9. Sakon and Hikaru's Fate

King Taoka commanded, "Uozumi drop all your duties. I have a new assignment for you."

"What is it King Taoka?"

"You are to guard Prince Sakon 24/7. Don't let him out of your sight."

"Hai, but why? Is he in any immediate danger?"

"You don't need to know, you just need to carry out your orders."

"Hai."

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Rukawa jolted up, awake.

"Had a nightmare?" Sendoh asked.

"No," he stated and wondered, 'why is it that all I ever see or dream about is death? What happened to those trivial facts, useless visions?'

Sendoh looked hurt and guilt-ridden, which made Rukawa wanted to reassure him and tell Sendoh that he wasn't mad but… Rukawa sighed and drop back onto the bed, 'I can't do that. I'm not who he wants me to be.'

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"Nani?! I don't want to get married!"

"Hikaru, you're 17. You can pick anyone. Lord Takashi, Ichiro, Nishi…"

"I'm not marrying them! I don't love them!"

"Now, now. Don't throw a tantrum. It's not like you got someone you do love," King Takato said.

"…" Hikaru decided to change tactics, "but I want to stay here with you, Father."

"He can move in with you, so you can stay here with me. Don't worry."

"No! I told you I refuse to marry anyone I don't know."

"I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. If you don't pick, I'll pick for you."

"You won't."

"Watch me," King Takato said, "accompany Princess Hikaru to her room and make sure she stays there."

"Hai!"

"You're going to imprison your own daughter?!" she cried.

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"Why are you following me?"

"King Takato told me to guard and protect you."

"I don't need your protection," Sakon said.

"I'm sorry but a command is a command."

Sakon frowned, 'Father's sending someone to guard me? Why?'

"What other orders did he give you?"

"That was it."

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Hikaru looked out the window and spotted a white pigeon with a green ribbon around its right leg, 'Sakon's pigeon.'

An arrow flew right at it and it fell, 'Nani? Who did that? What if there's something really important in that note, like where we're meeting. What if father finds it and sets a trap for him?!'

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Something hit his head.

"What?! Who dares to sneak attack me?!" Kiyota challenged turning around holding his psych-sword.

A dead bird fell out of his hair, to the ground, 'Oh? A messenger pigeon? Can it be from Jin-chan?'

He took out the note, 'Dear Hikaru-chan? So it's not mine. I would be wrong for me to read it…well, maybe just to see who it's from. Your Eternal Darling? Who the heck is that?'

He shrugged. He heard Princess Hikaru was in her room and forced to stay there until her wedding. It was a political marriage with some old guy that provides weapons and rice or something like that.

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Jin spotted Prince Sakon and went over, "Waiting for something?"

He nodded keeping his eyes in the sky, "It's annoying being followed. How can you stand being followed by 4 people?"

She smiled, "I try to lose them. Sometimes I'm able to sneak out when they think I'm in my room. But don't tell anyone, ok?"

"I won't," he promised and sighed.

"Don't worry. She'll reply you."

"How do you know I'm waiting for a reply, from a girl?"

"You told me yourself that you were waiting for something and you're looking at the sky, so I assumed it had to be a message. And you got that lovesick look."

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The curiosity was killing him but it felt so wrong to ask Rukawa, "Anou, Rukawa there's something I want to ask you but…"

"What?" he asked sounding annoyed.

"Do you know how he's doing? I really want to know if he still…" his voice trailed off.

"Dead."

'He won't die. He can't die…but that would explain why he never kept his promise… NO! He's not dead!' Sendoh decided, "liar."

"Believe whatever you like," Rukawa stated and walked away.

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"It sucks to fall for the enemy doesn't it?" Kiyota said.

"No. It sucks to have such a cruel and inhumane father."

Kiyota nodded, "King Taoka at times, can be kind of…uh, never mind…"

"Can you do my a favor? Can you help me send this to Sakon?" Hikaru asked hold out a message.

"No problem!" Kiyota said, "um…you think I can ask him to deliver a message to Jin-chan while, we're at it?"

"Sure."

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Sakon just read the letter and was angry, 'Marrying?! I will not allow that to happen!'

He went to Jin's room and knocked.

"Come in."

"I got to message for you."

She took the piece of paper, "Thanks. What would you do if I told you not to go do what you are about to, because you will die?"

'She knows what I plan to do? How can she know? I'll die?!' Sakon frowned shoved the questions to the back of his mind, "I'll tell you, there are fate worst than death."

Jin smiled sadly and shook her head.

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"Prince Sakon is something the matter?"

"I dropped the approval stamp and I can't find it," Sakon said kicking the grass aside.

'What was he doing with the stamp out here?' Uozumi wondered but decided to help him look for it all the same.

"Oh, I've found it," he bent down to pick it up and felt something connect with the back of his neck and then everything went black.

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Hikaru heard lots of commotion outside her room, 'What's going on?'

The door opened and a bruised but smiling Sakon came in.

"Sakon-kun!" she cried, "you're hurt."

"It's nothing. We better go. Normal soldiers I may be able to handle but trained or people able to use psych I can't."

She nodded, they ran down the hall but came face to face with a small division of soldiers doing their rounds. They turned to run.

"Princess stop! You can't leave."

'Crap. This isn't good.'

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"What are we going to do?" the taller man asked looking at the 5 corpse: 3 soldiers', Prince Sakon's and Princess Hikaru's.

"We have to calm down. The most troublesome is Princess Hikaru's death. We can't let the King know we killed her by accident…Sakon! Give him your knife. We'll place the blame on him."

End of Sakon and Hikaru's Fate