Chapter One

By Cheeky

/Present Day/

"Lord Hisashi, if you're not careful you're going to fall," cautioned a stocky tanned man from below.

Said man merely grinned as he leaned as far out as possible, "You worry too much Shinichi. . . and besides, I've experienced the worst fall possible when I was thirteen. Nothing can top that. . ."

Shinichi sighed, "If you say so m'lord. . ."

A young boy suddenly emerged from the shadows, one hand leading two black stallions, the other arm holding onto the reins of a chestnut-coloured pony. Meeting Shinichi's eye, the boy nodded briefly before adding, "They are near, the horses have sensed their presence. . ."

"In that case. . ."

Looking up once more, Shinichi raised his voice as he gestured for his lord's descent, "M'lord, it's time to leave. . ."

A sudden rustle of leaves and Hisashi was standing by their side. Seeing the stunned look on the young boy's face, Hisashi playfully rustled the dark hair as he praised, "What we would do without a magician's apprentice by our side?"

Having heard the comment, Shinichi snorted derisively as he mounted his ride, "What good is he, m'lord. . . since he can only speak with animals. . ."

Hisashi shook his head as he defended his young stable master, "Shinichi, your words are too harsh. . . If not for Hikoichi, we would not have known what befallen my younger sister. . ."

To both men's surprise, the boy furiously shook his head as he mounted his filly, "M'lord, your steward speaks the truth. . . if not for my family's ill luck with money, I would be able to complete my studies and serve you as a proper magician. . . Alas, as Fate would have it, I am nothing but a poor stable boy. . ."

Hisashi lightly rapped the boy at the back of his head as he reprimanded with disapproval written clearly on his face, "Now you're being stupid. . . as Fate would have it, you have the gift of tongues. . . a talent I'm sure even Shinichi cannot but admit its usefulness to our present task. . ."

Catching his master's meaningful glance, the steward grudgingly nodded as he looked towards the 14-year-old, "Our lord is wise. . . and you would do well to serve him faithful and true. . ."

Hikoichi rigorously nodded his head in earnest as he pledged his loyalty to the son of Anzai for the umpteenth time since they had left familiar ground. Shaking his head in mock exasperation at the boy's display, Hisashi snorted to himself before goading his stallion forward. To be fair, he was feeling rather impatient himself. If the elves were near, then it was to their benefit that they rode in haste to catch up.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Hisashi always prided himself on being a good judge of character, particularly when it came to ascertaining the behaviour of elves and other non-human creatures. Thus, looking at the elf before him illuminated by the faded moonlight, Hisashi decided with an inward nod that he really did not like the narrowed green eyes and haughty stance. But upon catching Hikoichi barely perceptible shake of the head, Hisashi sighed ruefully to himself as he reluctantly removed his fingers from the hilt of his sword. Pasting a forced smile on his face, the 20-year-old then offered the elf leader a half-bow as he introduced himself, "I am Lord Hisashi, son of Anzai, and these two are my loyal servants. We are in search of an elf, but it appears he is not one among your group. As such, please accept my sincere apologies for the disturbance. . ."

But the arrows aimed in their direction did not lowered as the elf leader's amused laughter rang shrilly in Hisashi's ears. Arms crossed, the elf leader sneered as his green eyes passed across the three invaders, "What a coincidence! We too are in search of a human. . . So if you wish for us to spare your lives, you better start praying that one of you is the human we are looking for. Otherwise, I'm afraid even I cannot guarantee your freedom. . . For your information, our Prince is not known for his patience, and he will kill those who have outlived their usefulness. . ."

"Why you smug little bastard-"

Before Shinichi even had the chance to unsheathe his sword, a slim arrow was fired, missing the steward's foot by a hair's breath. Hikoichi let out a half-shriek in response, shutting up only when Shinichi glared furiously at him. Hearing a soft chuckle high up among the canopy of leaves, Shinichi turned his heated glare upwards, but made no further attempt to attack.

Hisashi finally broke through the watchful silence as he tilted his head slightly forward at the smiling elf leader, "I apologise for my steward's brashness. We will come with you so do lead us forward. . ."

"Good. It would have been a great pity to have to kill you. . ." answered the elf leader with a formidable smile.

He really did not like the narrowed green eyes and haughty stance.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"What is it Kenji? I thought I told you not to disturb the Prince. . ."

"I know, Akira, but I have with me three humans from beyond the Forbidden Forest. . ."

Clearly pleased with the look of interest that glimmered in the pair of sapphire orbs, Kenji continued happily as a child would talk of a favourite toy.

"The leader is Lord Hisashi, from the House of Mitsui. He brings with him two servants and they have deliberately crossed the border in search of an elf. . ."

The taller elf of the two suddenly smiled, "Lord Hisashi from the House of Mitsui? Well, well. . . who would have thought that after all these years. . ."

Kenji raised an inquisitive eyebrow but Akira's smile merely widened as he shook his head, "Be patience, later you will understand. Wait while I go and wake our Prince. . . He will be. . . hmm. . . explosive, for the lack of a better description. . ."

Still feeling clueless despite years of experiences dealing with Akira's odd manner of speaking, the elf leader nevertheless bowed his head as a sign of acquiescent. Waiting patiently outside the makeshift tent, Kenji smiled to himself when he heard a loud growl of annoyance from within. And then the young elf bowed respectfully to the waist when his Prince finally appeared minutes later, eyes still barely opened from a clear lack of sleep.

Under Akira persuasive coaxing, Prince Kaede finally straightened himself to a more dignified position as he removed his arm from Akira's shoulder. Then throwing the elf leader a sidelong glance, the Prince muttered darkly under his breath before starting forward, "This better be worth my time, Akira. . . otherwise both you and Kenji will suffer the consequences. . ."

Falling back to walk alongside the elf leader, Akira commented cheerfully to his ashen-white comrade, "Don't let his words bother you, Kenji. Kaede's all bark and no bite, and he's always this grumpy when he wakes up, no matter what time it is. . ."

Kenji swallowed painfully, "Easy for you to say, you're his dear beloved cousin. I, on the other hand, am just a dispensable elf leader. . ."

Akira shook his head as he disagreed, "I happened to know that Kaede holds you in high regard, so you need not worry too much about his previous words. And I bet you Kaede would have forgotten all about his threat after meeting Lord Hisashi. . ."

As they had reached the three humans, Kenji refrained from questioning any further. He was however, eager to perform the necessary introductions but his Prince didn't seemed the least bit concerned about the humans' identities for he merely stopped before the human leader as he questioned in a bored monotone.

"So you know the present whereabouts of my brother?"

From the moment his eyes had caught sight of the elf Prince, Hisashi's gaze had stayed glued upon the eternal beauty, a faint stirring of recognition brewing slowly in his human mind. The young elf's elegant yet decidedly purposeful stride, the slight upturned of a sharp chin and the positively proud gaze from beneath half-lidded eyes, all screamed 'royalty' and the demand to be looked. And when the elf Prince finally stopped inches away from him, Hisashi was certain he knew the icy cold blue eyes from eight years ago, knew it with such strong conviction that he would have spoken the elf's name aloud had his thoughts not been interrupted by the Prince's sudden question.

Hisashi sighed ruefully to himself; the Prince was still as rude and spoilt rotten as the day they first met. He would have loved to give the arrogant Prince a false answer, but since he really didn't have an idea what the elf was talking about, Hisashi decided honesty was the best, if not the most amusing policy to take. Shrugging his shoulders unconcerned, he remarked almost mockingly, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. And even if I did, I still wouldn't care less. . ."

Blue eyes widened in disbelief, though it was probably due more to Hisashi's manner of answering, than to the answer itself. Turning around sharply, the elf addressed his cousin in a loud and accusing voice, "You told me they knew where brother was. . ."

Akira opened his eyes innocently wide as he answered, "I said no such thing, my dearest cousin. I merely told you that Kenji has brought with him three humans of whom I believed would be of great interest to you. You formed that particular conclusion yourself, so it's no use blaming me. . ."

Paying no heed to the wrathful glare now aimed in his direction, Akira moved forward before slinging an arm around Hisashi's shoulder as he added with a mischievous wink, "By the way, this here, my sweet Prince, is Lord Hisashi from the House of Mitsui. . ."

Kaede crossed his arms as he snorted with disinterest, "So what? That name means nothing to me. . ."

Akira looked meaningfully at his cousin's sheathed sword as he pressed further, "Are you sure? Think back eight years ago. . . this is the same man you felled after he interrupted our. . . ahem, conversation high up in the treetops. . ."

The pale face remained impassive but Akira caught the slight flicker of the eyelids, clear signs that his cousin finally remembered the incident. But instead of acknowledging the man's presence, the elf Prince merely snorted derisively as he made to leave the group, "I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. Let the humans go back to where they came from, I'm going back to sleep. . ."

Hisashi halted the Prince's movements with a sudden grip of the elf's arm. Deliberately ignoring the incredulous look on the elf's face, and the sudden raise of arrows all aimed at his head, Hisashi spoke aloud his displeasure, "Kaede, you are as rude and obnoxious as the day we first met. For crying out loud, have you not learned any manners at all in the last eight years?"

The rebuke was swift and furious as Kaede came close to snarling, "How dare a human as lowly as yourself addressed me without a honourific? And who are you to be calling me rude and obnoxious? You were the one who first insulted me by calling me a 'girl' eight years ago!"

Hisashi drawled out with a lazy grin, "Ah. . . so you do remember me. . ."

"That's only because you're-"

"Unforgettable, I know. . ." interjected the young man with a cheeky grin.

Despite his furious tugging, the grip on his arm did not relent and releasing a low growl of annoyance, the elf snapped back with an unexpected nod, "Yes, you're unforgettably disgusting. . ."

"With a uncouth mouth as yours, I'm finding it hard to believe that you're actually a Prince. . ." shot back Hisashi as he leaned his face closer, as if wanting to scrutinised the sudden narrowing of sapphire orbs.

From the side Kenji exclaimed with a furious snarl as he withdrew his sword, "How dare you insult our Prince, you foul-mouthed barbarian!"

The elf's blade however, clashed heavily against Shinichi's as the young man tensed out between clenched teeth, "You are in no positioned to judge, for you are as ill-mannered as your Prince!"

As the battle between both fighters began in earnest, Hikoichi tugged nervously at Akira's long shirtsleeve as he pleaded for the grinning elf's assistance, "Erm, sir. . . don't you think you ought to say something to appease their anger?"

Akira looked down at the boy child as he chuckled with deep amusement, "Why should I? Not since Princess Haruko ran away with her big fat lamb had I had so much fun . . ."

Hikoichi could only stare back with utmost disbelief, as he inwardly wondered if the elf was mad. Perhaps the elf Prince's cousin had sensed the magician apprentice's inner thoughts, though it was more likely that Akira had laughed enough to last him for the rest of the night. But whatever the reason may be, it was to Hikoichi's relief when Akira finally removed his own shiny blade as he stepped forward to break the fight apart.

Despite the looks of surprise, Akira's smile did not wavered as he gestured at the sparring duo, "We had better stop their verbal argument before they draw swords. . . Kaede doesn't fight fair when he's in a bad mood. . ."

Giving Kenji a knowing look, Akira then added, "Particularly when he's in a bad mood due to a lack of sleep. . ."

Satisfied when the elf leader lowered his sword, Akira then turned to Shinichi as he continued, "I am of course, speaking on the assumption that your master is an honourable man. . ."

Shinichi bowed his low as he replaced his own sword, "On my Lord's behalf, I thank you for the compliment."

Akira's grin widened, "Good. Now that we're all on the same side, let's see what we can do about those two. . ."

In the last few minutes the argument had only gotten far more abusive as Kaede stared back defiantly while stating in a clear and loud voice, "It is because of men like you that impinged upon me to despise the entire human breed!"

"And if you were a girl I would have punch you for that vulgar statement!" shot back Hisashi without a moment of hesitation.

"Ooh, I liked that. . ." chuckled Akira, to which Kenji's green eyes opened wide with incredulity.

Not noticing the crowd that had gathered, Kaede hissed out furiously, "How dare you imply that I'm weaker than a girl!"

"You said that. . . I did not," responded Hisashi with an unconcerned shrug.

Having noticed the pale fingers inched towards the sheathed blade, the elf Prince's cousin hastened to point out in a loud and clear voice, "You know what, I think you two are starting to sound like a married old couple. . ."

Both whirled around to face the grinning elf as they snapped back simultaneously, "We do not!"

Shinichi suddenly laughed aloud, "How about that? They even think like a married old couple!"

The elf Prince and the young man fell silent, unsure of whether to glare at their grinning audience, or at each other. Seizing the temporarily peace, Akira started forward as he slung one arm around his cousin's shoulder, and the other arm around the son of Anzai. Smiling wide, the young elf then remarked in a diplomatic fashion.

"Come now, we are all friends, are we not? As I've just been told, Lord Hisashi is looking for an elf, just as we are looking for a human. I'm sure if we all unburdened our problems, the opposite party will be able to lend great assistance to our respective cause."

Realising that it was unlikely for the elf Prince to concede first, Hisashi graciously offered, "You are wise as usual, Akira. . ."

When the elf bowed slightly in acknowledgment, Hisashi then added, "We are indeed looking for an elf. The truth is, my sister has run away from her pre-nuptial ceremony, and according to Hikoichi, she was last seen confiding with a male elf. We can only surmise that she has sought the assistance of the said elf in her escape plan."

Under Akira's heavy scrutiny, Kaede relented after much reluctance, "Hmph. . . Well, we're facing the same problem too. Only difference is, it's my older brother who has run away. He was last seen four days ago travelling with a human girl, but unfortunately, he managed to give his chasers the slip, and hasn't been seen or heard of since."

Shinichi interjected with a thoughtful frown, "Could it be that the human girl travelling with Crown Prince Kiminobu is my lord's sister, Lady Ayako?"

"It's not all impossible, since Crown Prince Kiminobu was clearly taken with Lady Ayako's exquisite charm when they met eight years ago. . . Perhaps they maintained correspondences without our knowledge?" suggested Akira as he darted a quick look at his cousin.

But it was Kenji who exclaimed aloud, "That would mean Crown Prince Kiminobu also ran away to avoid his marriage with Princess Haruko!"

"But I thought marriages between humans and elves are common since the end of the Great Battle, surely a change of hearts isn't enough reason to run away. . ." pointed out Hikoichi as he looked around the group.

Shinichi offered an explanation, "The interaction certainly isn't taboo, but the relationship may be frowned upon if you're already engaged to be married. . ."

Kaede suddenly snapped impatiently, "Oh puh-lease, it's nothing as romantic as you described. My brother has never expressed an interest in Lady Ayako. . . at least, not to my knowledge. . ."

Removing Akira's arm to take several steps forward, the elf Prince's voice turned strangely bitter as he gestured at the other three elves who had accompanied him on his search.

"That coward merely ran away to avoid being crowned King. . . He hates everything that has to do with leadership and whatsnot, believing them all to be a waste of time. . ."

"But you don't think so, eh Kaede? I bet you must be secretly pleased that he ran away, since his absence puts you next-in-line to control and command your-"

The sharp uppercut punch threw Hisashi off-balance and the young man staggered several feet before falling heavily against a stunned Akira. With his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, Kaede's voice shook as he hissed between clenched teeth, "That is why I hate the human breed. . . you think you're so smart, but in actual fact, you're nothing but mindless fools who speak without thinking. . ."

And with that parting shot, Kaede turned tailed and strode off without another word, leaving behind a group of elves and humans too stunned to react.

t.b.c

~~~~~~

A/N: My sincerest apologies for the delay. Doing my finals this year and life is busier than expected. Anyways, please take the time to comment, and to help me out on certain pairings. Should it be (a) MakiFuji OR MakiSen and (b) KoAya OR SenKo and (c) Neither, I want X/X. I'll be back with more, I promise! Till then, stay cool.

Feedback:

Forsaken^On3: *grins* So that makes you my perfect fan?

nothingtodo: Thanks a lot for reading my other ficcies. ^o^ Feel free to post any constructive criticisms if you like.

golden-flame4: How different is /different/? Don't be shy! Just say whatever you think, I honestly don't mind.

diggy: Heh.. writing kiddies almost makes me feel funny.. kinda like sanzo + goku. =p