Five minutes later, the fire had spread to the living room and the smoke got so thick that Tristan started coughing and sat up and shook his head. When he looked over and noticed the fire using the wall for support he got up and moved into the hallway and seeing Mokuba tied up proceeded to untie the boy. Then he helped him up Mokuba immediately attached himself to Tristan's waist. Then they went into the bedroom and shut the door.

"Oh my god Nosaka!" Tristan said standing there in shock for a minute and then he said, "That bastard!" Then Mokuba tightens his grip on Tristan's waist. Tristan then remembered the boy's being there and covered his eyes.

"Poor thing he must have been forced to hear the whole thing. I don't understand why, why would that bastard do this to her! Nosaka's never hurt anyone. Okay so she had a temper. But she's never done anything to anyone that would make them go to this extreme. Why the hell did he have the kid tied up outside the room instead of locking him in the next room or something!"

Then the smoke started to seep through the door crack.

"Come on kid let's get out of here." He took the boy, walked over to the window, opened it and helped Mokuba outside.

Then he looked back with tears in his eyes at Nosaka. "I'm sorry sis, when Ryo told me about that man I should have stayed here. Though I'm sure, you would have kicked me out with in an hour but there may have been a chance that I could have done something anything to prevent that bastard from harming you! I could have stopped him from hurting you… from, from…" Tristan couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"Damn it I should have been here to stop this to protect you from that son of a bitch! This should have never happened! I'm sure you were just trying to protect that kid…wait, could it have been that, whoever did this was after him? You always did love children. The bastard figured that out and used your love for children against you! That's why you're not tied up! The bastard threatened to kill that kid if you didn't do exactly what he said! I'm sure that's what it is; it's the only way to explain this! You would have never allowed any harm to come to that brat even at the expense of your own life!" Tristan sighed.

"You and I both know I wont make it through tryouts if I make there at all. I should have forgot it and stayed to protect you and that kid. But because I screwed around, I cost you your life. It's my fault, Ryo told me about the man chasing that kid. That was my fault if I hadn't brought home that slut then the kid would have never left this house and maybe none of this would have happened! The moment Ryo told me about that, the moment I heard it, I should have realized that whatever traumatized that brat to that extreme might have meant there was trouble, hearing that I should have volunteered to watch over you. Damn it I should have paid attention to what I was being told and protected my little sister!" Tristan said hitting a wall.

"I promise you that, I will make you proud of me someday little sister. I wont let you down I will finish what you started by protecting that kid! I will find the bastard who did this and I promise you I will make him pay if it's the last thing I do! I'll make him sorry he laid a finger on you." Tristan said going out the window picking Mokuba up and moving away from the house and cried watching it burn. Mokuba made a tight grip around Tristan's neck crying.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

Someone seeing the fire rounded up the volunteer fire department and they showed up and started throwing water on the fire.

Ryo finally showed up. He'd have been there sooner but he'd had a little run-in with Amelda.

Flashback

"Where do you think you're going, rookie?" Amelda asked Ryo who was saddling up his horse.

"I've got a bad feeling my brother's in trouble. I have to get to him."

"Look rookie, you'll never make it if you run off to check your family every time you get a bad feeling. Now get back to work."

Ryo realized that this might cost him any chance he may have at making it as a guard but the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him Mokuba was in trouble made everything else irrelevant. He'd start again in another kingdom if he had to he didn't care at the moment. All that mattered right now was making sure Mokuba was all right!

"Do what you want I have to go." Ryo said trying to move past Amelda.

"I told you you're not leaving."

"I say I am." Ryo said.

"You really don't want to make guard do you?" Amelda asked.

"Look, you do what you've got to do, but right now my brother comes first!"

Amelda continued to get in his way.

"I don't want to hit you."

"Then don't but I'm not letting you leave." Amelda said.

"Suit yourself." Ryo said hitting him.

Amelda just laid there on the ground surprised; Ryo walked out with his horse and noticed Princess Tea standing there with he lady in waiting Alice.

"My-my lady." Ryo said bowing.

"Please rise." Princess Tea said.

Ryo stood and looked at her.

"May I ask what the problem is?" Princess Tea asked.

"Oh well you see…" Ryo sighed, "I have an extremely bad feeling that my brother is in danger. I need to get to him! Amelda just got in my way refusing to allow me to go to him."

"Is this true Amelda?" Princess Tea asked.

"My princess he is a rookie, he must learn discipline and respect for authority. Not go running off just because of a feeling!" Amelda said.

"Well in the time he has been here has he ever just taken off before due to a feeling?" Princess Tea asked.

"Well no, but…"

"But this once he asks and you refuse him. Go, I hope your brother is all right."

"Thank you my princess." Ryo said bowing then riding off.

End Flashback

Ryo seeing the fire jumped off his horse and started running. "Mokuba, Nosaka, Tristan!"

Hearing Ryo's calls Mokuba whimpered trying to get Tristan to put him down.

"What's up kid what's wrong?" Tristan asked.

Then he heard Ryo calling out, "Mokuba, Nosaka, Tristan!"

"I see why you want down now." Tristan said putting Mokuba down who ran towards Ryo.

Ryo smiled seeing the little boy safe and sound. He scooped the boy up and hugged him tight. "Oh I am so happy to see you're safe." Ryo said squeezing the boy. "Where's Nosaka?"

Mokuba only whimpered tightening his grip on Ryo and continued to cry. Ryo then spotted Tristan who he could clearly see was also crying.

"Tristan, what's going on, what's happening, where's Nosaka?"

"Dead."

"What?"

"I'm guessing the same bastard that the kid saw that night, came back and the son of a bitch raped and murdered my little sister!"

"But why, why would he kill her and not Mokuba?" Ryo asked a little stunned at the news.

"I came in and the man was holding a knife. I charged him but he knocked me out. I can only assume since the kid was alive and well tied up outside the door, that I must have gotten here just before he had the chance to do so and that my appearance spooked him into setting the fire and using that to kill us and cover his tracks. Maybe if I had gotten here just a little sooner rather than taking my time I could have prevented her death!"

"It's not your fault Tristan! It's no ones fault except the bastard that killed her." Ryo said placing his hand on Tristan's shoulder. "I do owe you a great deal of thanks for helping my brother. I know it'll never make up for the loss of Nosaka. Maybe had I gotten here sooner and not had to deal with Amelda I could have helped or maybe caught the guy who did it! If anyone's to blame it's me not you. I was worried about him I should have just taken time off training and dealt with the consequences then."

"Don't beat yourself up, I guess in a way we're both to blame. We both should have done something more." Tristan said.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

At the same time, Marik was wrestling with his conscience. Nosaka had been the first woman he killed up close without it being due to his anger. It was eating at him like mad. He wanted to relive the pressure, so as he was looking out his window a young woman walked by.

"Perfect she'll be the perfect way to take my mind off of this. Malik will kill me himself when he finds out there's a chance the brat survived. That I let myself get distracted and couldn't go through with killing him." Marik said. Then he walked out and soon caught up to the young woman he'd seen through the window and dragged her into the alley.

However, as he was kissing her neck and trying to tear her clothes off she was prepared. All the women in town had become very paranoid as to the recent rapes and rape murders so they had a meeting that everyone would start carrying some form of protection in case they were attacked. The woman Marik was attempting to rape was a young woman by the name of Lea Hasan. She worked in the clothing store run by her father. As Marik continued to paw at her, she reached behind her dress into a pocket she'd sewn in to hold her cutting scissors incase of an emergency like this. Then she got them out and stabbed him in the back with them. Marik was stunned, he'd had women fight back before but none had ever been armed. Marik slapped her knocking the scissors to the ground. Lea dove for them but Marik turned her over and kept their bodies close kissing her and then her neck while continually trying to get her skirt up. Lea looked around and desperately tried to hunt for the scissors she dropped. Finally, just as she felt him get her skirt up and touch her panties she felt the scissors, grabbed them up and started to hit him with them again and again! Then she finally regained control of her senses and got the sheriff.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

By the next day, the whole town knew of Lea's bravery. Several of his victims along with Tristan and Mokuba identified him as the man they knew as the Breena Carr rapist. Tristan and Ryo were both only sorry they weren't the ones to avenge Nosaka.

x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-x

At the same time, that Mokuba had called out for Ryo's help Seto had been granting knighthood to guards. Just after he finished one, he suddenly collapsed to his knees.

"Seto what is it what's wrong?" Yami asked.

"Not here." Seto said.

"That's all for today we'll pick this up tomorrow." Yami announce helping Seto into the royal chamber.

After setting him down on the couch Yami asked, "What happened in there, Seto, what's wrong?"

"Didn't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"This strange feeling, a sense something was wrong with Mokuba."

"I felt something but I wasn't sure what it was."

Seto sighed and leaned back. "I just hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he is, Seto. Ryo is no different from you. He loves that kid heart and soul and would fight tooth and nail to keep him safe!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." Seto said still unable to shake the feeling that something happened to Mokuba.