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Chapter 8: Mondai; Questions

After the night's events, Mikan stirred in her sleep. Waking up to the soft howling for wolves, she opened her eyes only to be met with a deep violet pair of eyes. Bolting upright, she backed all the way till she reached a tree.

This is a dream…

"Mistress?"

The girl her age knelt on the ground and looked puzzling at her. She was clad in a deep violet dress and had a silver shoulder length hair.

Looking around, Mikan noted that the rest of the group was still sleeping. The girl in the violet dress raised her hand in Natsume's direction and a bright light enveloped the entire group.

Once again, Mikan opened her eyes and this time she was in a vast plane of whiteness. She remembered this place- it was where she saw Natsume's memories.

"You are Kami's sword?"

The girl with the silver hair nodded.

"Are you going to show me more memories?"

The girl nodded once again.

"Why? Natsume found out the last time and he wasn't very pleased with it."

Kami's sword played with the fabric of her dress, "I'm sorry, but you have to see them."

"But…" before Mikan could speak, she was thrown into another memory.

"STEP RIGHT UP! SELECTION TEST FOR THE ARMY ARE COMMENCING RIGHT NOW! IF YOU FEEL YOU ARE A WORTHY CANDIDATE SIGN UP AT THE FRONT AND ENTER THE PARADE SQUARE FOR A TRIAL!"

A young boy at the age of 10 walked up to the table and wrote his name messily on the parchment. Drawing the thin cape around his neck tightly, he walked into the parade square. The clanking of amour and the clashing to swords filled the air. Standing with the group of hopeful applicants, Natsume pulled his big bag over his shoulders and waited for instructions.

"Welcome, I trust you all have signed up for this selection because you feel that you can contribute something to this kingdom. You all have made the right choice, however, criteria for being a soldier are tough and not everyone is cut out for it. Despite having made it through this round, many drop out due to the sheer intensity of the training. But…"

The seasoned solider looked at the group of applicants and grinned, "If you're good enough, you get the grand opportunity to serve the King and his family themselves" The older man suddenly stopped and yelled at someone behind the group, "Akira! Stop flirting with the palace maids or the next thing you'll be flirting with is my boots!"

The older boy around the age of 18 froze in his spot and looked at the commander.

"Awww… you're being a sour pus. Just because you're waaayyy past the age of these young ladies and aren't entertained by them doesn't mean I can't enjoy their beautiful smiles. Besides, all I see every day are old geezers like you."

A vein popped in the man's forehead, "you cheeky brat. Get your butt right here now otherwise you're stuck with guard duty for the next three months."

The young boy ran as fast as he could and stood next to him.

"That's Tonochi Akira, the youngest commander of the King's Guard." Mikan thought to herself

"Correct mistress. Please continue watching."

The older soldier cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the new applicants. "This guy here doesn't look like it, but he's one of the youngest in the army to get promoted to the King's Guard. He will be one of your testers for today's trial. You will be required to do 50m dashes, target practice and swordplay. If you pass these three, welcome to the army. If not, do not give up hope and try again next year!"

Tono looked around and beamed, "this year we have a wider range of applicants! So please place your belongings in the locker room behind you and put on the armor provided."

Natsume turned around and headed for the locker room but the older men shoved him out of the way.

"Tch, brats should be at home playing with wooden toy swords rather than being here. Go back to where you came from."

Picking himself off from the ground, he dusted his pants before turning to see a pair of piercing light blue eyes inches from his face.

"Are you all right?" The boy was petting a small rabbit in his arms.

Natsume nodded. "You here for the test as well?"

"So, Natsume and Ruka have known each other for a long time huh." Mikan noted.

"Yes. Let's go, we need to get our armor on." The blonde-haired boy walked away and entered the changing room.

Following closely behind, Natsume placed his bag into one of the lower compartments and looked to the table where different sized armors where placed. Picking up the smallest one he could find, he placed the leather breast plate over his body and secured it with the straps. Taking one of the vambraces he attached it to his small arms and decided that that was all he needed.

Tono appeared at the door and asked the group to gather at the parade square once again. Lining up, he gave instructions for the task.

"The selection trials shall commence. No one is to use their Alice to aid them in any of the task. If you do, you are immediately disqualified. We have nullified the entire test area so if you've thought of secretly using it, too bad!" Tono smirked at the men who slumped their shoulders in disappointment.

One of the applicants raised their hands, "Shouldn't you be testing our Alices as well? Doesn't having an Alice puts us at a higher advantage?"

The seasoned soldier stepped into answer the man's question, "Having an Alice is an advantage, but in the army, having one doesn't mean you're excused from the training or that you enter into a higher rank than those without. We need all soldiers to be of uniform fitness and have the same training. Your Alice and its uses may be an asset for your designated post in the future, if it is required."

Tono looked gratefully at the elderly man and continued, "this is a 50m dash. As you know, soldiers are required to make quick dashes during battle. With the armor you are wearing, please try your best. The cut off timing is 9 seconds."

Lining up, each applicant tried their best to make their timings below 9 seconds, however some with too much armor had a difficult time and were immediately dismissed from the test. Natsume was one of the few which made it pass the first round.

The second round was the target test and Natsume once again passed with ease. With each test, the group got considerably smaller and smaller, with only 40 remaining, they were paired up by drawing lots to determine their partners for the last stage of the selection- swordplay. There were 5 stages for the fights and each stage was judged by a combat specialist who would grade the participants on their technique, agility and success.

Natsume drew a stick with a yellow end and looked around for the person who was to face him in the swordplay test. Walking towards him, the man who shoved him earlier on and he loomed over the small boy.

"Well well, this would be easy. Good luck, you'll need it all." The man in his early thirties smirked at the young boy and walked to the table in front of the stage to choose his weapon. Picking his choice of the broad sword, the man tapped it lightly against his palm before waiting for his turn to be called.

Natsume walked to the same table and on the table before him lay 2 choices- Natsume had to choose between a wooden sword with a broad blade, or a wooden rapier with a thin blade. Since the replicas were made to suit an adult, Natsume discerned that choosing the lighter weapon would help him better.

"Hyuuga and Mamushiba! Stage 3!"

The larger man gave the referee his stick and waited for Natsume to enter the stage. Upon hearing his name, Natsume picked up his weapon and gave it a swing a few times before giving the referee his stick and faced his opponent. Standing in a ready position, the judge blew the whistle to signal the start of the match.

The main aim was to avoid getting hit and to get as many hits as you could off your opponent in 2 minutes. Being smaller, Natsume was able to dodge most of the clumsy strikes the man was unleashing, but that small size was a disadvantage when he was hit. The man was much bigger than he was and the blows he dealt made Natsume wince in pain.

However, that did not deter Natsume. Each time he fell to the ground, he got up and hit his opponent twice in the areas which he was weak at. At the end of the 2 minutes, he had pinpointed all the man's weaknesses and was able to exit relatively unscathed from the fight stage. Looking to the judge to see who had the most hits, the combat specialist tallied the scores and told them to wait till everyone had completed their fight.

Natsume deposited his sword and the pain which he ignored from the blows received before now came back at a full force and he winced in pain.

"I hope those marks won't last." The man passed the snide remark before dropping off his sword and getting a drink.

"Bastard," Natsume thought when he looked at the places he got hit. The areas were beginning to swell and were a light green in colour. It was going to take some time for the bruises to disappear.

Sitting down on the ground with the rest of the applicants, the test was finally over and Tono began reading out the names of those who were enlisted.

"Nogi Ruka…" The blonde-haired boy stood up and walked over to where the older soldier was waiting.

"That's the physician's son. It's obvious he would get in, he has connections…"

Rumors and comments were being passed around. A few other names were called out but Ruka just stood beside the commander and continued petting his rabbit.

"And the last successful applicant is…Hyuuga Natsume"

Natsume's head shot up and he looked at Tono in surprise.

"Look another kid… are they really that good? They probably had connections to get in"

The man who was his sparring partner stood up in an indignant manner, "why is that brat selected while I am not? I demand to know the reason why!"

Tono flipped to the page with the specialist's comments and read out loud, "Hyuuga-kun was disadvantaged from the beginning with his small stature and weapon replica which were not suitable for smaller sized participants. As such, Hyuuga-kun was unable to deal full strength blows to his opponent and was overwhelmed quickly in the beginning of the test. He sustained multiple blows from Mamushiba-kun and was almost defeated."

"See! I should be…"

"Allow me to continue sir," Tono spoke up with a commanding voice, "However, his small stature was used to his advantage. While Mamushiba-kun overpowered his opponent with strong and decisive blows, Hyuuga-kun was able to nimbly avoid 95% of the blows after pinpointing the opponent's combat weakness. For someone that young, I was impressed by his quick analytical skills to zero in on his opponent's weak defenses on his left and back. The flurry of quick and light blows may not have staggered Mamushiba-kun, but Hyuuga-kun's hit counts were double that of Mamushiba-kun. Though both participants are strong contenders for the army, I feel that candidates like Hyuuga-kun, with his quick analytical skills and thinking, is an asset to have in the army despite being one of the youngest candidates in this year's selection."

The man stood agape, unable to absorb what he just heard.

"Natsume-kun, if you sit there any longer, I presume you would forfeit your place to another applicant?" Tono looked at the raven-haired boy and winked.

"Mistress… we have ran out of time. Natsume-san is awaking from his dream state. Please keep yourself safe. Also, I have healed the wounds on your body and your companion's bodies."

Mikan immediately threw her eyes opened and expected to find Kami's sword human form in front of her, but all she saw were the faint stream of sunlight peeking through the trees.

"Another memory huh."

Beside her, Natsume tossed uncomfortably in his sleep and sweat drenched his forehead. Unknown to her, Mikan slowly stretched out her hand to push the lock of hair that escaped from the headband aside. However, just mere inches away from his face, Natsume suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, while simultaneously pressing a dagger to her throat.

Looking once again into the crimson eyes, Mikan noted a mixture of anger and fear.

Natsume stared into the brown orbs and saw his own panicked face reflected in them. Once the fog in his mind cleared, he registered that he was threatening the princess and relaxed his hand. Sheathing the dagger, he used the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat.

He felt the uncomfortable sensation of someone poking around in his memories again, but this time, he was not sure which memory they were looking at. Most likely the princess again. How is she gaining entry into my memories? But those thoughts were immediately cast aside. Natsume was plagued by a more frightening dream- A nightmare where he looked around and realized that he was all alone in a void of darkness.

As much as he tried running, he could never seem to find the exit he wanted. Then suddenly, there was a sharp pain from his back; he crouched down and hugged his body. The intense pain was like fire searing his skin and he wanted it to go away. As soon as the pain stopped, he felt the presence in his mind leave but was now aware that someone approaching him in reality. With his trained reflexes, he grabbed the perpetrator by the arm and pressed the dagger to their throat, only to realise it was the princess showing concern for him.

Getting up to stretch his tensed muscles, Natsume's hands quickly flew to his back where the pain was but his touch did not detect anything out of place. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he turned to Mikan and asked the question that plagued his mind.

"How are you assessing my memories? As far as I know, you don't have an Alice that could let you see into my memories. How are you doing it?"

Mikan was taken aback by the question. She noted how flustered Natsume looked when he released her arm and started stretching. Then she saw his face relax into relief when he felt that there was nothing wrong with his back. She just looked at him, never expecting him to ask her anything.

Unsure whether she should tell him that Kami's sword has been giving her access to his memories, she replied, "I'm… I'm not sure myself. I just wake up to a dream and find that I'm in this plane of light. Then I'm just teleported randomly into one of your memories."

Natsume was getting uncomfortable at the fact that a stranger was having privy to his most private memories, memories that he would prefer locked and buried. The risk of Mikan bringing forth such a memory was something he absolutely did not want.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't wonder around too much. There are some things not meant to be seen, and to be brutally honest, who are you, of all people, to be poking your nose in my memories?" Natsume reproached her.

Mikan winced at his acidic voice unable to refute the truth, "I… I don't have any desire to look into your memories. Like I said, the memories I have seen of you are not of my choice. I'm just randomly shown one… in no particular order in your life, if you're wondering."

Looking at the princess hugging her legs, Natsume soften his voice, "which memory did you see this time?"

Mikan looked up in surprise, wasn't he able to tell which memory I've been in?

"Er… the one where you were selected for the army."

That one's I don't want people poking their nose into all right. Now I seriously want to get this mission over and done with. I don't want her seeing any more of my memories.

"Hmph," Natsume grunted, "Wake up your sister and Ruka. I'm going to get us breakfast then we'll move. We'll be able to reach the 'Voice of God' by sundown." Natsume instructed before grabbing his crossbow and the quiver of arrows beside it.

Koko and Yoichi were rudely awoken from their evening nap by the racket caused by the soldiers.

"Ugh…" Koko moaned and rubbed his eyes, "why are they marching around for? They sound like elephants."

Yoichi stifled a yawn and sat up in his makeshift bed. He really disliked sleeping on these beds as they were hard as stone. Straining to hear the commands given out, Yoichi could make out the words 'patrol', 'barricade' and 'princess'. Suddenly, he felt a dark and piercing aura approaching the tent they were housed in.

"Senpai, get up. Goshima is coming to give us our orders. It seems a patrol group found something." Yoichi warned Koko and shoved his feet into his boots.

Koko immediately shot out of bed and pulled on his white muslin shirt over his head.

"He's here." Yoichi whispered and quickly picked up the book by his bedside and flipped it open to a random page.

Goshima threw the flaps of the tent open and noted that the younger captain was sitting on his bed reading a book while the older one was busy looking around for his other boot.

"Captains." Goshima spoke up and the two captains stood to attention. "I need you two to investigate something. We have reports that a patrol group was taken out by the bridge leading to the forest. I want you two to go down and inspect, then report back any findings that you have. You are also given permission to track down the princesses if you find a leading hint. They've evaded us for too long and General Kuonji is getting impatient. Do not disappoint him. That is all."

The two captains shouted a loud "Yes sir!" and saluted, waiting for him to leave the tent. Goshima turned around to leave but stopped in his tracks and added in one more instruction, "On second thoughts, be ready in 10 minutes, I will inspect the site with you."

With the final words, Goshima departed the tent and Koko immediately stuck out his tongue.

"I can't stand that man. I don't know what it is, but his presence made me have multiple rounds of goosebumps. Look Yoichi! The hair on my arm is still standing!"

Yoichi rolled his eyes and started packing his things into a small knapsack. "Koko-sempai, we have to be careful. We have not reported to the higher ups about him."

Koko became serious and sat on his bed, "you're right. With Goshima there, it'll be hard to hide the evidence that a fourth person is travelling with them." Then breaking into a boyish grin, Koko continued, "Well, just tell a white lie if we need to. Besides, I can cover up for you if you make any slips in your report."

The book Yoichi was reading soon found its new home on Koko's face.

Arriving at the scene, Yoichi and Koko both dismounted their horse and passed it to one of their subordinates. Walking towards the group of soldiers crowding round the end of the bridge leading into the forest, the officer in charge saluted and gave them a quick break down of their findings.

"At ease. So what's going on?" Koko asked while looking around.

"As you can see, the bodies of the dead are over there," the man indicated to the bodies laid out in a line behind the captains, "and there's one more body over there."

"Who's he?" Yoichi asked.

The officer turned round for a quick glance before continuing, "he's the sergeant, highest ranked in the patrol group."

"And the issue you have now is…?" Yoichi looked questioningly at the group of men causing a commotion at the edge of the bridge.

"Well sirs, we have some issues crossing the bridge." The officer spoke in a rather confused voice.

Once again, the hairs on the neck of both Koko and Yoichi stood up as Goshima approached the trio.

All three men saluted and stood at ease when Goshima nodded.

"What is the meaning of all this commotion officer?" Goshima growled at the young man.

Shivering with fear, the man repeated whatever he explained to the captains and awaited further instructions for the commander.

"It's just like the stories…"

"There's something in the forest…"

"The forest is protected…"

These short snippets of whispers caught the attention of the young captains and the commander.

"What are your men saying?" Yoichi questioned the already nervous officer.

Looking aside, the officer cleared his throat and continued, "there have been rumours. Rumours that the 'little girl' has been reincarnated and she is gathering the help of her retainers."

Goshima's eyes grew large before returning his composure, "this is absurd officer. Should I have you punished for starting unrest in the kingdom?"

"No sir, but… we are having trouble stepping foot on the bridge. It seems like there is some kind of barrier preventing us from walking through. Those with the barrier Alice have reported that this is nothing they have experienced before."

Koko began reading the minds of those at the barrier and gave Yoichi a look, telling him that whatever the officer said was true. Bowing slightly, Yoichi left the group and began inspecting the bodies of those that had fallen.

"If so, why is it that the princesses and their royal guard could waltz across the bridge and leave behind this mayhem?" Goshima was growing impatient and his annoyance towards the officer was showing.

Looking for a reason why, there was a nagging suspicion forming within Koko's head.

"Did your men approach the bridge with swords drawn?" Koko asked.

The officer faced Koko was a raised brow, "come to think of it, yes sir. When we arrived here, the dead were strewn around and we were not sure if we would be attacked again. Then someone saw the sergeant's body on the other side of the bridge and we rushed to attend to him, but we were all thrown back."

Koko smirked and walked to the edge of the bridge. The men at the bridge made way for their superior and stared at him. Taking a deep breath, he placed his hands by his side and took a step forward. Seeing how the young captain could cross the bridge, the rest tried to follow but they were repelled.

Goshima who watched the whole thing cocked an eyebrow up and spoke up, "Captain Yume, care to explain your little magic trick?"

Koko merely motioned for his superior to attempt to cross the bridge by himself before turning his attention to the dead sergeant.

A clean cut to his windpipe and severe bruises on his body. He died suffocating on his own blood, probably knowing that he would die. The area around the wound is bruised, and the wound mark looks like he was hit with a dagger at full force. So either he was stabbed there or someone with very precise accuracy threw it. The kill looks clean overall.

Looking around for more clues, Koko noted 4 pairs of footprints and a few drops of blood at one of the footprints.

Ah… one of them got injured, but judging from the foot size, I'd say it's a male. Ruka got injured? But the Royal Guards do not have training in dagger usages. They're only taught to use it at close range. So that means, it's that guy huh.

The commotion that occurred at the end of the bridge drew Koko's attention once more. He saw that Goshima was unable to pass through the barrier and was sitting on the ground in frustration.

Getting up from his position, Koko walked to the other end while looking at Yoichi.

"What did you find?"

"Arrow wounds. Most likely from a crossbow looking at the trajectory and the deepness of the wounds. Looks like they died on horseback as well. There are bruises that are turning up post-mortem. Also, I can't see the person riding the horse."

"So we came to the same conclusion." Koko chuckled in his mind.

After a while, Yoichi spoke up as Koko reached the edge of the barrier, "what do we tell Goshima?"

"We just say that Ruka did it."

"We're painting Ruka to be a very competent guard."

"Well… in a way he is, and he has to be otherwise how could he be one of the Royal Guards?"

"Do you think Goshima will notice?"

"Nah, I don't think he remembers the training regimen of the Royal Guards. He has his hands full with the army."

Stepping out of the barrier, Koko saluted once again and reported.

"Sir, the men are unable to enter the barrier because they harbour anger in their hearts. Also, they were raising their swords or clutching them, thus the forest deemed itself in danger and barred their entry."

"So you're saying that the forest is a sentient being captain?! You are saying that it is like the stories?!" Goshima shouted. "How dare this pesky boy humiliate me in front of all my subordinates?! I'm supposed to be cool and yet he exposed my inner feelings by hiding the truth of the barrier from me?!"

Koko scratched his head and Yoichi, who re-joined the group, threw him a glare, "I'm not saying that it is like the stories sir, but no one has ventured into the forest for a long time. It is possible for the plants themselves to be protective and generate their own defensive capabilities."

Goshima considered the boy's words before questioning the two captains further, "so what did you find about the body?"

"Commander Goshima, I found…" Yoichi began, while Koko secretly smirked to himself.

By sundown, the group finally reached a large cave entrance.

"She should be inside." Natsume spoke up after a long period of silence.

"She?" Sumire asked.

"The Voice of God." Natsume stretched the tensed muscle in his calves.

Even Ruka found it strange that Natsume would refer to the 'Voice of God' as a she. There were no evidence that it was a female in the stories or in any documented books about this subject.

"Natsume, how do you know the 'Voice of God' is a female?" Ruka voiced his thoughts.

"I…" Wait, how do I know? I just spoke out after reaching our destination. However, before Natsume could attempt to explain, a female's voice resounded in their heads.

"You have arrived."

"Did… did you hear that?" Sumire stuttered.

Everyone else nodded and looked to the darkness of the cave.

"Mistress, she is inside. She will answer your questions." A different female's voice resounded within Mikan's head.

"Someone is coming." Sumire suddenly said when her nose picked up an unusual scent.

Suddenly, a girl around their age dressed in a red hakama and a white haori appeared a few meters before them. Ruka and Natsume immediately drew their weapons and stood in front of the princesses.

"Who are you?" Ruka commanded.

The girl stretched out her hand and waved it slowly to the right. Immediately, their weapons flew out of their hands and hit the wall with a loud clang.

"We do not condone violence, but you have your reasons for drawing your weapon against us. We've been expecting you, Sumire-hime, Ruka-san and the long awaited pair, Mikan-hime and Natsume-san." The girl spoke in a calm tone.

"How do you know us?" Mikan questioned feeling a little uneasy as to how the girl knew so much about them.

"I know all that there is to know. You two princesses who have the same father but different mothers. One who suffers silently and one who is treated badly. I know of you two men as well, both of you having been best friends and shared the same fate. One who has all the knowledge and one who has none." The miko looked at the four of them in the eyes and watched their shocked expression.

"We have forseen this outcome and have prepared for it. Your weapons will be confiscated." The miko waved her hands and all traces of the weapons disappeared, including the ones that were hidden on Ruka and Natsume.

Mikan and Sumire both felt their katana and wakizashi disappear as well.

"Wait! You cannot take away the katana and the wakizashi! It was entrusted to us by our father!" Sumire shouted.

"Give us back the katana and the wakizashi!" Mkan cried out.

The miko merely shook her head. "I cannot do so. It is decreed that those who enter here may not bear arms. Do not worry, for I will see that they are not damaged and returned to you after you have completed your task here."

The two princesses stopped shouting and looked at the girl who stood there with complete composure.

All the while when the princesses were screaming, the Miko glanced at Natsume and a sharp pain cut through his back just like his dream. Clenching his teeth, he restrained a gasp that almost escaped his lips. Then he saw numerous flashbacks.

"Natsume!" His mother cried out to him as he ran towards the burning house.

Someone was tying the braid that he kept hidden in his headband.

"You will be entrusted with this girl. Protect her as you would your own life. You are now bound to her."

A man stood in front of Natsume and drove a sword through him.

Natsume came to his senses and saw that the girl was staring at him at the corner of her eyes, "Who are you?"

"Your questions will be answer. Now please this way. She has been waiting to speak to you."