The battle amidst the buildings of the Rupanda was slowing down. Most of the Imperial troops who still had any fighting spirit left in them had found some way into the palace compound and were busy fortifying the gates. A good many had simply given up and turned themselves over to the rebels. They helped out passively, assisting Russ with kitchen duties and cleaning up equipment. Rupanda's citizens finally began to appear in the streets again, looking around nervously to see if the fighting was done. "Time to drag out the soapbox again, huh, Kiisan?" Rizu asked with a laugh, "It's like back in Crona. People looking at us funny and everything."

"That was months ago..." Junsuke reflected quietly.

"I've got a crate he could use, "Louis Abdul volunteered cheerfully, gesturing to an empty orange crate sitting beside a pile of flares.

"I'll take it," Kiisan nodded, picking up the crate and carrying it off towards the center of the city.

The three men from Serif watched their leader as he went.

"I was just kidding about the crate...," the captain noted, "...It sure seems like ages ago that I was in charge of him."

"I remember when I met him and Falina," Rizu added, "He had soot all over his face. He looked like a raccoon. ...I would never have known then."

Junsuke nodded his head in affirmation, "It's a good thing we didn't kill him. Now we can see that would have been a crime against the entire nation."

"But Turan Magno started it all," Russ piped up, coming over to his comrades with a tray full of mugs, "It's funny how one little thing can set a million more things into action. We could all be back in Serif fighting that petty little war against Medina...people like Kiisan and the turan are the kind of people that the world steps aside for. I respect them for that." The blond soldier handed a mug to each of his comrades.

"I wonder what he's going to tell the people..." Louis Abdul mused.

"Hmm...Don't know..." Russ murmured thoughtfully in reply.

Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni

"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"

Chapter 85- Old Messages and New Wonders

"Father, take a look at that," Aciano squeaked, tugging his father's cape and pointing at an elaborately costumed priest standing on an over-turned orange crate, "That's Father Kiisan!"

General Arturo turned and took a good look at the young man, "About your age, isn't he?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Shall we stop for a moment?" the general wondered.

"You don't mind, do you, Kersen?" Aciano asked the other escapee.

"Nah, nah, it's fine," Kersen agreed nonchalantly.

The three men stood and tried to listen to the rebel leader speak over the murmur of the crowd. Aciano was a bit too short to see over most of the people's heads, "Anything worth seeing?"

"Just listen," Kersen advised, "He's not much to see...it's what he says..."

"...for all the damage we managed to cause to your homes and business..." the strategist began to be able to pick out Kiisan's voice above the general murmur, "I want to apologize. We've caused all of you a lot of trouble. This war has been a huge mess and I want you to know that I'm not just going to leave this mess lying in your laps. As soon as all of this is over, I want to clean up the country. The new government will put all funds possible to rebuilding your beautiful city. Of this I assure you. Please do not feel concerned about placing your trust in me. My village was burned down. I know what it's like to lose your home..."

"He's interesting..." Aciano noted, glancing at his father. Arturo's face did not show much of any emotion. The strategist wondered what his father was thinking.

"Excuse me," Kanna stepped between the three men, "But Lieutenant Starlet asked me to come and find you."

"Ah, Kanna," General Gonzales replied pleasantly, "It's been a while."

"Yes," the girl agreed, her black ponytail bobbing up and down cheerfully as she moved her head. "The lieutenant has inquired as to whether the rebels will accept you into their ranks, at the very least to protect you until the fighting is over. Father Kiisan himself gave a heartfelt approval. He remembered Aciano quite well, or at least it seemed that way from the description he gave."

Aciano could not help but smile. He was glad they had remembered him.

"He mentioned something about if you'd been working on your pole vaulting..." Kanna continued. The young man blushed and turned away. Kersen looked at him curiously, but did not say anything.

"...So then, I suppose we shall accompany you for now," Arturo murmured his assent. They followed Liyuin's spy through the crowd and out of the city. General Gonzales did not care for the idea of fighting for the rebels, but he would accept their hospitality. It would be nice to have some peace of mind after all the worry his son's imprisonment had sprouted.

Hai-Yong had taken Falina back to Jao-Nyang for the time being so he could show her what he had spent the past weeks working on.

"So, you sewed something?" the girl inquired, looking around his messy quarters.

"Oh, how could you tell?" the warrior asked.

Falina took another glance around the room. There were spools of thread lying on the floor, a pincushion on the table, and a bolt of cloth hanging out of a cupboard. It was plain to see that someone had been sewing here. ...And then there were his bandaged fingers. She decided to humor her friend, "...weaver's intuition?" she suggested.

He laughed and opened the closet door. A purple and white dress hung over the back of the door. The fabric on the sleeves shimmered as the light hit it. Falina stared. She could not help it. "Hai-Yong, that's lovely."

The big man smiled proudly, "Yeah, it took a lot of work, but I did it. ...And I didn't have much help."

She reached out and touched the fabric. It was soft and silky. She could not help put keep gazing at it, her green eyes wide, "I'm...really impressed."

"Well," he prompted her anxiously, "Aren't you going to take it down?"

"It's really for me?" Falina asked cautiously.

"Of course!" Hai-Yong exclaimed, "Take it down! Try it on! I want to see if it's alright! ...I hope Rema is close to your size. I sort of thought she looked right, so I used her as my model..."

She took the dress down carefully. Hai-Yong left the room with a grin.

"What Kiisan say if he saw me wear something so fancy!" she wondered. "Or Carlos...or my dad..."

Falina closed her eyes and she could see it. She smiled.