Yuber's twin blades met with the long sword of the intruder. The sound startled Falina and Sasshalai out of their slumber. Glimmers of moonlight shone on the cold metal and partially revealed the features of the would-be assassin. Her blue eyes flashed as she pulled her blade back and stood squarely facing the black knight.

Yuber smirked and raised his swords in readiness for another assault. The cloaked woman, however, did not feel like dueling Yuber, as she had come for something else. She tried to sidestep into the room where Kiisan slept, but Yuber cut off her path. They locked blades again and although the woman seemed quite skilled, Yuber's pure strength was far greater and he seemed to be gaining the upper hand when Kiisan appeared behind them rubbing his eyes. "What's all this racket about?" he asked Falina. Unable to reply due to the wave of fear that swept over her, the girl simply pointed at Yuber and his opponent. The arrival of Kiisan caught the assassin off guard and as her eyes darted towards him, Yuber took his chance and slashed downward.

Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni

"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"

Chapter 16- Raising the Flags and Regaining Control

When Father Carlos came awake enough to clearly see what lay before him, he was absolutely stunned. The assassin had abandoned her defense to hurl a knife at Kiisan. Fortunately, her aim had been less than perfect. Kiisan was clutching his left shoulder and gritting his teeth. Scarlet blood stained his white sleeve. The knife lay on the floor beside him, glinting in the faint light. Yuber stood leaning back against the wall as if nothing had happened, his blades already sheathed and not a drop of blood on him. Falina, whose face had turned quite pale, was holding the hand of the blue-eyed woman. The assassin's chest heaved up and down painfully causing him to observe the long wound Yuber had inflicted on her. Blood spattered the door and the floor in a myriad of tiny spots like paint flicked over a canvas. Sasshalai was nowhere in sight, having rushed off for help.

"Sir Yuber," Carlos murmured, approaching the tall warrior, "Why didn't you kill that woman?" Yuber barely moved as he replied, "Kiisan told me to stop. ...I'm not sure why I listened, but I did." The shorter man knelt down beside Kiisan to take a look at his injury commenting to Yuber in a tone he might not have heard, "I'm glad that you did."

**********

Kiisan awoke to the sound of chirping birds. It was morning. The sun was shining in through a window onto his face. He did not know what day it was or how long ago the assassination attempt had occurred. It all felt so peaceful. "Maybe it was all just some creepy dream...maybe this is my bed...in my house in Finnel Village..." he thought dreamily. A sparrow hopped onto the windowsill and looked at him curiously before turning and flying back out to courtyard below where Hittoko and Russ were tossing some scraps of bread to the birds. Kiisan, however, was unaware of all this. He was falling into the quicksand of a daydream of his home. The days there seemed so far away. If he could find another survivor from the village would they even recognize him? Yes, the revolution was real. The Circle Rune's mandala-like design on his right palm reminded him of all the things that had happened. "...But it would be so nice to lie here forever and forget about it..." he mumbled to himself.

And then he saw Han Li. "Don't even consider it, young man." The dark-haired rune bearer said coldly. "And believe me. That thing would let you do that. Forget about everyone and everything and cast its spell over you. But that's not what you're going to do. Let it cast its charm upon the nation instead. When there is peace for Aronia then you can rest." Kiisan rolled over on his side to hide his face from Han Li's sharp eyes, but the movement sent a stab of pain through his shoulder, "ouch..." he groaned pitifully. "You ruined my daydream..."

The serious warrior stood up from the wooden chair he had watched Kiisan from and moved towards the door, "Daydreaming isn't good for you. Idealism doesn't call for it, anyway. Since I bother you so much I guess I'll leave. I'm sending in Sasshalai though, he really wants to see you." Han Li strolled out the door while Kiisan sighed.

The younger rune bearer who entered just seconds after Han Li had left seemed to be in quite a different mood. "Big Brother! You're awake! I'm so happy!" He shuffled over to Kiisan in an energetic, almost skipping, sort of run and shoved a large bouquet of colorful, heavily scented flowers into Kiisan's arms. "I picked these for you! You like flowers, don't you?" The injured priest began to smile and answer, but as he sneezed he lost his chance to speak. Sasshalai was already babbling again. His words seemed to sparkle like his gem-like eyes. "You slept for three days! I was really worried about you! I mean, my mind was telling me that you'd be okay, but my heart was still anxious! You lost a lot of blood! It was a real mess. Falina washed all your robes though, see, they're hanging over there. You know, I haven't seen the turan at all since this happened. He's hiding in his office. I think he's afraid that you're going to try and get revenge, but I know you wouldn't do something like that!" The boy's tone slowed as he added, "There was a lot of fighting yesterday..."

"You stayed inside I hope," Kiisan responded with a barely detectable touch of humor hanging on his tone. "No, sorry. I went out on the wall to watch what was going on," he replied smiling, "But I wasn't the one who wanted to do that. Big Sister Falina wanted to go out on the wall so I thought it was my duty to go and stay with her to protect her in your place!" The boy finished proudly. Kiisan shook his head slightly as he examined the flowers Sasshalai had given him, "That was nice of you." Sasshalai adjusted the dandelions on his head and sat down on the chair that Han Li had just vacated, "You were thinking about Falina a lot while you were sleeping." Kiisan snapped the stem of the daisy he was looking at accidentally as the boy spoke. His face colored slightly and he keep his eyes lowered as he raised his voice a little, "What's that supposed to mean?!!" The seven-year-old pulled his sandal-clad feet onto the chair and put his arms around his knees as he explained, "I don't know. I just came in here and you were thinking about Falina. You're the one who should be explaining what it means. It doesn't surprise me at all Big Brother. She's been your friend for a really long time I thought."

Kiisan straightened out the daisy and turned his attention to a crimson poppy. "Yeah, that's right. We've been friends for as long as I can remember." Suddenly his mind was struck by a different thought which effectively changed the subject, "Sassha, is that...assassin alive?" The child tipped his head to the side like a bird pondering the topic momentarily before responding. "She's alright. She even got up yesterday and tried to leave. Her name is Haneh."

"Is Sir Yuber angry that I told him not to kill her?" Kiisan questioned. "Nah, he's okay with it. Yesterday he came back from the battle smelling like death. Sonoa and Rizu practically dragged him back into the city. No one hurt the Imperial Army as much as Sir Yuber. And...Oh, something else big happened then...I just can't remember what..." He closed his eyes contemplatively and a second later, jumped up with eyes wide. "That man who captured us! The captain took him prisoner!"