Part III

A week had passed and Hitomi was now wondering down one of the corridors of Gummadoon, she was on her way near to the training grounds. No one looked to be up all except for the knights who were either training in the grounds or were keeping guard.

Hitomi was not allowed to wonder or go out of the castle on her own unless she was in sight of one of the knights for they still did not trust her just tolerated her. She had just reached the square of Gummadoon and started going up some steps when some knights with moustaches passed by her. Hitomi looked back, she still wasn't confident around these gummi's but she could abide them as she continued on her way till she reached the top of the stairs.

From here on the castle walls she could see the forest that spread out for miles on end, and the suns rays seeping from over the hills and beckoning to spread it's light everywhere.

After observing the landscape Hitomi began to climb one of the nearby towers, but little did she know that Sir Plucki and the other two knights were watching her every move and wondered what she was up to.

The knights and Councillors had found Hitomi to be a strange person, she didn't look to be of their time by the mentioning of her country and the type of clothes she wore. They were definitely not going to let Hitomi wonder outside beyond the gates of Gummadoon when they were at war with the humans, beside even now as they watched Hitomi they could see there was something else to her, but what.

Hitomi sat down on the roof and put her brown bag down beside her as she pulled her golden harp from underneath her schoolbooks. After fiddling and getting it in tune Hitomi then sat crossed legged resting the harp on her right knee and closed her eyes as her fingers struck the strings of her harp.

The music felt like magic in the air as Hitomi began to hum a gentle song before she broke out singing a song in her own language of question before translating it.

Oto no nai mahiru

(One soundless midday)

Kaza wa tada akarui

(The wind was fresh and clean)

Sukoshi nemutasou ni

(And the flower petals swayed as if they)

Nanigenai kono onoi nee,

(Were asleep)

Lito wa donna kotoha

(This serene feeling)

De yonde iru no?

(Tell me, what's the name that people give it?)

Shiroi sura no tsuki,

(Tell me a story that's locked away)

Tojikometa hanashi wo…

(In the white sand of the moon,)

…Likarifurasu you ni

(Let me hear it as gently as light)

kikasete ne, sotto.

(Shining down)

Hitomi ended her song and opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't as she became aware that a crowd had accumulated below. She was now blushing crimson with embarrassment as several gummi's commented her singing.

Hitomi sat there getting more embarrassed by the second since she didn't normally receive this much attention and by the fact that nobody ever really caught her singing. After a few more comments and being complimented by a few knights Hitomi picked up her bag and vanished for a few hours, she didn't know why but she felt very shy and nervous around the other gummi's.

Noon had come by Hitomi's reckoning, as the sun was high in the sky, she was in the training grounds with a few gummi knights when she was looking she put her hand down by her side again. She decided that she was going to do some training whether the others liked it or not since she felt that she would die of boredom if she didn't do something.

The knights in the training grounds looked at Hitomi as she crossed the grounds and for the first time they noticed that she was equipped with more than just one sword. As she pulled out several other weapons such as long daggers from her side of boots, two short swords from the back of her belt and her spare katana from her back which was hidden underneath her cloak.

Hitomi then went forth to her bag and pulled out her weighted wristbands to add to her already weighted shirt.

They stared at her in astonishment but it was soon replaced by bewilderment as she was drawing a training circle. Curiosity overtook them as they watched Hitomi enter her circle and fall to the ground doing press-ups. Afterwards she jumped to her feet and began warming up her muscles then went on to work on her gymnastics. This included things like sommer solting and spinning through the air as well as kart wheels and backflips, this was then followed by some warm ups using her sword. After about half an hour warm up with her sword Hitomi began sparring by herself occasionally leaving her circle leaving everyone in the grounds awe-struck by her skill. This training continued for about an hour before Hitomi stopped to take a break, as she sat down on one of the benches, about a few minutes later the knights walked in to train.

For a long while Hitomi sat on the bench watching how the knight trained and what there strong and weak points were, when she stood up and walked over to Sir Gumlittle and asked him whether she could spar with him leaving Sir Gumlittle speechless.

After recovering Sir Gumlittle walked over ready to test what he thought little skill Hitomi might have, everyone else who'd been watching Hitomi before remained silent. As the two trained it became apparent that at first they were equally matched, however Hitomi soon gained the upper hand, which caused the other knights to stop the training and watch the challenge between Hitomi and Sir Gumlittle.

Sir Plucki was one of the knights that was observing the challenge and seemed to be impressed by Hitomi's skill in fighting as he watched Hitomi dodge an attack from Sir Gumlittle.

If this had been a real fight Hitomi would be delivering the last blow, however here Sir Plucki intervened to try his hand and let a very exhausted Sir Gumlittle recover. As the two faced off their weapons crashed together, for a long while this is all that happened until Hitomi began jumping and summer solting about the place and getting quick blows in now and then.

Sir Plucki wasn't able to keep up with the speed that Hitomi jumped around at, so he tended to wait for her to come to him. As the two began to get tired and Hitomi stopped jumping around and the weapons met less and less Hitomi decided to finish it by a sneaky little trick by pretending to attack one side then quickly going for the other, and knock the staff out from Sir Plucki's paws but he was too quick as he blocked it, before using his staff and knocking Hitomi from underneath her feet and holding her immobile.

"You fight well," he said removing his staff from Hitomi "How did you learn that kind of fighting".

"It was a hobby of mine" replied Hitomi getting up from the ground and sheathing her sword.

"Where did you learn it," asked Sir Gumlittle.

"Back in Japan" said Hitomi.

After this Hitomi spent much more time with the knights when she was training and when she wasn't, she had even been out on a few of their daily patrols through the forest but was still closely watched and always had to be in sight of one of the knights.

She had been in Gummadoom nearly two weeks and was still no closer to getting home.

The sun crept up early and flooded the horizon with dazzling, yellow sunshine and the sky was blue with hardly a cloud in the sky.

What were now part of Hitomi's daily routine as well as the knights was patrolling the forest, and there she was with her own unicorn riding through the forest close behind the other knights. At the end they rode back through the forest towards Gummadoom. Hitomi was by Sir Plucki's side deep in conversation when she steaded her unicorn Sir Plucki looked at her quizzically.

"What's wrong," he asked

"Something not right" replied Hitomi as she gazed round the forest.

"It's quiet, too quiet" said Hitomi as she turned round to look at Sir Plucki when she immediately turned the other way only to see an arrow whizz straight past her and Sir Plucki and hit the tree trunk next to him.

"Humans up ahead" shouted Hitomi to Sir Plucki and the other knights.

"Attack" said Sir Plucki and the Humans in reunion as they charged at one another.

Some of the knights continued to run at the humans while some blew their sleeping drug to put them to sleep. As this was happening Hitomi looked down at the battlefield in confusion when Sir Plucki came to her side she said,

"Why do you and Humans fight," said Hitomi as she looked down on the battlefield seeing fewer and fewer humans as they fled.

Sir Plucki told Hitomi as briefly as he could while observing the battlefield about the jealously of the humans being after their secrets, when he finished Hitomi said,

"It's that all the Humans are fighting for," said Hitomi surprised.

Sir Plucki looked at Hitomi in bewilderment when he said

"What do you mean," he asked.

"I mean why can't they learn to mind their own business in other people's things," said Hitomi.

Sir Plucki put there conversation aside when they reached the other knights he ordered them to make haste back to Gummadoom when a army of humans came running down the hill towards them.

TBC…

Authors Note: Like it or not? Please review.