Hikaru flinched as the hand slammed down on the counter. It was partially out of surprise and mostly out of shame. He kept his head bent, a whirlwind of feelings tearing through his shaken heart. There had been another Accursed here, in the clinic, and it had nearly killed Kyoko. How had he not noticed?

"Are you listening to me, Soldier?" came the voice of his superior officer. General Kuresaki was livid. Angrier than Hikaru had ever seen him. The man was usually calm in his rage, but not today and Hikaru was receiving the unrestrained end of his wrath. "An Accursed. Here. And you almost led him to the roots of the tree."

"I heard you," said Hikaru, keeping his head down. "I am aware of what my actions might have caused, sir."

"I doubt that, otherwise you'd be begging forgiveness for your utter stupidity."

Hikaru finally looked up. He met the gaze of Kuresaki, letting the man see his unrepentance. Only one other person was in the room. Duke Momose, the man just as livid and a lot more scared than the general.

"Cain would not have caused any harm to the tree's roots, sir," said Hikaru. "In fact, he turned around to save Kyoko and stop the other Accursed. We should be grateful the traitor was killed when he was."

Kuresaki's eyes narrowed. Hikaru's heart was beating hard, but he didn't allow the nerves to show on his face. He was in so much trouble. It was unlikely he'd leave this room with anything less than an execution order.

"You knew!" said the Duke suddenly. The terror in his gaze had doubled. "You knew he was an Accused! You knew, and you planned to betray us all."

"I planned no such thing," said Hikaru. He kept his eyes on Kuresaki. "While I knew Cain was an Accursed, I do not believe he has any malicious intentions toward us. I trust him and Kyoko, and I know they have the city's best interest in heart."

"That was not your call to make, Soldier," said Kuresaki. His anger had abated to a smoldering fire. It wasn't any less scorching. "Failing to report this is insubordination, and I will not tolerate such things. Your gamble could have cost the lives of every person in this city."

"It was not my intention to rebel. I merely sought to follow a higher order than yours."

Kuresaki stepped closer. Hikaru could feel the breath from the general's nostrils as he towered over Hikaru. "And what orders would that be?"

"My own conscience," said Hikaru.

And Prince Kuon and Lady Kyoko.

"Your own conscience?" said Kuresaki flatly. The eyebrows dove deeper into the center of his forehead as if to form a permanent crater of disapproval.

Hikaru gave a reflexive swallow. He was so dead. He'd done some stupid things, but this might have been the worst. Still, he believed in Kyoko and Cain, and he was determined to be on their side in every aspect.

Kuresaki gave one last sniff before retreating. He went to the door, barking for a soldier to come in. It was Murasame, the colonel who had arrived with Kyoko. The man's haggard gaze drifted around the room, meeting Hikaru's with fear. He probably had no idea what to think of the situation.

"Take him to the cells," said Kuresaki, motioning to Hikaru. "Colonel Ishibashi, you are hereby stripped of your title and rank. You are to stand trial with the other two where the city council will determine your fate."

Though expected, the sentence still made Hikaru's stomach drop. Any retort he may give in defense of his actions died before he could properly form the thought. This sucked. He swallowed back explanations and emotions, gave a bow and followed Murasame out of the room.

His mind scrambled to find a solution. How were they going to prove that Cain and Kyoko weren't evil? The horrors of the Accursed were so engraved into the culture that the name alone was enough to get people riled up. The only reason Hikaru didn't shudder at the idea of a good Accursed was that he knew them personally. Knew Kyoko.

The walk to the cells only served to further his feelings of shame and despair. Soldiers stared, and people whispered as he passed. Everyone knew his connection to Cain at this point. Now they saw Murasame escorting him and guessed the worst. This was worse than at the palace. He'd made a name for himself here and people looked to him as a leader. What would his men think? What would his family think when they got the news back home?

"Is it true what they're saying?" said Murasame, speaking up for the first time since they had left. "That Cain's an Accursed?"

"It's true," said Hikaru.

"And you knew about it?"

"Only recently. But I stand by what I believe. Cain is not working for the Dark Djiin, he's trying to bring him down."

Yes, if he concentrated on that he could find the strength to weather the building shame he felt. He may not know how everything was going to play out, but he did not plan to abandon Kyoko and Cain. Not for one second.

Murasame let out a frustrated sigh. "If that's your argument, you may opt for a plea of madness," grumbled Murasame. "The rot has gotten to your brains and addled your senses."

"It has not," said Hikaru firmly. "Think about it yourself Murasame. Has Cain not proven himself multiple times? Did he not stay with your group when everyone else left? Did he not save me and my men at the risk of his own life? How can you doubt him when you've seen his actions for yourself?"

Murasame looked away. "Just shut up and keep walking," said Murasame. "I have other things to see to."

Hikaru did as he was told, holding his head high as he marched to his cells. Once there, Hikaru was systematically stripped of his coat, insignia, medals, and weapons. It left him in a loose cotton shirt, his pants and knee-high boots. Heavy chains clamped around his wrist, the spell embossed within the metal shimmering as it activated to prevent him from using magic.

Murasame didn't look at Hikaru once as he carried this out, a job that he should have let someone else complete. His mouth kept opening before clamping shut with renewed determination. Apparently, Hikaru's words had gotten to him.

"I thought you had other things to see to?" said Hikaru, a shadow of his usual smile on his face.

Murasame finally made eye contact, his frown deepening.

Hikaru thought he was finally going to break, but after another second of deliberation, Murasame roughly pushed Hikaru toward the other guards.

"Put him with the other one," said Murasame. "If you trust the man so much, then you can share a cell with him."

What Murasame did not expect was the widening of Hikaru's smile. Thank goodness. Hopefully Cain had a plan.

He was then shoved down the hall, stepping deeper into the cells. They were filthier than usual, the city workers not bothering with sanitation due to other pressing problems in the city. Is was sad, since most of the cells were full. Widespread sickness hadn't halted crime. It had bolstered it.

Deeper in, they passed a second door, this one enchanted with certain protective charms. It was where the city stored powerful and dangerous criminals. Where Cain would be. The second it opened Hikaru felt the difference in the air. He shivered, his lone shirt doing little to help the chill. What a depressing place to be.

It was the final cell that Hikaru was led to. He stepped in without any prompting, noting the distance the two guards kept. The cell door slammed shut leaving Hikaru seemingly alone. Where was Cain?

Hikaru peered at the darkness, stepping closer.

"Hikaru?"

Hikaru jumped, nearly wetting himself. As if one with the shadows, Cain's form appeared from the side of the wall. He was sitting up, one hand resting on his propped knee. Black marks were visible winding their way up his biceps and across his face. Goodness, if Hikaru didn't know any better he'd thought Cain was going to kill him. Despite the large and powerful cuffs around each wrist and ankle, he gave off the impression of power.

"Hey," said Hikaru, suddenly feeling awkward. The man had presence. "I, uh, got in trouble."

"I can see that," said Cain, eying Hikaru's absent insignias. "What happened?"

Hikaru shrugged, sliding down to the ground where he stood. It seemed as good a place as any to take a sit. "I almost lead an Accursed to the roots of the fig tree and admitted to knowing about him – about you, before the attack. General Kuresaki wasn't happy, for understandable reasons."

"Why?"

That single word, spoken in a whispered reverence, was not uttered lightly. It conveyed Cain's underlying doubts, fears and hopes. He wasn't asking why Kuresaki wasn't happy, or why Hikaru had been sent down here. He was asking why Hikaru had chosen to not lie. Why he'd chosen Cain.

Hikaru's lighthearted smile disappeared.

"What do you mean why?" said Hikaru. "You're my prince, and I'll be damned if I abandon you just to save my own skin. You and Lady Kyoko are our only hope against the Dark Djinn. At least that's just my personal opinion. Um. Do you have a plan for any of this, by the way? Because I don't know how we're going to get out of the death sentence. We have three days to think of a solution."

Cain didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be processing everything Hikaru had said slowly, mulling over each piece. Eventually he did speak.

"I don't have a plan," said Cain. "Except to stay sane these three days before the trial."

"Keep sane?" That didn't sound good.

"I am an Accursed," said Cain simply. "And both my tethers to sanity have been taken from me."

"Right," said Hikaru. He was probably talking about the relic and Kyoko. "It's a good thing I'm here then. Lady Kyoko says you tend to mope about when left alone."

Cain gave a deep chuckle, the sound surprisingly fitting his image. It was a powerful laugh, though it was low.

"Tell me more things," said Cain. "About you and Kyoko's adventures through the palace."

Hikaru blinked, then grinned. Man, did he have many.

As he recounted several of the days he had spent as her guard, Cain listened silently, nothing moving save a small regression of the black marks on his right arm. It bolstered Hikaru's hope, keeping him talking well into the night.

The world was going to crap, and Kuresaki had no idea how to stop it. The general sat down, massaging his considerable headache with a thumb and forefinger. Like this city didn't have enough to worry about. Now there was a flaming Accursed rampaging through the desert.

The duke - currently sitting next to the general - handed him a drink. Kuresaki declined due to the desire to think properly, to which the man shrugged and downed the whole thing himself.

"First Sozen murdered and now this," said Aizen Momose. "Betrayal from one of the last talented men we have in the military. We're not going to last the month at this rate." He poured another drink, draining it like he had the last. "Have Sozen's men said anything?"

"They're still deliberating," said Kuresaki. "Apparently Sozen had no real clear-cut successor so the men are fighting amongst themselves." Which was good. The longer they delayed on deciding who inherited Sozen's considerable empire of camel trains, land and fortunes, the longer they would stay in the city. He just hoped whoever ended up in charge was as sympathetic to helping the city as Sozen had been. Mosall couldn't afford to lose the supplies and men.

"We're still investigating the reports from the other survivors of the attack," said Kuresaki. "Some of Sozen's men are not happy with the accusation."

Aizen scoffed. "Sozen an Accursed? Ridiculous. The man has single handedly saved this city from this cursed rot."

"Still, the investigation must be done, ridiculous as it may sound." It didn't help that several notable people had reported Sozen all but admitting to being an Accursed, and that Cain's wife was somehow tangled up in all of it.

"They probably saw an illusion of some sort," said Aizen. "I wouldn't put it past the Accursed. I can't believe my daughter was consorting with them."

The duke went to pour his nth drink of the night, unable to pour properly due to his shaking. He struggled for a moment, cursing as the brandy splashed against his hand before admitting defeat. He wiped the liquid from his hands with a napkin, staining the cloth.

"He's good, General," said Aizen, no doubt meaning Cain. "He managed to enchant Hikaru, a room full of our best physicians and even my daughter. Had it not been for whatever internal tiff those monsters had, this Cain and his wicked wife would have brought the whole city down."

"They could have, but they didn't."

Kuresaki stood up, walking toward the only window in the small office. Located on the second floor, he could see out some distance into the city. Smoke was still drifting from the houses, his men spread thin to assist in the cleanup. So much damage, and the Accursed hadn't even been attacking them directly. What sort of mess would they encounter if this Cain hadn't given up? Or was it all a trap in the first place?

Kuresaki didn't like it. You could tell a lot about a man based on what was said about him. So far, the reports were polarizing. In one instance, Cain was a monster in the flesh. A devil brought to torment the citizens for their sins. An Accursed. On the other hand, men like Hikaru praised his bravery and benevolence. He had gained Ishibashi's favor, the city's beloved local hero.

Chaos. Confusion. Divided loyalties. Targeting where they were strong, sowing the seeds of dissension and chaos within themselves. With Sozen dead and Hiroaki hurt, their medical department was in tatters. Though his time had been short, Cain also knew their military situation due to his recent recruitment.

Aizen Momose was wrong. This Cain wasn't 'good'. He was brilliant.

"This isn't going to be easy," said Kuresaki. "Cain will have prepared for this situation. Perhaps it was planned from the start. Either way, I doubt we could kill him even if we have the relic. I'm starting the think we're playing right into his hands."

The Accursed certainly hadn't looked weak when his men had caught him. Kuresaki couldn't erase the image of Cain holding his wife as he bartered for her life. Yes. Maybe that had been genuine. It certainly had seemed like it. This was the only advantage they had over Cain.

"Should we even bother with a trial?" said Aizen. "I doubt anyone would care if we just killed him."

"No," said Kuresaki. "It buys us time to investigate what they were up to and weakens him the longer he's away from the relic. Three days will have to be enough."

Assuming they could keep Cain in the dungeon that long. The cursed vambrace was being kept in a location only Kuresaki knew. He didn't trust anyone with that information.

Kuresaki turned around, noticing that Aizen wasn't looking at him. His gaze was fixed on a distant point, frowning as he tapped the table with a finger. The pose gave the impression of a wise old sage, contemplating the natures of life and the lessons it sought to teach them. Unfortunately, Kuresaki wouldn't describe Aizen as 'sage-like' in anything but appearance.

"Do you think…" he began, but there was a knock on the door.

Aizen jumped to his feet, stumbling a little as Jouji entered. The assistant glanced at the empty bottle of brandy, noted it, and wisely chose not to address it.

"They've finally responded," said Jouji. "The Palace. They're ready to speak to you."

Finally! They'd sent a request to speak via relaywell the second they'd gotten Cain locked up. Hopefully they could provide them with something useful to use against the Accursed.

"Excellent," said Aizen, motioning to Kuresaki. "Then let's get going."

Before they could leave, the assistant raised a hand to stall them.

"Um, actually there's one thing I wanted to warn you about," said Jouji. He seemed to be sweating more than usual. "It's about the palace. It seems… something huge is going on we were unaware of."

Lory wrenched open the door to the study, tearing down whatever silencing charm that had been placed there. Inside he found three traitors who raised their head calmly at his entrance. Sulmod, stood in the center, grinning in triumph at Lory.

"Lory Takarada, I'm glad you made it," he said, gesturing to the table they surrounded. In the center rested a relaywell currently in use. "I was just about to call you."

"I'm sure you were," said Lory, stepping aside. His son walked in past, the current archduke over the capital city of Ashuron. Kouki stopped in the center of the room, arms folded.

"I heard there was a call from the Broken Hills, specifically Mosall," said Kouki. "Care to explain why neither I or the king were informed of this?"

"I wouldn't wish to trouble you over such trivial matter," said Sulmod smoothly. "Afterall, I'm sure you and the king have much more important matters to attend, especially with the trial date so close."

"That is for me to decide, not you," said Kouki sharply. "You have overstepped yourself one too many times Sulmod. Just because the king is on trial does not give you the authority or permission to usurp the rules and claim power for yourself. Leave. I will contact you when I have decided on a suitable punishment for your actions."

"My apologies," said Sulmod, and he bowed. As if he felt any respect for them anymore. "I have only done what I thought was best for Ashuron."

"Sure you have," grumbled Lory. The only 'best' he had been thinking of was his own political standing. Kouki was being a lot more diplomatic about this than Lory would have. Probably better he handled the situation since Lory didn't openly have any more authority than Sulmod.

The councilmen exited, leaving the two Takaradas alone in the room. The door shut, echoing the silence.

"He's gotten worse," said Kouki.

"There's not much we can do about it anymore," said Lory. "Thank goodness Sebastian warned me about this. Sulmod's got half the city convinced Kuu is an Accursed and the other half too scared to do anything about it. We've almost lost complete control."

The man was an opportunistic infection. A bug winding its way through the city's bloodstream and infecting it when it was at its weakest. It would take some heavy medications to purge him and anything else he had tainted from the system.

Kuoki went to the table, standing over the relaywell to speak to whoever was on the other side. Lory circled the edge of the room, reapplying silencing charms and searching for any signs of foul play left by Sulmod. He wasn't paying attention to the pleasantries being exchanged until he heard Kouki exclaim: "You've captured an Accursed?"

Lory was by his son's side in a second, staring in shock at Duke Momose, the man himself. Aizen's face looked ashen even through the rippling surface of the basin. Someone else stood behind him, too far away for the relaywell to detect save their outline. That was probably the general considering the topic of this call.

"We caught him about three hours ago," said Aizen. "Well, he gave himself up to be precise. His name is Cain. He wanted our help healing his wife Kyoko in exchange for his compliance. We're holding him in the cells and have taken away his relic. It's in General Kuresaki's possession until we decide what to do with it."

Lory's heart had stopped beating at the name Kyoko. An exchanged glance with Kouki told him that his son had caught it as well. Kouki's face reflected the same barely contained hope he felt.

"Duke Momose," said Kouki slowly. "What else can you tell us about this Accursed? About what happened. Tell us everything."

They listened for the next fifteen minutes as Duke Momose gave a report on everything he knew about Cain; the fiasco with the escort group, his help with the eastern outpost, his rampage through the clinic, and the attack on the city that had outed him in the first place. The longer Lory listened, the lighter his heart felt.

"I've just been informed that Hiroaki has woken up," said Duke Momose, taking a moment to speak to someone else who had entered. "His injuries don't seem too severe thankfully, but it's going to set us back a lot to have him down for a while."

"Yes, but, are you certain the two of them are married?" said Lory, pushing part of his face into the conversation. "Kyoko and Cain?"

Duke Momose gave Lory an incredulous look. "What does that have to do with anything?" he said.

"Nothing," said Kuoki quickly, shooting Lory an exasperated look. What? It wasn't like he could help it. He'd been dying for those two to get together. While he was happy they'd both put on adult panties and confessed their feelings to each other, he was still upset that he hadn't been there for the wedding.

"That's not even the worst part," said Aizen, "We lost Sozen."

"What happened?" said Kouki, leaning back into the conversation.

"He was murdered by the Accursed," said Aizen. "There are some people saying that Sozen was an Accursed as well, but I'm thinking it a set up constructed by Cain. He's been wiggling his way into the hearts of the people here together with his wife. I'm afraid they already have several people sympathetic to the idea of a 'good Accursed'." Aizen chuckled as if the idea were completely ludicrous. Then he stopped short once he noticed they weren't laughing.

"What?"

"We've… actually suspected Sozen could be an Accursed for a while," said Kuoki. "We've never been able to confirm it, but we knew someone near the top of his merchant lines was associated with the Dark Djinn."

Mostly it was because of Kyoko they held that suspicion. It had started over the incident of her being targeted by bandits on her trip here to the palace to show them her new medicine. One piece of information had led to another, and they just hadn't been able to finalize their suspicions until now.

Aizen stared, his face unreadable in the moving surface.

"Why have you never shared these suspicions with us in the first place?" said Aizen, voice flat.

"We didn't have anything concrete." said Kouki. "and all the men we've sent to investigate further have either disappeared or died from the rot."

It was a weak excuse. Shameful in their negligence and pitiful in their results. Information gathering was Lory's job and due to his incompetence, his son was losing face in front of another Duke. Aizen's visibly rising anger was understandable.

"Oh yes, because you're so busy with the trial coming up," said Aizen, lengthening out the word as if it were a curse word. "When were you going to inform us about that little piece of information?"

"If your representative did not inform you of the vote, then that is not my problem," said Kouki smoothly. "Speak to him if you wish for him to accurately represent your opinion."

"Have you sent us any help yet?" Aizen immediately deflected.

"We sent several men at the beginning of the week," said Kouki. "As many as we could afford. They should be there soon."

Aizen grumbled, and Lory could see another vote slipping through their fingers. The Duke was angry, scared, and more than a little strained due to the situation with the outbreak. He was looking for someone to blame for all his problems, and that blame fell straight into the lap of the king along with everyone else's.

"As for the Accursed Cain," said Kouki. "I think as long as you don't provoke him he poses no immediate threat. Judging by your strained military situation, as well as the Accursed members we fought her recently, I'm not sure you could kill him even if you tried. I'll speak to the king about this matter and offer further instructions as they come."

"Really?" said Aizen bitterly. "You want us to just hole up the Accursed in the cell and—no. You know what? You're right. We can handle the situation ourselves."

The connection suddenly cut off, the waters fading to its usual transparent hue.

"Did he…" said Kouki, stunned as he stared at the well. "Did he just disconnect without warning me?"

"Looks like it," said Lory. This was getting ridiculous. Even outlying dukedoms were starting to disrespect the monarchy. At this rate, Sulmod wouldn't have to bother with a trial. The kingdom would usurp control by default.

Kouki mashed the buttons on the side of the bowl, trying to call back the duke.

"Leave it," said Lory. "I doubt they'll answer anyway. Best to call them when they've had a good night's sleep."

Besides, they had better things to focus on.

"Kuon is alive," said Lory, his excitement growing again. "Him and Kyoko. She's managed to help him control the blasted contract." Seemed he'd also donned a fake name to keep himself hidden. Smart boy.

"It seems like it," said Kouki, not looking as excited. "But that's a hell of a situation they're in."

"They'll be fine, they've been through worse," said Lory, already halfway to the door. "This requires a celebration. I'll get the drinks, you gather everyone else." After all the setbacks and double-crossing it was nice to hear at least one good piece of information, even if came with its own set of problems.

Kouki let out a snort. "We should work first, not celebrate first, Dad."

"That's what I'm doing," said Lory, giving his son a serious look in the doorway. "We'll report to the king like you said we would, and then celebrate afterward. Besides, I think Kuu could use the good news."

Kouki gave an acknowledging nod, knowing as well as Lory did how much the king would need it. And Julie. Boy was she going to flip when she heard they were married.

Grinning for the first time in what felt like years, Lory hurried from the room, already prepping the celebration in his head.

Duke Momose grumbled audibly, pounding his fist more than once onto the wood table.

"Stupid, stupid man," he said, punctuating each word with a bang "I can't believe the detachment. And this is Ashuron's finest? My daughter could run a country better than those fools."

"I'm not so sure," said Kuresaki slowly, eyes still on the basin. A creeping dread was working its way into his bones, and each piece of information he mulled over only made the feeling worse. "Remember what councilman Sulmod said before Duke Takarada came in?"

"What about it?"

"What if they're right?" said Kuresaki. "What if the king is trying to use the Djinn? What if he's part of the Accursed?"

The color drained from Aizen's face.

"Stars above," he whispered. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious." It would explain a lot of things, like why they were so reluctant to send help. It was part of an elaborate scheme to accomplish… something. His eyebrows scrunched together so tightly it hurt as he sorted through the implications of accepting this as possible truth.

"I can't believe it," said Aizen, who now truly looked sick. "He's our king. Rosa chose him."

"Don't despair yet," said Kuresaki. "We may be wrong, and it may be the king is just incompetent. Either way, we're on our own to figure this out."

"Right… right."

Aizen pulled himself together with the same difficulty as a drowning man scrambling for breath. He'd never been on the battlefield and was unused to threats being so dangerous and intimate. The tension was probably killing him.

"We should probably focus on gathering information," said Aizen. "Find out exactly what happened and… I can't even think. This is too insane."

Kuresaki tilted his head, giving Aizen a disapproving frown.

"Get some rest, sir," said Kuresaki. "You're unused to this sort of situation. I'll have it taken care of in the morning."

"Right. Thank you. I should do that."

Kuresaki watched Aizen stumble from the room, mumbling his withdrawals. After the door shut, Kuresaki continued to stand, allowing the waning light from the windows to naturally dim his surroundings. After a sufficient amount of time, he took a deep breath, then exhaled all the fear and doubt in his heart allowing only strength to reside there.

It was up to him to protect the city, and he only had three days to figure out how exactly he was going to do that.

Thank you for reading!

Nothing to say, except I hope you enjoyed it. And I want to hug hikaru. Kay, see you all later! Thank you so much for reviews and love and all the fun things.

Next chapter in two weeks.

-Blushweaver

Hope you have enjoyed another wonderful tense on the edge of your seat but oh wait there's more crap and no answers episode of the Prince's Concubine, though at this point you could call it the 'Lady Kyoko's disturbed but kinda tame demon'. But that's not as catchy so let's not call it that.

-Imouto

Alternate titles: Grr, stupid people. Y U NO believe them?