HANABUSA

"Dammit." Hanabusa took off after Yori, shouting back to the others, "Wait there!" He prayed that they heard him. He didn't want to think about being separated from their companions.

Yori was dashing back along the road the way they had come, too frightened to think clearly. Something about this place seemed to spark the imagination and play upon one's worst fears or memories. As for Hanabusa himself, he had seen nothing, but the fog was unnerving and sent eerie shivers down his spine.

"Yori, stop!" he yelled, to no effect. The girl seemed not to hear, sprinting ahead as agilely as some kind of woodland fairy. He was hard-pressed to keep up with her, which might have impressed him if the circumstances had been different.

At last, the auburn-haired girl slowed, seeming to come to her senses. She stopped, looking around dazedly. Panting, Hanabusa halted beside her, needing a moment to catch his breath before he could say anything. Although they had merely run back along the road itself, he didn't recognize where they were. Then again, everything looked the same in the swamp. Here the path had narrowed and the greenish waters lapped on either side, forming a thin bridge of land that seemed to have at one time been reinforced with wood, but at this point had deteriorated substantially. The fog was still strong here, but not nearly as bad as it had been further ahead where he hoped Zero and Yuki still waited.

"I'm sorry..." Yori murmured after a moment.

Straightening, he waved off her apology, curbing a flare of irritation. After all, he couldn't forget that the sharp edge of her recent nightmares still hadn't dulled. "What did you see?" he asked instead.

Hazel eyes flicked away from him. Then, tentatively, "My-My family... The townspeople... Dead..." She couldn't continue, shaking her head, eyes watering dangerously. If Yori had been a normal girl, he would have held her, but because she was not he was rendered helpless, unsure of how to comfort her.

"I know it wasn't real," she managed at last, pulling herself together for the most part, although a few tears still escaped, slipping down from the corners of her eyes. He had to give her credit; Yori was incredibly strong. Despite whatever the fog had shown her, the loss of her father, and the destruction of her home, she had not given in to grief.

"That doesn't make it any easier to see..." He trailed off, then, "Yuki saw something, as well. It seems as though the swamp is enchanted."

Yori nodded, taking deep breaths and seeming to regain more of her composure with each one.

"There's no other way. You know we have to go back. Zero and Yuki are waiting for us." I hope, he added mentally. He didn't want to think about losing track of them here in Brackmire Basin.

"I know." She attempted a smile. For a moment, she closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. When she reopened them, she seemed to stand a little straighter. "Okay. Let's go."

"Do you want me to hold your hand?" he ribbed, hoping to distract her from any thoughts that might trigger her to see more images in the fog. He wasn't entirely kidding, though... Part of him would have preferred keep her from running off by putting her on a tether. Unfortunately, they had gotten rid of their horses and the gear that came with them ages ago.

Yori rolled her eyes. Then, "Actually, do you think I'd fit in your pack?"

He pretended to check, "Well, it might be a tight squeeze, but there's a little room by the bread."

To his relief, she smiled. "We'll use that as a back-up plan, then."

"So, no hand-holding?" He grinned.

"Maybe you'll get lucky. I give you permission if I start to run off screaming again."

"Deal." He motioned for her to walk in front of him again and they started back down the road. He hoped it wouldn't take terribly long to catch up with Zero and Yuki, but he feared they had run further than he thought.

Until recently, Hanabusa Aidou had always believed himself to be incredibly lucky. In fact, he carried 19 years of good luck with him. But it seemed as though his luck had been buried in the ground along with King Kaien. Of course now, of all the times, they would be discovered on the road.

The fog had masked their arrival. One moment the road was clear and the next, eight or so men on horseback had materialized, bearing down upon them too fast for them to attempt an escape. There was a shout, and then they were completely surrounded. Hanabusa instantly grabbed the hilt of his sword, surveying the men warily. One he could see was not a man, but rather a boy of maybe thirteen years of age. From the looks of them, they were a hunting party. Some kind of large, thick-skinned lizard was tied to their saddles.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the boy asked, tilting back his hat and surveying the pair.

"We're merely travelers," Hanabusa answered, fingers twitching around his sword hilt. By the looks of the boy's garb and the brown and black colors of the guard, he was one of the members of the Touma household. The blond didn't know much about them, but from what he had heard, they weren't the most hospitable or kind.

"Shut up," the boy commanded.

Shut up? No one told him to shut up. But he could only glower coldly. Right now, this little brat was in the position of power.

"I am the heir to the Touma house, Rei Touma. You may address me as your Lord," the kid said haughtily.

Hanabusa raised an eyebrow. This brat was quite literally sitting atop his high horse.

"Is this man bothering you?" Rei asked Yori, who seemed surprised by the question.

"No," she replied quickly. "Not at all."

"You're very beautiful." The boy analyzed the Wakaba noble slowly, a smirk playing across his lips dangerously. "Actually, my father says it's about time I had a concubine. I'll be married in a few years, after all."

"A w-what?" Yori demanded, flabbergasted.

"Guards, take her," Rei snapped his fingers, and the nearest guards began to dismount.

"Hold it right there!" Hanabusa snapped, drawing his sword. Anger flashed through him now, burning through his veins hotly. This whelp was not going to ride off with Yori, especially not to become a concubine of all things. Disgust rolled through his stomach.

"You dare to draw your sword against a noble?"

Immediately, he saw that he and Yori had been surrounded by a ring of steel. He couldn't hope to fight off all of them, and Yori was at too close a range to use her bow. His mind raced. There had to be a solution, some scenario that would suddenly make Yori off-limits or at least undesirable as far as the boy was concerned. In the snap of a few seconds, he suddenly had it. He had to pride himself for being a genius among his many other talents.

"Forgive me, My Lord, but I can't stand by and let you take away my wife." His eyes met the boy's frostily, hiding the twinge of personal satisfaction he felt for having invented such a perfect solution. He couldn't see Yori's face, but he hoped that she did not expose the lie with her expression.

"Your wife?" This took the young lord aback. "You don't look married..." he said suspiciously.

"What are married people supposed to look like?" the blond demanded. With a sigh, he sheathed his sword and stepped back, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders. To his relief, she returned the embrace, wrapping her own arms around his waist. "Perhaps we still have much to learn...we haven't been married very long," he pretended to admit sheepishly.

The child scowled. Clearly this hadn't been a consideration, and he was at a loss. The young lord motioned to the guards, who lowered their weapons, and Hanabusa relaxed a fraction. It seemed like they might get away with this scheme after all.

At last, Rei grinned. "If you're married, you have to kiss. That way I'll know if you're lying or not. And if you're lying..." The child giggled suddenly, eyes lighting up wickedly. "I hope you're lying. Then I can have some fun!"

The kid was disturbed. How did a kiss prove a marriage, anyway? Hanabusa felt Yori flinch against him at this demand, and felt himself tense as well. Rei Touma was calling his bluff, albeit in a nonsensical and childish way. His eyes scanned the ring of guards again, but he already knew it would be impossible fight. There was only one hope of escape, and he couldn't imagine what the Wakaba girl was feeling. To ask this of her seemed too much...

Trapped, he turned to face her, examining her expression. Her jaw was clenched, eyes like steel. It was at least better than the fear and horror that had been there after what she had seen in the fog. This was not exactly the way he had originally planned to seduce Yori, a plan he had now entirely forgotten in the wake of the destruction of the Wakaba capital.

Then again, perhaps this wasn't so bad after all. Even Sayori Wakaba couldn't be totally immune to his charms, and if he could keep her mind off her grief, this bizarre predicament would be worth it. Not that it would last... But, as long as she refrained from slapping him, they might be able to get away from Rei Touma without further trouble.

For the benefit of their audience and to gauge her reaction he said, "Sweetheart, I know you're usually shy, but is this okay..?"

Yori's lips pressed together for a moment, revealing her reluctance. In spite of that, she gave a slight nod. Not that she had much of a choice. The alternative was a fate that Hanabusa might not even wish on his enemies: to become the plaything of a child lord.

He touched her cheek, unable to convey what he wanted, that it would be okay. He wasn't used to kissing women who didn't want his advances. It was already starting to leave a bitter aftertaste, and he hadn't even kissed her yet. There was nothing pleasant about forcing intimacy. He fought back a grimace. He was a better actor than this.

"Pretend they aren't here," he instructed, half to himself, trying his best to cast Yori as the shy maiden instead of revealing the truth, that neither of them particularly wanted this kiss, albeit for reasons entirely different.

Her eyes darted to the lordling on his horse. Hanabusa's thumb stroked her cheek as he leaned forward, whispering, "Don't look at them, look at me."

Rather than focus on the situation, Hanabusa concentrated instead on Yori, remembering her smile and the sunlight that had once graced her eyes. He imagined that they were back in The Vale, in the gardens rather than a swamp. The power of his gaze could not provoke these memories, although he tried. He willed her to remember happier times, to forget their surroundings, so that whatever feelings Rei Touma thought he saw would not be entirely feigned.

His lips brushed against hers then, eyes falling shut. He wished that this kiss could comfort her somehow, although he knew it would not. Still, he wanted her to smile again from her heart one day. Her, and Yuki, and Zero as well... He couldn't see the end to their journey, but at that end he hoped the four of them could smile together.

The knight pulled back then, eyebrows drawing together, unsure if this kiss would allow him a second chance at friendship with the girl or shatter any such chances completely. It was impossible to read Yori's expression. Although she was standing right in front of him, she seemed miles away. Despite that, at the very least her mind should have been temporarily distracted from the tragedies that had befallen her.

Cautiously, he turned back to Rei. The child was scowling at them, fingers tapping with either impatience or irritation against the saddle of his horse. The guards, on the other hand, seemed more bored than concerned.

"Ha, you're idiots," Rei giggled at last. Hanabusa squinted, suspicious. "Did you really think it mattered to me if you were married or not? Your bride will make a fine addition to the household. Guards," he gestured lazily at Yori.

This little brat had to be joking. The knight wanted nothing more than to drag him out of his saddle and give him a good shaking, though he was in no position to do so. How dare this impertinent whelp challenge him once again? He had already proven their invented marriage, hadn't he? Anger was pushing its way through his limbs again.

Enraged, his sword found its way from his sheath again. "That's enough, Lord Rei," he declared in a low tone. "You have no right to challenge me." He moved close to the boy, ignoring the swords pointed in his direction, and revealed the ring on his left hand which bore the emblem of his house: a yellow eagle, its body a shield and its feathers extending into swords over a blue background.

The guards truly hesitated now. One even began to advise Rei, saying, "My Lord, perhaps-" before he was cut off.

"Silence," Rei commanded. "The Aidou crest. Lord...Hanabusa, I presume? I heard you were on the run. Funny, I didn't receive word of your marriage." One eyebrow raised archly.

"Even my father is unaware... I married without his knowledge," he chanced, knowing he was on treacherous ground here.

"Very well. I won't take your little wife."

Hanabusa relaxed. Behind him, Yori let out a breath of relief. The knight sheathed his sword once again and began to say his thanks, when he was abruptly interrupted.

"Instead, I'll hold you both for ransom. Now isn't that a twist?" The boy grinned, laughing. "It would be such a shame if I wasted all my time here."

"What?!" Hanabusa demanded. "How dare you!"

"I dare what I want. These are my lands. Don't forget. Besides, I'm a little hurt you never even sent me a wedding invitation."

This time, there was no talking his way out of capture.

A/N: Well, that went poorly. I had to invent Touma´s name, I hope you don´t mind. Leave it to Hino to not bother to give us his first name, too.

Don´t you love patriarchal societies where a married woman is essentially worthless? Congrats Aidori on your fake marriage!

Btw, in case you were curious as to why the chapter names repeat the number, that´s because FF doesn't allow you to have 2 chapters with the same name, and I didn't want to leave them nameless bc it would be hard to navigate so...that was my solution. Yay... -waves pathetic flag-