Chapter Thirty Six: Greed

More than ever, Haru was grateful that she had already evacuated the women and children to a safe cavern she had discovered in one of the Twin Mountains three years earlier. More than a few had put up a fight about leaving, but there was no disobeying with the Mountain Witch on this matter.

There was no point in giving her enemy another advantage over her, let alone one as obvious as innocent lives.

When they had reached the halfway point in the tower's staircase, Baron could clearly hear the triumphant roar of the golden dragon as it circled over the castle. "Toto, Muta, I need you both to stay out of the fight that I'm going to pick with that monster," the young sword master said firmly.

Muta nearly tripped as they reached the main floor. "What?! After all that sword practice you made us do?!" he shouted angrily, since he had a long list of things to do to the one that was threatening his baby girl.

Baron nodded firmly. "I have another trick up my sleeve, and I don't want to compromise it. Just take care of Haru for me, and I'll do the rest." Very gently, he kissed the green woman one more time before gently pushing her into her father's arms.

Haru looked to and from her beloved and her adored father with obvious confusion. "What's going on?" she asked a little loudly.

Baron sighed as the entire castle shook with the dragon's impact with the ground as he landed. "But I do want the monster to see her with me. Just trust me, Muta. You know I won't let anything happen to Haru."

The large fat man's face contorted as a thousand different emotions crossed his pudgy features. At last, he sighed and wrapped his daughter into his huge arms as the confused look on her face increased a hundredfold. "Don't disappoint me, Baron."

"Oh, Mountain Witch!" a masculine voice from the courtyard called out sweetly. "I've come for you!"

Baron growled as his small company began running down the hall to the door leading outside. "He never bothered to even learn her name?!"

ooOoo

Hikaru couldn't help but smirk at the peasants that had once stood ready to fight him. In their stead was a rather impressive collection of sword and bow-wielding statues that might serve well in a royal garden. His beloved's garden was a good start, but it didn't quite cut the royal cloth.

As long as he was thinking of cloth, his mind traveled back to the fine solid gold kimono he had spelled to mimic his hair, so that his dragon form would be perfect. His cloak billowed over his shoulders in an impressive manner, if he said so himself. The only thing that would make this day complete would be for his beloved to come out where he could see her.

If kissing her in a dream visitation had lit his body on fire the way that it had a year ago, he could only imagine what it would be like to kiss her in reality, and he was rather eager to start making comparisons.

His glowing green eyes looked up at the large castle that would soon be his, and made him smile evilly again. "Surely that isn't the best resistance you could present for me! I was rather hoping for something along the lines of a challenge!" he taunted, hoping to get another glimpse of her adorable temper.

"Believe me, you'll be getting a challenge."

Hikaru's glance shifted to a corner, out of which emerged four people. But he only had eyes for the slim green woman that was destined to be his queen.

He laughed once more, making a mental note to have her find something more regal than a brown kimono to wear for when their reign began. "You must be joking! These three are the last of your resistance?"

A young man with obsidian hair glared at him, pointedly drawing his sword and stepping in front of the Mountain Witch. For a reason the young royal couldn't figure out, the young man looked familiar, like someone he used to know.

Except that the green-eyed man had never actually met humans other than his parents and his beloved before today.

"We'll be enough, I think," the brunette said coldly as the other two men protectively flanked the witch on both sides.

Hikaru sniffed indifferently. "I doubt it. Kill them all, my sweet!"

The young girl's huge brown eyes refused to even blink in acknowledgement of the order, glaring at him with an unholy hatred. And her hands stayed at her side.

"I said kill them!" Hikaru ordered again, stunned that she hadn't jumped to do his bidding the way she was supposed to.

The young man with dark hair chuckled softly as he held his blade ready for combat. "I don't think she's going to obey you."

The golden man shook his head angrily. "But she must obey me! Kill them, witch!"

The young man's sapphire eyes turned as cold as ice as he pointedly walked backward enough to softly kiss the Mountain Witch on the cheek, making her smile and glow with pleasure. Where was her scar?!

"Never again will she obey you, and you'll have to get through me if you ever want to get to her," the young swordsman said with a note of angry finality. Hikaru's heart immediately filled with a volcanic rage that raced hotly through every vein of his body as he dimly heard the slimmer man ask the younger one what he thought he was doing.

Didn't he warn her about taking up with another peasant boy! She was his, destined to be his queen since before she was born. Her green skin was supposed to keep away suitors and make her more likely to accept his affections. The spell of obedience his father had cast the day of her birth was supposed to take care of the rest of their little problems, but how and when had she gone deaf?!

Hikaru could feel his cold green eyes light on fire. "If you walk away from her right now, I'll let you live," he lied.

The blue-eyed man scoffed indifferently as he gestured for the two to move the Mountain Witch to a safe location. "I'd rather die than leave her to the likes of you."

Hikaru smiled grimly. "I'd be more than happy to accommodate you," he purred, gathering a ball of energy behind his back.

The green witch's head snapped up in horror. "Look out, Baron!" she screamed as the two men grabbed her arms to keep her from interfering, even as the golden man flung the pulsating ball of fire at his opponent, who looked strangely calm. He didn't even raise his sword as the ball of green energy hit him solidly in the chest, making him take one step back from the impact.

But, instead of making him explode into a gory mess, green light from the bomb soaked into the young brunette's body, making him glow for but a second just before dissolving into him. 'Baron's' eyes shot open once more as a spark of electricity shot through his blue irises, and he smiled.

"My, that was an interesting experience," he said dryly as his opponent and friends stared at him in amazement, since he should have been killed from the blast he had just absorbed. "I wonder if that's how it feels to be electrocuted, because if so, then I can understand Haru's fascination with the pastime. How invigorating."