For five full seconds, Hikaru's brain ceased to function. When it rebooted, it was loaded with new information clogging up his stream of conscious. All of it was about Itsumi as she waited for his reaction, fist clenched, the hint of fear in the corner of her strong eyes.

"Y-you love me?" said Hikaru. "Really? That's surprising I mean—Um. How could you… What I mean is…"

A snort blessedly saved him from his stumbling word vomit. He shot a look at Norishige, more desperate than anything as the man waved in apology for laughing. Hikaru didn't even know where to begin with this.

"You're surprised," said Itsumi, nodding to herself. "I should have figured. We've only spoken a few times but… I can't help how I feel." She bit her bottom lip and Hikaru's eyes flickering to her lips. To all over her in fact.

It didn't help she was still talking. He should probably listen.

"I feel I know you!" she said. "I've never seen a man with so much courage and dedication to his country. I admire you so much. There are times I hate my position. Hate the choices and sacrifices I make because of everything. And yet, when I see you, those feelings change. I don't resent them. I… want to do better."

Her face was a wonderful shade of pink that might have been mistaken for a sunburn if Hikaru didn't know any better. That more than anything confirmed that yes, the Duchess of the Momose household was confessing to him. Considering their current position and the events taking place, this was no small matter. His mind finally sobered enough for him to use it.

"Duchess, I—"

"Don't call me by my title," she interrupted.

He hesitated, then took a breath. He carefully took one of her hands allowing her every opportunity to pull away as he gently held it with a thumb. Anticipation suddenly infected Hikaru, making everything ten times harder to say. But he had to say it.

"Lady Itsumi," he said, as close as he dared to call her without a title even with her permission. Her eyes shone at the address. "I am very shocked, and beyond flattered to hear your feelings for me."

"This sounds like the beginning of a rejection," she joked, but it was strained.

Amusement mixed with nervous energy as he let out a breathy laugh. "You're not making this very easy."

"Now you know how I feel."

Hikaru's eyes dropped to their connected hands. He gave it a small squeeze, hoping she would understand him.

"I can't respond with anything you'd like," he continued. "Not if the other option is to abandon Lady Kyoko, and I will not do that."

Silence fell. His heart pounded audibly in his ears as he listened to Itsumi take a deep breath.

"That's it?" she said, voice sharpened. "That's all the explanation I get? No apology for rejecting me? Gods Hikaru, don't you know what your friend and I are giving up just for this chance to save your life?"

Hikaru opened his mouth, not sure if he was going to apologise or point out he didn't even remember they'd talked before. Before he could say either, Itsumi yanked her hand away, and Hikaru let it go without a fuss.

"Who is Kyoko to you anyway? Another woman to pine after. She's married you know, and to an Accursed none the less. She won't love you the way you love her, and from what I can see she doesn't deserve your good opinion, and certainly not your help."

Hikaru flinched at the jab. He'd deserved her anger, but Kyoko didn't.

"Please don't insult her," he said firmly.

"Then answer the question," said Itsumi. "What makes the wife of an Accursed someone worth dying for, because that's what will happen if you go and try to save her. You'll be stopped and killed before you can even reach her."

"Then so be it." Doing nothing wasn't an option. He needed to at least try. His stomach twisted at the thought, feeling ill from the combination of the hot sun and an empty stomach.

Itsumi let out a slew of words under her breath, none of which Hikaru could make sense of as she rubbed her temples.

"I'd like to reiterate the duchess's question," said Norishige suddenly. "Why her?"

Gosh, wasn't that a loaded question. But in it, Hikaru saw the opportunity that he hadn't been given before. A friend withholding judgment until Hikaru presented his piece. Now, if he could just present it correctly to convince them.

"It's hard to explain without context," he said. "But Lady Kyoko is a good person and she's trying to help. And Cain… well, he didn't give me permission to say anything but he's not bad. He may be an Accursed, but he's trying to destroy the Dark Djinn."

"And you believe him?" said Itsumi, folding her arms in mocking disbelief. "An Accursed saying they're not evil?"

"I do."

The speed and surety with which he spoke must have surprised Itsumi for she shut her mouth with a snap.

"If I can be plain with you, sir," said Norishige. "That's not much of a reason."

It wasn't, but Hikaru grinned as his friend's attitude. It had softened, the awkwardness falling between them.

"I bet you're insulting me in your head right now?" said Hikaru.

"I've said nothing disrespectful, sir," said Norishige, the corner of his lips threatening to pull into a smile. "But I was thinking it was just like you, to push ahead because of nothing more than a feeling."

"That is an insult."

"But it's true."

Hikaru slapped his friends side playfully. Then dread chilled his insides as he remembered how sick Nor was.

"Oh shoot! Did I hurt you, I forgot about the—"

"Nothing's damaged," said Norishige, waving away Hikaru's worries. "Don't forget, there's a Duchess still waiting for an answer."

She was. Itsumi's eyes had lowered to the ground, visibly ridged even with the cloak obscuring most of her figure. He could just see the edge of her toes wriggling as they peeked through her sandals. Hikaru approached with the same caution he would a baby rabbit, scared she would bounce away if frightened.

"Duchess…?" he said.

Her eyes snapped up to his, and he could see something had been decided by the set of her mouth.

"I'm... glad to hear it," she said.

Her words took a moment to register.

"Come again?" said Hikaru.

The duchess visibly pulled herself together, gathering courage as well as whatever else she needed as the tension melted away from her with deliberate effort.

"Honestly, with all this talk of betrayal and double-crossing I didn't know who to trust," she said. "Who was good, who was evil. I'm not sure what my father and the General are doing is right. It seems too cruel. Too hasty. And then I was thinking… she was right. I was living in my pretty world with nice outcomes and neat lines of good and evil. And I really didn't know what to do. So I stuck with my heart. With a man who always displayed good, noble actions, no matter the consequences to himself. A man who saved lives at the risk of his own."

Her determination wavered as her eyes fluttered uncertainly.

"I'm… still jealous of her. Kyoko that is," she said. "I wish you'd think of me so highly and with so much faith… But if I want that from you, I need to first extend it. And I could not imagine that same man being so selfish to leave his friends to die. Which meant if you weren't enchanted and I'm not wrong about you, this was the only other option."

She stepped forward, and Hikaru's cheeks flushed as a waft of her perfume hit his nose. She was much closer than was considered decent, but he couldn't step back. He was completely ensnared by her presence.

"From here on out, you have my trust as well as my heart," she said. "Where you lead, I will follow, if…" Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. "If you'll have me."

Now Hikaru's gaze was stuck on those lips again. And her petite nose. And her mature eyes. And her long hair. And basically everything else.

A cough from his friend reminded him he needed to respond.

"Yeah, great," he said. "That'd be nice. If you want—I mean, I'm alright with it."

"You're alright with it?"

Something lodged in Hikaru's throat and all he could manage was a nod. It seemed to be enough, for light blossomed in her expression. Her demure smile revealed a dimple he had never noticed before.

"I'm glad you two have figured things out," said Norishige, his flat voice breaking the moment. "But if you actually want to save those two, we need to hurry it up."

Itsumi hastily took a step back, and Hikaru already missed the proximity, watching as she tugged at a strand of her hair.

"Yes," said Hikaru, shaking himself from his daze. "Yes. You're right. Then, you're with us Nor?"

Norishige shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

Hikaru didn't miss the bitter edge in his tone. Today was likely his last day on earth and the man was spending helping Hikaru. He gripped his friend's upper arm, giving an affectionate squeeze as emotions welled inside him.

"Thank you, Norishige," said Hikaru. "I owe you so much."

"Then we can finally be even," said Norishige flashing a rare smile. "Now let's go, we're burning daylight."

A soft hiss caught Hikaru's attention. Itsumi had suddenly clenched her teeth, pressing a fist to her forehead in exasperation.

"Are you hurt?" said Hikaru, instantly alarmed.

"No, I just remembered something," said Itsumi. "We need to take a detour."

"What for?"

"Kyoko's friend," said Itsumi, her hand lowered slowly to reveal wrinkled brows. "She was apparently one of her guards in the palace. I helped set a trap for her since she was going to defend Kyoko. We need to stop the ambush."

Kyoko had never felt so small in her entire life. She cowered behind her captors, taking what little shelter their bodies offered between her and the world threatening to crush her. It was little comfort. It didn't block the noise, the insults, or the muck. She was soon covered in all of these, her ears ringing as she shakily wiped sludge from her cheek.

It's going to be okay, she thought to herself. I'll be fine. I can take this. It's only a crowd. They don't understand the truth. I'll be alright.

Her guard broke through the mob and Kyoko chanced a glance around them. She gasped at their location.

They were in of the fig tree. It rose up high behind its decorated gates, framing the occasion with its rotted branches. A stand had been erected where two men waited. The decorations on their robes told her their identities. General Kuresaki, and Duke Momose.

The lump in her throat wouldn't go away. She kept swallowing as her guards pushed her toward the stands, wrist rubbing against her restraints. She stopped and turned to face the crowd that extended farther than she could see. People crowded the streets and rooftops to get a look. To watch the spectacle of an Accursed and his wife being condemned. Shame burned in her stomach despite her best efforts, but she kept her head high, met the eyes of those in the front of the crowd and was satisfied to see some of their faces turn away.

A ripple ran through the crowd as people suddenly scrambled to move away from a certain spot. She guessed what could cause such a harsh reaction. Cain was on his way.

Sure enough, the people split to reveal a guard of five leading someone through them. Kyoko craned her neck to see…. Oh. Oh!

Kyoko bit her lip to stop the roar threatening to burst. The chains dug in her skin as she surged toward Cain.

His face was ashen. She could see murky veins from this distance thumping in his temple and other exposed parts of his skin. He shuffled with a walk that barely constituted as conscious. Ten different conditions popped into Kyoko's head as her expert eyes snapped at different signs that built an overwhelming conclusion of pain and illness.

"What did you do to him?" shouted Kyoko, the shame burned completely from her stomach. It had curdled into something warmer that scorched her flesh with fury. "What did you do to him?"

Her guard yanked her back and Kyoko stumbled against her will. The guard told her to stop struggling. She didn't listen. Heat trickled down her wrists as she kept pulling, desperate to be by his side. Her eyes finally spotted the cause of what had happened.

They took his relic from him.

Hands finally grabbed her upper arm, and she flinched as they crushed her arms with a bruising grip as the guard growled. "Stand still, or we won't even let you stay for your own execution."

Kyoko finally relented, eyes still fixed on Cain as he slumped where they placed him. He hadn't even raised his head to acknowledge her. Normally he'd have flown to her at the first sign of her pain, showed that anger she always scolded him for letting loose. Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized just how weak he was.

She didn't pay attention to the man that stepped in front of the crowd. She didn't listen to his booming voice as he preached whatever agenda he wished to impart. Her eyes remained fixed on Cain, head spinning as she desperately tried to figure out how to save him.

Kyoko's essence strained as she pushed to use magic. Her struggles met an impenetrable wall, But she kept pushing. Started pleading with the being inside of her to lend some strength. Anything to escape. Her vision swam at the strain. She felt the crystalline marks on her shoulder stretch and her guard dropped her with a curse when he felt the marks thumped against his restraining hand.

Without his support, Kyoko felt to her knees, swaying from the ringing in her ears. She blinked dark spots from her eyes.

"-caught the creatures responsible for so much destruction of this city," the speaker was saying to the crowd. "And they will pay for their crimes. For their heresy against the light and against our kingdom."

The crowd cheered, the din making Kyoko's head throb. She closed her eyes against the sea of accusing faces.

Please, Rosa, she plead inwardly. Do something.

The demi-goddess remained silent.

"I would like to say a few words in their defense."

The voice, a trembling tenor froze Kyoko in shock. Her head snapped up as she stared at the weak flower man-child Hiroaki Ogata stepping out of the crowd carrying a stack of papers. The rumble of voices grew to a loud buzz. He looked as frail as ever but determined as he focused his gaze on the General. A silent battle played out on their faces as wills clashed.

What was going on? Hiroaki was going to defend her? But… he'd been avoiding her until Sozen had appeared. Didn't he hate her?

"You wish to defend these monsters?" said the general, his voice a low dangerous tone.

Hiroaki flinched, then glanced at Kyoko where his gaze stuck. His face transformed from whatever he saw as he turned back, the tremble gone from his voice.

"Yes," he said. "I wish to defend these people, on the case that they have saved this city and are innocent of all the allegations brought against them."

Whatever path Hiroaki had expected to take in his career, he never would have imagined it leading here. His neatly organized stack of papers nearly fell as he fumbled to grab the proper. They were saved by the arrival of his assistant. Iizuka grabbed the falling stack, rolling her eyes with only a fraction of the usual disdain she usually held. They were both frazzled.

He kept a leaf of parchment with his notes. Thank goodness he'd written this all down yesterday.

"Umm," he stared, staring at Kuresaki who still stood silently before the crowd. It was off-putting. "Do I just start or…"

But it was the duke that suddenly made a scene. Aizen Momose stood with all the anger of a riled-up dog as he shook his fist at Ogata.

"What in the blazes are you doing Ogata?" he said. "You don't really mean to defend these scum, do you?"

"They're not scum," said Hiroaki. "They're not here to hurt us and I think we could learn a lot from them if we just look at the facts and—"

"They're Accursed scum," shouted Aizen, slamming a hand on the desk beside him. "They've torn this city apart and killed Sozen."

"They're on trial are they not? Which means they can defend themselves or call for someone else to stand in their defense." His made eye contact with Kyoko, who was still slumped on the ground. Stubbornness like Hiroaki didn't know he had swept through him as he set his jaw and addressed her.

"Lady Kyoko," he said. "Will you allow me the privilege of defending you?"

Kyoko immediately nodded, silently mouthing 'thank you'. The desperation in her expression really was heartbreaking.

"There you have it," said Hiroaki. "I will take the stage for an hour if you don't mind. Unless you'd like to go first in your accusations."

Kuresaki's dark eyes danced with barely contained emotions his calm stance didn't show. There was something dangerous rolling through the general's head, and Hiroaki didn't like it, whatever it was.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" said Kuresaki, his voice low. "Think of your position. Of what you'll lose."

"My position is exactly what I'm thinking of," said Hiroaki.

I'll find the cure for my father. I swear it.

The general finally relented, returning to his seat as he waved Hiroaki forward. Like it was his permission to give in the first place. Where had all the magistrates gone anyway? They couldn't be all dead or sick, could they?

A nudge from Iizuka pulled his thoughts back to the moment as he stumbled forward and awkwardly cleared his throat, ready to defend Kyoko and Cain with all his might.

Hurry up Kanae, he thought. I'll delay for as long as I can. She was the one with the true plan, even if Hiroaki didn't know all of it. He'd do his part and pray she was on her way.

Kanae knew something was wrong the moment she stepped outside. The streets were empty, sparse of any of the normal crowd that littered around the area. Nothing small could have done that.

"What's going on?" said Kanae to the guard still leading her. "Why are the streets empty?"

"Everyone's heard about the trial today," said the guard. "They're hiding, scared of the Accursed and what he might do."

It almost made sense. Almost. Which meant he was lying to her. Not that she was surprised. It made sense that the opponent would try and trick her or take her out before the trail in some way.

She continued with the ruse, saving her questions for when she took the advantage over him. For now, she kept quiet, followed into what was probably a trap, and built up her spells. A little garnet stone embedded into her bracer was the perfect place to store a few of them.

Sure enough, five minutes later they took a turn down an alley that wasn't the way to the cells.

Kanae stopped, crossing her arms in irritation. "Really? An ambush? I don't have time for this nonsense."

The man faltered, doing a decent job of putting on a confused face as he turned back. "What do you mean?"

Kanae waved a hand over the ground ahead of her, snapping her fingers.

The trapping spell he had been walking her towards shattered, shards glistening like dew before disappearing. It transformed the bewilderment on the guard's face to surprise.

"If anything," said Kanae, "You should have just attacked the inn with powerful destruction magic to take us by surprise. Not that it would have worked with the protective spells I placed on it, but it would have been a smarter plan. You obviously don't know what I'm capable of."

The guard stumbled backward, shouting for someone to come quickly.

Heavy footfalls sounded.

Darkness suddenly fell over her as several bodies blocked the light entering the alleyway. She glanced over her shoulder counting seven men outlined in a halo of backlight, all armed, all looking like typical vagrant scum. Five more appeared from the other end sporting a similar appearance. Twelve men in total. She was almost flattered.

Kanae unhooked the spear from her back, spinning it slowly as she crept forwarding securing a good location to start the fight.

"You know, I have been holding a lot of tension since arriving in this dirty city," said Kanae. She swept her spear to her side, point toward the ground. "So nice of you all the help me work it out."

The first man charged forward, eager, and hollering. Kanae sidestepped his charge, continuing her spin as another man attacked from the other side. One more man entered her space to attack and Kanae finally raised her spear. Magic surged through the shaft enhancing the wood as she twirled it around her. It collided with the three men, pushing them backward with enough force to send them flying a few feet. One knocked into another advancing man, sending them both tumbling. Another collided with an alley wall

Idiots. If they had wanted to stop her they should have chosen a narrower alleyway. While the wider area allowed more of them to ambush her, it gave her room to wield her spear at half of its capacity. It was more than enough.

The next thug attacked, not giving her a moment's rest from the next attack. Her spear snapped into her palm, delivering precise jabs before it was out and twirling again. One man fell backward with three stab wounds. Another fell back with cracked wrists.

Kanae felt the heat of the magic before it came. She rounded just in time for the fireball to collide with her chest. It singed her skin, the heat taking her breath. She stumbled backward awkwardly, another man already on top of her. Her spear wouldn't get up in time.

Kanae dropped, spear and hands on the grounds as she ducked. Magic shot from her left, the pulse shot tackling the man from the side. It gave Kanae enough time to kick the man's legs out from under him.

Kanae spun to her feet, spear slapping another man away. More magic was coming, and she was kind of done with those cheap shots. She summoned dozens of her own pulse shots. They hovered briefly around her in swirling white glimmers of light. Then they began to rain down upon her foe.

Men screamed. People were cursing. It all just made Kanae smile. Today was a good day.

The next round of men that came for her were obviously the better fighters. They didn't charge like idiots, swinging their swords in the hope to confuse her. They waited. Approached cautiously. Spread out and worked together to set up an attack. Yeah, Kanae wasn't giving them time to do that. She felt arcane shields around each of them.

"While this has been fun," said Kanae. "I'm really on a time crunch, so what do you say we end this with the next surge?"

The man in front of the others chuckled. Magic swirled around his wrist where a large opal sat.

"You seem pretty cocky," he said. "Considering there's five of us, and one of you. And we have more than enough magic to take you down."

The other four men began summoning spells as well. Kanae raised her brows, impressed.

"I never expected trash to know such high-level magic," said Kanae. She twirled her spear, slowly walking forward past the fallen men she'd taken down. "My bad."

A fireball shot toward Kanae. She easily dodged it, rushing forward—right into a hail of pulse shots. Kanae's shadow-step activated, increasing her strength and movement speed as she jumped. She easily cleared the magic shots, shooting up and around over the men. Their necks craned as they tried to follow her. More magic shot out. Kanae danced back and forth between each one, narrowly escaping each blast. She spotted her chance and charged.

In the blink of an eye, she was in their midst. Another blink, she was past them, standing on the other side.

They scrambled to turn around, to keep attacking but-

"I'm stuck!"

They were sinking in a swirl of rock turned to sand. There would be no escaping out of the spell. Ever since Shin had found a weakness in her imitation of the sand colossus's dark spell, she'd been working hard to improve it. She didn't like to repeat mistakes.

"Don't worry," said Kanae, strapping her spear onto her back. "You won't die. The sand will harden once it gets to your necks, though, have fun getting out of there without help.

The men cursed, calling her some very colorful nouns as they sunk deeper into the ground. Her eyes twinkled in delight at each insult. She was always amused by the screeching of trapped rats.

More footsteps came.

Kanae didn't bother trying to hide as three more people rounded the corner. Let any more attackers see just what she was capable…

Her eyes narrowed.

"Come to see your handy work, Duchess?" said Kanae, lifting a hand. It took in the fallen and trapped rats still cawing. "I didn't think you were the type."

Itsumi took a step back in shock. She should be scared, because Kanae was contemplating which of her arsenal of curses to put on this wench. Two men would not be enough to shield her.

"We're not here to fight," said one of the men. He wore only plan clothes and looked in a desperate need of a bath. And water. He looked ready to keel over. "We're here to help. Honest."

"Sure you are," said Kanae, reaching for her spear. It snapped out again, the crack of wood making the duchess flinch. "Do you have another 'helpful' note to hand off?"

The man flapped his hands in front of him, and only now did Kanae see he didn't have any weapons. "Wait wait wait! Just listen to us okay? My name is Hikaru Ishibashi. Surely you've heard of me. That I sided with Cain and Lady Kyoko?"

It was the title on Kyoko's name that made Kanae pause.

This was supposedly Hikaru? The former Colonel who'd been hailed as a local hero. He looked like a normal dork to her.

"Go on." She didn't lower her spear.

It was the duchess who stepped forward. Without the fancy clothes or makeup, she didn't look the part of a spoiled brat, but her baring gave her position away. Most people didn't stand like the world owed them their allegiance.

"We came to stop the ambush and help you," said Duchess. "Because I've had a change of heart."

Kanae snorted.

"It's true," insisted the duchess. "Please, I want to help you now."

"Then stay out of my way."

Kanae stowed her spear and started out of the alleyway. She brushed so close to the other guard that she could smell the lingering decay she'd come to associate with the Sheuman's rot. The fatigue in his eyes confirmed her suspicions. That man didn't have long.

"You can't help them alone," insisted Itsumi. "You think taking down this ragtag of thugs means you're strong? Please, I'm not lying."

Kanae kept walking.

Momose ran up the path, kicking up sand as she came to a skipping stop in Kanae's way.

"Would you just listen for one minute!" she hissed. "Kyoko's not even at the courthouse. She's having a public trial outside and you're going in the wrong direction."

That made Kanae stop. Then rage flew through her veins.

"They're giving Kyoko a public trail?" hissed Kanae. "What the—Damnit!"

That just made things ten times harder. More people meant a greater likelihood that something unprecedented would happen during their escape plan, unless Kanae could somehow use this to their advantage. Shit, things were already spinning out of control.

"Where is the trial?" said Kanae.

But Itsumi had clamped her mouth shut, petulance blossoming across her face as she realized she had something over Kanae. A card to use in her favor. What she didn't know what how wrong that assumption was.

"I'll tell you," said Itsumi, "If you let us come with you and help."

"No."

"But we can—"

Kanae yanked out her spear. It swept in a high arc, whistling from the speed as it came to a stop in front of Itsumi's frozen face. Her eyes nearly crossed as they attempted to keep the tip of the spear in focus.

"You can go to hell!" snapped Kanae. "And so can your city."

Itsumi swallowed, throat bobbing as words finally failed the jabbering minx. It was braver than what Kanae expected. She thought the brat might soil herself from fear.

Her spear was suddenly batted aside by Hikaru. Though unarmed, he covered his hands in magic as he stepped protectively in front of Itsumi.

Kanae wasn't having any of that.

She jabbed the butt of her spear into his stomach. Spit flew as he gasped, clutching his center. Kanae grabbed his arm, twisting until it pulled so hard he had no choice but to plant his face into the ground. Kanae's knee dug into his back in an area she knew was particularly painful.

"Coronel!" called the other guard, rushing forward to help his fallen friend. But Kanae had anticipated his approach. She activated the spell she'd programmed into the ground and the nameless thug sank into another trap of sand.

The man beneath her struggled and she felt magic polling under him. She pulled just so on his arm, causing the man to hiss in pain.

"One spell," said Kanae, the deadly calm in her low voice causing the man to still. "If I feel you casting so much as one spell and I'll yank it out of your socket."

She then snapped her spear back toward the only person not trapped. Itsumi, who had both bravely and stupidly taken a step toward Kanae. The duchess froze again, hands tugging at the hood of her cloak in anxiety.

"You expect me to believe this fool is the local hero?" said Kanae, pressing a little on Hikaru's back. He gasped in pain. "And that walking death bomb is… what? Some thug you promised gold to his family when he dies from the rot? Excuse me for not believing you Duchess when your lies are so pathetic."

"Let him go," said Itsumi. She was trembling, on the verge of tears. It was taking everything she had not to go running, and yet she stayed and trembled, insisting that Kanae release the man beneath her.

Oh.

You've given away your biggest weakness. You shouldn't have done that.

"You care for this man," said Kanae, and she was satisfied with a telling hue of red coloring the duchess's face. "He's not some random person. You love him."

The Duchess met Kanae's eyes, wide and vulnerable. But she held her stance. Nodded with both conviction and fear. That changed the situation a little.

"He'll die you know," said Kanae. "If you try to break Kyoko out and it doesn't work. They'll kill every one of us, and you will be the one that brought it to him."

"That's not it!"

Face still pressed into the ground, Hikaru struggled to turn so his voice could be heard. "I chose to protect Cain and Lady Kyoko," he said. "She is trusting in my choice. I'm bringing the danger to her. Please, Kanae, listen to me. You were friends with Lady Kyoko in the palace, correct?"

"What of it?" said Kanae, deciding to humor the man.

"Then you must have known about her previous position," said Hikaru. "And her relationship with a certain royal in the family. One that is still as stronger as ever. Though I no longer serve in the palace, I still serve the royal family, no matter what form he may take."

Kanae froze.

Was he… was he saying he knew Cain was the prince? That he was an Accursed?

"How can you know that?" said Kanae. "Who told you?"

"Lady Kyoko did," said Hikaru. "She's been fighting alone, and I pledged to help her. To serve both her and… the royal family. Please. I'm here to help."

Kanae considered this man, suddenly wary. Both Itsumi and the trapped man looked confused at their conversation, which meant only he knew. The other two followed him because of faith. Because of love. He was the real reason Itsumi had changed her mind. He really was Hikaru Ishibashi.

He also was lucky she knew who Cain was.

Kanae let him go. He scrambled to his feet, Itsumi giving Kanae a wide birth as she hurried to his side and fussed over him. Kanae threw him a waterskin which he clumsily caught.

"You look like you're going to keel over," she said. "Drink, or you'll die before we even get to the trial."

The man's face brightened, downing the contents of the waterskin without hesitation. He should have at least tested it for poisons or something. He was too trusting it seemed.

She pressed a boot into the ground beside the sunken soldier. The magic reversed, allowing the man to scramble out of the trap. He brushed the sand from his clothes, the now misplaced scarf confirming Kanae's guess on his time here on earth.

"You're dead either way," said Kanae. "You sure you want this to be your last act?'

"I don't have any family it will impact, save Coronel Ishibashi," said the guard.

Kanae hummed in response, not really caring. She was now eyeing Hikaru as he offered to share the water with the frazzled Duchess. Kanae still didn't see anything great about him. He just looked like a normal soldier.

"We need to tell my companions about the change," said Kanae. "Or save them, if you had a trap set for them as well, Itsumi."

The informal address caught Itsumi's attention. She inhaled self-righteousness through her nose in a deliberate attempt to pull herself and the world back into a neat little lineup.

"I only stressed your possible interference with the general," she said. "If we got rid of you, the others wouldn't matter."

"As far as you're aware." The man still could have done something behind her back. "We'll need to get them either way."

"We should hurry," said Hikaru. "The trial should have started already. Shoot, it would have been so much easier to nab them during the transition."

Too late for that. Along with a lot of other things.

"We'll go back to see if my companions are still at the tavern," said Kanae. She didn't trust Itsumi enough to let her out of sight. For all Kanae knew, she would change her mind again. "If they're not there, we'll head for the trial and hope they figured it out themselves."

"And then what?" said Itsumi. "How do you plan to save Kyoko and-" her lips curled in disgust. "The Accursed."

"That," said Kanae, starting to walk back to the tavern. "Will depend on how far you're willing to go, Duchess."

The others followed her, running through the abandoned streets.

Thanks for reading!

Honestly, I NEVER imagined pairing Hikaru and Itsumi together when I started this story, but it sort of turned out that way and I really like it. Let me know if you like it as well or hate the idea because I'm curious. I think she's the first polarizing character I've managed to make.

Next chapter: In two weeks

Thanks again for reading!

-Blushweaver

Ohh pick me! I HATE the pairing! Some of Kanae's more scathing insults were of my making. Hikaru deserves a nice girl that isn't such a brat. Like "Oh I love you even though I don't know you, and now you need to love me too because I'm a Dutches, and I got you out of jail when you didn't ask me to." Like sure he's a catch, but give the man a moment to get to know you too. Geez.

Anywho, hope you enjoyed it!

-Imouto