The next day, I awoke and found my new husband sleeping soundly beside me. I gave a big stretch and sat up. I felt Nosuke's arms wrap around my waist.

"Don't go yet." He pulled me back to the bed and gave me a passionate kiss.

"I have to. I need to sign the papers with Prince Zen this morning... War is brewing you know."

He let out a defeated sigh. "Don't remind me. My father has insisted on joining your ship. He says it's his way of giving back instead of taking from Clarines."

"Well, I would be more than willing to have him aboard."

"Kat... it's war."

I could sense the concern in his voice. "I will do my best to make sure he returns."

"Thank you. If he has to be on any ship, I'm glad it's yours."

"What will you be doing during the war?"

"My place is at the castle. I'll be protecting Princesses Miko and Suna, Queen Rin and Prince Amari."

"Good, I feel much better that you'll be here instead of the front lines."

"I'd rather be with you."

"Me too, my love... me too."

I arrived at Prince Zen's office and we quickly went to work signing the papers. Once that was done, he gave me my first orders. We were to leave tomorrow morning. I set off for my ship right away and got things in order.

Night came and I was walking around my ship making sure everything was ready. I looked up at the top of the main mast thinking I saw something but it was gone. I turned around and there stood Sora.

I visibly jumped. "Geeze Sora! You scared me! Don't do that!"

"I hear this ship is going to war."

"You heard right. If you want out, I suggest you get off now. I don't know when we'll be in port again."

"I think I'll stick around."

"Really? Aren't you like some sort of assassin?"

"Depends on who you ask."

I gave him a serious look. "So why would someone like you get involved in a war?"

"I got you out from under Prince Kotau, I can't risk my work being for nothing."

"Alright. I'm going to bed. You should too. We leave first thing in the morning."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about me."

"Good night Sora." I disappeared below deck and passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I woke up and dressed in my most comfortable clothes and made sure my wakizashis were firmly secured to my back. Sora came in through the window of my cabin.

"Do you ever use a door like a normal person?"

"When it's necessary."

"Well how about following me out on deck."

"Lead the way."

I got up on deck and was barking the orders to take us out of port. I helped, of course. Just as we got up to full speed in formation with the rest of the royal fleet, Sora approached me.

"You have a pink haired stowaway."

I groaned. "Alright! Come on out, Miko!" I looked around to see if I could find where she was hiding.

She slid down a rope and landed in front of me as if she'd been raised on a ship. I saw she was wearing gloves. At least she did that.

"What are you doing here?" I gave her a serious look.

"Does it matter at this point?"

"Yes it does."

"I wasn't about to let you fight this war without me. I want to help. This was my fault, so I need to fix it." Miko explained.

"How do you plan to do that if you can't kill?" I didn't like bringing the subject up with her, but I knew she needed to think about every aspect. Knocking them unconscious wasn't going to work like it did when she was the Red Whirlwind.

"Fine."

Fine what? For the first time, I truly didn't understand what she meant. Was she really going to try and fight a war without taking a life? If that was the case, then this wasn't going to end well. And I was about to find out because an enemy ship was pulling up alongside the Phoenix.

I drew my wakizashis and prepared for battle. They boarded and the chaos ensued. I cut down enemies one after the other. I looked over at Nahiko every once in awhile. He was a little rusty but he was holding his own just fine.

Miko, on the other hand, was doing what I had feared she would. She was just knocking them down or giving them minor flesh wounds. I clenched my jaw.

"You need to kill him! What are you doing?!" I shouted at her. I would have gone to help but there were so many that I couldn't break free.

I became infuriated that she wasn't listening to me. I ran one of my blades through another victim and tried to get to her again, but was blocked off by new opponents. I sliced them down but heard a man to the opposite side. I engaged with him. As I was still occupied with him, I heard a man drop to the floor behind me and the clunk of a sword being dropped. I turned around and saw him dead on the floor and Miko's sword on the deck with blood on it. She'd finally killed a man.

I could understand her shock and horror, but there was no time for that right now. If she kept standing there, she would be the next to fall.

"Pull yourself together!" More men lunged at her and I was able to save her, this time... "If you can't kill! Why did you even come?!"

She stood there for a few more moments. I watched her eyes change from fear to determination as she picked up her sword again. Finally! Now she was getting serious!

The battle continued fiercely. As expected, Sora was having little to no trouble, Nahiko was now up to par, and Miko was doing her best to end her opponents quickly.

Finally, night fell and we won this battle. Blood stained the deck and I was cleaning my wakizashis when a royal ship pulled up alongside us. I knew it was Prince Zen. He'd probably gotten word from Princess Shirayuki that Miko had disappeared. Sure enough, Prince Zen boarded and locked eyes with me after briefly searching the ship.

"Where is she?" Concern filled his voice.

I simply pointed to where she was, at the bow of the ship.

"Miko! Get on my ship, now!" He told her. He'd kept his composure, but his voice carried.

Thankfully, Miko gave him no argument and went with him. If she was going to be on the front lines, I would feel much better with her on her father's ship. The ship departed and I placed my clean swords into their sheaths.

"I-Is it safe to come out now?" Nyra's voice came from behind me.

"It's safe."

She emerged with a bucket of warm water and a scrub brush.

"You know it's just going to get bloody again tomorrow."

"I need to feel like I'm contributing too. Dinner is ready for when you're ready to eat, so I figured I would do something else too."

"Seems like you're adjusting to life on a ship."

"I think so... How did Sora do in the battle?"

"He escaped unharmed, but I should tend to my men." I reached into one of my pouches and pulled out a jar of the 'miracle cream' and bandages.

I went around to all the wounded and treated them. Thankfully, no one lost a limb. Only five had been seriously hurt and would need bed rest for the next while to recover.

After everything had been said and done I crashed on my bed and passed out.

The days dragged on, as they tend to do in wars, and I lost some good men. I hated war. I wanted nothing more than for this to be a bad dream that I could wake up from, but I wasn't so naive to think that was possible.

We had just defeated an enemy vessel, looted it, and set it ablaze when a blue bird landed on the stern railing of the ship where I was leaning against.

"Is it too much to ask for good news?" I asked my feathered friend.

He just tilted his head at me. I took the message out of the pouch and read it.

Zen,

We are under attack. A separate force came at the castle. For now, Queen Rin, Princess Suna, and the guards are doing everything they can, but I am not sure how much longer they will hold.

Shirayuki.

Prince Zen must have sent this to me because he's tied down.

"SET SAIL FOR CLARINES!" I ordered.

Hang on Nosuke! I'm coming! Please be okay.

We arrived at the castle and found several enemies. I did my best to focus on my opponents as I cut them down one by one, but I found myself searching the bodies for Nosuke's. I prayed that I wouldn't find it.

There were more enemies than expected and I was starting to think that I should have brought more men. Thankfully, Prince Zen and his men arrived along with Miko.

I saw a man go to attack Zen from his blind spot. I moved like lightning and ran my sword through the man's throat, dropping him instantly to the ground.

"Watch it, Zen! We don't need you dead!"

Zen lunged forward and I ducked to evade his sword as he ended the opponent behind me.

"Same goes for you, Kat!"

We stood back to back and fought off the waves of enemies that never seemed to end. Thane had followed my lead and stood back to back with Miko doing the same thing Prince Zen and I were.

Sora needed no partner because the enemy never had a chance to get behind him. He was a machine, not even blinking as he took down his opponents.

Finally, we entered the throne room. Thankfully, Nosuke was there with a few of the remaining guards. I wanted nothing more than to run to him, but this was not the time or place for that, so we just exchanged smiles.

"Mom! Amari!" Miko called out to her family.

"Is everyone alright?" Zen asked out of concern.

"Nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. We are fine now." Shirayuki reassured Zen.

Queen Rin stepped forward. "It was a good thing you showed up when you did. I don't know how much longer, we would have lasted."

"What was Prince Kotau doing, sending his men in secret to attack the castle?" Mitsuhide asked.

"It was quite a strategy. Attack it, while its defenses were low. Then he could take what he wanted. Gold and jewels wouldn't cut it, either." Miko analyzed.

"He wanted the Queen." Zen realized, gritting his teeth.

"Must be my good looks." Rin joked.

"This is no time for that. This is serious. I can't risk leaving you here at the castle unguarded, but it isn't exactly safe on the ship..." Zen remained thoughtful.

"Sorry, Zen. Jokes are just my way of dealing with it sometimes."

That didn't surprise me. Pirates usually did that to relieve tension.

"I'll stay." Sora volunteered. "I can get them out of a tight spot if need be." I tensed a little. Sora was a good fighter, but to leave him with royals by himself wasn't a good idea. He hadn't fully earned my trust yet.

"Obi, you stay with them! Let me know if anything arises!" Zen ordered.

"Of course, Master." Obi bowed.

"Thane! You stay too." I ordered. Thane was the one I trusted to be my eyes and ears.

"But Captain..."

"No buts! We can do without you for now."

"Very well..."

"Alright then. We need to get back. Are you going to be alright?" Zen asked Shirayuki.

"We'll be fine, Zen. Really." Shirayuki smiled before accepting a hug from Zen. "What about Miko? Isn't she staying too?"

"It seems she has been able to help out a great deal on the ship. For now, she will be coming back with us."

Shirayuki gave Miko a stern look. "We will be talking more about this later."

Miko nodded.

"Be safe."

"You too."

I gave Nosuke one last smile to show him I was okay, then it was time to leave.

We stopped in Tanbarun to allow some new recruits to join my ship. They had just joined the fight and Prince Zen had advised that I get new recruits there.

We were just about to get ready to set sail with the Tanbarun forces when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain."

I turned around and there stood Prince Raj. "Of course, Your Highness." I gave a bow. "How can I help you?"

"You've certainly come a long way from being a pickpocket."

"I'm surprised you remembered."

"It was an unusual circumstance. I wanted to give you this." Prince Raj pulled out a couple of ledgers. "I had your money transferred to a bank in Wistal. After our encounter that day, I'd made a point to add to it each year. It was a hope that we could one day be friends."

I took the ledgers and noticed that one had my name on it and the other had Desti's. I opened my ledger and my jaw dropped. It was more than I'd ever expected to be in there. Prince Raj had been generous in his contributions.

"Prince Raj... I don't know what to say..."

"You saved Shirayuki and have gone out of your way to protect her family. It's the least I could do. Also, I'd heard about your misfortunes as a child. I wanted to make sure that any children you had wouldn't suffer the same pain."

Tears filled my eyes. "You are too kind..." I couldn't help it. I gave Prince Raj a quick but tight hug. "Thank you... I'll make sure to put it to good use."

Prince Raj straightened himself and seemed a bit awkward. "Yes, well, you will always be a friend of Tanbarun. I wish you luck in the battles to come."

I dried my tears. "Thank you, Your Highness. I'll do my best." I gave him a bow.

"I know you will."

I received a letter from Prince Zen asking that we check the coastline on Clarines for any suspicious activity. I understood why he would be worried. He thought that they might try another attack to get at the Queen.

I took Nahiko, Kito, and Takishi with me as a scouting party. I didn't want it to be too big otherwise we'd get spotted for sure. We rode on horseback searching for any sign of trouble.

After not finding anything after the first couple of days, we made camp in a nearby cave. It was in a mountain and looked like there was a whole tunnel system. It was late into the night by the time we finally settle down.

I kept my eye on the tunnels to make sure no animals came out, or other surprises as we sat around the fire drinking tea.

"You look worried, Kat." Nahiko observed.

"I'm fine... I just don't like this cave."

"I know what you mean. Just keep your eyes peeled and we should be fine."

"Nahiko?"

"Hm?"

"How are you dealing with being away from Sakura?"

"I just remember everything about her and picture her in my mind's eye. And the letters help too."

"When do you have the time to send letters?"

"Whenever we pull into port. I don't want to use the birds, they're for important stuff."

"I'd say telling her you're alive and well is pretty important."

"True, but that's usually not what my letters are about."

I allowed myself to chuckle. "Nosuke mentioned those letters were your idea."

"So he did send them then! Good!"

"You're awfully casual about the subject."

"Before I was a pirate, I worked in all sorts of jobs and spent a lot of time in taverns. So, much like you, it doesn't phase me."

"Fair enough. Just promise me you won't read mine. I can only take so much."

"A little late for that."

Of course, he had to say that just as I took a drink of my tea causing me to spit it out. "Please tell me you're joking!"

"I wish I could, but where do you think Nosuke got some of his ideas from?"

I went red. "So... you know exactly what we've said?"

"Every word."

My face was on fire.

"No need to be so embarrassed, I've done much more with Sakura."

"Wow! Dad! Did not need that mental image!"

Nahiko let out a chuckle.

"Well, well, well, look at what we have here boys!" An eerie voice echoed through the cave.

The four of us stood to face our uninvited company. And there was a lot of them. At least twenty by my count.

"Just like the Prince said." Another man added.

He knew we would be here? How? When? What kind of a man was this Prince that he could predict our movements?

"What do you want?!" I demanded.

"Why to kill you, of course. Can't risk you rallying other pirates to join in on the action."

I drew my wakizashis. "Well then come and get me, if you dare!"

Men with crossbows shot at us from all directions. Thankfully, Kito was proficient in archery and was able to take out several before I took an arrow to the shoulder.

The fire that shot through my shoulder was excruciating, but I broke it off and kept fighting. Swords clashed and arrows flew. The whole battle lasted only moments but it felt like forever.

Takishi fell to an arrow just before Kito could take him out. Nahiko and I battled back to back the whole fight.

Finally, the last one fell just as the sun was rising and shining its hopeful light into the cave.

"How did he know we were here?" Kito asked.

"I don't know. It would seem we are dealing with an excellent strategic mind and a crazy one."

"Kat! Look out!" It was Nahiko's voice.

I turned around just in time to see an arrow pierce through Nahiko. "DAD!" I caught him before he hit the ground. Kito shot the enemy who'd fired the arrow in the face. No way he was getting up again. I turned my attention back to Nahiko.

"Dad, come on, stay with me!" I dug around in my pouch for the 'miracle cream'. It helped Shirayuki two years ago, it could help Nahiko here.

"Kat..."

I found it and opened it up. "Here! Let me dress your wound! You're going to be okay! I promise!"

"Kat..." Tears filled my eyes as I looked deep into his. "...look at my wound..."

I did as he told me and I saw the damage. I couldn't look anymore, so I locked eyes with him again.

"No... you can't... not yet..." The tears streamed down my face.

"It doesn't look... like I have a... choice." He coughed up blood.

"I-I promised Nosuke... I would do my best... to make sure you came back..."

"You did your best... don't blame yourself for this... the only people to blame are the man who shot the arrow and Prince Kotau..." He coughed up more blood.

I couldn't stop the tears. I couldn't believe I was about to lose my new dad... I watched through blurry eyes as he struggled to unclip his khmali sword from his hip.

"Kat... I want you to have this..." He coughed again. I knew he wasn't going to last much longer, so I used all my might to pay attention to his next words. "Use it to win this war and protect those closest to you..."

I placed my hand on the sword. "I will." I sobbed.

"Tell Sakura... I loved her more than the sea..." The life drained from his eyes and I knew that he was gone.

"I will... Dad..."

I burst into uncontrollable bawling as I held onto his lifeless body. Nothing but sorrow filled my heart. He had been the one person who I was able to confide in about my secret. He treated me like family and trained with me like an equal.

~ I swung around to strike the air and was met by Nosuke's father, Nahiko.

"Nosuke tells me something is bothering you."

"It's just the stress of having to be Princess Miko's attendant and having to report to Prince Zen all the time." We continued to clash swords.

"That's not exactly something you should be playing down."

"I know... If I get found out it's all over for me."

"I remember the feeling. I would imagine that Prince Zen wouldn't take kindly to a pirate captain being an attendant to his daughter."

"Part of me wants to just pack up and leave without telling anyone, but..."

"But you're in love with my son." He caught me with the same move as the first time we had sparred. We both stood down and sheathed our swords.

"Yes, sir."

"As a crewmember of the Phoenix, I can assume you keep to your word when you give it."

"Yes."

"Then promise me you won't just up and leave unless your life is on the line."

"You have my word."

"Good. You should also know that I'm here for you as a fellow pirate and as a father if you would like, should you ever need it."

"Thank you, Nahiko."~

~"RUN!" Nosuke grabbed my hand and we sprinted off together. We tried our best to outrun Nahiko and Sakura but it was no use. They cornered us at a small lake that was at the base of a mountain.

"Now, Nosuke, it wasn't good for you to get Kat involved. But because you did, she will share in your punishment."

I froze momentarily, but it was just enough time for Nahiko and Sakura to throw me into the water behind us.

Nosuke followed soon after.

When we recovered from the shock, all four of us burst out laughing. This was almost more fun than the tavern. Almost. ~

~"Nahiko will you spar with me?" I asked giving him my pouty face that always worked on Desti.

"I don't normally spar with her, you know that."

"I know... but I want to see you use it!"

Nahiko thought about it.

"Pleeeaase..." I begged.

"Alright, I suppose one match won't hurt."

"Awesome!"~

"Dad... I won't let you down... I promise..."

I continued to cry till no more tears would come. I wanted nothing more than to let him be buried on his own land... but how...?

"Go on without me." Kito calmly interjected. "I can make sure he get's to his family. All I need is for you to point me in the right direction."

"You would do that?"

"I see how much he means to you."

I gave Kito precise directions on how to get to Nahiko and Sakura's home just outside of Wistal. "I'll wait for your return before we set sail."

"I'll be as quick as I can. Is there anything you want me to say when I see them?"

"Just tell them I'm okay..." I was so numb that I couldn't think of anything else. I felt in my heart there would be much more to say, but I couldn't think of how to put my feelings into words.

"Then let's not waste any more time." Kito reasoned.

My body felt like it was moving on its own as I clipped the khmali sword to my hip and mounted my horse.

I watched as Kito took off in the direction I had specified. I stayed watching till I could no longer see him. Then I continued onwards to my ship as new tears poured forth like waterfalls. Nothing was worse than this moment. Nahiko was gone.