Okino began to draw back the flap of Sanada's tent the served as a doorway, when Rift grabbed his hand. "...You haven't known General K'aan as long as I have, so I suppose I should tell you now...Don't ever open a door on him without knocking."
"What if you can't knock?"
Rift smiled, "General, one Xiu Kio is here to speak with Lady Sanada."
Tej's voice came back to them slightly muffled, "What Xiu Kio? From the White Halls?"
"I believe so, Sir," Okino agreed.
"Give us a minute and bring him in!" Sanada's voice called to Tej's lieutenants.
"Yes, Ma'am!" they replied, saluting towards their unseen commanders in the tent before turning back through the camp to where Sonoa and Mai Mai were busy detaining the black-caped man, his middle-aged companion, and his black horse.
Mai Mai growled at their approach, causing Okino to jump slightly backward. Rift leaned down towards the wildcat, giving her a stern look. Sonoa pointed a well-sharpened dagger at the military man threateningly, "Don' give Mai Mai a look like that...Unless you wan' trouble."
"Yes, yes, I know," Rift mumbled, brushing past the dangerous Northerner, "The Lady will see you now, Xiu Kio of the White Halls."
"I'm sure you're aware that's really not necessary," Xiu Kio complained, rolling his eyes at the name, "Especially coming from you." Rift did not respond and Okino simply shrugged. The Aronian emperor's agent patted his horse on the nose, commanding, "Stay here, Shade."
He turned to follow the two men dressed in battered, mismatched armor, but was paused by Kinold's question, "What about me? Do I have to wait here?"
"Hey, I didn't want to bring you out here, and you weren't assigned any messages. Watch my horse," the younger man commanded.
"Fine, be that way," Kinold sulked, crossing his arms.
"Iz that your father?" Sonoa asked Xiu Kio mischievously, her eyes glinting.
"No, not by a long shot... thank the powers that be," he groaned, approaching the Tej K'aan who now stood just outside the tent.
Murasaki Fuji No Shita ni Kuni
"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"
Chapter 48- More Than One Way to do This...
"They whet my appetite like that, and then- nothing!" Yuber shouted.
Jirobane and Ocha flinched and looked at each other silently. The black knight seemed entirely unconcerned that he was receiving little interest and no sympathy from his listeners. Actually, they were gathered together in their particular location more because food was being served in the vicinity than because their frightful companion wanted an audience.
"I don't understand," Tiko said honestly.
"He means that he wished to shed more blood...for some horrible reason or other," Dr. Clark clarified, "Though I can't see why..."
"And so we're routing those Imperials and what does she say?" Yuber continued, "Just stop- just sit here! I thought we'd finally found a strategist with some decent admiration for a battlefield and then what- she's worse than that Mio! At least he'll give me a half-meant smile!"
"I don't think I can bare this ranting of his much longer," Rizu complained to his partner.
"Which one do you want to take care of your funeral then?" Junsuke inquired softly.
"Which what?"
"You know what I mean, the priests: Kiisan, Carlos, Izador, and Shiku. Which one?" Junsuke explained, repeating his initial question.
Rizu sighed, "If it gets down to it, Kiisan, I guess."
"Then I suppose we shouldn't let Yuber know that you hate listening to him talk until, Kiisan's returned," the ninja whispered smugly.
His scar-faced friend's eyes widened, "Hey! That's not funny, Jun!"
"...Of course my only competition towards the body count went north too, but Sasshalai as well..." Ocha heard Yuber say, not loosing any speed in his detailed protest.
"Does he really like Sassha that much?" Ocha asked Jirobane, "It makes me a little worried for that kid."
"I don't know...Sassha's often the only one who'll talk to this...um, being, most of the time though, so that might be it," the swordsman mumbled.
"It's obvious that this is a great injustice being done to me!" the black-armored man yelled.
Caio shook his head; "...I'm going to sleep early. I don't think anything short of the end of the world would shut him up."
"I can think of something else," Sita stated as she joined the group, "Sir Kiyon de Silverburg thinks a little surprise attack might ruffle our feather a bit."
Yuber rushed over to the young woman and grabbed her hand, beginning to head off in the direction she had come from, "What are you wasting time for then? Let's get over there!"
**********
The landscape seemed to roll along to Kiisan. He trudged along behind Anamaria and Ignatius who kept up a fairly brisk pace. As usual, they spoke often to each other, but approached him carefully and infrequently.
"Your headquarters is a place called a citadel, correct?" the brown-haired woman asked, looking for confirmation of the information Kiisan had provided her with on a previous occasion.
"Yeah...it is...in Onwya..." he responded.
"Never been there," Ignatius noted, not turning to look at his two companions as he walked on.
"I've heard of it," Anamaria told the young priest with confidence, "You must've rebuilt it, because it was once just ruins."
Kiisan nodded, "It was an ancient city a friend told me, the capital of the Kingdom of Wind. But we didn't have to rebuild everything ourselves. I mean, some of the old walls were still standing and Father Shiku and supervised some construction there ten or so years ago."
Anamaria smiled, "That's interesting."
"And," ventured Ignatius, "The most information I think you've volunteered to us the whole time we've been together."
Kiisan shrugged, "I'm just feeling a little better."
"No heartache is eternal," Ignatius acknowledged thoughtfully.
None of the three said another word for a few minutes as they continued forward purposefully until Ignatius paused to pick up a broken twig in the center of the road. "This isn't quite natural," he observed.
"He means someone broke it," Anamaria interpreted, "You can see that he usually speaks in this roundabout way, but I understand him."
"You make it sound so bad," her blond comrade replied, quickly forgetting the remark, "A fairly large group of people with horses passed this way just a while ago. Maybe yesterday, maybe this morning."
Kiisan looked around at the area, suddenly recognizing the apple trees; "I was here before! This is the road we took into the mountains! My friends must've come this way!"
"Do you want to follow them?" Ignatius inquired, "It wouldn't be difficult."
"Of course!" Anamaria called, hurrying further north along the road.
Ignatius sighed as he and Kiisan followed her, "To tell the truth, I was asking you..."
**********
Yuki had already wolfed down his dish of ice cream, so he sat alongside his friends and watched them as they ate.
As Mio stuck his spoon back into his bowl he looked at Yuki awkwardly, "I'm somewhat embarrassed to have you observe me so closely while I'm eating."
"It shouldn't bother you so much, you have nice manners," Hai-Yong said with a wistful smile, "When there aren't any women around I don't feel the need to be quite as good about it as you."
"I'd exhibit really good manners if you'd let me have some..." Juran begged shamelessly.
"You don't deserve any," the wavy-haired man snapped back.
Louis Abdul rolled his eyes, "Well, here's some deja vu. Why does that sound so ironic?"
Mio smiled, "Wasn't he still a prisoner when you came to meet me?"
"And a hideous one at that!" Louis Abdul laughed, "He really made Russ and Lucien work hard!"
Juran looked appealingly to the other rebels, "That sounds just like Hai-Yong. I suppose that you two gentlemen can tell that I'm truly suffering then under his hard-handed judgement..."
"Save it," Han Li growled, lifting his empty bowl from the table, "When I think you're worthy of decent treatment you'll get it."
The small Imperial soldier sighed, "I think...that man must be the real danger here."
"Oh, great, so I loose all my fear-inspiring qualities in the face of Han Li," Hai-Yong groaned.
"You'd rather not be like me," Han Li grinned, "Trust me."