Kuon awoke to yelling and struggling outside his bedchambers. He rushed into some clothes and flung the door open. "What's going on?"

Kyoko's head snapped over to him. "Your Highness! I found this shady individual attempting to break into your chambers. Stay back, he may be an assassin!"

The man's face, though being pushed into the stone floor, was still recognizable. Kuon sighed. "It's alright, I know him. That's Sir Kijima. He's harmless."

Kyoko squinted up at him dubiously. "You're friends?"

"Sort of. He's just an idiot with no idea what boundaries are." Kuon had to stifle a laugh.

"You wound me!" came the muffled protest from the floor. "Here I thought we were bosom pals!"

"You can let him up now."

Kyoko sprang to her feet, immediately apologetic. Kijima, as was his wont, was less interested in the apologies than in the pretty young lady who could take down a grown man on her own. And, he thought, she seems pretty tightly wound - all the better for me when I get her to cut loose. She'll be a hellcat.

Kijima bowed and pressed a kiss to the back of Kyoko's hand. "It's quite alright! There are worse ways to start the day than being pinned to the floor by someone like you. I wouldn't mind ending the day that way, either - oop!"

Kuon, too tired to deal with this, had simply grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and dragged him into his bedchambers. Anything to get him away from Kyoko. Too bad for Kuon, then, that wherever he went, so did Kyoko. "What do you want?"

"So cold! Colder than the northern mountains!" He threw his head back dramatically. "Can't I drop in on an old friend to chat? See what's new in your royal life?"

"Did you get tired of Lady Shino already?" Kuon rolled his eyes and let go of him. "So you came back to court to find another skirt to chase?"

"I might go more for leggings this time," he replied, remembering the feeling of strong muscle pinning him down. "So, who was that fierce little thing who knocked me down? A new flame, perhaps?"

Kuon grit his teeth. "That's Kyoko Mogami, my bodyguard."

"Ah, that explains why she thought I was an assassin. Still, what a lucky assassin, to be pinned down by those thighs! Perhaps," he teased with a grin, "I should give it a try - YIII!"

Kyoko had thrown knives, pinning Kijima to the wall. Kuon didn't even bother to wonder where she had been hiding during their conversation.

He struggled, unable to move anything but his head. "I was just kidding! A joke! I'm a jokester - tell her, Kuon. Have her let me go."

"You wanted to talk, right?" she asked, her glare more piercing than any blade. "You can talk like that."

Kuon considered for a moment before pulling up a chair. "You know what? You're right, Kyoko." She nodded and vanished into the ceiling.

"Ah, I get it now." Kijima grinned. "A masochist, eh, Kuon? I never really understood the appeal until now. There's something very sexy about a woman who could kill you."

Kuon hated that he agreed.

Kijima stuck to Kuon's side the next few days like mucous stuck to Sir Hoppington, hoping to get more information on his pretty young bodyguard. Too bad for him, he barely saw her, and Kuon was in no mood to summon her with his apparent friend around.

"C'mon, you've got to tell me something about her!" the knight cajoled one day as they headed down to the jousting ring to practice for the upcoming tournament. "Even just where she came from!"

"Duke Takarada trained her at his academy." Kuon wondered where around them she was hiding.

"Really? I've heard a lot about that place, but none of it ever seems to match up. What's it even an academy of?"

"I have no idea." Kuon held open the door to the stables, and Kijima bowed exaggeratedly in thanks before heading through. "Everything Kyoko's told me about it just makes me more confused."

"Like what?" He walked over to his horse and petted her mane in greeting.

Kuon had an evil idea. "You should ask her to make you her health drink sometime. It's amazing."

"Ooh, she cooks, too?" Kijima's horse whinnied, wanting a treat. He dug around in his pockets and found an apple he had nicked from breakfast for her.

"Even I like her food," he admitted, walking over to his own horse, a blonde stallion named Corn. In his defense, he had been younger when he named him. Not young enough, but younger.

Kijima almost dropped the apple, but his horse, Lady Love, caught it. She munched on it happily. "You like food now?"

"She's a good cook," Kuon said defensively.

The knight let out a sign unbefitting of the statement. "Man, and here I was ready to court her! But you've got your sights set on her, don't you?"

Kuon wasn't sure if he wanted Kyoko to be listening to this conversation or not. "All I said was that I liked her food." He picked up a brush and started working on Corn's mane.

"You're smitten!" Kijima let out a curse. His horse whinnied in disapproval. "Sorry, sorry." He petted her soothingly. "So, what's the plan here? Are you going to court her? Or is that not allowed 'cause she's working for you?"

Kuon paused. He hadn't thought of that. Was he even allowed to court his bodyguard? She didn't seem to be of noble birth, but it wasn't like there was exactly a law about that anymore… but would he be expected to make a good political match? He doubted his parents would want him to marry anyone other than his True Love, but what about the country? He would have to look into that more - maybe find a way to ask his Dad about it without being bombarded with questions about who the girl was. If that was even possible.

Corn snorted and pressed against him, urging him to continue brushing. He did, thinking hard. Realistically, the only people who could tell him no - aside from Kyoko herself - were his mom and dad, and they rarely denied him anything. But making the wrong move could upset the councilors and the kingdom… not to mention the court, who were expecting him to marry nobility, if not foreign royalty. Granted, if it was True Love, no one could say anything.

But he didn't even know if Kyoko had found her own True Love yet. What she had said before implied that she certainly wasn't looking.

"Earth to princey-poo!" Kijima waved his brush in Kuon's face, snapping him out of his musings. "I'm going to guess that you have no idea on whether you're allowed or not. So go for it! And if you don't want to, I certainly will."

"Let's just get ready for practice." Kuon had never been more eager to knock someone off a horse.

To his surprise, Kyoko was waiting for them in the ring, holding practice lances. "Here you are. They're not sharp."

"Thanks…?" Kuon took his.

"They may not be, but you absolutely look sharp!" Kijima said with a grin, taking his as well.

Kyoko's brow furrowed and she looked down at herself. "Are my blades visible?"

Kuon took a moment to thank whatever controlled the world that she wasn't oblivious just to his advances.

Kijima faltered for just a moment before he tried again, saying suggestively, "No, but I'd love to know where you hide them."

Kyoko squinted at him. "To better disarm me?"

"I don't know about disarming, but I'd love to disrobe - ack!" Kuon had grabbed him by the ear and was pulling him over to their horses.

"Enough. Let's go."

Kyoko took up her post just inside the ring, glaring at Kijima. She still wasn't sure that he wasn't an assassin. Why else would he want to know where she kept her blades? It took all of her self-control not to throw a dagger at him right then. The prince thinks he's a friend, she reminded herself. You can't protect him from danger if he thinks you murdered his friend for no reason.

Kuon did not go easy on Kijima, even though it was just practice. He unseated him easily, since the knight was too distracted by Kyoko to properly focus. He laid in the dirt for a moment, winded, and was surprised to see Kyoko appear over him, offering him a hand up.

"Why, thank you!" He took her hand, only to be jerked to his feet with more force than such a small body should rightly be able to produce. "Whoa! Wild one, aren't you?"

Kyoko just looked at him blandly, dropping his hand at the first opportunity. She then circled Kuon's horse once, examining both horse and rider, before retreating to her previous position.

"What was that about?" Kijima asked, swinging himself back onto his horse.

Kuon shrugged. "Probably checking to make sure I hadn't hurt my wrist or something."

"So, how does she guard if she's never here?" Kijima asked late one afternoon. "I feel like I haven't seen her at all since we jousted. Is she off duty or something?"

"She's around," Kuon said, not taking his eyes off his princely paperwork. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I'm trying to find anyone better to do, no thanks to you."

"And here I thought you had given up on her."

"Can you blame a guy for being interested?" He stretched his arms out across the table they were sharing in Kuon's chambers. "She's not exactly like the other ladies in court."

"Given that she's a bodyguard, that should be expected." Kuon frowned at the letter he was writing and scratched out a line; this would have to be a draft. He hated writing formal letters. They were just so stiff-sounding.

"Yes, she's a perfectly normal bodyguard," the knight said, rolling his eyes. "Not mysterious or sexy at all."

Kuon did not dignify that with a response, instead frowning harder at his letter.

"Seriously, I've gotta know more about her. What's her backstory? Why's she so sneaky? Why's she so serious all the time? Does that girl ever smile?"

Kuon crumpled up the letter and started over. "She's a bodyguard. But yes, she smiles at one of your fellow knights."

"Whaaat?" he whined. "Who?"

"Ribbit!" said Sir Hoppington from his tank.

Kijima stared at the prince, waiting for him to respond. When he just started writing the letter again, he prodded, "C'mon, who is it? Who's charmed that slippery vixen legs open?"

"You never will, talking like that." Kuon shook his head. "All I said was that she smiled at a knight."

"Ribbit!"

"Wait. Wait, no." He turned around and gaped at the very spoiled frog, perched happily on a lilypad in his giant tank. "Seriously? His title is real?"

Kuon just took a sip of his water.

"I share a title with a frog?"

"Rib-rib!" Sir Hoppington splashed over to a rock so he could sun himself in the light coming in through the window.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He started laughing. "You jerk, I'm going to kill-"

Which is how Kijima found himself hog-tied on the floor.

Kuon finally set down his quill. "He was just kidding, Kyoko, you can let him go."

She squinted up at him from her place kneeling on his back. "How can you know that for sure?"

"Because he's a harmless idiot."

A muffled "Hey!" came from where Kyoko's hand was pushing his head into the rug.

"That could just be a ruse to get close enough to kill you."

"Or he could just be joking around, like friends do."

"I would never threaten any of my friends!" Kyoko let out a scandalized gasp. Her minions exchanged looks from where they were helping to hold down Kijima.

"You and he are cut from very different cloths. Just get off of him already." He stifled a laugh as Kyoko pouted while doing as she was bid.

Kijima tried to sit up and start working at his bonds, but found that there was something more than gravity and a lovely set of legs that had been holding him down. "Why - why can't I move?" he asked, a note of real panic in his voice.

"Oh, sorry." Kyoko called back her minions with a flick of her wrist, and Kijima regained control of his limbs.

Any normal knight would have taken this as a sign to back off, to let the terrifying bodyguard be. Kijima was not any normal knight. After all, he did very little of his thinking with his brain. He flipped over and grinned lecherously up at her. "Well, now that you've got me bound, what will you do with me?"

His innuendo whistled mockingly as it flew over her head. "That is up to the prince."

"Untie him." Kuon shook his head again and sighed. How that man could make anything filthy….

Kyoko squatted down to undo his bonds. As she did so, she whispered, "I'm watching you."

"Do I look good?"

Kuon kicked Kijima under the guise of stretching his legs.

"Wakey-wakey, princey ol' pal!" Kijima called out as he burst into Kuon's chambers. Kyoko was not on duty, or else he would not have made it that far. "It's hunt day!"

Sir Hoppington croaked indignantly at the rude awakening. Kuon made a similar noise as he hauled himself to his feet. Experience had taught him that the knight would just yank away the covers if he pretended to sleep. "You don't even like hunting. Why are you so excited?"

Kijima sighed dramatically and shook his head. "Think, will you? The hunt means beautiful women! On horses! With weapons! I would've thought this was right up your alley." He sidled over so he could nudge Kuon while he winked. "You know, because of miss deadly."

Kuon rolled his eyes to the ceiling. He half-expected to see Kyoko perched up there somehow, but was disappointed. "Will you leave so I can get ready?"

"So you are excited!" He beamed. "Imagine all those lovely ladies, shooting down game that the hounds drive out. We'll have such a feast - and can share a cup or two over a shared victory, if you know what I mean."

"Excuse me." Kijima just about jumped out of his too-fancy shoes and whirled around. Kyoko was standing behind them, next to the prince's suddenly-full breakfast table. There were three places set. "As you're here, I assume you're joining the prince for breakfast?"

He recovered quickly and pasted on what most court ladies found to be a winning smile. "Of course, I've heard that you're a wonderful cook. I won't pass up the chance to get a taste of you - or your cooking!"

Kuon had to close his eyes and count to ten.

"I suppose I would be good for a meal or two in a survival situation. Muscle is good protein." Kyoko nodded approvingly before ushering the prince over to the table. "Eat. You have to have energy to hunt."

Kijima sat without needing to be told, then noticed the third plate. "Are you joining us?"

"Naturally. Someone has to make sure the prince eats," she said with a pointed look at Kuon, who was instead peering over at Sir Hoppington.

"Did you already bring him his bugs?"

"Yes, while you were discussing the hunt."

"What - how?" the non-amphibian knight asked. "There wasn't enough time for you to do all that!"

"I was trained," she said simply, before taking a bite of her eggs. She stared directly at Kuon until he started eating as well.

"Trained, huh?" He grinned lecherously. "I'd like to see what else you can do that quickly."

She squinted at him. "Are you doubting my credentials?"

"For the love of all that's holy, put something in your mouth," Kuon grumbled around his breakfast.

"I can think of a few things I'd like to put in my mouth - ow! You kicked me!" He gaped at Kuon. "You actually just kicked me under the table."

"Perhaps he was reminding you to eat," Kyoko suggested lightly. Sir Hoppington ribbited his agreement from his tank, where he was feasting on insects.

He pouted but did as he was bid. His expression immediately brightened when he tried his breakfast. "Kuon, you were right. This is fantastic!"

While Kijima went into a long spiel about how Kyoko should run away with him (and was completely ignored by the girl in question), Kuon picked at his breakfast and contemplated how easily he could make his friend's death look like a hunting accident. But no, Kyoko would witness it. Kyoko saw all. And she would never love him if he had innocent - well, innocent in a sense - blood on his hands.

Somehow, they made it down to the forest, where the hunt was to be held. Kuon sat astride Corn, his faithful steed, while Kijima was using his, Lady Love, to charm a few court ladies. Kyoko was on foot, and armed well enough to take down a wild boar on her own.

"Aren't you going to ride?" Kuon asked, foolishly hoping that she would get on behind him.

She shook her head and climbed into the nearest tree. "I'll be watching." With that ominous note, the horn sounded and the hunt began. The crowd of nobility trotted off into the trees. Kuon heard the trees overhead rustling as he rode, but could not be sure if forest creatures or Kyoko were doing the rustling.

The first half of the hunt was uneventful; the hounds found some deer and, as Kijima had dreamed of, some of the court ladies shot them. Part of the group, those who were there just to show face, volunteered to take the game back to the castle. Kuon rode on; as prince, he couldn't exactly cut and run so early. Overhead, foliage rustled, but it could have just been the wind. It was most likely the wind. After all, he was on a horse, and talented though she may be, Kyoko could not possibly be scampering through the trees at such a pace.

When the group stopped for lunch, Kyoko appeared out of the bushes and plopped herself down next to Kuon, handing him a bag of food he was certain she had not had earlier. He opened it to find a sandwich, some fruit, and a canteen of water. He took a grateful swig. Next to them in the clearing, Kijima had spread out a full picnic. He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a flask, from which he poured a generous portion into his drink. "Want some?" he asked, holding it out to Kuon.

"I'll pass, thanks," he said.

"How are you supposed to hunt if you're drinking?" Kyoko asked, frowning with disapproval.

"I'm always hunting," Kijima replied dramatically. "And far more complex prey than a simple boar, at that!"

Kuon rolled his eyes and went back to his sandwich. It was relatively good, for food.

She squinted over at the man who dared share a title with her beloved Sir Hoppington. "There aren't any dragons in these parts. Are there bears?"

Kijima wasn't sure if he should laugh or not. "I meant hearts!"

Her frown deepened. "Then you really shouldn't be drinking! Hearts are a good source of protein, sure, but you need a steady hand. Plus a knife, like this one!" She whipped out a long, scary knife from parts unknown. The ladies of court, who had before been tittering at Kyoko's denseness, gasped, getting the girl's attention. "Oh, did you want a demonstration?" Before any of them had a chance to answer, she started carving her sandwich, explaining every step of the process. The women started to look rather green.

"Er, why don't you go scout ahead?" Kijima suggested. How had this conversation gone so wrong?

"I did that while you were setting up your tea party."

Lunch disbanded pretty quickly after that.

Kuon rode ahead astride Corn, hot on the boar's heels. He let go of the reins, hanging on for dear life with his thighs, and pulled out his bow and arrow. They were almost to the clearing - perfect. The boar burst through the bushes into the clearing. Kuon and Corn followed. He lined up his shot as the boar prepared to charge. It huffed and puffed, kicking up dirt, and then started to run at him. He was just about to let fly when -

Shunk.

Kyoko leaped out of a nearby tree and landed on the boar's back, sinking dual blades into the boar's head. The light went out of its eyes as she removed them and wiped the metal off on the grass.

"Don't DO that!" Kuon yelled, stumbling off of Corn. "I could have hit you!"

Kyoko stood up and tucked her blades away. "It was charging. Unless you hit it right in the eye, you would have been in danger. I cannot allow that." She glanced off to the side, then looked back at him, her face impassive. "Not that I don't believe in your skills, but it is my duty. But we can still say that you killed it, as I am an extension of you, being your guard."

"I don't want credit!" Did she really think he was upset about that? "I want you to not drop out of the sky." Something occurred to him. "How did you even catch up? I was on a horse."

Kyoko just blinked at him. "I'm fast."

"No one is that fast!"

She simply shrugged and picked up the boar, shouldering its impressive weight with ease. "Come on, let's get the meat back to the kitchens. We'll feast tonight."

Kuon mounted Corn again with a sigh. As always, Kyoko had left him with more questions than answers.