"So, are we going to play or not?" Gome asked with crossed arms. It was taking too long just to sort through all the details of this game.

"So impatient! Rules must be followed!"

Gome rolled her eyes. Rules? Who needed rules? Rules never applied. If you wanted something done, you just do it. No hesitation involved. But then again, this was a child's game, something she had never been a part of.

Beside her, Michiru smiled and touched her arm. "Now that there are eight of us, Gome will be the guard of Kaname. Kaname, you're the younger sister of Tsyu who will be the noble princess. I will be her protector. And these four here," He said, pointing to the other four boys across the way. "They play the bad guys. Bandits."

"Wait, I don't want to be a bandit this time. I want to be the demon!" Someone said.

"Yeah! Let's change up the game! Let's all be demons!" Another said, the other boys joining in agreement.

Michiru nodded. "Okay. Let's do that. The game starts with the usual setup. The girls will have tea, and you and I guard them, Gome. From those demons. Understand?"

"I get it."

"And we're going to hide in the tall grass and snatch them! The field is the best place to play these kinds of games!" Someone said.

"And then? What do we do after we get the girls back?"

"You come after us! Fight us off and get the girls back to the safe zone. But its just you and Michiru against all four of us!"

Seemed simple enough. Gome had handled her fair share of demons and humans, ones far bigger than these brats. How difficult could it be? But something sounded weird to her. In fact, it made little sense. "But why would demons want two human princesses?"

"To devour them!"

"Rawr!"

The sight of the boys acting like demons made her laugh. "Okay. So, what's the preferred way of fighting? With our fists?"

Michiru shook his head. "No. We will use these sticks and pretend they are swords," He said, holding up two separate limbs. "As you know, its impossible to fight a demon head on with just our bare hands."

Gome squinted at the pretend swords and retrieved her hidden dagger from her sleeve. "But I already have one—"

Megumi gasped. "You can't use that! You could hurt someone swinging that around!"

Gome blinked at this and turned towards Michiru and the other boys for their input, but they had flinched away, their faces betraying uncertainty. "But that's the point. To hurt someone and save you two," She said, thrusting her blade above her to the blue sky.

Across the way, she saw her father chuckling at her, and her cheeks warmed. Gome lowered her arm, and Michiru laughed at her dramatic display. "Fine… I guess I'll use this fake sword…"

"You're so weird! I don't know if we should play with her, Michiru. She's different."

But he only smiled. "It's fine. But the last thing we want are injuries, Gome. We don't want you getting in trouble with our parents either. I hope you don't mind."

Gome nodded. "That's true. I know father wouldn't care… but mom… She will be upset if I come home with bloodstains on my kimono again." She sighed. She took the stick from his offered hand and swung it around. "I hope I don't hit the wrong demon," She said, eyeing Megumi across the way.

"Let's hope not!"

Kaname giggled. "Let's play already!"

And just like that, the boys dispersed into the long grass while the girls congregated towards the middle of the clearing by boulders. From there, Megumi made herself comfortable, smoothing down her kimono and hair while Kaname pretended to pour her a cup of tea. Gome watched the scene play out for five minutes before heaving a sigh.

Boring. When would it get fun? Gome's eyes peered out in the distance where the boys had scattered. Imagine if an actual demon appeared… I would love to see Megumi's face. If that happens…

Kaname enjoyed herself, acting the part of a younger sister to this stuck up princess, the latter fanning herself with her hand as she complained about the weather. Rather than treat the little girl with the same respect, she commanded her smaller tasks, ones which were no different to those of servants.

How was that fun?

But other than them, her blue orbs traveled to Michiru beside her. His eyes remained glued on the surrounding area, his body stiff and watchful. He was less annoying than the others, besides Kaname.

Heaving a sigh, she stared at the stick in hand, wanting nothing more than to sharpen it with her knife. But that would upset them. But she was so bored. Hunting animals, demons or humans was way better than this. Gome leaned in to Michiru and whispered, "Would it be okay to inspect the perimeter while you stay watch—"

"Be silent! I did not order you to talk!"

Gome bit her tongue, and Michiru sweat dropped. Guess that was a no… Nothing was stopping her from ripping this girl's hair out. In fact, she was stronger than all these kids combined. But if she opened her mouth one more time…

"Over there!" Michiru said, and Gome turned her head, eyeing the tall grass ahead. Did he see something?

Megumi and Kaname gasped. "What's wrong?!"

Michiru reached for the stick at his waist and squinted his gaze. "Princesses… I think we should leave this area. We're not safe."

Gome rolled her eyes. Oh god… This was getting a little too much. "It's nothing I can't handle," She said, playing the part of a good guard. "I'd like to see them hurt Kaname."

Megumi cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

"And you…"

"That's princess, Megumi!" She said, her voice low. "But, whatever the case, I hope you will both perform your duty well to keep us safe!"

A rustle in the surrounding trees drew her eye, and she heard running footsteps approach. It was about damn time! Animalic growling sounded right and left, and Gome sweat dropped. Was that the best impersonating they could conjure of a demon?

"You fiend!" Michiru said and brandished his stick. He ran into the tall blades of grass to attack the nearest demon and Gome watched, blinking. Seconds later, she heard a bloodcurdling scream escape him, and all she saw after was his body being dragged away into the tall grass. "The demon has me! Protect the princesses, Gome! You're out last hope!"

"Geez… you guys are dramatic!" Gome said. "What kind of protector are you if you die at the beginning of the game?!" She brandished her stick and twirled it around her fingers. "Princesses… stay behind me. Actually, don't move," She said, circling them as she awaited a surprise attack.

Gome didn't wait long when a single boy ran for Kaname from behind, and with fast reflexes, she tripped him and jabbed him with the stick. An awkward sound followed, and he fell to the ground, his tongue sticking out. Gome supposed he was down for the count.

Only three remained.

At the sound of Megumi screaming, Gome growled. "Shut up! If you don't want to die, be quiet!" And that was a threat.

"That's not part of the script!"

"What script?"

"I'm a princess. I'm supposed to scream in times of danger! You should know that!"

"I don't know how it's done for real nobles, but I know that gets you killed. Now be quiet or I'll throw you into the grass and let the demons have you. Then the game will be over. Do you want that?"

And besides, Kaname wasn't even screaming. In fact, the little girl was on her best behavior around her. Now that she thought about it, why couldn't they wield weapons? In her eyes, they did not differ from men besides their temperaments. All they needed was some training.

Just as Megumi was getting on her last nerves with her high-pitched shriek, movement from behind caught her ear, and she turned, swinging her stick, but she never intended for another to jump in on the opposite side and swipe Megumi out of reach. The screaming intensified, and she covered her ears.

"Oh, no! They have her!" Kaname said, gasping.

"Good… She was the most annoying princess I'd ever met. She deserves her fate…" She said, and Kaname lost character and laughed. "You know what that means, Kaname?"

She blinked up at her. "No. What?"

"It means you're them main princess. No one can boss you around anymore."

Kaname threw her hands high over her head. "Yay! I've never been the first princess before!"

"Hey!" A familiar voice said, marching towards them. Megumi pointed at Gome with a furious expression. "I'm the royal princess! I'm the oldest! You were supposed to come after me! Instead, those fools dragged me through the grass! You can't change the rules like that!"

"Well… I'm Kaname's protector. Not yours. Yours died at the beginning of the game. No offense. You were on your own to begin with, Megumi." And it was the truth.

Michiru, who had been quiet for the past ten minutes, poked his head from the tall grass behind the three boys. "She has a point!"

Megumi turned at this, hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you're agreeing with her?!"

A tugging at her kimono turned Gome's eyes downward to the boy lying at her feet. His eyes opened. "What is it?"

"Can we continue the game?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him back down with her foot. "I guess so, but you're supposed to be dead, demon boy," She said, poking him with the stick in the gut. She laughed when a fake noise escaped him and his tongue fell out once more.

Kaname laughed beside her. "That looks fun! Can I try?"

"Sure."

As she did, each time Kaname poked the child, he twitched right and left, his body flopping similar to a fish out of water. The sight only caused Gome and Kaname to laugh further, and they forgot about Megumi throwing a tantrum behind them.

"Hey! If you're going to play with us, play right! That's why rules exist!"

Gome rolled her eyes for the fifteenth time that day. "Rules can be broken. Also, I don't want to be a protector anymore… I'm going to switch to being a bandit."

"You can't do that!"

Gome ignored her and snapped her finger. "I got it! We can say that I was pretending to be a guard this entire time, but in actuality, I was a bandit hoping to seek revenge on the royal family!" She turned away from the dead child and approached Megumi. Without a word, she jabbed her in the side with a stick. "Now you're dead. Bandits and demons win this time!"

"Wait… is the game over?" One boy asked.

Another shrugged. "I guess so… Our main princess died twice…"

"Let's play again!" Kaname said, cheering. "That was a lot of fun! Can we? Can we?"

At the child's insistence, Gome's eyes flashed to the hillside with her father waited. "Actually, my father is waiting for me. And it's getting late. Maybe we can play tomorrow?" As out of character as this was for her, she had to admit, it was fun. And she especially liked all the kids, except Megumi.

"Yay!"