Zack

It was a couple day after when Rachel woke up an found herself in the castle of Uesugi's territory. It was an uneventful place much like those back in Date territory after she arrived. Regardless, she wasn't allowed to leave the room and was usually left with nothing to do. Confused and worried, she wondered when she would be given the chance to leave the territory. Perhaps it was still a problem after seeing what has happened during the attack on the town. She was curious though. It seemed that the soldiers who passed by her rooms wore similar uniforms to their leader. Not only that, but they were always quiet when the tall brown hair werewolf stood guard. It wasn't till when he left following the purple werewolf that she heard whispers amongst the soldiers who passed by. It was the same as back in the Date Territory. She wondered why her hair and eyes was that unusual amongst humans. Quietly, she began to write in her journal with the brush and ink she was given by the light blue hair werewolf. During her stay, she was able to learn some names. The purple werewolf was called Kagemochi. The blue one was Kagekatsu. The blond one with the harsh words was called Kanetsugu and the brown hair one standing outside her door was Kageie. Their leader was the silver werewolf called Kenshin. The army here had a more serious and tense atmosphere than the other ally armies. She was confused at first wondering if this army wanted to test out her blood to see if it had the same powers, but Kagemochi had told her that they could smell out the difference with just their nose. It surprised her, but that soon came to pass. At least, she now knows that they could smell the difference in her blood with Yuzuki. Thinking of the woman caused her to worry after knowing now that her blood was so special. She was needed by everyone which was why they all continued to target her, but that didn't matter to Rachel because she was already needed by someone. Zack needed her, which was why she wanted to leave the castle and go search, but Kagemochi and Kageie said she wasn't allowed to do so nor that they've seen such a man with so many bandages around him. This caused her to worry a lot and she wrote about that in hopes of easing her worry. She had heard that, by writing out emotions, you can also lessen the affect it can have when you're feeling it. She wanted to know where he could be. If the monsters was also causing trouble for him as well. That wouldn't be possible, right? After all, Zack is Zack. A strong human being. What also worried her was the fact that Abraham was up and about. She wondered if he would join the others as well or go in search of Zack too. She didn't get it and the more she thought about the situation with Zack, the more restless she gets. Her nights were the same. Only resting her eyes till the break of dawn. She wondered when she would be allowed to go look for him. Occasionally, Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu would come by visiting her while, other times, it was Kagemochi with more questions. Now, however, they were just questions about her health in general. Each day was the same and she could only respond the same. It wasn't till she heard a thump outside her door one night that she saw Kageie asleep next to her door. She poked at him for a while before realizing that he was knocked out cold and wouldn't wake for a while. She contemplated her decision for a while before dragging out her blanket and draped it over him. She then walked back inside and closed the door behind her. Quietly, she lit the candle just as Kanetsugu taught her and began to read the books of novels she was given by Kagekatsu and Kagemochi. Though, she was still in confinement, Kenshin did not forbade her from reading novels and such. So, she tried her best to improve her literature of this land by reading a lot of books and scrolls. It was a quiet place for once. Probably because Kageie was outside. That thought made her wonder when she could return home with Zack. She hadn't gone to work in the convenience store in weeks now and wondered about how the elderly man was doing. What of her coworkers and the nice manager? The novel in her hand was a little difficult to understand, but she did her best to figure it out before putting it aside to ask the other generals later on. At least, that was all she wrote in her journal that night. She also wrote of the strange occurrence where her poison herbs had gone missing. It was unusual, but she shrugged it off. She also wrote of when Kagekatsu asked her once if she was ever worried about Zack's wellbeing. Well, Zack is pretty strong and he won't die without killing her, so she answered with a no, but that she really wants to be next to him again. One day, the topic changed as he and Kanetsugu asked her a new question.

"You said that you met Yuzuki in your hometown, right?"

She looked to Kagekatsu and nodded, "I don't remember her well, but it seems she talked with me before."

"Of course not." Kanetsugu grumbled, "More importantly, are you just gonna read all day again?"

She looked to the books of myths and novels before she answered. "I don't think I can leave my room without permission…"

"No, you can't." Kagekatsu nodded with a disappointed frown, "Father specifically told us that as well."

She nodded. She had wondered if the soldier before her and the leader were conncected by blood since their last names were the same. After all, their names were ordered differently than English. Their family name came first before their given. She had to explain to them that, since she came from a different place than Yuzuki, Rachel was her first name. Well, regardless, it was unusual to hear him ask her about her background since he usually helped her with the vocabulary of this world. As she read, Kagekatsu asked again, "So, what is your hometown like?"

She thought for a bit since she came from two different places, after all. She then turned to him and asked, "Which one? My birth place or the town I use to live in with Zack?"

"Your current one."

"There are many tall buildings in the cities while there are still the countryside outside of the city. At night the city is always lit bright and people still walk around at night. They're always busy." She answered thinking to Japan, "Children who go to school all wear uniforms. Each uniform is different according to the school. The adults are always in suits and working from morning to night. I heard that sometimes they're so busy they stay overnight working or stay there for the whole week. They streets are always crowded and a lot of things are run by machines now. They also have a law prohibiting illegal possession of weapons, so you needed to past tests or have a specific condition that allows people to have them."

"That's a lot…" Kagekatsu said with a look of awe before looking back to his sword, "So, then Yuzuki never saw a real sword till now?"

"I don't know…" She replied with a frown, "All the swords I've seen were fakes or just props. But, people can still practice swordsmanship in the dojo, I heard."

"Huh." Kanetsugu frowned, "So. Who can hold weapons now when no one can protect them?"

"Authorities can still hold onto them. It's just they control when they are used." Ray answered as she recalled the books, "Since, it harms people the weapons are heavily monitored. Hm…"

"What?" Kanetsugu raised a brow.

However, Ray just shook her head quietly. Seeing this, Kanetsugu looked annoyed and clicked his tongue before walking out the door. Kagekatsu looked to her with a small smile, "Is something bothering you?"

She thought for a bit looking to the door as he recalled the question.

"Then…" She slowly wondered aloud, "If the weapons were monitored, how can weapons be found so easily? Black Market? Auctions?"

Despite saying this aloud, she knew that there would be no answers.

Days like these went on after the cold was gone. But, that all changed when she heard her door open. It was time for her to answer questions again. So, she thought. Instead, she felt something grab her by the neck and swung her down. Slamming her head against the floor, she struggled for a bit before she saw something red across the floor. But, the strength was draining from her and slowly she slipped out of consciousness.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing amongst a bed of white flowers. Glowing white lilies she had never seen before. It illuminated the darkness around them as the sound of running water echoed in her ears. The sound of rustling caused her to look up as she saw a large tree. White flower bloomed amongst the dark leaves as the branches moved like a willow in the wind. It was cold, so very cold. Finally, she saw it. A woman in white resting on one of the large roots erupting for the earth. On her face wore an unusual, plain white mask and her hair was a beautiful black. She watched her curiously sitting on the roots as if it was her throne with her head tilted slightly against the root as if asleep. As if lost in control over the pretty sight, Rachel found herself reaching out to the woman before her eyes shifted to something under the roots.

"Zack!" She said quietly and rushed up to the man with a dark hood and wrapped in white bandages.

However, her feet won't move as the white figure began to stir. Instead, she saw a familiar figure in white walk past her wearing a mask over his face. Upon seeing him, she froze as she whispered, "Doctor Danny."

Doctor Danny wore a mask as he said with eyes of ectasy, "Ah. No matter how many times I come here, it's all so beautiful!"

Suddenly, he chuckled, "But, nothing could surpass the beauty of her empty gaze…"

With his army outstretched, he called out, "Oh, Rachel! If you were only here with me!"

As if settled, he grumbled, "But those monsters… I have to do something about them. They keep getting in the way…"

As she said all this, he turned around and walked past her without looking to her direction. It was then that an image of a woman with long black hair and in a long pink kimono appeared before her. She recognized the kimono as Ray looked to her in confusion.

"Rachel." The woman said with a soft smile, "Find the girl from your world and ask her to gather help. Head to a ravine where the borders touch. There you will find a way back."

Suddenly, the room turned into a ray of white as a strange shadow casted itself upon her. She looked up and saw pretty blue eyes with black spot and orange patterns. She watched silently as the figure turned around revealing two slender tails and it walked away.

When she awoke, she found herself on a futon with a piece of cloth over her head. Slowly, she sat up and saw that she was in her room, but her small desk and utensils were gone. Instead, there was Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu looking at her with wide eyes as the blue werewolf asked, "Are you okay? Does your head hurt?"

She thought for a bit and shook her head.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"Are you kidding me?" the blond one said in shock, "You were attacked by a mad woman!"

"Ah…" Suddenly, she recalled the pain on her head and asked, "A woman?"

"That lady you call Cathy, I assume…"

As if on cue, Kagemochi and Kageie walked in through the open door as the purple werewolf said, "Do you remember what happened?"

She thought for a bit before she answered, "I was writing something then something grabbed my neck… After that everything was red…"

She looked to them as he nodded with a sigh, "At least, you're alive. Huh? Ray. Your hand."

She looked down to her hands that now rested on the blanket as it was stained red. Kagemochi immediately grabbed a hold of her hand and forced it open as something red fluttered out to the ground. Though she looked to it, she felt a painful squeeze on her hand as she looked up and saw that the skin was charred away leaving only the red tissues and the blood rising out from it. Shocked, Kageie rushed out and came back with bandages and medicine as Kagemochi inspected the wound with a frown, "A burn? But the candles are the only source of heat in the room to do such a thing. Huh?"

"Forget that!" Kageie called out to him, "We have to treat it!"

Soon enough, her hand was bandaged as she turned and saw Kagemochi look down and pick something up. He said with a raised brow, "A petal? But it's far too late for Spring…"

Suddenly, he flinched and dropped the thing as it drifted down on the tatami floor. Curious, she reached out and picked it up with her bandage hand.

"Wait!"

However, Kagemochi was too late as she picked it up. It was a large white petal stained in red. As she did, Kagemochi raised a brow, before putting on his white glove and grabbed a hold of the petal from her hand. He looked to her in confusion as he asked, "Ray, do you know what this is?"

They looked to her as she answered, "It's a petal… I saw it in my dream…"

"In your dream?" Kagekatsu raised a brow.

She nodded, "I saw two woman in a field of white flowers. They both had black hair, but one of the was sleeping and had a white dress. The other had really long black hair and a pink dress. She said to find Yuzuki and she needed to go to a ravine where the borders touch with help."

They looked to her in confusion before Kanetsugu groaned, "But this was all just a dream, right?"

"I," She thought for a bit before answering, "I want to go there…"

Kagemochi raised a brow, "Why?"

"Because, I saw Zack…" she answered, "He's there…"

The group was quiet as she said this. Still, she furrowed her brow as she continued, "But, I saw Doctor Danny there too… Still, I want to go there…"

After that event, the group left her room. Kagemochi had told her that she couldn't leave without enough proof that that's what exactly what happened. The only thing they knew about was that Cathy snuck past Kageie to attack her. However, she really wanted to go find Zack. A whole day passed with her still confined in her room. As she wrote in her journal under the light of the candle, she froze as words began to appear on the paper by itself. It was in neat English that said, "If you wish to see Issac Foster, you simply only need to walk out."

Seeing this, she dropped her brush and felt a cold chill across her face. She turned around and saw her door was wide open with the Raven sitting on the veranda. Her eyes widen in surprise as she saw it.

"You're back…" She whispered.

The Raven cawed and flapped its wings before a slight breeze brushed past her. She nodded and snatched her bag before quietly rushing out. She was going to find Zack!

It had been a while since she had ran well enough. After the cast was taken off, it was a bit of trouble moving about which led her to fall off the Ravine. Even then, Kagemochi said that it was a miracle she hadn't broken any bones in her body. Now, she could run about without too much worry. The problem was the head injury she sustained from the attack. It still hurts every now and then, but, other than that, it wasn't all that bad. Whatever happened, she had weapons with her to defend herself. All that was left was to find Zack. However, one thing came to her thoughts. Should she go find him without Yuzuki's help? It had seemed that the people in the castle didn't believe in her, so will Yuzuki and the others?

She had already reached past the castle and two towns when the sun rose, but she wasn't tired. Probably because she slept that afternoon as advised by the blue werewolf. She continued walking with the map in hand. Since walking, she had yet to encounter through any trouble. Instead, she walked till she found herself in the forest. It was as according to the map, so she shouldn't have any problems. Instead, she continued walking whilst talking with the raven. It was then that she saw a small town in the middle of being rebuilt. She recognized it. It was the town that she was in when she first arrived. As she walked past it, she asked the Raven, "Maybe Yuzuki would help me find Zack?"

The Raven cawed. A thought came to her as she walked past the streets, "You know, the castle was really quiet when we left."

The raven cawed again as if in irritation. It was then that the Raven flew off her shoulder and onto a tree. What sat next to it surprised her as she looked up. It was the white bird she had seen.

"Ah."

Suddenly, the white bird flew down and was perched on her head before flying off ahead of her.

"Wait!"

She reached out running after it. The bird flew high in the sky as she rushed after it. Ignoring all else around her as she called out to it, "H-Hold on!"

She followed it into the forest. After a few minutes of running, she was starting to feel a little light headed with the bird slowly disappearing for sight. She felt the entire world began to turn as she fell to her feet when she felt a hand grab her around her waist.

When she awoke, she had found herself on a futon. Slowly, she sat up and saw a familiar hand reached out to her touching her shoulder.

"Ray!"

She turned and saw a dark hair werewolf she knew very well.

"Masa…toyo?" she responded in confusion.

The werewolf let out a sigh of relief as he nodded, "That's right! Thank god, you're awake…"

She looked about and saw the familiar room, "I'm… back?"

He nodded, "Masanobu and I found you near the border. He's gone to inform Shingen-sama."

It was then that the red hair werewolf and the blond werewolf poked their heads out from behind the open door.

"Ray!" He said with a smile at first before seeing her and his eyes narrowed, "Those injuries…"

Rachel noticed that he was staring at her bandage around her head and she said, "A woman came to attack me the night before…"

As they took a seat beside her, Shingen thought for a bit before he said, "How are you feeling now, then?"

"Fine…" She answered quietly, "The Uesugi army treated my injuries before I left."

"They just let you go?" Masatoyo asked in surprise.

She shook her head, "The door was open so I walked out. The castle was quiet too…"

Masanobu raised a brow, "Ray, what happened after the Date kidnapped you?"

Slowly, she began to retell all that had happened after her kidnap at the same time, she dug into her bag and showed them the notes that she received from the Raven and the dream with her injury. She then also realized that she had forgotten her journal back in Uesugi territory while she left the castle. When she was done, everyone was quiet while Shingen just stared at her quietly with a frown. All eyes were turned on him before he finally sighed, "Let's see. First, you didn't run when Masanobu told you to run, then you broke your leg in Date Territory and, finally, you left the castle without thinking anything was weird."

"Yes?" She raised a brow.

Shingen frown deepened before he said, "I'll speak with Yuzuki."

She nodded till he continued with furrowed brows, "But you're to stay in your room for a week."

She raised a brow in confusion before Shingen got up and left the room. She turned to Masatoyo and Masanobu as Masatoyo forced a smile, "That's… a surprise. I was certain he'd scold her."

Masanobu nodded before seeing her confused look as he clarified with a small smile, "Well, he's basically telling you that you're grounded."

"Grounded?" she repeated, "Did I do something bad?"

Masanobu smiled, "You did some reckless things and got hurt in the process, you know. Everyone wants to make sure you're not hurt, but we can't always have a close eye on you if you go out and hurt yourself. That's why you're grounded. Though, I can't blame you for not running when I told you to."

She looked to him with a frown, "Are you okay?"

His eyes widen in surprise as he nodded, "Y-Yeah. You don't have to worry about me. I got treated after the Sanada's ninjas and Masakage found me."

The she looked to them in confusion, "So, when I'm grounded, I can only stay in my room, right?"

They nodded as Masatoyo looked to her in confusion, "Have you… never gotten grounded before?"

She thought for a bit before she responded, "I don't know…"

Masanobu chuckled before he said, "Well, since you can read now, I think you can just read some of the books here while you heal up."

"Oh…" she nodded quietly, "Okay…"

"Wow…" Masakage grimaced, "I haven't seen Shingen-sama ground anyone in a long time. I haven't seen that angry in a while till now."

Nobuharu grinned, "Weren't you the last and only one he ever grounded?"

"Hey! That was a long time ago!" the teenage boy snapped with a grumble, "And, it's not like I'm still a little boy!"

A day after she had arrived back at the castle, Shingen had already sent a messenger to Toyotomi Territory while she was grounded in her room. However, it wasn't that bad while she had occasional visits from everyone after they had heard of her return. Masakage was still convinced that the enemy armies were trying to use her as an hostage while Nobuharu had little concern over her it seems. She was busying herself with a novel given to her by Masatoyo. It was about herbs and what it treats. For some reason, they have a lot of books and scrolls of herbs around the castle. Today, Masakage and Nobuharu was visiting her while she was writing a new journal. Everything was quiet and dull with only the permitted visitors to come visit her.

"Ray?"

As she thought that, she heard a knock on her door as she turned around and saw that it was Yuzuki! Followed behind her was that blond vampire called Hanbee who was holding a folded umbrella as he waved at her, "Hi!"

"Hi…" She nodded quietly much to the two visitors' surprise.

"Oh! You're here too?" Nobuharu said with a wide grin.

Yuzuki nodded with a smile, "Hanbee and Kanbee had an errand to run, so I wanted to come by to check on Rachel. I heard she was able to return to the castle."

"Ah." The tall man grinned, "The girl made it back on her own believe or not."

"But, now, she's grounded." Masakage added with a small grumble.

"Grounded?" Yuzuki's eyes widen in surprise, "Why?"

"According to what she told us, she did some reckless things while in Date and Uesugi Territory." Nobuharu answered with a frown, "Shingen-sama got angry and grounded her for being so reckless. Well, it's not like we can make her take up a sword and train."

Yuzuki looked to her in surprise, "Was that how you got hurt?"

She walked over to her and softly took her bandaged hand, "You should be more careful. Did anything happen while you were in their territories?"

"Not really." Nobuharu answered before Ray could respond, "But it seems those creatures are starting to move everywhere."

"That's…" Yuzuki frowned with a trouble look.

Suddenly, Hanbee spoke up with a sigh, "Well, it seems those Yakumas aren't attracted to Yuzuki this time."

"Seriously?" Masakage smiled, "Then, that's great, right?"

Hanbee nodded with a bright smile. Turning to Yuzuki, Ray asked, "The… message…"

Yuzuki looked to her in surprised before she nodded with a smile, "Hideyoshi and everyone is looking for the Ravine first."

Hanbee nodded, "Right. You said that Doctor Danny was there, right? We have to keep an eye out for anything suspicious first."

"Right. Right." Nobuharu nodded, "We shouldn't rush things are we'd be caught unprepared, got it?"

She thought for a bit before she nodded, "I was hasty…"

Yuzuki then saw the brush and ink of her desk as she said in awe, "Ray, have you started learning Shinga's words?"

Ray nodded, "Shigezane and Kojuurou taught me."

"They did?" Yuzuki said in surprise before she smiled, "Well, Kojuurou would be better with teaching, but Shigezane too?"

"You know them well?" Masakage looked to her in surprise.

"Ah, that's right." Hanbee said as he clapped his hands together, "You were at all the territories for a while, right? I'm surprised you know Date army's higher vassals, though."

Yuzuki smiled, "Well, I was a hostage. But, they didn't treat me too badly. Of course, they were all suspicious of me, but they treated me well."

"I heard from Kojuurou…" Ray answered quietly, "He gave me a lot of books and taught me to write… But, he was on an errand for a long time. I think the monsters are causing a lot of trouble…"

"I see." Yuzuki strained a smile and patted Rachel's head, "At least, Ray is safe."

Ray nodded quietly. Yuzuki looked to the book in her hand with a surprised look, "Eh, this book…"

Hanbee glanced over to it in surprise, "Ah, so you have a copy here too!"

Masakage shrugged, "Masanobu has a lot of these books, so he lent her one. But, it's boring since all she does is read them all day."

"But, you know, her studies are pretty good." Nobuharu chuckled, "She got Masatoyo pretty happy just from reciting one of them."

Yuzuki looked to her in awe, "So, Ray is pretty good at studying… Do you like studying, Ray?"

"Do I like to study?" Rachel echoed with a conflicted expression on her face, "I don't know…"

"Well, what made you want to start learning to read Shinga's letters?" Hanbee asked curiously.

She thought for a bit before she answered, "I was bored… There was this shed that they locked me in at Date Territory and there was a shelf of books there. So, I asked them to teach me to read."

"I see." Yuzuki smiled, "I do remember there being a lot of books there…"

"They locked you two in the shed?!" Masakage's eyes widen as he heard this, "How's that treating you well?"

"I did say that they were still suspicious of me." Yuzuki forced a smile, "In fact, they were about to let me out of the shed the night Yukimura and everyone came to save me. Their decisions are sometimes out of the blue too."

Rachel nodded, "They let me out too."

"You too?" Yuzuki said with a grin.

"After I broke my leg from trying to look through the window." She added.

There was a moment of silence before Rachel continued, "Oh, but Kojuurou told me to get down when he saw me, but I accidentally broke the bars on the window and fell."

Suddenly, Nobuharu chuckled as he said, "Ah, so that explains it."

Yuzuki strained a smile, "So, that's why…"

"Well, Ray is still considered a child in your world, right?" Hanbee forced a smile, "I'm sure she knows better next time."

Ray nodded, "I think Masamune was mad that I broke the window."

"I don't know about that…" Yuzuki muttered quietly as she grinned, "So, they bandaged you up and you healed, right?"

She nodded, "They were gone for over a months before I recovered."

"Over a month?" Yuzuki's eye widen in surprise.

Hanbee said with a frown, "Looks like those monsters are causing trouble everywhere, huh…"

"I wonder if the Ravine might have something to do with these monsters." Yuzuki muttered quietly.

Ray looked up to them and said, "I think one of the woman is Himemiko…"

"What?!" Yuzuki looked to her in surprise as she asked, "Are you sure?"

She frowned, "The woman in the pink dress looked a little like the one I saw in the book at Date Territory."

Yuzuki looked to the other three who could only return the look of uncertainty.

After the battle that was also delayed by the appearance of man eating monsters, all armies retreated to reinforce their own walls and the protection of the towns. The monsters were different from the yakumas and bore sharp teeth with inhuman strength rather than just speed and body weapons. Yuzuki was there on the battlefield when she saw it happen. Upon seeing the situation, Hideyoshi quickly called the men back when he saw the Oda generals do the same. There was just too many of them. The sight of them were horrific to even hear. Pale and thin bodies with long limbs bead eyes and large jaws. Their speed was faster than the yakumas appearing and reappearing like ninjas but without restraint in ferociousness. The sight of them made her shudder, but it seems that all the armies had been able to push them back. However, it seems that guns were of little use and the armies resorted to their blades. The battle came to a draw and, thankfully, the town was not in the same disarray as when the yakumas appeared on the battlefield months ago in her first second battle. However, it was soon reported that Ray had gotten taken by the Date Army. Yuzuki was shocked and the action seemed to have mystified everyone. After all, Ray didn't have powers like Yuzuki. So, why would the Date General kidnap her?

Days passed before Yuzuki received word that Shingen had requested help from the Sanada army to bring Rachel back. However, that day, the monsters reappeared with strange behavior as if they were on a travel to a certain destination. It was said that they had stalked those monsters secretly before pulling back deeming that it would be too dangerous when they encountered the Date generals. In the battle, the general revealed that the creatures senses them through movements and the news were immediately brought back. Well, it should've been if they had not encountered Uesugi's army. Apparently, thanks to that, the Sanada army were forced to remain there until they could afford the slip. However, it seemed that along the way, the Uesugi army and the Date army had start clashing against more of these monsters. There wasn't much details of the situation after though. Instead, they returned with word that the child was well, but seemed to be wearing a cast. According to Masanobu, Ray had been well before her kidnapping meaning the cast must've been applied shortly after she was kidnapped. Then, there was word that she was found crossing the border between Uesugi and Takeda Territories. Her return prompted Yuzuki to ask if she could go check on the child. After talking with the child, she walked out of the room and saw Kanbee waiting outside with Masanobu and Shingen. Hanbee smiled, "It looks like she's gotten much better since we last saw her."

Masanobu nodded with a grin, "She's more responsive now too."

Hanbee chuckled, "They really took your time connecting with her, so, obviously, she's getting better."

Shingen sighed, "It's great that she's doing well, but I didn't think she'd become so reckless…"

"That's why you're grounding her, right?" Hanbee pointed out as Yuzuki giggled.

"Well, it was a reckless idea." Yuzuki said quietly supporting Shingen's thought, "I'm surprised it's her first time being grounded, though."

Kanbee nodded, "With this, she will be able to recover without worry."

Yuzuki nodded too in agreement. Shingen then turned to her and asked, "So, will you be going, then?"

She nodded, "I've already decided. I'm going."

Shingen frowned, "Are you sure? We could also be dealing with some lunatics and monsters down there."

"I know." She replied, "But, if the source is in the Ravine, then I want to be of help and stop the Yakumas and monsters for good this time."

They were quiet before Shingen nodded, "I thought you would come to this conclusion. Well, we're coming along too. It seems that Ray really wants to go back to this Zack fellow. I just hope he doesn't start causing trouble. You said that he wasn't educated properly, right?"

Masanobu sighed as they see her nervous nod, "This is going to cause a problem and we definitely won't be able to keep him here knowing his reputation or that he lives up to it."

"This is certainly going to be troublesome…"

Everybody nearly jumped as they looked next to Shingen and saw Masatoyo. Yuzuki struggled a smile as he said with a small chuckle, "I was here the entire time…"

It was the last day of her punishment as she sat on the ground studying quietly while the sound of clattering wooden swords clashed outside her room. It was a nice day out as usual, but she was not allowed outside due to being grounded. Yuzuki and Hanbee had left the castle to return to Toyotomi territory after she said her goodbyes from her room. However, as she read the books of herbs, she heard footsteps rush out as Shingen's voice called out, "Masakage! Nobuharu! We're leaving. Those monsters have appeared in the nearby town."

His shouts surprised her as she looked up. It was the first time she heard him call out to them with a serious look. It seemed more serious than the time she got him angry. As he walked past her door, he thought for a bit before he frowned, "Ray, you're coming with us."

She looked to him in surprise as Masakage spoke up in confusion, "We're going to bring her with us?"

Masanobu sighed, "It would be too dangerous to leave her in the castle by herself after what happened at Date's and Uesugi's castle. This is the best choice."

Hearing this, she nodded and put her book away onto the table. She grabbed her bag and followed after them.

Though she was thankful for the transportation, she can't really say that she's starting to like riding horses at all. It was really tough, though she'd gotten better at it. This time, she rode on a black horse with the blond werewolf. She would've looked about the forest if they weren't in a hurry. However, when they got to the town. Everything was quiet. The town was in a disarray with people about, but that's just it. They were up and about. Frozen in place with the monsters frozen as well. The smoke from a nearby fire froze as they walked into the town.

"What is this?" she heard Masatoyo said arriving next to them.

After seeing the town, they were separated into groups and they went with Masatoyo through what was suppose to be the markets, but the place was in chaos. Everyone and everything froze in time as if they were part of some elaborate prank. She and Masanobu got down from the horse as she watched the two werewolf walk around in confusion. Masatoyo touched a farmer's shoulder while Masatoyo tried to cut down a nearby monster, but the sword was deflect as if hitting hard iron. It was quiet and almost eerie as it looked as if they could wake up at any moment but didn't. She looked around and saw an apple that was stuck mid-fall from the counter. She slowly reached out with her bandaged hand before she felt something cold shift in her palm. She drew back her hand suddenly as she pulled her hand back. Curious, she turned to her hand and pull back her bandage to see that it was a pretty blue gem… embedded in her palm. Her eyes widen in surprise as she slowly touched the tear-shape gem in her hand. It felt cold in her hand. It was pretty and she tried to claw it out of her hand, but it wouldn't come off. In a slight panic, she looked around in confusion trying to find a way to remove it. She couldn't figure out where, but she was afraid. So afraid of what could come though she didn't know what could come at all.

"Ray?"

She turned around and saw Masanobu staring hard at her hand as he softly took it and examined the jewel. The jewel lay embedded over the burn that still had yet to completely heal. Finally, he looked to up to her, "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head as he rerwrapped it with the bandage.

"Then, how did it become like this?" He asked again.

"I don't know." She replied, "It just felt cold, so I took a look."

She waited for a reply when Masatoyo suddenly spoke, "We should go back to Shingen-sama and the others."

Masanobu nodded with a frown, "Ah."

She then followed after the two as they got back to the center of the town. They could see Shingen and the other two vassals talking in a serious expression. Upon seeing them, Shingen asked, "Masanobu, how was the situation on your side?"

The man shook his head with a frown, "There was no response and everything froze in place as well."

"Also…" Masatoyo spoke up looking to Ray, "It seems there was a development on Ray's burn…"

Masanobu untied the bandage revealing the blue jewel attached to her palm. Shingen frowned as Masakage looked to her in surprise, "You… What did you do now?!"

"I touched an apple…" She answered, "Then, I felt something cold on my hand."

The leader thought for a bit before he frowned and sighed, "You…"

Shortly after that, Rachel was brought back to the castle. Apparently, he had specifically told her not to touch anything before they left, but she didn't hear. However, even if she did argue back, it did not change the fact that she touched something at the place and now could be stuck with it. The only problem now is…

"So, I can't go…" She wondered quietly.

"With your current situation, I'm afraid so…" Masatoyo said as she patted her head.

Masatoyo brought her back while Masanobu and everyone else stayed behind at the site. He took her palm examining the blue jewel with a frown. It was clearly an unusual piece of jewel and, when he touched it, it was a little cooler to the touch. He began to write down the symptoms and observations on a piece of paper on her desk. After much questions, he finally bandaged it and sighed, "Well, you're not in any pain, so you should be fine. But, it's still a mystery…"

After the awful decision, she no longer had the permission to go to the Ravine with them and was really depressed over it. She looked to the bandaged hand with a curious expression as Masatoyo warned, "Also, don't try to scratch it out anymore. You're just going to hurt yourself."

She nodded quietly. She turned to him watching as he packed away the papers and stuff. She then looked to her hand again curiously. After that, she stayed in her room reading quietly for a bit, but the cold feel in her palm continued to distract her. Finally, when night rolled around, she began to poke at it before she felt a touch on her shoulder. Startled, she jumped and spung around.

"W-What?"

To her relief, it was just Masakage who looked to her in surprise.

"You were actually surprised or something?" The werewolf said with wide eyes.

She thought for a bit before she nodded, "Ah… That surprised me…"

"O-oh. W-well, it's time for dinner. Come on." He replied.

She was more surprised that everyone was back actually. After what had happened, Shingen had her returned to the castle and finish the last bit of her punishment. It was then that she noticed how being grounded could be really depressing. Perhaps, if she doesn't do anything reckless than this wouldn't happen again? But, what can be considered reckless or not? Speaking of which, she recalled the change on Shingen's expression the moment he heard that she broke her leg. Would it be different if she doesn't get hurt?

Dinner was loud as usual. Masakage seemed to have been mad over something and argued with Nobuharu. She wasn't to certain, but it wasn't of much interest. It brought a little liveliness to the dinner after what had happened. She was back in her room and writing in her journal again. During her writing, she heard her door open and turned around seeing a surprised Masanobu.

"Ray?" His ears twitched as he raised a brow, "Did I surprise you?"

She shook her head, "I heard someone open the door…"

"You heard me open the door?" He raised a brow.

She nodded. It was then that she noticed a smile on his face.

"I see. How is your hand?" He asked.

"It doesn't hurt." She answered, "It just feels cold."

"Cold?"

As she poked at it, she nodded, "It sometimes feels colder than usual…"

He quickly stopped her other hand and took her injured palm unwrapping the bandage. The jewel still shined beautifully as he touched it. She saw his eyes narrow as he muttered, "It is slightly cold, but it's always been under wraps."

Finally, after some checks, he wrapped it up and said, "Don't try to touch it anymore, okay?"

She nodded quietly.

YueTian: Hey, guys! Spring break is over! WAH! I really hate that… Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter! Writing these chapters really helps take away the stress. So now, things seem to have gotten a bit complicated for Ray… It was totally not my intention for this to happen since I was writing as I come up with the plot and I'll be honest. I have not thought about the ending yet. So, I'll just post this much for now. See ya!

4/2/2019 7:18 PM