up one of his ivory pieces, the tactician careened it across the board and knocked over an obsidian piece with it.

"Check."

The tactician's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of his opponent's conundrum over his latest maneuver, inwardly amused over being able to practically watch the smoke rise out of Lampent's top as the Pokémon tried to formulate a counter to his move. The two yellow eyes of the Lamp Pokémon shifted downwards, the hovering Pokémon moving closer to the board to move one of its pieces.

"Are you certain you want to make that move?" the Ghost/Fire Type dropped the piece it had picked up, looking at its partner with a mixture of irritation and begrudging acquiescence, silently demanding an explanation from the black-clad Ignite. Kanbei shifted slightly as he bent over, giving him better reach of the board.

"Your Pawniard is pinned; if you move it forwards to cut off my Bisharp, you would be exposing your Nidoqueen to mine," he noticed the Pokémon's eyes dart down to another piece, and the tactician only shook his head in response. "If you were too move that piece, I could simply advance my Bisharp and checkmate you the following turn."

"And regardless of what I might do, your Nidoqueen would just seize my Escavalier and checkmate me regardless," Kanbei raised an eyebrow at the Pokémon's comment, smiling slightly as he placed a hand to his chin.

"I am impressed you noticed that."

"Your offensives were just failsafes and distractions; you wanted the Nidoqueen to protect your front lines so they could pave a way for it."

The warrior raised an eyebrow. "And you did not act on that knowledge why?"

The Pokémon glanced downwards, yellow eyes narrowed slightly as the usually ghostly flame that inhabited its spherical body dimmed slightly before it broke the silent, reluctant air it had generated. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

Before either could respond or move, Kanbei saw an approaching object in his peripheral vision, followed shortly after by the quickly increasing sound of screams, and the stoic fully looked upwards to catch sight of a massive lantern falling out of the sky and rapidly approaching them. He caught sight of the white of Hanbei's cap, let out a heavy sigh as he deftly pieced together the basic facts, and being as they were losing sky to quickly for him to move away, simply raised his robed arms to protect his head. The tree that was only a few inches behind him shuck violently as the foliage ripped into the soft material of the lantern, suspending the basket that was holding the two Warlords a few feet above the ground.

"That wasn't as bad as I thou-" Hanbei didn't have time to finish his sentence as the ropes that had tied the basket to the lantern snapped, sending the two down to earth with a crash violent enough to shake the chessboard. Lampent looked up at its partner with no small amount of amusement.

"Checkmate," Kanbei was too busy looking at the sight of the two Warlords in a morbid hesitation to offer a rebuttal, quickly getting to his feet when a pained groan came from Kazumi, who was sprawled out, facedown, across Hanbei's back. Eyes closed, and feeling the world spinning around her, the female twin pushed herself up, only to open her eyes as she realized the ground felt softer than she expected.

"Ohmygosh!" the Auroran cried out in a single breath when she realized she was pressing further into the white-clad Ignite's back, before frantically turning him over and shaking him. "Hanbei! Are you all right!?"

He groaned in response to her shaking, eyes fluttering open and pushing himself off the ground before smiling sheepishly.

"Strangely enough," Hanbei began after a quiet cough, blinking a few times to refocus his vision before standing up. "I felt pretty comfortable..."

Kazumi shook her head and gave him a halfhearted, playful punch on the arm for his comment, while Kanbei finally cleared his throat and drew the attention of the two. The black-clad tactician opened his mouth, but what followed was the sound of Tadashi's distressed shouting.

"Sister!" the twin's shouting preceded his appearance by mere seconds, the Warlord shooting out from behind the shadow of Kanbei's frame in a blur of white and black, the flickering orange of nearby torches illuminating him as he ran up to the trio like the world was ending. Kazumi noticed Oichi following shortly after, but most of the girl's attention was occupied by her confused and worried brother panting in front of her, his silvery eyes wandering back and forth between her, Hanbei, the tree behind them and the object impaled on it, and then back to her before he could even formulate a comprehensible word. The Warlord's face was flushed and sweaty, and the trio began to make out his questioning as his breathing steadied.

"Wha- What- Are you-"

"I'm fine, Tadashi," Kazumi cut him off, raising a hand in a silent command to focus on regaining his composure before questioning her. "A bit shaken, but fine. Hanbei took the brunt of the fall."

"Fall!?" the female twin inwardly conceded that she could have left that detail out, if only to spare her brother any further distress, but fortunately Hanbei came to her rescue.

"I guess I deserve it after ruining the festival for you," he had smiled bitterly as he said that, shoulders slumped and eyes glancing downwards, but the tactician felt a small amount of surprise overtake him when a hand was placed on his shoulder, and her looked up to see Kazumi's face, a sympathetic contentment replacing the malice he had been expecting to see.

"You didn't ruin it Hanbei, I really enjoyed tonight," the downcast tactician blinked in disbelief, a mixture of shock and relief writing itself on his face at her comment. "Granted, I don't really feel like going through the whole 'falling out of the sky' part again, but I'm touched you went through all this trouble for me."

"Even if that was the cause of it in the first place?" the Auroran only gave a soft nod in response to his cautious question, and Hanbei let out a small sigh as he felt a weight drop off his shoulders.

"Have a good night, Hanbei," Kazumi turned and headed back into the Chrysalia at a slightly sluggish pace, steps still a bit shaky, leaving an aloof Hanbei in her wake. He was quickly brought crashing back into reality, however, when he realized that the Auroran's presence in front of him had been replaced with her indignant twin's. The brunette's arms were crossed, lips curled down slightly in distaste, further accentuated by a slight lean forward as his eyes silently bore holes into the tactician in a clear attempt at intimidation that Hanbei was too tired to quite register.

"As for you, Hanbei; if you ever put Kazumi in danger like that again, I'll-" Tadashi's threat was cut off by a loud yawn from Hanbei, who raised a hand, obscured in the large sleeve of his white coat, to cover his mouth.

"Can we talk about this in the morning? I'm pretty worn out..." the Warlord's words died in his throat at the tactician's half-audible request, expression morphing from anger to disbelief to irked within the span of a second.

"What!? You just fell out of the sky! How can you be sleepy!?" the raven-haired teen shrugged, a small, almost pleased smile that was barely visible under the limited light snaking its way onto his features.

"Well, I kinda stayed up all night the past few days to get everything finished..." another yawn overtook the Ignite, and he began slowly staggering towards the keep as well. "I'll see you in the morning, Lord Tadashi..."

Tadashi scowled slight, taking a step forward to pursue, only for an unexpected tugging on his shoulder to stop him mid-step. He cast a glance over his shoulder, seeing a meek look from Oichi, silently pleading with him to let it go for the night, and he relented with a sigh. Perhaps it was simply her better judgment, or the fact that her very presence seemed calming, but the Warlord of Aurora decided the matter could wait until after everyone had gotten some sleep. Kanbei cleared his throat again, drawing the attention of the two Aurorans, while Lampent floated lazily behind him.

"I will speak to him about this, my Lord," the albino gave a small bow before departing as well, leaving the duo alone.

Tadashi turned back to the girl enshrouded in pink, their solitude bringing the reality of the situation bearing down on him. The co-Warlord looked down at his boots, shuffling his feet awkwardly as he tried to formulate the proper response. "I'm, uh, sorry for suddenly running off without warning like that."

"It's fine, my Lord," the timid girl's tone told him she still held reservations over it, and though it was obvious she emphasized with his reasoning, it did little to assuage his guilt. The corners of her lips quivered slightly at seeing his own sullen state, and she clasped her hands together and forced as much energy into her voice as the late hour would permit. "I'm pretty sure everyone in Chrysalia saw them coming down."

"Yeah," the brunette spared a glance back up at the moon and clear night sky, lips pursing slightly. "It's pretty late, Oichi, probably getting close to midnight. Why don't we call it a night?"

"That sounds for the best..." her own comment was complimented by a yawn, which was followed by one of his own. The two shared a small laugh about that as they made way towards the grotesquely ornate structure, but before they left the area, Tadashi heard something fall from the tree and land at its base. Blinking, silvery eyes glancing to the side in search of the source of the noise, he quickly made out the silhouette of it crumpled up against the tree. He approached it cautiously, nearly drawing away to it without Oichi noticing his path, and by the time she was alarmed enough to stop and turn around due to the lack of noise behind her, she saw him holding up the Eevee-themed lantern she had made.

Tadashi smiled slightly at the object in his hands, chuckling silently as he made his way back to her side.

"Anything else want to fall out of the sky?" his comment might have been muttered, but as if answering his challenge, the tree branch holding up the basket snapped, sending Hanbei's creation spiraling down onto Chrysalia's garden in disgraceful heap. The two Aurorans quickly exchanged glances, a bluish-grey meeting auburn for a second, and the two silently decided that, much like many of the other issues that had sprung up tonight, it was best to worry about it in the morning.

The festive mood hung over Illusio as well, like one of the many decorative lanterns that was suspended from the ceiling of the great hall the five Warlords were gathered in. Shingen looked down at the feast before him hungrily, eyes darting from the steamed buns set out on a plate on one side, before shifting over to the rice cakes, and then to another dish, before returning to the Warlord enshrouded in white sitting across from him.

"This all looks very delicious, Kenshin," the Warlord in red's voice had not betrayed his anticipation at engorging himself on the vast array of food covering the table, the fact he continued folding his hands in his lap would. Kunoichi showed less restraint, the girl deftly swiping a piece of food off the table and popping it in her mouth while Yukimura and Kanetsugu were too busy discussing battling to notice. Kenshin caught the act in the corner of his eyes, but, for reasons the Illusite could only discern as being the festive spirit, something that had even managed to manifest in him; turning the Warlord's usual half-scowl into a more neutral expression, he decided to ignore the act and focus on his ally.

"It would ill behoove me to be discourteous on such an occasion."

Shingen let out a silent chuckle. "You've certainly outdone yourself this time, though."

The man finally let go of any reservations and picked up one of the still-hot buns, taking a bite out of it. The roll was properly seasoned, but still sweet, and the Terreran immediately decided it was one of the best he had eaten in years. His next question, made out through a second mouthful of the food, came rather naturally to him.

"Who's the cook?"

"Sister," Shingen nearly choked on the food in his mouth at Kenshin's mentioning of Aya being the cook, the man quickly dropping the remainder of the bun in his hand like it was acidic. The corners of the Psychic Type Warlord's pale lips curled downwards slightly, simultaneously putting down the cup that he had been clutching, but that was the only signs of his displeasure he was willing to show. The Warlord had actually been expecting something worse than that reaction, and quickly cleared his throat.

"The cooks prepared most of the feast," the Illusite clarified, his gravelly voice causing the greying man to look back up, a sheepish smile having broke out underneath his mask at his actions. "Sister is preparing the main dish."

The Warlord's comment had managed to quiet the table, Shingen putting a hand to his chin and the Junior Warlords quickly exchanging nervous glances, but before anyone could offer a comment or try to ignore the revelation, the doors to the hall opened. A woman, clad in a white cloak reminiscent of Kenshin's, and bearing a covered platter in her hands, stood in the doorway and gave a warm, toothless smile to the Warlords gathered around the table, the red of her lips offering a stark contrast to her porcelain skin. She took a step forward, and despite how steady her hands were in holding the concealed dish, most of the table swore they saw it shake in her hands. A few quick strides followed, the sounds of her steps being the only noise in the room as the merriment had been chased away by a tense anticipation, and it came to a crescendo as the woman placed the plate on the table and removed the top.

Everyone remained silent as they stared down at whatever was on the plate, until Kenshin managed to pry his eyes away and coughed uncomfortably into his gauntlet.

"I have recalled I am currently fasting. Yes..." he declared as he stood, the Warlord somehow managing to maintain his emotionless visage. The pale man turned and began to leave, while the Warlord of Terrera stood seconds later.

"Eh... And I think there might be some flaw in our strategy that somehow slipped my mind," Shingen muttered as he caught up with his rival, the masked man's voice barely audible. "And if not, I'm certain I can come up with something..."

"I'm allergic!" Kunoichi cried out mere moments after the two Warlords had managed to unabashedly stride out of the room, the ninja finally managing to tear her gaze away from whatever monstrosity was sitting on the table.

"I wonder what Masamune's having?" that was the only warning anyone had before the brunette quickly vanished, leaving Kanetsugu and Yukimura alone with Aya and her creation. Kanetsugu's visage suddenly darkened at the mention of the Warlord of Avia, the white-clad student crossing his arms and glancing menacingly at the floorboards.

"Honorless cur..." the Illusite muttered, before his head snapped back up as the situation he was in sunk in.

"Oh!" mustering as much surprise as he could, Kanetsugu then shot up and gave an apologetic, if not dramatically exaggerated, bow to Aya. "Forgive me for my inattentiveness, Lady Aya, but I just remembered that I have been neglecting my studies. For honor!"

With a shout that could pass off as a war cry, and raising his hand in the air, Kenshin's protégé barreled out of the room as quickly as possible. Aya turned to Yukimura, giving him her signature smile that somehow blurred the lines between reassuring and intimidating, and the crimson-clad warrior realized that he was all alone.

"Oh dear. I suppose this means more for the two of us, Yukimura," the warrior in question looked back at the table and shifted uncomfortably, but regained his calm with a deep breath. He had been through far worse, the warrior assured himself. Countless grueling hours of ceaseless training under Lord Shingen, the barren, unforgiving desert of Terrera, myriads of battles against Illusio, not to mention his own bodyguard's antics. Surely a bit of food, if the thing that the brunette was now looking at again could truly be called that, would be nothing in comparison?

Yukimura had never been more wrong in his entire life.

Yeah, another really long chapter. Funnily enough, when planning this out, I actually thought it wouldn't be enough, and if I had included everything I wanted to, chances are I would have nearly doubled the word count. So... While I can't say I'm particularly thrilled about having to trim down this chapter, I'd like to think I did a halfway decent job with it.

Sadly, this is another one chapter month, though I do plan on finishing the Pugilis Arc next month.