AN: Oh boy, I'm so glad this finally started moving. Here is the next update to Maki and co's fun adventure. It's not going to be 100% fun tho. In fact, there's going to be a death in this chapter.

I would like to thank Kim and B.O.N for reading this, especialy B.O.N who sat through my lonely live writing.

I would also like to thank my lovely readers, reviewers, and people who favourited this. I hope you enjoy this update!


The Prophet and the Knight


1.

Early in the morning, and already a ruckus in the Dragon's castle. The sun was shining, the birds faraway were chirping, and two people were yelling at each other. What a beautiful morning.

"What, so you just want me to go to my father and go 'Oh, don't worry, I'm living with two princesses AND A DRAGON?!" Maki raised her hands in the air.

"I'm not saying that you have to say I'm a dragon, but it would be nice if this castle would not be stormed by, I don't know, THE WHOLE ROYAL GUARD?" Nico shouted back, and Maki scoffed.

"As if the royal guard would abandon their post for me. I'm just the captain's daughter and possible next captain. Why do I even have to go back? I left for a reason. I don't even really want to be a knight."

"Because, I'm afraid that your father will come after you with troops!" Nico retorted.

"Huh, I should have left quietly, huh?"

"You should have woke me up quietly." Eli glared at the squabbling duo, Nozomi's arm draped around her shoulder. Her hair was very disheveled and there were red marks all over both their necks and trailing down their nightwear.

"Well. Good morning, Eli and Nozomi." Maki cleared her throat.

"You smell like … well, you smell." Nico chided them, and sat back at her seat.

"Well, you know how Nozomi is before she leaves for trips, she gets so…" Eli trailed off and laughed. "Energetic."

"It's just slightly less than a week. Speaking of which, Eli, please ask Maki to go with Nozomi." Nico brought the matter up, and Maki gaped at Nico in horror.

"There was perfectly no reason to bring Eli and Nozomi in!" Maki hissed, and Nico shrugged.

"You see, this castle is our home, and I don't want an army or rescue team barging in." Nico added, and Eli seemed to contemplate the request. Beside her, Nozomi stirred.

"Let me sit down first. I'm feeling hungry." Eli said, and gently let Nozomi lean against her while sitting.

"I'll get you breakfast." Nico dashed to get some eggs, bread, and fruit.

"She's already trying to bribe you." Maki muttered.

"Maki, I'm pretty sure Nico is doing this for your own good too. Your parents must be worried about you. You've been gone for how long, a week or so?"

"2 weeks." Maki mumbled. It was a wonder she had survived the 2 weeks. The first few days, Nico and her were squabbling so much that Eli, with her seemingly never-ending strength, broke part of the wall when she smashed her fist into it. After that, the 10 meter-radius around Eli was always as peaceful as it could be. Nozomi also acted as mediator, a rather efficient one, whenever Nico and Maki herself were dodging each other and shooting insults at each other, since affection was something less easy to spit out. However, she had fitted in rather well, Eli and Nozomi fussing over her very, very much, especially when she had mentioned that Nico would not get any presents from Santa because of her cursing.

Still, having to go back and report her current status to her parents sounded unnecessary, especially when she knew her mother would drag her back to the house and her father would lock the door after that. These few days with the eccentric bunch of fun, accepting people were actually pleasant, and something Maki had greatly enjoyed. But Nico had a point; what if her father, captain of the royal guard, actually sent his best fighters (though no one would best her) to rescue her. Oh, and probably slay the dragon.

Maki shuddered at the image of her father plunging a sword into Nico, the other men slashing the outnumbered dragon. Nah, Nico was strong, wasn't she? But with that many forces… She was not going to take any chances.

"Alright, fine, I'm going." Maki gave in, and Nico heaved a sigh of relief.

"Finally."

"… I figured it'll be bad if any of you got hurt, especially Nico." Maki blurted out, and quickly added, "I mean, b-because she looks like a kid and it's bad if a kid gets hurt, you know?"

Nozomi smirked, and Nico scowled.

"I'm the Dragon, you know."

"There you go again, Nicocchi, getting into role again." Nozomi teased, and Nico snorted some smoke out.

"Nozomi, you should get ready, my shoulder is getting heavier and heavier." Eli whined, and Nozomi giggled.

"Urgh. We might have to postpone the trip if you two start things again." Nico grumbled, and separated the two of them, pulling Nozomi with her.

"Noooooooo!" Eli cried, but sank down into the nearest chair once Nozomi was out of earshot. "thank god, you know, her right hand was actually trying to-"

"I'M NOT INTERESTED, LALALA."


2.

Maki and Nozomi had set off from the castle, leaving Nico and Eli alone. Maki wondered how those two would get along with each other – heck, she wondered how they had gotten along with each other whenever Nozomi went out. Nico was kind of childish and obnoxiously narcissistic, and Eli seemed so cold and ready to strike fear and discipline into the little brat who was Nico. One was a dragon, one was a surprisingly strong princess who would lose her temper at some time. Maki wondered how the castle would be like when Nozomi and her returned.

"Don't worry, Maki, Nicocchi and Elicchi will be fine. I've left chocolates for Elicchi. And she'll be too tired to do anything after the past few nights." Nozomi grinned bashfully, and Maki cringed. "But just in case, maybe next time you should tire Nico out too."

"N-NOZOMI!" Maki shouted, and hastened her pace.

"I'm sorry, Maki, just couldn't pass that opportunity up." Nozomi started to rummage through her bag, and Maki's eyes widened as Nozomi threw a piece of clothing over her shoulder. "Alright, I've got my disguise set. Do you need a disguise, Maki-chan?"

Maki scowled, and shook her head. "Nozomi, when were you going to tell me that- that."

Nozomi slipped the hood over her head, hiding her hair and eyes.

"-that you're that weird gambler!" Maki groaned. Surely this was too coincidental.

"Oho. I thought you had realized." Nozomi shrugged. "Thank you for saving me time and time again." She curtsied.

"Was that how you always earned money?" Maki frowned, and Nozomi smiled. "It's rather dishonest."

"Oh no, no, I just have a lot of luck." Nozomi giggled. "And experience, probably."

"I can't believe I failed to see it." Maki growled again, her face snuggled in her palms.

Nozomi took out yet another disguise from her bag. "It's alright. In that case, you failed to see through my fortune teller disguise too."

"Fortune teller?" Maki peeked out from her hands.

And she screamed.


3.

"I still can't believe it." Maki scowled. "You were that fortune teller. This is a huge joke, set to disgrace me."

Nozomi's smile wavered. "Maki-chan, I'm sorry, and that isn't my intention. The fortune telling was not faked in any way. It is one of my many hobbies after all."

"So it was genuine?" Maki kicked a loose pebble as the city gates, tall and imposing, came into view.

"Yes." Nozomi paused. "The cards had predicted you would eventually meet, but I wanted to see what kind of character you were."

Maki snorted.

"Don't get me wrong, but it is hard to tell just from one simple interaction. Your expressions and actions do not always match with your feelings. So I did make my way to your kingdom again and again, in the hopes of being able to assess you." Nozomi turned to Maki. "And I then knew that you were pure, strong-willed, and would definitely clash with Nicocchi."

"That's damn right." Maki muttered at the last bit.

"But at the same time, you are different from Elicchi and I. And you are somewhat similar to Nicocchi. I had hoped the two of you would bond and understand each other. You are also like a diffuser, a neutralizer of some sorts. Nico has never been so flustered and easy to tame."

'Tame, huh?' Maki wondered.

"Elicchi seems extremely protective of you, Nicocchi will fight for you, I assure you, and I myself, I will do anything to make sure all of you are not harmed." Nozomi's voice had dropped to a low whisper, and they reached the gates.

"But why-"

"AH! INFORM THE CAPTAIN! NISHIKINO JUNIOR IS BACK!" The soldiers at the gate shouted, and the other soldiers echoed the announcement.

"Oh boy." Maki slapped her forehead. "I really should have taken up that disguise offer. Or maybe I can put it on after entering."


4.

There was unfortunately, no opportunity for Maki to slip on any cloak or hood, for the moment they were granted entry, a magnificent grey stallion snorted in their faces.

"Maki!" A veteran knight, captain of the royal knights, to be exact, dismounted and crushed his daughter in a tight hug.

"Erk. P-papa." Maki squeaked, and Nozomi smiled at the touching reunion.

"Maki, are you alright? Where have you been? Your mother and I have been worried sick about you!" Maki's father stood up, and frowned, inspecting his daughter. No physical injuries, that was good.

"I'm fine. I was… adventuring with my…" She looked at Nozomi, who was still hooded. "My friend."

Nishikino Senior looked at the hooded figure, eyebrows narrowing. "I had never expected my daughter to be in the company of such suspicious characters."

"Papa!" Maki protested, as her father's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He was overly concerned, and overly suspicious.

Nozomi lifted the hood, and let it settle behind her. She smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She curtsied, and the gloved hand withdrew from its pose.

"Of course, there was no way…" Maki's father muttered to himself, and looked at Nozomi once more. "Ah, a pleasure to meet you too. Any friend of Maki, especially one who has kept her safe, is welcome. Perhaps here would not be the best place for conversation." He snapped his fingers, and a knight dismounted his horse quickly. "Thank you, Akio. Maki, and her friend will take your horse back. You can take a walk back, and maybe get something to eat along the way." He tossed a coin at the knight, who saluted and walked away.

"Now, let us be off. We have much to talk about."


5.

"So… do you think Maki will come back?" Nico asked, pretending to inspect her nails.

Eli sighed, resting her book over her face. "Nico, that's the tenth time you have asked me. Of course she will come back. You guys are like, dependent on each other. You two have some lovey dovey potential romance going on." Eli knew she would not be returning to her book anytime soon. Somehow, whenever Nozomi was gone, she would hardly interact with Nico. But now that Nico was behaving like a puppy waiting for its master to return, Eli had no choice but to follow Nozomi's instructions.

'Take care of Nicocchi, she said. She will be lonely without Maki, she said.' Eli rolled her eyes. 'As if I'm not lonely without you.' Still, she had to try. And who knows how much longer they would all stay together?

"Nico." Nico twitched at her name. "I know we haven't really talked much since we entered the castle. You know, after all, things were a bit tense until Nozomi joined us."

Nico flinched.

"So I think it'll be better if we talk more, get to know each other and what not." Eli laughed. "I know Nozomi's better at this, but how about it?"

No haughty response, no snorting, nothing at all. And the silence was unsettling.

"Nico?" Eli sat up, the book sliding to her chest. "Nico?" The single seat was still warm, but vacant. "Urgh." Eli sighed, and brought the book back up to cover her eyes. "You can't say I didn't try."


6.

"I tried to, Papa!" Maki protested. "I really did!"

"Now shush, Maki, Toujou is telling us about you." Maki's father said sternly, although the poorly concealed smile revealed his childish glee.

"Do continue, Nozomi-chan." Maki's mama beamed from her seat, and Maki smacked her face onto the table.

"This is the worst…"

"Hmmm, where was I? Oh yes! Maki is rather picky with her food." Nozomi hummed, enjoying this teasing. Maki's parents were surprisingly not as strict as she had predicted them to be.

"It's the tomatoes, isn't it?" Maki's mother sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have eaten so many of them when I was still carrying Maki."

"Mama!" Maki whined.

"It's good to know that you're fine, Maki. We were worried that you would actually look for some dragon to fight." Nishikino Senior folded his arms.

Nozomi smirked as Maki waved her arms frantically. "D-definitely not! That would be unthinkable!"

"Indeed. But now that you're back…" Nishikino Senior huffed. "I hope you'll stay to complete your training."

Maki paled, and gripped the table. "No, papa."

"Is it a boy?" Nishikino Senior closed his eyes and pinched his nosebridge. "What is keeping you from returning home?"

"It's not a boy." Maki gritted her teeth. "I … I like being with Nozomi and the others! I just want to spread my wings and become more independent! It's not as though I am not acknowledging my hometown or my family, I just want a different path!"

"Listen, Maki, if this is about us not wanting you to be a bard-"

"It isn't that. I just – I never really wanted to follow in your footsteps! I never wanted to succeed you as captain of the Royal Knights, I never wanted my choices to be dictated by you! I wanted to do something by myself, instead of following the path that you had paved for me! I know you mean well, but I simply cannot follow it!" Maki panted, and shuddered when her father's eyes snapped open.

Purple eyes met, and burned into each other, both trying to express words that were piled up in their throats.

"I see."

Nozomi looked on, her heart thudding against her ribcage. It had escalated too quickly. Her eyes shifted to Maki's mother, who looked at her apologetically.

The first set of eyes to break away was Maki's father's. A creak was heard when he leaned back into his chair.

"I see." He repeated, and Maki's mother looked at the two girls.

"Maki, perhaps you'd like to bring Nozomi-chan around. Do be back for dinner though."

Nozomi nodded dumbly as Maki dragged her out.

It was a unnervingly quiet walk from the Nishikino's house to the bustling market streets. Maki had refused to say anything, leaving Nozomi to trail behind her in worried silence.

"Grilled meat." Maki suddenly mumbled, and Nozomi felt her stomach growling.

"Maki?"

"Grilled meat. Let's go eat some grilled meat." Maki said, still not turning to face Nozomi. "You – you said you like grilled meat."

Nozomi moved beside Maki. "Yes. Grilled meat is good. If I may be so rude to suggest a side dish?"

Maki tilted her head. "Feel free to."

"Some tomatoes would be nice."


7.

"So that's how she thinks. She's grown up now." Nishikino Senior cradled his forehead in his hands, and pushed his hair back, sighing deeply. "Was she right to have said we dictated her path too much? All we wanted was the best for her."

Nishikino Kikuko rubbed her husband's shoulders soothingly.

"What happened to my enthusiastic little girl who would jump at every opportunity to spar with anyone? What happened to my little knight who had sworn to best me in a duel, and take my title?" Nishikino Senior seemed to be having a hard time.

Nishikino Kikuko giggled. "Dear, she does take after you in that sense, then."

Nishikino Senior raised his eyebrow. "What does that mean, I don't get it."

Kikuko couldn't hide her amusement, and decided not to torment her husband any longer. "Well, remember that you did come from a family of scholars."

Nishikino Kyou slumped his shoulders, and nodded in defeat. "And I chose to be a knight despite my parents' wishes."

"Your blood runs strong in Maki." Kikuko smiled. "And as parents, we can't really keep on making decisions for her. All we can do is guide her, and be here for her. She won't leave, she will come back."

"You're right." Kyou smiled weakly. "After all, I'd rather she be an adventurer than a bard."

"Kyou!"


8.

The delicious aroma of meat being cooked in various means had Nozomi salivating while waiting for her order to reach her table. Maki was right, this was the best place to eat, and it was a treat from the apparently rich Nishikino family.

Nozomi felt a small tinge of betrayal - Maki had never mentioned that she was from a fairly well-to-do family. Captain of the royal guards sounded impressive, but the Nishikinos were FILTHY RICH. Even as a princess, Nozomi was amazed at how a captain could be so wealthy. Maki had casually mentioned that their ancestors used to study and compile books, pushing forward new information and eventually earning quite a bit from it. 'Quite a bit' seemed to be a huge understatement. Nevertheless, the rare treat was much appreciated by Nozomi. Ever since she left her own castle, she had been making just enough to live from gambling and fortune telling. And with Eli and Nico to feed, she hardly ate such a luxurious meal. Nico never cooked grilled meat too, complaining of how much fat she would pack.

A loud and enticing sizzling noise brought Nozomi back to reality, and she licked her lips as a small grill was settled on their table. The meat was still rare and waiting to be lifted to her lips.

Opposite her, Maki seemed pleased with her pasta, which was drenched in tomato sauce. The eager, childlike smile that flashed across her face made Nozomi giggle at how cute the girl was.

Nozomi was always the kind to engage in talk over a meal, and she started after savouring the first strip of meat.

"So, Maki-chan, how do you find Nicocchi?"

"Oh, come on, Nozomi, do you have to?" Maki whined, and furiously stuffed her mouth with more food.

"Yes, I have to. But seriously, what do you know about Nico?"

Maki squinted, "hah? Is this about how close I am to her? Because I assure you she has definitely not told me more than she has told you. After all, we have only been together for a few weeks."

"Together, huh?" Nozomi waggled her eyebrows, and Maki flushed red.

"N-no! That wasn't what I meant!" She scowled. "Nico-chan and I are just f-friends."

"You sound disappointed." Nozomi grinned, lifting another slab of meat off the grill.

"I'm not." Maki grunted.

"Fine, maybe I am." The red haired girl relented, and growled. "All Nico-chan cares about is her dragon persona and her fame. It's as though I don't exist. And she was so flustered and busy trying to talk to me for the first few days."

Nozomi paused, wondering if her constant teasing had caused Nico to clam up like that. Oops. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to cut down on her teasing. Perhaps.

"Nicocchi's probably embarrassed."

"What's with that whole persona anyway!" Maki dropped her voice to a hushed grumble, worried that someone might have figured out that a sweet looking, cute girl with twintails would be a menacing dragon. It was a worrying possibility.

"Well, Maki-chan, what do you think of it?"

Maki paused, actually thinking hard. "I can't really tell. It's as though she's trying to be someone entirely different, like she's taking on a responsibility. Like someone who is trying to hide something." Her eyes widened. "Ah, it's kinda like my case… I had to pretend I loved sparring, so I had to behave as such. It doesn't necessarily mean she likes to … become her persona, right?"

Nozomi shrugged, motioning for Maki to continue.

"Ah, I don't know, it seems so presumptuous. She did tell me it was a persona, but I feel kinda bad saying it. It's not that it's a total facade, part of it is still part of her. It's hard to accept at times, but I can't deny it either. But the whole 'I wanna be bad and notorious' thing doesn't seem like her." Maki shook her head. "Not that I know her well."

"I think you know her well enough." Nozomi smiled. "Ah, that reminds me. All of us were gathered to talk that day, right? We were all sharing our stories, and we never got to how Nicocchi and us gathered here. Well, not properly anyway." She tapped the now empty grill, searching for pieces of meat.

Maki took a sip of water. "I kinda know, Nico-chan did tell me."

"Oh?" Nozomi stopped her scavenging, and propped one elbow up to listen carefully.

"Well, Nico-chan said you know, so I guess it's fine to repeat what she said." Despite that, Maki bit her lip before speaking.

"Eli kinda… well, Nico kinda brought Eli to the castle first, right? They were both escaping or something. Nico didn't really want to talk much about it, just that they met and fled. Then you met them and things weren't so tense after that."

Nozomi nodded.

"And Nico-chan also said that you and Eli wrote letters to each other before you met, so when you met, it was like some disgustingly mushy reunion. She said it made her retch."

"Ah, that's what Nicocchi thinks? I've got to punish her when we get back." Nozomi chuckled.

"Speaking of which… I'm not sure how early we'll get to go back, look at my overbearing parents." Maki brought up, and Nozomi hummed.

"I'm sure we'll convince your parents." Nozomi finished her water, and stretched. "Now, let's get going. The sooner we get all we need, the sooner we can go back."


9.

"It's been five days…" Nico mumbled, huffing a breath of fire unknowingly.

"Ow! Damn! Nico, watch it!" Eli snarled, patting the end of her singed hair, and had to calm herself down. With Nozomi gone, there was no source of calmness and serenity around the castle. Maki was also gone, and Eli had to admit that the youngest of their group was like a magnet to Nico. Both would repel each other and attract each other, fighting and eventually cuddling secretly (Eli had quickly and quietly retreated). Nico was always moving about, and seeing her so calm with Maki was a refreshing change. However, with both of their partners gone, they were now reduced to anxious, antsy, insecure young adults, waiting for their buttons to be pushed so they could finally snap and destroy everything around them.

Eli had a knack for ruining things spectacularly, whether it was furniture, buildings, hearts, or lives.

Nico was a dragon. Nothing more needed to be said.

And the only time they had been together, alone, for more than a week…

Eli shook her head. That was before Nozomi arrived, and things were pretty desperate. If Nozomi hadn't arrived, who knows what might have happened.

And for the past few days, Eli had been trying. She really had. Making small talk with Nico, trying to get to know her, trying to interact, but Nico had either left without any warning, or ignored Eli as she stomped to her room. Eli had no idea why Nico was being such a bitch, and she was tired of trying. Nozomi had always been better at talking to people. And Eli? She was a terrible person whose fists were more impactful than her words, and she learnt that the hard was unexpectedly cruel, asking her to try to be strong, to talk to Nico, who would be lonely. Did Nozomi not realise how lonely and afraid she was now?

"They'll definitely come back, so stop burning things." Eli snapped suddenly, and clenched her fists when she realised how rude she sounded. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"Whatever, I'm not the one leaving holes in the walls." Nico shot back, and stood up. "I'm going to stretch my wings."

"You can't possibly do that! Nozomi told us to lie low!"

"Well, f-" Nico bit her tongue, possibly averting a crisis. "thuck, my thon! Thuck thith!"

Eli stared apathetically as Nico slammed a door, heading up to her room. Eli groaned and swung her fist into the wall, creating a dent similar to many scattered around the castle. It was just a matter of time. Would Maki and Nozomi reach the castle before Nico and her broke everything apart?


10.

Nozomi felt a prickle run from the top of her head, surging through her veins and arteries before it ended in a short jolt at her toes.

"Nozomi, are you alright?" Maki asked, wondering why her friend had stopped in the middle of a busy street.

"Ah, yes. I'm fine." Nozomi put on a smile. "We are getting chocolates for Elicchi, right?"

Maki nodded, clutching a bag of sweets. They were her favourite - rock-hard candies splashed with vibrant colours, indicating their various flavours. Bright red for strawberries, a darker red for cherries, green for apples, yellow for tangy lemons, orange for the fruit of the same colour,purple grapes, dark blue for blueberries, and the sweetest peach candies were a light pink.

"Do you think Nico will like these?" Maki asked nervously. Sure, they were her childhood favourite, but giving these to Nico… wasn't it implying she was a child? She already had that height complex…

"She will absolutely adore them. Nicocchi has always had a sweet tooth. And she likes cute things."

"T-that's great!" Maki beamed, and Nozomi grinned.

"She likes you a great deal more than Elicchi and I after all."

"N-Nozomi! Let's hurry up! Papa did say he wanted us to go back before the sky turned dark!"

"No worries, your face will light up the darkness, with that incredibly beautiful red hue." Nozomi poked Maki on the cheek, before skipping off ahead, her smile dropping.

"It's happening again, huh?" She whispered, before Maki caught up to her and pushed her into the next store.


11.

Nozomi and Maki had stumbled back into the Nishikino's house, hands full of gifts and groceries.

"Thank you both." Kikuko smiled, and tried to reduce their load, but Maki had turned to her side, refusing to let her mother tire herself out even more.

"I'll put these down." Maki insisted.

"You're leaving soon, and you won't even allow your poor mother to help you out." Kikuko sighed. "My dear Maki is really growing up."

"Mama!"

"I can't believe you're going to be an adventurer." Nishikino Kyou repeated his default greeting ever since Maki's return with Nozomi.

"I can't believe you're still on that issue." Maki muttered under her breath. After that day's lunch with Nozomi, they had returned back with uncertainty, but Kikuko's smile had relieved them of that gnawing guilt and fear. Maki was allowed to be an adventurer, but the condition was that she had to return to Otonokizaka at least every three months. It was a fair deal, considering the fact that Maki wasn't really adventuring, but free-loading at an abandoned castle.

"I can't believe we're all not trying my cooking!" Kikuko added, and Maki shot up of her seat.

"I smell tomato soup!"

"She's going to get tomato poisoning one day, I swear." Nozomi joked, but Kyou turned towards her.

"Please make sure she cuts down on her intake of tomatoes. Nothing is good in excessive amounts after all."

Nozomi nodded. As intimidating as Maki's father seemed, he was actually just like his daughter - stoic and frightening at first, but actually a nice person. Kikuko was also an interesting mother, supportive and like her daughter, easily flustered at times. Maki sure was their child. And this familial warmth was something Nozomi missed dearly.

"Nozomi-chan, would you like to stay for tomorrow's lunch too?" Kikuko called out.

They had planned to leave in the morning, but surely it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer. She could afford to be selfish this time. She smiled and headed towards the dining table.

"I would love to."


12.

It had been a great idea to stay for lunch - Kikuko and Kyou had decided to cook meat for lunch, and Nozomi was treated to good food and embarrassing stories of Maki as a child. Apparently young Maki got stuck in a stocking for two Christmases straight, while waiting for Santa. Young Maki had also swung her practice sword and struck an unsuspecting guard in the crotch. Young Maki had smiled a lot, and that was something Kikuko admitted that she missed. Young Maki had also always run to Kikuko and snuggled in her lap, being overly affectionate with her parents.

Maki had smacked her head against the table when all her past achievements were narrated in detail to Nozomi.

And when they had to leave, Kyou had offered a horse for their journey, and insisted that they would be safer if he went along. Nozomi had to hold back her laughter, and Kikuko had to hold her husband back. Maki had formally bade farewell to her parents, so Nozomi followed suit. What she did not expect was to be caught in a tight embrace by both Kikuko and Kyou, and she had let out a squeal of surprise, which did not go unnoticed by Maki.

As they walked along the familiar path back, their shoulders heavy with gifts and food, their footsteps were light. The comfortable silence was broken by Maki, who had decided to get her revenge on Nozomi.

"That was quite the sound you made." She grinned, and Nozomi blushed.

Of course, Nozomi was not about to be outdone by a complete amateur.

"I'm pretty sure that's nothing compared to what Elicchi has heard." A dizzy, happy feeling burst from her heart as Eli's name left her lips. "I want to see her soon."

"I want to see Nico-chan too." Maki admitted, the bag of sweets tucked safely under her arm.

"Aww, you're becoming more honest with your feelings! Maki-chan, that's great!" Nozomi cheered. "I hope they haven't wrecked the castle too much." She joked, but froze when the outline of the castle came into view.

The castle - or what was left of it, was black, burnt and smoldered. The formerly grey bricks had their numbers cut in half, the towers no longer standing.

"No…" Nozomi gasped, and beside her, Maki dropped everything. Most of the sweets rolled out, shattering upon hitting the ground.

"NICO-CHAN!" Maki screamed, her wobbly legs moving and pumping forward, faster, faster, faster.

Nozomi snapped out of it and followed Maki, her first step crushing the blueberry and peach flavoured sweets in front of her.

"Maki-chan!" She shouted, trying to keep up with the former knight.

Maki's feet kicked against the ground, the force carrying her forward, forward, nearer to the castle, nearer to

"NICO-CHAN!" She pleaded desperately, before her knees gave way and she tumbled down, her arms scratching against the pebbles and twigs that littered the dirt path. She winced, and got up shakily, before Nozomi pressed a palm on her shoulders.

"Maki-chan. I'm so sorry."

"It isn't your fault, Nozomi, w-we have to go get them, they can be safe, they should be."

"Maki-chan."

"They have to be safe, they must!" Maki struggled, but yelped as a sharp pain spread from her ankle.

"Maki!" Nozomi turned the girl towards her.

"I can… I can still move." Maki inhaled, and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Maki…" Nozomi placed a hand at the girl's hip.

"I can move…" Maki sobbed, and opened her eyes when Nozomi tugged onto her shirt.

Sad, resigned green eyes that were so, so tired met hers, and she backed away when she saw Nozomi holding her sword.

"I'm sorry, Maki."

"N-nozomi?" Maki felt her vision getting blurry, hot tears stinging her eyes.

"Maki. You have to kill me."

"I don't understand" Maki whispered hoarsely.

"Maki, trust me. Look at me." Nozomi's voice too, was barely audible.

Confused purple met determined green, from which tears were flowing from.

"I don't get it." Maki repeated.

"You don't have to." Nozomi turned the sword, holding it's sharp blade. Her hands were already leaking red, and she positioned the hilt at Maki's direction.

"Just take the hilt."

"You don't h-have to end your life like this, j-just because of this." Maki stammered, shaking her head.

"It isn't what you think. Maki, trust me." Nozomi pushed the blade towards her chest. "I told you I would do anything to keep all of you safe."

"I can't!" Maki wailed. "I don't even know what has happened to Nico-chan or Eli, and I can't just do this! I can't lose you!"

"I can't lose all of you." Nozomi pushed the blade towards her chest, and Maki grabbed the grip instinctively, ready to pull it free from Nozomi's grasp.

A sickening squelch was heard as Nozomi leaned completely forward.

Maki screamed, a suffocating coldness filling her chest. Her hands let go immediately, but the sword stayed where it was.

"I won't lose all of you." Nozomi wheezed, and everything went black.


End of The Prophet and The Knight


AN: Ha. haha. hahaha. *screams at my laptop* I'm sorry that the emotions just vwooshed down and got sucked into hell. I've kinda been hinting what will happen next, so hold onto your butts. Thank you all for reading!

Funfact: Nishikino Mama's voice actress is Inoue Kikuko, hence the name chosen for Nishikino Mama in this fic. As for Kyou, kyou refers to 'club' in the '17-year old club' she started.

Also, I realised if you read on mobile, the line breaks are not present, so I have added numerals as well, to signify line breaks.

I'll answer a few reviews here:

madokakanames - oh yes, it is an unhealthy relationship, I guarantee. Simply put, without Nozomi around as a voice of reason, the lion known as Eli and the Dragon will end up fighting. Eli is trying, but... hoho, Nico seems to be resisting a great deal. I wonder why~

zurui yo: Yes, the senpai trio frienship can exceed warm and being... burning hot at times though.

KHShay: Maki will be anything she wants to be. She still wants to be a bard. But right now she probably wants to just relax and enjoy with her newly found friends.