Broken Wings
Wise old man say: Fanfiction writer shall never achieve the owning of an anime series.
Stop thinking so.
A note on scale: In writing this, I borrowed heavily from movies and games such as
Braveheart, Dynasty Warriors, Lord of the Rings, and the Total War series (Three words:
Rome: Total War. Mmmm... elephants...). Anyone familiar with these can easily
understand the scale and concepts portrayed here.
A thousand years ago, a war was fought between two powerful nations for land and all
that comes with it. The two sides battled endlessly, the Northern Alliance of Barbaric
Tribes first fighting to take back land from their enemies, the Empire of the East, that had
been conquered, then continuing in a campaign that came to a stalemate. Still, they
fought, their leaders consumed with greed, their soldiers growing up knowing nothing but
war. Great generals lead their forces into battle, legendary warriors whose cunning in
strategy was only matched by their strength on the battlefield. This tale tells the love,
loss, and life of those generals. Come closer to the fire, and listen to the tale of the Tiny
Angel, Subaru, and her lover, the Shaman Tsukasa.
The southern desert wind whistled through Bear's hair, ruffling it as he looked grimly
across the field. They were losing. The number of troops the Empire had brought against
them had exceeded his expectations. Though his warriors had fought valiantly against
their foe, they were still only human, and could not continue fighting against this many
enemies. Even now, he watched as an enemy unit regrouped after the last handful of men
from the allied unit had given up and thrown down their weapons. He could not tell from
where he stood if the surrendering unit was desert mercenaries or soldiers from their own
territory. They held very little territory in this area, and even then, none of the natives,
dark skinned and tribal, living in mud huts, understood the concept of occupation. He
shook his head. The recently regrouped enemies were joining in a melee against another
already outmatched unit.
"Sound the retreat." He ordered.
On the field, Mimiru rode like the wind among her foes, dancing her horse like a running
river, her blade flashing as it hacked through man after man. She had lost count of the
number she had killed today, her enemies' blood had sprayed again and again across her
body, partially obscuring the tattoos that ran her full length. She swung her massive
sword yet again, cleaving a soldier nearly in half as he himself was ready to bury his
spear in one of her men. The sound of a horn echoing across the plain reached her ears.
As she needed both hands to wield her sword, she used her knees to turn her horse and
avoid one of the lone trees on the savanna. She looked at the rocky hill the horn had come
from, her sharp eyes making out a handful of figures on it's peak. Those would be Bear
and his unit.
"It's about damn time! Retreat!"
She yelled at her troops. More cries of 'retreat' were called as the word spread. All the
soldiers who were not currently locked in a battle to the death made a mad dash for the
narrow pass that lay between the mountain ridge Bear was watching from and it's other
half, the two impassable stone faces continuing for as far as the eye could see. She kicked
her horse, pushing it to run harder as it galloped in the thick of her troops, heading for the
pass. Men ran on foot behind her, while the cavalry took the lead. As the two armies
began to sort themselves out again, going from the intangible mass of battle to more
defined attacking-pursuing groups, her mounted archers turned and fired into the enemy
forces, their arrows arcing high and dropping onto some unsuspecting foe. Consequently,
arrows began to fall around her, from the enemy's mounted and unmounted archers. A
man riding to her left was thrown from his horse as an arrow pierced it's flank. It flopped
on the ground, whinnying. The man quickly picked himself up and ran on foot. Mimiru
carried the reins in one hand, her sword in the other as she rode between the high faces of
the pass.
Bear nodded, his face still as grim as it had always been.
"Light the fuses." He ordered.
Mimiru swore. The majority of her troops were inside the pass, and she herself was
already approaching the other side!
"What is he waiting for?" She muttered.
As if on cue, the unmistakable sound of a detonating gunpowder charge filled the canyon.
She laughed at the sound. The plan was working! Another charge detonated, ripping
boulders out of the sides of the pass and casting them on their pursuers. Her troops ran a
bit faster, now, she noticed. As the explosions, and stones, continued to fall, she stopped
on the open savanna of the other side, raising her sword and calling for her troops to
rally. Other commanders did this as well, bringing their troops back into their formations
and facing them towards the now blocked pass. She took a moment to take a quick once-
over at what was left of her troops. Where nine divisions had stood at the beginning of
the day, six were left, and many with only a handful of their original men. A group of
enemies had been cut off from their friends and mercifully not crushed by the rocks. They
gave wary looks at their new, drastically altered odds and threw down their weapons.
Mimiru smiled.
"Ready, Fire!"
Bear lowered his sword. His archers stood at the top of the pass, ready to discourage any
attempts at staying in the area long enough to find a way around the barricade. Arrows
zinged over his head, heading for the defenseless foes beneath him. Volley after volley,
he began to count them. Six... (Whhp, shoop, ssssp...) Seven (Fffft, thhip...) He began to
hear more cries from below.
"Retreat!"
The enemy began to fall away from the barricade. It didn't take very long for them to
decide not to stay under Bear's archers like sitting ducks. They ran as fast as they could
away from him, trying to get out of arrow range. He would spare them the trouble.
"Hold fire!" He ordered. Another volley did not follow his command. Bear smiled. More
or less, the day was won.
She could see Bear and his soldiers ride down from their perch across the winding road
that led to the bottom. As they approached, she ordered a soldier to spread an order for
the army to return to base, and rode out to meet Bear. She pulled her horse alongside him,
smiling, her sword resting on one shoulder.
"Did anything go wrong on your side?" She asked.
"No." He replied, not seeming to notice or care that she was covered in blood. His horse,
however, snorted and moved a few steps away. Bear chided it with a growl before
returning his attention to Mimiru.
"Well, we did it!" She said.
"Yes. We prevented a siege."
"The last thing we need."
Bear nodded.
"The fort has very few supplies. We would only last a few days during a full siege. We're
barely managing to live off the land now."
"The reinforcements should be arriving within two weeks, though. With the additional
men and supplies, we can begin our counter-offensive!" Mimiru had already forgotten the
battle she'd fought and was moving on to the next one.
"Yes, but we might have trouble getting through that barricade at the pass."
Bear laughed at his own joke.
The fort their detachment inhabited had been adapted from ancient ruins that had been
found by a scouting expedition. With a few bricks lain in the gaps that had appeared over
the centuries, the ruins once again became a suitable place to live. The ruins had been
built around a strange light, perhaps to protect it, or contain it, none of them knew. A
mysterious green orb of light that burned in the center of the fort the size of a large
boulder, constantly giving off sparks, when they had first arrived, the men had been
curious about it. One had even ventured to walk through it on a bet. Bear, having
overheard this, seized the bow of the soldier next to him and fired an arrow through the
thing. When it failed to come out the other side, the soldier thought better of his decision.
That evening, Bear was at his makeshift desk in his office, one of the few rooms they had
found intact. Mimiru pulled back the curtain that closed it off from the outside and
stepped through, a few sheets of paper under her arm, written on both sides due to the
shortage of paper in the fort's supplies. Bear grumbled as he filled and filed forms upon
forms. Mimiru shook her head, seeing this great man shoved away behind a desk, bogged
down in bureaucratic nonsense. When she had been a child, things had been different.
The old ways were still honored. Then, there was a revolution of those who had civilized
themselves, those that had come into relations with the Empire. They assumed control,
and threw out their traditions and heritage. Since then, leading an army seemed to be
more about your pen than your sword. They were no longer the 'barbarians' the Empire
called them, much as Mimiru would have preferred that state of being.
"I have the casualty reports from our unit commanders."
"Good. File them."
Mimiru tossed the papers on the fire. None of her unit commanders could spell. Neither
could she. Bear had taken a full tally of every literate man in his detachment at the
beginning of the campaign. Counting himself, there were fifty out of fifteen-hundred that
could read and write English well, many of them could hardly even speak it, and that
number steadily declined with the casualties they had taken. Most of the rest were fluent
in various obscure runes and calligraphies, but command only accepted forms in their
'national language'. Assholes. She took a fur-covered seat by the fire. Bear looked up at
her.
"Don't you have other duties?"
Mimiru shook her head.
"Nothing today. I think I'll just stay here awhile."
She had washed the blood from her body earlier, dressing a few light wounds after she
had finished. The other female warriors found the way she bathed after a battle hypnotic.
She had later explained to them that in her province, no, her tribe, the cleansing of one's
body after battle was the most solemn of ceremonies, where one reflected on the victories
of the day, the lessons learned, and thanked the spirits for victory, or begged their
forgiveness for a defeated flight. Her golden tattoos shone in the firelight as she leaned
back and relaxed with a satisfied sigh. Bear sighed as he rolled up a parchment, tying it
shut with a thin red thread, though Mimiru felt that his sigh was less satisfied.
"You need to get out more."
Bear shrugged.
"What am I going to do? Command orders, I follow the orders."
"Simpleton."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"For a genius, Bear, you sure don't think."
Bear grumbled and stood, his own tattoos, the different pattern showing the different tribe
he belonged to, taking on a slightly different hue in the firelight. He sat in another chair,
staring into the flames.
"We can't disobey command. That's foolish. However, we don't have to enjoy the
burdens that they place on us."
Mimiru nodded. Bear was a wise man. He had been educated in many things, from
mathematics to philosophy, at a school in a great city far to the west. He spoke many
languages, able to easily communicate with any soldier. However, he still had the heart of
a warrior, brave as any lion, more cunning than any fox.
"Just relax. Forms and numbers can wait." She said.
Bear nodded and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. His breathing deepened.
Mimiru watched the fire for a long time, feeling the heat on her face and watching the
sparks pop onto the stone floor. Glancing over at Bear, she realized he was asleep.
Kurim was in no such state of peace at the moment.
"I'm only telling you what I heard."
The green-haired pest continued as he trailed Kurim through the camp.
"Sora, why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I thought you and Lady Subaru would want to know!"
"Sora, I have had it up to here with your attitude."
Kurim nodded at a passing soldier as he headed for the command tent. He
absentmindedly swatted one of the overly large savanna mosquitoes that had come to rest
on his cheek.
"Oh, you've had it up to there for a long time. I'm glad I haven't made you any angrier."
Kurim threw aside the tent flap and gave a curt bow to his Lady.
"Subaru."
Subaru had been looking at a map that had been rolled across one of four tables scattered
about the wide tent. Writing and measuring instruments littered the tables, as well as
human-shaped miniatures, making the tent a series of chess games, each representing a
certain area of Lady Subaru's responsibility. She looked past Kurim to Sora and nodded.
"I see our informant has brought news."
Sora gave a ludicrous bow. If he had been able to, he would have touched his nose to his
shoes. Calmly, he approached one of Subaru's boards, where two groups of pieces met at
a pass, one colored red, the other blue. Subaru watched expectantly. She frowned as Sora
took many of the pieces from both groups and moved the much smaller blue group
halfway between the pass and their camp. He pushed the red group back to their own
base.
"So, we were defeated."
"It seems so."
"Unfortunate. We need to take that pass."
"That could be difficult, Subaru." Kurim interjected, standing.
"Why?"
"It was barricaded during the battle. We will need to send extra troops to clear it."
Subaru nodded.
"I will organize another attack. We must push this offensive."
Kurim nodded.
"We will accompany them personally." Subaru continued.
"What?" Kurim was taken by surprise.
Sora smiled.
"We're going with them."
"Why?"
"I need to oversee any further battles personally. We will dispatch the Crimson Knights
to the area as well."
Kurim nodded.
"Very well then! Seems my work here is done." Sora strode out of the tent and
disappeared into the camp. Kurim clenched his fist as he watched Sora go.
"That... scum..."
Subaru giggled.
"You really do hate him, don't you?"
Kurim sighed and shook his head, his rattail rippling back and forth gracefully.
"He lives to annoy people."
Subaru nodded.
"I won't deny that he takes pleasure in watching you seethe."
Kurim approached the table, standing behind Subaru. His arms encircled her waist, and
he looked the map over from behind her.
"Are you sure it's a wise decision to oversee this personally?"
"We're up against a strong general. Anyone who could win against those odds has to be
very wise indeed. Our troops will need all the help they can get."
Kurim lowered his head, leaning down to whisper to her.
"Wherever you go, I'll protect you."
Subaru smiled and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Kurim."
"I love you, Subaru."
She closed the last few inches between them with a kiss. Steadily, it grew more
passionate as she turned around in his arms. Kurim lifted her onto the table, his hands
caressing her sides, eliciting light moans from her beneath his lips. Their tongues
wrestled as Subaru's hands passed to the front of his pants, Kurim's hands moving
beneath her dress...
Sora leaned against the outside of the tent, listening to the cries from within.
"Oh, for the love of Mars. Why can't they wait until they have something to celebrate?
Well, that's the last time I bring them bad news."
He began to walk through the camp, looking for an unguarded meal.
"Hm. Maybe if I tell them about a victory Kurim won't get his."
He passed a soldier who had set down a pear to focus more attention on his card game.
When the soldier reached for it again, it was gone. Sora laughed at the thought of Kurim
and Subaru falling apart because of victory, taking off a large bite of his new pear. Once
he had eaten all he could of it, he tossed the remains towards a horse that had been tied up
outside one tent, and headed towards where he had tied his own.
"Stupid Empire. Why do I even help them?"
"Because the barbarians hate you."
Sora made a face and stopped in his tracks. He quickly composed himself, and looked
slyly over his shoulder.
"Why, Commander B.T. Tell me, what ever motivated you to hide your name from us
all?"
"Again, Sora, because you don't appreciate the will of others. Now, what ray of sunshine
have you brought us today?"
B.T. stood behind Sora, a stern look on her face. The rogue put his arms behind his head
nonchalantly and resumed walking.
"Oh, nothing. Why don't you ask Subaru and Kurim? Oh, but wait another few minutes
before you interrupt them."
A small bolt of lightning whizzed over his shoulder, making his hair stand on end. He
shook his head, unfazed.
"Now, now. You really shouldn't take me that seriously. I kid because I love, don't you
know."
With that, Sora turned a corner and was gone. B.T. gripped her staff tighter as the last
few arcs of electricity dissipated from it's floating jewel. Sora angered everybody. There
was no way around it, but the man provided vital intelligence. She grumbled as she
moved on. She was wanted in a meeting with her unit commanders. Her and Kurim both
commanded portions of the detachment, and they both had responsibilities to their units.
She currently commanded a small army in itself, five full units of light infantry, two units
of heavy infantry, and two units of longbowmen, totaling nine-hundred men. Enough to
conquer most lightly defended provinces and garrison them until reinforcements arrived.
She needed to brief the commanders on their deployment, and additionally brief three
new commanders. Two had fallen during a recent battle, and another had been promoted
and shipped out to command the northern front. They were being picked apart by
mountain guerrillas, she had heard. B.T. slipped inside another tent, ready to see what
these new leaders were made of.
Wise old man say: Fanfiction writer shall never achieve the owning of an anime series.
Stop thinking so.
A note on scale: In writing this, I borrowed heavily from movies and games such as
Braveheart, Dynasty Warriors, Lord of the Rings, and the Total War series (Three words:
Rome: Total War. Mmmm... elephants...). Anyone familiar with these can easily
understand the scale and concepts portrayed here.
A thousand years ago, a war was fought between two powerful nations for land and all
that comes with it. The two sides battled endlessly, the Northern Alliance of Barbaric
Tribes first fighting to take back land from their enemies, the Empire of the East, that had
been conquered, then continuing in a campaign that came to a stalemate. Still, they
fought, their leaders consumed with greed, their soldiers growing up knowing nothing but
war. Great generals lead their forces into battle, legendary warriors whose cunning in
strategy was only matched by their strength on the battlefield. This tale tells the love,
loss, and life of those generals. Come closer to the fire, and listen to the tale of the Tiny
Angel, Subaru, and her lover, the Shaman Tsukasa.
The southern desert wind whistled through Bear's hair, ruffling it as he looked grimly
across the field. They were losing. The number of troops the Empire had brought against
them had exceeded his expectations. Though his warriors had fought valiantly against
their foe, they were still only human, and could not continue fighting against this many
enemies. Even now, he watched as an enemy unit regrouped after the last handful of men
from the allied unit had given up and thrown down their weapons. He could not tell from
where he stood if the surrendering unit was desert mercenaries or soldiers from their own
territory. They held very little territory in this area, and even then, none of the natives,
dark skinned and tribal, living in mud huts, understood the concept of occupation. He
shook his head. The recently regrouped enemies were joining in a melee against another
already outmatched unit.
"Sound the retreat." He ordered.
On the field, Mimiru rode like the wind among her foes, dancing her horse like a running
river, her blade flashing as it hacked through man after man. She had lost count of the
number she had killed today, her enemies' blood had sprayed again and again across her
body, partially obscuring the tattoos that ran her full length. She swung her massive
sword yet again, cleaving a soldier nearly in half as he himself was ready to bury his
spear in one of her men. The sound of a horn echoing across the plain reached her ears.
As she needed both hands to wield her sword, she used her knees to turn her horse and
avoid one of the lone trees on the savanna. She looked at the rocky hill the horn had come
from, her sharp eyes making out a handful of figures on it's peak. Those would be Bear
and his unit.
"It's about damn time! Retreat!"
She yelled at her troops. More cries of 'retreat' were called as the word spread. All the
soldiers who were not currently locked in a battle to the death made a mad dash for the
narrow pass that lay between the mountain ridge Bear was watching from and it's other
half, the two impassable stone faces continuing for as far as the eye could see. She kicked
her horse, pushing it to run harder as it galloped in the thick of her troops, heading for the
pass. Men ran on foot behind her, while the cavalry took the lead. As the two armies
began to sort themselves out again, going from the intangible mass of battle to more
defined attacking-pursuing groups, her mounted archers turned and fired into the enemy
forces, their arrows arcing high and dropping onto some unsuspecting foe. Consequently,
arrows began to fall around her, from the enemy's mounted and unmounted archers. A
man riding to her left was thrown from his horse as an arrow pierced it's flank. It flopped
on the ground, whinnying. The man quickly picked himself up and ran on foot. Mimiru
carried the reins in one hand, her sword in the other as she rode between the high faces of
the pass.
Bear nodded, his face still as grim as it had always been.
"Light the fuses." He ordered.
Mimiru swore. The majority of her troops were inside the pass, and she herself was
already approaching the other side!
"What is he waiting for?" She muttered.
As if on cue, the unmistakable sound of a detonating gunpowder charge filled the canyon.
She laughed at the sound. The plan was working! Another charge detonated, ripping
boulders out of the sides of the pass and casting them on their pursuers. Her troops ran a
bit faster, now, she noticed. As the explosions, and stones, continued to fall, she stopped
on the open savanna of the other side, raising her sword and calling for her troops to
rally. Other commanders did this as well, bringing their troops back into their formations
and facing them towards the now blocked pass. She took a moment to take a quick once-
over at what was left of her troops. Where nine divisions had stood at the beginning of
the day, six were left, and many with only a handful of their original men. A group of
enemies had been cut off from their friends and mercifully not crushed by the rocks. They
gave wary looks at their new, drastically altered odds and threw down their weapons.
Mimiru smiled.
"Ready, Fire!"
Bear lowered his sword. His archers stood at the top of the pass, ready to discourage any
attempts at staying in the area long enough to find a way around the barricade. Arrows
zinged over his head, heading for the defenseless foes beneath him. Volley after volley,
he began to count them. Six... (Whhp, shoop, ssssp...) Seven (Fffft, thhip...) He began to
hear more cries from below.
"Retreat!"
The enemy began to fall away from the barricade. It didn't take very long for them to
decide not to stay under Bear's archers like sitting ducks. They ran as fast as they could
away from him, trying to get out of arrow range. He would spare them the trouble.
"Hold fire!" He ordered. Another volley did not follow his command. Bear smiled. More
or less, the day was won.
She could see Bear and his soldiers ride down from their perch across the winding road
that led to the bottom. As they approached, she ordered a soldier to spread an order for
the army to return to base, and rode out to meet Bear. She pulled her horse alongside him,
smiling, her sword resting on one shoulder.
"Did anything go wrong on your side?" She asked.
"No." He replied, not seeming to notice or care that she was covered in blood. His horse,
however, snorted and moved a few steps away. Bear chided it with a growl before
returning his attention to Mimiru.
"Well, we did it!" She said.
"Yes. We prevented a siege."
"The last thing we need."
Bear nodded.
"The fort has very few supplies. We would only last a few days during a full siege. We're
barely managing to live off the land now."
"The reinforcements should be arriving within two weeks, though. With the additional
men and supplies, we can begin our counter-offensive!" Mimiru had already forgotten the
battle she'd fought and was moving on to the next one.
"Yes, but we might have trouble getting through that barricade at the pass."
Bear laughed at his own joke.
The fort their detachment inhabited had been adapted from ancient ruins that had been
found by a scouting expedition. With a few bricks lain in the gaps that had appeared over
the centuries, the ruins once again became a suitable place to live. The ruins had been
built around a strange light, perhaps to protect it, or contain it, none of them knew. A
mysterious green orb of light that burned in the center of the fort the size of a large
boulder, constantly giving off sparks, when they had first arrived, the men had been
curious about it. One had even ventured to walk through it on a bet. Bear, having
overheard this, seized the bow of the soldier next to him and fired an arrow through the
thing. When it failed to come out the other side, the soldier thought better of his decision.
That evening, Bear was at his makeshift desk in his office, one of the few rooms they had
found intact. Mimiru pulled back the curtain that closed it off from the outside and
stepped through, a few sheets of paper under her arm, written on both sides due to the
shortage of paper in the fort's supplies. Bear grumbled as he filled and filed forms upon
forms. Mimiru shook her head, seeing this great man shoved away behind a desk, bogged
down in bureaucratic nonsense. When she had been a child, things had been different.
The old ways were still honored. Then, there was a revolution of those who had civilized
themselves, those that had come into relations with the Empire. They assumed control,
and threw out their traditions and heritage. Since then, leading an army seemed to be
more about your pen than your sword. They were no longer the 'barbarians' the Empire
called them, much as Mimiru would have preferred that state of being.
"I have the casualty reports from our unit commanders."
"Good. File them."
Mimiru tossed the papers on the fire. None of her unit commanders could spell. Neither
could she. Bear had taken a full tally of every literate man in his detachment at the
beginning of the campaign. Counting himself, there were fifty out of fifteen-hundred that
could read and write English well, many of them could hardly even speak it, and that
number steadily declined with the casualties they had taken. Most of the rest were fluent
in various obscure runes and calligraphies, but command only accepted forms in their
'national language'. Assholes. She took a fur-covered seat by the fire. Bear looked up at
her.
"Don't you have other duties?"
Mimiru shook her head.
"Nothing today. I think I'll just stay here awhile."
She had washed the blood from her body earlier, dressing a few light wounds after she
had finished. The other female warriors found the way she bathed after a battle hypnotic.
She had later explained to them that in her province, no, her tribe, the cleansing of one's
body after battle was the most solemn of ceremonies, where one reflected on the victories
of the day, the lessons learned, and thanked the spirits for victory, or begged their
forgiveness for a defeated flight. Her golden tattoos shone in the firelight as she leaned
back and relaxed with a satisfied sigh. Bear sighed as he rolled up a parchment, tying it
shut with a thin red thread, though Mimiru felt that his sigh was less satisfied.
"You need to get out more."
Bear shrugged.
"What am I going to do? Command orders, I follow the orders."
"Simpleton."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"For a genius, Bear, you sure don't think."
Bear grumbled and stood, his own tattoos, the different pattern showing the different tribe
he belonged to, taking on a slightly different hue in the firelight. He sat in another chair,
staring into the flames.
"We can't disobey command. That's foolish. However, we don't have to enjoy the
burdens that they place on us."
Mimiru nodded. Bear was a wise man. He had been educated in many things, from
mathematics to philosophy, at a school in a great city far to the west. He spoke many
languages, able to easily communicate with any soldier. However, he still had the heart of
a warrior, brave as any lion, more cunning than any fox.
"Just relax. Forms and numbers can wait." She said.
Bear nodded and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. His breathing deepened.
Mimiru watched the fire for a long time, feeling the heat on her face and watching the
sparks pop onto the stone floor. Glancing over at Bear, she realized he was asleep.
Kurim was in no such state of peace at the moment.
"I'm only telling you what I heard."
The green-haired pest continued as he trailed Kurim through the camp.
"Sora, why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I thought you and Lady Subaru would want to know!"
"Sora, I have had it up to here with your attitude."
Kurim nodded at a passing soldier as he headed for the command tent. He
absentmindedly swatted one of the overly large savanna mosquitoes that had come to rest
on his cheek.
"Oh, you've had it up to there for a long time. I'm glad I haven't made you any angrier."
Kurim threw aside the tent flap and gave a curt bow to his Lady.
"Subaru."
Subaru had been looking at a map that had been rolled across one of four tables scattered
about the wide tent. Writing and measuring instruments littered the tables, as well as
human-shaped miniatures, making the tent a series of chess games, each representing a
certain area of Lady Subaru's responsibility. She looked past Kurim to Sora and nodded.
"I see our informant has brought news."
Sora gave a ludicrous bow. If he had been able to, he would have touched his nose to his
shoes. Calmly, he approached one of Subaru's boards, where two groups of pieces met at
a pass, one colored red, the other blue. Subaru watched expectantly. She frowned as Sora
took many of the pieces from both groups and moved the much smaller blue group
halfway between the pass and their camp. He pushed the red group back to their own
base.
"So, we were defeated."
"It seems so."
"Unfortunate. We need to take that pass."
"That could be difficult, Subaru." Kurim interjected, standing.
"Why?"
"It was barricaded during the battle. We will need to send extra troops to clear it."
Subaru nodded.
"I will organize another attack. We must push this offensive."
Kurim nodded.
"We will accompany them personally." Subaru continued.
"What?" Kurim was taken by surprise.
Sora smiled.
"We're going with them."
"Why?"
"I need to oversee any further battles personally. We will dispatch the Crimson Knights
to the area as well."
Kurim nodded.
"Very well then! Seems my work here is done." Sora strode out of the tent and
disappeared into the camp. Kurim clenched his fist as he watched Sora go.
"That... scum..."
Subaru giggled.
"You really do hate him, don't you?"
Kurim sighed and shook his head, his rattail rippling back and forth gracefully.
"He lives to annoy people."
Subaru nodded.
"I won't deny that he takes pleasure in watching you seethe."
Kurim approached the table, standing behind Subaru. His arms encircled her waist, and
he looked the map over from behind her.
"Are you sure it's a wise decision to oversee this personally?"
"We're up against a strong general. Anyone who could win against those odds has to be
very wise indeed. Our troops will need all the help they can get."
Kurim lowered his head, leaning down to whisper to her.
"Wherever you go, I'll protect you."
Subaru smiled and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Kurim."
"I love you, Subaru."
She closed the last few inches between them with a kiss. Steadily, it grew more
passionate as she turned around in his arms. Kurim lifted her onto the table, his hands
caressing her sides, eliciting light moans from her beneath his lips. Their tongues
wrestled as Subaru's hands passed to the front of his pants, Kurim's hands moving
beneath her dress...
Sora leaned against the outside of the tent, listening to the cries from within.
"Oh, for the love of Mars. Why can't they wait until they have something to celebrate?
Well, that's the last time I bring them bad news."
He began to walk through the camp, looking for an unguarded meal.
"Hm. Maybe if I tell them about a victory Kurim won't get his."
He passed a soldier who had set down a pear to focus more attention on his card game.
When the soldier reached for it again, it was gone. Sora laughed at the thought of Kurim
and Subaru falling apart because of victory, taking off a large bite of his new pear. Once
he had eaten all he could of it, he tossed the remains towards a horse that had been tied up
outside one tent, and headed towards where he had tied his own.
"Stupid Empire. Why do I even help them?"
"Because the barbarians hate you."
Sora made a face and stopped in his tracks. He quickly composed himself, and looked
slyly over his shoulder.
"Why, Commander B.T. Tell me, what ever motivated you to hide your name from us
all?"
"Again, Sora, because you don't appreciate the will of others. Now, what ray of sunshine
have you brought us today?"
B.T. stood behind Sora, a stern look on her face. The rogue put his arms behind his head
nonchalantly and resumed walking.
"Oh, nothing. Why don't you ask Subaru and Kurim? Oh, but wait another few minutes
before you interrupt them."
A small bolt of lightning whizzed over his shoulder, making his hair stand on end. He
shook his head, unfazed.
"Now, now. You really shouldn't take me that seriously. I kid because I love, don't you
know."
With that, Sora turned a corner and was gone. B.T. gripped her staff tighter as the last
few arcs of electricity dissipated from it's floating jewel. Sora angered everybody. There
was no way around it, but the man provided vital intelligence. She grumbled as she
moved on. She was wanted in a meeting with her unit commanders. Her and Kurim both
commanded portions of the detachment, and they both had responsibilities to their units.
She currently commanded a small army in itself, five full units of light infantry, two units
of heavy infantry, and two units of longbowmen, totaling nine-hundred men. Enough to
conquer most lightly defended provinces and garrison them until reinforcements arrived.
She needed to brief the commanders on their deployment, and additionally brief three
new commanders. Two had fallen during a recent battle, and another had been promoted
and shipped out to command the northern front. They were being picked apart by
mountain guerrillas, she had heard. B.T. slipped inside another tent, ready to see what
these new leaders were made of.