Duchess Sita Katyana set the birdcage cautiously on the railing of the balcony. The two yellow canaries chirped and fluttered anxiously as the cage was moved. The dark-skinned young ruler of Miiro climbed up beside them and sat on the railing looking out over the city of Tanrensho.

Carlos approached her quietly and the young woman did not hear the sound of his soft footsteps. He stood behind her in silence and watched as she lifted the cage and looked at the birds inside.

"Well, now is as good a time as any," Sita told the canaries. She turned the cage in her hands so the door faced out towards the city and slowly pulled the latch. The two yellow canaries flew out of the cage as quick as lightning and disappeared over the roofs of Tanrensho, singing happily. Sita turned to step off the railing and found herself looking into Father Carlos' bright green eyes. She nearly shrieked in surprise and dropped the birdcage, which fell onto the balcony with a loud clank. Recognizing Carlos as one of the revolutionaries Sita caught her breath and calmly hopped down off of the railing. "You surprised me," she murmured.

Carlos took a step back and smiled nervously, "Um...I'm sorry."

She knelt down and picked up the birdcage, which had been undamaged by its fall. "Did you come out here to ask me something?" she asked the priest.

"No...Not really," he replied, "I was just walking around and I saw you carrying your birds out here. If you don't mind my asking...why did you let them go?"

Sita smiled and closed her dark brown eyes; "We are working to free this country from oppression. In all fairness my canaries deserved to go free also."

Carlos fiddled with a strand of hair that fell over his shoulder, "Aren't you worried about them going out there into the city?"

The leader of Miiro opened her eyes and brushed past Carlos into the hall, still carrying the birdcage, "Maybe a little bit, but being free means accepting things like having to look out for yourself. I think that they'll be fine."

With a hand on his hat Carlos scurried down the hall after her, "You think we'll be fine?"

"Only time will tell us that."

Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni

"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"

Chapter 36- Yellow Canaries and Inches Toward Freedom

When the rebels led by Sir Kichitsu arrived in Crona City the leader of the uprising that had freed the state greeted them. He was commonly called Ayu, but his full name was Ayutureik. "Greetings!" he called as the solemn knight dismounted and came forward.

Kichitsu was nervous about being ready for Major Ko-Wen's arrival and was therefore in no mood to exchange such niceties with the lean, sharp cheek-boned bandit turned revolutionary. "We came prepared with a plan that should allow us to protect the lands here from an Imperial invasion. I'm sure there's still Aronian gear in this city; you and your followers need to dress up as Imperial soldiers."

Ayu tied a purple bandanna on his head over his tousled black hair and took a dented helmet from a young woman with long braids wrapped up on her head. He pulled the helmet on awkwardly and grinned, "Yeah, I heard about that plan. We're ready to follow along with it, Sir, but don't forget which one of us is a native, okay? I'm the one who freed this state and everybody here knows it."

Lucien rolled his eyes; "No one here wants your glory, young man. We want to protect and liberate this country just like you do."

The liberator of Crona's olive eyes darted back and forth, taking in the aid that had arrived from Slalain Citadel, "Actually, this doesn't look half bad. And I get your point, old man."

Lucien's face reddened in annoyance at Ayu's nerve, but he held himself back. The ragged bandit smiled and extended a leather-gloved hand to Haneh. "I'll take you up on it. The whole thing! Make us revolutionaries!" He shook Haneh's hand firmly and her hard gaze softened somewhat.

Father Izador raised the visor of his helmet to get a better look at Ayu and Sir Kichitsu raised his sword in a salute. "We are glad to have you truly on our side, Lord Ayu!"

Ayu bowed as elegantly as he could manage and gestured to the young armored woman beside him, "I guess I should introduce you to lieutenant now. She'll join too, of course. This is Tywin."

As Tywin's gray eyes met Kichitsu's the knight thought he felt a chill. She raised her spear and nodded, "Pleasure's mine."

Ayu grinned widely and appeared generally very pleased with the situation. "I'll go get everyone ready! This's going to be exciting!" He yelled as he hurried off along the cobblestone street.

Tywin sighed and grumbled to Lucien in a rough accented voice, "Ayutureik of Nysmorengald was very much looking forward to meeting you all. His father I think he is finding..."

The revolutionaries watched in curiosity as Ayu's followers scuttled out of the nearby buildings into the street and listened as Ayu's loud exclamations softened into the distance until they began to grow audible again.

"You old wuddlyclod! Hurry it up! They don't have all year! These are the revolutionaries who came up from Slalain Citadel in Onwya!"

Tywin's face grew red in embarrassment at the sound her commander's voice. "Who is he talking to?" Haneh inquired curiously.

"His father, Tasrinym, is old soldier from the north...he is hard of hearing and walks slowly," Tywin explained to the blond assassin. "Ayu loves his father much, but when he is excited he get impatient with him."

After a few minutes Ayu strode through his followers with his father, a gray-haired, mustached man beside him. The bandit presented his father to the revolutionaries very seriously. "This my father, Tasrinym the Watersnake."

The older man placed a hand on his son's shoulder to steady himself as he glanced at the blowing banners. "These really are them. Just like I told you I saw in the spring. Glad I get to meet them."

"You saw us here back in the spring?" Lucien asked with interest.

"Yes, yes," Tasrinym elaborated, "There weren't too many of you and you didn't stay very long, but your Kiisan was charming nonetheless. Where's he? I want to get a good look at him."

"Father Kiisan is in Efttal right now," Kichitsu told the older man, "I'm sorry. If you come back to the citadel with us after we take care of Major Ko-Wen I'm sure you'll be able to meet him though."

Haneh looked down at the bandit's father silently. She thought it might just be his hazel eyes, but she knew that something about him reminded her of Kiisan.

Ayu grinned at his father, "See? I told you so. Now let's get this show on the road!"

"Yes, we really should," Kichitsu mumbled to himself as he explained the plan's smaller details to Ayu and Tywin.

*********

Kiisan wandered the streets of Tanrensho absentmindedly without any particular destination in mind. Sanada had suggested that he rest up for the coming battle, but he could not rest in the government building with Father Jie Jhin and Lord Hal constantly worrying and working. Everyone seemed preoccupied with the building situation or their own matters. Han Li seemed to have temporarily disappeared since no one had seen him for almost two days and Hai-Yong appeared to have become inseparable from Falina. Kiisan meandered along the city's streets until he reached the main gates. Although they were open, state soldiers questioned anyone who wanted into the city. He climbed up onto some crates and watched the people trickle out and hurry in.

"What are you doing here?" questioned a small voice.

Kiisan looked down back over his shoulder to see Mio standing on the other side of the crates, signing off on a piece of paper. "Just looking around..." Kiisan commented vaguely, "I thought you were with Sanada."

Mio handed the paper to one of the soldiers who was helping move the crates and came closer to Kiisan, "She received a letter and so she threw me out. Of course, she claimed it was to make me get some work done."

"Don't worry Mio," Kiisan comforted the strategist, "I'm pretty sure that she really does like you. Probably better than she likes most of us, anyway..."

Mio's delicate face turned pink as he whispered, "I've heard recently that back in her days studying under my father she and General K'aan were quite...close."

At first Kiisan was slow to catch on and started to say something about how that was probably how Mitsu Riyadh had engineered the plan, but he realized the true meaning behind Mio's words and smiled smugly. "You really do spend a lot of time with Sanada, don't you, Mio? You must really admire her."

Mio shrugged, "It's not exactly that I admire her...I actually am inclined to dislike the way she treats people like pawns in her plans. ...It's just that...I...well, she..."

Kiisan faked a swoon and laughed, "Don't worry, I won't tell her how you feel."

"K-Kiisan!" Mio squeaked as he jumped.

Before Kiisan could reply Louis Abdul appeared before them carrying a large, wooden box. Kusa and Kurin trailed behind him enjoying the last of the apples they had picked in Naco's orchards. Mio and Kiisan stood silent and awkwardly as the captain and scavengers passed.

"Are they up to something?" Louis Abdul asked Kusa when they were out of hearing range. The female scavengers shrugged and spat out an apple seed into her gloved hand.

*********

As the days had passed Mitsu had struggled onward across the Omasas Plains and into the southernmost part of the state of Wesder in what was generally known as the "Dunan Lake States" region. The traveling was draining, but his will was one of iron. The strategist would make it to the revolutionaries on his own two feet if it killed him.

Since there was no way for Sanada to contact him, Mitsu could only hope that she had received his letter. He considered writing another, but after beginning to write realized that he really had nothing to say. Somehow it just made him feel better. In his mind he could picture Sanada with her dark brown hair blowing standing waiting at the hill. Despite her often cold ways Mitsu really liked Sanada. She had been one of his few close friends when she had lived in the capital and her letters remained one bright spark in his otherwise dull life.

He also tried to picture what Mio Silverberg, whom Sanada had mentioned in her letters, might look like. He had seen Mio once, but that was about sixteen years ago and Mio had been only three, so he to mostly rely on what Lina and Kiyon looked like.

Mitsu tripped on a stone and fell to his knees on the dirt. The wind blew the dust and it swirled around him, making the fragile man cough hard. When he looked up a dark man wrapped in a long cloak stood before him, gazing down at the strategist with odd-colored eyes.

Mitsu grasped his staff and tried to pull himself to his feet to speak with the travel-stained man who had appeared so suddenly, but the cloaked man crouched down to his level and looked at him severely with clouded eyes, "You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard, Mitsu Riyadh."

"Wh-who are you?" Mitsu asked, "How do you know my name?"