Disclaimer: If you recognize something, it's not mine.

Author's Note: Sorry about the double-posting thing, totally screwed up on my part. Once again, this is after a short time lapse, around one year. Katei has murdered the following families besides the ones that had been killed before: ahem the entire Mindelan family (excluding Kel), the Disart fief, Josu's Dirk fief, Veldine, Darroch fief, Blythdin fief, and Vikison Lake fief. Kel has become a thief but still writes letters to her friends and Neal, who is constantly on the road with Sir Alanna. And Prince Roald is currently having a nervous breakdown. Cheers!

Chapter 5: To love the predator

"Ninety-nine people dead in Tortall! Ninety-nine people dead! Hit one down, knock 'em around, Ninety-eight people dead in Tortall! Ninety-eight people dead in Tortall! Ninety eight people dead! Hit one down, knock 'em around, Niney-seven people dead in Tortall. Katei stopped singing his song as he rode through the streets because some people were staring at him strangely.

Hmmm, maybe it's because of my song?' he thought. He was riding through Port Cayne and apparently happy. It had been a great year, one of the best in his life. Afterall, he was born to fight, so fight he did, well actually he was killing rather than fighting, but that's besides the point.

He noticed that a lot of people were staring at him, and he had stopped singing that song. He stiffened and his eyes started to dart about, he could always tell when he would be attacked.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw sudden movement. Rearing his horse, he turned and unsheathed his sword. Soon, all anyone could tell was that they were being attacked; Katei moved like lightening in the air, slashing at anyone who came near. When he stopped, the street was full of bloodied bodies and crying people. Clearing his throat and galloping out, he thought, 'and a massacre in Port Cayne to add to the list.'

~~

In a tiny village just outside of Port Cayne, our girl Kel is there:

Kel narrowed her eyes and zipped through the crowded streets, slipping her hands in some peoples pockets as she went. It had taken her a long time to get used to stealing from people. At first she had felt nothing but guilt, but then she saw how the people whom she stole from were like and felt more pride than error.

Smiling slightly, she hid in an alley and counted her money-- eleven gold nobles. 'Not bad.' she thought good-naturedly and walked towards the tavern/inn. She had been hanging around all the towns and cities near Corus for about a year now, for she knew that the man who killed her parents (she still doesn't know his name) was mainly after Prince Roald, and would come to Corus soon enough.

She sat down at the bar counter and ordered a tankard of scotch. Turning around in her stool she sipped her tankard while watching everyone else. She had witnessed way too many brawls in bars to be confident enough to keep her back turned.

" 'Scuse me, Miss? I was wonderin' if you could accompany me upstairs to my office, I have proposition for you.' a tall, muscular man asked. She eyed him suspiciously and nodded. The two walked upstairs, Kel keeping a hand on her dagger the entire time.

~~

Prince Roald in the Royal Palace (where he's been stuck the entire year):

"Roald! Mithros, calm down!" Cleon told his best friend and prince. Prince Roald was pacing in the mess hall and wouldn't stop.

"I can't help it Cleon! I mean, I've been cooped up in this palace for the entire year! I'm not allowed in the outside practice courts, not even near a window! It's just hit me, this Katei character is really out to kill me isn't he? I mean I just heard about a recent murder of his, and do you know what he did? (Cleon shakes his head) He murdered the parents of a child and then hung the child up by the fief! He's mad!"

Cleon nodded and said diplomatically, "From what I've heard, he wants to kill you because you were betrothed to his lover or something, you know Chisakami?"

Prince Roald nodded sullenly, "I didn't even like her too!" Cleon sighed and said, "Come on, we have classes to get to."

Roald nodded and breathed deeply, closing his eyes and calming himself down. Cleon stared at him with his eyebrows raised and shook his head sadly, 'He's going to snap.' he thought wryly.

~~

Back to Katei!

"One person dead in Tortall! One person dead! Hit one down, knock 'em around, everyone is dead in Tortall!" Katei finished his song loudly, and continued trotting down the path. He was heading to a small village near Corus (come on, you know which one) where he would hide out for a bit before proceeding to Corus.

He had it all planned out, there was one person he still needed to kill before he moved onto Prince Roald. The last member of the Mindelan family, that girl squire-- 'damn it! what is her name?! 'he thought. Once all the Mindelans were dead, he could proceed onto the Prince.

He arrived near nightfall and checked into an inn above a tavern. Securing his sword hilt onto his belt, he walked down the stairs into the pub. The room was crowded with the usual, thieves, married men, girls from just about anywhere, etc... Katei sat contentedly on a stool infront of the counter and ordered a tankard of ale. He started to drink it down when a particularly loud crash came to his ears (louder than all other noises.) He turned around to find a tall girl jump-kick a man down the stairs. The man cursed and staggered up to his feet, but the girl was already there and brought her knee up to a place where the sun doesn't shine.

The man crumpled to the ground, unconscience, and the girl, face showing no emotion (you guys do know who it is, right?) walked over to a stool by the counter. Katei peered at her face, it seemed very familiar.

She had green hazel eyes surrounded by long eyelashes with a small delicate nose no longer dusted with freckles. Her hair was a light brown almost to her shoulder and it hit Katei who she was.

Grinning, he walked over and sat next to her, whispering, "Hi there." the girl looked up, surprised and stared at Katei, trying to remember who he was.

"Uh... Katei, right?" she asked. He nodded and drank a little bit more out of his tankard.

"So Kel tell me, how's the thievin' going?" he asked, this was the only girl he knew of that knew how to fight (besides the ladies back at the Yamani Island court), and was interested in her opinions.

She nodded her head and said, "It's going fine, make about ten to twelve gold nobles a day. How about you? Did you find that one man you were looking for? I didn't have any luck."

Katei nodded and said, "Yes I did, but he's dead now." Curiously, Katei spotted an enormous amount of sadness flit across her face briefly. He raised an eyebrow; from what he knew, she kept her emotions hidden as well as an Yamani, why show sadness?

Recovering as quick as lightening, she asked, "What exactly do you do, anyway? I mean, I've never actually known. " Katei froze, what he did was kill Tortallan nobles, was that what he was supposed to tell her?
"I settle debts for people. I have a meeting with two nobles coming up, one of them is the Crown Prince himself!" Katei told her. Surprisingly, she didn't look the least bit impressed, "Uh, that's cool, I guess. I mean, I've sorta met him already, and he's not that different from everyone else.

~~

Kel's POV:

She had known Roald for a long time, and remembered back when he always went through a lot just to be like everyone else. And how he always made sure he sat with everyone so no one got offended. Then she also thought to how the one man from the Yamani Islands was after him.

'Damn! I have to find out that guy's name! How the hell am I supposed to find someone if I don't know what they look like or even what their name is?'

She shook her head to clear it and nodded, saying, "So where did you grow up, ye know, where are you from?"

Katei seemed to pause again before stating, "The... the Yamani Islands." then he added quickly-- too quickly, thought Kel curiously--, "I was from a common born family, not a noble. Definitely not a noble."

Kel raised her eyebrows suspiciously and replied evenly, "But you speak like a noble?"

Katei nodded solemnly and responded, "I learnt to speak better because of the job I had taken up."

~~

Katei's POV:

Katei couldn't shake the feeling that had encircled him, a sensuous feeling that almost took over him. And he hated it, he couldn't get rid of the emotion as much as he wanted to.

All he could do was sit on his stool and watch and talk to Kel, inwardly battling himself. She was asking the waiter something when he couldn't take it anymore.

Pushing his stool out, he stood brusquely up and said to Kel, "I uh, have a headache, I'll be up to my room now."

Kel grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving and asked tranquilly, "When are you leaving town?"

Katei coughed quietly in his spare hand and then cleared his throat, "I um, am not sure. I'll have to wait and see."

'What the hell is the matter with me? I never stutter! Damn, damn, damn!' he thought angrily.

He smiled at Kel and stumbled up the stairs. When he entered his chambers, he immediatly felt better.

"What was that?" he speculated outloud. "I mean, Mithros, it was like... like." he stopped talking because he suddenly fell into a memory, a memory that he had cherished for a long time.

Katei ran down the hallways of the emperor's palace. He had been made a warrior of the Emperor! He was younger than at lwat 95% of the warriors, at the age of sixteen or so.

He was so busy with his own thoughts, he didn't see the tall, beautiful girl round the corner and he kept running. Running right into her. The two fell, the girl shook her head, face blank but eyes annoyed and puzzled.

Standing up, he helped her to her feet and then recognized the Emperor's daughter, Princess Chisakami! Dropping her hand, he bowed deeply.

"I'm, uh, so, so sorry!" he stammered, he had never been much of a smooth talker at times like these. She smiled and nodded her head, acknowledging his apology, "It's quite all right. I wasn't watching where I was going." she told him, voice a creamy soprano.

Then he felt it, a strange, hard beating with his heart. And a strange urge at the pit of his stomach. He smiled dumbly, and waved good-bye to Chisakami, almost tripping over his own feet.

That day... that was the day he had began his love for Chisakami, Princess of the Yamani Islands.

Katei closed his eyes and softly groaned. He sat on his bed and cradled his head, not believing it.

"I-- I can't be in love with-- a Tortallan thief!" he cried out.

~~

The next day was a festival day in the village, and there was small, side-walk shops littering the streets colorfully. Katei had met up with Kel in the morning and the two had decided to walk around town looking at foreign items.

Past midday, Kel had found something that she actually wanted. Kel picked up the small ivory cat and peered at it intently.

She showed it to Katei, "Look! It's a small cat that was made in the Yamani Islands! This is so well made."

Katei nodded, he owned several lucky Yamani cats such as this one, and didn't have interest in collecting more. He stared at Kel, who kept examining the cat figure and didn't notice, with interest. She was quite pretty, not as beautiful as some court ladies back in the Yamani Islands, but she was still pretty. And she was a fighter, beauty and death all in one girl, perfect for him.

He shook his head and looked away, he still loved Chisakami, afterall, she's why he was killing everyone, right?

~~

Kel's POV:

As Kel looked over the cat, she could feel Katei's eyes on her, and for some reason, it irked her. She had gotten over her crush with Neal, and then later on gotten over her relationship with Cleon. So she had no recent love issues, and seemed happy that way.

'So what if Katei is cute? Big deal, you've met plenty of handsome guys.' a voice inside of her head whispered.

'But he also has a lot in common with you! And he's really, really handsome!' a different voice whispered in response to the first.

'Who gives a damn? You want handsome, go home to the palace to Roald!' the first whispered again fiercely.

'But Katei is almost perfect (if you are looking for the murdering type in a guy)!' the latter voiced.

'Would you two just shut up!' Kel thought angrily, than later asked herself why she had been having an argument with well... herself.

Kel paid for the cat and walked off with Katei. Katei glanced at her as they continued walking and asked curiously, "Why did you pay for that? You could've stolen it."

Kel nodded but said, "I know, but I do have an appreciation for fine stuff, and would never take something like that without paying."

Katei chuckled, "Sometimes it's as if you're actually a noble." They entered the tavern/inn and Kel said, "I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult."

~~

third person narration:

The two walked up the stairs later on after dinner and stopped at Katei's room. Katei looked down at her and asked, "Uh, Kel?"

Kel gazed up at him, "Yes?"

"I know I have only known you for a little while, but... I--" he stopped and suddenly leant down and kissed her softly on the lips. Emotion exploded through the two, pulsing through their veins like thunder. Kel, starting to feel giddy, quite unlike her usual self, kissed him back ardently.

Katei cupped her face as he kissed her more passionately, and then fumbled for his room door. They entered, shutting the door behind them as they continued to kiss. Strangely enough, they had fallen in love, and there was only one thing wrong with that: Both were unknowingly after the other with purpose of murder. So they continued to kiss with more and more ardor; two enemies alone.

~~

On with Prince Roald's nervous breakdown:

Prince Roald ran a finger neurotically through his hair, chewing on his tongue to relieve stress. He glanced at the clock again, waiting for supper so he wouldn't have to be alone in a room again.

He didn't like being alone, not at all. Any person hiding in a shadow-- any shadow-- could be there, waiting to pounce on him. Roald sighed in blissful relief as the loud bell chimed through the hallways.

Leaping out of his room, he practically ran to the mess hall where he could have dinner. Sitting gratefully next to Cleon and his other friends-- he was too worried to bother with his seating arrangements--, he began to eat.

Towards the end of his meal, Roald began to then worry about later that night where he would once again have to be alone. When the meal was done, Roald was miserable.

Walking to the library with his friends, he passed a court lady. And it hit him-- he had never been a player, but if it meant he wouldn't be alone so Katei could kill him, then so be it.

~~

Back in that small village near Corus that I should've named:

Kel awoke the next morning, finding herself in a bed, in the arms of... Katei?! She sat up and all the memories came rushing back to her. She did remember with relief that she hadn't made love to him though, just slept in the same bed.

Katei yawned and sat up as well, kissing her on the cheek he asked, "So what are your plans?"

Kel straightened her tunic and thought for a moment. Today was the day she had planned to go home to the palace. She could protect Roald there and keep an eye out for the murderer.

"I'm going to the royal palace." she said and stood regretfully out of the bed. Katei frowned and asked as he pulled a clean shirt over his head, "But I thought you're a thief..."

Kel silenced him with a quick kiss and said, "I am, but I have connections in the palace."

Katei frowned again and asked, "What sort of connections?!" Kel laughed and said, "Like my friend, Prince Roald, I'm going to visit him. Do you want to come?"

Katei's mind and body froze up, Kel was friend to the Prince of Tortall, as in... his soon-to-be-victim?

He thought to himself, 'This is your chance, Katei! She will bring you right to the prince, and no one will stop you because they don't know what 'Katei the murderer' looks like! Plus you can find that Mindelan girl.'

Katei smiled and kissed Kel back, "I don't see how I could stay away."

~~

The two had a pleasant ride that only took a few hours towards Corus. They entered the city gates, observing the extra amount of security in the entrances. Kel led him past taverns and inns and toward the top of a large hill.

There sat the Royal Palace of Tortall, home of the King, Queen, and all the princes and princesses. Flags waved from turrets and made the castle look more grand than ever before. Up until then, Kel hadn't realized how much she had missed the palace and how it was run. Smiling slightly, she and Katei rode up the hill.

Sneaking in past the guards, Kel and Katei rode to the stables and tied their horses up. Then they proceeded into a practice yard where a class of squires were resting for a few minutes.

Kel spotted familiar faces all over, from Cleon of Kennan to Joren of Stone Mountain. She cleared her throat and everyone looked at her, not a single person didn't stare at her then.

"KEL!" Cleon, Faleron, Owen, and all her friends came rushing up to give her a hug. She hugged them back and stopped their inquires of where she had been. The Roald walked up and hugged her tightly.

"Thank Mithros you're here Kel. I am about to go crazy with stress-- who's this?" he asked, stepping back from Kel and looking at Katei.

Kel smiled and said, "Roald, this is my friend, Katei. Katei, this is Prince Roald" Roald's smile vanished instantly and took another step back.

"Kel, what did you say his name was?" he asked slowly, eyes wide. Katei was looking from Kel to Prince Roald. And whenever he looked at Roald, there was a horrible gleam in his eye.

Kel raised an eyebrow and repeated his name, "Katei, he's from the Yamani Islands. What's the matter?"

Roald looked ready to explode with anger, puzzlement, and fear, "KELADRY OF MINDELAN, DON'T YOU KNOW?! THIS IS THE MAN OUT TO KILL ME, YOU KNOW, THE CRAZY GUY WHO HAS BEEN MURDERING ALL THOSE TORTALLAN NOBLES!!!!"

Kel stepped back and shook her head, "No." she said softly. She looked at Katei and then at Roald. "Roald, are you feeling all right? Katei isn't a murderer."

Katei, on the other hand, was staring at Kel, ignoring the prince, "You- you're Keladry of Mindelan?"

Realization dawned on Kel as she stared at Katei with wide eyes, "It's true! Roald is right, isn't he? You are the one out to kill him! And... I... I actually kissed you! You fucking asshole!"

Katei, meanwhile, was trying to organize his thoughts: Kel, whom he loved, was in fact the girl who he wanted to kill almost as badly as the prince himself.

Keladry was still yelling, "Do you know why I was out in the Tortallan wilderness, Katei? Do you want to know the truth?"

Katei snapped, "Sure, tell me!" Roald, who was forgotten momentarily, watched as the two fought. The rest of the squires just stood and stared at the scene.

Kel yelled at him, "The only reason I ran away from the palace was so I could kill the person who murdered my parents, then later, my entire family! That's you! YOU killed my family, and I wanted to kill YOU! Damn it, you jackass!"

Katei lost his temper, all this new information and complications mixed in with his rage that had started the entire situation in the first place.

"Me, you're calling me a jackass? What about you-- you and the prince! It was your family who had ruined my life when they started that damn treaty! And the prince who was betrothed to Chisakami! And then you make me fall in love with you, whom I'm supposed to hate and kill? Well screw you, Miss Mindelan!"

Prince Roald lept up and said, "Don't you dare talk to Kel like that-- you're the son of a bitch who started this whole damn mess!" Roald never swore, and this meant that he was angry.

Katei stared at him and unsheathed his sword, swinging it up. Kel, saw the danger and ran to tackle Katei down before he killed Roald. It worked, sort of. As she tackled him down, Katei's sword had sunk deep into Roald's left arm, sending blood splattering everywhere.

Katei gazed up at Kel, a for one second, forgot who she was and who he was. He looked into her calenture eyes and was about to do something rash, like kiss her, when Kel lept up and yelled to the squires, "Get Roald away from here, to the healers!" and she pulled the sword carefully out of Roald's arm.

Katei stood and shook his head, vexation returning to him. He grabbed his sword quickly out of her hands and sheathed it. The two stood staring at each other when Kel yelled suddenly, "Guards!"

Katei's eyes widened and he would have ran away if it were not for Kel's arms suddenly around his waist, stopping him from moving. They heard footsteps of guards running and looked into eachother's eyes.

"Why did it have to be like this?" she asked outloud, softly yet firmly. Katei sighed and closed his eyes, about to say something when he was yanked away.

He started to picture tortures that they would use on him when he heard Kel yell, "Wait a second!" His heart lifted, maybe she really would forgive him!

"I want to verse against him in a duel, infront of the entire court tonight. Glaives only. Bring him to a dungeon and lock him in there, then, spread the word around the castle and notify the king." She said.

Katei opened his eyes and glared at her, rage overpowering love and hope by far. She turned on her heel and walked away. As Katei was thrown in the dungeon, he promised himself that he would fight with all his heart against her and win.

He thought,'Enough distractions, Katei, keep on track. Do what you set out to do in the first place. You're going to kill Keladry of Mindelan and Prince Roald!'

~~

Later that night, before the duel:

Kel tugged on a pair of stocking boots that were feather light and black in color, giving her as much mobility as possible. She wore a loose, light pair of tan breeches and a short-sleeved green shirt. In her hand was her favorite glaive, and now that she knew Katei was a Yamani warrior, she could fight him with it.

She tied back her hair so it would stay out of her face and walked out of her temporary room. Her best friends surrounded her as she walked down the hallway and into the great hall that had been cleared of any tables in the center.

She stood before the king, and waited for Katei to be brought. When he entered with his guard 'escorts', he looked more fit and prepared for the duel than before. He left the guards at the entrance and walked casually over to where Kel was standing before the king. As the king announced the challenge, he didn't glance at Kel even once, still mad that she had done this.

Kel, however, was having doubts, way too many doubts. The way Katei had walked was more of a stroll, as if he hadn't a care in the world, and that worried her. When the king had finished, Kel saluted the king and bowed. Katei waved a dismissive hand and turned to Kel as they walked out in the center.

The king let out the normal duel prayer and the two circled eachother. Kel lunged in, swinging her glaive as expeditious as lightening in a wide arc. Katei then parried her hit and lunged in for a move of his own.

Author's note: The next chapter will (I think) be the last one. And, of course, we'll find out what happens to Kel, Katei, Prince Roald, and everyone else. The rest of the duel will take place, but I'm still working on that. More action in the next one, I promise! Please keep reviewing! I need more reviews before I post the next part!