Shirayuki grunted as the ropes wound around her wrists were tightened, the red head couldn't believe what she had walked into upon returning to Wistal palace.

"I can't believe Obi would turn on us like that." States Shirayuki sadly, lip pouting and eyes downcast, herbalist and aid walking side by side through the palace gates "And there's still no sign of Zen."

Mitsuhide ground his teeth, pulse pounding "When I get my hands on who ever took Zen, I'm gonna kill them!"

"I hope he's ok, I know Zen is strong and has been trained for this sort of thing, but I'm still worried."

Mitsuhide sighs as the man moves to comfort the girl "I'm sure Zen is just fine, who ever took him doesn't know who they're dealing with."

Shirayuki gives a small smile, she knew Mitsuhide was just as worried for the missing prince "We should re-group with Kiki, see if she's found anything."

Mitsuhide didn't seem to have heard though, his head was raised upwards, eyes narrowed, jaw held tight "Somethings not right"

"What?" Exclaimed the young herbalist "I guess it's strange there's no guards, but I figured everyone would be out searching for Zen."

Mitsuhide's eyes widen, hand now grasping the hilt of his sword "Shirayuki, I need you to get someplace safe."

The redhead scowls "I'm not leaving you alone, Mitsuhide. I've already lost Zen, I can't lose you too."

"Shirayuki, it's not safe here, look I think that someone kidnapped Zen to lure everyone away from the castle, which means they're still here."

"And they know where Zen is!" Without wasting another moment, Shirayuki bolts to the palace doors, opening said entrance "Where is Zen?"

Sitting on the throne, knife in hand was a man Shirayuki had hoped to never see again, black eyes and medium length brown hair held in a low pony tail, long red scarf and tan brown tunic attire "Long time no see, Shirayuki"

"What have you done with Zen, Mihaya?" Demands Shirayuki, this is the man who'd imprisoned and planned to sell her.

The brunette smiled in triumph "I wouldn't worry so much about the little Prince, you're never going to see him again."

Shirayuki struggles in the knots, she hadn't been able to fight being manhandled and bound "Where is he? You want me right? So take me, sell me, whatever! Just let Zen go."

Mihaya tisks "No can do, ya see they weren't interested in purchasing you, all they wanted was Zen Wistaria."

Shirayuki's eyes shoot open, body frozen in shock "You ... You sold him? To who?"

"You know I really thought that you were the gold mine with your rare hair and all." Claims Mihaya as the man moves to sit back on the throne "So, imagine my surprise when I'm offered triple what I was asking for you if I got my hands on the second Prince!"

Shirayuki growls in anger, arms tugging at the confining ropes "How could you? What gives you the right to take someone from their home and sell them for your own profit?"

Mihaya laughs "Why shouldn't I earn money using any means? Your precious Zen was my ticket, do you know how much I got for him?"

"You're a monster!" Berated the young hostage "Where did Atri take Zen? I know he was spying and hypnotized Mitsuhide"

Mihaya's eyes widen for a split second before leveling once more with the man's smirk "So you know about Atri? That idiot wanted revenge, I figured why not let him have it? I get the money and he takes care and delivers Zen."

"Atri's going to kill Zen, not deliver him!" Tears of anger and frustration cascade down the pink cheeks, head swiveling with fury "Who paid you to do this? And why Zen? Please, you wanted me before and I'll gladly hand myself over, but only if you free Zen!"

Mihaya places a finger to his chin in mock thought "I may take you up on that, but as for Zen? Your little Prince has already been bought."

"No! Contact the buyer, tell them you have something better!" Shirayuki screamed "Take me in Zen's place!"

"You really do love him don't you?" Laughs Mihaya "Zen is gone and he's never coming back, accept it."

Shirayuki turns to glare at the young man "I'll never accept that, I won't give up on Zen! I'll search the entire world for him!"

"You can search all you want girl, but you'll never find the Prince." Mihaya walks from the chair to squat beside the prone form of Shirayuki "Atri and I made sure that where Zen's going, no one will find him."

"Why are you doing this to him? Zen didn't do anything to you!" Cries Shirayuki

Mihaya smiles as he takes hold of the herbalists chin "You're absolutely right, Zen Wistaria did nothing to me, didn't even press charges against me, but that's what made this so fun!"

Shirayuki grunts as the grip around her jaw tightened "The second Prince, the heir this kingdom deserves. Zen, with his hair white as snow, eyes blue as the seas, heart pure of gold ... Don't you see, Shirayuki? It had to be him! The Prince is by far the rarest of treasures, the fairest in the land."

"Your damned right about that" Declares a new voice to the fray, Mihaya whisking around just in time for the harsh tip of a sword to level at his pulsing neck.

Mihaya tuts "Mitsuhide! I've been wondering when you planned to show, I really must thank you for your help. I couldn't have captured Zen without ya."

Mitsuhide leans the sword forwards, tip now drawing drops of blood "Contact your buyer, tell them that the deal is off."

"And why would I do that? I've finally gotten all my riches back! There's no way I'm giving it up. As I told the girl, the Prince is long gone."

"So long as I'm alive, the search for Zen will never stop. We will find him and the moment we do, I'll execute you on the spot." Growls Mitsuhide

"A charming threat and all, but don't you need me? I'll never break, but I am your last hope of ever seeing the little Prince ever again." Laughs Mihaya

At this, Mitsuhide gives a dry chuckle of his own "You think I need you?" The man's tone of voice sending a shiver up Shirayuki's back "You and Atri used me against my best friend and charge! All so you could get a measly bag of coins?"

Mihaya for the first time stutters on his next words "If anything happens or has already happened to Zen, I promise you that I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

Mihaya's bottom lip trembles, much like the first time he'd met the Prince, he was at a loss. Prompting Mitsuhide to continue, the man pushing the swords tip deeper into the bloody neck.

"I'm going to ask you one last time, where is Zen Wistaria?"

If looks could kill, the glare alone would have finished the job then and there, but if he's going out, Zen's location is going with him. "Prince ... Zen is ... Gone"

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Questions a new voice as the palace doors closed, only this time all three heads swirl "I could have sworn I heard you saying someone was gone? That wouldn't happen to be this missing Prince, would it?"

Obi moves into the light, revealing the still out cold Master upon his back, reveling in the happiness now shining from Shirayuki and pure relief from Mitsuhide.

"Zen!" Declared Shirayuki, fight to escape her binds returning ten fold at the sight "Obi, is he ok?"

Obi turns to his Master, hand swiping through the white locks "He's not as warm as before, still has a small fever. But in your care, little miss, he'll be just fine."

"Zen!" Screams Mitsuhide, the man dropping his clattering sword to the ground, legs rushing towards the pair, taking in the Prince's state "What did they do to you?"

Mihaya's eyes widen in fear "No, no! Zen's supposed to be in his buyers hands!"

Obi dry laughs as he lowers Zen into Mitsuhide's waiting arms "Your plan would have worked if Atri hadn't waited for me. If you'd properly done your research, you'd have known he and I go way back."

Mihaya shakes his head in anger "Damn that fool!" Knuckles tightened, nails digging into the soft palms "If you want a job done right, do it yourself."

"Don't you dare touch Zen!" States the still bound redhead in fury.

"I won't let you touch Master, you nor any of your kind will ever lay a hand on the Prince."

"Any of our kind? Last I checked, Obi, that group includes you!" Mocks Mihaya "You've grown weak in your time away."

Obi snickers as he takes a few more steps closer "What you see as weakness, I view as strength. These people have become like a family, that Prince you greedily sold? He's my Master, I will do everything in my power to protect him. If that means I sever all ties to the Underworld, then so be it."

Mihaya couldn't keep himself from laughing "You think it'll be that easy? There's no getting out from them! And they'll keep coming for you, especially now that everyone knows your weakness." Dark gaze turning to Zen.

"Your precious little Prince's days are numbered, we can get to him at anytime. You can run and hide, but we'll always find you, Obi."

Swiftly the archer tosses a small dagger into the air, blade poised and heading straight for its target, Mihaya simply ducks out of the way of its trajectory "Hit a nerve there did I? Face it Obi, you'll never be able to protect him or anyone you care about for that matter."

The dark haired male lowers his head before a smile graced his facial features, causing his opponent to become confused "Why do you find that so funny?"

Obi wipes at his mouth, eyes dancing as they peer into Mihaya "You really want an answer to that?"

Mihaya gulps, but stands proudly straight "Doesn't matter to me if you answer or not, you still lost and you'll always lose. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, those you love will be taken from you, starting with the Prince."

At those words, Obi's smile falters, the calm that had once been had now seemingly dissolved "You'll never get the chance to hurt any of them, especially my Master, ever again."

Mihaya's victory was cut short by the burst of white hot pain now radiating from the side of his neck, crimson blood gushing from the fresh wound. The assailant falls to his knees, hands attempting to seal the deep cut with pressure, words unable to gurgle forth as he slowly begins to choke.

Obi snickers "You were far too quick to assume that my attack had missed its mark."

Mihaya's eyes widen as the previous events flashed through his mind, that blade had missed, he ducked out of the way! How could he have been struck and not felt a thing?

Obi digs into his pockets, revealing a small green vial "I coat all my blades in a numbing toxin the little miss created."

The man now walking forwards, hands unwinding the ropes that bound a perplexed Shirayuki "My Master most likely won't be happy to discover you and Atri are both dead, by my hand no less."

The archer pushes the redhead in Mitsuhide's and Zen's direction "Take the Master to the infirmary, little miss."

Shirayuki's breath caught in her throat, she could tell by the look in her friends eyes there would be no way of talking him down "But I can't just leave you here like that, not alone or-"

"Trust in me, little miss." States Obi "The Master has a fever, he needs your full attention, not me. Don't worry that pretty head of yours for the likes of this man, not when your Prince awaits."

Mitsuhide bundles Zen into his arms, allowing Shirayuki to assess the Prince's condition as the two make haste "Do whatever needs to be done, Obi."

The palace door vibrates shut as Mihaya's strength leaves as the man bleeds out, head rolling and eyes unable to focus, he didn't even see the hit coming, nor notice the sharp pinch in his cheek until Obi already stood before him, arrow poised and ready to fire.

"Before you bleed to death due to your own selfishness, I want to know who your buyer was." Obi deliberately forces the tip to dig into Mihaya's flesh "And with your last breath, I'm going to make you tell me."

...

"Lay Zen down on the bed," Declares the herbalist once the trio enter the sick bay of the castle, the redhead roaming the room, grabbing plants and salves.

"What can I help with?" Asks a nervous Mitsuhide

Shirayuki promptly hands the aid bandages and the ointment "Zen's wrists are bleeding and badly chafed."

Mitsuhide nods as he takes the offered items, the man hunkering down to the Prince's side, taking in his friends harshly rubbed raw skin. He couldn't help but wince as even in sleep, Zen groaned from the pain of his wounds being cleaned.

"His forehead is still pretty warm, but it's nothing to worry about. I'll give him a few herbs."

Mitsuhide smiled "Thank you, Shirayuki."

"I'll always take care of Zen." States the redhead as she starts grinding some leaves into a small bowl "I'm just glad he's safe, I really thought I might never see him again."

Shirayuki's hands start to shake, tears pooling in her green eyes as her gaze roams to the Prince. "I ... I can't imagine living without him."

Mitsuhide smiles "Neither can I,"

Outside the infirmaries door, stood Obi. The man deeply in thought from the news he'd just been told.

"The buyers name is Umihebi, she's the leader of The Claw of the Sea. There were plenty of other interested parties, but she's the one who offered the most gold!"

The pirate didn't worry him, Obi highly doubted she'd come after the master. No what did cause concern was the other unnamed parties involved.

Anyone and everyone could be out to get the kingdoms youngest and that's something he refuses to allow. He'd entertained the idea of going on the run with the master, hiding away in a cottage from the great evil.

But scrapped that thought within seconds, master would never agree to it. One thing was certain, he couldn't breathe a word of this information.

No one must know, only he and he alone. He would protect the future king of Clarines or die trying.

Sorry, this took so long! I was suffering from major writers block. I debated ending it last chapter, but it just wouldn't be the anime if Shirayuki wasn't held hostage. Hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it!