The Dark Riders

by Elemental Dreamer

AU Alert! Most of the digidestined are nobles, servants and such at the capitol of the small kingdom of Eisodos until a group of invaders called the Dark Riders attack. Warning: angst, shonen ai and split loyalties to come and detailed military tactics.

3. Part III

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Okay! Sorry it took so long. I was busy, and then I had some problems and couldn't get on Internet for some time. Thankfully that's handled now! Okay, so here it is! I hope you enjoy… Oh, and don't worry. There won't be much in the way of military tactics in this chapter. Not that there won't be conflict… But you can't use particularly good military tactics very well unless both sides have skilled military tacticians, and these battles only have one on one side. Ah…sad is me. Nevertheless, I will include detailed strategies and tactics in several future story parts! I won't let you off that easily… ^-^ Besides, they're so interesting! There must be at least some readers out there who will enjoy them as much as I do…

And a comment to FireDemon: I should hope I know what I'm talking about after all the research I did…

Extra Disclaimer: I do not own all the stuff I have Ken quote, sometimes word for word, out of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War".

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Part III - First Signs

-----*****-----

Yamato looked up from the map at the sound of someone entering the tent, and found it to be Ryo. "So there you are! You sure left me waiting here…"

Ryo grinned. "I was summoned to the Council, just to begin to awaken the appearance of me having a position of power. You know, to start rumors."

Yamato sighed. "That's all fine and good, but I need you here, too. In case something happens to me, you need to understand my battle strategy…"

Ryo suddenly turned serious at this. "About that…"

Yamato started. "What?" He asked hurriedly.

"I just wanted to warn you. If somebody's going to make an attempt on your life, it will probably be tonight. I'd be wary if I were you." Ryo warned.

Yamato hesitated, then nodded sharply. "We've already established that you know more about these things than I do, but why tonight? I mean, doesn't the Council figure they should keep me around until at least just after the battle?"

Ryo looked at him pointedly. "What are you doing right now?"

Yamato stopped, suddenly understanding. "You're right…"

"They'd figure you briefed me, anyway. They're no great military strategists, and don't understand that most of it is reactionary rather than planned. Of course the idea is to get the opponent to do what you want and to predict his reactions, but you can't plan everything. There's always a certain principle of chaos involved." Ryo answered, matter-of-factly.

Yamato nodded. "I have to admit that sounds very plausible. I don't know what she was thinking, leaving me in charge…"

Ryo grinned. "What about a test? That brings me to the other point of why it would be tonight. If you command a brilliant battle against them, then that will drum up support on your side and people would be much less willing to accept me as a new commander. Do you know what I mean? I don't think I need explain why it would have to be at night…"

Yamato shook his head. Was there a chance? Might he yet get out of this alive and not have to disappoint anybody? Perhaps the Dark One had planned the whole thing. After all, the main body of troops could hardly know that the highest military commander of the other side was a rash fool. Albeit a very attractive rash fool… But Yamato shook his head. He had to keep himself out of this! They'd only see Yamato's accomplishment, and maybe actually come to accept him…

His eyes brightened and he turned to Ryo. "I will remember. Thank you for your concern. And now let me ask you a question. I don't want you to take it wrong, but why would you help us to attack your own countrymen?"

Ryo paused a moment, then shrugged. "I really can't get anything past you, can I. No, I have some definitely personal reasons. My main objective when I joined up was really to have some adventure, but when this opportunity to attack arose, there was another reason why I hung on. You see…I had this friend when I was living on this other side. He grew up in the shadow of an elder brother who was simply better than he was at everything. If the Prince has any sense, that same brother will be there to help him. As far as I know, he's the best military tactician Eisodos ever had. I would like to help my friend and defeat his brother, so he can feel good about himself. My friend would most likely not be affected by the whole thing, since he wouldn't be old enough yet to be called. Besides, he's in one of the families in charge of the Provinces, and if the Dark One has any sense, she'll leave them intact, since they know best how to apportion out the land. And isn't it the idea to take a country intact?"

Yamato had to agree with this. "You're well-read…"

Ryo grinned. "I pay attention."

Yamato sighed. "You also have a great deal of people sense. I envy you that. But now we should get down to business. If I don't brief you on this now, we'll never get around to mobilizing the troops in time to set up a temporary camp before evening."

Ryo mock-saluted, "Whatever you say, general! Okay, so how are we going to go about this?"

Yamato turned to the map. "Well, first we have to move out here…"

-----*****-----

Takeru awoke with a start and automatically sat up, only to fall back down again, hard. His head felt like someone was hammering on it from the inside. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He silently wished this awakening were nearly as comfortable as the one in the small hut. He'd pick a bed over a floor mat any day… Suddenly all the experiences of the past day flooded his mind and he sat up with a start. "Mimi!"

A head popped in from beyond the edge of the door to the room he was lying in. "He's woken up!" It was Mimi.

Takeru breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't want you dead on my account…"

Mimi waved it off. "Oh, just forget it. I'd have done the same for anyone. So, how you feeling this morning?"

Takeru resisted raising a hand to his head, and just smiled weakly. "Sort of okay…"

Mimi clucked her tongue. "Now, I can hardly help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Takeru blinked at her. "Uh…my head's pounding."

Mimi nodded abruptly. "Good. That means you're recovering faster than I thought."

Takeru stared at her. "Um…explain? Oh, yeah, and what's telepathy? You mentioned it yesterday and I have no idea what it means. And there were those deer that got me here. How did you get them to help you? And…"

Mimi raised a hand. "One question at a time! Okay, you probably wouldn't understand the answer to the first question… As for telepathy, it's mind calling. It's actually the official term for it, although you can call it anything you like. As for the deer, as I explained, they're my friends."

Takeru grinned. "Does that mean I can leave again soon?"

Mimi shook her head slightly and sighed. "You never give up, do you? But sorry, you're not ready to travel yet. If you move too much now, I can't guarantee your survival. And don't forget that your first responsibility is to yourself! So don't get any funny ideas here. Actually, if you push yourself too far at this early stage, you could get a stroke. Trust me, you really don't want one of those."

Takeru blinked at her. "What's…"

Just then Gennai entered. "Ah, good to see you're awake! I didn't manage to find the prophesy, but I did find a translation of the said document I made at an earlier date for lack of current interesting activities…"

Mimi and Takeru blinked at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Gennai smiled. "That I was bored."

Mimi turned away slightly and shook her fists. "You know, you could just have said that."

Gennai grinned. "But the other sounds so much more interesting…"

Takeru raised an eyebrow. This was the man he'd come to find to help him save his brother? He had to still be dreaming…

Gennai smiled. "The original is in a language neither of you would understand anyway, so maybe it's for the better…"

Mimi threw up her arms in frustration. "Just read the stupid thing!"

Gennai pondered something for a moment. "Hmm… I just got an idea where the original might still be. You know, the original is always more reliable than any copy. Why don't you read it, Mimi-chan, while I go look for the original…"

At this, Mimi shut up completely. The old man handed her a scroll and left the scene. Rather gingerly, Mimi unrolled the thing slightly and stared at it, turning it every which way. Presently she turned to Takeru, slightly embarrassed. "Um…can you read?"

Takeru smiled slightly, not wanting to embarrass her. "I could try…"

Mimi strode over and pressed the scroll into his hands. "Then do! I don't want that frustrating old man to know that I can't…"

Takeru opened the scroll and read:

"From a world where magic is commonplace

A new race arises and comes

They have been changed by magic,

Where magic is used they come.

They cannot be stopped if they cannot be seen,

Only one who can stop them is born in between.

Fire, magic and metal must be combined,

As old feuds and battles must be set aside."

He looked up at her. "I don't think I understand it…" then he stopped. Mimi's expression looked set in stone.

Then she finally shook her head and recovered. "I…that is so weird…I use magic. I'm not much of an expert, but…I hope the invisible monsters aren't my fault, nor my mother's!"

Takeru looked up at her. "Oh, yeah, I was meaning to ask you about the monsters. So they're really invisible? No wonder I didn't see the one that attacked me…"

Mimi shook her head. "Okay, the first verse is apparently talking about the invisible monsters. But I have no idea what the second verse might be referring to…"

Takeru sighed. "Neither do I, but the art of magic is as good as lost where I come from. I wouldn't know where to get an expert mage to help us if my life depended on it. You already said you're no professional."

Mimi smirked. "No, I only know what I can use as a healer. This seems to be talking about attack spells, and the only spell I know that can even be used for attack is a sleep-spell."

Takeru shook his head and sighed. "Much as I hate the idea, I might have to go out and find one. And if they won't come back with me, then they could at least teach me. You did say I had some latent magical talent?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah, enough that you instinctively recognize and counter it."

Takeru thought a moment. "Maybe that's why I knew where that invisible monster was, even though I couldn't see it. Do you think they use some kind of an invisibility spell?"

Mimi shook her head. "No, look at the first verse here: It says they have been changed by magic. That has to mean that they were normal before and somehow the magic changed them and made them the way they are. On the other hand, it says they come from a world where magic is commonplace. Perhaps you were sensing that?"

Takeru thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's possible…"

Just then Gennai came back. "Nope, it wasn't there, either. Now, where could I have put it…"

Mimi grinned at him. "It's okay. We think we understand what they mean from the translation."

Gennai raised an eyebrow. "We? I wouldn't have bothered the young man with it until you consider him ready to be on the move. If he truly understood the meaning, you'd almost have to chain him to the bed."

Both of them stared at him, but Gennai just grinned. "It doesn't matter. Maybe it's better this way."

Mimi stood up and faced him. "Tell me exactly what you mean!"

Gennai smiled. "Later. It's early and I should be making brunch. Would you care to help me, Mimi-chan?"

Mimi formed fists with her hands. "And spend more than five seconds in the same room with you? Heaven forbid!"

Gennai grinned. "I thought you said God had it in for you. Hence, He wouldn't forbid you anything."

Mimi stood there for a moment, fists shaking, then moved for the door. "I'll make brunch! I'll kill some of those stupid, strange-minded fish out there and fry them! And while I'm doing it, I'll imagine they all have your face!"

Gennai watched with a bemused expression as she stalked out of the room, before turning to Takeru. "I understand you came to me with the desire to help your brother."

Takeru blinked, but nodded.

Gennai sat down by the side of his bed. "The prince is going to take him captive, you know."

Takeru stiffened at the very thought. With Taichi's hate of Dark Riders, there was no telling what he'd do! He looked up at the old man. "How soon could I reach the battle-ground if I left today on horseback?"

Gennai thought a moment. "You'd probably reach their camp around evening, but only if you left just after brunch."

Takeru shivered. "But Mimi said…"

Gennai smiled. "Yeah, Mimi's a sweet kid, but she doesn't have a clue about dealing with people. However, she does know her art. That is, as far as she can possibly know it. The technology and resources that I have available to me here go beyond her comprehension. I actually have something that might help you…"

Takeru looked up. "Really?"

Gennai nodded. "But it's dangerous, and you can't tell anyone that it exists. I don't want people bothering me all the time and not even trying to figure things out on their own." The old man held out some kind of a pill and a glass of water. "You can take this. At first it will hurt even more, but then it will improve rapidly, or maybe not. I can't tell you what it is, though."

Takeru eyed it solemnly and then nodded. He put it in his mouth and swallowed it down with some water. Immediately his head almost exploded with pain. He could hardly see, hardly breathe. It felt like his head was expanding and was about to explode. There was a voice calling out. Was that his? No…it was calm and peaceful… Hikari! Suddenly his vision cleared and he found himself staring at the old man, who was just watching. He shook his head, finding it to be clear. He had a bit of a headache, but the pain had mostly subsided. He ventured in a shaky voice, "What the…"

Gennai smiled. "Good. I'm glad to see you're doing fine. Sometimes it has some negative side effects, but it appears to have been gentler on you. By the way, who is Hikari? You called out her name…"

Takeru blushed slightly. Gennai laughed, "Question answered! Well, shall we go out and see how Mimi's doing with brunch?"

Takeru nodded, rising to his feet. At first he was a little unsteady, but then his training took over and he followed Gennai out the door of the darkened room.

-----*****-----

Lord Ichijouji gazed out through his study window overlooking the green hills surrounding his home and nodded briefly to himself. To any outsider he would seem to be casually regarding the landscape in a moment's pause between sending and receiving messages and having delegated the last preparations that could be made before he was able to muster the majority of his forces. And that was partially true, since he was now only awaiting a message saying that all was ready and he might come and give his customary speech before moving out. But what they would have overlooked, because they would not have in the least expected it, was a slight clenching of his fist around the quill he was holding. He would not have wanted them to see any more. As Osamu looked out over the landscape he had seen every day for years and ceased to notice long ago, he reminded himself that he might easily be seeing it for the last time.

A corner of his mouth twitched upwards. "How homesick one becomes for the homeland when one is thinking to leave it forever…" He murmured to himself. Then, realizing he'd spoken, he turned swiftly around to see that no one had heard. Finding no one, he even dared to smirk slightly. Of course there was no one there…after all, who really cared about Osamu, and not the brilliant military strategist the whole world seemed to admire. His smirk turned to one of self-mockery. Then again, who could really care about a person nobody knew existed? All they saw was the mask he'd worn since he was seven.

He thought back. His father's health had been fading, and he only barely had the strength to sit in council. Osamu had started taking over the border skirmishes, and at first he had actually enjoyed it for the fun, the excitement, and the intellectual challenge. But when he had dared befriend some of the lower officers, he began to realize that everybody's lives were in his hands. It had really scared him, but he hadn't let anything on. After that, he had seen it as his duty to fight in his father's stead, and then he could handle it. Then his father died, and his mother shortly after. They were buried together. Osamu hadn't found it in himself to cry; he was still under shock. He had returned from a battle to find them dead, just like that. He had never forgiven himself for not having been there to say goodbye. He was named the next Lord Ichijouji at the age of thirteen.

Then one time, several years later, he'd made a terrible mistake. It was something really stupid, and one of his friends had been killed in the assault. His brother's best friend Ryo had gotten caught behind enemy lines, and was also presumed dead. Ken had blamed him for it and the next morning he had left for the capitol, without even asking permission. Osamu had gone after as soon as he could get away, to try and talk to his brother and clear things up. But when he got there, Ken hadn't even come out to greet him. He had constantly avoided him and refused to see him when Osamu asked…

There was a knock on the door, breaking the man from his silent reverie. With the practiced ease of an actor, he calmly put up a serious mask, "Come in."

An attractive, fiery-haired woman came striding in, holding the hand of a two-year-old child. "Don't even think you could leave without at least saying goodbye!" She said, then smiled and looked down at the child. "Say goodbye to Daddy, Keiji."

However, Keiji seemed to be much more interested in the open window. As soon as she let him go, he ran over and jumped, trying to get up. Despite himself, Osamu smiled and went over to pick the small child up so it could see the same landscape that he himself had been gazing at only moments before. "See, Keiji? All this land and much more will one day belong to you, and will be your responsibility. May you use it well and grow to be wiser and stronger than your father…" He turned and smiled at his wife, "And someday find a woman as beautiful as your mother to share it with you."

Jun blushed slightly, and she smiled, "Don't think you can get off the hook by flattering me…" She said humorously.

Osamu shook his head. "But it's only the truth! No, I was going to come by to say goodbye just before I left." He said, setting Keiji back down on the ground. "I know you have duties to look after as well…"

She shook her head, getting serious. "It's just as much my duty to say goodbye to you before you go."

Osamu nodded…duty. That's all it ever seemed to be with her, ever since he'd brought her back with him from the capitol. He had the woman of his dreams, and she didn't seem to love him. He should have known better than to think at least that dream would be kept from shattering like all the others…

"I suppose it is…" He managed to say with a slight smirk.

Just then a messenger popped into the open door. Seeing the Lord's family assembled, he hesitated, but Osamu turned towards him, smiling. "Yes?"

The messenger bowed slightly. "All is ready, your Lordship…"

Osamu nodded. "You may go, then. I will be along in a moment."

The messenger bowed again and left the room.

Osamu turned to Jun, but she was already nodding. "It's okay. At least you said goodbye."

He hesitated one moment more. Could he really go through with this? Did he really have the right to leave them alone? Well, Keiji was taken care of, but Jun? Maybe she would be happier without him there, anyway… He smiled. Even if only for her sake, he had to do this. He would find opportunity enough to die in the fighting. It was, after all, his only reason left to live. He couldn't live his life on a pedestal any longer, and had no right to stay beyond the duration of his usefulness. Any fool who'd studied history could tell this would be the last and final war. However it ended, that was how it would stay decided. His decision was made, and there was no way he could back out now.

Smiling, and light-headed from his decision, he went over to his wife and kissed her one last time. Her eyes widened in surprise, since he wasn't usually prone to spontaneous shows of emotion, but she didn't resist. Then Osamu turned away and strode down the hall, never once looking back, fearing that if he did his mask would splinter and fall to pieces.

-----*****-----

Mimi eyed Takeru carefully, "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Takeru nodded and squirmed a little under her gaze. Mimi raised an eyebrow. There was obviously something he wasn't telling her, and he was obviously not very good at keeping secrets. Nonetheless, he did appear to be doing much better than earlier. She glanced at Gennai, but the old man was blissfully stuffing down her pancakes made with powdered dried seaweed as if there was no tomorrow. Despite what she'd said, she couldn't find it in herself to kill the fish. Just because she couldn't understand them didn't mean they weren't alive and wanted to stay that way…

She shook her head as the picture came to mind of her eating deer meat and finding out it was from one of her friends…but not wanting to show any weakness before the old man, she covered. "Well, if you don't want to talk about it you can just say so."

Takeru looked about to speak, but Gennai interrupted. "You make almost as good pancakes as your mother…"

At this Mimi forgot her annoyance. "You mean she even cooked for you? So how come I never heard about you at all?!"

Gennai smiled. "Your father was a nice guy, too. He was smart, but not all that ambitious…"

Mimi growled slightly, but refused to let the old man get on her nerves. "How nice." For some reason she didn't remember him nearly as well as she did her mother, and Mimi didn't like to be reminded of that. Somehow her mother had been much more important to her younger self, and her father was kind of more like just part of the furniture. Then again, it might also have had to do with the fact that her mother always took her out with her when she went to attend to the animals. Mimi had literally been brought up into the art… She smiled at the memory. Her mother was a very wise woman…

"And that's why they started living here in the forest." Gennai smiled at Takeru.

"What an interesting story…" Takeru began, but he was interrupted by Mimi.

"What? Why did they start living here? They never told me! I…"

Gennai made a gesture for her to calm down. "Relax a little, Mimi-chan. I just finished telling the story. If you didn't listen, I can tell you some other time, but for now would you hand me another pancake?"

Mimi stood up. "I've had about enough of this, old man! Do you have any idea how aggravating you are?"

Gennai blinked up at her, smiling. "Who me?"

Mimi threw her hands up in the air. "Yes, you! You can get your own pancake! I'm leaving!"

"And just how were you intending to go?" Gennai asked, a bemused expression on his face.

"I don't care if I have to swim to the surface! I'm not spending one more second down here with you!" Mimi spat in his face.

Takeru blinked and looked back and forth as Mimi's piercing glare met Gennai's bemused smile. Finally he said, "If I might remind you, there's more important things at stake here than your personal problems in getting along with him, Mimi. There's a prophesy, and I need to get out there and save my brother and…"

Mimi ground her teeth, but sat down smiling. "I will go up to the castle and warn them, and then I will not have to deal with you for the rest of my life…" She looked pointedly at Gennai, who shrugged.

"Well, if that's what you want to do. I agree: the people left at the capitol should be warned as well. And you, Takeru, should probably get going."

Mimi blinked. Suddenly Gennai wasn't the annoying old man any more: He was getting serious. Maybe she was just being hypersensitive…then again, one could understand that in a person who's just lost the only home they'd ever known. She should probably at least try to be nice to him. But not so as he could think she was changing her mind…

She turned to Takeru. "And if either of us needs to, we can contact each other by mind-calling."

Takeru nodded. "About that…you were going to help me fine-tune my capability…"

Mimi shrugged. "We don't have much time for that now, do we. I think you should get going as soon as possible."

Takeru nodded again and turned to the old man. "Will you pack me some provisions or something, Gennai?"

Gennai grinned. "Sure! In fact, I have just the thing."

"Good." Mimi nodded. "You'd better pack some of that for me, too, then. I have to bring him to the edge of the forest, so I should leave at the same time."

Gennai saluted. "Good job, Mimi! It appears you can learn to deal with people, after all."

Mimi stared at him, but didn't wait for him to explain. "And you look for that prophecy! By the way, what language was it in, anyway?"

Gennai smiled at her. "You wouldn't know the name of the language if I told you, but it's the main form of communications for the Dark Riders. That is, the invaders."

Takeru jumped at this. "You mean they have prophets?"

Gennai nodded. "In fact, they have many magicians amongst their ranks. If you think it will do any good, you can warn your friends about them. Just remember you'll probably reach them after their first battle, so they might already know."

Takeru nodded seriously. "I will remember."

-----*****-----

As Takato arrived back in town, somebody called out, "Mazuda! How did it go at the council?"

Takato got off his horse. "The financial issue has been set aside for the moment, because the Dark Riders mounted a full-scale invasion. In the meantime we're not permitted to trade with the Dark Riders across the border."

The woman placed her hands on her hips. "Who does that Lord up there think he is, anyway? He takes away both extra sources of income, while offering nothing in exchange."

Takato shrugged, "War saps on everyone."

"That may be, but it always hits those harder who have less." She said.

"At least we won't starve." Takato reasoned. "And we'll have more for the animals this winter."

She smiled. "The Council sure has gotten your head turned around, hasn't it. Then again, it's easier when you have a salary besides what you can earn through honest work."

Takato smiled. "Maybe you're right. Well, on the plus side, I should have more time to do honest work now. If the lord is engaged in warfare, he's going to leave the Council, and especially me, alone for a while."

She smiled. "Now you're beginning to think like a farmer again." With that, she went back about the family chores.

Takato smiled to himself. It was so refreshing to be back with people who didn't expect him to think about the current political situation, diplomatic relations, the merchants, the knights, the environment, or any of those big things. All that mattered here was that you took care of yourself and your neighbors, and didn't rock the boat or do anything weird. They were a good, but conservative people. You didn't have to be particularly talented, you didn't even have to be blindingly intelligent. If you were too different you had to dampen it a little, but that was all anyone asked of you. Life was simple and good, and when times got rough everyone took care of everybody. It was in everyone's best interest to pitch in, because then when they were in trouble the same families would turn around and help them out of it. Everybody knew and took care of everybody. That didn't mean that rumors didn't fly like wildfire, since everybody knew everybody and people naturally love a scandal. But everybody did it, so nobody really cared much. They were like a pack of wolves…and he had to take care that his position wouldn't turn him out of the pack.

He took care of his horse and then went out into the fields to help Jen. Since somebody had to take care of the fields when he was gone, she did it. And consequently he was thankful they weren't summoned together all too often. For most of the smaller decisions he could trust his friend Henry to stand up for his needs as well. They had been friends for ages. Henry's family owned the estate their village was on, and lived nearby. Henry had needed company besides the few servants his family afforded, and so he'd often come down to the village when he had a free moment. Yes, Takato had no doubt his friend would stand up for him. And as long as the Lord was away, that would carry even more weight than usual…

He shook his head. He had to stop thinking about big important things and focus on the moment. And in that moment, he couldn't wait to see his wife again.

-----*****-----

Takeru looked up at Mimi, walking through the forest. They had said goodbye to Gennai, and thankfully Mimi had parted with him on better terms than they had been on that morning. He had never before found it so hard to keep a secret as during their brunch that morning. What made it so difficult was the fact that he knew Mimi was worried about him, and he couldn't tell her why she shouldn't worry. After all, she did save his life, twice, so he should at least owe her that. On the other hand, he'd given Gennai his word that he wouldn't tell, sort of in payment for the medicine. And he'd already received the medicine, so he was honor-bound to keep his vow. Why did life have to be so complicated? Takeru sighed.

At once Mimi turned to look over her shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Takeru shook his head. "I was just amazed at how well you know your way around here." Well, it wasn't completely a lie, he had been wondering at that…

Mimi smiled and turned back to look ahead. "I'll bet you know the castle like I know these woods. I'll probably get lost up there a few times, too. Nevertheless, I have a job to do and will fulfill it to the best of my ability." Then she paused a moment. "First we're going back to the ruins of my home. That is, after the invisible monsters destroyed it…"

Takeru bit his lip. He had had no idea… "Sorry about that…"

Mimi shook her head, but when she spoke there was a strange note in her voice. "Nothing you could do to change it, anyway. I was the one who made the choice here, not you, and I have to live with the consequences of my decision. That's the way life works. My parents made a decision and paid for it with their lives. If I spent all my time feeling sorry for myself, I'd get nowhere."

Takeru had to see the sense in this, but he also had the tact to not say anything. Obviously the subject was very uncomfortable for her.

"Ah, here we are…oh." Mimi stopped, immediately dropping to the ground. Takeru followed suit.

What the hell is going on here? He asked nervously.

They're here. I can feel them. She answered.

Without thinking, Takeru answered. I don't see them…

As soon as the words left his mind, he could have slapped himself on the forehead, except that it would have been too loud.

Of course you can't see them, dummy, they're invisible. You need to work on your vocabulary here.

Takeru could have breathed a sigh of relief. She merely thought he had meant that he couldn't sense them…which was true, as he came to realize. He couldn't. So why had he been able to sense that one before? A good question…

Gradually, Mimi began to inch away from whatever it was she sensed. Takeru moved to follow, but she checked him with a gesture. Suddenly she leaped up into a tree with a single bound, leaving him to stare after her in astonishment. She was gone a moment, then she was back. She had a funny look in her eye, but she didn't elaborate. Takeru figured she must have seen the ruins of her house.

Was it that bad? He asked, concerned.

She shivered. Worse. Can you tell me, does God have it in for me, or what?

Takeru shrugged. Maybe He simply has larger plans for you than letting you spend all your life alone in these woods.

Mimi paused a moment at that, then answered. You're probably right, and your answer is at least better than Gennai's, but I prefer the other explanation.

Takeru smiled. Well, shall we get out of here now?

Mimi nodded. But be careful to make as little noise as possible.

Takeru nodded, and then tried to follow Mimi's every movement in order to keep his promise, as they slowly crept out of the danger zone and then headed off towards the edge of the forest. After all, he was hardly a master at woodcraft, and might for all he knew sound like an elephant in a porcelain shop to her…

Once again, Takeru was given the opportunity to watch Mimi's back as he followed her. He wondered briefly how she could have handled all the stuff with her parents dying without coming to hate the invisible monsters at all. At least, she didn't seem to hate them at all… On the other hand, a rabbit doesn't hate the wolf that chases it, even if it catches and begins to eat it. And its brethren don't hate the wolf for that, either. Hate and revenge seemed to be very human characteristics…and yet these invisible monsters seemed to possess them. Did that mean that they had once been human and this was what the magic had changed them into? Perhaps he would never know, but he couldn't help but wonder…

He looked up from his train of thought when Mimi announced, "Well, here's the edge of the woods. I trust you can find your way from here?"

Takeru nodded. "Thank you once again for everything you've done for me, and tell Hikari I love her."

Mimi looked up. "Uh…"

Takeru cocked his head. "What?"

Mimi smiled a little sheepishly. "Where would I find her, anyway?"

Takeru smiled. "Most likely she will have you summoned when you arrive with news of the invisible monsters. With her brother gone, she will most likely be running the place. After all, she is the Princess."

Mimi stared at him, then smirked. "I guess I really don't want to know. But I will tell her what's up with you."

Takeru nodded. "Thanks again, Mimi."

She just shrugged. "I'd have done the same for anybody. But anyway, you're welcome. Bye!"

Takeru smirked, "Bye."

With that Mimi headed up towards the castle and Takeru started around, looking for his horse.

When he found the poor animal, it looked up at him with surprise, and nearly tore the picket line out of the ground to come to him. Takeru frowned. That was hardly usual…

Just then he felt a presence in the woods. He ran for his horse and grabbed the reigns, tore out the picket line and didn't even stop to put them away, when suddenly a voice stopped him. It was Gennai.

"Well, you sure look to be in a hurry. I won't hold you long, but I found the original prophecy. There are a couple of things I have to tell you. First, it specifically states that this 'new race' is 'newly-made', by choice of words. I overlooked that in the translation. Also, there are several ways of translating the next to last line in the second verse. More and more I am thinking it should read, 'Courage, magic and technology must be combined'. Oh, and the one who can stop them isn't merely 'born in between', but is apparently born between the worlds. I'm not quite sure what that means yet, but I thought I should mention it to somebody."

Takeru halted a moment. His horse was going crazy and he couldn't figure out why, but he was able to hold it. "Thank you, old man. I shall remember and pass it on."

At that, he loosened his grip and let the horse run as fast and far as it wished. After all, there might also have been an invisible monster in hiding, and he really didn't want to run into another of those for a long time.

-----*****-----

Ken was miserable. For the first time since Ryo had disappeared in that border skirmish, he actually felt lonely. Ryo had been his only friend, and then Osamu had… Well, it was useless thinking about it. The dead couldn't be brought back to life, and at least he'd found some new friends at the capitol.

"If only I'd been wise enough to keep my nose out of things that aren't any of my business…" Ken muttered to himself.

"Oh, does our junior member have something to say?" Rika remarked dryly.

Ken glared at her and looked away, refusing to answer.

Rika shrugged. "Well, in that case, I suppose it wasn't worth bothering us about, was it. Not that anything you say might be worth it…"

Ken could tell she was trying to provoke him, but he simply ignored her. On the one hand he could understand her: She was probably the best at the capitol at the deployment of small bodies of troops. Give her a mission, and she'd get it done. That didn't mean she could take over a whole army, but it certainly was enough to make her resent his presence. Whenever an opportunity arose, she tried to get him angry and thereby prove to herself that he couldn't possibly be so good as he thought he was, and certainly no threat to her position.

He smirked and closed his eyes, putting his mind to a neutral topic to avoid thinking about her, but silently so as to avoid any more pointed remarks. What would he be doing if he were back at the castle? Hmm…at this time of day most of his friends would be busy, so he'd probably be studying. He smiled slightly to himself. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to spend time with them, either. And he was even beginning to miss Miyako's senseless chatter and explosive inventions… He shook his head. That had to mean he was getting really desperate. Strange, though, how he didn't miss Princess Hikari at all. Maybe it was just a stage, after all…

"Don't fall asleep there, Ichijouji. I'll bet your brother wouldn't…"

Ken opened his eyes and sighed to cover the rising emotion. That had provoked him, at least into speaking. "It was a great military tactician who referred to the qualities of a general as being wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness. He also names anger as being a weakness, which makes a general prone to defeat. I assume you know who that was?"

She tossed her head. "Unlike you, I learned my knowledge out on the field, and not in some cramped study. Have you ever seen real battle, or is it just your books that rise to your head, you desk-leader?"

Ken shook his head. "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."

"Oh, and is that also from your precious author?" She challenged.

Ken smiled. "I paid quite a deal for that book, since it will most likely be a major source, a kind of an encyclopaedia of military tactics to the Dark Riders, since it originally comes from one of the countries under their control."

Rika shrugged. "Then you can sit in front of your desk and try to figure out their strategy while I defeat it."

Ken chuckled lightly. "Let me ask you one question: If you gained all your knowledge from open combat, then how many men did you have to sacrifice for every lesson? Just think: my way costs much less in the way of lives."

Rika sniffed derisively, turning her head. However, she didn't answer.

Ken smiled at his victory and placed his eyes back on the road ahead. He might have the privilege to be riding a horse, but that didn't make him feel much better. He wondered if he might be able to find Daisuke later, when he was relieved of his duties for the night, and at least have some friendly company. It wasn't like Prince Taichi was much fun to be around, either. Since they'd left, he'd slowly but surely sunk into a state where he spontaneously alternated between silent brooding and nervous rash action. Ken had tried to draw him out, but nothing seemed to help the guy. Ken felt sorry for him, but at the same time pitied the country for having drawn the lot of such an inept general as its heir. He had most of the classic signs of bad generalship: He was obstinate, had a rash temper, was hardly the brightest, and easily stressed. And on top of all that, he didn't even have the best imagination. At least he wasn't overly arrogant as well, or he'd be a total catastrophe. But he didn't amount to much as a ruler in wartime, either. First, he had ordered an advance although it was not advantageous to do so. Second, although ignorant in military affairs, he insisted on taking part in them. Third, although he knew he wasn't the best man for the post, he still insisted on sharing in the exercise of responsibilities. He was seriously endangering his country without even fully realizing he was doing so, and not bothering to pay attention to Ken's plentiful, well-meant and tactful hints. That guy wouldn't have noticed if Ken had screamed them in his ear in public, he was so thickheaded! And to think he intended to become king…

Ken shook his head. In other ways, the Prince was simply too nice. Not that he thought Taichi should become just like Osamu…but he was too nice. Although all warfare is based on deception, Ken was pretty certain that Taichi would rather die than deceive even an enemy. And then this whole thing about moving out without leaving even a reasonable guard-force back at the citadel. That was practically inviting it to be attacked in their absence. In fact, it probably would be. For hadn't Sun Tzu said, 'When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are near.' And also, 'Attack where he is unprepared; sally out when he does not expect you…'

Ken paused. He felt as if an icy hand had gripped his heart, though he showed absolutely no sign of weakness on his face. He felt like swearing. He should have stayed back at the castle, damn it! Then again, they would certainly lose the upcoming battle in that case, if any troops were indeed still there. The assassination had been a deliberate stroke to draw Prince Taichi out of his hole, so the castle could be taken. Not that he could have changed it anyway in his current situation…but at least they'd have a good tactician on their side! Then they might be able to win…

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and deliberately moved his mind to think on other matters. Perhaps he was overestimating his opponent's capability…but no. Sadly, there was very little likelihood in that approach. After all, it had worked perfectly. The Dark One…the Dark One would probably have moved out him or herself, even if just to make sure all went well with the battle at the citadel! That meant they still had a chance, if they could… Ken thought a moment. If he were the Dark One, and was judging merely on the basis of "The Art of War", how would he handle it? He thought a moment, then he had it. Obviously, the Dark One would leave the greater part of their force by the Temple, even if only just to delay the forces of Eisodos until they could be sure to have captured the citadel. And even that was probably merely a precaution against Taichi bringing in with him a better general than himself. The Prince would be easy enough to defeat on his own…

Ken smiled slightly. He wouldn't let them stress him by causing him to worry. There was nothing he could do at the moment about what was going on back at the castle, anyway, so he might as well carefully store the information away in a corner of his mind to come back to it later…

-----*****-----

Miyako wiped the sweat off her forehead and grinned triumphantly. Now she finally had her own personal Scrying box that she could do whatever she wanted with… That is, provided it didn't blow up. She switched it on and then waited a bit, in case it started smelling funny. Finding it did not, she heaved a sigh of relief. She turned it off and quietly left the workshop. Koushiro was somewhere…and she didn't really care where that was. All she knew was that he'd be working on the Projection box later, and that she had to be there for that. Like most of her inventions, it had almost blown up by the time they were done with it. It was a wonder it had held out as long as it did… On the other hand, they had kept on turning it on and off, so the period of time that it was turned on was actually about what it usually took for one of her inventions to explode. Nevertheless, she was glad it had worked the way it had. After all, she had promised Ken…

She looked down at the invention stowed under her arm and smiled. Then she looked around to see if anyone was coming, but the hallway seemed to be empty. This struck her as very strange…but she didn't dwell on it long. She took off as fast as she could and headed for the one place no one would think to look for her: Ken's room.

She smiled. After having 'broken in' the first time, she'd gone in there several times and just sat there. Sometimes she stared up at his books and wondered how he was doing, or she tried to decipher the tangled-wire script of that smaller book.

She looked around and then made a dash in the right direction. For some reason, there was no one wandering around, so she was able to make pretty good progress. Soon she was standing right in front of his door, and opened it. She knew she was being pathetic, but she didn't care. For a moment she could almost hear his voice complaining that he was studying and wanted to remain undisturbed. She paused a moment, then opened the door further and popped inside, quickly shutting it after. Whatever everyone was doing that kept them out of her way in getting there, she didn't care. That is, at least momentarily… The more she thought about it, the more curious she got. Still, there was one thing more important to her by far.

She switched on the Scrying box and started fiddling with the dial. Not getting the desired result, she paused a moment before going over to the book that still lay open on the table. She marked the open page with an empty scrap of paper and leafed through it in search of a map. When she finally found one, she studied it a moment. After a moment, she slapped herself on the forehead and started giggling, more at herself than at anything in particular. There was no way they would be able to reach the Temple before the next morning! Now, that didn't mean the battle would have to take place there, but at least it postponed the danger… Somehow the giggling seemed to help. She could feel at least some of the stress leaving her. It had really taken hold after she had finished the Projection box and wasn't so busy. Her mind had become idle and starting bringing up upwards of a million ways he could die. She had to get herself busy…or at least find out what was really going on.

She smiled, feeling rather relieved. Studying the map, she contemplated the most likely route they might take to get south as fast as possible. Well, there was always the main road…and they did have a rather large body of troops they would have to be moving, so it seemed the obvious choice…

Taking out a piece of paper and a bit of charcoal, she scribbled a few figures, judging things like the most likely velocity with an army comprised for the most part out of infantry soldiers and the hours traverseable since they'd left. From that, she was able to outline a rough area where they could be by now. That would definitely help her in her search. She scribbled the rough coordinates of that vicinity onto the piece of scrap paper and moved over to the Scrying box. Within moments, she was able to bring up an image of Ken, apparently riding on a horse. He looked very bored. Then suddenly what might have been a flash of worry crossed his face, only to be gone again as quickly as it had come. He didn't show worry the same way other people did. You had to watch for some pretty subtle movements like a widening of the eyes, stiffening of the jaw line… Things she had learned to observe from knowing him so long, but things that most people wouldn't know to look for. She smiled to herself. He thought himself to be so good at hiding his emotions, but he couldn't fool her…

Just then she suddenly became aware of noises in the castle again. A couple of servants passed the door. One of them said, "I didn't realize she had it in her. The princess Hikari can be quite strong when she sets her mind to it."

"Yes." The other one answered. "That was some inspiring speech she gave."

Miyako stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart ran cold. So that's where everyone had been… She could have kicked herself. In her single-minded pursuit of finding out what was up with Ken, she had totally forgotten about that!

She shook her head. She had to get her mind on other things. There were other people besides Ken who were important to her, though in different ways. He'd know to take care of himself. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't probably seen battle before, where he came from. The most-disputed border was right close to where he grew up. There was a question of a couple of mines and natural resources in the border region, making both sides want to have it. Technically it did belong to Eisodos, but little border skirmishes were unavoidable, even she knew that. Surely he'd manage to take care of himself this time, too? But somehow she didn't feel convinced.

At the same time, though, she had duties to fulfill. But she didn't want to have to transport the Scrying box more than just this once… She thought a moment. Where wouldn't the servants notice a difference? Well, they probably wouldn't open all the drawers…unlike her. She smirked and opened the drawer with the family portrait. She flipped it up on end and shoved it to the side of the drawer. In the space left over, she could just fit the Scrying box and her notes. On second thought, she took those back out and scribbled the page number of the map at the bottom. She might yet need that. Then she turned the book back to the marker she'd left in it. Something on the page caught her eye as she did so. Stopping for a moment, she read, "The castle wasn't expecting them and would have been prone to attack, but that a Province troop that was delayed in coming to reinforce the main body of troops happened across it by accident."

She frowned. It went on to describe in detail the various tactics, use of the land and subsequent things that had been used in the battle, but that wasn't what interested her. She couldn't help but wonder if they even at that moment shared the same danger…

She shook her head. That wasn't any of her concern. There wasn't anything she could do about it anyway, if that was the case. There was no way any of the Province troops would be delayed this time, though. She had made sure of that…

She shook her head again. She had to get it straightened out. She was an inventor, and couldn't hope to understand everything in that big tome, anyway. That is, other than the fact it was gathering a lot of dust…but anyway. She had to mind her own business and get back to the workshop as soon as possible. Koushiro would be needing her to help him with any alterations of the Projection box. And she could hardly shirk her duties, just because she was worried about a guy who wasn't in any momentary danger, anyway. She listened briefly at the door, in case of footsteps, but the hall was silent. Carefully she emerged and closed the door behind her before heading off at a run towards the workshop.

-----*****-----

When Takato got to his fields, it took a while for him to get Jen's attention: She was leading the horses pulling the cultivator and didn't see him at first. He went out carefully to join her. She was concentrating on turning onto the next row and starting down it, so she didn't see him for a while. In fact, almost until he was on top of her. When she did see him, she was surprised, but happy.

"Takato!" She would have run over to hug him, but just then one of the horses almost strayed off the row and she had to straighten him out. By the time she was done with that, Takato had already caught up with her and gave her a big hug and kiss.

"I really missed you, you know."

She smiled. "I missed you, too. I'd ask what took the Council a week to send you back to me, but that can wait. I've been having problems with Blackeye here all day. He just doesn't want to stay in line! Can you talk to him? You really do have a way with animals."

Takato smiled. "Well, I could try…"

He went over to soothe him, but just then a boy came up out of the woods, panting. At once, Takato passed the reigns to Jen and ran the short distance to where the boy was leaning over, propping himself up on his knees, and trying to catch his breath.

"What's wrong, Miki?" He asked, seriously.

Miki took a few moments to catch his breath again before answering, "Armed men…black armor…riding on…horses…all of them…"

Takeru paused for a moment, stunned. That sounded awfully like the Dark Riders… But weren't they attacking at the Temple? He turned back to Jen. "This is serious. I'll have to run and spread the news. I didn't think the invaders would have come this far inland already." He turned back to Miki. "You run back to the village and spread the news. I'll be coming back with the men as soon as I can."

Miki nodded, pausing another moment before heading off at a dead run again toward the village, while Takato headed off in the direction of the nearest neighboring fields.

-----*****-----

The Dark One turned as a staff officer rode up beside her. "There's been a village scouted very close east-north-east, Dark One. What is your command?"

"Avoid. Also, we should veer off to the west, if possible, to avoid detection."

He nodded and moved back down the line to inform the regiment commanders.

The Dark One frowned. That was the last thing she needed. They'd managed to make pretty good time, and she had no interest in having to stop to kill peasants. She could hardly risk involving the farmers in this conflict, as they would otherwise leave her alone, and one of her trumps was the fact that there were little if any military troops left back at the capitol. And she'd been so careful, too. She'd scouted out the area that morning with her crystal ball, detected the village and tried to steer to the west, but it's always hard to keep one's direction in the forest. Apparently they had drifted enough off course that they were in danger of being discovered. She would have to change that as soon as possible, but it should be pretty easy. Surely news of the invasion would not have traveled this far inland, yet. Thus, if somebody chanced to see them, it was more likely that they would think themselves to be imagining things, so the problem shouldn't be too difficult to solve. If only the problem with Yamato were just as easy… But, friend or not, she had to set him off on his own, in the best interest of her people. By the end of the first battle, he would either have established a place for himself, or be dead. She'd have to teleport back then and see how he was doing. Worst case, she'd simply have to name another temporary second-in-command. The lives of many people depended on him as well, and she couldn't protect him forever. And it wasn't like she didn't think he was up to the challenge. No, what she had more reason to worry about was that prince. If Yamato had to face him on the field of battle, there was no guarantee he would be able to give it his all. He might die because he couldn't fight. That was one of the problems with him. He gave his emotions too much free reign. Still, what kind of a friend would she be if she didn't have any faith in him? It wasn't like she had much practice, but now the matter was out of her hands and she would have to leave it up to him. She smiled.

-----*****-----

When Miyako reached the workshop, she found it empty. This confused her slightly, but probably Koushiro just hadn't gotten back yet…she hoped. Otherwise, he would probably be talking to Princess Hikari…or? Well, she couldn't think of anywhere else he might be, so she headed off in that general direction. She'd have to find out what that speech was all about. It had to have been important if Koushiro still wasn't back yet…and she'd be going along the same passage that he'd be coming, so she'd run into him, worst case.

First she headed for the courtyard, to see if anyone could tell her where to find Hikari. Somebody would have to know. But when she got there, it was all but empty. She scratched her head and looked around in confusion. She hadn't seen anyone all day…there had to be something going on here! Either that, or Hikari had taken it upon herself to take charge or something, which didn't seem likely on first thought. After all, she was too nice and ladylike. On second thought, she knew her duty. Miyako smiled to herself. Yeah, that would be it. That might also lead her to look to Koushiro for advice, thus explaining his absence from the workshop. That didn't mean she would stop looking for him, though. He had to be there somewhere! Then again, it was a pretty big castle. If somebody didn't want to be found, they could probably hide out for days…but he wasn't the type to hide from anyone, so it should take that long… In fact, he'd probably be back at the workshop and looking for her by the time she'd find him. And she didn't want to have to explain that…

She turned around to look for a clue, as if she'd find one out there, and she happened to notice a figure walking up to the path leading up to the castle. They were as yet too far away to clearly discern, but Miyako's curiosity took over. She forgot all about looking for Koushiro and just focused on that figure slowly walking up the path. After a moment, she realized that whoever it was wasn't likely to get there any faster for her watching. They were obviously not in any rush themselves, though still making good time on the road. So they were used to walking a lot… Well, that didn't fit to anybody she knew. The main part of the army was used to walking a lot, but this person walked differently than they did. Hence, he or she was probably not a soldier of any kind. Maybe a farmer? But they didn't do that much walking… A merchant? No, they would definitely come on horseback. Then came this person's tendency to walk in zigzags. It looked more like they were simply not aware of it than if they were lurching from side to side or something…

Miyako made up her mind: This person was interesting enough to wait on in order to still her curiosity. Koushiro would just have to wait. However, that left the question open of what she would do in the meantime…

Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned reflexively to find Iori. What was he doing there? Usually he was either studying writing or fighting…but with most of his possible training partners gone, the latter wasn't too likely. The first was possible, but Iori had often complained about the master scribe usually sleeping late in the morning. But surely he would have documented Hikari's first speech? Well, maybe…

"What are you doing here?" Miyako asked as a last resort.

Iori smiled. "I could ask the same of you. Weren't you going to work on that invention of yours with Koushiro?"

Miyako smirked. "I would, but he wasn't there. I forgot all about the speech this morning, and now I don't have a clue what's going on any more. Could you help me?"

Iori smirked. "Actually, I can. I documented every word she said. The master scribe wouldn't get up again this morning. He always stays up late writing stuff, and then I have to do all the early morning work. And his stories are bad fiction, anyway. All that cheesy stuff about chivalric knights…"

Miyako was surprised. "I didn't know he was a writer…"

Iori made a face. "Well, he isn't."

Miyako grinned. "That's not exactly a very nice thing to say."

Iori just looked at her. "Well, what if it's true?"

Miyako nodded. "I've never read any of it, but I'll take your word for it. By the way, do you have any idea who that might be?" She asked, pointing to the figure coming up the path. She'd always been rather near-sighted, and the glasses Koushiro had invented to help her still weren't all-powerful. Iori had always had better eyes than her, so she thought he might be able to see the figure better.

In response to her question, Iori looked out the castle gate. He shaded his eyes to shield them from the late spring sun, so he could see more clearly. Then he smiled. "I'd judge her to originate from the forest. See the way she's walking? And those clothes definitely look homemade. I wonder if she wove them herself? But what really interests me is what she's doing coming up towards the castle at a time like this. She can't have heard of the invasion, unless of course she wants to join us…"

"She? How can you tell?" Miyako asked, her features animated.

Iori smiled. "I can't see much beyond a long, brown braid and the fact that she's wearing a dress of undyed cloth. The rest is a matter of deduction. Perceive, for example, the way she walks…"

Miyako waved it off. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine. I'm curious!!!!!" Then she stopped abruptly. "Say, do you have any idea where Koushiro might be?"

Iori smiled. "There I can help you, actually. He's acting as private counselor to Hikari. To be quite honest, I didn't expect her to take control of the matters of state so quickly. That girl is full of surprises. But if you're looking for him, I think they're talking in the empty Council chamber. With the situation as is, she could definitely use his help. I don't think she'd summon the Council, though. That is, at least until after she's talked extensively with Koushiro."

Miyako nodded, paused for a moment, then grinned. "Okay! I'll…"

Just then a face poked out of one of the upstairs windows. "So there you are! I've been looking all morning for you…"

Iori muttered, "Yeah right." Still, he turned to Miyako and shrugged. "Guess I'll catch you later then." With that, he headed towards the nearest castle entrance.

Miyako watched him leave, shaking her head. No wonder he disliked the master scribe, if the man treated him like that. At first she hadn't understood it, as it didn't fit at all with her friend's character. But an irresponsible, unoriginal man who blamed Iori for his own problems, and who might easily be secretly jealous of him, was just the type of person who could potentially bring out the worst in Iori. There was no question about that.

She turned once more to the figure on the path, momentarily debating whether to wait for them to come up or go looking for Koushiro. On the one hand, she knew she should be looking for Koushiro and might expect immediate results from it. On the other hand, she was really curious about the newcomer, but it would take a while for them to get to where she was and patience was not exactly her best trait. Torn between the two, she decided on a third possibility: She would go out and greet the newcomer. No sooner thought than done, she was heading out the gate. The single guard on duty watched her idly as she scampered through and down the path towards the approaching figure.

-----*****-----

By the time Takato got back to town, he was already followed by a large group of serious men. He didn't feel very good about the whole thing, but it wasn't exactly his choice. He had told them about the invasion of Eisodos and the soldiers riding not far off, and they expressed the same fears as he did: The Dark Riders were going to take their homes and land, and then move on to take the capitol. Most of those present couldn't care less who exactly was in charge of the country, as long as they were permitted to continue on living the life they had always lived and remained relatively untouched by the outside world. But this was too close for comfort.

Takato came and climbed up on a woodpile so the assembled people could hear him better. Speaking always made him nervous, and no matter how this ended they would probably never see him quite as one of them again, but there were more important things at stake at the moment.

"We are gathered here in self-defense. Even now an army of horsemen, an invading force calling themselves the Dark Riders, is moving towards our village. At the Council I found out that they have already taken the Temple, the center of our religion. They have assassinated our king and are, even now, using the cover of the forest to disguise their very presence as they move North towards the capitol. I do not believe I am alone in the fear that they will make an example of us to those who oppose them. Let us move to the attack! If we must die, then better we die protecting our families and land!"

"But Mazuda, why us?" Someone asked.

"Simple: We are near to the border and have been trading with them for some time. Their reason for invasion is a lack of food for all their people! We have shown that we have food to spare, and as such they will be sure to stop here and take as much food and supplies from us as they can get!"

At this there were whispers, and cries of dissension ceased. There was a growing unease in the people, almost like a living, breathing organism. The air crackled with the fear of an entire village. The feeling scared Takato almost even more than the Dark Riders, but there was no way out now. Like it or not, he was suddenly the leader over all his friends and neighbors since childhood, and he was afraid. Afraid some of them might die, afraid he might lead them to their deaths, and afraid he might cause their deaths through his unskilled hand. But they could hardly expect him to be an experienced military leader. He was a farmer, by God! And he was hardly surrounded by a group of soldiers, either. These were his people, and he didn't want to let them down. If only Henry were there…he would know what to do…but he was too busy taking care of leading an entire Province, and that would have to suffice, at least for the moment.

Suddenly a chant started from the edges of the crowd and slowly grew, becoming bigger and bigger. "Ma-zu-da! Ma-zu-da! Ma-zu-da!"

Takato felt his head would burst, but at least their fear had lessened. Somehow, he had inspired them. They would take defeat if need be, but they would stand behind him to the last, and he knew it. Goodbye good old life where everybody treated him as an equal… Either he'd get out of this as some kind of a village leader, or not at all.

-----*****-----

The Dark One was surprised and a little shocked when her advance scouts returned in a hurry to report sightings of armed farmers, moving as if to concentrate at some point further ahead. These reports were disturbing, partially because she couldn't understand them. Why, if her troops were veering off, would a bunch of husbands, brothers, fathers, and sons go out to risk their lives fighting her? Couldn't they figure out she was leaving? She couldn't very easily attack them, if she wanted to maintain their current rate of travel, but it was looking more and more like she wouldn't have any choice…or did she?

She smiled, taking the crystal ball out of its customary pouch at her belt. She concentrated on it until she had summoned up an image of the village, a few hours before. She hurried through it, looking for some clue as to how she could stop this thing before it escalated too far. There was a guy giving a speech on a woodpile, then there were people rushing around, apparently organizing for an attack. Then… Wait: who was the woman he was talking to? She couldn't hear their voices, but she smiled.

Turning to the staff officer on her right, she handed him the reigns of her horse. "I'll be back in a moment."

With that, she teleported herself to the village and looked around. Women turned around and saw her. Some retreated into their houses and locked up. Others who still had children outside gathered them in first and then closed up. The Dark One smiled and reached out with her senses in every direction. Sensing something, she jerked her head to the left and turned sharply. Not desiring to cause any more damage than necessary, she once again teleported herself inside that house. The woman facing who turned sharply to face her was indeed the same one she had seen in her crystal ball. She retreated a few steps, eyeing the Dark One carefully, like an animal when the fight-or-flight instinct is beginning to set in. Frowning, the Dark One casually raised a hand and her opposite relaxed abruptly. The Dark One smiled slightly. At least she wasn't magic-resistant…

"What is your name?" She asked in a calm, steady tone.

"Jen Mazuda…" The woman answered in a monotonous tone.

The Dark One nodded. "Good. What is your man doing now?"

"He's leading the attack…" Jen said slowly.

The Dark One smiled, walked over to one wall, and removed a coil of rope hung on it, with which she proceeded to bind Jen up. Unaware of her surroundings, the latter merely stood there staring into mid-air and let herself be bound hand and foot and gagged. Then the Dark One snapped her fingers and Jen suddenly came back to full awareness, only to find she could barely move. She struggled a bit but, finding that useless, she settled down relatively quickly. With the fear of uncertainty in her eyes, she watched her captor, who was calmly removing her crystal ball from its protective pouch. She brought up the image of her horse at the head of the column, clamped her fist around one wrist of the bound woman and transported herself back.

Having arrived, she slung her captive over the horse before where she was sitting and took the reigns from the staff officer. The latter blinked a couple times, but apparently knew better than to ask questions when not invited. The Dark One smiled slightly. Yes, she had picked her staff well. What she did was none of his business, and the only one with the right to ask was Yamato, because he was her friend. But he wasn't there, so she didn't have to answer to anybody and could have punished the man on the spot for asking the question that was written all over his face.

Riding along the track for a while longer, they came to a phalanx of farmers with pikes blocking their path. The Dark One descended from her horse and roughly drew the woman down after her, making her stand where all could see. A murmur went up through the rows, and mixed feelings were in the air. She guessed some still wanted to attack, some considered her a coward for involving a woman in the conflict. She smirked. They had no clue she was intending to save their lives, as well as her time with this tactic. Then again, the woman might come in handy. An invader should take any opportunity to learn more about the culture he or she intends to conquer in order that it might be easier for them to do so.

Then she removed her own helmet and spoke in a strong voice. "Let me speak with your leader."

There was a bit of a commotion and a reddish-brown haired man stepped to the fore, glaring at her. "I am Takato Mazuda, and that is my wife you have there."

The Dark One smiled. "I am well aware of that fact. If you will send extra stores with us, we will be going on and not harm her. If you keep quiet, she will be returned to you at the end of the war, regardless of which side wins."

Mazuda snorted. "How can I trust your word?!"

The Dark One just smirked. "Allow me to ask you a question. If my well-armed troops were to fight against your small division of foot-soldiers, who would win?" Mazuda frowned. The Dark One didn't miss a beat. "As you see, I am very likely saving your lives in this venture, as I have no interest in unnecessary bloodshed. You have my word of honor. And if you don't trust the honor of a woman, you should at least trust the word of a mage."

The two stood staring at each other for what felt like hours until Mazuda finally gave in and sank his head. "I will trust in your word, as it seems I have no choice. I too have no interest in unnecessary bloodshed." Then he looked up, his voice growing in intensity. "But if I find you have lied to me, I will swear an oath of vengeance before God, that I may not die until I have taken your life as well."

The Dark One nodded in understanding. "Agreed. Shall we be going then?"

-----*****-----

Mimi was walking up to the castle, trying to hide her nervousness by stepping purposefully. For some reason, she found it difficult to walk in a straight line, although she'd never noticed it to be a problem until then. She wondered vaguely how she'd gotten the habit, unless of course it was one of the immediate effects of growing up in a forest. Maybe that was it… She sighed again and looked up at the castle, wondering exactly what she'd tell them. She herself didn't know the answers to half the questions they would want to ask her…

It was then that she noticed there was a figure bounding towards her on the road down from the castle. Before she even knew what she was doing, she was reaching out with her mind to judge its danger. Suddenly, she smashed against a mental block that felt like a brick wall, ten feet deep. She stopped walking for a moment, rather stunned. Soon after, a blur rushed past her, only to stop and come back, turning out to be a purple-haired girl with big glasses and an even bigger grin.

"Hi! I'm Miyako. I live up at the castle. I saw you coming up the road, and I was kinda bored, so I decided to come out to meet you and see what you're like and why you're coming up to the castle at a time like this when things are the way they are and everything. By the way, if I'm not too rude in asking, what's your name?"

Mimi stared a moment, still slightly stunned. "Um…Mimi. Mimi Tachikawa."

"Cool! Say, did you used to live in the woods? I have this friend called Iori, who said you walk like it. He's usually right, and some people find it rather annoying, but I don't know. He's really nice, even though he's a little too serious. Then again, he always has been, so I guess that isn't all that unusual, right? I mean he's been serious ever since I can remember, and we kinda grew up together and have been friends since, like, ages…"

Mimi stared at the younger girl and wondered if she was naturally that way or if the stress from the whole thing had made her talk like a waterfall so she wouldn't have to stop and listen to her own thoughts. However, she didn't know if it would be right to ask. Nevertheless… "Have you always been such a chatterbox?"

Miyako blinked, thought a moment, then shook her head and suddenly walked in silence.

"I don't mean you should stop if you really want to talk, I was just curious." Mimi said, recovering.

Miyako sighed. "I suppose I should come to the real questions, eh? So…why are you coming up to the castle when we barely have enough of a guard-force left to protect ourselves? I mean, after the Prince moved out with just about every able man in the citadel…"

Mimi bit her lip. Should she tell her? Well, this girl had been just about to tell her all about her own life-story without even asking any questions, so obviously she was used to trusting people, in which case she was almost certainly trustworthy herself.

Mimi sighed. "I've come to warn people about another threat, actually. Some time ago, these invisible monsters started showing up in Blackwood Forest, where I grew up and have lived ever since I can remember. There's considerable evidence that they'll be moving out into the greater part of the country soon, and I thought I'd better mention it to somebody before they claim more victims than just my parents."

Miyako smiled sympathetically. "How did they die, or don't you want to talk about it? Iori never talks about his dead father, even though it's obvious he was very important to him. Actually, Ken's parents are also dead, but he isn't here. He decided the Prince was a fool and would destroy the country if left to his own devices, so he went along as a tactical advisor."

Mimi noticed a strange note in Miyako's voice when she talked about Ken, but she couldn't quite place it somehow. Damn her lack of experience in dealing with people… Anyway, she had to say something, so she picked up the theme of this Ken guy. "So, how old is he, if he's going along as a tactical advisor?"

Miyako grinned. "He's my age, actually. That's why he had to decide to go along."

Mimi was slightly shocked at that. The girl couldn't be more than in her upper teens, and she was the same age as this guy who'd gone gallivanting off to fight the invaders. There was something wrong with that picture… After all, Mimi's mother hadn't even begun teaching her to operate on an animal until at least that age. And here people that age were already permitted to go out and get killed? Mimi was sickened by the very idea.

"So, why would he want to go out and help kill people?" She asked.

Miyako frowned. "He didn't want to go along. He figured he could at least prevent some of the deaths by going along, cause the war was already started. And don't you dare talk like any friend of mine might enjoy killing!"

Mimi was taken slightly aback. This was something she really didn't understand, and maybe she should stay out of, but why would people kill people if they didn't want to? Somehow it just didn't make sense…but since it was a delicate theme, she let it be and moved the conversation on to more general themes.

-----*****-----

Daisuke yawned and leaned over the front of his horse. It'd been another long day of riding. For once he had more than one reason to thank God he was in Prince Taichi's bodyguard. That is, besides the fact that he was defending his role model...that is, Taichi was his role model, but Daisuke wondered at the change that seemed to have taken place in the young prince. He found himself looking up to him less and less... But at least he got to ride on a horse. He felt sorry for the poor infantry soldiers who had to march the whole way. Despite his training, his muscles still ached from the riding of the previous day, but those pains were surely nothing against the poor infantry. Still, he wasn't going to permit that to dampen his mood! He looked around for one of his fellow recruits to talk to, who at least didn't look too exhausted. Suddenly he noticed that the boy on his left was actually the guy who'd struck up a conversation with him back at the barracks! What was his name, Kazu or something? Daisuke decided to try it at least. "Pretty boring ride, despite the cramps, ne Kazu? When will we finally see some action?!"

The boy on his left shrugged slightly, but grinned. "Dunno. If I'd known I would spend more time riding than fighting, I might have become a stable-hand, like my Dad wanted me to. Then again…nah. It'd be too boring." He grinned.

Daisuke sighed. "I love fighting! But all this riding really gets to you. But hey, at least we're not in the infantry."

Kazu smirked. "Yeah, poor Kenta. And to think his father used to be a knight, too."

Daisuke grinned. "You know someone in the main part of the army?"

Kazu nodded. "Been my best friend ever since I can remember. His father lost his land in a border skirmish and they had to move to where his wife's relatives came from. He didn't want to train to be a fighter, but his Dad wouldn't have it any other way. You gotta feel sorry for him with a father like that."

Daisuke shrugged impassively. "Well, at least he cared…"

Kazu glanced at him, but didn't press the issue any further. "So, what's your name, anyway, and how'd you get such high friends in the first place?"

Daisuke grinned. "I'm Daisuke, and my parents are both servants. When I was little, Mom took me along to keep me out of mischief. That's when I met them. Some others I met through sword-practice, and one I even met by knowing the Princess Hikari. There's quite a group of us: Princess Hikari, Miyako the apprentice inventor, and Iori, who I already told you about, Ken Ichijouji…"

Kazu looked up at this. "Ichijouji? You mean the brother of Osamu Ichijouji?"

Daisuke's face hardened. "You mean that creep who got my parents to let him marry my sister without her consent?"

Kazu blinked at him. "I hadn't heard that… No, I mean Osamu Ichijouji, the famous military strategist. He's amazing! Don't tell me you've never heard of him! I'm sure Lord Ken talks about him a lot…"

Daisuke shook his head, though his expression grew more thoughtful. "No, come to think of it, he's never once so much as mentioned his brother in my presence, unless I brought up the subject. What I do know is that he heartily sympathizes with my position on the guy."

Kazu shrugged. "So, maybe he isn't exactly nice. But let me tell you: No one is known to be able to hold a candle to him on the field. And that's got to say something."

Daisuke smirked. "Maybe we should just change the subject."

Kazu shrugged again. "Fine with me. Say, were you as bored and sore last night as I was? I hear there's more going on down in the army camp… Wanna come down with me and look for Kenta? I heard that we'd probably see fighting tomorrow or the day after, depending on how much progress we make today. And hey, we might get killed in the battle. So whatta you say we try and have a good time while we can?"

Daisuke grinned. "I'm in on it! So, tonight after mess?"

Kazu grinned back. "Decided! And see if you can bring along a friend or two as well. The more the merrier!"

Daisuke grinned in anticipation of a good time. He couldn't wait until they were ready to stop!

-----*****-----

When they actually got to the gate, the guard looked down on the two of them and smiled. "Hey, Inoue! I'm not going to bother with the normal questions, cause you probably already know all the answers already. Is she okay?"

Miyako gave him a thumbs-up sign and grinned. "She's cool! Mimi Tachikawa from the Blackwood Forest, she's here to warn us all about some invisible monsters."

He raised his eyebrows, but grinned. "Invisible monsters? That's a good one! So, why's she really here?"

Miyako shrugged. "That's what she says. I don't know if they exist or not, but she sounds totally serious about them."

Mimi looked up. "By the way, do you happen to know a certain Takeru Takaishi? After getting the answer he was looking for, he headed South to save his brother. Does that convince anyone?"

At this, Miyako turned to her and grinned. "Really? You know, if he'd waited just a little longer to leave, Hikari could have told him too…"

"Yeah, he got me up in the middle of the night to let him out. He was so serious about it that I actually didn't complain." The guard said. "So, why'd he go anyway, and what's this with the princess?"

Miyako blushed a little. "I shouldn't have said that. But he's got a brother on the other side, and wanted some advice and stuff, so he went looking for the sage Gennai."

"And found out his brother was going to be taken captive." Mimi continued. "But not until he almost got killed by one of the invisible monsters that've been wandering the woods for some time now. He was able to sense the magic and attacked it, and so was able to defend himself. However, I had to use my knowledge of herbs to get him out, and then I had to get some of my deer friends to transport him to Gennai's house, where he'd be at least temporarily be safe from them."

Miyako blinked at her, then turned to the guard. "Whatever else she says, if she's got information about Takeru, I'm bringing her to talk to the princess. Besides, she can be trusted. I'd have noticed by now if she wasn't."

After a moment, the guard nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll have to trust you. But I'm not sure if she's quite sane…"

Miyako waved it off. "She's okay. So anyway, have fun! I hope the rest of your shift isn't that boring…"

The guard made a face. "In my job, a boring shift is a good shift." He grinned. "But thanks for the thought."

Miyako raised her hand by way of a wave and then headed off towards the Council chamber, expecting Mimi to follow her. But as soon as she actually got inside, she paused. What if Koushiro was back in the meantime? He'd wonder where she was, and she did have responsibilities, too…

She turned to Mimi. "I'm sorry, we've got to go the long way around. I'm looking for my master. He should be around somewhere, and we were going to work on my last invention together so it doesn't blow up on us, so I have to make sure he isn't back in the workshop already. If he isn't, he'll still be in the Council chamber advising Hikari. If he is, then he'll at least know for sure where we can find her."

Mimi nodded. "Uh…I'm glad I've got a guide here. I wouldn't be able to figure out where on Earth I was otherwise. And that although I've had to develop a great sense of direction from living in the forest all my life…"

Miyako grinned. "Yeah, I guess the problem is partially that the corridors all branch off from each other at the oddest places and you need to navigate by them instead of the cardinal directions."

Mimi nodded. "So, what exactly are you? I'm not quite sure if I caught it."

Miyako smiled. "I'm an apprentice inventor. Koushiro is the master inventor here, so naturally he's my master."

Mimi blinked. "I guess the entire system is foreign to me. So he's some kind of a mentor or something?"

Miyako shrugged. "I guess you could compare the two."

At that Mimi seemed to understand. "You mean like my mother taught me the healing arts?"

Miyako cocked her head at the older woman. "You're a healer?"

Mimi grinned. "Yeah…"

Miyako grinned. "Cool! Anyway, I… Oh, Koushiro!!! Guess who I just met!!!"

-----*****-----

Mimi was surprised when a young auburn-haired man who couldn't be any older than her, but might even be younger, turned around. "Oh, hi Miyako. Where have you been all morning?"

Miyako grinned, obviously totally comfortable. "I forgot all about the speech… Sorry. But this is Mimi Tachikawa. She met Takeru in Blackwood Forest and came to warn us about some invisible monsters. I don't know if they can possibly exist, but I was thinking that since she apparently met Takeru I should take her to see Princess Hikari, because they're together, you know. And Mimi says he's headed South to save his brother, and I thought Hikari might want to hear the whole story from the original source and everything, which is why I brought her up and…"

Koushiro just nodded, apparently not at all fazed by Miyako's endless chatter. Then he turned to Mimi and regarded her with interest. "Why don't you come into the workshop and explain the whole thing to me. Hikari is in the middle of Council, and the last thing she really needs during her very first session is some kind of a disruption. You'll have to wait until the meeting is over to meet her anyway, and in the meantime you can try and convince me of your story."

Mimi gulped. Apparently this guy wasn't as trusting as Miyako. On the other hand, he was older than she was, and apparently wiser, so that was hardly surprising. On the other hand, here was a serious and skeptical listener who she'd have to convince before she'd even have the opportunity to talk to the princess. She was slightly nervous so, in order to distract herself, she focused on him, looking for clues. He looked to be small for his age, but upon closer examination he became convinced that he actually was about her age. But for him to already be a master inventor at her age was just as unusual as a boy Miyako's age heading off to act as military tactical advisor to the prince… Maybe it was just the way things were run in this kingdom. Either age wasn't a barrier, or the youngest generation was growing up awfully fast.

Just then they reached the workshop, and Miyako went ahead to open the door for the two of them.

As soon as they got inside, Miyako was nervously bouncing around and generally making Mimi nervous. She closed the door and grinned. "I guess I'll get out my map for the Projection device and start looking at it…"

At that, Koushiro sighed and looked to Mimi. "Excuse me, I have to handle this first." Then he turned to Miyako. "Okay, so what's bothering you? And don't tell me it's nothing! You haven't been this hyper in years."

Miyako stood there for a moment, just smiling, and then she burst into tears. Mimi watched in surprise as she ran foreward to sit at the table, and didn't even bother to take her glasses off. Koushiro smiled and put a hand on Miyako's back by way of sympathy as she sobbed into her crossed arms. Mimi felt completely out of place and backed up into the back room, closing the door behind her. She sagged against it, reminded once again of the loss of her parents. She didn't have anyone to comfort or just simply be there to care about her. She remained there, leaning against the door, until tears began to well in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. Her mother wouldn't want to see her crying…

Just then the door opened. She wasn't expecting it and fell back onto the floor, to find herself looking into those deep black eyes that seemed to see right through her. She just stared at him for a moment, not quite sure of what to do. The only thought that crossed her mind in that whole time was that those were awfully nice eyes. They could be full of compassion and consideration or that biting intellect…

Just then he offered a hand, shattering the moment. "Would you like some help standing up?"

She blushed slightly. "No! I can stand up fine on my own. And how was I to know you'd be opening the door on me, anyway!"

Koushiro shrugged. "Okay, as you like it." And with that, he went back over to the main table in the center of the room and cleared a space towards one end.

Mimi stood up and brushed off her dress, although it didn't need it, before going over to sit at the table. Miyako, apparently already fully recovered from her bout of crying was grinning again. Her glasses had streaks across them, but she didn't give any sign that she noticed. "So, tell us everything, right from the beginning! You've got my curiosity aroused here. What are these invisible monsters all about?"

Koushiro smiled. "You can take this seat here. So why don't you tell us the whole story from the beginning."

-----*****-----

As soon as the Dark Riders had left, Takato went to his stable and went to the horse with which he'd traveled to and from the Council meeting. He brushed it down and saddled it up again. It turned its head and stared at him.

Takato sighed. "I'm sorry, Stormy. I don't know what to do but try and get help for Jen. We're heading up to the manor tonight, and depending on what we learn there, we might be moving on in the morning."

Stormy snorted as if to say, "Whatever you say. But it's time someone here thought of me!"

Takato placed a hand on the horse's side. "I know. Okay, I promise that if I can get another horse up there I'll let you stay there if I go on. Alright?"

Stormy snorted in agreement, and Takato placed the ready saddlebags on the horse's back and led it out into the open. When he got outside, he was surprised to find several of his friends and neighbors assembled. He blinked. "What…"

"We're here to see you off, of course." Yuta said.

"Yeah", Aoyama smirked. "You stopped thinking like one of us soon after you joined the Council. We all knew it…"

Takato smiled and nodded. The Council had opened his eyes too much. He couldn't ever completely be the person he was again, but at least he was apparently still part of the community. "Thank you all for coming. I'm not quite sure how to go about this one, though, so I thought I'd stop by the manor house for ideas. My friend Henry's family won't leave me out in the cold."

Arisugawa clapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck. And come back safe and sound. We'll look after your fields when we have a moment. You can depend on us, Mazuda."

Takato bowed to them before he mounted on Stormy. "Thank you, all of you. Good-bye and see you soon!"

"Take care!" They called after as he rode off down the road out of the village that took him up towards the manor house.

-----*****-----

When Mimi finished her story, Koushiro sat back in his chair, nodding.

She looked at him nervously, "So, what do you think of it?"

Koushiro grinned. "I'll be quite honest: It's so totally unbelievable that it must be the truth."

Mimi stared at him. "Uh…I don't think I quite get you on that one…"

Koushiro chuckled. "It's obvious: If your intention were deception, you'd have showed up with a better story than that. That's the problem with reality, though. Things happen in real life that you could never tell in a story and actually have people believe it to be realistic. The best stories are based on people's expectations rather than on reality. And if you really wanted to endanger the princess, you'd come up with something better than invisible monsters, prophecies, magic, and a house at the bottom of a lake. In short: something that sounds realistic."

Mimi blinked at him. In a way, he was absolutely right. But there was a part of her that resented his continued doubt of her story. Then again, he was an inventor. What did he know about magic? But what interested her actually more was what Miyako knew about magic that she could create a mental blockade like that. Takeru had been immune to magic, but even he was susceptible on a telepathic level. Miyako had totally blocked her off, and that was the first time ever. On the other hand, if she was suppressing magical capabilities they might get pushed into channels like that. Takeru had simply not been aware of them, so perhaps his were not so strong, or at least different. But for Miyako to be suppressing a particularly strong magical talent would certainly make sense…

But she had to answer something to what Koushiro said. "You've got a very good point there. I never really thought of it that way. I also didn't expect not to be believed, since I grew up taking stuff like magic for granted."

Koushiro shrugged. "The scientific method demands that I not believe something until it has been proven to me."

Mimi's spirits rose slightly at that. "So, if I proved it to you, would you believe me?"

Koushiro nodded. "In fact, then I would have no choice but to believe you."

Mimi found herself blushing slightly. "I'd have to do it on you, because Miyako has a block like a wall ten feet thick."

Koushiro smirked. "Could you keep it down to the telepathy, then? I won't remember if you cast a sleep spell on me. But that certainly is interesting… Miyako, remember what I was saying about the external energy source you seemed to have made use of in the Scrying device? If magic really exists and is somehow connected to telepathy, you might have that much magical potential as well. And as with any particularly strong attributes, it would shine through no matter what you did, and thus would more than account for the tendency of your inventions to spontaneously combust…"

Mimi blinked. "So, what does that mean? I swear, if you turn out just like Gennai…"

Koushiro turned to her and grinned. "I suppose I had better not follow you up on that latter one, at least for the moment. As for the other…I was only referring to some technical problems that have a tendency to arise in connection with my apprentice's workmanship. Nothing probably that would interest you."

Mimi blinked, faced with another statement that she didn't quite understand, but decided to just let it be. She reached out to the smaller, auburn-haired man in her mind, until she felt she had established a connection. She decided to say something silly, in case the situation made him nervous as it had Takeru. Hello? Hello? Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?

Abruptly, Koushiro burst into laughter, and Miyako just stared between the two of them. Finally she focused on Mimi, because Koushiro was still laughing too hard. "What on Earth did you just say to him?"

Mimi chuckled. "Hello? Hello? Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?"

Miyako blinked a couple times, then apparently got it and burst out laughing herself.

When both had calmed down, Koushiro smirked at Mimi, eyes glittering. "Okay, you've got me convinced. I'll take you to see the Princess when she's done with the Council. That should still take a couple hours, but you can stick around here. We have to work on another of Miyako's inventions that almost blew up. And you can tell us if it is indeed extraneous magic overloading the circuits that causes the explosions."

Mimi blinked. "Sure…whatever that means…"

Koushiro smiled. "Sorry, I suppose I am not entirely accustomed to speaking with non-technical people about any of the finer details of the art of invention, or anything pertaining thereto, with the exception of explaining the modus apparandi to the Council…oh, I suppose there I go again… Anyway, you can check it for extra magic Miyako might have accidentally forced into it, thereby causing it to nearly explode."

Mimi nodded, finally understanding. "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm hardly the best mage in the world, but I do have a knack for sensing magic. So if it's there, I'll probably find it."

Koushiro grinned. "Well, now that we've finally communicated, I'll go to the back room to get it."

As soon as he left, Miyako turned to Mimi. "When he's thinking about inventions he is so absent-minded that I wouldn't expect him to remember to go out of his way to explain himself to you." She grinned. "So, I will be acting as your interpreter in this newest venture."

Mimi cast one look at the younger woman and gave up on any possibility of proper communication.

-----*****-----

At the renewed sensation of being watched, Yamato swerved around abruptly for at least the thousandth time. If it weren't for Ryo's warning that morning, he would long since have ceased to pay any attention, assuming he was simply paranoid. Still, the younger man had already proven himself to have a much better idea of this sort of thing than he did. On the other hand, it at least prevented his mind from going idle, which inevitably led to unpleasant apprehensions about the battle the next day or just simply that face…

Yamato blinked, forcefully reminding himself to focus on the danger. Then again, if he seemed too distracted, people would start noticing and maybe even start rumors about him. He had no illusions about his popularity, and the last thing he needed was a bunch of unfounded suggestions that people found more interesting than the truth and thus believed more. He would have to at least prove to them that he could hold his head high as he had always done, ignore their malevolence, and go about his duties with a cool, professional air. After all, there was a lot Ryo and him had to get settled in this new temporary camp. Regiments had to be allotted to different parts, the storage of supplies and food, for the men and the horses, had to be arranged, amongst other things. There was too much to be done to spend time worrying about his unseen pursuer. Besides, if he pretended to not notice them any more there was a chance they would underestimate his capability and try to bump him off without utilizing their entire strength or capability. That would give him more of a chance of winning. Next to the Dark One, he was the best fighter, but young people are particularly susceptible to arrogance, and that was a weakness he could use against them. He was fairly certain it had to be a younger person to whom the Council had offered a tempting position of authority if they succeeded in this task. The older warriors would be wiser and warier, maybe even try to figure out his evening before he did, but certainly come at the whole matter from a more tactically intelligent approach than simply following him around. Thus, it was most likely a younger, less experienced fighter, who it should be a small matter to defeat in an open struggle, and whose only chance lay in a surprise attack. And if Yamato could lure him into a false feeling of security, such an ambush would be more likely. The only thing was, that Yamato would be aware of the ambush before it was sprung and would find it no difficult matter to kill the other before they had an opportunity to kill him.

Yamato smiled. Naturally, that was the tactical approach he had to use. It should have been obvious to him from the beginning, if he weren't so emotionally caught up in the naturally instinctive reaction of fear. And so naturally that was the course he would have to follow. If he was very careful and convincing, he might still pull it off. To think he was in charge and still took that long to come up with a strategic counter-position for the latest move of his opponent…

He wished, though certainly not for the first, nor indeed the last time, that the Dark One had never left.

-----*****-----

Mimi was sitting in a chair on the other side of the over-cluttered worktable and watching Koushiro and Miyako hang over the invention with everything they had. After she had declared there to be magic in it had had drawn it out, she was apparently set aside like a tool when you reach for the next one. They had been experimenting, drawing diagrams, carrying on in technical jargon of which she didn't understand more than a word here and there, and just generally ignoring her. That frustrated her, because she had nothing else to do but to sit there. Besides, she wanted Koushiro to pay attention to her, not some stupid machine. What did this mysteriously named 'Projection device' have that she didn't? The only thing she could come up with was that Miyako had made it.

The thought briefly crossed her mind if they were together or something. She discarded it immediately, declaring the relationship between a teacher and a student to have the potential to grow into a deep friendship. That is, she tried to discard it. Somehow, some part of her wasn't exactly convinced. She wondered why she cared. She'd only been up at the castle for a matter of hours, and already she was wondering about random people's relationships with each other? That had to be the result of boredom! Then again, she hadn't cared what sort of relationship Miyako had to that Ken guy… But then her mind was slightly numbed from the shock of the mental shield and the girl's inane chatter, she reasoned. After all, what business was it of hers, anyway? Well, whether it was any of her interest or not, she did care. Apparently she was just the curious type. Then again, she couldn't hope to measure up to Miyako when it came to curiosity. The girl appeared to have ran all the way down to where she was, only to come all the way back up, just out of curiosity. Mimi somehow doubted she would have done that. Still…

She shook her head. She had to get her mind occupied! "Um…is it time yet?" She asked, rather expecting not to get any answer, seeing as the two of them were totally occupied.

She was surprised when Koushiro looked up and blinked at her. "You're right, I completely forgot the time. Yes, I believe she might be done by now…"

Just then, the door opened and a pretty, brown-haired young woman dressed in the white robes and gold circlet of a princess entered stately, shut the door behind her and collapsed against it. "Koushiro, how do you stand being strong and calm all the time without going crazy?" She looked up, circlet slightly askew and, noticing Mimi for the first time, immediately stood and regained her dignity within moments. "Who are you, perchance? I do not recall having seen you around at the castle at any point in time."

Koushiro turned to her and smiled. "This is just Mimi. She came from Blackwood Forest and isn't used to having to be all formal or anything herself, so you don't have to bother."

The young woman relaxed slightly. "Well, hello Mimi. Just let me warn you: Don't get going with all that 'Your Majesty' stuff. I've heard it often enough today to last me a week!"

Mimi blinked. This was the princess? Well, at least she was easier to talk to and didn't keep slipping into long complicated words or technical jargon… "So, let me get this straight, you're Princess Hikari?" Mimi asked.

Hikari smiled. "The same. So, what brings you to this neck of the woods? Er…excuse the expression…"

Mimi grinned. "That's okay. You see, the woods are infested with monsters…"

"Invisible ones." Miyako interrupted.

Mimi nodded, trying to keep her patience. "Yes, invisible monsters. You're lucky Takeru's got a knack for sensing magic, or he'd have been dead before I got to him."

Hikari looked shocked at this and blinked at Mimi with large, concerned eyes. "Is he alright?"

Mimi waved it off. "Sure. He's a cockroach. It'd take more than that to get rid of him. He was weak at first, but later he was suddenly almost completely better. I suspect it had something to do with that annoying old man…"

"She means Gennai." Miyako interrupted again.

Mimi coughed. "Anyway, he's headed South to try and help his brother after he gets captured, or so he said. He wanted me to tell you where he was, and was very particular about it. And he also sent you all his love."

Hikari blushed slightly, but apparently expected the other two occupants of the room to already know about it, which they apparently did, so Mimi didn't give the matter any further thought. "As to the reason for me coming, it's far less romantic. I came to warn you: The monsters are definitely going to be spreading out from the forest, and their goal appears to be total annihilation of the human race."

Hikari blinked. "That's terrible! Once we're done with the war against the Dark Riders, we will immediately turn our attentions to it. In the meantime, you had better stay here since, in that case, going back to the forest would be certain death."

Mimi smiled. "Not necessarily, considering the fact that Gennai lives in a house at the bottom of a lake. I could technically go live with him in the meantime. On the other hand, I might as well sleep in the open woods then, cause more than a month there would almost certainly drive me to kill myself."

Hikari frowned. "Don't even suggest something like that! Naturally there is room here for you. We don't have much of a guard force left, but at least there are solid walls here."

"And a ghost." Miyako added.

This sparked Mimi's interest. "There's a ghost here?!"

Miyako nodded and grinned. "Yeah! Me and some of me and Hikari's friends saw her. Apparently she was a childhood friend of the prince, but died somewhere along the way. I picture it having happened in some freak accident…but maybe that's just my imagination. Anyway, she looks like a grown woman, although that can't possibly be the age she died at. But who am I to know the ways of ghosts? For all I know, when you're a ghost you can choose your appearance, as you like. But she did show us a really cool secret passage. The funny thing is, she didn't look like a ghost. It was really weird to have her suddenly disappear on us and find out from Hikari that she was dead."

Mimi stared at her intently. "What does she look like and what is her name?"

Miyako blinked a moment, then shrugged. "Okay. She's got sorta reddish hair…I think…and she's taller than me and wears a nice dress. Her name is Sora Takenouchi."

Mimi grinned. "I'll have to keep an eye out for her! I mean, I've never met a ghost before, and I think it would be really cool and interesting…"

Koushiro smirked. "I'll pass. I don't believe in ghosts.

Hikari smiled. "That's okay, Koushiro. After all, you never saw her. Actually, I didn't either, but I'm prone to believe Miyako, Iori and Daisuke when they tell me something like that. After all, they didn't even know she was dead. Then again, I suppose I'm a bit of a special case with my visions and all…"

Mimi was relieved. At least there was someone here she could talk to about magic stuff. She was beginning to think her stay might not be so boring as she had, at first, assumed. The only thing that worried her was the fact that nobody seemed to consider the invisible monsters to be any kind of imminent danger, and more like a minor annoyance that could be handled at one's leisure. This was understandable, considering they'd never faced the things, but it still made her uneasy. Nevertheless, she answered. "Nice to find a fellow psychic here. What exactly are the other things that happened and stuff?" She asked.

Hikari looked excited. "You're psychic too? That is so cool! But supper will be served up soon. Why don't you come down and eat with us, and we can talk about it, okay?"

Mimi smiled. "Sounds great to me, I'm starving!"

-----*****-----

When Ken spotted a slight plateau with a screen of rocks facing the South and West, he drew up his horse to that of Prince Taichi. "I think that would be a good, defensible position for our camp."

"Mhm." Taichi answered, rather disinterestedly.

Ken decided to push it a little further, preferably before Rika started bugging him again. "It should be easily defensible, and we only have a few more hours of light left, which we should use to set up our temporary defenses."

"There's no need of defenses here, natural or not." Rika declared. "We should go as long as the light holds and then stop."

"And run the danger of being attacked in the middle of the night? Unlike you, I am not interested in having my throat sliced open while I'm asleep."

Rika snorted. "You wouldn't if you were an experienced fighter. I'd be awake before they even got that close."

Ken decided to ignore her and make one more attempt to get the prince's attention. "We really should make a defensible camp."

Prince Taichi waved it off. "Do what you can't leave be. Speaking of which, go away."

Ken resisted the urge to grin triumphantly at Rika, since his victory in this small matter was about the least spectacular he'd ever accomplished. Besides, it was poor taste to try and rub it in, and more likely to backfire than to do any good. He moved back to the leading officers and spread the news of their intended campsite.

He had grown accustomed to dealing with this part alone. Rika had seen action, but had never been particularly involved in the planning of such details as camp organization. Taichi wasn't be much help either, didn't seem to care about anything not particularly pertaining to Dark Riders, upon which he always went off into rather gory explanations of what he would do if he saw one. Thus, Ken was forced to take on his responsibilities for him. It wasn't that he particularly craved responsibility and the power that came with it, but if the prince wasn't going to fulfill his duty on his own, then somebody had to do it. And rather than go to the bother of trying to exercise power he didn't have and allot the job to lesser staff officers, he did it himself. The alternatives weren't worth the hassle, and it wasn't like he particularly minded it, either. It was a tedious task, but it needed to be done, so he did it, no ifs, buts or maybes. And whatever he did, he tried to do well. He was vaguely reminded of a quote that he had heard somewhere, though he couldn't for the life of him remember where, but most likely it was in one of his books. 'It takes a great man to be willing to be little.' Somehow, despite himself, he found it to fit.

-----*****-----

Takato knocked on the gate once more, and finally received an answer. "Who's there!" A grumpy voice complained. "And whatever it is, can't you wait 'til morning?"

"I need help! I am from the village below, and need to see the master of the house!" Takato insisted. "I'm a friend of Henry, my name is Takato Mazuda. I am certain he will see me!"

"I'll go and ask if anyone's ever heard of a 'Takato Mazuda' up here. Meanwhile, you wait." The voice declared, and Takato heard footsteps retreating.

Takato patted Stormy on the neck. "Don't worry. They'll let us in."

Moments later, the massive gate was opened, and Takato permitted to step inside. He saw the grouchy gatekeeper, who was still not all that pleased about having to answer after dark, and felt sorry for the guy. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but my business can't wait 'til morning."

The guy waved it off. "Ah, forget it. If I'd known you were a personal friend of the family, I'd have made less bother for myself."

Takato smiled. "You're just being a good gatekeeper. I respect that."

The man waved it off. "Yeah, forget it. You'll find the master finishing up his supper. What happened, anyway?"

"There was a confrontation with the invaders, and they took my wife hostage and we had to give them all our excess grain. I'm looking for advice on a way to free her." Takato answered, figuring the man would find out, anyway.

The gatekeeper stared. "You don't say… I hadn't even heard we were being invaded…"

Takato smiled sadly. "We found out at the last Council meeting. It was rather abrupt."

The gatekeeper blinked a moment, then caught on. "So you're the next representative for the farmers! I was wondering who was going to take old Matsuhiko's place! Probably nice for Henry to have a friend in the Council."

Takato smiled. "Well, since he was appointed steward for the time the Lord is out aiding in the war effort…"

At this the guard's eyes shone with pride. "We always knew he had it in him! And you scamper off now. The master's waiting for you. I'll take care of your horse."

Takato thanked the man and headed off.

When he had almost reached the dining chamber, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed about the whole thing, and wondered if he had the right to bother Henry's father with his own problems. After all, the man was originally a Dark Rider mage, who had decided to change sides for reasons unknown to Takato. He was a little old to be sent to the front, which was probably why he wasn't asked, but he was still a force to be reckoned with…

He rounded the corner and stood in the doorway. Abruptly the man looked up and beckoned him over. Takato walked rather stiffly across the room to come to where his friend's father was sitting.

"Sit down and tell us over the remainder of supper." He suggested, gesturing to a place to his right, across from his daughter.

Takato took a step back. "That's Henry's place. I can't sit there."

"It's the logical place to sit if you've got some important business that can't wait. It's right next to me, and you don't have to stand and watch us eat the whole time. You must be starved." Mr. Wong answered.

Takato looked at the food on the table and nodded briefly. He hadn't eaten since that morning. On the other hand, he hadn't had time or interest in eating. His emotions had rather overridden that physical necessity. Still, if he had to go on in the morning, he would have to get something in his belly. Thus, with trepidation, he finally took the seat offered him. He sat on the very edge, so as to indicate his discomfort at taking a position at the table that was meant for someone above his station.

Mr. Wong shook his head, slightly bemused, but let it rest. "So, what is this business that cannot wait?"

Takato forced himself to reach out and take some of the stuff from the serving bowls. "Well, let me start from the beginning. When I was at the Council, we were sent a holographic image of the Princess in which we discovered that there was a renewed invasion of Dark Riders, that they had already taken the Temple, and that the prince was already on the move to drive them back. The Lord named Henry as steward in his absence, we voted him the money and resources, and he prepared for departure. Soon after I came back, we discovered that the invaders were not merely at the Temple. A branch of them, with a mage in the lead, came too close to our village for comfort, and we moved out to attack them. They took my wife hostage, and we had to give them all our excess grain, so we had just enough for seed grain and food over the summer. I wanted some advice on what I should do…"

When he turned back to Mr. Wong, the man looked very grave. He appeared to be contemplating the situation. Meanwhile Susie spoke up. "That's sad. Is she gonna be okay?"

Takato sighed. "I don't know. The mage gave me her word of honor that she would come to no harm, and would be sent back after the war, no matter which side won…"

At that Mr. Wong looked up with interest. "A female mage? Those are rare. Our women tend more to psychic abilities like telepathy and prognostication and beyond that just some basic simple spells. That's also a kind of magic, but not our definition of mages. Did she actually declare herself to be a mage or did you just find out?"

Takato blinked. "She actually declared it… But I would like to know what prognostication is…"

"Prognostication is the art of prophecy. But if she actually declared herself to be a mage, then you did the right thing not to mess with her. Nothing and no one in your village could stand up to a fully trained war-mage. Besides, it would have taken too much time to come and get me. You did the right thing." Mr. Wong declared, although he appeared to know more than he said. Takato didn't know what to think, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

Susie looked up. "Daddy, if they can't defeat a war-mage, then why is Eisodos still free after all these years?"

He smiled. "Mages need a lot of time to recuperate after a major spell-casting session. For that reason, they are only used as a unit, and as a last resort. They are often used as a rear guard, because they can fight and then teleport themselves away from the fighting. But they can't be drained too extensively or they die, or worse." His face turned sad, but serious. "When I was at the Academy of Magic, I saw many of my more ambitious peers overspend themselves. Let me tell you, the ones who died were lucky."

Takato knew better than to ask any more questions. Susie looked like she was about to, so he knocked her foot under the table. When she turned to him to complain, he just shook his head. She pressed her lips together and nodded, though she was apparently annoyed she couldn't ask any more questions.

Then Takato looked back at his host. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Mr. Wong frowned. "The fastest way to end a war is to lose it, I'm afraid. Otherwise you could cross their plans and go up to warn the castle. If they have the capability to relay messages over long distances instantaneously, they might be able to ask for help and you could get part of the army back up to defeat this part of the invading forces and rescue your wife. Short of losing the war, that would appear to be the best approach."

Takato stared at him. "Warn the castle? You mean go all the way to the capitol? Whatever would I warn them of?"

Mr. Wong chuckled. "Sorry, for a moment there I forgot I was talking to a farmer. Naturally, the force you knocked into would be headed straight for the capitol. The nature of this country is to be small, well organized, but have a distinct lack of major cities. If they take both its religious and political centers, it will be only a matter of time before the entire country is under their control. A large country would be able to keep it up anyway, at least for a while. They could cut off the supply trains and continue to avoid the invading force until the higher officers are forced to leave or be killed by the main body of troops so they can leave. The other main factor here is the fact that most of the population is farmers, just like you. Now tell me: If you think back to the time before you joined the Council, and at that point you had somehow heard there were invaders who intended to take over the country, would you have cared?"

Takato blinked, thinking for a moment. Finally he said, "No…I would just simply have assumed that the whole thing had nothing to do with me, and if I didn't go out of my way to get involved, nothing would change. After all, your family has been in charge of this land ever since I can remember, my family has been farming in that same village since generations… I couldn't have conceived of my life being drastically changed by the whole thing at all. Thus, I couldn't have cared less who exactly was in charge, as long as the rents didn't change."

Mr. Wong smiled. "You are very honest. Yes, that's exactly how the vast majority of the population feels. Now, do you think they'd be very willing to risk their lives for something that's none of their business?"

Takato shook his head. "No, not really. But…how could the other farmers possibly be convinced to fight for their country?"

Mr. Wong smiled. "They'd have to be absolutely convinced that they would die if they didn't. That is, near relatives or close neighbors would have to have been attacked and proof brought that the same would most likely happen to them. And even then they would demand protection for their families while they were out fighting."

Takato thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, then I'd also have fought. It's kinda hard to put myself back into that mind-frame once my mind has been opened…"

Mr. Wong nodded. "I would expect as much. I can't remember what it felt like to not have magic available to me if I absolutely needed it. For that reason, I too often find it difficult to understand the reactions of people without it."

Takato grinned. "We often find it difficult to understand you, too, so I suppose the feeling is mutual."

Mr. Wong laughed then. "I suppose I shouldn't waste so many thoughts on it then? You still think like a farmer for the most part."

Takato shrugged. "I guess there's some things you never shake off. Not that it's a bad thing. Time-tried methods are often better than new ways."

Mr. Wong smiled gently. "There's a lot about a farmer's point of view that many of the rest of us would do well to learn. Farmers don't start wars, farmers don't try to oppress others, farmers look after their community, and farmers look after the land. There's more, but I think you already understand what I mean."

Takato nodded. "It's always such a relief to come back to the village after being out in the world, even just as far as the Council. I don't have to put on any airs, and I don't have to defend my position all the time. And I can trust my neighbors like family. I don't have to be anyone special. All anyone asks of me is for me to be myself and do the same for them as they do for me."

Mr. Wong nodded in agreement. "Communities are very comforting."

Takato looked up. "I've got to leave, though. If I want to reach the capitol before they do, I have no time to lose."

Susie looked at her father. "Can I go, too? I've never seen the capitol!!!"

Mr. Wong shook his head. "No. Especially with situations the way they are, you need to stay here."

She frowned and crossed her arms. "No fair. You guys sit here talking about boring stuff like psychology, and you won't even let me go with."

Takato got up. "I'm sorry I can't stay 'til dessert…"

Mr. Wong shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I enjoyed your conversation. And now do what you need to do."

Takato nodded, rose and left.

-----*****-----

His duties finally done for the night, Daisuke was just about to go out to look for Kazu when he heard a familiar voice outside the tent he shared with the recruits he shared a room in the barracks with.

"I only wanted to come and talk to a friend of mine." It was Ken! Daisuke was surprised, but curious.

"We've gotten especially careful of people with black hair since the assassination…"

Daisuke took a sprint for the door. "Hey, Ken! I didn't know you'd come along, too!"

Ken made a face. "I didn't want to, either, but here I am. The company I'm in isn't very friendly, so I thought I'd come looking for some better company."

"So I catch it he's okay?" The one of his fellow recruits who was currently on guard duty asked.

Daisuke laughed. "Yeah, we've been friends for ages. So, come in and meet a new friend I met here. He idolizes your brother, but other than that he's okay."

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you say so…"

"So, will you introduce me too, then?" The guard asked.

Daisuke grinned. "Of course. This is Ken Ichijouji, younger brother of Lord Ichijouji."

He started, then blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry to have held you up, Sir…"

Ken made a face. "I'm sick of that stuff. I came here to relate to people on level terms. In the company I ended up in, everybody either looks down to me for being younger and less experienced, keep comparing me to my brother, look up to me for my station, or just simply ignore me. Just call me Ken, okay?"

The other recruit shrugged. "Sure. I didn't know it was so important. By the way, I'm Hideaki Arai. My father actually wanted me to become a scribe, but I had other things in mind." He smirked. "I wonder if he'll ever forgive me."

"Hey, when's your shift over?" Daisuke asked. "You could come with us. We're going over to the army part of camp to look for a friend of a friend of mine, Kenta. If you're getting off soon, you could join us."

Just then Kazu came up. "Hey, Daisuke! You got more company here?"

Daisuke grinned. "This is Ken Ichijouji. Ken, this is Kazu."

Kazu grinned. "Hi! Daisuke was telling me about you. He said I shouldn't mention your brother… Well, anyway, what brings you here? I thought you'd be back at the castle…"

Ken grinned. "I've spent most of my time wondering why I'm not. My company isn't much fun to be in. Nobody acts on a level with me. That's why I came looking for Daisuke."

Kazu grinned. "Well, we'll treat you on a level, right guys?"

Hideaki grinned, too. "Sure will! But you'll get more of that kind of treatment if you just go by the name of Ken. Let's all set aside the last names right here. My shift will be over in a moment and I can come and join you."

Just then another guy came up, groaning. "My turn. Damn these boring shifts. At least I get mine early, ne? I pity the poor guys who have to stand out here in the middle of the night."

Kazu laughed. "Just hope we never have to do that! I get my turn tomorrow. Damned shifts. I mean, how likely is it that the enemy's gonna sneak into the tent in the middle of the night and cut all our throats in the middle of camp?"

Ken smiled. "Well, given the opportunity, I'm certain they wouldn't hesitate a moment. It would certainly be more tactically advantageous than trying to bump us all off on the field, where we could kill a lot of their guys before they get to us."

Kazu grinned. "Spoken like a true Ichijouji! Now let's get going. We might have to search a bit to find him, and we don't want to be searching all night so we don't have any time for fun before we have to get some sleep. I mean, we might even see battle tomorrow, and we might die for all we know. Personally, I'd rather know I had a great time first."

Hideaki grinned. "I'll second you on that one!"

Daisuke glanced at Ken. For the first time since he could remember, the guy had actually come seeking company. Usually they had to turn him out his room and high-tail him down the hall. He spent too much time studying in that cramped little room of his, and seemed to prefer the company of his books to that of his friends. He had to be really desperate if he was coming looking for people. Still, there was a certain detachment that he still had, almost as if he didn't really want any friends. Daisuke nevertheless hoped it was a good sign, and just ignored the rest. Maybe his friend was beginning to open up a little, after all.

-----*****-----

Yamato was finally done with his duties and heading back to his tent. It had been hard enough to exercise his authority as it was, but it was even more difficult when he was being tailed and had to pretend there was nothing wrong. He once again resisted the urge to look over his shoulder. How much longer was his pursuer going to wait before he made an attempt? Well, he might try to wait until Yamato was asleep… But that would call for either a good tactician or a naturally deceptive nature. From the other observations he had made over the course of being followed, his first suspicion of a younger, rather inexperienced nature seemed more realistic. His unconcerned appearance had caused the man to become so overconfident that Yamato had actually managed to catch a glimpse of him. He had black hair and looked rather normal, though slightly unkempt, and certainly younger than the majority of the troops. Then again, the Council would almost have to make use of young fools who didn't know how to think for themselves properly, but thought they did. They were pathetic and so easily misled… Maybe the Council had even used the natural idealism of youth against them, and convinced them it was in everyone's best interest that they remove such a weak leader from their pack.

Yamato allowed himself a contemptuous smirk and a slight head-shake. He would probably do the guy a favor in killing him that night, since he'd probably be more humane about it than the battle the next day. A guy like that had no business coming along on a serious military venture like this, and would be dead before he knew what had hit him, or get wounded, knocked off his horse, and trampled under millions of hooves. In fact, there were a lot of things that could happen to him. Naïve idiots just weren't meant to be sent to the front. Nevertheless, they often were.

Yamato came within sight of his tent and sighed. Perhaps the guy had at least studied tactics enough to try and attack him in his sleep. On the other hand, if that were truly his intention, he would be going ahead in a matter of moments to get there first, go around the side, sneak in, and still have time to hide. Unfortunately for him, he merely continued to doggedly follow the blond-haired man up towards his tent. So he wasn't as intelligent as Yamato had feared. After all, he couldn't stay up 'til morning and still perform well on the field of battle. He needed his sleep. Yamato smiled. If given the choice, it is better to overestimate a man than to underestimate him, since the former places you in slightly less mortal danger than the latter. Then again, a totally inexperienced man can defeat the greatest master by doing that which the master least expects, because he knows it is not tactically feasible, and be destroyed. Thus it is better to correctly judge your opponent. Yamato was mentally well prepared for the eventuality of the prince having brought along a better tactician than he was… He shook his head. There were more important things to focus on, like saving his life, so why did that face keep showing up? He banished it to the far reaches of his mind, for at least the thousandth time that day.

When he came to his tent, he realized there was no guard on it. It was set apart from the others, as was the tent that Ryo now occupied. His heart almost stopped. Naturally…they would have thought of everything… He entered into the tent, further heightening his senses to detect the slightest sound, the slightest movement, or the slightest whiff out of place. He silently loosened his sword in its scabbard and stood in the middle of the darkened tent, not daring to reach for the light. A quick glance around told him his pursuer was at least his only intended assailant. He pretended to reach for the lantern…

A noise: There was a quiet footstep outside his tent. Yamato leaned over slightly…

Then in a flash he turned, drawing his sword simultaneously. It crossed with that of a very surprised looking young man.

Yamato smirked derisively. "Surely you didn't think I hadn't noticed you. An elephant in a china shop makes less noise than you!"

The man barred his teeth. "We don't need your kind, Eisodos weakling scum!" And with that, he dared a kick and tried to launch another attack.

Before his boot even made contact, Yamato had lightly dodged to the side and pointed the tip of his sword directly at the man's neck. "Don't cross me."

The man glanced at his own weapon, but Yamato clicked his tongue and purred. "You'd be dead before you'd raised it an inch. Drop it!"

Haltingly, the man complied. Yamato grinned. "Good. Now speak up! Who sent you!"

The man gulped, but held his tongue.

Yamato moved the point of the sword slightly to the side and pushed just a little harder, so a trickle of blood began to fall. "You know, I'm not particularly renowned for my patience. You do know of course that I would not hesitate to kill you on the spot?"

The man glanced at him reproachfully. "You'd have the Council to answer to! I…"

"Ah." Yamato purred. "The Council. I might have known. They never did have much of a liking for me, did they. And I suppose you expect me to let you live after giving me that bit of information."

The man just glared at him. Yamato just smiled. "Of course I could, but the moment my back was turned you would pick up that sword and strike me in the back. And you know I can't afford to take a risk like that. Actually, I'm probably being rather humane in killing you tonight. Fools like you are the first to die in real combat, except that there are much more prolonged and painful ways you could die out there, and I will make it short and relatively painless. Are there any last messages I can relay for you?"

The man's jaw-line set. "Not from me, you bastard."

Yamato smiled. "Actually, my parents were married, in case you wanted to know. But that is beside the point. It's a pity you joined the wrong side of this internal conflict. You are obstinate, and apparently very loyal. If you'd joined my side, you might have lived. Well, that's life."

With that, Yamato lifted his sword and cleanly chopped the man's head off.

-----*****-----

"What will you do if you get back alive?" Kazu asked around.

They had found Kenta relatively easily. He had turned out to be a round-faced guy with black hair, who Daisuke seemed to recall having seen around somewhere, though he couldn't for the life of him remember the details.

"When I go back, I'll propose to Chiyo." Hideaki grinned. "I was intending to the night after being chosen, but with the assassination and all, I decided to put it off. And now I'm glad I did. If I never come back, she's at least not given me her promise."

Kazu grinned. "Aw… Don't worry, we'll let her know if you don't make it. How about you, Daisuke?"

Daisuke shrugged and grinned. "I don't have a sweetheart. My sister's off in the Ichijouji province, and my parents don't care. I think I'd do about the same things I did before. I'd hate to die though without knowing true love."

The three of them looked at Ken, who shrugged. "I'd probably tell my brother and, depending on his reaction, I might actually make peace with him."

Three pairs of eyes blinked at him, not comprehending at all. Still, Daisuke waved it off. "I guess that's just beyond me. Are you Ichijoujis all geniuses or something?"

Ken shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I never quite looked at it that way…"

Kazu looked about ready to say something, but decided better. Daisuke figured he was about to say something about Osamu again. That would have been such a mood-killer…

"So, what do you intend to do, Kazu?" Ken asked with interest.

Kazu sighed. "I guess I'm just as boring as Daisuke. I don't have anything particularly planned. But I will rub it under my Dad's nose. You see, when I joined up he said I was daft and would be dead before I could count to ten. It would be so much fun to just walk in and say hi when he's expecting me to be dead. And you, Kenta?"

"I'll try to convince my Dad to let me out of fighting. I wasn't ever too bad on the practice field, but I never enjoyed it. Then again, I suppose it's a little late to learn another trade." Kenta smirked. "You know how those things go."

Ken laughed. "Yeah, sure do. Fighting and tactics are the only things I'm really good at. I wish something would happen so people would stop continuously comparing me to my brother. I mean, sure we're all great military tacticians, but we almost have to be because we seem to lack any other major skills."

Daisuke grinned. "Well, you're certainly good at studying."

Ken sighed and shook his head. "Are you suggesting I should try my hand at being a military historian instead of trying to be a tactician, although that seems to be the only thing I'm really good at?"

Daisuke shrugged. "It depends on you. Personally, I wouldn't want to be compared to your brother, either. He's a jerk."

"Can we talk about something else?" Kazu asked.

"Sure, how about…" Hideaki began.

"Food?" Kenta asked. "I don't know if you guys up in the prince's bodyguard get the same feed we get down here, but it's awful! It's either way to hard, or it tastes like it's already been eaten."

Ken blinked. "Where I come from the food is slightly better."

Kenta snorted. "Well, why don't you take me to your mess. I've choked that stuff down for two nights in a row, and I don't want to have to choke it down again."

Ken nodded. "If there's something I can do, I will."

Daisuke sighed. "You must just have been lucky with the cooks, Ken. The stuff we get isn't any better."

Hideaki looked up. "By the way, where do you come from?"

Ken stood up. "Sorry, I should be going."

Daisuke glanced up to find his friend suddenly completely cold and distanced. He was confused, but decided to trust him and leave the matter be. "Sorry already. Hideaki didn't mean to pry, did you?"

He turned to the young man who shrugged. "I didn't know he'd take it like that. Okay, I am sorry."

Ken smiled. "I'm sorry for overreacting, but I really should be going. I just remembered something more I had to do."

Daisuke looked at the others, who all shrugged. The he spoke up. "Sure. Okay, how about those of us who are still alive get together again tomorrow night and find out what happened to the others? Let's get any messages out on the table that we'd like relayed to people in case we die."

Ken paused a moment. "I'd just want someone to tell my friends goodbye for me and to tell them that I really regret not having spent more time with them when I had the chance. Oh, and I'd also want an apology to the Princess Hikari."

Kenta sighed. "I'd want someone to tell my Dad I died just like he always wanted me to, and someone to say goodbye to the rest of my family."

Kazu grinned. "That's hard, not to send a goodbye to your Dad."

Kenta shrugged.

Kazu chuckled. "Anyway, I'd want someone to go to my Dad and tell him he was damned right, and I was daft for joining up…although I had the time of my life before I died. Oh, and good-byes to the whole family." He made a face at Kenta, who ignored him.

"I'd want someone to send my love to Chiyo and say goodbye to her. And I'd want someone to ask my Dad to forgive me, and good-byes to everyone, of course." Hideaki smiled.

Daisuke grinned. "I guess good-byes to all my friends and to my sister. My parents couldn't care less if I was alive or dead, anyway."

"So it's agreed then." Kenta said. "We'll meet…how about we meet in the section for the prince's bodyguard? Not only are there at least three of us who come from there, but you also take longer, in putting up your horses."

Ken hesitated. "Depending on circumstances, I might not be able to come even if I live. I was lucky to find some time to get away tonight, but I might not be able to tomorrow night. So don't assume I'm dead if I don't show up."

"I s'pose that's okay." Hideaki said. "I mean, duty comes first, right?"

Ken grinned. "Glad you understand. So, until tomorrow?"

"See you then!" Daisuke grinned.

Ken raised a hand in a gesture of parting and left the round.

Daisuke chuckled. "I wonder what the big secret is?"

Kazu grinned. "I'll bet he's so highly ranked that he doesn't think we could possibly act on a level with him if we knew!"

Hideaki made a face. "Well, he can't be the head general. That's the prince's job, by birth."

Daisuke sighed. "I wonder…"

-----*****-----

Yamato was still standing there staring at the body when Ryo entered the tent. He was blinking, almost as if in a slightly different world that he didn't quite know how to get out of.

Ryo went over and lit the lantern. Yamato looked confused, and was just staring at the body in the middle of his tent. Ryo had no idea what the guy's problem was, so he clapped the taller, blond man on the shoulder and tried to get him to snap out of it.

"Hello? Somebody there?" He asked.

Yamato just shook his head. "Yeah, I think so…"

Ryo sighed. "So, what's the problem? You killed the guy. Well, he wanted to kill you, so it was only in self-defense."

Yamato just stared. "I've never killed before. It felt so…strange…"

Ryo smiled. "It's a funny feeling, ne? Really makes you respect the frailty of human existence."

Yamato shook his head. "I…I don't know…"

Ryo grinned. "You're in shock. Don't worry, it'll pass. Meanwhile we have to do something with the guy. If you were really in charge, you could have his head stuck on a pole or something in warning to others, but the Council would have it taken down. And if you went and complained to them, they'd put you down. Hell, they'd put you down if you went and told them a man had tried to assassinate you. The best thing to do is to bury him out of sight or set him out in the woods somewhere. The problem with putting him out in the woods is that the scouts might find him and unpleasant questions would arise. If we bury him, no one will be the wiser, and we'll bury the whole problem with him. The Council will figure you killed him but not be able to prove anything or seriously try and ruin your image with it, so they'll leave the whole thing be. Hell, you might even make them respect you in the long run. So it's decided, we'll bury him."

"Yeah…" Yamato answered, sitting down on the bed. His eyes were still blinking into open space.

Ryo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, so what's really the problem. You can't fool me. This obviously goes beyond just killing someone. You can trust me. So what's going on?"

Yamato sighed. "I…I think I enjoyed it."

Ryo smiled with compassion and leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look. I think you should get a little more perspective on this whole thing. This guy tried to kill you, and you defended yourself. Okay? If it were me instead of you, I'd be extremely relieved to get him off my back. He was probably following you around for a long time beforehand. I might even have felt so relieved that I'd enjoy killing him, if only to get him off my back. What makes you think you particularly enjoyed that part of it, anyway?"

Yamato shuddered. "I could have let him go. Sure, he'd have killed me, but I had him totally in my power there. And then I felt something switch inside me, and I suddenly went all funny and started saying things I'd only ever thought before. I'm scared of myself, Ryo. I didn't even know what I was doing any more."

Ryo sighed in annoyance and sat down next to him. "Get a grip, okay? You were probably in what people call survival mode. It was activated when he attacked you, and probably ran your reactions for the rest of the incident. With your mind and experience, I'd expect your survival mode to be kinda cold and spooky, at least to most people. I'd know what was going on and stuff, so I probably wouldn't find it spooky, but that's just me. Some people's survival mode is a state of total panic, some people have a tendency to freeze up, and some immediately break into a run. But you I would expect to be cold, aloof, and calculated to make your opponent fear for their life. And in that kind of a state, you might easily think you enjoy killing. Hell, that might even be true. But that's your instincts, not you. So settle down and come back down to Earth, okay? You can't kill yourself over every life you take if you're a soldier, and you'd better get used to the fact that you are one."

Yamato hesitated a moment, then nodded.

Ryo grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Okay. Now, let's get out some shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and get this guy buried."

Yamato nodded briefly, then turned to the body and shivered before following Ryo off in the direction of the supply tent.

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Okay! *whew*. Actually, you have to thank my Encyclopaedia Britannica CD for me getting this one done. Without the extensive article on the history of agriculture, I couldn't have gotten this far. ^-^ I usually research everything carefully before even starting a story so I don't get put off in the middle by having to go research again, but I really didn't anticipate the need for knowledge of agriculture here. For those who are interested, horse-drawn cultivators were actually introduced in the mid-19th century and made it possible to cultivate 15 acres of land a day. Our inventors must have worked hard on that one. ^-^ I didn't know that before, either… Still, as you can see, I am a very responsible writer, who tries to provide real information their readers. (See all the military terms and offices.) ^-^ Okay, if you've read my bio you know I usually write for myself, but this story I'm writing for the readers…and to give myself room to experiment with military tactical approaches. It's fun… ^-^ (Is it just me or do I have too many smilies in here?) Anyway, I promise the next chapter won't take so long. ^-^

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