Hi! Sorry that it took so long, but this chapter is twice as long as the first one! ^_^ Anyway, Read and Review please! I love
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Morning
Lord Seisuke's castle
He finally managed to shove those pained thoughts aside and then decided that he
was perfectly fit to start the day off with his usual routine like nothing happened. He
ordered the cook to fix him some breakfast and began to eat alone in the nearby dining
room. He was always alone, but he was accustomed to solitude. He idly remembered a
time when he was scared to be all by himself, but now he didn't want anyone to get near
him.
He heard Mia approaching. What did she want? Then, he noticed a smell and
realized that she was carrying her own small plate of food. Everyone has to eat sometime.
"Oh. I didn't know you were here," she said in a apologetic tone. "Would you
want me to leave?"
"Whatever."
That vague word could go either way. Mia would rather not make the long trip
back to her room in order to eat. "Is it okay if I sit here?"
Judging by the distance of her voice, he figured she was referring to a spot a few
chairs away from him. Seisuke really didn't care if she sat near him as long as she was
quiet and didn't try to engage him in a conversation. "Fine."
"Thank you." She set her plate on the table, pulled out the chair, and sat down
exactly where Seisuke thought she would sit. "I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't
know it would upset you so much."
He shrugged, mentally shielding himself from any unwanted memories. "Pain is
only a constant factor in life." Silence had a short-lived victory. An entire decade passed
since he was stolen away from his homeworld and he basically knew nothing about it.
"Tell me about the mortal world."
"Um, well, that's a broad subject. Anything specific you would like to know?"
She was startled by his sudden eagerness to talk.
"Tell me about the technology." She was typing on her laptop computer earlier
and he never heard such sounds before. What else about the mortal world was he
unaware of?
That was still a broad subject. She remembered trying to explain the same topic to
Anubis during one of the few calm moments when Talpa attempted his second invasion.
One answer merely resulted in another question. Best to start with the basics. "Well,
electricity powers nearly all of the technology. I can't think of where electricity comes
from off the top of my head. Anyway, the mortal world is just completely technological."
She decided to start explaining the machines that are the most alien to this world.
"There's television. It-"
"I remember that," he interrupted. "I remember television and cars..." Seisuke
sighed. Nothing else came to mind and he barely remembered those two machines.
Everything about his world was so foreign... Sage was so lucky...
His response was unexpected. "You were born in the mortal world?" Mia
wondered. How else would he know about such inventions?
"Yes. Tell me about computers," he changed the discussion back to the original
topic.
Explaining all the other stuff was easier now that she knew he was familiar with
some of the other machines. Seisuke, at this time an unusually avid listener, displayed
total interest in her words. Save this occasion, he briefly acknowledged and usually
dismissed what everyone said. She was talking about the mortal world, his homeworld,
the world he was stolen from, the world he would never see again...
Approaching footsteps jarred him out of his reminiscence. "Something important,
Arden?"
"Lady Kayura scheduled peace talks for the day after tomorrow. You are
supposed to attend."
Could this day get any worse? Seisuke sighed defeatedly, "Very well. What is on
the agenda?"
Mia interrupted them, "You make peace talks sound like a bad thing, but they're a
chance to prevent anymore hostilities."
The day suddenly got worse and better at the same time. "Truly, how big is the
chance that my enemies will become my allies?"
"Well, anything is possible. Anubis-"
"The warlord of cruelty was everyone's enemy," Seisuke nearly growled. "All of
my old enemies were killed because of the Ronin Warriors. If I had the armor, if I was
one of them my vengeance would be complete."
A short while later
Mia's room in the castle
Mia was freaked. Well, who wouldn't be? She never expected Seisuke to react
the way he did. Immediately after his latest outburst, she ran to her room. Arden
followed and started to apologize for his lord's behavior.
"Just don't worry about it," Mia said tersely. She sighed, mentally tired. "Has he
always had these... mood swings? Everytime I mention something his attitude changes
drastically. He's like a live wire ready to snap at any moment."
Arden nodded, "Yes." He reminded himself that Mia was unaccustomed to
evading Seisuke's violent outbursts. This was only her first actual day in the castle.
Mia sighed again. "Do you think that Anubis was the warlord who - who blinded
him?" His face was hideously disfigured. She couldn't even begin to imagine how
agonizing the experience must have been and she didn't want to think that Anubis was
capable of such actions. The former warlord was so different after he quit working for
Talpa...
Late night
Lord Seisuke's castle
Seisuke rested his head on the pillow and pulled the covers close. He was so
alone... He mentally berated himself for such feelings. This was how the nightmares
usually started. He would reflect on his cursed state while falling asleep. He tried to
redirect his thoughts, but no success. He was so frightened. Just so frightened.
Sharp sparks of pain reawoke the dull buises that he recieved from a Dynasty
soldier as he was slammed against the floor. A large metal-covered foot pressed against
his back and pinned him down. Where were his parents? Did they know where he was?
He didn't want to be here. What were these monsters going to do to him? He wanted to
run home. Run home and remain in the safe comfort of his family. But he couldn't get
up. The warlord wouldn't let him.
The warlord reported that here was one of the "potential ronin warriors." Ronin
Warrior? What? He didn't understand. He just wanted to go home... get away from this
place and stay home with his family... but he couldn't get up. Tears began to fall freely,
soaking his skin. He didn't want anything to do with this! Why were these people hurting
him!?
He heard Talpa order the warlord about what to do with him. He felt cold with
shock. No! Why? The warlord wouldn't really do that, right? No, no, please no... The
warlord lifted his foot off of him and he started to run away, but the warlord forcefully
kicked him down. The air escaped from his lungs as he collasped. no... Then, the
warlord yanked him up by his hair. He was too beaten and dizzy to cry out.
Being held by his hair, he was taken into another room. Realizing that the warlord
fully intended to follow orders, he struggled to free himself from the monster's grip. No!
No! The warlord tossed him hard onto a table and slashed open the side of his face. The
agony paralyzed him. please don't... please don't...
Then, the warlord pinned him against the table with one hand and held the sharp
weapon with the other hand. Please don't.... please don't... please... the warlord poised
the blade of the weapon against his left eye. please don't... then...
After hours of searching online, she needed to exercise. Mia was walking through
the halls when she heard shrill screams. Worried, she followed the sounds to Seisuke's
room. Arden was guarding the closed door like nothing was wrong.
"What's going on?" she demanded the youja to answer. Why was Seisuke
screaming?
"This is normal. You shouldn't be alarmed." Seisuke was still screaming only
now his cries worsened and then stopped abruptly.
Mia slightly pushed the youja aside enough to open the door and get inside the
room. Seisuke was sitting in bed, rocking himself back and forth. His arms were crossed
over his chest and he was begging with whatever fiend was in the nightmare to end the
torture. She immediately went near him to comfort him; her maternal nature taking over.
"Please don't... don't hurt me anymore... please..." he whimpered pitifully. All of
his anger and arrogance that he displayed earlier was gone. Now, he was like a frightened
little boy...
"Sh, don't worry. I won't hurt you," she said softly as she tucked a few strands of
hair behind his ear. "I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you." He stopped trembling. "I
won't hurt you," she repeated gentlely a few more times.
"I'm scared..." he seemed so fragile now...
"There's no reason to be scared anymore. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe
now."
Through the slight opening that the mostly closed door provided, Arden watched
the scene. A couple moments after Mia started to comfort Seisuke, the teenager fell
asleep. His head rested on her shoulder. No one was able to calm him during one of his
nightmares, but then again, no one ever tried to calm him down. Arden had no idea what
to expect, but he certainly didn't expect this. What would happen next?
Morning
Lord Seisuke's castle
The first thing he noticed was that he felt peaceful, content, happy... The second
thing he noticed was that someone was right next to him...
Startled into complete awareness, he bolted upright in bed. He remembered
having the same old nightmare, but... it ended differently... He listened intently to the
other person's breathing pattern. "Mia?" Some stranger witnessed him having one of
those horrid dreams and then got into his bed!? Where was Arden during all of this?
"Hm? Yeah?" she said groggily, also just waking up.
"What are you doing here?" She's a stranger! What if she told someone or one of
his enemies about his nightmares? They would know about his weakness, know how
vulnerable he was...
"I heard you screaming and you were having a bad dream."
"So? I always have bad dreams. Did I ask you to come into my room?" he said
arrogantly although he was really grateful...
"No."
Seisuke sighed. He just didn't have the ability to be angry at her. Perhaps he
didn't have the ability to be angry at anyone anymore, or at least for now... "You can go
now," he said nicely.
Mia yawned. "Okay." She got up, stretched, and asked him, "Are you going to be
okay?"
"Yes," he said quietly. After she left, he thought, everything will be okay, right?
For the first time in many years, he actually felt hopeful.
Later that morning
Mia's room in Lord Seisuke's castle
"So, he's always had these nightmares?" Mia asked Arden.
The youja nodded.
"Frequently?"
The youja nodded again.
She sighed. "I know for a fact that when people are tortured and they don't talk
about what happened, they relive the torture in their sleep. Those nightmares are most
likely results from his experiences in the Dynasty."
The youja nodded yet again.
"How come you haven't helped him with this?"
"I wasn't sure what I should do."
"Well, emotional scars are alot more painful than physical scars. He needs to talk
to someone about what happened in order for him to stop having these nightmares. I'm
not saying that they'll suddenly stop, but eventually they will."
"You better be right. I suppose I should let you do your work then."
After he left, Mia began reviewing the old bookmarked psychology sites. Arden
silently just gave her the duty of being psychologist. She accepted the new job and
wanted to know as much about the human mind as she could.
She was startled when she realized that someone was unexpectedly at her door.
Turning around, she saw Seisuke. He was just standing stoically in her doorway.
"How long were you here?" she wondered.
"A little less than a minute."
She wondered why he came to her room and the reason occured to her. "Oh, you
expected results today. I'm sorry. I haven't found anything yet."
"That's okay."
Then why was he here? He sounded strangely humble... Before she could ask
though, he left.
early evening
Training room in Lord Seisuke's castle
"Why did you let her into my room?" Seisuke asked Arden as he dodged and
parried sword blows. He was sparring with the youja. His favorite hobbies were anything
with swords. Sword sparring was previously the only thing in his life that gave him any
pleasure.
"I would not have let her if I thought she would hurt you."
Seisuke mentally shrugged that off. Arden was always his most trusted. "Anyway,
I want to know if she can be trusted."
"Well, Kayura did suggest her-"
"So? I don't trust Kayura. In all logic, the only people she would report about me
to are the Ronin Warriors. I want to make sure she doesn't tell them certain things about
me."
"Yes, my lord," Arden said without thinking.
"I want you to accompany me to the mailroom and read what she has to say about
me."
The shocked youja forgot he was sparring until Seisuke's sword came within
inches and he barely parried the weapon away. "You want me to read her mail?"
"Yes, did I imply something else?"
"Er, no. You implied nothing else."
"Good."
Mailroom
Arden felt so embarrassed... He scanned through the letter and said, "She doesn't
say much about you, but what she does say isn't bad..."
"But what does she actually say?"
"She mentions the peace talks for tomorrow and hopes that everything will turn
out well."
"Read the whole thing," Seisuke ordered.
"Yes."
Late evening
Mia's room
Finally she was making progress!! She modified the two programs that Rowen
and her grandfather created for finding and analyzing mystical armors. The modified
programs were searching the entire database on the web to find some mystical/magical
item that could restore Seisuke's sight. The entire search would take at least a day, but
most likely longer.
Someone knocked on her door and she told the person to come in. Turning
around, she saw Seisuke enter. "Any progress?" he asked quietly.
"Kinda. I'm using this advanced computer program to search for anything. It
should find something in a couple days. There's alot of stuff in the world, mostly spells
and junk that kids put on their sites just for fun. You can sit down if you want. There's a
chair to your right."
He reached a hand out to touch the back of the chair, then, guided himself onto the
seat.
"Would you want a cup of coffee?" she offered. He didn't seem ready to leave
soon.
"Sure."
"It's a little lukewarm," Mia said as she handed him the cup.
"That's okay." She was so nice... just so wonderfully nice... She really wouldn't
hurt him, would she?
"If you don't mind me asking..."
"Hm?"
"How old were you when you left the mortal world?"
Seisuke took a long drink to calm his thoughts. The familar acidic-like heat flowed
through his veins. He hated those questions about his past. She didn't mean any harm
though, did she? "I was five."
"I'm sorry..." Only five years old!? She thought he was Yuli's age when he was
blinded, but he was half Yuli's age!
Seisuke sighed slightly. Why was he saved and not me? The teenager
remembered experiencing the moment after being blinded completely and that dreadful
sense of insolation... No, I am NOT going to experience that again! "So, tell me more
about the mortal world. Tell me about politics." Politics was always an interesting
subject for him. He was too young to be aware of Japan's goverment when he was stolen
away...
Mia explained about democracy, constitutational monarchy, and then she asked
about the political status of the governments here.
"hmph, who knows? Kayura might as well become an empress if she is going to
continue treating everyone like infants. She set up the peace talks for tomorrow. I doubt
things will turn out well."
"Wouldn't it be nice if things did turn well? And who is going to attend
tomorrow?"
"Besides myself and the people in charge... I'm not sure really." Seisuke yawned,
"I need to retire for the night." He got up to leave and wondered if Mia should go with
him in case his nightmares returned. He then banished the thought. He didn't become a
lord by relying on some civilian for emotional support. He was strong enough to survive
the night.
"Good luck with the peace talks tomorrow," she said hopefully.
Seisuke was not used to hearing encouragements and therefore merely walked out
instead of responding, but he felt a large amount of gratitude... Perhaps everything will be
okay?
Noon, the next day
Kayura's castle
Full of sour hopes, he was guided into the conference room. Kayura was already
there with Dais and two others near her, most likely Kale and Sekhmet. Lord Ryuuzou
was also there. As expected, the other two people were startled to see him. Would they
just get over it already?
"Now," Kayura spoke matter-of-factly, "The reason why all of us are here is to
relieve tension between you, Lord Seisuke and Lord Ryuuzou. Dais and I noticed that
you still have armies stationed around your borders. You need to get rid of those armies."
Ryuuzou prevented Seisuke from speaking, "I agree with Lady Kayura. After all,
why have armies when we are never going to go to war? I will relinquish all my armies
immediately as a sign of trust."
He was taken aback by the youja's statement. Didn't Ryuuzou believe that once
an enemy, always an enemy? "Really?" Seisuke said skeptically. After Talpa was finally
defeated Seisuke attacked Ryuuzou and tried to get his land. "Well, I need my armies for
protection. I have a hard time trusting people in the dark."
"It is important that you also remove your armies," Dais spoke to Seisuke. "If all
of your armies are gone," he said to both lords, "Then, you have nothing to fear from each
other."
"Very well," he said tersely. Dais might have the best intentions, but Ryuuzou was
planning something. Nevetheless, the situation was not in his favor. "My entire army will
be removed from the border within the week."
"Good," said Kayura. "We will check later to see if you kept your word."
The rest of the talk was breif and uneventful. Trade was suggested, but Seisuke
was against the idea. What was Ryuuzou planning? The meeting ended and he began to
exit the castle.
Ryuuzou ran up to speak to him. "I heard that you were attempting to regain your
sight."
Why was the youja interested in this? "Yes," he said tentitively.
"Any progress?"
He felt a little worried. How would Ryuuzou use this information against him? "It
would be best if you simply returned to your castle."
Late night, the next day
Lord Seisuke's castle
Instead of sleeping or having nightmares, he was in the void; a little place in his
mind leftover from the truamatic events ten years ago that made him oblivious to
everything around him.
Seisuke was jarred out of the void when Arden nudged his shoulder to get his
attention. "What is it?" he said irritably.
"She has found the promised results."
Mia's room
"Good, you're here. I was afraid you'd be asleep already." Seisuke sat down in
the same chair and she began to explain. "Because of your, um, condition only one thing
is able to give you your sight back. That one thing is the armor of Halo."
"Halo!?" Seisuke nearly shrieked in alarm.
"Yes, I'm sure that Sage would be willing to help you if you ask him. I'm not too
sure how it would work out. You'd probably need to duplicate the armor's power."
"I never expected..."
"I heard that you wanted nothing to do with the Ronin Warriors, but I'm sure Sage would be willing to help."
"I have to think about this."
Later
Seisuke's room
Arden was filled with a sense of foreboding. He overheard the results and now
Seisuke was comtemplating the situation.
"It makes sense now," the teenager said calmly. "Darkest prison sheds the light. I
wondered about if I was destined to... and I am..."
"My lord?"
"Think about it. Darkest prison sheds the light. Halo is the only thing that can
heal me. Darkest prison sheds the light. For well over half of my life, I have been in a
dark prison- the Darkest Prison that could ever exist. and Halo is Light."
Seisuke believed that he was the true rightful bearer of the armor of Halo. "I need
my armor, not a copy."
Arden knew that only bad things would come out of this, but he cared about
Seisuke's well-being and always obeyed him. "Yes, my lord."
"Now, we need to plan how we're going to bring Sage here and take my armor
away from him."
Reviews!
Morning
Lord Seisuke's castle
He finally managed to shove those pained thoughts aside and then decided that he
was perfectly fit to start the day off with his usual routine like nothing happened. He
ordered the cook to fix him some breakfast and began to eat alone in the nearby dining
room. He was always alone, but he was accustomed to solitude. He idly remembered a
time when he was scared to be all by himself, but now he didn't want anyone to get near
him.
He heard Mia approaching. What did she want? Then, he noticed a smell and
realized that she was carrying her own small plate of food. Everyone has to eat sometime.
"Oh. I didn't know you were here," she said in a apologetic tone. "Would you
want me to leave?"
"Whatever."
That vague word could go either way. Mia would rather not make the long trip
back to her room in order to eat. "Is it okay if I sit here?"
Judging by the distance of her voice, he figured she was referring to a spot a few
chairs away from him. Seisuke really didn't care if she sat near him as long as she was
quiet and didn't try to engage him in a conversation. "Fine."
"Thank you." She set her plate on the table, pulled out the chair, and sat down
exactly where Seisuke thought she would sit. "I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't
know it would upset you so much."
He shrugged, mentally shielding himself from any unwanted memories. "Pain is
only a constant factor in life." Silence had a short-lived victory. An entire decade passed
since he was stolen away from his homeworld and he basically knew nothing about it.
"Tell me about the mortal world."
"Um, well, that's a broad subject. Anything specific you would like to know?"
She was startled by his sudden eagerness to talk.
"Tell me about the technology." She was typing on her laptop computer earlier
and he never heard such sounds before. What else about the mortal world was he
unaware of?
That was still a broad subject. She remembered trying to explain the same topic to
Anubis during one of the few calm moments when Talpa attempted his second invasion.
One answer merely resulted in another question. Best to start with the basics. "Well,
electricity powers nearly all of the technology. I can't think of where electricity comes
from off the top of my head. Anyway, the mortal world is just completely technological."
She decided to start explaining the machines that are the most alien to this world.
"There's television. It-"
"I remember that," he interrupted. "I remember television and cars..." Seisuke
sighed. Nothing else came to mind and he barely remembered those two machines.
Everything about his world was so foreign... Sage was so lucky...
His response was unexpected. "You were born in the mortal world?" Mia
wondered. How else would he know about such inventions?
"Yes. Tell me about computers," he changed the discussion back to the original
topic.
Explaining all the other stuff was easier now that she knew he was familiar with
some of the other machines. Seisuke, at this time an unusually avid listener, displayed
total interest in her words. Save this occasion, he briefly acknowledged and usually
dismissed what everyone said. She was talking about the mortal world, his homeworld,
the world he was stolen from, the world he would never see again...
Approaching footsteps jarred him out of his reminiscence. "Something important,
Arden?"
"Lady Kayura scheduled peace talks for the day after tomorrow. You are
supposed to attend."
Could this day get any worse? Seisuke sighed defeatedly, "Very well. What is on
the agenda?"
Mia interrupted them, "You make peace talks sound like a bad thing, but they're a
chance to prevent anymore hostilities."
The day suddenly got worse and better at the same time. "Truly, how big is the
chance that my enemies will become my allies?"
"Well, anything is possible. Anubis-"
"The warlord of cruelty was everyone's enemy," Seisuke nearly growled. "All of
my old enemies were killed because of the Ronin Warriors. If I had the armor, if I was
one of them my vengeance would be complete."
A short while later
Mia's room in the castle
Mia was freaked. Well, who wouldn't be? She never expected Seisuke to react
the way he did. Immediately after his latest outburst, she ran to her room. Arden
followed and started to apologize for his lord's behavior.
"Just don't worry about it," Mia said tersely. She sighed, mentally tired. "Has he
always had these... mood swings? Everytime I mention something his attitude changes
drastically. He's like a live wire ready to snap at any moment."
Arden nodded, "Yes." He reminded himself that Mia was unaccustomed to
evading Seisuke's violent outbursts. This was only her first actual day in the castle.
Mia sighed again. "Do you think that Anubis was the warlord who - who blinded
him?" His face was hideously disfigured. She couldn't even begin to imagine how
agonizing the experience must have been and she didn't want to think that Anubis was
capable of such actions. The former warlord was so different after he quit working for
Talpa...
Late night
Lord Seisuke's castle
Seisuke rested his head on the pillow and pulled the covers close. He was so
alone... He mentally berated himself for such feelings. This was how the nightmares
usually started. He would reflect on his cursed state while falling asleep. He tried to
redirect his thoughts, but no success. He was so frightened. Just so frightened.
Sharp sparks of pain reawoke the dull buises that he recieved from a Dynasty
soldier as he was slammed against the floor. A large metal-covered foot pressed against
his back and pinned him down. Where were his parents? Did they know where he was?
He didn't want to be here. What were these monsters going to do to him? He wanted to
run home. Run home and remain in the safe comfort of his family. But he couldn't get
up. The warlord wouldn't let him.
The warlord reported that here was one of the "potential ronin warriors." Ronin
Warrior? What? He didn't understand. He just wanted to go home... get away from this
place and stay home with his family... but he couldn't get up. Tears began to fall freely,
soaking his skin. He didn't want anything to do with this! Why were these people hurting
him!?
He heard Talpa order the warlord about what to do with him. He felt cold with
shock. No! Why? The warlord wouldn't really do that, right? No, no, please no... The
warlord lifted his foot off of him and he started to run away, but the warlord forcefully
kicked him down. The air escaped from his lungs as he collasped. no... Then, the
warlord yanked him up by his hair. He was too beaten and dizzy to cry out.
Being held by his hair, he was taken into another room. Realizing that the warlord
fully intended to follow orders, he struggled to free himself from the monster's grip. No!
No! The warlord tossed him hard onto a table and slashed open the side of his face. The
agony paralyzed him. please don't... please don't...
Then, the warlord pinned him against the table with one hand and held the sharp
weapon with the other hand. Please don't.... please don't... please... the warlord poised
the blade of the weapon against his left eye. please don't... then...
After hours of searching online, she needed to exercise. Mia was walking through
the halls when she heard shrill screams. Worried, she followed the sounds to Seisuke's
room. Arden was guarding the closed door like nothing was wrong.
"What's going on?" she demanded the youja to answer. Why was Seisuke
screaming?
"This is normal. You shouldn't be alarmed." Seisuke was still screaming only
now his cries worsened and then stopped abruptly.
Mia slightly pushed the youja aside enough to open the door and get inside the
room. Seisuke was sitting in bed, rocking himself back and forth. His arms were crossed
over his chest and he was begging with whatever fiend was in the nightmare to end the
torture. She immediately went near him to comfort him; her maternal nature taking over.
"Please don't... don't hurt me anymore... please..." he whimpered pitifully. All of
his anger and arrogance that he displayed earlier was gone. Now, he was like a frightened
little boy...
"Sh, don't worry. I won't hurt you," she said softly as she tucked a few strands of
hair behind his ear. "I won't hurt you. I won't hurt you." He stopped trembling. "I
won't hurt you," she repeated gentlely a few more times.
"I'm scared..." he seemed so fragile now...
"There's no reason to be scared anymore. No one is here to hurt you. You're safe
now."
Through the slight opening that the mostly closed door provided, Arden watched
the scene. A couple moments after Mia started to comfort Seisuke, the teenager fell
asleep. His head rested on her shoulder. No one was able to calm him during one of his
nightmares, but then again, no one ever tried to calm him down. Arden had no idea what
to expect, but he certainly didn't expect this. What would happen next?
Morning
Lord Seisuke's castle
The first thing he noticed was that he felt peaceful, content, happy... The second
thing he noticed was that someone was right next to him...
Startled into complete awareness, he bolted upright in bed. He remembered
having the same old nightmare, but... it ended differently... He listened intently to the
other person's breathing pattern. "Mia?" Some stranger witnessed him having one of
those horrid dreams and then got into his bed!? Where was Arden during all of this?
"Hm? Yeah?" she said groggily, also just waking up.
"What are you doing here?" She's a stranger! What if she told someone or one of
his enemies about his nightmares? They would know about his weakness, know how
vulnerable he was...
"I heard you screaming and you were having a bad dream."
"So? I always have bad dreams. Did I ask you to come into my room?" he said
arrogantly although he was really grateful...
"No."
Seisuke sighed. He just didn't have the ability to be angry at her. Perhaps he
didn't have the ability to be angry at anyone anymore, or at least for now... "You can go
now," he said nicely.
Mia yawned. "Okay." She got up, stretched, and asked him, "Are you going to be
okay?"
"Yes," he said quietly. After she left, he thought, everything will be okay, right?
For the first time in many years, he actually felt hopeful.
Later that morning
Mia's room in Lord Seisuke's castle
"So, he's always had these nightmares?" Mia asked Arden.
The youja nodded.
"Frequently?"
The youja nodded again.
She sighed. "I know for a fact that when people are tortured and they don't talk
about what happened, they relive the torture in their sleep. Those nightmares are most
likely results from his experiences in the Dynasty."
The youja nodded yet again.
"How come you haven't helped him with this?"
"I wasn't sure what I should do."
"Well, emotional scars are alot more painful than physical scars. He needs to talk
to someone about what happened in order for him to stop having these nightmares. I'm
not saying that they'll suddenly stop, but eventually they will."
"You better be right. I suppose I should let you do your work then."
After he left, Mia began reviewing the old bookmarked psychology sites. Arden
silently just gave her the duty of being psychologist. She accepted the new job and
wanted to know as much about the human mind as she could.
She was startled when she realized that someone was unexpectedly at her door.
Turning around, she saw Seisuke. He was just standing stoically in her doorway.
"How long were you here?" she wondered.
"A little less than a minute."
She wondered why he came to her room and the reason occured to her. "Oh, you
expected results today. I'm sorry. I haven't found anything yet."
"That's okay."
Then why was he here? He sounded strangely humble... Before she could ask
though, he left.
early evening
Training room in Lord Seisuke's castle
"Why did you let her into my room?" Seisuke asked Arden as he dodged and
parried sword blows. He was sparring with the youja. His favorite hobbies were anything
with swords. Sword sparring was previously the only thing in his life that gave him any
pleasure.
"I would not have let her if I thought she would hurt you."
Seisuke mentally shrugged that off. Arden was always his most trusted. "Anyway,
I want to know if she can be trusted."
"Well, Kayura did suggest her-"
"So? I don't trust Kayura. In all logic, the only people she would report about me
to are the Ronin Warriors. I want to make sure she doesn't tell them certain things about
me."
"Yes, my lord," Arden said without thinking.
"I want you to accompany me to the mailroom and read what she has to say about
me."
The shocked youja forgot he was sparring until Seisuke's sword came within
inches and he barely parried the weapon away. "You want me to read her mail?"
"Yes, did I imply something else?"
"Er, no. You implied nothing else."
"Good."
Mailroom
Arden felt so embarrassed... He scanned through the letter and said, "She doesn't
say much about you, but what she does say isn't bad..."
"But what does she actually say?"
"She mentions the peace talks for tomorrow and hopes that everything will turn
out well."
"Read the whole thing," Seisuke ordered.
"Yes."
Late evening
Mia's room
Finally she was making progress!! She modified the two programs that Rowen
and her grandfather created for finding and analyzing mystical armors. The modified
programs were searching the entire database on the web to find some mystical/magical
item that could restore Seisuke's sight. The entire search would take at least a day, but
most likely longer.
Someone knocked on her door and she told the person to come in. Turning
around, she saw Seisuke enter. "Any progress?" he asked quietly.
"Kinda. I'm using this advanced computer program to search for anything. It
should find something in a couple days. There's alot of stuff in the world, mostly spells
and junk that kids put on their sites just for fun. You can sit down if you want. There's a
chair to your right."
He reached a hand out to touch the back of the chair, then, guided himself onto the
seat.
"Would you want a cup of coffee?" she offered. He didn't seem ready to leave
soon.
"Sure."
"It's a little lukewarm," Mia said as she handed him the cup.
"That's okay." She was so nice... just so wonderfully nice... She really wouldn't
hurt him, would she?
"If you don't mind me asking..."
"Hm?"
"How old were you when you left the mortal world?"
Seisuke took a long drink to calm his thoughts. The familar acidic-like heat flowed
through his veins. He hated those questions about his past. She didn't mean any harm
though, did she? "I was five."
"I'm sorry..." Only five years old!? She thought he was Yuli's age when he was
blinded, but he was half Yuli's age!
Seisuke sighed slightly. Why was he saved and not me? The teenager
remembered experiencing the moment after being blinded completely and that dreadful
sense of insolation... No, I am NOT going to experience that again! "So, tell me more
about the mortal world. Tell me about politics." Politics was always an interesting
subject for him. He was too young to be aware of Japan's goverment when he was stolen
away...
Mia explained about democracy, constitutational monarchy, and then she asked
about the political status of the governments here.
"hmph, who knows? Kayura might as well become an empress if she is going to
continue treating everyone like infants. She set up the peace talks for tomorrow. I doubt
things will turn out well."
"Wouldn't it be nice if things did turn well? And who is going to attend
tomorrow?"
"Besides myself and the people in charge... I'm not sure really." Seisuke yawned,
"I need to retire for the night." He got up to leave and wondered if Mia should go with
him in case his nightmares returned. He then banished the thought. He didn't become a
lord by relying on some civilian for emotional support. He was strong enough to survive
the night.
"Good luck with the peace talks tomorrow," she said hopefully.
Seisuke was not used to hearing encouragements and therefore merely walked out
instead of responding, but he felt a large amount of gratitude... Perhaps everything will be
okay?
Noon, the next day
Kayura's castle
Full of sour hopes, he was guided into the conference room. Kayura was already
there with Dais and two others near her, most likely Kale and Sekhmet. Lord Ryuuzou
was also there. As expected, the other two people were startled to see him. Would they
just get over it already?
"Now," Kayura spoke matter-of-factly, "The reason why all of us are here is to
relieve tension between you, Lord Seisuke and Lord Ryuuzou. Dais and I noticed that
you still have armies stationed around your borders. You need to get rid of those armies."
Ryuuzou prevented Seisuke from speaking, "I agree with Lady Kayura. After all,
why have armies when we are never going to go to war? I will relinquish all my armies
immediately as a sign of trust."
He was taken aback by the youja's statement. Didn't Ryuuzou believe that once
an enemy, always an enemy? "Really?" Seisuke said skeptically. After Talpa was finally
defeated Seisuke attacked Ryuuzou and tried to get his land. "Well, I need my armies for
protection. I have a hard time trusting people in the dark."
"It is important that you also remove your armies," Dais spoke to Seisuke. "If all
of your armies are gone," he said to both lords, "Then, you have nothing to fear from each
other."
"Very well," he said tersely. Dais might have the best intentions, but Ryuuzou was
planning something. Nevetheless, the situation was not in his favor. "My entire army will
be removed from the border within the week."
"Good," said Kayura. "We will check later to see if you kept your word."
The rest of the talk was breif and uneventful. Trade was suggested, but Seisuke
was against the idea. What was Ryuuzou planning? The meeting ended and he began to
exit the castle.
Ryuuzou ran up to speak to him. "I heard that you were attempting to regain your
sight."
Why was the youja interested in this? "Yes," he said tentitively.
"Any progress?"
He felt a little worried. How would Ryuuzou use this information against him? "It
would be best if you simply returned to your castle."
Late night, the next day
Lord Seisuke's castle
Instead of sleeping or having nightmares, he was in the void; a little place in his
mind leftover from the truamatic events ten years ago that made him oblivious to
everything around him.
Seisuke was jarred out of the void when Arden nudged his shoulder to get his
attention. "What is it?" he said irritably.
"She has found the promised results."
Mia's room
"Good, you're here. I was afraid you'd be asleep already." Seisuke sat down in
the same chair and she began to explain. "Because of your, um, condition only one thing
is able to give you your sight back. That one thing is the armor of Halo."
"Halo!?" Seisuke nearly shrieked in alarm.
"Yes, I'm sure that Sage would be willing to help you if you ask him. I'm not too
sure how it would work out. You'd probably need to duplicate the armor's power."
"I never expected..."
"I heard that you wanted nothing to do with the Ronin Warriors, but I'm sure Sage would be willing to help."
"I have to think about this."
Later
Seisuke's room
Arden was filled with a sense of foreboding. He overheard the results and now
Seisuke was comtemplating the situation.
"It makes sense now," the teenager said calmly. "Darkest prison sheds the light. I
wondered about if I was destined to... and I am..."
"My lord?"
"Think about it. Darkest prison sheds the light. Halo is the only thing that can
heal me. Darkest prison sheds the light. For well over half of my life, I have been in a
dark prison- the Darkest Prison that could ever exist. and Halo is Light."
Seisuke believed that he was the true rightful bearer of the armor of Halo. "I need
my armor, not a copy."
Arden knew that only bad things would come out of this, but he cared about
Seisuke's well-being and always obeyed him. "Yes, my lord."
"Now, we need to plan how we're going to bring Sage here and take my armor
away from him."