Shortly after, we all hop in the Deadliest Warrior vans and head to their training fields. I wanted to talk to Kazemasa or Christophe, but instead I'm surrounded by Enya, Hygua, and Hyosuke (how did this even happen?).

"Too bad you missed the ambush segment, it was awesome." Enya boasts. "It was great to actually fight and not just simulate it; that just goes to show how skilled Yoshitsune is, you can peg seven experienced fighters giving their all against him and he'll still win."

Yeah, when Kazemasa is helping him.

"You're awfully quiet." Hygua says. "What's the matter? Did Kazemasa piss you off?"

I shrug. "Just thinking, that's all."

Hygua looks interested. "About what?"

Enya joins in. "Yeah, we'll lend you ours ears."

Hyosuke scoffs. "Back off, you guys just want to pry."

"Come on Hyosuke, you can't tell me you're not curious about what the lady has to say."

Nosy, nosy. Wait, they might actually be able to help me, they speak Japanese.

"Actually, I was wondering if…"

They all lean in.

"If you guys could maybe translate something for me. Kazemasa said something and I'd like to know what it means."

Hyosuke looks thoughtful. "If he was speaking Japanese to you, it was with good reason."

Heehee, a very good reason, if only you knew.

Enya punches Hyosuke in the arm. "Come off it yo. By all means, we'll be happy to translate, what did he say?"

I hope I say it right. "I obviously don't know pronunciation rules, but I believe it was watashi wa tako desu."

They all pause for a moment, and then laugh.

"And here I thought Kazemasa was incapable of making jokes!" Says Enya, laughing harder.

"Well, what does it mean?" I ask, wanting to know more than ever.

"It means 'I am an octopus'. He was yanking your chain." Hygua laughs.

'I am an octopus?' Ha! That's what I get for enjoying the sensuality of him speaking a foreign language. I feel relieved and laugh with them. This means, despite his turning serious, his other phrase was probably a joke too.

"Your pronunciation is great! Was that all?" Hyosuke asks, now equally interested as the others.

"No, he also said 'Hajimete ata tokikara sukidata.' Let me guess, another silly phrase?"

But the laughter that filled the car has disappeared completely, and the boys look somber. They slowly lean away and sit up in their seats.

"Oh wow…" Hyosuke says, now deep in thought himself.

"Heh, I'm sorry I asked." Enya asks, looking ahead at the road.

"That's really heavy." Hygua adds, adjusting his gloves.

Oh no, this isn't good. "That bad?" I exhale. "I knew it, it sounded bad." I look at them, even though they can't seem to look at me. "Well, I think I'd still like to know what it means."

Enya shakes his head; Hygua is still messing with his gloves, but Hyosuke smiles. "I don't blame you, but Kazemasa needs to tell you. It's like I thought, he was speaking Japanese to you with good reason."

What gives? "Why can't you guys just tell me?"

"Well, look at that!" Enya says enthusiastically, pointing towards the window. "We're here!"

The van pulls to a stop, and the boys can't get out fast enough. What the…

Hyosuke pauses outside the door, turns around, and offer his hand out to me. "Need a hand?"

I'm still sitting buckled in my seat, confused. "What I need is to know why you guys just got all weird on me."

Hyosuke sighs. "We've known Kazemasa a long time, he's a good friend. When you see a friend start to change, you start paying attention to the why." He points at me. "In this case, you are the why."

I unbuckle my seatbelt and move forward. He stops pointing and offers his hand again. As I take it, he continues. "We weren't being weird; it's just that there are some things a man must do on his own. Kazemasa will tell you what he meant when he's ready. Trust me; you don't want to hear what it means from us."

I step down from the van. He releases my hand. "Thank you Hyosuke, I appreciate the explanation. There's really no reason to pay attention to me though, I'm not very interesting."

He laughs. "There's plenty who would disagree with you there." He motions towards the fields in front of us, where everyone else has either lined up to watch or is saddling up a horse. Christophe is getting his horse ready, and I see Yoshitsune is with one as well. Kazemasa is by Yoshitsune, gently patting the horse's nose. The simple gesture touches my heart.

Hyosuke looks over. "Why don't you join him?"

Indeed, why don't I?

I know I should stand by Christophe, who's about to demonstrate the power of the Anglo war sword from horseback, but I can't seem to walk anywhere besides straight towards Kazemasa. Yoshitsune has left to watch Christophe's demonstration, so Kazemasa is left with the horse and its trainer. He looks over at me once I get close, then he looks back at the horse.

Say something. "So, is Yoshitsune doing a demonstration from the horse too?"

He continues looking at the horse instead of me. "That's the idea."

"Why not you?"

"I can't ride." This surprises me, but before I can comment, he looks over at me. "Why aren't you standing by Christophe? He'll be filming soon, you should be cheering him on."

"Well, I…"

He cuts me off. "Well nothing. You should be supporting your team, go." He faces back towards the horse.

The trainer looks uncomfortable, and I'm feeling the same way. What's with him? He's acting the same way he did when we first met. There must be a reason.

"Kazemasa, I thought…"

"Why are you still here?" he snips.

Now I'm annoyed. "Hot and cold much?"

"No, I think I made myself clear. There's no reason for you to be here by me."

Then it hits me. He must have told me off earlier. That's why the guys wouldn't translate his phrase for me, they didn't want to hurt my feelings.

Hyosuke was wrong, Kazemasa hasn't changed; he was simply following orders. Now that we're at the end, he's "no longer responsible for me" and he has no reason to be nice to me. I must have made up everything I thought he felt; every single wonderful moment was a lie.

I feel my heart ache, but to hell if he's going to see it. "You're right, there's no reason at all for me to be by you. Bye." I spin around and head straight for Christophe, who has mounted his horse and is talking to the host. I feel my pace quicken as what just happened sinks in. The ache is getting stronger. It was all just orders…

My lips begin to point downwards. The dance meant nothing, the flowers meant nothing, the kiss meant nothing, what a fool I've been!

I reach my post, but I hear and see nothing. I look down at the ground, my heart aching so that physical pain begins to shoot through it. Christophe looks ready to start, but he sees me and looks concerned. I can tell he's contemplating coming over but I shake my head. The host shouts encouragement and directions at him while I sink deeper in my grief. Pull it together, you can get over this.

Yet if I can, it is not going to be now. I'm so lost in thought that I don't hear Christophe gallop off or the footsteps approach me.

"Sometimes I'm not good with words," That unmistakably sexy voice says next to me.

I don't look up, I don't want to see him. "You're fine with words Kazemasa. You asked me to leave, I did, so now you can go away as well."

He doesn't budge, his presence remains looming over me. "I can't do that. I can see I've upset you…"

"Oh, you think? Forget about it. If you won't leave, I will." And without looking up, I walk further away. I can hear Christophe's sword slicing through the gel torso targets, the cheering of the host, and I can tell I'm getting closer to Christophe's stopping point.

"Wait a minute!"

I hear footsteps behind me again after Kazemasa shouts. I stop and turn around. Kazemasa looks surprised. "What?!" I hiss.

He takes a step back. I'm upset, and I know its showing. Kazemasa is apparently speechless, so I continue. "What Kazemasa? Out with it."

He still appears to be searching for words, and then his eyes turn to ice. "I…nothing."

"Apparently it's not nothing if you feel the need to follow me, so be a man and spit it out."

His eyes cool even further. His lips go into a firm line. I'm enjoying this, and decide to rub it in. I look over at Christophe. "Now there's a man. Did you see the way he handled that horse? Smooth riding and swift swordplay." I look back at Kazemasa, who is now balling his hands into fists. "I bet if he had something to say to me, he'd say it quickly and respectfully." The ache in my heart lessens, but the more I look at Kazemasa, the more I'm starting to regret my actions. Steam looks like it's about to blow out his ears, and total, unadulterated anger is just spewing off him.

He leans in quickly so that he's right in front of my face and points at Christophe, who's dismounting his horse. "That's what you think makes a man a man? Fine! You won't listen to my words, maybe you'll listen to my crop!"

He whips away and runs towards Yoshitsune's unequipped horse. He's a good distance away but his pace is rapid and he shows no signs of stopping. What is he doing?! I am too stunned to even will my voice to say stop. I look at Christophe, who is reviewing footage with the host. The guys and Yoshitsune are watching as well, all unaware of Kazemasa's rashness. I look back towards Kazemasa, who's now about a yard away from the horse. I'll never catch him in time, and he said he can't ride. My grief is dissolving into fear. I look frantically back at the guys, who along with the camera crew seem enthralled with the footage. Kazemasa is now mounting the horse. Well, alright then.

"STOP!" I scream, as loud as I can. It's futile, but it's all I can manage. Kazemasa, of course, does not stop and instead has started his horse in a quick gallop. He rides away from everything, and I'm at a loss.

I feel a hand on my back. It's Yoshitsune. "What's wrong?"

All I can do is point. Yoshitsune looks and sees Kazemasa. "What is he doing? That horse is unequipped! How does he expect to control it? He can barely ride with a saddle!"

Kazemasa goes further. Now the guys are besides Yoshitsune, all of them just as surprised as he is. Christophe, with his horse by his side, stares as well. Kazemasa doesn't stop, most likely because he can't. I can feel the concern mounting, but all I can do is stare.

Christophe looks annoyed. "I don't know why he'd act like this, but it's unprofessional. I'll get back up and bring him back, he's clearly not coming back on his own."

Kazemasa is becoming a speck in the distance when suddenly, the sky cracks. It sounds as if thunder has boomed nearby, but from the clear skies we all know it's not thunder. To my dismay, the crack results in more than just a loud noise. Kazemasa has fallen off his horse, which has taken off like a shot. Unlike the horse, Kazemasa isn't moving, and it's all my fault.

"KAZEMASA!"

No sooner has the scream left my lips when I realize I'm racing towards Christophe's horse. God, she's so beautiful. I bypass the stirrups and pull myself up by the saddle. As soon as I'm seated, I give her behind a good smack.

"YA!" I shout.

She whinnies in surprise, and then bucks on her hind legs. I hold on tight, knowing she's about to take off like a shot. Her height and sheer power make me giddy, and I feel an primordial yell stir deep in my belly before it comes barging out.

"AH!"

She takes off. She's faster than anyone attempting to head towards Kazemasa. I'll be there in no time. I lean into her mane, the rhythm of my body following hers. I take a deep breath. With it, I catch her scent. She smells of free spirit, unafraid and ready for anything. I softly stroke her neck for one brief gallop. We got this.

Kazemasa is no longer in the distance, but instead coming up fast. I pull back on the reins, but before she comes to a complete stop I jump off. I land right by Kazemasa. I kneel down and gently put my hands on his cheeks. I scan his body for visible injuries. It's so hard to tell anything with all this kimono everywhere. Did he break something? What on earth made him fall?

His eyes are closed, but he's breathing. I softly stroke his hair to bring him comfort. I wish I could do this under different circumstances. I can't move him in case he has a neck injury, and I wish so much that I can do more for him.

He lets out a small groan and opens his eyes. He looks dazed, but he manages to gaze up at me.

"You're going to be okay, I'm here for you."

It's not relief I see in his cerulean eyes; it's horror. "You…you should of stayed back…" he whispers. "Go..go back before it's…"

"JE N'EN REVIENS PAS!"

My ears perk up. That's not Christophe, who is that? My head turns towards the voice. Two men, both in Anglo war uniforms, are standing less than a foot away from Kazemasa and I. I have no idea what they're doing here, but something is off. I shoot up, and stand defensively in front of Kazemasa.

"Look, I don't know what the studio told you, but we don't need extra stunt men. Go away, this man is hurt."

The men look at each other, confused, but then they both let out bitter sounding laughter.

"Ah, lavette," the taller one croaks. "It is not the studio to whom we answer, though we'd like to thank them for making it so easy to 'sneak' onto this battlefield."

He bears a thick French accent, and though he wears a black mask along with the uniform, I can see empty hazel eyes beneath it. The other man smirks, then spits towards Kazemasa. "As for this blaireau, he is of no concern to us. We thought we shot your mentor, he's the reason for this little charade. But this?" He points at me, his greedy looking eyes taking in a good, long drink. "This is even better!"

"Oui. How long have we been searching for La Couronne?"

Shot? La Couronne?

Both draw swords from around their waists, and I can tell these aren't studio reproductions made for the show. They seem…authentic, but how can that be? "After today, no one will be searching anymore. We will be filthy rich, and you will have lost your life in a filming mishap. How unfortunate."

My eyes dart from side to side. No one is coming, I was faster than I knew upon the mare. The mare! I glimpse at her, and see she still has Christophe's sword equipped on her side! In my haste, I hadn't seen it. I jump towards the mare and unsheathe it.

Both men whistle. "Ah, La Couronne is feisty!"

I hold the sword in front of me. I have no idea what I'm doing or why they're after me, but if they want a fight, they've got it.

They draw their swords back. This is it, no turning back.

I channel every fiber of courage I have. "ALLEZ!" I shout, and storm towards them.