Hello everyone! How're you all? Fine?

Thanks to Cutetyhil and Golden Glow of Amber for reviewing the last chapter. Here it is...

Dew-chan: Have I entered here, Di?

Red: Have I got to meet my red rose, Di?

Blue: You killed Mari in my birthday gift! I won't ever forgive you, Di!

Roop: I have heard that you'd kill Julia once again in an upcoming fic of yours. Is it true, Di?

Misty: SHUT UP!

Red: Why? We're the co-authors of this fic. And the RaySal meeting was designed by me though!

Misty: Okay okay, everyone will praise you for it. Now let me continue-

Warning: Slight adult content in the end.

Flashback:

The battleground which was intersecting both the realm of water and the empire of fire was almost empty-of living beings. The grasses were thirstily drinking the blood which was shed on its craggy, ruthless surface by hundreds of valiant warriors hailing from both Kaen and Hiawatha. A few trees were surrounding the field, losing almost all their branches and leaves, all thanks to the swords and arrows of the troopers. Though the corpses of the martyrs were taken away from the arena, the gray pitch of the ground was still red as if the petals of thousands of dianthus and red tulips had decorated a bed there. Seeing the play of destruction, when the sun had felt embarrassed and hid its glowing face behind the gloomy clouds, it could never have been known.

Then again, neither the weather nor the cruel sight of the battlefield could bother the two young warriors present there. One was on the back of a giant elephant which was bellowing, raising its trunk in the air now and then. She was wearing silver armors, covering her arms, chest, waist, wrists and ankles which were hiding her navy-blue kunoichi under them. Her right hand was holding a short, bronze crescent axe seeing which anyone could mistake it as the moon. Facing her, there was a black horse, ridden by a dual-haired 16-year-old prince, adorned with golden breastplate, belt, wrist-cuffs, armguards and knee-cuffs, along with the white scarf round his neck and his well-toned mesomorphic, godlike body structure peeping out of the armors. Holding a golden longsword studded with a ruby at the handle, he was viciously staring at the flaring ruby orbs with his amethyst ones. The whirling gust of wind revolved there, ruffling their chocolate and smoky tresses.

"So," The teenager princess of Hiawatha smirked, standing up on the back of the elephant, "Kai Hiwatari, the prince of Kaen."

"Afraid so, princess." The dual-haired prince sneered, tightly clutching his sword.

"Ready for the duel?" She stretched the cleaver towards the prince of the fire kingdom.

"Always."

He stood up on the back of his animal, so did she. Both the beasts rumbled. The giant lifted its trunk and two legs in the air. Nonetheless, the brunette didn't feel a bit difficulty to maintain her balance. Seeing the prowess of the elephant, the black, sturdy stallion also galloped, neighing furiously. Not wasting a single moment, both the brunette and the dual-haired guy sprang towards each other from the backs of their beasts as the latter ones retreated, giving space to their masters to battle. They landed on the ground like a pair of hyperbolas intersecting each other as their weapons collided.

"Tung!"

They held the wrists of each other so that their opponent couldn't operate the weapon. The axe and the sword created an "X". From their gap, Kai could see a pair of furious rubies. Lips were folded, teeth were clenched. He felt so amused unknowingly as her hot breaths tickled his nose. They both were struggling to get rid of their respective opponent, their feet weren't fixed on the ground. They were moving circularly, bit by bit which meant that they were trying their best to maintain balance but they were failing in it eventually. Nonetheless, they were facing much toughness to separate the axe from the sword. Like, they were connected forever to each other- since births and rebirths.

Suddenly, the brunette fell back, getting shoved by her archenemy. Tender, coral lips got bruised a bit, showing a blood blob down to her chin. As she tilted back, her back met the ground as he met her gazes, landing on her. His sword was placed right at her throat. They were so close that she couldn't understand which exhalation belonged to her and which to him. His amethysts were leaning on her rubies. Hers were confused, a bit nervous and shivering in an anonymous feeling. On the other hand, his were bewitched. A strange perfume, maybe, belonging to the wild roses, was coming from her body. His was emitting the flavor of mint. Amidst the blood, tears and piles of destruction, they were lying there in that position. Hiromi gritted her teeth, not liking being dominated at all. However, the phoenix-prince wasn't that proud to dominate her, his blank facial expressions were saying so.

"Ah!"

Before understanding anything, the dual-haired prince discovered himself blowing in the air as his back smit one of the large rocks littered there. Forehead earnt a small amount of cut and a droplet of blood oozed from his nose. Yes, the brunette had placed a firm kick at his guts, or say, just kneed it. With a jolt, she stood up, he too as neither of them liked to keep fallen on the ground for much time. Again, like a tiger and tigress, they rushed towards each other from the opposite directions. For the second time, the crescent axe and the sword, emitting the glow of the ever-radiant sun, clashed against each other very brutally, eager to quench the blood of their respective opponent. Not for so many seconds, this time, they again parted. Their hands kept rotating clockwise and anticlockwise, in different directions.

"Tung!"

"Ting!"

"Sleesh!"

Holding the slender waist of the brunette, the fire-prince twirled her and effortlessly pinned her against a nearby tree. Though her hand was still holding the crescent axe, she had no way to operate it. Again, grasping her between the dry stem and the shiny, metal blade of his weapon, he smirked in his would-be victory which was seeming not so far from him. Hiromi was writhing against his clutches to be free but damn, his beefy arms contained so much energy that she couldn't break their shackles around her nape and waist. Gritting her jaw, she gave him a venomous stare but Kai already had his antidote against that. Sneering, he remarked, "Get ready to bid farewell to your beloved Hiawatha, princess Hiromi."

The brunette princess's teeth were clenched; despite hearing the threat, she was scuffling hard to be free. Nonetheless, her attempts didn't go in vain. Right at that time, being a savior, a messenger from Kaen rushed to the battleground, huffing, "Prince Hiwatari, there is a bad news for you!"

"What?" Annoyed, the prince turned his head back, "What happened?"

"Your parents have been imprisoned by the soldiers of Hiawatha," The runner informed amidst his pants, "They've been taken to the water castle."

Hiromi smirked even though she was confined in the vice grip of the fire prince. Yes, her plan didn't go futile. She was deliberately keeping the slate-haired guy busy so that the king and queen of Kaen could be trapped easily. However, the news didn't please the male warrior at all. He gulped; his amethyst eyes went widened. His hands which were detaining the chocolate-haired princess were loosening their grips from her. The news really was a kick at his teeth. Even before a while, he had been winning the duel but his boat was seeming drowning right at the edge of the river. Really, what kind of irony was this?!

Be it an irony or not for the phoenix-prince, for the princess, it was a golden chance. Not misusing it a bit, Hiromi applied all the force of her body and thrusted her enemy towards the ground with a sheer force. As his back collided with the blood-drenched soil of the battlefield, the sword got flung away and landed a bit far from him. Aiming the axe at his chin, the brunette sneered in victory, "The game is over, prince Hiwatari. Like always, the streams have extinguished the flames this time too."

Kai was looking at the girl with disbelief in his eyes. Chewing air in her mouth, she spoke, "However, for now, I have no grudge against you because the war was waged only to avenge the demise of Mariah Wong, the beloved daughter of the earth. She was a darling to Hiawatha as well as her life was precious. Besides, hearing this news, you have also got broken. That's why, I won't take your life because in my eyes, I don't think you have lost the duel but just surrendered. Those who leave their weapons willingly…I never hurt them. You're free and safe, prince Hiwatari. Go, build your kingdom once again and spread love there, not hatred. See you."

Removing the axe from him and turning back, she started walking out of the battlefield. Bit by bit, Kai stood and picked up his sword. For a moment, he was wishing to fling it at the brunette but no, he'd never learnt to attack someone from behind. Clutching it in his tightened grips, he seethed and remained standing there until the girl was out of his sight. From her words, though he got to know that he would be spared, hopefully, his heart didn't want to accept the kindness. He felt as if he'd been being pitied by this move which was, surely, an insult to him.

'Princess Hiromi Tachibana…' He muttered under his breaths, 'One day, you have to pay for it. This is my vow!'

Flash forward:

The religious book written by priest Yuriy Ivanov was open before the current empress of Hiawatha. But she couldn't put her concentration on reading it. The more her eyes were travelling through the lines on each page, the more she was losing her attention. Whenever her tongue was uttering the words composed there, in front of her eyes, the images of the burning forest, silent trees turning into the piles of ashes, horrified birds and animals running or flying here and there for the sake of dear lives were drifting. She really loved all the living and non-living being of her kingdom like a mother. She was feeling helpless as all her children were being harmed or destroyed in such a cruel manner by the force of Kaen specially when she was failing to take any step against them.

'Prince Hiwatari….' She seethed, 'Is this your way to pay the debt which I did to you by sparing your dear life in the battlefield before nine years? If you're really brave, wage another war against me and try to defeat me if you can! For you, why should the people of my kingdom suffer specially when they are innocent? What did they do to you? No, I won't let my people suffer in this way because of your uncontrollable vengeance. If you want to play dirty, I'll do it too."

Closing the book and keeping it in the marble shelf, she made her way to the chamber of her little sister. In her, she had already started seeing a weapon to defeat the haughty emperor of Kaen. Now, it was her turn to operate it.

"Clink!"

The pair of silver anklets, resonated across the dance hall together as the fingers of the drummers tapped the membranes of the tambourines and flat drums. The sticks walked across the strings of the rows of the wooden Kotos. From the flutes, subtle symphonies blew around the room, mixed with the sweet gusts of the wind as if some nightingales had chirped there together, along with the rumbles of the clouds and thunderbolts. The musicians raised their eyes to the bronze-skinned figure which was faintly visible due to the blue-flamed lamps arranged on the gypsum, chest-length stands in the room, behind the semi-transparent, slightly flurrying, ocean-blue curtains of the stage, crossing her legs and holding a Japanese fan in her right hand.

A gentle breeze drew the curtains far apart from each other, revealing the appearance of the dancer. Her soft, deep purple tresses were tied into a side-braid, decorated with a few lavender and azalea flowers. She embodied herself in a peacock-green, puffy-sleeved, off-shoulder silk gown with blue peacock-feather designs all over the ball-style bottom, having a slim violet lining with teal laces. A pair of sapphire earrings was holding her lenient ears so that they couldn't fall. From the three-layered pearl bracelet hugging her left wrist, a silver tassel was swinging, swaying in the air and dancing with the hovering symphonies there. Her beautiful turquoise orbs gently shone like two moons in one sky; berry-colored lips wore a honeyed smile.

I'm a tanned maiden,

Colored in the clouds,

The rain which drips from my eyes,

Gives a hug to the ground.

I'm a tanned maiden,

Colored in the clouds,

The rain which drips from my eyes,

Gives a hug to the ground.

According to the beats of the drums, she descended the marble, carpeted so rhythmically, just like a fountain streaming down from the peak of a high mountain and swirled at the center. From the roof, the blue-violet petals of Chikoris and lavenders got showered on her, her eyes danced, embracing the slender waists of her arc-like brows. The queen of expressions she was in her kingdom, no one could deny. Every musician in the room became more enthusiastic as the music went louder in the dance hall, yet, not crossing the limit of sweetness and modesty, being much effortless in it.

In the gray sky,

The clouds play their drums,

With Jasmines and lavenders,

To decorate her basket, the forest comes,

Yes, she comes,

With all the happiness that she's ever found,

Amidst them, I'm a mere tanned maiden,

Colored in the clouds.

With each step of her dance, her silk skirt was swaying. Lightning was running in the rhythm of her arched eyebrows. The soil of Hiawatha was getting restless in euphoria, seeing her dance. Each footstep, each movement of her beautiful wrists was just like the streams of one hundred cataracts, flowing down to the earth from the peaks of one hundred, century-old knolls. At that time, she wasn't a human being. She was seeming a peacock to the eyes of the spectators. The fingers of the musicians were working automatically, not their eyes which were stuck to her dramatic facial expressions and very subtle footwork.

In the eastern wind,

My lavender locks blow,

Lightning is my smile,

And the rain is my tear-flow.

In the rhythm, there dance each of my foot,

Amidst them, I'm a mere tanned maiden,

Colored in the clouds.

When she knelt down on the ground, her legs posed in a side-right angle and the paper fan blowing gently in her hand, right then, the brunette entered the dance hall. Before it, she'd been watching everything, standing out of the hall so that the concentration of her little sister couldn't break. Seeing her, the purplette stood up and bowed politely in front of her, "Greetings, oni-chan."

"Greetings, Dew-chan," Replying to her younger sister, Hiromi gestured the musicians to left the chamber as they all followed her order, giving her bows. Once the room went empty, Hiromi smiled and laid a hand on the right cheek of the dancer princess of Hiawatha, "You've become a skilled dancer, Dew-chan. Whenever your anklets clink, a pure wave spreads all over the kingdom, belonging to prosperity and beauty. I'm so proud of you, my little sister."

"Thank you so much, oni-chan," Dew blushed, "But in my eyes, only you're the source of inspiration and prosperity of Hiawatha. Our people are so fortunate that they have got a mother in the form of an empress like you."

"That's so sweet of you, sister," Hiromi smirked, "But, I believe that my sister doesn't know only to dance herself, but also, she can make other people dance in her beats too."

Dew confusedly frowned, "As in?"

"Have you forgotten Takao Kinomiya, the commander-in-chief of Kaen?" Hilary raised a brow, "You were supposed to trap him in your love. How's your work going?"

When the name was uttered before the purplette, despite wanting much, she couldn't hide the crimson rising in her cheeks. Automatically, her head got lowered, her lips shivered a bit, maybe, trying to speak something. How was she supposed to tell her sister that actually in order to trap the blunette, she herself got trapped-in immense love with him? Of course, he was the chief-commander of the fire kingdom but his thoughts, his perspectives, his ideologies were exactly 180-degree opposite to those of his emperor. At first, Dew herself had also doubted whether Takao had been trying to trick her or not but no, his thoughts had been always pure and neutral, for the welfare of both of the kingdoms. How couldn't she have given her heart to him?

"What happened, my sweet sister?" Hiromi held her chin, "Why're you feeling shy? Don't you know that you belong to the water-kingdom? The water needs to be dynamic always. Only in dynamism, the water can find its energy. When it gets still, the fire gets a chance to vaporize it. Then, despite wanting hard, the water can do nothing to the flames. You have to pull your velocity in your words, deeds and thoughts, Dew-chan."

"No sister…" She shook her head slowly, "I mean…yeah, Takao has fallen for me."

"Good job," Hiromi affectionately patted her back, "Now, kill him."

Dew gasped at the order of her elder sister. What was she saying? She was wanting her to kill her own lover? Shrilling, the purplette shut her eyes, even unable to imagine it. How could she stab him from the same hands which had been used to hold his face? How could these eyes have immense hatred for him which had looked at him with blushes and pure, blameless love once upon a time? No, these complicated things, this game of betrayal weren't entering her not-so-fledged brain so easily.

"Are you afraid, my sister?" Hiromi placed a hand on her shoulder.

Again, the face of her elder sister rose before her eyes. After the death of their parents, Hiromi had nourished the purplette like her own mother. She'd always protected her from every possible danger in this world. Never had the brunette let any obstacle come on the way of her younger sister in her life. Then why was the purplette stepping back? Though she shook her head, agreeing with her sister, deep inside, she knew it well that she was on the horns of a dilemma. Between her love and the dignity of her sister, the young princess of Hiawatha had to choose one. Which one, by the way?

Teal beck. Like its name, its color was also teal. Not because of the grayish sky checking its reflection on its liquid mirror surface, it was like that due to the tiny grasses growing on the ground under it. Slim, long, curvy, widespread it was-like a ribbon fallen on the earth and abandoned by any lass. That time, the blue was clear, containing so many white clouds hovering there. The birds were flying high, yearning to reach their height but eventually, giving up and landing on their nests on the branches of the trees guarding the edges of the river in queues. There was only one wooden boat in the narrow creek of Hiawatha, rowed by the raven-haired chief-commander of the water kingdom.

He was given the responsibility of guarding the area by the water way. Like always, his back was carrying a bunch of arrows in the cylindrical basket, accompanied by a longbow. As usual, the sword was clinging to his red fabric belt. Folding his knees and wrapping his hands around them, he was trying to pour the image of the environs around him in his beryl eyes. Instead of them, his nostrils became active, sensing a strong aroma of burning sandalwood somewhere nearby. He sniffed it in the air. Quite addictive it was…but from where was it coming, raising a sudden storm in his olfactory nerves? All the perfumes used in Hiawatha was mild-scented, gentle. But this was…very powerful…unusually powerful…

"Are you hearing me? Help me!"

This time, his auditory nerves also became active as he heard a mellifluous feminine voice which was seeming helpless, in a grave danger. Rotating his neck to the other side, he discovered her. A faint figure she was in his eyes then, but, stranded, screaming only towards him to seek his aid. Not delaying, he rowed his boat in the same direction.

The more he was progressing near her, the stronger the scent was going. Ray could easily understand that the perfume was coming from nothing but the body of the unknown woman. Well, like her cologne, her beauty was also powerful. Hardly, the neko-jin had seen any woman in his kingdom with blood-red hair. Eyes were like a pair of bottomless pits from where there was no chance for a light beam to come back, be it ray, or Ray. Skin was glowing like sandalwood, radiating more in her deep-violet attire. She was wrapping a black shawl around her head, trying to cover her face with it. The raven-haired guy couldn't guess why she was so afraid.

As the boat neared the edge, the scarlet-haired woman huffed, seeing him, "Thank goodness you've come here, sir! Otherwise…I…I wouldn't remain alive."

"Calm down, my lady…." He himself was also shocked, noticing the amount of nervousness in her voice, "I'm here, you have to face no problem now. Just try to cross the river."

The redhead gulped. How would she cross the river barefooted specially when she was from Kaen, the fire kingdom which was exactly opposite to the nature of Hiawatha? Nonetheless, she had already the plan. Screwing her brows, she almost chided the commander-in-chief of the water kingdom, "Crossing the river? How'll I? My feet have been scarred so badly that I cannot even walk properly!"

"Your feet?" Ray frowned, "What happened to them?"

"Please, this is not the time to talk about this," She bit her lips, "The enemies from Kaen are chasing me. If they find me, they'll…they'll…."

Not able to say the rest, she lowered her head, shivering like a scared rabbit. The neko-jin felt pity for her. At the same time, his teeth and grips also got gritted in the wrath fuming in him. He could remember what Kaen had done to him before nine years. He couldn't let another woman get destroyed because of them. As a result, he simply stretched his hand, not asking her any further question. She gently laid her palm on his. He gasped, sensing the heat of her touch. Could any woman in Hiawatha ever be able to emit so much warmth? They were always eye-cooling, soothing but…this woman was giving him other vibes.

"Thud!"

Before Ray could find out the reason, his back surprisingly smacked the boat. His shocked golden orbs had the round face of the redhead leaning over his. For support, her nails were clasping his bare, muscular arms. A single tress of her was caressing his left eyelid and cheek. He also grabbed her fair arms. Her onyxes burnt in the shades of his amber; he didn't know what the fuel of was: Infatuation or something else? Her breaths were unusually hot, almost sweltering his own lungs. In the lonely river, on the boat, they were in such a position-there was no one to see, no one to care. Maybe, that's why, they couldn't find out from how long they had been there like that.

"Oh sorry…." The girl sorted it out first, getting up from him and sitting at a distance, "Actually, I was…"

"It's okay, my lady," Ray huffed, getting up too, "I can feel how nervous you are. But don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Thank you for saving my life, Sir…" She seemed to blush a bit, "If you weren't here…"

"Mention not, my lady," The raven-haired guy nodded, assuring her, "It was my responsibility. As long as I am here, nobody can give you a single scratch. But…may I know why you couldn't cross the river barefooted?"

"Well…." Sheepishly, she replied, "I was arrested by the soldier of Kaen and imprisoned in the castle for two days. There, they whipped my feet so badly that I was struggling to walk while coming here, fleeing from the jail."

"What?" Ray screwed his eyebrows, "Show me your feet!"

"Y…yeah…." Gulping, she revealed her feet, pulling her cloths a bit up to her ankles. Once again, the neko-jin felt a kick at his teeth. She was so beautiful, everything of her was dainty-be it her face, her eyes, her lips, her voice, her hair, her figure…but those lotus-like feet were bearing so many cuts and burns as if she'd had to have a walk on burning coals and glass shards at the same time. Though he was from Hiawatha, unknowingly, flames rose to the head of the raven-haired guy. How could have someone tortured a pure, innocent woman like her in this way? But Ray's first and foremost concern was her wounds. He wanted to give her some relief as soon as possible.

"No worries, you'll be okay," Taking some water from the river body, he sprinkled it on her feet, "Hope they'll decrease your pain."

"Ouch!"

Flinching, the scarlet almost jumped and enveloped the raven in a tight hug, out of the blue. Once again, Ray felt a jolt in his heart as his body started producing perspiration. He could feel her breasts rubbing his well-built chest, arms around his neck and lips brushing his right shoulder along with her nose. The color of her hair touched his cheeks, somehow, he also wrapped his arms around her slender torso for making her feel comfortable and better. Really, what was happening with him today?

"Relax, my lady…" He whispered though it seemed like panting, "You'll be okay."

"Sorry…" Again, she parted from him, "In fact, the sudden water…"

"I can understand," Keeping his hands on her shoulders, he assured her, "Let me bandage your wounds."

Putting off his yin-yang bandana and the white hair warp, he dressed her feet with both of the fabrics very gently so that she couldn't feel any pain again. When his fingers were brushing her feet, she was sensing very cooling sensation instead of the scorching inflammation there. In coziness, her eyes wanted to get closed. A relaxing sigh escaped from her mouth, followed by a very suppressed moan which tickled only the ears of the neko-jin. Even her soft feet against his fingertips were softening his heart. Did she enter his life as a blessing? He didn't have any idea. She should be the one who should feel safe by his company. Nonetheless, in the real world, it was he who was feeling much relief in her presence. Let her emit warmth, let her burn him with her flame-like breaths, he was getting blissful sensations only in them.

When he was done with dressing her wounds, she held his hands, trying to stop him to caress her feet more, "Sir, your hair has got untied. Will you mind if I tie it again?"

Ray was literally flabbergasted hearing the proposal of the redhead. Nonetheless, he didn't even know the reason why he agreed with her by nodding. Smirking, she sat behind him as his hands were paddling the boat. When her fingers were inserted amidst his raven bangs, he couldn't help feeling sleepy. While tying his hair, she was giving him a good head massage too. Her lenient fingertips were smoothly walking across his scalp, literally producing much temperature but never had he really felt so relaxed. He always knew that hot-headedness meant restlessness. Nevertheless, the anonymous red-haired woman proved the opposite to him on that day. He cozily yawned, totally forgetting his duty and letting his eyelids rule him. He didn't even notice where he placed his head.

When he re-opened his eyes, he found the orange sun yawning like him in the west. Late-afternoon it became, the tangerine daylight glow tinted the clouds shiny too. A few birds were still visible in the sky, flying above their heads. He felt something squishy and soft under his head. When he looked up, the leaned face of the redhead hiding the sunshine from his pupils could be seen. Immediately, he got it where he was lying. With a leap, he got up and distanced himself from her. The redhead simply chuckled at this antique of him, covering her mouth under her palm.

"You were so tired, that's why, I thought not to bother you," She giggled, "Sorry."

"Hmm…." He sighed. To be honest, he was enjoying her company too. For the first time on that day and in their first meeting, he saw her smiling. A bit complicated it was, as soothing as the moonlight, as warm as the sunshine. Was…was he falling for her by any chance? Yes, he was!

"Anyways, we have reached the other edge," The redhead pointed at the shore, "I'm safe now, I think. Thank you so much for your help, Sir."

"You can call me Ray, by the way," The neko-jin scratched his neck embarrassedly, "I feel more comfortable with that."

"Sure, Sir…err, I mean, Ray." Her eyes flickered as she felt that she won the world by getting the chance of calling him by his name.

"By the way," Ray landed on the shore, "How did the boat reach the other shore? As far as I know, I was sleeping."

Not answering immediately, she gave him a seductive grin and, on his palm, she dramatically placed her hand on which there was a black and white tattoo painted. Winking with one of her kohl-streaked eyes, she said, "Don't you have faith on this bangle-worn hand, Ray?"

Again, the waves of invisible fire surrounded him, he breathed tiredly, not being able to take off his eyes from hers. Confused he was; why was she looking so appealing? Why did she feel so alluring to him with each of her glimpse, gesture, jobs and words? Of course, they'd met each other-not more than before a few hours but deep inside his sub-conscious heart, someone was telling him that he knew the redhead from births and rebirths, since the beginning of life. Did anyone sprinkle any magical powder on him? The neko-jin tried and tried but couldn't unearth the answers to these questions.

"By the way, when all the Hiawatha falls asleep," She attempted to tempt him, "Meet me in the forest nearest to the castle. I need to tell you something."

"Of course," Bowing his head before the mysterious woman which he had never done in his lifetime, he placed a kiss on her palm, "I'll come there, my lady."

Smirking and brushing his cheek lightly, the redhead got down from the boat and disappeared, not looking back at him. Had she looked, she would have found him sweating hard even standing on the surface of cooling Hiawatha and shooting his thirsty stares to her.

Moonlight whitened the green, dark forest of Hiawatha which was not so far from the castle of empress Hiromi. It was seeping on the bright emerald leaves of the leafy, huddling trees. The soft, soothing breeze was playing with the leaflets and the lonely bushes of night-queens as the latter were spreading their aroma everywhere, intoxicating the brains of the nocturnal animals and birds. Snakes were gathering to remove the loneliness of the night-queen shrubberies, very carefully so that they couldn't fall in the eyes of any human being or any other predator. The foxes were very careful, vigilant, so were the round-eyed owls, examining everything silently from the twigs. Conscious and alert, he entered the forest, holding a blue-light clay lamp in his hand. Of course, his weapons were present with him.

"My lady…." He spoke a bit loudly, yet, being aware so that anybody else couldn't hear him, "Are you here?"

One call was enough. From the bush of tiger lilies, the red-haired woman appeared like a red rose, holding a metal burning torch in one hand. She was dressed in all black, dissolved in the nocturnal woods and clinging to her torso. Only, her bare shoulders, face, neck, arms and a portion of her waist could be seen properly, bathed in the soothing moonlight. Depth of her black-diamond eyes was ready to drink one hundred one rays. One hundred belonged to the moon and the last one was standing before her. She didn't have any ornament, except a small nose ring. Right arm was bearing the tattoo of black blazes which ended right by her neck. The scent of burning sandalwood clinging to her body was so acute, yet, so vibrant. To Ray's horror, the flames of the torch were golden-red, belonging to fire. Despite being a resident of Hiawatha, how did she manage it?

"I'm here." Her voice, however, gave a chilling sensation to his spine.

"Why did you call me by the way?" He swallowed, "Do you want to tell me the same thing which I want to tell you?"

"You think I'm a mind-reader?" She sneered, tilting her head, stepping back and biting her lips a bit.

Bewitched, the raven-haired guy was about to say something but not giving him the chance to do so, the scarlet-haired woman giggled and rushed away out of his sight. Even stretching an arm and yelling, he couldn't hold her back because little did, he know that fire could never be held by bare hands. That's why, his restless beryl pupils rushed here and there in search of her but couldn't even catch the trail of the flames of the torch possessed by her. His feet also dragged him almost everywhere but it looked like she was fleeing from him, deliberately. She became an alive riddle, a challenge for him to solve.

"Smack!"

"Ouch!"

Before realizing anything, abruptly, the raven-haired man felt a sharp pain behind his head as if someone had hit there. Pressing his lips in pain, he clutched the injured part. But his situation was so worsened that he didn't even have the strength to look back and see who'd dared do this to him. The night got caught in his eyes darker, blurrier and more mysterious. Eventually, they got closed as their owner collapsed on the ground, losing his consciousness bit by bit. The last thing he could hear was the mellifluous, yet, creepy laughter of any woman about whom he had a faint idea.

"Mhmm…"

Slowly, when the world was again visible to his eyes, he squinted and tried to see the circumstance around him. Unexpectedly, he found only his head able to move here and there. The rest of his body was bound to a large tree, with thick jute ropes. Not only he was feeling a throbbing pain clasping his neuron cells, but also, he couldn't even move a single body organ of him an inch. The twines were almost cutting his arms and feet, so sharp they were. He was so helpless that his weapons were lying down at his own toes but he couldn't bow and lift them. In front of him, to a tree, the same torch which had been in the hands of the redhead was stuck.

"Clink…clink…clink…"

Trampling and crunching the dry leaves beneath her floral feet, the scarlet-haired mystery appeared before him. Taking the torch from the tree, she approached the raven-haired guy, pushing a few tresses of hers back; her waist moved curvedly. Walking like a tigress which was aiming for her prey, she stood in front of the captive; a slight smirk rose in the right corner of her lips. Ray took no time to realize that he was only tricked by her, very badly tricked. Confusion and frustration-both rose in his golden eyes; he bit his lips, writhing hard against the tight ropes which were fixing him to the tree.

"So…" The redhead bowed, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"Salima Hiwatari," Ray snatched her words, "The princess of Kaen."

The redhead screwed her eyebrows as it was her turn to get a shock. Somehow, managing herself, she asked, "How…how did you get to know?"

"What else do you expect from the commander-in-chief of Hiawatha, princess?" The neko-jin smirked, "You can keep nothing hidden from me."

"Then, either you're a great fool, or are you feeling not to live anymore in this world-I assume," Salima grinned, "Otherwise, you would never come to this forest."

"Neither of them is correct, princess," Even bound in the cords, Ray wasn't feeling a bit afraid, "Of course, I trusted you-even knowing that you would harm me. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Salima felt skeptical.

"Because…" Closing his eyes and inserting a fresh gush of wind in his lungs, he replied, "I love you."

The redhead crimped, hearing the sudden confession from the mouth of her prey. Now, he was looking at her in the same way how he had been in the portrait, kept in her room back in the castle of Kaen. Determined, not frazzled, bold-like a torrent of fresh water which could easily challenge the fire of hatred burning inside her heart. Pure he was, so were his feelings for her. She should have burst out laughing, mocking him but she couldn't. The hand which was holding the torch was shivering, her feet were too. She recalled the words of the blue-haired son of the wind, "The water can never be turned into ashes. Never."

"You must be very shocked to hear me, princess," Ray didn't remove his stares from her, "You must be thinking how a guy can fall in love with you only within a few hours of meeting. But the truth is: When I saw you for the first time, I felt as if I'd known you for centuries. Just like the lava emitted from mount Fuji and the streams of river Fuji."

"Nice words you have got," Salima wasn't ready to believe him, "In the next birth, you can be a great poet, I know. But now, bid farewell to your beloved kingdom, commander."

"I'm not saying these things to save my life, princess," Ray shook his head, "Of course, you can kill me because at this moment, my life lies in your hands, no denial to that. But my death won't change the truth."

"Truth?" Salima clenched her teeth, "Which truth? There's only one truth in this world that we, the dwellers of fire kingdom, are much better and greater than you people. Only we are the actual owners of Nippon, not you!"

"Your birth wasn't natural, was it?"

Once again, it was a wave of shock, thrusting the heart of the redhead. Ray continued, not letting her speak, "Rather, you were created from the ash-colored soil of the pilgrimage of Kaen so that you could institute peace in your kingdom. From the ashes, or say-from the soil, you rose as flames-just in the same way how every ending pulls a new beginning with it. Princess, you were born to begin something, not to end."

The hand of the redhead, now, literally dropped the torch. Flames spread on the grasses and rose high, painting the dark sky red but she didn't care, only gaping at the face of the raven-haired neko-jin with a pair of surprised onyx eyes. No, these things weren't possible for him to know. Had he known, it would have been informed to the brunette empress too. She would never have let her be alive after knowing much details about her. It meant…Ray had only guessed the things but what he did, did from the sub-conscious intuitions of his heart, living there deeply. She closed her eyes and for the first time in her life, a droplet of tear rolled down on her cheek.

"Come on, princess," Ray spoke, "Burn me, not those grasses. Offer my soul at the podium of Goddess Dranzer. What are you waiting for?"

"No, no, no!" Salima shook her head furiously and rushed towards the tied neko-jin, once again, binding him-this time, into the ropes of her own arms. Her head collided against his chest, stimulating his heartbeats. Ray exhaled, leaning against the tree and closing his own eyes, his tears trickled on her head. Though he wasn't expecting to be alive, somewhere in his mind, he knew that it would happen.

"Pardon me…Ray…" She knelt down before him, "I-I was doubting you without any reason. Actually, I-I totally went mad…I thought…I thought that the goal of my brother and my own goal are same. But no…they aren't! Of course, my goal is to institute peace in my kingdom but peace has to be instituted by love, not by hatred. Today, you've taught me such a great lesson, Ray!"

"No princess, who am I to teach you?" Ray smiled, "You yourself knew it, just forgot to apply. I…I can bet that some great guy has engraved the seed of the same lesson in your heart. Whereas, I only tried to water it so that the sapling could grow from it."

"And it's grown, Ray, it's grown!"

Firmly nodding, she hasted, unfastening him and locking his brawny body in the shackles of her arms. His beefy triceps were wrapped around her waist and shoulders; her head was tucked in his chest where she was listening to the best music in this world- the heartbeats of her lover. The strong scent of sandalwood was still present there but before the calm feelings of the neko-jin, it couldn't stand much; thus, being compelled to get mixed with it. His tears drenched her hair, her ones soaked his shirt. They were encircled by the flames trying to touch the sky but neither of them really cared.

When passion of love crosses a limit,

Laughingly, the lovers embrace death,

The magic of love takes me and says,

"You can put restraints; however, God will find a way."

Some decisions are made by love, some by God,

What is like living without you? I'm not so selfish,

What have you done? I'm already finished,

I'm already erased,

I've already become,

Your crazy lover,

Your crazy lover…

Not wasting the moment, the rainclouds rumbled together in the dark, nocturnal sky of Hiawatha, jubilating by the names of Ray and Salima. Following them, thousands of droplets showered on the earth, raining on the newly confessed couple; strengthening the smells of rain-drenched soil and burnt sandalwood hovering around the bodies of the commander and the princess. Strangely, the latter wasn't feeling a bit pain because of the rainwater, nor did the flames get extinguished. Pure love it was. She felt it more as their breaths hugged each other, so did their lips. She drank the raindrops clinging to his lips which tasted like the ambrosia to her. His mouth inherited the flames and guzzled it, not burning the taste buds of his tongue.

Yeah, love had the power of putting fire in water.

Only to you, I'll keep the words of my heart,

Taking your kohl, I'll paint all my days,

As you shower like the rain,

My worries got decreased, darkness filled with rays…

Salima's hands undid the buttons of the qipao shirt of the neko-jin, unwrapping his hair. Lush black tresses were sticking to his soaked, tanned back; he hungrily kissed and left hickeys around the collar-bone and the cleavage of the redhead. She moaned, half-lidding her eyes and wanting more, clutching the collars of her lover. With swollen red lips, onyx orbs around which the kohl was smudged, rainwater ceasing the distance between her body and cloths-in his eyes, she was a Goddess, a fiery Goddess-whose nails were now dunked in his shoulders in an attempt of seducing him. Hormones made them forget who they were. Lifting her in a bridal style and getting his neck embraced in her hands, he gently took her deep inside the forest, letting the worldly flames kiss the spiritual gushes of rain behind them.

Like the gusts of wind,

I want you to come now,

Seeing you, there is my mind,

Screaming, powerfully, yet, very low,

With yours, I will bind,

My own life, this is my vow…

So...how's it? Red, did you like it?

Red: *Not responds*

Misty: *Frowns* Eh? What happened to Red?

Dew-chan: Brother Red has passed out, Di!

Misty: What?

Blue: Damn, you gave him a heat-stroke? -_-

Misty: This? *Shrugs and grouches* This wasn't even-

Roop: Enough, now let's save brother Red!

Blue: Nah nah, I think even my socks will not also work out now!

Misty: *Cries* Red, what have you done? How could you do this to us?

Roop: *Sobs* Now what happened to sister-in-law Salima?

Misty: *Sniffs* Don't worry, children...*Sniffs* Kane will surely take care of her like a good hubby.

Red: *Jumps out on his bed* NO NEED! I'M ALIVE STILL!

Dew-chan, Blue and Roop: *Hides behind Misty* Gosh, he's become a ghost!

Red: For attaining Sallu, if I need to be a ghost, be it!

Misty: Excuse me? Salima, Lima, Sal, Sally-they're okay, but what's with Sallu?

Red: You won't understand coz you cannot call your lover that affectionately. You can never!

Blue: Exactly, bro! So for my Maru.

Misty: Enough, you both. So...dear people, how was it? Good or bad?

Dew-chan: Bad bad, where's Tysie?

Misty: *Huffs* At least one person can pour her affection perfectly among us (Except me). Anyways, do read and review. Pardon the grammatical and spelling errors. Take care and stay safe :D

Red: And shower kisses for Ray and Salima here, ladies! Particularly, for Ray...

Misty: *Pulls Red's ears and signs out*

-Misty, Red, Roop, Blue and Dew-chan ^_^ ^_^