Opening Song: Battle of Stoicism by Motoi Sakuraba

Alan disappears over the edge of the hole.

"Is it done? Did we win?" Cataphract asks.

"Not yet. There's still a lot that needs to be done, but rejoice for the time being. With Morabis out of the way, we can move on." Paladin states as he wipes blood from his cheek.

Cataphract and the other horsemen give a hearty clap. Shokudo picks Fubuki up and spins her around in the air. Strength slowly drains out of my body as I try to convince myself that this isn't over. The expression on Fubuki's face is about as lifeless as mine. My heart feels like it's barely beating, and it nearly puts me into a coma. I fall over and stare directly where Alan was standing last.

Hatred boils within the chambers of my heart. Not only towards the horsemen, but Shokudo the most. The reason this all happened was because of him. When he knocked me back, he was able to pack a snowball and hit Alan with it. That resulted in Alan getting hit multiple times, and it was something that could have been prevented.

During my fight with Paladin, he couldn't hit me because I was too fast, but that snowball Shokudo threw at me caused everything to go downhill. Was all of this my fault? Was it because I really am that weak? All that time Alan was away fighting in the Bolakna campaign, I gave everything I had to become S rank. When he came home, I wanted him to know that I wasn't completely useless like everyone says.

"Now! Shall we attend to the spoils?" Shokudo states as him and Fubuki look directly at me.

One of the horsemen forcefully clamps my wrists together with a pair of shackles and chains me to the saddle of a malnourished roan colored horse. "You lived your life in a glutenous sand castle, and now you'll spend the rest of it in a deprived hut." He says.

Shokudo climbs up on the horse and waves at Fubuki, "I'm going to collect the bounty. I'll meet you back at you know where."

"Sure thing." Fubuki halfheartedly replies.

"Cavalier? Let's go."

"Where to?"

"Gessen Academy! With all the trouble this girl caused up in Tenalbrum, there's bound to be some mercenary type people taking residence there!" Shokudo says.

The strength from the horse pulls my arms up and forces me to walk. The shackles rub and bite at the cuffs of my wrists and ankles. The metal yanks my ankles back and stops me midstride. The restraints roll me around and mold me into a snowman. I pull against the captors and resist. The horse whinnies and comes to a stop.

"The more you fight, the slower we go." Cavalier states as he spurs the horse.

"Yeah, and it's colder than witch tits in a brass bra!" Shokudo states.

The horse shakes his head and continues forward. I lose my footing and roll through the cold snow. Shokudo pulls his post it note out and uses Cavalier's back to write on.

"Let's see, she was going for nearly sixty million. So we'll start the bidding at forty percent. That's about twenty-five million. If I can make at least a profit between forty and twenty percent, then Fubuki and I will be able to start a new life once this is all over."

"I don't know why you waste your time with trivial things such as money." Cavalier states.

"Because unlike you horsemen that don't feel the burden of earthly desires, us half bloods have to eat, drink and have shelter." Shokudo replies.

"Food, drink and shelter? Or the entanglement of unrestrained wealth?" Cavalier snaps back.

"So Fubuki and I may have made some poor decisions regarding money management. That's all in the past though."

"If you knew the true meaning of poverty and famine, you wouldn't even be in this situation."

"And so I've heard you preach before." Shokudo sighs.

Cavalier and Shokudo argue back and forth about famine, poverty and coming from nothing. A concept I don't really understand. The foundation of my family's ancestry was Hattori Hanzo himself. He is regarded as the founder of our principals. For centuries, he has passed down his prestigious name to each generation. Each bearer of his name being expected to meet the high standard he set for the world of shinobi. As of now, Hattori is probably looking down from the heavens in disappointment. His latest descendent now a captive to a group of terrorists.

A bitter weepy feeling fills my heart. As shameful as this entire situation is, it cannot compare to the anguish that ravages my mind now that Alan is gone. When I think about how he could never come back, the freezing cold air nor the constant pinching at my hands and feet by the shackles has anything on the emotional pain.

When Paladin kicked Alan off into that hole, he might as well of ripped my heart out and thrown it down there with him. Alan said he would come back, and it is the only thing I truly have any hope for.

The flagpole waving Gessen Academy's colors poke out from above the trees. Footprints left from Oktitohbi have been partially filled in from the falling snow. We're not far from school grounds.

"What ho? A foe! Show thineselves you heathens of blood money!" Shokudo yells in a mocking voice as he draws his pistol. Cavalier grabs the mace off his back and prepares for combat.

"Who are you!?" A voice yells out in defense.

"Why we're just honorable shinobi looking to do the right thing! For a fee that is! Are there any mercenary types lurking around here? Perhaps the famous Gallowglass if we're lukcy?"

"Who's asking?"

"The ones that captured Asuka Hanzo!"

This woman steps out from behind a tree. She definitely works with Gallowglass, but I don't really remember her. Shokudo spins his handgun around his fingers and casually waits for some kind of response.

"She had an accomplice with her. Where is he?"

"He got away."

The woman eases in closer. "I don't know if I entirely believe that."

"What can I say? He was just too good for us. We did get ahold of his little broad here." Shokudo states.

"So you want me to believe that he just abandoned this girl? The girl that is more than likely his bride? The story doesn't add up."

"Listen sweetie, do you want to ask questions or do you want to make some easy cash? Because there are plenty of other buyers out there and time is money." Shokudo says.

The look on the woman's face is doubtful, but it appears she's already made up her mind. "Give me a second. Let me make a couple calls." She pulls out a cell phone and disappears back behind a tree to conceal the conversation.

"Let's go sugartits! We're burning moonlight!"

"Would you let me talk?!" She yells at Shokudo.

There are a few words I can make out, but there are more Gallowglass members at Gessen. The call ends, and the beeping of another phone number forces a different dial tone. This time, it sounds like she's conversing with a woman. The choice words and emphasis on certain phrases leads me to believe that it's the Gallowglass leader.

The woman steps out from behind the tree and approaches us, "Yeah, she's here. No. He claims Alan got away. That's exactly what I thought. What do you want to do? You think that's the best choice? Very well. Goodbye."

"So, do we have a deal?" Shokudo asks.

"How much?"

"She's going for sixty million up north, and I would appreciate twenty-five million."

"Twenty-five? That's nearly half!"

"Forty percent to be precise. Ten percent difference." Shokudo states.

"Fifteen considering we'll have to pay for the escort and do the paper work."

"Alright Mrs. Bargain hunter. How about twenty?"

"Seventeen."

"Eighteen and she's all yours."

The woman sighs, "Fine. Give me a second."

"As long as the money is mine, take your time." Shokudo crosses his arms. The woman walks off towards Gessen and disappears into the main building.

"Extravagant building for training expendables." Cavalier says.

"You know, I went to a school just like this. When I graduated, the first job I took resulted in my group getting mugged and beaten to death in the wasteland. We were told the hunters were animals. That's common knowledge every shinobi student knows, but nobody told us just how savage they really were. Nor did the school have the common curtsey to inform us that our society likes to give honorable titles to terrible people."

"The shinobi the reason you became a half blood?" Cavalier asks.

"That's one reason. The other was because I was sick of being limited by my humanity."

"Did she play a role in that decision as well?"

"I was already corrupted when I met Fubuki, but when I saw what the shinobi were doing to her, it made me proud that I had the power to actually do something about it. Hunters stand no chance if they're blood drunk and young. Shinobi? They can be tough, but they're still bound by humanity and physical limitations."

"Bound by humanity?" I think about the possibility of gaining more strength and power.

The woman from earlier returns with three other people. The silver haired boy from earlier is holding a brief case and being escorted by two more Gallowglass members. I yank against the restraints and pull with everything that's left within my freezing body.

"The struggle is pointless now." Shokudo says as he gets off the horse and walks towards the boy with the briefcase.

The boy looks hesitant to hand the money over. Almost like there is a second thought being tossed around in his mind. "Amanda, I don't know about this."

His partner pours fluid all over some kind of mask, "Well, we've come this far to turn back now. Plus it was an order directly from the boss."

"I know Ryan…It's just…this doesn't feel right."

"Hunting is a very dirty business. Take solace in the fact that I did most of the work. All you got to do is drop her off and collect the reward." Shokudo states in a reassuring voice.

The guy named Luke reluctantly hands the money over. Shokudo backs off and opens the case, "I thought we agreed on eighteen mil?"

"There's eighteen in there. Learn to count." The woman named Amanda snaps.

"Just trying to lighten the mood. Now it's time we do our part. Nihil?"

The horseman grabs hold of the chain and winds it around his arm. The shackles dig into my hands and feet to the point that it feels like it's drawing blood. I thrash around and fight back.

"Let me go!" I slam my shackled hands into the back of Shokudo's head. He drops the case full of money and falls face first into the snow. Nihil jumps down and pulls back, "Shokudo! Stop acting like you're hurt and do something!"

"Well I wasn't expecting the Hanzo kitten to fight back!" He replies as he rubs the back of his bruised skull.

I leap up and drive my shoes into his mask. He topples back over and hits the ground again. Luke, and the Gallowglass members snicker and giggle at the poor performance from the captors. Nihil grabs the back of my neck and pins me to the ground.

"Hurry! Get the mask on her!" Shokudo slurs.

The Gallowglass member named Ryan presses it to my face. The cold air turns into a numb taste. Metal glues itself to me and all the air becomes stale and lifeless. It feels like I'm underwater with no hope of being able to surface. The mask rapidly saps all the strength within me to the point that thinking about what is happening rather than surrendering is requiring effort. If only I was stronger, then maybe I could have prevented this from happening. If only I wasn't bound by my humanity, Alan would still be here.

"It's stupid." Alan says as he puts his arms behind his head and stares up at the ceiling.

"Why is it stupid?" I laugh.

"I'm telling you it's not what everyone makes it out to be." Alan states as he rolls over on his side and pretends to ignore me. I put my arms around him and bite his shoulder. The warmth from my teeth transfers to his cold skin and causes him to shiver.

"Your answer is unacceptable."

"You sound just like Mr. K when he lectures me about lying."

"So lying about breaking into his liquor stash is acceptable but having a desire for power is wrong?" I giggle.

"In my defense, Mr. K should have done a better job at hiding it and two, I paid him double for what he gave for it."

"So why is power such a bad thing?"

"I think people are given responsibility. Not power." Alan states.

"I didn't know you were a philosopher. Why is that?"

I poke Alan in his sides and playfully bite him on the neck and shoulders, but he covers up with the blanket and hides from me. If there's one thing that can get me hot immediately, it's when Alan plays hard to get. I slip underneath the blanket and hover behind him.

Alan traces the kanji for exile with his fingers. "Shun." He says with a stifled giggle.

I press my breasts against his scarred back and continue to bite his shoulder. He faces me and kisses the top of my forehead. The feeling of pure ecstasy sweeps my heart up in a stream of bliss as Alan takes hold of my hand and kisses every knuckle from the thumb to the pinky. I wipe a tear forming in my eye as he presses my hand into his tender face, "Why is that?"

"Because my responsibility is to protect Hanzo Academy, and more importantly, you with all my power." Alan smiles.

"And how is that a bad thing?" I weakly moan and lean in.

"Because I did a lot of things I'm not proud of to get that power. Things I regret and hopefully things that will never put you in danger." Alan and I press our lips and bodies together. The inside of my thighs and stomach rage with hot pleasure while all the nerves in my legs and feet go numb. It gets more and more difficult to breathe as Alan kisses me around my sensitive breasts.

The failing image of happiness wipes itself from my mind. Voices from above argue and converse to the point it wakes me up. A constant swaying motion rocks my body back and forth. The faint outline of iron standing vertical burns its way into my eyes as consciousness comes back.

"What was the point of us doing this again?" A man's voice angerly states.

"Because Ange wants her in captivity for questioning." A female replies.

"This is such bullshit. I signed up to protect students. Not run goddamn errands." The male voice states.

"Bills don't pay themselves Ryan." Amanda's distinct voice says.

"We should have just killed those assholes and took the girl. That little exchange cost me nearly six mil. Considering some of us didn't even have the money!" Ryan rages.

"Oh calm down. You're making a profit aren't you? Maybe we can even convince our contractor to pay for the trip." Amanda answers.

"Homura's parents? They still haven't paid us for the last job!" Ryan answers.

The four of them argue back and forth on why they're up here, but the one named Ryan certainly doesn't want to be here for sure. Judging by his attitude, he hates the North almost as much as Alan and Lawrence do. If that was the case, then they should have just let me go.

I walk over to the steel bars of the ship's brig and look around. The key is nowhere in sight. Not on the desk, not in the hanging compartment, and there isn't anything within reach to help me escape. I slip my leg between the bars' gap, but my chest snags. If my breasts weren't so big, then I'd be out of here. Another idea circulates but this one is just theoretical. I examine the lock and see that the tumbler is very worn. The deadbolt that locks into the wall isn't in the best shape either. I stick my finger into the lock and push it around. The only thing that's preventing the door from opening is the deadbolt wedged in the door.

I take the white laces out of my hair and fold them up several times. The argument between the Gallowglass members seems to be going on, and the boat is still moving. Hopefully we won't be docking anytime soon. I floss the fabric between the deadbolt, and the wall and put my finger in the lock.

Several particular memories come to mind, "Now how does Alan do it? Palm up, middle finger goes in and make the 'come here' gesture."

The tumbler slides far enough to where the deadbolt feels like it's slipping. I pull the laces and rock the door out of the socket. The fabric snaps as the door opens up.

"YES!" I silently cheer.

There are two stairwells that lead up to the main deck. Both of the hatch doors are shut but most of the conversation between the Gallowglass members are coming from the back side of the ship. I ease up to the hatch and carefully spin the valve handle.

The taste of the sea fills my mouth. We aren't too far from shore because it's still snowing. The glowing remains of Tenalbrum's sky scrapers stand above the surrounding tree line and beach. One is nothing but a skeleton of its former self. That night Alan and I were relentlessly pursued on the rooftops and down below remind me of our first engagement with Gallowlglass.

That was when Homura got hurt, and me and Alan acted as the distraction. I ease up to the deck and make my way over to the railing. Just a head of the boat is some kind of complex resting a couple miles from Tenalbrum's coast. Spotlights shine through razor wired concrete walls while boats patrol between the two shorelines.

"Hey! She's escaped!" Luke yells.

Fear spikes me into the black earth. The cold, salty water eats at every nerve within me as I gasp at the surface. An ocean wave grabs hold and yanks me back under the water. I struggle to gather my bearings, but I stay under water and think. The current is pulling to the left a bit stronger. I kick my legs and position my body in that direction.

The water is so cold that it's sapping oxygen very quick. It's like those training exercises back at Hanzo Academy. The water was cold, but not this cold. I break the surface, take a deep breath and dive back under.

"She was right there!" Someone yells through the rip tiding water.

I change my swimming pattern up and follow the current to the best of my ability. There is another splash in the water behind me. A bright light from above pierces down beneath, and the dark covering my closed eyes turns orange. I break the surface once again, gulp down more air and submerge.

"She's not going to get away." An extremely confident voice says.

Something grabs hold of my leg. I kick it off and continue to the shore.

"You might as well quit while you can. They're already waiting at the shoreline." The confident and intimidating voice states.

I don't care if they are or not. There's no way anyone is sticking me on that rock. If I give up on something as trivial as this, then I've given up on my hope of saving Alan. I have to get away and find someone or someway to bring him back. Makaria and Gehrman might my only chance. The pain and soreness melts away as a possible means of hope fuels the will to escape.

My feet scrape across a coral reef, and the cold air immediately chills the very top of my head. Something grabs hold of me around the nape of my neck and snags a hold. I dig my hands into something that feels like a staff and thrash around. The sound of wood crackles.

"Spear Four. Snatcher ineffective." A voice distorted by the sounds of a very deep and unique radio frequency states.

Whatever it was that grabbed me is still wrapped around the collarbone, but there's no resistance. I rub the salt out of my eyes take off running. It's extremely blurry, but there are people rushing at me. I hop over one pursuer and avoid an incoming collared staff. A series of tied ropes wrap around and slow me down. I slip out of the net and continue towards the trees.

Sch…KLAMP!

Several objects strike me in the back. Immense pain rushes all over, and it trips me up. I hit the sand but roll back up. The feeling of hundreds of razorblades cutting into my spine zigzag all the way up to my neck. What feels like a rope lassos around my leg and trips me.

"LET GO OF ME! NO!"

Palms and fingers press me into the sand and force my hands behind my back. A new metal collar wraps around my throat. The restrictive nature of the collar's rim cuts into my neck and prevents me from fully breathing. Standing around is a group dressed head to toe in solid black armor. All of them are wearing some kind of unique mask that completely shields their identities and gives their eyes a strange white color.

There are two that stand out from the rest, and that's because their armor is white, and there is a strange red monocular that extends and retracts. They are the only two that are armed with old weapons. One wielding some kind of sword that has a flintlock pistol built into the frame has an eye painted on their armband while the other has something resembling a long-barreled rifle mounted with a huge bayonet. The one with the spear looking weapon bears the image of an eagle on the chest plate.

"Helmet four. Vector Indigo Peral has been apprehended. Grid five dash nine." Another distorted radio voice states.

"Hey! What is wrong with you!? You could have killed her!" Luke yells.

"She'll live." The intimidating human voice from earlier states.

"She's bleeding!" Lucy points at the red leaking out of the holes that have torn through the jacket and hit me in the back.

It doesn't feel like anything managed to fully penetrate, but there are pieces of metal wedged into the flesh. The salt from the ocean sets my back on fire. Leather fingers grab hold of my wet, tangled hair and force my head to look up. Crouching in front of me is a middle-aged man with black veinlike scars all over the left side of his face. Mounted on the back of his black leather cassock is a long metal rod that has some kind of giant studded bulb at the end.

I can immediately tell this man is not a shinobi. Is he a sellout, is he claiming to be a shinobi, or is he part of a different mercenary group? There is one other reason the Northern clans might have recruited him over killing him, but that does not scare me one bit. His eyes light up like he recognizes me.

"Hanzo's granddaughter. You know, I have a very special hatred towards that man, but there's someone that sided with him that I hate even more." He holds out the blunderbuss he shot me with, and a nearby shinobi takes it.

I stare directly into his evil eyes and refuse to flinch, "And how does that make you any different traitor?"

"You know, if it weren't for Jonathan stopping me, then your bloodline would have ended with your grandparents that night."

"Too bad he didn't end you." I spit back.

"Listen Gaius. I know she's a little spiteful, but…"

"But what?" Gaius interrupts Luke.

"Well... we kind of need her in a talkative mood when Ange comes by in a couple hours."

"Oh, don't worry. Come morning, she'll tell you everything you want to hear. And from then on out, she'll be a mindless drone. Just like all the rejects society sends to me."

Lucy and Ryan are conversing back and forth on the matter. "Just what exactly do you do?" Lucy interjects.

"Obedience." Gaius snaps his fingers.

One of the white guards bring Luke a case full of money, "She's worth sixty million though. There's one hundred here."

"I appreciate your honesty son. That's a dead virtue these days. Consider it a bonus for correcting me as well as bringing me someone from Hanzo's bloodline." Gauis grabs hold of the strange device on his back and scrapes it across his forearm. The bulb at the end hisses, and the stubs emit blue sparks of electricity.

"Act tough all you want. Come time for your little interview. You'll tell us everything you know."

Anger spikes, and it sucks away all the kindness and reason out of me. "Go to hell!"

A jolt of plasma strikes me right on the tip of the hand. Energy surges through my body and causes me to scream. I gasp and try to collect myself. Another stream of energy hits me and forces all the air out of my lungs as I scream to the point breathing is impossible.

"Feel like saying something else?" Gauis asks.

"Fu…"

Another raging surge courses through the salt water and amplify. I lose the ability to stay upright and fall over in the sand. A white and black tint filters into my eyes, and everything slows down.

"I told you we shouldn't have come up here." Luke whispers.

"I got my money. That's all that matters." Ryan sheepishly replies.

The world gets darker and everything feels like it's going in slow motion. As much as it hurts, I won't lose hope. Alan will come for me. Something as trivial as Korin Fuma cannot and will not stop him. Things look extremely bleak right now, but I rest in the fact that he'll come for me. Until then, I have to remain strong. The weight of the darkness finally becomes too much for me to bear, and my eyes shut on their own.

"I'll be waiting for you…"

Ending Song: Yamiyo wa Otome wo Hana Ni Suru BGM version by Ruka Kawada