SR: All right, here's the next chappie. This one is going to trigger a ton of events in the next few chapters. Please read and review or else I won't update as fast XP ~

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Purple orbs watched the Ex-Captain's steady breathing. Chest up. Chest down. Up. Down. Set blinked his eyes and scowled slightly at the unconscious Tala. Damn! Why did Ozuma have to hit him so hard? The black- haired prince shut his eyes and let his thoughts gallop back to what Tala had yelled.

"C'mon Ray. You're getting away from these guys." The words rang clearly through Set's mind as if Tala had just regained his conscious mind and yelled them all over again. 'Ray.is it really possible?' Was it possible that after three years of searching he had finally found the impudent neko- jinn? Hell he hoped he had! If it really were Ray then he would get that soldier to tell him where he was and then he would settle his score with Ray. Bah! Why had he run? Why had he taken off and left his older brother to manage things? After Mother and Father died they should have been closer then ever and then he just takes off. No word of farewell. Not even a request for company of his trip. Oh was Set ever angry! So angry he didn't realize that he was more hurt then anything.

Set gazed around the makeshift camp. Tents had been pitched quickly and a single fire flickered in the center of it all. He leaned over and breathed in deeply catching the smell of smoke and burning wood on the wind. The smell had a calming effect on him and helped him relax a little. Everyone else from his entourage had gone out for a walk. They were all feeling the tension of their leader and also their own. Ray was practically a legend among them. A creature of the myth. Set had always been best at sneaking and prowling but when all was said and done, Ray was the better fighter and leader of the two. Very few among the camp had actually known both Set and Ray when they were younger and unless you witnessed it first hand then it was hard to believe a better fighter then Set existed. It was an understandable assumption for Set was very agile and strong. All in all, Ozuma was probably the only one who truly knew how strong Ray was. 'Or at least how strong he was when I last saw him. I wonder how strong he is now? It doesn't matter though because when I find him I'll flatten him into the ground.' Feeling his anger rising again Set took another deep breath of the smoke scented wind. 'Keep calm,' He told himself. 'Ray isn't worth the energy of getting angry.' An amused voice snapped him out of his reveries on Ray.

"Smelling the smoke again Set? I really don't think it can be all that good for you." Ozuma trotted out of the surrounding foliage and gave Set a friendly smirk. Over the years Ozuma had been Set's constant companion and knew everything about the elder of the Kon brothers.

"Pfft! And I'm supposed to care? It helps me keep control over my emotions. Exactly how hard did you hit the soldier Ozuma? He's been out of it for hours now." Set returned the smirk and leaned non-chanlantly on a nearby tree. A nearby hiss of anger caused the two friends to whirl their gazes to a very much conscious Tala.

"Oh he hit me hard enough. It's given me a hell of a headache. Care to tell me why I was to rudely greeted?" Tala inquired lifting a red brow up in an annoyed fashion. Ozuma stepped forward and replied for his leader.

"You should know better then to handle a prince so roughly even if you are nothing more then a peasant." Ozuma finished this last bit of his sentence with a smirk. He enjoyed messing with the prides of people. Tala's face went as red as Kai's temper was when dealing with Ray. In other words, he was very close to blowing up.

"P-peasant? I'll have you know I'm the Chief Captain of the Guard for the Royal Family of this country." Tala fumed. He conveniently forgot to leave the 'Ex' part of his title out. At the mention of his title though both Ozuma and Set took a quick step back. After a moment of silence Set stepped forward and addressed Tala with formality.

"I am Prince Set of the northern lands. I have come to form an alliance with King Hiwatari. I assume you do not object?"

"Hn, no I don't I suppose. You can go on your way." Tala turned to leave but was quickly spun around with frightening strengh and found himself staring into flashing purple eyes. Then in a voice that came out sounding like the hissing of the blacks snakes of hell he demanded:

"Tell me where Ray is." Tala was truly taken aback by the menace in Set's voice. It was not proper for even a prince to address a Chief Captain in such a tone. All the sudden alarm bells exploded inside Tala's already pounding head. Something was not right.

"Why do you need to see Ray?" Tala demanded. "I refuse to inform you of his whereabouts unless I am aware of your intentions." Before his brain digested what was happening he heard a rush of wind, the crack of skin contacting skin and a burning sensation exploded in his cheek. Set had struck him. Tala was more confused then ever. Only Kai had ever been physically violent towards him and even then it had been in a restrained manner and only when no one else was around to see. There had been no restraint in Set's strike and now not only was Ozuma there to see but also several others that had drifted back to camp.

"You will answer my question or face the consequences. I have more right then any other living being on this planet to know where he is. He is my younger brother!" Set yelled in Tala's face and half raised his hand to let him have it again only to find a larger hand grab it. Set whirled around and found himself staring into a tunic covered chest. Suma. "Suma, what do you think your doing?"

"My Lord. Striking him will not gain you answers but only push them farther from you." Suma stated. Standing a good foot above anyone else in the camp Suma was respected, if not a little feared, by everyone else. He did not look it but he was very smart and could keep his emotions in close check.

"Do not tell me how to get my answers." Set snapped yanking his hand back from Suma.

All the while Tala was standing there trying to figure out what Set had said. His younger brother? Tala stared hard at Set until finally the so- called prince turned to face him and then Tala spoke.

"Your brother is a slave to Prince Kai, youngest of the Royal Family. He was charged with theft and resistance to an authority higher then his own. He was to be executed at the block but a respected council member by the name of Mariah intervened on his behalf. She proposed he be left to the prince's command. The council and King readily agreed to it for it was obvious that Ray did not like this choice." Tala's voiced ended with disgust marked all over it. Set's eyebrows had contracted into a frown the moment Mariah's name had entered the discussion. The frown was soon followed by a cry of rage.

"So now he is serving that bastard of a prince?" Set shut his eyes and then opened them. "I will rescue my brother and may the Lord help anyone who stands in my way." Set motioned for his entourage to begin packing. A statement from Tala stopped everyone in their tracks.

"I will help you!" He growled.

"What?" Set asked in a bewildered tone. "Why would the Chief Captain help a visiting prince and his guards break in and steal a slave that belongs to one of the princes'?"

"Ex-Chief Captain! I quit my post not so long ago. I will help you." Tala nodded firmly and made it clear that he would not waver on his decision. Set nodded.

"Very well. You likely as not know your way around the castle better then most so you will probably prove of some use to me." Set told everyone to get ready to settle in for the night even though it wasn't long past early evening. The conversation ended right there and then.

That night

Tala lay in a makeshift bed, frowning at the ceiling. He was currently bunking with Suma and another teen named Enrique. Both, he soon found out, were entirely pleasant and not nearly so hostile as Set. After Tala had pointed out a back entrance to the castle, Set had gone for a walk and that was the last Tala had seen of him. One thing was certain though, Set did not trust him anymore the he trusted Set. There was something odd about the prince. For starters, there was the fact that though he carried a royal crest of some sort he wore common attire and did not look like a journeying prince would. Especially when trying to strike an alliance with another region. Being so close to the palace it would have been logical that Set had been looking his best. Also there was something in general about his 'guards'. Most of them addressed him by his first name and used no formal title. However, the thing that bothered Tala the most was that Set had chosen breaking into the castle as his first option. This was odd. All things looked at; Set could pretty much walk up to Kai and order the release of his brother. For Kai could not under any circumstances keep a prince as a slave. And prince he was.as long as Set had been telling him the truth. All in all, Tala had a distinct feeling that Set was hiding something from him.

Set turned over in an attempt to become more comfortable. The day's events had tired him. He had found his brother after three years of searching. Beating the whelp into the ground could wait; first he needed to be set free. Set hissed slightly as a certain pink-haired neko-jinn formed in his mind eye. How dare she! That woman could be so cruel at times. She had no doubt caught the strong resemblance between himself and Ray and put two and two together. She was smart and she knew he had a brother named Ray. She had figured it out quickly enough no doubt. Oh but she had nerve! How dare she vent her sore feelings towards him on Ray? Keh, when he caught up with her she was in for a world of hurt. He would toy with her at first, make her think she had a chance of coming out of it alive. She would squirm and beg to be spared but she would have no mercy. He would kill her and it would be long and painful for the bitch. Set sighed slightly. He knew that his imagination had gone and run loose again. Mariah never squirmed and begged. She was brave and proud. And pretty. Set narrowed his eyes at that last quality that had popped into his thoughts. The woman was not in the least bit pretty. No, she had stopped being pretty the day she stopped loving him. ~

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SR: Alright, there's a bit of justice towards Mariah's actions. The next chapter will be up in a couple of days if your lucky and you review ^^