Yuko nodded to the implied question. "Yeah, we're a little lost. Actually, we were just looking for any signs of humanity."
Nakago smiled—breathtakingly Mieri thought—at both of them. "I know what you mean. I...woke up...this morning and was surprised myself. I hadn't thought this land was that poorly populated."
"What did you say about a civil war?" Mieri finally worked up her courage to ask.
Nakago looked right at her for the first time. Up till now, he had been focusing his attention on Yuko. And was it her imagination, or did a look akin to distaste flash across those perfect features? "I did mention one, didn't I? Well, two years ago the emperor of this kingdom was killed. The war that Kutou had been fighting was ended at the same time. Luckily for us, the conquering kingdom didn't express much interest in our land. So the question was who would become the emperor? There were no heirs that we were aware of. Not even bastards, so the fighting began. All of this fighting, coupled with the war, served to destroy the last of what was good here in Kutou. Now this is an empty wasteland. It would be better for you two to return to whatever homes you've left."
"I'm afraid we don't know exactly where home is from here," Yuko frowned. "I've never in my life heard of any country called Kutou. Much less, one that has an emperor. I don't think I know of any countries with emperors. Do you?" she turned to Mieri.
Mieri shook her head. "Nope. I'm with you. I didn't think there were empires left either."
"Do you have a map with you?" Yuko had turned back to Nakago.
Nakago shook his head, "But I can tell you the major kingdom, though. Konan is our most substantial neighbor. Then there's Hokkan and Sairou. They are also formidable. The rest is either unclaimed as of yet or provinces of these main four."
Yuko and Mieri turned their back on Nakago for a moment while they discussed any and all Geography lessons they might have had. "Did you ever here of any of those?" Mieri asked hopefully.
"I thought you might have," Yuko admitted with a tiny smile. "Okay, think! Wasn't there a country near France that sounded something like Sairou or Sailand? Or something like that!"
"I think you mean Switzerland, and I'm pretty sure that's not what he's talking about," Mieri commented dryly.
"Have you ladies reached your decision?" Nakago called out with no little hint of amusement laced with sarcasm.
Yuko shot an annoyed look over her shoulder. She turned back to Mieri for another quick exchange. "So we're not anywhere we recognize. Do we trust this guy? I say, yes."
"I don't know," Mieri hesitated a bit.
"We really don't have much choice," Yuko rationalized. "Besides," she smiled quickly. "He's really hott!"
Yuko and Mieri turned as one to face the handsome stranger called Nakago. "Can you take us to any kind of city?" Yuko asked. "We could phone our folks from there."
"Phone?" for once the calm and confidant Nakago looked truly confused. "What do you mean by this?"
Mieri looked at him incredulously. "Phone home. You know, by using the telephone..."
Nakago's look was still mostly blank. "I have never heard of such a contrivance. Explain."
Yuko looked a little annoyed at this command but complied. "Telephones are electrical devices used to talk over long distances," she spoke slowly as if speaking to a small child.
Nakago frowned. "What region did you say you were from? I have never heard of either the 'telephone' or this 'electrical' device you speak of."
"We're from Tokyo, Japan," Yuko sighed exasperatedly.
"You're from Tokyo," Mieri corrected. "I'm from , Japan."
"Same difference," Yuko waved her hand in the air as if swatting away a pesky fly.
A strange light lit Nakago's eyes. "Japan, you say? I seem to recall two other young women that were from this strange land of Japan. Tokyo also sounds familiar."
"Well, it should!" Yuko snorted in derision. "It's the capital!"
"And what's so strange about Japan? It's a rising world power!" Mieri proclaimed proudly.
"Is it?" Nakago raised a brow. "And how did you end up here?"
Mieri's face clouded. "Actually, I don't know."
Nakago nodded. "A bright light perhaps?"
"A red one," Yuko agreed.
Nakago's eyes hardened. "Red? Is that so?"
He took a moment to study the two of them. In fact, he seemed to be measuring something inside them that they couldn't—as yet—see or understand. He seemed disturbed and a little confused when he could not locate whatever he searched for. He looked at her for a moment.He smiled faintly at Yuko, but when he faced Mieri he seemed harder and much more deadly. Was it her imagination or did those beautiful blue eyes of his actually hide something close to hatred? Mieri shook her head. That was silly! Nakago had been nothing if not completely courteous.
"Well, if you would both be willing to travel with a companion as unsavory as myself—" Nakago temporized.
"Of course!" Yuko butted in brightly much to Mieri's dismay. "We'd love to travel with you. But where would we be traveling to?"
Again Nakago smiled faintly at her. "I believe we shall attempt to find some comrades of mine. They shall be extremely helpful in this venture that we are attempting."
"And what venture would that be?" Mieri asked quickly. It may have been her imagination earlier, but she did not quite trust in this man as much as Yuko seemed to.
Nakago once again focused solely upon her face. This was slightly unsettling, and Mieri squirmed under his gaze. Nakago smiled, "Why the venture of getting you two where you belong."
"Home?" Mieri felt compelled to ask.
An exquisite brow rose. "If home is where you belong, then that is certainly where I shall attempt to take you."
Mieri forced herself to take a deep breath and relax. What was she so worried about? Nakago had been courteous, polite, and quite charming the entire time. Why did she distrust him so? She pasted a smile on her face. "Thank you, so very much!"
Nakago did not seem to be fooled in the least. "You're very welcome. Now. Shall we find my companions? They can help lead us to where you belong."
"Where do we start looking for them?" Yuko asked curiously. "I mean do they live around here?"
Nakago chuckled a little bit. "No. But they will sense me, as I have sensed them. We will slowly move in their direction, and they in ours."
"Ah," Yuko nodded. "I see."
To Mieri, who had known her for a long time, it was painfully obvious that Yuko had no clue what he was talking about. But not wanting to spoil it for her friend, Mieri stifled her giggles and said instead, "So which way, Nakago?"
Nakago stilled for a bare moment. "Come," he motioned for them to follow and turned towards the south. "The closest isn't far, but he is too close to the border for my liking. We will hurry to him."
"Too close to the border?" Yuko shook her head. "Which border?"
Nakago's mouth hardened. "Konan. Our conqueror."
"Oh," Yuko said quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Nakago turned and graced her with a small smile. "Think nothing of it, Lady Yuko."
"What did you call me?" Yuko asked, mouth agape.
"My Lady," Nakago bowed slightly. "I have chosen you to guard and protect. I hope you do not mind."
Yuko shook her head vigorously. "How could I mind?! It's so...sweet!"
Mieri was thinking more along the lines of 'suck-up' and 'nauseating'. But if Yuko thought it was that sweet, then good for her. Mieri at least wouldn't be duped into believing such a shallow gesture. That's what one side of her was thinking anyway. The other was wondering why Nakago had chosen Yuko and not her. But then again, Yuko was a lovely girl. And the most she could say about herself was that she was cute. Maybe. Shaking her head sternly, Mieri banished such thoughts from her head. My! I'm in an uncharitable mood today! I'm acting more like Aya than normal. Maybe she's rubbing off...
They had started down a different road than the two girls had been traveling on previously. Now there were less burned out buildings and more desolated fields. Apparently, this was a big farming region. Yuko wondered distractedly if they might find someone in one of those farmhouses. They didn't appear to have been damaged a great deal. But then, everyone knew that you didn't have to burn a farmer's house to ruin him. Just the field.
"How much further along is your friend, Nakago?" Yuko asked a couple hours later. Stopping by the side of the road, she took off her shoes and rubbed her feet. This wasn't exactly the way she was used to traveling. Her feet were killing her!
Mieri was in no better shape. But at school, she was in the band; so she was a little more accustomed to walking for a long period of time. "Yeah, where are we?"
Nakago stopped and looked back at them. Well, he looked back at Yuko. "Lady Yuko, are you tired? Forgive me. I should have thought of your condition more. We will stop for the night. Perhaps in the morning I can secure a decent horse for you to ride."
"That would be very nice," Yuko admitted with a grimace as she hit a sore spot on her foot. "I'm not used to walking at all. How are you doing, Mieri?" she asked turning to her friend.
Shrugging, Mieri replied, "Better than you. I have marching band, remember? We don't walk this much, but I'm not totally unused to it."
Yuko smiled wearily. "I guess I'm more out of shape than I thought."
Mieri laughed at her, "I could have told you that."
"Here," Nakago appeared suddenly beside them. "I shall find wood for a fire. You two get some rest."
"Okay," Yuko yawned. "I'm pretty tired anyway." She promptly lay down on the ground and, with a blanket they'd found earlier in a farmhouse, went to sleep.
"That was fast!" Mieri chuckled to herself.
"You should do the same," Nakago said at her elbow.
Mieri only just stopped herself from squealing in surprise. Only just. She hadn't known Nakago was still here. "I'm not that tired really," she lied.
"Well, you should rest despite that," Nakago insisted. "We shall have another long day of walking before we find Miboshi."
"Is that your friend?" Mieri asked curiously.
Nakago nodded. "Now go to sleep. I shall watch over you and Lady Yuko."
Mieri lay down beside the sleeping Yuko, but could not go to sleep. Somehow, the idea of Nakago watching over them was not as comforting as he might have thought. Why do I mistrust him? I usually don't judge people like this. Maybe I'm jealous of Yuko? Mieri shook her head. No, whatever the reason, it wasn't that. I'd be much happier if he'd just leave. I guess he's just one of those people that I dislike on sight. Or almost on sight. Those things happened as Mieri well knew. She'd just have to make sure that she wasn't unfair to him because of that tendency to dislike him. But he's been gone in those woods for some time. And if I have to go to the bathroom and happen to come across him, that's not my fault.
Grinning to herself in the dark, Mieri slowly rose from beside Yuko. She had seen Nakago's general direction and it couldn't be that hard to follow his trail, could it?" After she got out of sight of the clearing where they had stopped, Mieri was having second thoughts on how easy it was going to be to follow him. She could see next to nothing, and it was harder than it looked to move silently through the forest.
