A/N: Sorry it's a bit late! This chapter is a bit of a monster with how many things got jam-packed into it! I also had a severe attack of the 'lazies' on the weekend and decided to give in to the urge to be a lazy vegetable. BUT...it's finally happening guys! The long-fated-awaited meeting of the two clan leaders! Thanks so much to all those who have stuck with me during all this character development. Sorry for the literary/plot blue balls I have forced upon you. I shall give thee all sweet release now!

Sara stood up and straightened her back, stretching her arms high above her head before rubbing her wrists and shaking her legs out.

"Mmm, it feels so good not to be hog-tied."

Minako stood nearby with her arms crossed, chuckling as she watched the young assassin get the blood flowing again in her limbs.

"I apologize for your discomfort, but you must understand that we wanted to avoid a violent reaction once you regained consciousness. The best way to ensure that was to have you fully restrained."

Sara nodded as she pulled each arm across her chest, relishing the stretch.

"I understand. I do not hold any ill will toward you. You have been nothing but reasonable and cordial toward me."

Minako saw the young assassin staring down at her hips, spotting her own weapon belt resting there."

"Ah, sorry…I must hold onto all your weapons until we are granted an audience with the Emperor. It's nothing personal, just standard safety measures."

Sara stared longingly at her weapons, but acquiesced to the reasoning behind it.

"Ms. Okukawa, I must tell you something very important."

"Yes Miss Crispino, what is it?"

"I have a twin brother named Michele. He is very protective of me. He is either probably outside the encampment right now or has been to the area already. He is not the most….rational…person when it comes to anything related to me, especially if he perceives that I am in danger."

"Hmmm, I see. Thank you for informing me of this. There were signs of an intruder earlier on, but they'd vacated the area before we were able to sight them. I must go and inform the Emperor of this new development."

Minako turned to leave, but stopped to look over her shoulder.

"Are you hungry? I can have a meal sent in if you wish."

Sara opened her mouth to answer, but her stomach beat her to it, growling loudly at the mention of food.

Minako winked at the young assassin. I'll notify a servant, please wait here. That means no sneaking around, understood? There are guards stationed just outside the tent."

Sara nodded and sat down, made herself comfortable on a pile of cushions, and waited.

…

Emperor Katsuki accepted a pitcher from an attendant and poured a milky-looking liquid out of it into a ceramic cup before setting it in front of the young Squire.

"Drink. This will help calm the fire in your mouth."

The young Squire sat back up and eyed the cup and its contents suspiciously.

"What the f-…ah…what is it, Sir?"

"It's called amazake. It's basically fermented rice with water."

The Emperor purposely left out the part about the koji mold. Sometimes it was best to enjoy food without knowing everything that went into making it. The young man picked the cup up and sniffed cautiously at it, wrinkling his nose a bit at the strong smell.

"You drink rice as well as eat it? Wow, your people must really like rice."

The Emperor laughed heartily at the young man's comment. "Your frankness and sense of wonder are truly refreshing. I never realized how much rice plays a part in our culinary history. But you are right, I guess we really do love our rice."

"So what does the ah-mah-zah-key stuff taste like? You said it's fermented right? I can't drink alcohol yet, I'm too young."

"It's not alcoholic, I assure you. It's creamy, sweet and quite refreshing. I do however, suggest that you take a small sip at first, to see if is to your taste or not."

The Emperor's eyes twinkled with laughter as the young man across from him blushed fiercely and looked away, mumbling under his breath. He then took a deep breath and brought the cup to his lips, taking a small and tentative sip of the liquid in the cup. His eyes widened with shock and he brought the cup to his lips once more, taking a bigger sip of the milky white refreshment.

"Oh my god, this is amazing! Who knew that rice water could taste so…good!"

The Emperor gestured to the pitcher with a graceful sweeping gesture.

"Please have as much as you'd like."

A guard from the tent's entrance suddenly spoke, announcing the arrival of a guest.

Denotes Iaponica speech /"…"/

/"Okukawa Minako San has arrived with urgent news, Your Greatness."/

/"Send her in, please."/

Minako arrived at the Emperor's side and bowed deeply toward him before eyeing the young golden-haired boy also sitting at the table. At the sight of the warrior woman, Squire Plisetsky sat up a bit straighter and unconsciously brought a hand to defensively cover his man parts.

/"I see he has managed to survive his meal with you. Impressive."/

/"He has kept me far too entertained to hold any ill will toward him. I haven't laughed this hard in ages."/

/"I expect a full report later, Your Majesty."/

The Emperor laughed.

/"You shall have it. Now, what news has brought you to me Minako San?"/

/"We captured an assassin from the Ice Dragon Magic Clan snooping around the encampment earlier and captured her without incident. She was discovered to be one of the members of the group our golden-haired friend here was with. I do not believe she poses a threat. I believe she was seeking to confirm if he was dead or alive. She must have tracked him to our camp."/

Emperor Katsuki reached for one of the fans tucked into his obi and removed it. He always tapped a closed fan on his chin whenever he was deep in thought.

/"She is being housed in a tent right now, I presume?"/

/"Correct, Your Highness. She has also informed me that she has a somewhat unpredictable and irrational brother currently out looking for her. I believe this is the second disturbance we experienced not too long ago."/

Before the Emperor could speak, the young Squire suddenly lifted off his haunches and pointed at the warrior woman.

"That's Sara's belt! Those are her weapons! Is Sara here? May I see her?"

Minako held up her hands at the young man.

"Yes, she is here and she is safe. We caught her snooping around looking for you earlier and brought her in. The Emperor will decide if you get to see her or not."

Squire Plisetsky looked pleadingly at the Emperor and bowed toward him.

"Please Your Majesty, I really wish to meet with Sara."

Minako raised an eyebrow quizzically at the Emperor.

/"He's being so nice and polite, what the hell did you do to him?"/

The Emperor opened the fan with a slight click of the wrist, hiding the bottom half of his face as he did so. The young squire flinched perceptibly at the sight and sat back down on the cushions.

/"I may have implied that he was going to die. But honestly, I think it was the wasabi that did it."/

Minako was completely baffled. She had no idea what the Emperor was referring to, but was pretty sure she's drag it out him later.

/"I…see."/

The Emperor chuckled as he closed his fan and put it back in his obi.

"Yes young man, you may see your assassin friend. If you are finished with your meal, a servant will come to take you there."

The young squire downed the rest of his amazake in one gulp and excused himself before standing.

/"Minako San, increase the number of guards around the camp. Something feels…strange. My magic seems to be reaching out and resonating with something that is rapidly approaching us. Be on high alert. I have never experienced this before and I am not sure what it is exactly that is heading here. We should be prepared for anything."/

/"As you wish."/

/"I will give the young Squire and the assassin woman thirty minutes to reacquaint themselves before heading over there to meet with them personally. Please make the necessary preparations."/

/"Yes, Your Majesty."/

The Shinobi bowed deeply to her Emperor and left the room without making a single sound.

…

A pair of inquisitive green eyes watched silently from the underbrush as King Nikiforov rode by on his horse with General Altin and Lancer Nekola. The little fox's eyes shone like emeralds, tail slightly twitching in anticipation as it remained absolutely silent. I must inform the humans. With one final tail twitch, it turned on its heels and seemed to blend into the foliage, disappearing from sight.

…

At the Ice Dragon Camp, Michele was overseeing its setup. His eyes roved the area incessantly, searching for any opening. Sharp eyes seized upon an opportunity. Once he was sure that everyone was sufficiently occupied, he stepped back into the shadows, blending in seamlessly with them. He was gone in a heartbeat, and by the time they'd realize he was gone, it would already be too late. Not that they would be able to do much about it either. Sara, I'm coming to get you!

…

Mila felt the magic draining from her more quickly than before. She was dangerously pushing her limits, of that she was well aware. If Lilia were here, she would be absolutely appalled. Well, good thing she isn't, then. She fought to keep her exhaustion and wear from the ever-perceptive Fujimoto. She would not allow herself to rest until she delivered the message to the King.

"How long till we make landfall, Fujimoto?"

The royal guard brought the telescope to his eye and scanned the horizon.

"We are making great time, Princess Sama. We should be pulling into our docks in less than an hour. You might want to let your helpers know that the ocean depth near the dock becomes suddenly and drastically shallow. We wouldn't want them harming themselves or becoming beached. Our Lignum Magi can step in and help the guide the ship the rest of the way when we come to that point."

"Thank you for letting me know, Fujimoto."

Mila leaned on the ledge of the boat, crossing her arms so that she could better hide how white her knuckles were. Digging her fingernails into her palm was the only way to keep herself conscious, the pain giving her something to focus on. Two hours of sleep weren't nearly enough to get her rested nor allow her magic to recover. The food had helped a lot but she felt ridiculously weak. I just have to hang in there until Viktor gets the message. I pray to thee, oh elven god Naralis Analor. Heal me just enough and soothe my pain just a bit longer so I may finish my duty.

…

Emperor Katsuki was on his way to the tent currently housing the two Ice Dragons. He wondered if the fates were testing him somehow, suddenly putting all these dragons in his path when no other predecessor had ever made contact. He breathed a heavy sigh. All these distractions were keeping him from the original purpose of his visit; eradicating the demon colony on the island before it became fully established and started to grow. While he was embroiled in a potential diplomatic nightmare, the demons were off gathering strength. He looked up to the heavens and sighed once more. I'm sure the kami must have some greater purpose in mind.

"Emperor Katsuki, please wait!"

The Emperor turned to the source of the voice and saw Yuuko running toward him as fast as she could.

"Yuuko San, are you well? Have you recovered from the young Squire's unwanted contact?"

"Yes Your Majesty, I'm fine. More importantly Sire, I have news from Momiji."

The Emperor turned his body to face the young Hanyou Kitsune and gave her his full attention.

"What news does she have Yuuko San?"

"There are three men currently headed toward our camp. Two on horseback and one on foot. She says they…smell similar to the squire, Your Majesty."

The Emperor brought a hand up to cover his face and groaned.

"Let me guess, more dragons."

Yuuko shot her childhood friend a sympathetic look. He suddenly had a lot on his plate.

"It would appear so, Your Majesty."

"Have we had any news from Minami or Fujimoto? They should have arrived in Occidentis early this morning."

"No Sire, there has been no news. Azami has not made his way back to us."

"I see. I hope that they are well and have not encountered any difficulties."

"I'm sure that they are fine, Your Majesty. They are both highly skilled and quite capable."

The Emperor stepped forward and opened the tent flap to the telltale sound of flesh striking flesh.

*SLAP*

"You selfish, irresponsible, immature brat! How DARE you disobey a direct order and run off on your own!"

The young squire stood speechless in the middle of the tent, his head hung low.

The Emperor and Yuuko shared a knowing look between them and kept their distance as the young assassin carried on.

"You could have gotten yourself killed! In fact, you almost did! Were you incapable of thinking about, or just indifferent to the consequences your actions would set in motion? What would have become of our kingdom had you perished?"

"m…-ry."

"What's that? Speak up! You're quite good at running your mouth, don't tell me your words have suddenly failed you now."

A small and weak voice filled the tent. "I'm…sorry. I'm SO, so sorry."

The young assassin seemed taken aback by the squire's apology. She looked down past the curtain of golden hair hiding his face and saw that tears were flowing freely down onto the floor. She let out a shaky sigh and stepped forward, pulling the young man into a tight embrace. The young squire's arms came up to wrap themselves around the woman's waist and he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder. Heaving sobs wracked his small frame and he trembled in her arms.

"You're one severely lucky little shit, you know that?"

Sara sighed heavily before lowering them both onto the ground. She held the young squire in her lap and stroked his hair.

"The poison must have been really scary and painful, hmm?"

The young squire nodded against her shoulder without looking up. When Sara looked up, she finally noticed that she had company.

"Oh! My deepest apologies, I didn't see you there! I'm sorry you had to see that. Sometimes a little 'tough love' is needed. Especially with knuckleheads like this one."

She brought a hand to his head and gently tapped it with her knuckled fist. The young man pulled himself closer to her and further buried his face in her shoulder.

The man stepped forward.

"Greetings, I am Emperor Katsuki of Orientalis. It is a pleasure to have you with us. I apologize for the circumstances that brought you to us. I hope the meal we've provided has eased your discomfort somewhat."

When Sara moved to stand, the Emperor held up his hand.

"Please, remain as you are. There's no need to stand at this time."

Sara did her best to bow to the Emperor with an armful of squire, and settled for lowering her head as respectfully as she could.

"It's no trouble, Your Majesty. Thank you for your hospitality, I have felt very welcome here. Thank you also for saving Squire Plisetsky's life. We are forever indebted to your kindness."

When she looked up again, she noticed a woman standing next to the man.

"Hello, I'm Sara Crispino." Something twitched behind the woman, distracting her briefly. "It's nice to meet…," two somethings twitched on top of the woman's head. Sara's eyes darted back and forth as she took in what her brain was telling her wasn't possible. Holy shit! She has fox ears and a tail! Keep it together Sara, breathe, don't gawk, say something! Sara cleared her throat and smiled her most dazzling smile.

"Nice to meet you! Oh-my-god-you're-the-most-beautiful-thing-I've-ever-seen!"

Sara winced inwardly. Smooth Sara, really smooth.

The fox woman giggled, making an adorable musical sound as the laughter escaped her parted lips. Sara's eyes grew wide at the sound. Oh-my-god-she's-too-fucking-adorable.

"Hi, I'm Yuuko Nishigori. I'm a Hanyou Kitsune; half-fox, half-human hybrid. Nice to meet you too, Sara Crispino. Thank you for the compliment! You're very kind."

Emperor Katsuki did his best to hide his amusement as he addressed the young assassin.

"Miss Crispino, I'm sorry to make demands of you during this emotional time, but we have been informed that there are three more Ice Dragons approaching the camp."

Sara was visibly startled by this and even the young squire lifted his head to stare at them in shock with his red puffy eyes and even redder hand print on his face.

"Do you have a description of them by any chance? May I speak to the witness?"

Yuuko's tail swished around as she looked to be embarrassed about something.

"Ah…the witness…she's…only I can understand what she says."

Sara nodded.

"No problem. I can just ask the questions and you can pass the answers on to me."

Yuuko smiled a secretive smile.

"Ok then! Momiji, you can come in now."

Sara's eyes were looking up, expecting to see a human or some sort of humanoid step into the tent. She was NOT expecting to see the cutest and most adorable oh-my-god-it-looks-so-damn-soft fox kit ever walk in instead. I am going to have a heart attack before this day is over. She tried not to gape shamelessly at them, but failed miserably. Yuuko smiled and tried to prompt her gently.

"Um, what question would you like to ask?"

Sara shook her head to clear her mind.

"Yes, of course. Ah…Momiji is it? Could you tell me more about the horses you saw? What color were they?"

The little kit barked its answers at Yuuko and Sara could have literally died from the cuteness of it all. If I DO have a heart attack…I can die happy knowing that the cause of death was cuteness overload. I can be at peace with that.

"She says one horse was quite beautiful, shiny silver hair and black tail and mane. The other horse was very, very big and black."

Sara and the young squire shared a look of apprehension.

The Emperor was suddenly very much on edge.

"What is it? Who do those horses belong to?"

Sara tried and failed to swallow the growing lump in her throat.

"Those horses could only belong to two very specific people; King Nikiforov and his General Otabek Altin. It would appear Your Majesty, that the King of the Ice Dragons is on his way to personally greet you."

…

Mila had thanked her ocean friends for their assistance and had directed them to shoal of tasty fish nearby. The Orientalis Lignum Magi had taken over as promised and had promptly guided the ship smoothly onto the dock. Legs a bit wobbly from being on the sea for so long, Mila stumbled forward, but was thankfully caught by a very attentive Minami, who happened to the closest one to her at the time.

"Don't worry Princess Sama, Minami is here to catch you!"

Mila had to giggle at the cute way Minami always spoke about himself in the third person. That must be an Orientalis thing.

"Thank you, Minami. You're so dependable!"

Minami blushed fiercely at the compliment and had to excuse himself from her presence before he said or did something embarrassing. Fujimoto unloaded the Emperor's horse and motioned for her to get on. Too tired to complain, Mila simply smiled and thanked the man for his considerate gesture. A loud screech from above brought everyone's attention to Azami, who was flying overhead, waiting for a command. Minami waved up at him and whistled.

"Go ahead Azami! Fly home to your master!"

The majestic bird took off in the direction of the camp and pretty soon disappeared into the horizon. Mila introduced herself to Fujimoto's horse, and the horse in turn introduced herself as Shirayuki. She made sure to let Mila know that she was in fact, the Emperor's best horse and was simply on loan to Minami. Mila laughed as she scratched behind the horse's ears. She's very proud of her position this one. It must be quite an honor to be the Emperor's best horse. She kindly asked Shirayuki to take her to her Emperor as quickly as her legs could comfortably carry her. It was very important and they had to hurry. The horse whinnied her agreement and they were soon off on a gallop. Fujimoto and Minami ran along beside her, leaving the servants ad staff behind to unload the ship.

...

Michele climbed up the tree with the best view of the camp's entrance, and waited. He would bide his time and force himself to be patient for as long as long as it took

...

The Phoenix Clan camp erupted in a flurry of activity. Emperor Katsuki asked that a horse be prepared for him to mount as soon as possible. He called Minako and Yuuko to him and explained that they would be accompanying him outside to wait for the King's arrival. He wanted there to be an even amount of people on both sides. He did not wish to send the wrong message by having greater numbers or any armed royal guards with them. His guards had attempted to talk him out of allowing himself to be so under protected for such a meeting, and the Emperor had to remind them just exactly WHO the three people attending the meeting were.

"You doubt the ability of Okukawa San and Nishigori San to protect their Emperor? You doubt your Emperor's own ability to protect himself?"

There had been no more protests after that.

...

King Nikiforov and his two escorts were absolutely flabbergasted at the sight before them.

King Nikiforov

"This camp is huge! How long have they been here and why am I only finding out about this now?"

General Altin addressed the King. "We have not previously explored this island, Your Highness. This recon mission is the first one we have ever sent here. It is neutral territory open to both Occidentis and Orientalis."

"I see."

King Nikiforov cautiously pulled his horse to a stop near what he assumed was the main gate. His horse was suddenly nervous and seemed to be affected by something nearby.

"Do not draw your weapons. I wish to see if we can first approach them peacefully. Let's not make any enemies unless absolutely necessary. Do NOT act without my explicit consent. Are we clear?"

The two other male voiced sounded off in chorus.

"Yes, Your Highness."

...

Mila could barely keep her eyes open as she held the horse's reins. She was so close, she could feel it. A voice screamed in her head and she jolted straight up, looking around for the source of the voice.

Woman! Non-human female!

It was Azami, the Emperor's eagle.

What is it, Azami friend?

An armed human hides in the trees. I sense great malice.

Oh, no! No, no, no...this can't be happening! Shirayuki friend, please run as fast as you can. I promise you some tasty apples for your hard work later. Just please...please run like the wind!

The horse whinnied happily and took off at top speed, leaving two very puzzled and concerned men in her dust as she did so.

I shall show you now, human...exactly WHY I am the Emperor's best horse.

...

Emperor Katsuki rode side saddle out of the camp on a white horse. He was flanked by Yuuko on his right and Minako on his left. As he came out of the gate, he saw that the three Ice Dragons had already arrived. He cursed inwardly for not already being outside when they arrived. He first noticed the beautiful silver horse Momiji had spoken of. Indeed, the horse was a stunning creature of magnificent beauty. As his eyes traveled higher, he had to admit to its rider being a creature that surpassed all standards of beauty. The man had a silver mane to rival that of the horse he was seated upon and eyes that shone the color of the sea. He quickly scanned the other two men. The one on foot was clearly a highly trained guard based on his posture alone and the way he carried himself. He appeared to be a lance user. The one on the large black war horse was stoic and stony-faced. His expression gave away nothing. Both parties stayed on their own side, as if separated by an invisible line, each cautiously waiting for the other to make the first move.

...

Michele's eyes saw red. He saw a woman, clearly also some kind of assassin, with Sara's weapon belt on her hip. That bitch! She killed Sara and is out prancing around with her weapon belt like...some kind of trophy! Furious, he reached for his most poisonous kunai. He was a master knife user and thrower. His aim was always true and he had never missed a target. You're going to regret fucking with the Crispino family, whore!

...

Emperor Katsuki was about to lead his horse forward when he saw Minako tense up and look sharply to a nearby tree. He knew that look better than anyone. An enemy had been spotted. His heart sank and he felt such overwhelming disappointment that it almost brought him to tears. Had this meeting been a setup all along? Had the Ice Dragons planned on ambushing them even though he had clearly stated that the young Squire Plisetsky would be under his full protection? Had he grossly miscalculated things and were the Ice Dragons as mindlessly barbaric as the rumors claimed them to be?

He felt Minako's power flare up. The amount of power she could wield at any given point correlated directly to the level of threat and animosity being directed toward her. Whoever was in that tree was currently having some rather serious murder thoughts toward her. He hadn't seen such power flow forth from her like that in ages. A shriek of pain and scream of pure rage was heard from the tree as a weapon fell to the ground. The commotion drew the attention of the three Ice Dragons, and they seemed to be arguing among themselves. Emperor Katsuki was puzzled. If they had intended to attack and ambush them, why did they look as surprised as he did over the whole thing? The Ice Dragons finally started to move forward and the Emperor tensed up. He placed his hand on the hilt of his katana, ready for anything.

Suddenly, a huge flock of crows swooped down into the space between the two clans, cawing loudly, their flapping wings sending loose feathers flying about and causing everyone to shield their faces. A blur of white and red flew by and Emperor Katsuki did a double take. Shirayuki?! Why is Shirayuki here and who the hell is that riding her?! The woman currently riding the Emperor's horse came to a stop before the king of the Ice Dragons, and sliding off her horse. King Nikiforov immediately recognized the woman and dismounted his horse.

"Mila?! Mila, what the hell are you doing here? Whose clothes are those? Whose horse is that?"

The elven princess reached for her bosom and pulled out a piece of paper. She looked unsteady on her feet and was breathing hard, each breath coming out raspier and raspier.

"Read...it."

"Mila, what is this? Are you alright?"

"NOW."

Viktor opened the piece of paper and gasped. He looked back and forth between the paper, Mila and the members of the Phoenix Clan waiting a few meters away.

"My...duty...is...done."

Mila's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped forward. Viktor barely reacted in time, but was able to catch her and scoop her up into his arms. He looked the woman's face over and was shocked by what he saw. She was pale, so pale that it appeared her veins were bloodless. She was cold and clammy and did not look well at all.

"Mila? Mila, please wake up. Don't you dare do this to me, Mila! Mila!"

Emperor Katsuki felt a hand gripping his leg, fingernails digging into his flesh painfully. He looked down and saw a very distressed Yuuko, tears streaming down her face.

"Yuuko? What...?"

Yuuko looked up at him, a pleadingly desperate look in her eyes.

"Yuuri...Yuuri...she's dying!"

_terminology_

Amazake - is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or alcohol-free Japanese drink made from fermented rice.

koji mold - is a filamentous fungus (a mold) used in Japan to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and fermented bean paste (including miso), and also to saccharify rice, other grains, and potatoes in the making of alcoholic beverages such as sake and shochu.

Naralis Analor (Dungeons and Dragons): a minor elven god associated with healing, easing of pain, and death.

Shirayuki 白雪 (Japanese): Snow White