Chapter 8:

Returning home had never been this exciting. Yakumo smiled the whole way back from school as if she was going to an amusement park. She was now included in Harima's manga as a character and no awkward situation could dampen her excitement.

Her encounters with Eri usually gave her a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness. She didn't view them as some sort of duel between the two; but this moment, she felt a sense of victory. It was plain childish and silly but Eri always involuntarily started it. The blonde would leave witty remarks and make sarcastic comments in order to attack her and didn't even bother to hide it.

Of course, Yakumo wouldn't stoop to her level, and would do everything to prevent it from escalating it further.

Except for that one time when she slapped her… Though Eri really deserved it since it involved the people Yakumo loved.

Harima wasn't with them on their walk back home but his compliment lingered on in her mind. If he would fight for her, then she wouldn't mind being mocked or glared at with sharp eyes. The thought made her blush and smile.

Sarah didn't miss all the subtle clues Yakumo was showing left and right. The red-eyed girl had her gaze directed straight ahead instead of bowing her head slightly down. She usually hid her blush with a bow but now she looked proud of it. It seemed she was starting to be more open with her feelings now. Yakumo used to always doubt if her feelings were genuine and thus always masked them with vague expressions and answers. Seeing her this upbeat and confident made the nun smirk a little.

She hadn't wanted to involve herself in their stare-down. It was their business, after all. What she could do was to make sure it didn't go too far. Eri seemed she was always game with this challenge so it was up to Sarah to give support to her best friend whenever the heiress made her feel down. Yakumo and Eri had never been like this until Harima had entered the picture.

It was alarming to learn that the friction between the two had once managed to result in a somewhat gritty showdown.

Eri was berating Tenma for being weak and pathetic – trying to garner her forgiveness for whatever Tenma had done to her. Tenma didn't even know why Eri was so mad at her, yet she did all she could to please her - even staying outside Eri's house all night in the dead of winter. After all that, Eri still acted superior and unapologetic. There was not a hint of sympathy in her words.

Seeing her sister being put down when all fault lied with Eri, fury overwhelmed the younger Tsukamoto and she suddenly slapped Eri without any warning whatsoever. She couldn't forgive the way Eri had treated Tenma and had left without an apology – even if she was really sorry to the point she had cried in remorse for her action.

When Yakumo had told her she had slapped Eri, Sarah was surprised that she would do such a thing, but never showed a reaction. Sarah had always seen Yakumo as the more mature of the two even if Eri was older. But for her to do such an uncharacteristic thing, she understood Eri must have really ticked Yakumo off and then all diplomacy and reasoning flew out the window.

Fortunately, Eri didn't fight back and the issue eventually died down. It had mostly been about Tenma, and the two classmates reconciled a day later. Yakumo and Eri didn't dwell on the matter afterwards and had made an uneasy truce about it. But if a future scenario were to involve Harima, that would be a totally different ballgame. The blonde wouldn't simply back down and leave without a fight. Eri would pull out all the stops and declare war right then and there. Sarah knew Yakumo would be at a disadvantage if it ever came to that, given her pacifist nature, but hopefully such an event would never happen.

Sarah wished she could tell Harima about this but that would be intruding on matters that didn't concern her. For all she knew, it could spark a flame that becomes uncontrollable. The man in the middle wasn't aware the two had been fighting for his heart all this time. If she told him, Harima would not only be aware Yakumo liked him but Eri also. A battle between the two would inevitably start and the one who had blown the whistle would be Sarah. She couldn't afford that. But what she could do was help tip the scales in Yakumo's favor little by little from behind the scenes. As Yakumo's best friend, it was imperative she do this.

She didn't know exactly how Eri and Harima now thought of each other but it was obvious from their conversation earlier that their relationship was still pretty much the same as it had always been - Eri was brash while Harima was dismissive of her. It was a volatile exchange indeed, with the two being almost constantly antagonistic at each other.

His company with Yakumo, on the other hand, was more comfortable and relatively beneficial. It let them both out of their shell: Harima behaving more good-natured while Yakumo became comfortable around a boy even though she used to, and still does, avoid them as much as possible. They complement each other and it brought out the best of them. She couldn't say the same about Eri and Harima though, and that's one reason why she saw Yakumo has an edge over Eri.

Heck, they acted like a couple already with how they treat one another.

With her plans panning out perfectly, Sarah joined in on Yakumo's optimism while they walked. It's just a matter of time.

After finishing the day-to-day necessities like changing clothes and doing homework, Yakumo went to Harima's room to read his manga. Sarah had graciously refused when Yakumo offered to let her read it too. It wasn't her forte, the nun explained, and Harima had only asked Yakumo to read it.

Harima would return late at night whenever he was with Eri, so she could afford to take her time. She sat on a chair and began opening the manila envelope.

When she touched the manuscript, she felt goosebumps for some reason. This time, she was in it, not her sister. Different scenarios flooded her mind as she wondered about this and that. She also handled the papers with great care as if tearing it would cause her to get hurt.

Realizing she was making a fool of herself, she shrugged these unreasonable thoughts away from her mind. It was ridiculous and appalling to see how much excitement was affecting her wellbeing.

With a clear head, she began reading the manuscript.

One year later.

After the defeat of the Dark Lord's army and his powerful Elites, the land had enjoyed an uneasy peace, knowing the Dark Lord himself still lurked in the shadows. But the ravages of his army had left the Kingdom in shambles with no rightful ruler to lead. It was now a mere shadow of its former glory. Its magnificent castles and estates were heaping ruins, now standing as grim monuments of the good times that had flourished under the old regime.

The hero of the war was nowhere to be seen and no one even knew who he was. Many nobles belonging to the Royal Family had recently started being killed or abducted by a mysterious group. No one dared to assume their inherited legacy and went into hiding instead.

The Dark Lord was still a threat but for unknown reasons he didn't terrorize the land like he often had before. His underlings were scattered and, without a leader and a goal, they wandered aimlessly. The citizens thought he was either too weak to return or he was building an army anew, but his absence made the people complacent.

This paved the way for ambitious people to take control of over what was left. Numerous factions and fiefdoms arose across the land.

Without an all-encompassing threat, the citizens took sides and started fighting one another. With so many who wanted control, the faction leaders fought one another, clashing when there was even the smallest discord in their views. Some said they were the rightful inheritors of the Throne while others said the time of the Nobles had come to an end. Leaders began aggressive and charismatic campaigns to win the support of the people, until citizens were each entirely devoted to only one party; making enemies out of all the others.

The land was divided and was once again thrown into turmoil.

Thus the story begins...

Yakumo was impressed by how Harima had used a time-skip to tie the two stories. Adding politics to the setting while still keeping it believable was even more impressive.

The Hero of the War, the Saviour of the Kingdom, was out of money. Knight Hario had lost everything, other than his prized sword and the armor he wore. When he returned home after the final battle, he had found his simple house burned to a crisp. There was a note saying this was an act of last-ditch revenge for destroying their army. All his battle enchantments and his tomes had also been destroyed during the war and thus he needed to start again.

Despite all that had happened, he didn't consider his quest to be over yet. The princess had vanished without a trace after the battle. He was the one who had saved the land, but he didn't want the prestige that came along with it. His quest was still incomplete and it didn't feel right for him to accept it prematurely.

Being penniless, however, was one thing he didn't expect. So, he drifted from village to village, finding odd jobs to pay for food and board while he tried to find any clues to the princess' whereabouts. What was strange was that no one recognized him. The decisive battle had been quickly forgotten by its citizens and some said the hero had died during the battle along with the Dark Lord. Some took it further and said he was just a myth.

For him though, the hero really had died. He had been so close to saving the princess, only for her to be snatched away from him at the last second. He was no hero if he couldn't even rescue her. Actually, there never was a hero in his mind to begin with.

One day as he was walking through a forest, he saw someone whose appearance immediately put him on his guard. From a distance, he saw they were wearing a wide-brimmed purple, pointed hat that hid their face and held a curled staff on their lap. The person was sitting on a log, not moving as if asleep. Not wasting the chance, he readied himself, pulling his sword out of its scabbard. It was another underling of the Dark Lord. He had fought many just like them before, warlocks and witches that used crafty magic and deceiving illusions.

He had been made to look like a foolish jester by their foul magic before and he didn't want that to happen to him again. One example was when he battled the "Rose Witch". It had been a tricky fight since he had to defeat her without using the one magical sword that could harm her. Damn that cursed riddle – whatever it had been.

With the memories so fresh and not wanting to give his opponent the chance to make the first move, he dashed to quickly attack his enemy while they were still prone and defenseless.

Yakumo stopped reading. What was Harima doing? Does he intend to kill me in my first appearance? She then returned to the manga.

Hario moved to slash his sword horizontally, intending to cut his unaware enemy into two pieces. Suddenly, his foe raised their staff and stopped his sword's momentum dead in its tracks. At closer quarters now, Hario could see his enemy's face. He was surprised to discover that his enemy still had their eyes closed as if they had been sleeping even as they defended themself.

Also, "they" turned out to be a "she".

Hario leaped a distance away from her, his expression wary. It was very strange indeed that not only had she blocked a surprise attack from the famed Knight Hario, she had done it while still having her eyes closed. This enemy was stronger than he had anticipated and he assumed his fighting stance.

The noise from his earlier attack had woken the witch and she now stood up. She raised a hand to her wide-brimmed hat, tipping it up. Hario saw two red eyes staring back at him. They were sharp but didn't have the malice he usually found with the other witches he had fought before. Her eyes were cat-like and striking. He even thought they were quite beautiful.

Umm... Yakumo blushed. Did he just say my eyes are beautiful?

Shrugging this off as one of the witch's enticing illusions, Hario braced himself and dashed forward again. He performed a forward stab but the witch deflected his sword with her staff. Dumbfounded that his attack had been stopped twice in a row, he attacked again and again in quick succession, hoping that at least one of his attacks would land. But the witch simply deflected each and every one of them.

They were at a stalemate, none of his attacks were getting through while the witch just defended. Hario leaped away as his strategy wasn't being productive. He wondered why his enemy didn't fight back. He left so many exposed openings, like the one after his second swing, but she didn't exploit them to counterattack and instead waited to deflect his next attack.

He assumed a defensive stance. Witches were capable of attacking from a distance and he prepared himself for it. The ground suddenly shook violently. He thought a spell had been cast but to his surprise, the witch staggered too.

It wasn't her, then.

The rumbling grew. Hario realized they were heavy footsteps and turned in their direction. There was a huge ogre running towards them at surprising speed, clutching a huge spiked mace.

Tsk. Another enemy.

Yakumo looked at the drawing of the ogre. She felt she had seen him before. It was a hulking bald man with sunken eyes and sparse eyebrows. Was it in school?

This may be ogre territory, Hario lamented. The hulking giants were very territorial of their land. A single step inside was usually rewarded by a swing of a spiked club to the face. It had been a long time since he had fought one.

He readied himself again but another unexpected thing occurred - the ogre went to the witch and brought its huge club down. The witch could not deflect this kind of weapon so she leaped away nimbly. The earth cracked and left a hole in the ground from the club's impact, puffs of dust rising to the air in the process.

When the dust finally settled, Hario noticed the ogre was now looking at him. The enraged ogre attacked, swinging its club with reckless abandon. Hario, too, could not guard against such an attack and so he continually dashed out of the way of the ogre's swings. The surroundings became blurry with all the dust floating in the air.

While blindly dashing around, he suddenly bumped into something. It was the witch! Both of them looked at one another with wide eyes.

Before Hario could react, the ogre began bringing its massive club down on the both of them.

Without thinking, Hario pushed the witch away while he darted in the opposite direction. He used his momentum to roll a safe distance away. Taking stock of his surroundings, Hario felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. The ogre's previous attack had somehow hit him.

Clutching his wounded shoulder, the knight thought of his situation. What a day he was having now. The nerve of the ogre to hurt the one and only Knight Hario!

He took a deep breath and gripped his sword tightly. He needed to finish this quickly. The witch was still out there and he couldn't afford to tire himself in this first round. He needed an opening.

Before the dust settled again, the big ogre exploded out of it and began running towards the knight. Surprised at its sudden burst of speed, Hario tried to move but he winced audibly. He was hurt more than he thought and he found himself unable to dodge in time.

Cringing at the sight of the impending club swinging towards him, a bright flash suddenly shone from behind Hario and it blinded the ogre. It staggered back, dropping its club and clutching its eyes.

With this sudden turn of events, Hario looked for the source of the light and saw the witch had her staff raised in the ogre's direction. She had given him the opening he needed. Not heeding his wound and clutching his sword tighter, he strode forward to do his signature move: Hurricane Slash. It was a series of quick horizontal and vertical slashes that ended with a very dramatic forward thrust.

After a wide arcing slash that blew several blades of grass in the air, the ogre fell loudly to the ground as puffs of dust rose. Hario stood still for several seconds, relishing his old move. It had been a long time since he had done it.

The constant contorting of his body had opened the wound beyond his liking. He could feel blood dripping down his arm and hand. He was starting to grow lightheaded when he noticed a gentle green glow from his left and he glanced at it. There at his side was the witch, her arms outstretched and palms glowing over his wounded shoulder.

He thought of running away but he couldn't even manage to utter words of shock due to nausea and blood loss so he stood helplessly. He stared at the witch; there was an expression of concern on her face. No proud smirk or menacing grin like most villains he had fought before. She wasn't bragging or even saying anything before she finally took him out of his misery.

After a few seconds, however, he could feel his pain slowly subsiding like his wound was being healed. He grew calm, sleepy even, and his fatigue from battle ebbed away. Confusion crossed his features as he doubted what he was seeing.

The green glow vanished after a few minutes and the witch took a step back, looking quite pleased but slightly strained for her efforts. The knight flexed his shoulder this way and that. It felt like he hadn't been injured at all. What was happening?

Yakumo blinked. That was quite a battle.

After their ordeal, the two finally conversed with one another for the first time. The witch's name was "Ya'mo" and she told him she wasn't a witch but a mage. Hario then made an absent remark about why she was wearing a witch's attire if she didn't like to be taken as one. He caught himself and apologized for his joke, and apologized even further for his deadly faux pas earlier. It felt right for him to say sorry first before introducing himself.

Still mortified that he might have hurt an innocent person, he explained he didn't have good experiences with witches and so he attacked first.

For her part, Ya'mo thought Hario was another one of the Dark Lord's henchmen sent to kill her. She quickly realized this wasn't the case when she noticed the knight didn't have an awful aura around him like she usually saw in the assassins so she only deflected his attacks. Her intuition was proven right when Hario later pushed her out of harm's way and he instead was hit.

With grievances aside, the two told each other their stories. Ya'mo was more reserved so Hario had to barter his secrets for hers. Upon his mention of Princess Ten Ten, Ya'mo suddenly perked up in interest. As it turned out, they had the same goal. But Hario, wary of her interest in the princess, wanted proof for why she was looking for her. There were rumors circulating that nobles were being killed or abducted. It paid to be cautious in this day and age.

This finally made Ya'mo give up her valued secret. Princess Ten Ten was her older sister and she was searching for her. The recent news of nobles being culled had alarmed her and caused her to go out of hiding to save her beloved sister. There was a mellow expression in her face and tone that gave Hario the impression she was telling the truth. She wouldn't lie using something so outrageous. He was actually surprised Princess Ten Ten had a little sister, wondering why it wasn't well known. The two looked quite similar in some ways when he compared them in his head.

Acquainted with one another, Hario decided they should band together. It would be easier to accomplish their goal if they work together. The world was a dark and terrible place for a lone adventurer. Besides, they made a very good team with how well they worked together back there. Furthermore, if she was a relative of Princess Ten Ten then it was his responsibility to keep her safe. It was imperative for him as a knight of his standings.

Yakumo noted her character needed to blush on this scene. One may never know… maybe Harima would get the hint.

They walked together, side by side, starting another journey. As they walked down the dirt road, Hario, curious, asked Ya'mo how she blocked his first attack when she was sleeping. Pulling down the purple scarf from her face, she gave him a perplexed look as if Hario was inventing stories.

End of Chapter 1

Yakumo put the manuscript down. That was really good and it far exceeded her expectations. She once thought her character would simply spring out of nowhere, explain her story, and then join the main character. Creating a tiff out of their first meeting was commendable. It occurred to her the two wouldn't suddenly bump in a street and talk with one other. They needed to break the ice (a deadly ice, in fact) to settle their differences. Harima was much better at creating the foundation than her to be honest. She had simply given him the overall structure of the story and he polished it. They really worked well together.

It was such a big relief to see that the ghost had been nowhere in sight in the story. If Yakumo had seen her in a single panel, she would have immediately burnt the page and washed her hands with holy water, being scolded by Harima or Sarah be damned.

Maybe Harima didn't include any characters he drew that night for her sake. She didn't recognize any in the manuscript. He might have thought the sketches he showed to her had made her faint and opted not to use them anymore. Or maybe, he simply didn't want to and it was reserved for the next chapters.

Whatever the case, Yakumo was really grateful for now. Harima had so many surprising good qualities that she had lost count of how many.

Going back to the task at hand, she needed to think of her feedback. There were some questionable points in the chapter. What was Ya'mo doing in a forest alone? Why did the ogre attack only when Hario appeared? It was very convenient and looked forced. Was it just a coincidence?

Also, the unanswered question at the end of the chapter piqued her interest. How did Ya'mo deflect the attack if she was sleeping? It was quite absurd and it gave her character a shroud of mystery. And it was unusual how capable her character was in close combat with how she defended herself. She was a spellcaster and they were usually weak in that category.

Of course, those were intended as hanging questions for readers to look forward to the next chapter. She herself was caught in it already.

Cataloging her questions in her mind for now, Yakumo grabbed a brush and started inking the layouts that were good already. She personally enjoyed inking her own character. It was strange and uplifting at the same time. So, that's why Harima chose to base the main character on himself. It gave him a chance to see himself in another world. A "what-if" scenario if he lived in a different era. She smiled at the thought that even in that alternate reality, she was with him.

Harima also thought her eyes were beautiful and so she started inking that part first.

Author's Corner: Harima's manga isn't a violent one. A slash to an enemy was like being hit by a blunt object or it was simply toned down to appeal to younger readers. Now that I got it out of the way, a derp moment for me. I really thought 'Harima' was his first name. All these years I've been misled by this tiny misconception.

Well, reviews are always appreciated and see you in the next chapter!