Their morning began with a thundering crash as Tej, laughing loudly, walked up to the remains of the wooden gates of the palace compound and kicked down the largest remaining piece. "So...this is how it ends," the general mused cheerfully, moving aside some of the charred fragments.
"It's not over yet," Louis Abdul warned him coolly, "The emperor is still inside there, and from all accounts I've heard, he can fight pretty well."
The rebels waited in agitation for Kiisan to come forward and announce their last plan of attack. A bit of snow began to float down through the wintry sky as the leader of the revolution passed through the crowd towards the gates.
He looked solemn and sure as he approached Sanada, the sun staff clutched tight in his left hand, the chief priest's scarf tied neatly on his head. His blue and white robes rustled slightly in the wind as he paused for a moment to look at his friends, comrades, and followers who had come with him so far. He touched a hesitant hand to the circle emblem that hung around his neck, closing his eyes, and then looking back up with renewed courage shining in his young face, "Thank you," he said to them all. Every person present heard him. Matataki had made sure that his words would echo in their ears, their minds, their hearts, so they would know as well as he did how greatly their leader appreciated them.
Kiisan turned to Sanada, who smiled for a second, before caution overcame her joy. She took Kiisan's hand in hers and shook it vigorously, "Chose those who will accompany you carefully. You have to make it out of this alive...So I wish you the best of luck, Father Kiisan."
"I could use it," he murmured in reply, careful not to let this small lack of faith be heard by those who watched. "Where's Mio?" he added suddenly, as he noticed the orange-haired strategist was not present, although even Mitsu had come out with a blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders.
"He's with his father," Sanada answered matter-of-factly, "We didn't quite expect it, but Kiyon is dying."
"Oh..." the brown-haired priest replied sadly, "If you see him before I get back, tell him that I'm sorry."
"Yes, I will." She let go of his hand slowly and stepped away from the remnants of the gates so he could pass through the least obstructed path in.
With a preordained signal, Kiisan waved his right hand above his head, and the five who had agreed to accompany him came forward.
Han Li looked back over his shoulder at Rolen, who Lady Cat held in her arms. Rolen waved happily to his adoptive father.
Matataki placed a hand in blessing on his young son's head before sending him off to follow their leader.
Carlos hugged Yuki and Sowari, tightened his grasp around his short staff, and scuttled toward Kiisan's side.
Hai-Yong brushed some hair from his face and loosened the strap that held the axe hanging over his back, readying himself for battle. He grinned at Kiisan triumphantly, as though they had already won. The younger man rolled his eyes at the expression. Sasshalai giggled.
Falina took a deep breath.
Murasaki Fuji no Shita ni Kuni
"The Country Under the Purple Wisteria"
Chapter 90- If Spring Were to Come Tomorrow...
Mio sat sadly at his father's side, as the gruff man muttered some cheerless last words, "That was a terrible trick, you know..."
His son nodded silently, another tear sliding down his cheek.
"And I have no idea how you're going to break this to your mother," he continued with a feeble cough, "But it's..."
There was a long stretch of noiselessness. "It's..." Mio prompted his father.
"It's a shame," Kiyon began again, "That you weren't able to accept my way of thinking...I could've made something great of you, Mio, my son...you didn't have to do something foolish on your own..."
"We were too different, Father," the orange-haired strategist sniffled, "We're still too different for that."
"Bah!" the older man scoffed, "Differences!"
Mio should've figured that his father would say something of the sort. He was a hypocrite to the end.
Dr. Clark peeked his head in to look at them. His creased and wrinkled face betrayed his feelings of helplessness at not being able to staunch Kiyon's bleeding, and his sympathy for the conflicted young man who sat at his father's deathbed. Kiyon did not notice the doctor, but Mio did. He sighed.
"You may or may not have been a better strategist than me," the Imperial strategist grumbled, "But in the end you were trickier...nastier...more deceptive..."
"It was Sir Liyuin and Lady Sanada's plan," Mio informed his father.
Kiyon rolled his eyes, "Should've guessed. I was giving you too much credit."
"Sanada and I are going to get married, Father," Mio choked out with another sob. He blew his nose loudly into a crumpled handkerchief.
"Oh?" his father asked, his voice weakening and his tone changing, "I would never have guessed that one. Good luck with that. Perhaps you'll make a better father than I did."
The son could not hold back any longer and burst into a stream of tears and gasping sobs. Kiyon fell silent, a single tear running down his face.
Kiisan cautiously led the way in. After a short walk down a stone path they entered the gardens. Snow had piled on the walkways and the evergreen bushes and trees that bordered them. Hai-Yong pulled back a branch and then let it go, showering Kiisan and Carlos with snow. Han Li shook his head at the frivolity. Hai-Yong snickered and hurried away to escape as Carlos retaliated with a handful of snow he scooped up off the ground.
Carlos' aim was dead on. As the snowball smacked Hai-Yong in the side of the head, even Han Li could not withhold his laughter.
The six comrades ran along the garden paths chuckling and teasing one another until they passed under an arch into a glass building filled with blooming flowers. "Wow..." Falina gaped, "Look at all the colorful blossoms! It's not the right season for these..."
"No, it's not..." Kiisan agreed, touching a delicate orchid, "And I've never even seen some of these plants before."
"It's warm in here," Sasshalai noted, brushing some melting slush off his shoulder. He looked about the glass building for the source of the heat, but nothing seemed to make itself apparent. "Maybe it's magic..." he suggested.
"You're probably right," Han Li said agreeably, holding his hands out toward the selves the plants sat on where the heat seemed to be emanating from.
The six walked between the rows of flowers, vines, and small trees, marveling at the sight. "Violets, anemones, pink daisies, maiden's hair fern..." Falina listed off the names of the plants they passed, with Kiisan occasionally filling in those she did not know. Some of the flora was unfamiliar to all six however and so they continued on, wondering about its origins.
The back door of the glass building led directly into a hallway lined with trellises covered in blooming wisteria.
"Ah..." Kiisan gaped.
"How beautiful!" Carlos exclaimed, leaning his head back to get a better look at the many toned blooms.
"What a strange place..." Sasshalai said quietly, looking further down the hall to the elaborate door that led into the next part of the palace.
"It seems familiar somehow," Han Li added, "Like I've been here before... Did we try to build a city here once?"
"They did," the chestnut-haired boy affirmed the older man's suspicions, "You can feel the magic traces left in the stones they build with."
"But it was no eternal city," he noted with understanding, "So everyone moved on."
"Maybe we should move on too," Hai-Yong suggested, shuffling ahead. Kiisan nodded and the others followed at various paces. Han Li pushed open the heavy door and following the widest halls, they moved on until they reached a staircase.
"Mitsu said the emperor would probably go upstairs to the throne room to make his last stand," Carlos reminded his friends.
"Then up we go!" The rebel leader grinned.
Turan Magno had wandered the compound all night, cutting down the last soldiers who stood in his way, speaking with those who surrendered, eating proudly from the emperor's dishes, and generally making a mess. Amarilla became somewhat embarrassed to be associated with him, turning her eyes away from the destruction he was creating in the clean palace.
Mieno yawned. She had barely slept at all during the past night. "So you think we'll find the emperor soon?"
Kano shrugged absentmindedly. He tightened the twine holding the feathers to the end of the black arrow in his hand for the sixth time in a row. The twine snapped. The longbow archer blinked. He had not gotten much rest either.
"Hey there!" Magno's roaring voice called as he stepped into the room, "You won't believe who I found until you see them!" He moved aside to reveal Princess Susan and Prince Pietro clinging to each other fearfully.
"Part of the imperial family?" Amarilla asked, looking at the nicely dressed pair. Pietro buried his face in the folds of his sister's layered skirt.
"Susan and Pietro," the turan announced with a touch of faux reverence in his voice. Susan turned up her nose at the man, as he knelt down and gestured toward them with a gloved hand. Magno began to laugh uproariously at the princess' distaste.
The girl suddenly flipped around and slapped him across the face. "You filthy rebel!" she shrieked angrily, "How dare you mock me!"
The military man gingerly touched the stinging spot where her dainty hand had connected with his rough face, "Ouch! That hurt!"
Pietro ventured another timid glance at the people around him before retreating again to hide behind his older sister.
"So, tough girl, where's your father?" the turan inquired, sitting down on an overturned bookcase.
Susan said nothing. Amarilla shifted her weight uncomfortably, wondering what her employer's response to this silence would be.
"That's the game you're gonna play, eh?" Magno acknowledged, leaning back against the wall, "Well, I think I can handle that..." He looked at Pietro, "How about you, little boy, think you've got an answer to my question?"
Susan turned her stern brown-eyed gaze at her younger brother. He did not respond to their interrogator.
"Honestly!" the turan complained, "With these two tight-lipped kids, I'm gonna have to do all the work on my own!"
Amarilla smiled, "That will be nice for a change. I'm getting tired of watching you manipulate young people into doing all of your work for you."
"Watch yourself there!" Magno teased, a wide grin on his face, "It might be your turn to do my work for me!"
His secretary blushed slightly.
They climbed the stairs up to the second floor, where Han Li took over their largely guesswork navigation from Kiisan. The dusty cloaked man strode forward purposefully at a pace that was hard for Carlos, Falina, and Sasshalai to keep up with. "Slow down, Han Li!" Hai-Yong urged him, "We're losing our friends back there! Kiisan's next!"
"I can keep up!" Kiisan muttered, hurrying along a bit behind the wavy-haired soldier. He looked over his shoulder at the other three trailing along, "But you should give them a better chance, you know."
Han Li frowned. It had not been his intent to have them fall behind, but he could see some advantages to it. He did not know what the emperor might have planned, waiting for them in the throne room, and it might be better to keep them out of it. However, he listened to Kiisan's words and slowed to a stop in the marble hall.
"Are those the doors to the throne room, you think?" Carlos asked as he reached his companions and caught his breath.
"I don't know..." Kiisan answered.
All six stood and took in the paneled and painted doors inlaid with gems and gold. "How gaudy," Hai-Yong concluded.
"You were a captain in the Imperial Army," Han Li said to the tallest of the group, "Haven't you ever been here before?"
"No," the soldier responded, "I was always serving in the north and central regions of the country nearer to where I was born. I've never been to the capital before."
"Shall we stand here all day looking at it or shall we open it?" Father Carlos inquired a bit impatiently.
"I'm ready for whatever lies behind it," Falina said, gritting her teeth.
"Do as you will, Kiisan," Han Li shrugged, pushing back his cloak to increase his mobility in case of an attack.
Finding the emperor's children to be of no help at all, the Turan had gathered his forces and began his sloppy search for the location of the emperor.
Eventually he ran into a young man sitting on some steps. He seemed thoroughly unconcerned by their approach, so Magno approached him with Amarilla at his side, to ask for some directions, "Do you have any idea as to where we can find the emperor?"
"He's in the throne room," Lif told the turan, "The other rebels should come across him at any moment."
"Kiisan?" Amarilla wondered aloud.
"Just follow this hallway around the corner, then turn left and go up the wide steps," Lif advised, "Through the large doors you'll find the emperor. Perhaps if you hurry you'll get there fast enough to see what will come of this whole matter."
"Thank you!" Magno said with a smile, heading off quickly in the direction the young man had indicated.
Lif watched them go with a pleased smile.
The revolutionary leader took a deep breath and together, he and Han Li pushed open the door. The True Wind Rune bearer stepped into the throne room first and was immediately knocked down by the force of a thrown knife that buried itself in his shoulder. He bit his lip and raised himself up on one arm, using the other hand to pull the jagged blade out. Sasshalai dropped to his side, his young face pale, "Han Li! Are you okay?"
The dusty man did not answer immediately, but looked up at his attacker. Leo Maximillian stood across the room from them in front of his lavishly decorated throne. Hiiragi and Takauka waited, heads bowed, standing to one side of the emperor.
"Emperor Leo Maximillian!" Kiisan exclaimed.
"Father Kiisan, from the state of Serif!" the bearded man shouted in reply, "Have you come to face me once and for all?"
"You're out of your mind!" the brown-haired priest yelled back, "Your side has already lost! You're done! Give it up! You don't have to die with your empire!"
The emperor advanced forward, drawing his black-hilted sword, "Don't be deluded, young man! The song's not over 'til the last word is sung!"
Kiisan moved into a defensive stance, holding his staff ready. Falina gasped as the emperor raced at her friend and struck at him. Kiisan used his staff to push the blade aside as he stepped away.
Carlos and Hai-Yong were rooted where they stood, their eyes locked on the battle raging before them. Sasshalai tugged on Carlos' long white sleeve, "Cast a healing spell on Han Li!"
The ebony-haired priest faltered for a minute, pulling his gaze away as the emperor struck out once more and Kiisan barely dodged, tripping on the edge of his robe. Carlos gathered himself together and focused on the spell, putting his glowing hand to Han Li's bleeding wound. "That should help," he assured his injured comrade.
"Kiisan's scared," Sasshalai told Falina, "He's having trouble focusing. I'm trying to figure out why."
Kiisan's oldest friend mustered up a weak smiled and raised her hand in a cheer, "You can do it! Show him what we revolutionaries are all about!"
The hazel-eyed young man felt the encouragement warm him. He swung his staff and brought the heavier end down on the emperor's right hand. Leo Maximillian winced and readjusted his grip on his weapon. They ran at each other had once, weapons meeting with a crash, as the sword began to cut into Kiisan's staff. The priest pulled back as his felt his weapon near the breaking point. Too much more and it would be sliced in two.
"Trade with me!" he called to Carlos, and before his green-eyed comrade could reply, he snatched the short white staff from Carlos' hand and rushed back at the emperor. Falina picked Kiisan's heavy staff from the ground and took the pink ribbon out of her hair, tying it firmly around the weakest point in the wood to strengthen it.
Hiiragi and Takauka continued to stand by wordlessly as Kiisan and the emperor clashed. When it began to appear the Kiisan was gaining the upper hand, Leo Maximillian backed away and raised his sword above his head, "Sovereign Rune! Grant me the power as rightful ruler over these lands, to strike down this impudent usurper!"
Sasshalai held up his right hand in response, preparing to counteract the effects of the Sovereign Rune, "Hear me True Earth Rune! Send-"
See me and tremble.
The boy stopped at the sound of the bold and menacing voice echoing through his mind. "Did you hear that?" Falina wondered, looking around in confusion for the source of the command.
"The Circle Rune reveals itself, I see," Han Li grunted, raising his head up from his arms to take in the sight.
The golden yellow symbol of the shining circle, intertwined with crossed lines and triangles, shown above Kiisan. The young man dropped Carlos' white staff, which rolled away across the tiled floor. He held up his right hand and began to glow a faint golden shade, which glinted brightest around his head, like a halo. After a moment, the symbol faded and his hand dropped to his side. Completely ignoring the emperor, Kiisan turned to his comrades and smiled, holding out his hand. The Circle Rune shone on his palm like a tiny star. Falina held his staff out and Kiisan accepted it. As he grasped it in his hand, light shot through it, illuminating the sun design on top.
Leo Maximillian rushed at his enemy who had been so foolish as to turn his back during a duel. Kiisan turned and knocked him away with his staff without so much as a raised eyebrow. He had practically felt the move coming without even looking at his opponent.
The emperor focused all his thoughts on the True Rune lending its power to his sword. With it, he could certainly cut through the defenses Kiisan had been lent.
"This power in me..." Kiisan thought to himself, "What will I do with it? What will happen?"
Have faith.
The unspoken reply reverberated inside of him. All he could do was take those words to heart.
Leo Maximillian steeled himself for one last desperate attack. Kiisan held his arms open wide as the emperor rushed him, bearing his chest to the attack. The blade did not touch him. As it reached the warm golden light that surrounded him, the metal bent itself back from him, cutting his opponent's hand.
Falina's eyes widened. She looked at her companions to see if they were as astounded as she was. Even Han Li and Sasshalai's mouths hung open at the sight they witnessed. The power of the Sovereign Rune was turned back on Leo Maximillian. It was too much for the emperor to handle. He crumpled to his knees and fell down to the ground, killed by the effort of trying to control such a power.
Await my command.
Although Kiisan heard the words, he knew they were not meant for him, but for the Sovereign Rune. Matataki had mentioned to him before that the Circle Rune held power over many of the other runes, and he supposed that was what had protected him.
Falina and Carlos threw themselves at Kiisan, hugging their friend, as the golden light faded from him. "Kiisan! I can't believe it! Does this mean you've won?" Falina beamed. As the light of the Circle Rune vanished, Kiisan suddenly felt very weak, and found himself standing only with the help of his staff.
Hiiragi and Takauka approached the six slowly, raising their heads so their faces showed partially from under cloths that covered their heads.
"Big Brother..." Sasshalai said, "Those two want to ask you something."
Kiisan turned around to face them, leaning on his staff. His five comrades waited as well to see what the mysterious men would say.
First they bowed in unison and rising, Takauka greeted them, "Congratulations, honorable revolutionaries for carrying your flag of hope this far."
"Ah, you're welcome," Kiisan muttered, attempting to straighten himself up.
"Savior of the nation and hero of the war...what is your name?" Hiiragi asked politely.
"I'm called 'Kiisan,'" the young priest told them with a brave smile. He looked around at those surrounding him. Falina still holding onto his arm. Hai-Yong standing with his arms crossed. Han Li, hand on his shoulder, leaning back against the wall. Carlos beaming brightly and Sasshalai looking up into his face with his shining mismatched eyes. "But my name is... Hikusaak."