Silent Lamb

by xeveningx

In silence lay secrets that have haunted her for years and she's ready to give up everything in order to take them to her grave. At this point,there's nothing to make her waver.Or is there? In the end,it's her choice: unravel the truth and destroy everything she's come to love, or forever be the scapegoat and lose herself in the process? (Rated M for themes.)

4. To Err is Human

Chapter Four

To Err is Human

---

Tiny legs ran through the large garden of the estate, heavy pants being let in and out as the small child wouldn't stop to rest. Her feet sore from so much running finally urged her to come to a halt; once having stopped, her hands went to her knees as she bent over trying to catch her breath and let her burning lungs cool off. But not even the fresh air of the afternoon could cool down the anger that burned in her. Rested, she picked herself up and brought her tight fists to her eyes, furiously wiping at them wanting to make the tears that began to blur her vision go away.

She hated fighting with her sister. No matter what the fight, being the youngest of the two meant that she would always be wrong. No one listened. No one cared to. She sniffed hard and gulped back the lump in her throat before wiping her nose with the sleeve of her dress.

"You okay?"

The sudden voice that inquired of her wellbeing made the young girl look up quizzically. Her eyes met similar ones to her own and yet not at the same time. Her jaw dropped at seeing a small figure above, hanging by the branches of the great oak tree, cloaked by shadows as the sunshine blazed from behind them. Before she could try and see anything else, the shadow jumped precariously close to the young girl making her yelp and jump back in surprise. Opening her eyes, the little girl was shocked to find another girl standing before her. Clothes ragged and in disarray, she had small twigs and leaves sticking onto her hair and a silver hairpin slipping from the messy bun she had. Dirt smeared everywhere, including on her fair cheeks. Her eyes wide with wonder stared back at the girl, confused. A frown creased the newcomer's brows as she reached her hands towards the girl without a warning. The younger girl yelped but stopped when the other began roughly wiping at her face. Once done, she pulled back and placed her hands on her hips with a grin on her face.

"There, all gone."

The little girl reached her hands up to her cheeks that, although rough from the harsh scrubbing, were dry and tear-free. Unable to find any other words, she murmured while hiding her face behind her sleeves. "T-Thank you."

The newcomer's grin widened and she waved her hands dismissively. "Don't worry 'bout it. I don't like much seeing such a sweet thing crying."

Sweet thing? "Um, why were—I mean, up there, you—"

The girl stared up at the tree she'd jumped off from. "Oh, that." She scratched the back of her head nervously. At catching a twig between her fingers she pulled the silver hairpin out undoing her hair before shaking it to let whatever else hung onto it fall off. Putting the pin between her lips to give her hands room to redo her hair, the little girl saw the flower-shaped end that shone faintly in the sun. The other girl took it in her fingers to put her hair back in place and smiled. "I was taking a birdie up to its nest."

"Nest?"

She nodded and pointed up to one of the branches where the little girl could see the faintest clue of a small nest and heard the chirping of the birds.

"It fell. Didn't want it to be away from its family. A kid should be with them at all times, so that they can be safe. At least that's what dad tells me." At that she turned to the girl standing before her in such elegant clothes albeit dirtied at the hem with mud and blades of grass staining them. "Which reminds me, what're you doing here, buttercup?"

"B-B-Butter...?" The little girl pondered at the odd name but shook it out of her head when she remembered why she had run all the way out here. "I…I had a fight with my sister."

"Really? What about?"

She mulled on whether she should be talking to a stranger but the girl didn't seem to mean ill. Besides, she was tired of keeping this to herself. Not being able to contain her resentment anymore, the little girl opened up like a floodgate. "Masami one-sama and father want me to have a vassal but they want to choose for me. I don't want that. I want to know the person that's going to take care of me because..." At the reminder of how her older sister had mocked her idea of what a vassal was, new tears started to sprout from the corner of her eyes. She didn't want just any person that would coldly look after her like they did with her sister. Having grown isolated from other children, what she wanted most of all was someone she could call her friend.

"Mmm, I see," the other girl said scratching her chin. "And you don't know the person they've chosen for you, do you?" She shook her head and the other girl nodded, contemplating. "Then you shouldn't be quick to judge them."

"Judge?" the little girl asked.

The other nodded vigorously and brightened up with a grin on her face. "For all you know you could end up actually liking this person. Besides, it's not like your sister and dad would choose someone you'd hate. They want what's best for you, like any family does."

The little girl pondered silently over that fact. Despite how angry her sister and father sometimes made her, she never could stay mad at them. She loved them. And she knew that they loved her, too. They would never want anything bad for her. At that thought, she nodded, understanding. "I-I suppose so."

"You suppose right," the other girl said and stretched out her hand before her. "Now let's see about getting you home safe and sound, yeah?"

The little glanced at the outstretched hand before her and back at the girl's grinning face before smiling and grabbing a hold of it. Like promised, the other girl took her back to the estate from where she had run off all the while talking about everything and nothing. Dusk was barely falling when they reached the entrance but not before they heard the ruckus of people that were running around.

The two rounded the corner and the little girl caught sight of her sister who stood beside their father as he gave out his orders. "Search everywhere and don't return until she's found!" The little girl backed up scared of what would happen if she showed up now with her father as he was, but a reassuring squeeze of her hand by her companion beside her gave her a little courage and reminded her of what they'd talked about before.

They care about her...even if sometimes they don't seem to.

Letting go of her clammy hands, the little girl ran towards the two and cried out. "Masami one-sama. Father!" Both turned at hearing the little girl call out to them, relief washing over both their expressions as they ran to her.

Masami reacted first, running towards her sister. "Kohaku!" Not caring about her dress, she threw herself down on her knees and checked Kohaku for any injuries and sighed in relief at not finding any on her little sister. "Thank the heavens, you're all right."

"I-I'm sorry, nee-sama!" Kohaku sobbed, tears overflowing as regret and happiness pushed her over the edge. "I'm sorry for running away. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you or Father. I don't." Masami tried to calm her down but before she could, her father ripped her from her arms and held his daughter close.

"Goodness, Kohaku," he breathed against her hair, sounding rather irritated, as she continued to cry, gripping his armor tightly. The frustration and anger from a few hours ago, however, quickly drained from him at having his daughter back. "Don't ever do that again." Kohaku nodded vigorously, trying to hold back her sobs.

But she knew now that no matter what she did or how bad she acted, they would always love her. Looking up from her father's shoulder, Kohaku searched for the girl who'd helped her and caught sight of her from afar. She was walking away hand-in-hand with a man that looked like her sister's Masami age, maybe older. The smile the two had as they talked shone just like she'd seen from the girl before.

Kohaku rested her cheek against her father's shoulder and through her tears smiled hoping to meet her again and thank her.

---

"You're a nuisance as you are now."

Taken aback by the offhanded comment, Kohaku blinked twice before mouthing her confusions at Kouen. He sighed not believing that this woman was the same one that had demolished a tree out of apparent frustration only a few days ago. Several days had passed since he witnessed the little tantrum she'd had. Neither had commented on it but he saw plainly how whatever was on her mind had slowly crippled her physically over the span of those few days.

After she stumbled upon his secluded training grounds, she showed up a couple times more but he hadn't minded it much. Because she couldn't speak, she focused her energy on sparring against him and learned quite quickly how to fend against his advances. He also managed to figure out her own fighting style, though. It was like an odd step-by-step session anytime he fought against her. The more he focused, the more he discovered tiny aspects of her techniques that he hadn't before.

What she lacked in strength, she made up in agility. And for him, who was the exact opposite, it turned out to be a rather good exercise to bout against. But after five days, whatever was wrong was now clearly taking its toll. And he noticed it quite easily that early morning when she wasn't avoiding attacks that she easily managed to before. She missed her attacks when she tried and her blocks were disastrous.

And it was getting irritating really fast.

Kohaku shook her head after the confusion of his off-putting words and went for him instead. He clicked his tongue at the predictable advance before sidestepping it and using the hilt of his sword to stab at her side. It was a move so easy to avoid that even a child could've done it. She, as he had expected, received it head-on, leaping back from the hit before holding onto her side.

He sighed frustrated before sheathing his sword. "That's it. We're done."

"It's not even dawn yet."

"I refuse to continue when you're distracted. As you are now, you're doing nothing short of wasting my time."

Kohaku grimaced at his words while rubbing at her side but as she thought about what he said she couldn't help but think that he might be right. Quickly, she ran up to where he was and apologized. He didn't acknowledge any of it. Not wanting to be such a nuisance in her current state, she gathered a few of the weapons and accompanied him to put them away.

As they got closer to the palace and the sun finally rose from its slumber, she couldn't help but glance over to the gardens as they were bathed in golden light. Despite its beauty, she couldn't find any appreciation for it. At least not in her current state of mind and that just made her groan. It'd been four days already since either of the twins had spoken to her; ever since their fight, she tried her best to talk to them but that proved futile very fast. Instead she spent her time thinking on how she could fix it.

Masami hadn't trifled with her ever since then, either, most likely thinking she'd won for the time being. But Kohaku wasn't about to give up. Perhaps the distraction that the prince spoke about had to do with her incessant thinking of her problem. But despite how much she mulled over it, she couldn't think of a clear solution. Nothing came to mind.

Accompanying him to the in the West Wing, she put everything she'd brought with her away without putting much attention to what she was doing. Because of it, she didn't notice how misplaced one of the polearms was, much less how it began to topple over her as she continued putting things in their place. It wasn't until she heard a rattling above her head that she snapped it back up to see a firm hand holding the weapon just below the blade keeping it from hitting her. Turning, she met Kouen's impassive glare and, for once, could see the rising impatience that glinted ever so slightly in his eyes.

She grinned sheepishly wishing to simply brush the incident aside as a mishap. But he didn't seem to fall for the ruse. "Don't dare show your face at the training grounds until you've fixed whatever this is."

A chill ran down her spine at hearing the distinct annoyance in his voice. As good as she was at reading people, she began to notice that Kouen's expressions, or clear lack thereof, belied his mood but it became more than clear to anyone who listened closely enough to the tone of his voice. The past few days she'd woken up early to join him because training against him actually cleared her mind and exhausted her body. It helped her think better when under pressure but perhaps this problem was something that needed some quiet thinking.

She sighed and apologized before nodding. Excusing herself, she hated that she was actually having to make up excuses for her state of mind. She disliked apologizing. But the only way to clear up her mind completely would be to think things through with a fine-tooth comb. As she bathed, she let her mind wonder over what she'd done to try and fix the mess she'd gotten into.

So far, Sousei refused to speak to her. Even when they would stumble upon each other, he would avert his eyes and walk away. Not even when she explicitly went out of her way to talk to him in his room did he stay put. He would make up some excuse then leave. As always Suisei suffered in the sidelines, stuck as to whom to support. Kohaku assured her that she needn't force herself; this wasn't something that could tear them apart so easily.

At least I hope it isn't.

Sinking herself further into the tub filled with hot water, she pondered further about that. Sousei was smart and faithful to a reserved few which included his family. It wasn't like they weren't accustomed to the casual sibling dispute from time to time. Most had been petty but there were exceptions, the issues where Sou's future was concerned would be the biggest one.

Much like Suisei, Sousei wished nothing but a free life for himself. Despite being the son of a general he wanted to help others more than to lead. If he had to fight, he wouldn't shy away from it like she often did. He was strong-willed and determined to do what was right for those he loved and his country. But he also possessed a kind, understanding heart; he knew that what was right wasn't always the best for everyone. It was in their compassion that she and Sou found their most common ground. It was that same compassion that she knew would make a great general of him.

But he didn't want that position. He didn't want to disappoint them, more so their father. In their father's eyes, Sousei's determination had always been what would bring him glory but also considered compassion a weakness. Much like how he despised the compassion and pacific tendencies she had, she was sure he wouldn't see kindly to Sousei's own. And surely, over the years, she'd been aware of Sou's ever observant eye. He knew their father as much as they did; he certainly knew how he'd react if he knew that Sou, his only son, would much rather hand over the position of their family to one of his sisters than hold it himself.

He didn't want to be chained by responsibilities. He didn't want to be faced with choices he feared he wouldn't be able to make one day.

Kohaku knew this from the numerous talks they've had. Shortly after her third dungeon, he'd expressed how much more suited she was for the role of next head of the Reizei Household. He'd equated power to entitlement, and in their day and age, he wouldn't be too far off the mark to think that way. But he also greatly underestimated himself while severely overestimating her.

I'm not as strong as you make me out to be, Sou.

Hakucho had been a clear example of that. She wasn't perfect. Nobody was. She was as human as they were; just as prone to err as he was.

Kohaku took a deep breath before submerging her whole head underneath the water letting the pressure in her lungs steady as she held her breath. If only he'd listen, she could tell him exactly what she wanted to say. But that required for him to actually speak to her. Seeing things as they currently were that would take a huge miracle, though.

A sudden thought made her raise her head through the surface and take small breaths. Her eyes wide and mind working fast, she quickly ran the idea through her head with a small smile forming on her lips the more she thought about it. She sprang out of the bath as fast as she could and began to ready herself for the day knowing that if all went as she planned, it'd be a long one.

All she needed was to create a moment to allow herself time to talk to Sousei. She needed to draw him out. And she knew exactly the person to make that happen.

---

Suisei sat still against the wall of her brother's room. Unable or unwilling to do much of anything, she sat watching over her young twin as he went about his room doing mindless tasks. She watched him do a lot of everything but at the same time when she looked at him, it was easy for her to see how stressed out he was. What she couldn't grasp was whether it stemmed from his future duties knocking at the door again or from Kohaku not accepting the position offered to her.

Tired of seeing him and wanting some answers after five days of mindless work, Suisei stretched her legs in front of her and leaned fully against the wall to look up at Sousei as he walked back and forth in front of her. "Sou?" He didn't answer and kept shifting from place to place. "Sousei?" No answer still. Just mindless walking.

She blew her hair out of her face from the frustration. If he wasn't going to listen to her normally, then maybe something else would help. "Souchi?"

At hearing this, Sousei actually stopped and turned to face her, his brow furrowing in confusion. She hadn't expected any less. They hadn't spoken to each other with their 'secret words' since they were toddlers. Their own special little language, they left it behind with their childhood but used it still in rare occasions where they needed each other's company.

"Why are you speaking this now?" he asked confused.

"You won't listen otherwise, apparently," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

His brow furrowed deeper from his frown. "You didn't call me."

"I did," she assured and stood up to meet him. Despite being the same age, it still amused her how much they differed from one another now, height being one of the more obvious factors. But one thing that didn't change was how they could still sense each other's distress. "Now, call me stupid if I'm wrong but you're not this uptight and stressed from the idea of being dad's replacement, are you?" Sousei averted his gaze and reached up to rub at his neck. "It's Haku-nee…isn't it?"

"She's an idiot."

There it is. Suisei pursed her lips at finally hearing what he'd been keeping pent up for five days. "At times."

"She's a bigger idiot for declining the offer." Sousei grunted and threw his hands up in the air out of frustration. "Why the hell would she ever do that? Hasn't she always wanted to prove to father that she's capable of commanding as much as I or he is?"

"She's capable, all right," Suisei agreed with a smile. "But you know that's not how our world works. Merit gets trampled by lineage, hands down."

Suisei flinched when Sousei brought his fist against the wall behind him. His frown had twisted into a scowl at hearing this. "That shouldn't be. No matter the name or blood, talent shouldn't be trampled on like that."

His choice of words confused her a bit but her thoughts were derailed when a knock came to their door. When she saw Sousei going back to her mindless walking, she went ahead to answer the door. She was amazed to find Kougyoku on the other side accompanied by Ka Koubun.

"Good morning, Suisei," she called sweetly.

"Princess." Suisei bowed but Kougyoku waved that away and smiled at her.

"May I come in?"

Seeing nothing wrong in that, she let both of them into the parlor and was heading to the room to fetch Sousei when he walked out. He eyed the two confused before voicing his question. "Princess Kougyoku, why are you here?"

"Can I not visit my friends?" she asked with puffed cheeks. Seeing the sit before a table available, she took it while accommodating her garments as she sat.

"Friends?" Sui repeated, coming closer to her. Sousei stayed a few feet back, refraining from going anywhere near the table.

"Yes," Kougyoku said with a shaky clap of her hands. From the corner of his eyes, Sousei noticed the gesture and that brought his attention to the clothes she was wearing.

"Princess, if it's not too imprudent, why are you wearing those clothes?" he asked while pointing down at them. Simple and bland except a few light pink colors, her clothes could very well be described as common. Certainly far from what a princess should be wearing.

Kougyoku gave them a brief glance before smiling. "It actually has to do with why I came here. I'm downtrodden as of late and wish to go out into the city for a change."

"Why dress like that though?" Suisei asked still confused.

"It's easier to blend in," she assured touching the skirts of her dress. "Much easier to move in too, I might add. I've been overwhelmed as of late and wish to go out with my dear friends. Is that too much to ask?"

The twins gave each other a look that added to their own disbelief. But when Sousei turned back to glance down at Kougyoku, he couldn't look away from the puppy-eyed look she was giving him. A slight pout that made her magenta eyes sparkle all the more. He tried to look away—he really did—but those eyes…there was just no saying no to that.

"I-If you're highness insists," Sousei replied in a mumble.

Suisei's jaw dropped a bit not believing the quick change in personality that her brother just had. Then again, as Kougyoku celebrated beside her, she could understand where it came from too.

"That's fantastic!" the princess exclaimed while motioning for Ka Koubun to bring some other clothes. "Luckily, I'm prepared with some change of clothes for you as well." Hurriedly, he went and came back passing the clothes to each of them respectively.

Looking at her bright teal and gray outfit that was nothing more than a tunic and pants, Suisei chuckled. "I like it."

"Glad you do."

"Is this really necessary?" Sousei asked, glancing at his own set that showed a combination of light and darker blues. Seeing how the colors themselves stuck out so much from the usual ones in town, he highly doubted they'd blend as much as she hoped to.

"Of course!" she called out enthusiastic. "It's what makes it much more fun. Like this we can just let go and relax."

Suisei laughed and agreed. Sousei couldn't help but give her a small smile and nod as well. Despite his foul mood and all he'd have pent up as of late, there was no denying that Kougyoku was a ray of sunshine that brightened even the dampest of moods. So they acceded to her request and changed, each taking a turn to use his room to do so. Once done, Kougyoku dismissed Ka Koubun, knowing that as long as they stayed together that they would be all right. Besides, it wasn't like she wasn't a Metal Vessel user and the two weren't Household Members themselves.

Kougyoku explained that they needed to sneak out through the East Wing where they were situated in order to catch less attention. It was an easy task, especially when Sousei made sure no one was around by heightening his hearing. Once out and near the outskirts of the city, he took in a deep breath and made himself relax. After being so riled up the past few days, perhaps this might actually turn out relaxing like Kougyoku had said.

"We'll start at the market place and make our way around," Kougyoku explained to them as she hooked an arm around Suisei's. She tried to do the same with Sousei but he stepped away, pink dusting his cheeks. Not noticing this, Kougyoku guided them to the first shop and stopped. Sou noticed her smile broaden as she raised her free arm in the air to wave out into the crowd.

Both twins turned and their expressions varied—from shock to relief—as they watched from afar as Kohaku joined them. Dressed as simply as they were, she left aside her usual elegant garments for a simpler dress of sky blue and white. Some of her hair was held back in a small bun at the nape of her neck with her feather pen attached while the rest laid over her shoulders or behind her back. The glint of her bracelet was also visible as she raised her hand to brush a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

Sousei's ire from before quickly rose and he turned about without a second thought. Before he could even leave, though, two separate hands caught him and stopped him in his tracks. Suisei grabbed his left forearm and Kougyoku his right hand. Incapacitated by both, he cursed himself for not having seen through the obvious ruse.

"I can't believe I fell for this," he mumbled under his breath.

"We just want to spend some time together, Sousei," Kougyoku offered. "Is that really so bad?"

"Come on, Sou," Suisei said while pulling at him. "Sulking around won't do you any good."

"I'd rather sulk than see her right—" but his words got cut short at glancing down and seeing Kougyoku's frowning face. Her cheeks puffed slightly in anger and her eyes in a bit of a glare, she pulled his arm closer and walked him herself towards Kohaku's direction. Sousei couldn't find it in him to complain, especially when he was enjoying himself a bit with it. Suisei grinned and skipped, following them to Kohaku's side.

At reaching their sister, though, a slight frown came to him. Kohaku smiled welcomingly at him and he had to try hard to keep a straight face. "Know that I'm coming here under duress."

"Do you really hate spending time together like this?"

"With you right now? Don't count me in as the happiest guy in the world."

Both Kougyoku and Suisei flinched at such straight forward answer but Kohaku didn't seem fazed although they could see a tinge of sadness in her eyes. She kept her smile and answered him. "I know you're cross at me but just for today give me a chance. I'll explain. Before I do, though, enjoy yourself a little. We've been under too much stress as of late. Let's just enjoy each other's company for a while, shall we?"

The two remained quiet as Sousei mulled over his answer. It took a few seconds before they heard him sigh and glance up nonchalantly from the ground. "Today. That's all you get so it better be good. I'd rather enjoy my time with Kougyoku and Sui, so you'd better think well about what you're going to say."

Stepping out of Suisei's grasp, he pulled Kougyoku and entered the first store that he saw. Suisei chuckled before turning to Kohaku who was smiling as well.

"I thought Kougyoku's sudden visit seemed sketchy," she said as they followed behind them.

"If anybody was going to draw him out, it'd be her," Kohaku replied with a grin.

She giggled at this but a sullen expression came to her before she glanced back at Kohaku. "You're really not taking that position?"

Kohaku didn't reply to that. Instead she answered with something else. "I want to have him understand that I don't intend to leave him out to dry. I never did. I'll always support you two in whatever decision you make. I just want to remind him of that."

It wasn't what Suisei wanted to hear but it somehow calmed her down to hear it. "All right, we'll hear you out then." And if it solved the quarrel between his brother and sister then all the better. She was tired of being stuck in the middle.

---

So far, so good.

Sort of.

Her little plan of drawing Sousei out of his cocoon by using Kougyoku had worked like she planned it. Although she felt a tiny bit guilty about using his crush for the young princess against him, it was with the best of intentions in mind. Besides, by the looks of it he didn't seem to mind being dragged around by Kougyoku and Suisei as they shopped.

And although she enjoyed watching them get along together as normal children, Kohaku had brought them here specifically to talk. It wasn't helping that she kept dragging the conversation off before it even started. But she needed to make damn sure that what she said would be the right thing. Having Masami hate her was something she could live with, and she did. But having either of the twins hate her… The thought alone made her heart want to sink.

I've got to fix this.

Watching them from a few feet away and speaking only when spoken to, she found the day passing them by quite fast. And as they stumbled through the crowded streets looking for a place to eat, she couldn't stop thinking that the day Sousei gave her was quickly running out. If she didn't talk to him soon, goodness knew when else she would get such an opportunity to make amends.

It's now or never.

She took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to watch the three of them a few paces away, busying themselves with finding a place where they could eat. Determined to make it or break it, she took a single step forward to them but bumped against another passerby. She was about to bow in apology but the man—at least what she assumed to be one—barely even glanced at her before continuing on his way. The slight glance, though, gave her a sinking feeling. The worst part was that she didn't know why.

His face…where had she seen it before?

"Anegimi!" Kohaku spun on her heel almost bumping into more people as she trotted over to Kougyoku who'd called her over.

"Don't get lost, Haku-nee," Sui said with a grin.

"I'll try not to." It'd be hard, she'd admit that much. With so many people crowded in one place, it rattled the noise together that much tighter. The reverberations that her sensitive ears were getting had started giving her a mild headache as it was. Shoving that ache aside, she listened to Kougyoku as she told the whole group that she and Suisei would go get the food while Sousei and Kohaku would find a place to sit.

Agreeing to those terms—Sousei somewhat reluctantly—the group separated. Kohaku busied herself watching out for any place to sit. Luckily an old couple had just stood from their sit just under the shade. A smile at having found such a good spot, she attempted to grab Sousei's sleeve but when she reached out, he brought his arm back against his side.

Lifting her gaze, she met his—stark blue staring right at a darker shade. He must've seen the same table, apparently; not giving her any remark, he strode over to the table and took a sit, making sure that he'd be facing away from the any of the others. Distraught but not defeated, Kohaku walked up and took the nearest sit to him.

Silence ensued. Despite her previous determination to resolve the problem, she found doubt in herself. Her eyes shifted around, watching the people that passed them by. The few glances she gave his way didn't show him in anyway as troubled as she felt. That worried her somewhat.

Maybe talking through things wouldn't help either.

No, they will.

Sousei wasn't irrational. He seldom let his emotions get in the way of what he knew was right.

And that will be the death of me one day.

Not today, though. Today she could make this work. She would.

Inching her hand across the table, Kohaku reached to Sousei's sleeve and tugged it. His attention piqued, he turned his head to glance back over his shoulder. Her breathed hitched at seeing the iciness that lined those dark eyes of his. She felt cold—frostbitten in a way that she rarely saw in either of her little siblings, much less directed at her. They quarreled like all families did—Masami being the exception— but never this intensely. And she wanted it over with.

Taking a deep breath for encouragement, she raised her shaking hands. "I know that…apologizing won't do any good." Sousei scoffed and averted his gaze down onto the table. Not deterred, she placed her hands down on the wooden surface and continued to sign. "But I want to talk. Will you listen?"

From underneath his lashes, she could see the small movement of his eyes as they followed her fingers. Without a word, he leaned his chin on his palm before glancing down directly at her hands. "I know…you don't like what I've decided. I don't either."

"Then why?"

Hearing his words tore her; the way he said them, that he didn't even raise his voice, and the fact that his were the only ones she could hear among the ruckus of the afternoon crowd. "Some things need to be a certain way, Sou. As much as I'm honored being offered such position, you know I can't take it."

"Is it…because of Masami?"

At hearing that name, she couldn't help but frown in confusion. "Why would you—"

Placing a hand over hers as she signed, Sousei stopped her. "Suisei mentioned that the two of you don't seem to be in the best of terms. The more I thought about it, the more it started making sense. And it's been that way ever since you captured Marbas, hasn't it?"

Kohaku didn't affirm nor deny the accusation. Beleth had been the first djinn she'd captured and the four of them had been present in that dungeon. Out of them and the guards sent with them, the djinn had chosen her: a lamb among predators. Kohaku could only guess that it stung Masami that she hadn't been chosen being the oldest. Marbas had been Masami's second attempt at gaining a dungeon's power. But it failed as well. Despite it only being the two of them present—disregarding the Magi of the organization who'd been there as a guide— Marbas had chosen her. Two failed attempts and a major reproach by their father later, the friction was more than tangible. It only took one other thing—the only thing that mattered— to throw Masami's emotions over the brink and into their current state.

So, in a way, he wasn't too far off.

"Yes. We talked it over when she received the letter. If we wished for our family to continue prospering in the empire, regardless of who deserves it, you must be the one to take over."

"What'll the point be of me taking over as weak as I am now?" At hearing this, it was her turn to grab at his hand. She squeezed it tight and with a shake of her head assured him otherwise. He scoffed, this time with a wry smile on his lips. "You say that because you have to. You're my sister."

"I'm more than just your sister, Sousei. I'm your friend. I'm your rock to lean on just as much as you and Suisei are mine. And even with you as general and head of household that won't change."

Sousei pondered over the words he read, his hand brushing through his hair over and over. Lips pursed, he shook his head. "You're better at being general, though. Better than Sui, better than Masami, and definitely better than me."

"But I'm human, too; I err. We've both seen that."

"And I don't?"

Kohaku rubbed at his hands soothingly with one hand and continued signing with the other. "You do. But you won't be alone at doing this like I told you. Sui will be with you. Masami will be with you. I'll be with you. We won't let you face this alone."

"It'd be no different regardless of who took the position," he mumbled under his breath. "They'd do the same for either of us."

One wouldn't.

She pursed her lips at the mere thought and how much it saddened her. Shaking it off, she continued wanting to hammer down the point of her sermon. "Maybe so, but the facts of our lives still stand. I hold no power nor status as a member of our family. Neither Masami, Suisei, nor myself will ever amount to much other than being decorations for whatever future household we're married to. I may wear Metal Vessels, and Suisei may carry a Household Vessel, but the one simple fact remains: we're women. Only you can carry on our family name."

"Then why send the letter in the first place?"

"Father's sick. Perhaps the feebleness has rotten his judgement. Perhaps the decision is only temporary until he recovers. At the end of the day, we both know him and he would never willingly abdicate his position to me."

Sousei sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. Kohaku stopped for a second to allow him some space to think. She knew him to be smart and that he could easily understand all that she told him, regardless of how harsh it was.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally replied in a soft whisper, "…it's not fair."

Seldom anything is.

"But we can get through this together, Sou, like we've always done." Rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand as she held it, Kohaku offered him a small, encouraging smile. "You can lead and we'll be with you every step of the way."

At seeing this, he frowned before slumping forward and hiding his face against his forearm as he laid it on the table. Their hands still held together, she waited patiently for him to say something. At last, after what seemed to be an eternity, he muttered what truly, in her opinion, tormented his mind.

"…I'm scared."

Who wouldn't be. Despite having been in many battles over the last few years, she shook at times seeing death and despair covering what had been prosperous lands. The worst had been when she herself was forced to cause it. Sousei and Suisei were no different. They'd each experience their share of torment at having to cause pain and suffering to others. And although they understood it to be for the good of their empire and people, she also knew the grave sin of stealing life before its time.

She felt remorse for killing. She felt anguish over those who died. But most of all, she felt fear for her own small, replaceable life.

Burying her hand underneath his palm, she signed slowly against it so that he would be able to understand the movements. "Me too, Sou. My biggest fear is the mere thought of anything horrible happening to you or Suisei. But we can't let this fear dwell and nest in us. If you let that fear have you, you'll have fear as a master. It'll tie you down. And if it does, you will truly lose all freedom."

That alone made him lift his gaze. Seeing his eyes, glazed as they were with unshed tears, tore at her. He sniffed and grabbed the hand she'd been signing with tightly in his grasp and brought up to his lips. "Is that what you're giving up so much to protect? My freedom?"

"No." He blinked a couple of times, perplexed. "What I'm protecting and always will is the two of you. You and Suisei are my everything. I would never do anything to deliberately put you in harm's way and I would die before I ever let anything happen to either of you. So believe me, compared to you, forfeiting father's position as general is nothing."

He chortled at this and tried to casually wipe at the tears that had been gathering on his eyes. "Only you would say something so ludicrous."

That he'd manage to at least smile after the past few days of tension brought one to her as well. "Would my feeding the riches of the seven seas to pigs have been more believable?" She shrugged her shoulders at that with a grin on her lips. "Regardless of the phrasing, the truth of the matter remains. The things that I do, I do them out of love."

"Consequences be damned, huh?" he asked, eloquently.

"As long as they only befall me."

Smiling wryly, Sousei shook his head before bringing their clasps hands closer to his lips. Giving them a chaste kiss, he pressed their knuckles against his forehead, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Things don't need to be so black and white, Haku-nee. I'm sure…something can be done where we're all given our just reward."

"Karma works that way, yes."

"She's a slow bitch, though," he added with a cheeky grin. "So I'll do my best to search every nook and cranny for an answer. You've done enough if you're driven to forfeit. So leave it to me."

"And if we're only left back here at square one?"

"Then…" He stopped briefly to contemplate his answer. "I won't coward away. I'll take responsibility if it comes down to it. Fear won't rein me in; I won't let it."

"And we'll be there with you to see you through."

He smiled at that and nodded. "Thank you, Hakuchi."

Kohaku's eyes widened at hearing that. It'd been years since she'd heard the twins' little secret language. Being phonetically based, someone like her with such overdeveloped hearing could easily catch the quirks of the sounds. And the endearment that they would mostly use for one another had never been used for anybody else. At least none that she heard.

That mere fact made her smile widen and left her speechless. At recognizing two distinctly high-pitched voices, she turned to see Kougyoku and Suisei coming their way with food in hand. The slight squeeze of her hand made her turn back to Sousei who smiled back at her before whispering under his breath so no one else would hear, "And sorry…for how I've been up till now."

She held him tightly in response before patting the back of his hand, reassuringly.

We all err.

---

Kohaku found it almost miraculous that one single conversation was all it took to make amends with her brother. He still was somewhat shaky about what would happen in the future but for the time being all was well. As Kougyoku had originally planned when she'd brought the idea to her, the four of them spent the day enjoying themselves. Everything—from studies to meetings—got left behind, forgotten. Regrettably, the day had gone by faster than they had anticipated. Although she knew that some of Rakushou's liveliness occurred at night, she already knew how tiresome the whole day had been for them. Despite the anxieties that were left behind, a rest for the mental and physical exhaustion their fight brought onto them was sorely needed.

She told them this just as the sun began to set turning what had been a bright blue sky now into a hue of dark indigo, reds, and orange. As she expected, Suisei and Kougyoku pouted in reproach while Sousei frowned in disappointment.

"There's still a good half an hour of daylight left," Sousei told her. "Can't we just leave at nightfall?"

"We have Kougyoku with us," she reminded them. "They'll worry about her the longer we take." At signing this, she turned to the princess with a half grin. "You wouldn't want your brothers to worry, now, would you?"

Her pout vanished then. "No, I wouldn't."

Kohaku smiled and patted Kougyoku's head. "We can come some other time, Kougyoku. Think of this as one day out of the many to come."

That seemed to pacify her enough to agree to her request to return. They had traveled quite a way from the palace and although not as crowded as it had been in the morning, the streets still held plenty of people that hurried to finish their errands for the night. Kougyoku led the way back while holding either arm of each twin. Kohaku decided best to stay a few paces behind.

"Ah, but I really wanted some!" Suisei's sudden outburst rings through Kohaku's ears rather painfully. Stopping the whole group, she watched as Sui threw a small tantrum wanting to go buy something before they left.

Raising an eyebrow at them, she watched as Sousei gave in to his sister as he always did. "Fine, we can go back for it."

"But isn't it getting late already?" Kougyoku asked.

"It is." Sousei thought over that as well but it got hard to with Suisei pestering him about wanting that desert she'd missed on their way back.

"I'll get her back safely."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Kohaku nodded and stood behind Kougyoku with her hands on her shoulders. The princess glanced up over her shoulder to meet those stark blue eyes before smiling and turning to Sousei. "If it's anegimi, then I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, I've got Vinea, as well." The hair ornament glinted in the faint gaslight of the stalls that were still open around them as if in agreement.

Sousei sighed with a defeated grin. "I suppose you're right. We'll hurry there so that we can catch up to you two."

With that decided, the four split up: two backtracking while the other two went on their way back home.

"You and Sousei must have made-up," Kougyoku commented sheepishly, her cheeks a bit dusted at the straight forward question.

Taking it to stride, Kohaku wasn't bothered to answer. "We talked. Air got cleared and we're back to, well, us."

"That's wonderful." Kohaku watched from the corner of her eye the quiet demeanor that Kougyoku suddenly turned to, shy with her hands wringing her fingers.

"Is something the matter, princess?"

Kougyoku wanted to smile but it only became a sad attempt at one. Instead, the concern was etched more noticeably on her face. Not wanting for her mood to be dampen so soon after their joyful excursion, Kohaku waiting patiently for Kougyoku to talk.

Kougyoku brushed a strand of red hair behind her ear, her gaze shifting before her and the road in front of her, before she actually started speaking. "It's just that...today was enjoyable. I don't recall the last time I've actually spend such time like this."

"Have you been that busy?"

The question itself made her shake her head. "Quite the opposite, actually. It seems I have too much time in my hands. Tragic, really, considering my ambitions." The moment that last sentence came out of her mouth, she brought her hands up to her lips. She chuckled nervously before dropping her hands from her face. "Forget what I said."

The pace of her walking slowed at this hesitance. Kohaku watched, pained, as the girl before her shrunk to what she used to be: a shy mouse, too afraid or embarrassed to voice her thoughts. Not wanting her to sink in such hole again, Kohaku grabbed her by the wrist and brought her away from the crowd. Underneath a small roof of a nearby stall, she brought her to rest there as the two stood leaning against the wall of the building.

Kougyoku stared up in confusion but was calmed when Kohaku smiled. Releasing the grip on her wrist, she placed one hand atop Kougyoku's conjoined pair, stopping her from wringing her hands red. With the other, she asked, "What kind of ambitions, Kougyoku?"

The princess gazed at the hand that kept hers immobile before lifting her head to gaze back Kohaku. Unsure but unable to remain quiet any longer, Kougyoku spoke with the liberty given. "I wish to be like you, anegimi."

"Like me?"

"…a general."

Kohaku's eyes widened at that declaration. Her, a princess of Kou, pining for such a position baffled her to say the least. Being general could be a glorious status but that was only out of the battlefield. In it, things changed drastically. And by a simple glance, something told her that Kougyoku would have a much harder time adapting to that harsher reality of what her position stood for. Even as a fellow Metal Vessel user, Kougyoku seemed more the type to fight to save rather than destroy. It was completely different to the Western Subjugation Army's primary goal.

But she didn't have time to question anything before Kougyoku began to jumble everything together in her attempt at an explanation. "I-It's not like I'm doing this on a whim. I understand what a position like yours and Kouha's means; to fight for the sake of and serve our country is something that I've always admired my brothers for. You, as well. Being general would mean that I'd actually be serving a purpose for my people. I—" With shaking hands, she reached up to touch the hair ornament that gleamed lightly at her timid touch. "I'm a Metal Vessel user and I gained this power out of my own will. Both Kouen onii-sama and Judar-chan, they saw something in me that I've always been too afraid to look for. They saw strength and they saw me as the warrior I wish to be."

Bringing her gaze up to meet hers, Kohaku stared at the pair of pink eyes that gazed so intently into her. Although never said directly, that strength that the other two apparently saw she'd seen it too. From the short month after their reunion, she'd seen the blatant change in Kougyoku. It wasn't just that her shyness had considerably decreased, either. No, the change she felt had much more to do with what Kougyoku could be capable of; despite the kind soul she was, Kohaku didn't doubt the young girl before her was a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps she was being biased or too easily swayed by the words of a friend she thought too dearly of, but it was the feeling she got about it.

And her gut feelings were rarely wrong.

"Then if that's what you're aiming for, how about I help as well?"

Kougyoku's eyes snapped wide open at this and she blinked owlishly back at Kohaku who only grinned. "W-What did you say…?"

"Let me help you achieve that goal, Kougyoku. As a friend, I wish for nothing more than to see you succeed."

The confusion washed off completely replaced by the joy that burst through Kougyoku. Unable to keep herself still, she jumped at Kohaku and hugged her tightly, thanking her in whispers that, unknown to her, she could hear well enough. Kohaku patted her head soothingly in response.

Wilting such young seeds was the last thing she wanted to do. Where there's a will, there's a way; Kougyoku, Sousei, and Suisei had their individual goals and so long as she held breath in her body, she'd work towards accomplishing those goals with them.

Pulling her to arm's length, she promised to talk later about this to settle on something to help her. For now, they needed to get back home. Kougyoku agreed and they headed off again to the palace. But unlike before, Kohaku felt uneasy. And the pricking sensation that ran down her back wasn't helping. As they walked, her eyes wandered sideways, sometimes nonchalantly over her shoulder. She clicked her tongue at noticing something after a few minutes of watching.

Maybe I'm overreacting.

"Anegimi?" Kohaku raised a finger for Kougyoku to keep quiet, taking attention away from her suddenly taking Kougyoku's hand in her own.

"Humor me, please."

The princess nodded with clear confusion etched on her expression. Taking the lead, Kohaku picked up their step a little and began turning corners. She picked up and turned at random on whichever corner she could see before slowing down to check behind her. Doing this a couple more times verified what she'd feared.

Two…three…four. She counted five men. All of them had followed either closely or a few steps behind them, turning at every corner, hurrying when they did, or slowing to a crawl when they did.

We're being followed.

Some thugs must've noticed them. Whether because of their attire or because of the jewelry they wore didn't really matter. What mattered at the moment was to get away from them and get Kougyoku back to the palace. Confronting them would cause a scene and besides it wasn't like she could very well argue with anybody. But losing them was proving to be a futile attempt the more turns and twists she gave. But she was so concentrated on losing them that Kougyoku had to stop her from running into the dead end she'd inadvertently locked themselves into.

Eyeing for any other possible exit, she ignored Kougyoku's worry, "Anegimi, what's going on?"

By the time she had processed what she'd said, the thugs that had followed behind them cut off their only exit. It's was only two of them now. Dressed in odd attire and sheathing even stranger weapons, it took Kohaku a second to recall from that afternoon someone else whom she'd seen in similar garbs: the man who she bumped into.

One of the men smirked at seeing the two as he walked to the right blocking the exit more broadly. "General, what a coincidence to see you here. Truly made our job much easier."

"And look," the other scoffed, his grin splitting his face. "Seems like we caught a little Kou princess in our net as well."

General…they recognized her even as she was now. What's worse they recognized Kougyoku. And by how they were prowling towards them, this didn't seem like the friendly neighborhood conversation she had prayed it'd be.

Kougyoku stood away from behind her to stand beside Kohaku. Shoulders squared, all semblance of relaxation was gone as Kougyoku regained her posture as the princess she was. "If you know so well who we are, then what nerve do you have to threaten us?"

"Oh, our apologies, princess," the first one replied with a smug grin. "But if you thought that was a threat, you're sorely mistaken. This—" from beneath their clothes, they drew weapons that Kohaku had failed to see. Ones that were all too familiar, "—is a threat."

Magic weapons.

They're mercenaries.

"But you're not who we're after, princess." The two flanked either of them, the hilts of magic swords Kohaku knew could sprout raging flames or lightning pointed their way. "General Reizei, if you would be so kind to step forth."

She quickly signed to Kougyoku who translated the few words. "Who are you?"

"How unfortunate that you don't remember us, General." As she had guessed, the man who'd spoken activated his weapon letting it spew flames and form a blade of fire. "Especially when you we came here to deliver the same sentence you delivered to our people in Hakucho!"

The first attacked them, the hilt he'd been holding spouted out a ray of lightning that whistled and crackled like a whip. Acting on instinct, Kohaku drew out Beleth and dispelled the attacks that came simultaneously from both magic weapons. Having summoned her sound staff, she whipped it sideways creating a sound wave that shoved them back.

She grabbed Kougyoku and dragged her out, running as fast as the two could towards the palace. The moment she ran out of the alleyway, though, she was bombarded by a cacophony of screams. The people around them were yelling and pointing in the direction of where they'd just exited. More crackling and whistling came and with a mere glance back she saw the nearby rooftops come ablaze. The flames traveled quickly with the evening breeze that had begun to blow setting the neighboring places on fire.

Unable to look away, the two of them stood watching from afar as the people scrambled in fear. Most ran away but some stormed forth to help put the fires out. Their efforts were useless, though, for the two men kept driving them back with their weapons and setting even more houses ablaze.

"Come, General!" they shouted over the ruckus made by the scurrying people. "We've got something to give to you that's long overdue."

"Vinea!" Kohaku turned at hearing Kougyoku call forth her djinn with a powerful bellow. Seeing the hair ornament glow in her hands, she caught the glimpse of the water that she controlled from the nearby sources as it rained down on the burning buildings. She brought her hand down, glaring at the bastards that started this. "You will not terrorize our people, you fiends."

"Pretty trick. Dungeon capturers sure have it easy. Too bad you can't be everywhere at once." Before either of them could decipher what he meant by that, several explosions thundered scattered throughout the city. Angered by their attack, she assaulted them with a sonic wave. But, as she had expected, they cut it away with the magic their weapons bore. "It's only fair, isn't it, General? After what you did to Hakucho and our people—eye for an eye sounds just mighty fine."

Before she could attack them again, the two attacked. Not wanting to avoid it and leave Kougyoku to take it, Kohaku pressed the vibrations in the air in a single place. Instead of traveling they remained and formed a firm wall of sound. The attacked bounced off as did some of the power that rebounded back towards her. Thankfully, it'd been a harmless hit but the two had run away.

Kohaku took a step forth intending on pursuing after them and whatever other cohorts they had with them but thought better of it.

Kougyoku.

She couldn't leave her.

"We have to go after them!" Kougyoku exclaimed, summoning her djinn weapon equip to more easily control the limited water she had around her.

"You can't."

"What?"

"I need to get you back safely to the palace first."

"But the people—"

I know…

Knowing she couldn't do this alone, she took her staff close to the bottom before bringing it overhead and slamming it down onto the ground, letting it bounce back up. The rings shook against each other and the sound reverberated loudly, traveling as far as the air took it. Grabbing Kougyoku by the hand, she dragged her along as they ran through the blaring crowd. They hadn't even gotten a few feet away when she heard their voices.

"Haku-nee!" From afar, she saw both Sousei and Suisei running their way. They've heard her call after all. Meeting them halfway, she shoved Kougyoku at Sousei unceremoniously.

He caught her no problem, having to shift the hold he had on his sword before doing so. All three turned up to her for answers but there was no time for that.

"Take her back to the palace then come back with help to put out the fires."

"What about the ones responsible?" Kougyoku shouted, trying to get out of Sousei's grasp.

"They're mine."

Sousei took a second to look at Kohaku in the eye. Stark blue met dark cobalt and in them he didn't see their sister anymore, only their General.

"You've been given your orders. Now go!"

The twins nodded undeterred by the forcefulness of her signs. Kougyoku glanced back worried but couldn't keep them from taking her. They ran against the current of people that headed towards their burning homes and shops, working hard to put out the fires that racked havoc on them.

"This isn't right!" Kougyoku shouted, somewhat starting to run out of breath. "We should be staying and helping to catch those men!"

"We were given our orders," Suisei told her, shoving to make way for herself as she ran.

Sousei gritted his teeth but answered her as well, "Our priority is to take you to safety."

"But Kohaku-ane—"

"I know, Kougyoku." Kougyoku glanced up, surprised at how calm Sousei was. "But Kohaku gave us orders. And as her captains, we must follow."

"She will be all right," Suisei added, glancing back at the fire that spread explosions going farther away into the city. "What matters now is your safety."

"And once at the palace, you'll need to direct the help to stop the damages from spreading," Sousei told her. "It's the other reason she wants you there. To you, they'll listen, and there, you'll be safe."

Kougyoku pursed her lips in disgust. The closer they got to the security of her home, the further the havoc that ravaged through the city spread. And Kohaku was alone to confront the criminals responsible.

Please, be careful, anegimi.

---

Bastards.

Those mercenaries with magic weapons where from Hakucho. At first, she'd thought it odd for such specificity where it concerned her but now it made sense. She'd left Hakucho in shambles after attacking with Beleth's djinn equip, and she'd known that some had escaped her ending strike. What she hadn't counted on was for the mercenaries from the city to come harboring a grudge. To have one against the empire as a whole, sure; that was usually how early conquered people reacted. But because they feared the overall repercussion from the empire's military, they never acted on the urges.

A grudge directed against her, though? The only person she expected that from was her sister, not others.

But I did kill many of their soldiers.

Her thoughts and feet both stopped cold as a nearby explosion deafened her ears. It was like nails being driven through her eardrums at each explosion. That many of the people around her were screaming and crying didn't help with the pain. And with all the noise, she wouldn't have a hope at finding the mercenaries by listening for where they went.

But if she couldn't hear them out, then she would sniff them the mere thought of it, the gold bracelet with ingrained bones began to glow.

Spirit of Nature and Ferocity, in the name of my magoi, envelop me to grant me greater power. This I command of you and your household. Come forth and dwell within my body: Marbas.

Her whole body became enveloped in light that quickly shrunk into the form of a child with mixed human and animal features. Her long hair had shortened and sprung out just above her shoulders; the color changed to dark orange. A pair of large, pointed ears, sprouted from her head of the same color except the tips were dyed a bright blue—the left with a gold loop earring—while a large upper portion of an animal skull rested atop her head and between her ears. Fur of the same warm orange covered other parts of her body. A tuft circled her neck just above her collarbone and budded out in front of her small chest covering her. A similar one ran from her midriff and came around her hips while a dark cloth wrapped around her hips with gold rings around. The tufts of hair also ran from her forearms and knees, lining them all the way down until her hands and feet became small claws and talons respectively. From her tailbone a trail of hair came down and formed a large tail that swelled from the volume, its tip dyed a bright blue.

Her face turned childish with large, stark blue eyes. From there white streaks ran down her cheeks. And her lower incisors grew a slightly bit larger into an under bite. The sash that hovered over her was of a similar bright blue color with golden rings at the extremities; the ends came around from behind her and crossed over her stomach before trailing off back again.

Ignoring the people around her that fled, she took a sniff of the air. Within a few seconds, she caught a distinct scent that didn't belong to Rakushou's heading out towards the outskirts of the city. They were escaping.

Snarling at the thought, Kohaku got down on all fours and dug down her talons and claws before propelling herself forward on a sprint. Flying in this form was inconvenient. Her power came from hand-to-hand combat and flying was out of the question for that. But she was anything but slow in this form.

This time none of you will escape.

Jumping over rooftops to avoid the incoming crowd, Kohaku scavenged after the mercenaries and within minutes reached were their trail ended. Just outside the gates of the city, she jumped over the remaining buildings and landed outside, smashing the ground beneath her and cutting their path. The group of men stopped in their tracks at seeing her, their magic weapons drawn.

"It's her," one shouted, and the rest brandished their weapons fully. She didn't know how they knew her form as Marbas but she wasn't about to ask them.

Standing up straight, she pointed at each person present: twelve of them. That's how many survived. This time, none will. Running her clawed thumb across her own neck put the men on edge enough to begin haphazardly attacking her.

Taking that to her advantage, she jumped out of their way and dove in with her talons, mangling them with each kick or swipe. Most fell on the first strike and laid wailing from their pain and bleeding out from their wounds. Three were left standing.

One clicked his tongue at seeing the carnage she'd left behind and turned quickly to whom she assumed led them. "It's a djinn-equip," he hissed.

"Magic can fight against her powers," the leader commented. But the way he so tightly gripped the hilt of his weapon and by the clear stench of perspiration, she doubted he believed in those words. Feigning a smug grin, he turned to Kohaku. "Are you sure you should leave your siblings unprotected?"

Kohaku bared her teeth at hearing that. Whatever they had planned she wouldn't let them start it. The third man smirked despite his shaking hands. "That palace isn't as safe as you think, dumb bitch!"

All at once, she saw red.

"My king!" Kohaku's ears twitched at hearing Beleth through her clouded mind, making her hang on to the small ounce of her sanity that kept her calm. "Don't be rash. They must have infiltrators in the palace. You must take them alive to unveil the rest."

I'd rather kill them and sniff the rest out.

"You cannot."

Kohaku growled at his words as they anchored her mind. Taking deep breaths to control her anger and keep her rationality intact, it was working well until the leader decided to speak. "We'll kill each and every person here as you did with us." He scoffed and brandished the lightning whip out to attack, "Every last one of them is as good as dead."

"My king—"

No.

The men drew back at the sight of the beastly child before them. Her skin crackling with dark crimson energy as her snarl grew more ferocious along with her enlarging incisors.

I'm sick of holding back.

---

"She's utterly unbelievable."

Sousei groaned but did his best to not skip a beat as he ran down the long hallways of the palace followed closely by Masami. At arriving, he and Suisei split ways to cover more ground. Suisei had taken Kougyoku to her quarters to see their orders from Kohaku through. Sousei put it on himself to get Masami and alert the princes of what was happening in the city. Although Kougyoku would surely reach Kouha first to get the magicians to aid with putting out the fires, he wanted to be absolutely sure that the rest of the Imperial family was aware of the attack they had in their city.

In short bursts while on their way there, Sousei managed to recount what had happened on their morning escapade that led them to that moment. Leaving what didn't matter out, he didn't find her outburst surprising. She hated when Kohaku acted on her own without clearing things with her first. But they had bigger issues at hand than some petty inferiority complex.

"That doesn't matter now, Masami," he told her as they rounded a corner. "Are you sure they're there?"

"Y-Yes." He stopped briefly to let her catch up but frustration was making him more impatient by the second. Especially when all he wanted was to get this announcement over with so he could return out there to help. "There was to be a meeting just now. It's surely to have started."

"And they probably haven't heard then."

"The explosions were barely audible from here," Masami explained. "But they were visible."

With the palace some distance away from the main part of the city they were at, he wasn't surprised. And it meant they'd come with news. The closer they go to the meeting room, the more Masami began to sputter, unable to decide whether interrupting was a good idea.

"There's no time for that petty bullshit," he bellowed seconds before tearing through the doors of the room. The instant he set foot inside he felt the piercing stares from the ones present. That didn't matter, though, and he quickly brushed it aside. "The city's being attacked."

Koumei's eyes widened from the shock. "What?"

"A few minutes ago, Kohaku, Suisei, Kougyoku, and I were out in the city. Kohaku and the princess were ambushed."

Murmurs arose quickly but Kouen silenced them when he stood up. He glanced back at Sousei; it was an intense sight for him and all he did was ask one question. "Who?"

"Mercenaries," Sousei replied without missing a beat. Kouen's gaze came down for a second before taking his sheathed sword in hand and striding out of the room. Koumei followed quickly after him with Sousei and Masami following suit. Not caring at the moment, Sousei quickened his pace to stand beside him. "From what Kougyoku told us, they claimed to be from Hakucho. They have magic weapons. They've set parts of the city ablaze."

"Any dark vessels?" he asked straight forward as they headed to the main barracks.

"We didn't see them so there's no telling. My sister—Kohaku stayed behind to track them down. She wanted us to prioritize the city's safety."

But Kouen didn't seem to listen to any of that by the time they reached the barracks. Inside some soldiers trained while most lounged about; a few that he did recognize were the Household Members of both princes.

"Shou En, Seishuu Ri, Kin Gaku, Kokuton Shuu."

The four members stepped forth, heeding their call.

"Take an armada each, clear the streets and stop the damages from spreading." The soldiers that had heard began to mobilize without even being told as they gathered the rest of their comrades. "Mercenaries have infiltrated the city and have magic weapons in their possession. Capture them on sight."

"Yes, young master."

The whole crowd began to move then as all the soldiers available began to move. Kouen turned to Sousei with a slight glare, "Where did she go?"

Sousei shook his head. "She didn't say but she headed towards the southwestern gates."

"They must be trying to escape the city," Masami suggested before turning to both Kouen and Koumei. "The gates should be closed."

"We can't." Both siblings turned to Koumei at that conclusion. "The people's escape routes are through those gates in case of widespread attacks. Closing the gates means leaving them penned inside the fires."

"Our priorities are to stop any further damage to the city and catch those responsible for this," Kouen explained before turning to Sousei and Masami. "Order the Southern unit to the city as well under your command, Reizei Masami, to aid in the dousing of the fires." The sudden call made her jump before she bowed and heeded his orders.

Sousei was about to ask what he could do as well when three familiar voices shouted from different places across barracks as they approached. He turned at their calls to see Kougyoku and Suisei heading straight to him while Kouha ran up to Kouen and Koumei.

"T-The city—" Kouha stammered.

"We know," Koumei replied.

"Take the vanguard's magicians to the forefront, Kouha," Kouen instructed. The young prince nodded and turned to deliver his three magicians the message for the rest.

Sousei held Kougyoku by the shoulders to calm her down as she breathed heavily. Suisei couldn't keep her feet on the ground, jumping from one foot to the other. "What's wrong?" he asked them both.

"She's back," was all Kougyoku said in short breaths.

"Where is she?" Sousei asked, his brow furrowed.

"The west courtyard," Suisei answered him. "Princess Hakuei told us she and Prince Hakuryuu met her at the gate. She's got prisoners."

Before any other words could be exchanged, the two princes started making their way there. Kouha exchanged one look with Kougyoku before the two started after their brothers, the princess avidly retelling what had happened to her brother. Sousei and Suisei didn't lag much behind but the more he listened in, the more he started to worry again.

"You didn't see her?" Sousei asked his sister.

Sui shook her head, concern etched on her face that he was sure matched his to a tee. "The princess said it was Haku-nee though and she brought three of the mercenaries badly injured from the fight but still alive."

Badly injured. That didn't sound good at all. And the dread in him only mounted more all the way until they reached the west courtyard. From afar they caught a glimpse of Hakuei and Hakuryuu. Although together, there was still a noticeable distance between the two. Shockingly, Masami was there too with Hakuei. She must've ordered their men out quickly enough to return to find them before stumbling upon Hakuei and Hakuryuu.

As they reached the most secluded part of the courtyard, Sousei finally spotted the mercenaries and their sister; the three men kneeled in a row, greatly wounded but, just like Suisei had said, not critically so. Regrettable.

But what caught his attention the most was the sight of his sister. Kohaku had djinn equipped Marbas but instead of the small beast child he was used to he saw the djinn's other form: a full grown woman closer to her actual age.

Most of the attributes she had as the beast child were retained except for a few changes. Her fur changed colors: the warm oranges turning into dark reds, and the blue from before becoming brighter, almost luminescent. The short hair of her child form became a longer mane that ran down her back to the middle of her back. Her incisors grew considerably larger as well. The ears on her head became slightly smaller and more pointed and sharper in comparison. The fur on her arms began with two bands around her upper arms and then lined from her elbow to the back of her hands, showing off more human hands with sharpened claws. The lining on her legs started form the upper part of her thigh, tinted in bright blue before the darker red, and coming all the way to larger and more animalistic talons.

The dark clothe from before remained with the same strap of rings around them. Her tail, like her child form, retain its volume and brushed against the floor. A long band came around her neck with the same tuft of hair covering her grown chest and leaving some flesh to peak out from underneath. White markings were written on her bare abdomen while the sash wrapped around her like before; the sash itself a bright blue that faded into dark shades of purple towards the tips with the same rings on the end.

This figure towered over the three mercenaries that knelt before her as she stood behind them.

"Marbas…" Suisei said holding onto the necklace that laid on her bosom: the small diamond-shaped zircon inlaid in silver.

He clicked his tongue at the sight, "She raged."

"Raged?" Kougyoku whispered back overhearing them.

Instead of answering, Suisei shook her head and with one hand brought Kougyoku behind her before turning to Sousei, her brow furrowed in concern. "You think she understands us?"

"She's sane," he assured her before nodding towards the three that knelt before their sister. "They'd be dead if she weren't."

"Kohaku-san—" Hakuei stopped short when Hakuryuu grabbed her wrist. She turned to him but he doesn't say anything instead choosing to keep an eye on Kohaku.

At seeing this, Masami stepped forward getting Kohaku's attention as she tilted her head to glare at her. The blue of her eyes was blazing in anger with bits of red touching around her iris. Glaring back herself, Masami opened her mouth but before a word could come out, Kohaku bared her teeth and snarled. Sousei grimaced at that exchange; perhaps sane wasn't the right word to describe her right now.

But when those bright blues glanced down to meet his, he didn't feel the coldness that he'd seen her give Masami. Instead there laid a small warmth beneath the rage that brewed beneath her skin.

And if she paid even the littlest of attention to him, then maybe she would listen to him. "Kohaku…?" She blinked and tilted her head his way; there was no snarl, just this underlying tension. "Everything's being taken care of now. It's all going to be fine. You can undo your equip."

It wasn't until those last words that she bared her teeth. In that instant, she hauled one of the men from the back of the collar and threw them forward. He fell face first onto the ground and scrambled to his knees, every other second looking behind him at Kohaku.

He cowered down onto the ground at hearing her snarl and admits everything as he weeps. "W-We attacked the city to hurt the General. She laid waste to our people and to Hakucho; we wanted to do the same."

"You're part of the band of mercenaries hired by Hakucho?" Masami questioned.

"We're natives," another answered. "We couldn't forgive the woman that ravaged the city and people."

Made sense why they went after Kohaku then. Masami was about to interrogate them further when Hakuei stepped in, kneeling before the wounded mercenary. "The interrogations can wait." Sousei watched her line of sight and saw the small crowd of servants that had gathered out in the hallways.

Knowing that letting a crowd like this witness such things was not favorable in the least, he knelt beside Hakuei to reiterate their point as they both helped the man to his feet. At hearing a snarl, he turned to face Kohaku who glared down at them both. Although Hakuei wasn't sure of what to do, Sousei didn't falter with a comeback. "This isn't the time or place."

Kohaku didn't agree but she didn't stop them either as she stepped back to leave them some leeway to get to the other two she held captive. Taking this as a right-of-way to continue, Hakuei motioned to the servants and some of her soldiers to help bring them in. "Take them into custody. Be sure they're tended to for later interrogations."

Small groups of maids and soldiers came to each of the mercenaries to help them to their feet and take them away to holding cells.

Kohaku watched every movement of anybody that approached, listening closely to every movement and scrutinizing each person as they came to help. Sousei and Hakuei made themselves helpful as well by helping the man she knew to be their leader. So far all she heard were clothes shuffling and from afar could also hear the fires that were being put out. The cries and screams from the city were dwindling too. That the whole commotion was slowly but surely calming down unwound her a bit. But just as her shoulders relaxed and she felt her anger slipping away, she heard the distinct 'shh' of a blade scraping against its sheath. Her eyes didn't see the movement but her ears heard it loud and clear and it was nearest Sousei.

Not wasting a second or expending any words, Kohaku dashed forward and heard the blade's scraping coming from one of the maids. Although not fast enough to see where exactly it came from, she managed to shove Sousei behind her in time to receive the hit instead.

Anger boiled inside her to the point that she saw red again. Without a second thought, she grabbed the whole of the woman's throat in her open palm before pushing her down onto the ground with strength she didn't bother to gauge. Taking one knee to give her blow all the strength she could, she smashed the woman down so hard that her neck crushed on impact.

Kohaku didn't bother with the warm blood that was seeping through her fingers or the splatter that had reached herself. Neither did she seem bothered by the pieces of bone pulverized under the force of her hit. In one fell swoop, she'd decapitated the intruder.

Not this time.

Rage boiling in her blood, she turned to the three remaining. The whole crowd had seen what she'd done, the remains clearly left behind on both the ground and herself. And Sousei saw how deep that anger went by simply looking at her eyes that had turned into a vivid red.

The moment she bent low to strike, Sousei knew he had only a small window to counter it. Unsheathing his sword from its place on his hip, he rushed to stand before the mercenaries and took on Kohaku's frontal attack. The claws on her hands screeched against the steel of his sword as he held it downward to parry the blow. Although shaking, he was grateful that he'd summoned his Household Vessel seconds before stopping her. Sakhiba Shafarat was holding its damn best against Marbas' full strength.

Regaining some conscious, Kohaku's eyes shone a dark red contrasted with specks of blue. Sousei knew that despite the state she was in—being consumed by the rage she'd come to harbor in her—she was still fighting for some semblance of sanity; the fact that her eyes were mixed in color was proof enough.

Holding his position and tightening his grip on his sword, Sousei glared at Kohaku as she took a hold of the blade in her palm wanting to break what stood in the way of her and her prey. But he wasn't about to break down against her when she wasn't even thinking straight. "I can't allow you to kill them. They have information we need." She snarled and held the blade with both hands not caring that the steel was cutting into her palms, blood running down her fur and trickling to the ground. The hold she had on it was so strong that he could feel his arms shaking from the force it took to keep her at bay.

But instead of continuing the hostility against each other, he calmed himself. His lips quirked up into a half smile while his eyes watched her with tenderness. "You did everything you needed to keep us safe. Your job's done then, isn't it?"

He let his words sink in for a second but she held steadfast. In clear contradiction to that, though, he also saw her resolve falter. The grip on his sword began to lessen the slightest bit, letting his arms rest and stop shaking. Just a little bit more would do.

"'There is always another way.' I think if we can take your advice, you should be able to, too." His eyes shifted slightly to the side before returning to her, his smile turning crooked. "Besides…you're scaring them."

He saw the cloudiness in her eyes disappear instantly as she turned to the side and blinked. Her eyes widened the moment she caught sight of Kougyoku and Suisei. The two were leaning against each other, Suisei with pursed lips and glazed eyes and Kougyoku with eyes wide and sleeves covering her mouth. In both their gazes, she saw the deep-seated fear he mentioned. It couldn't have been more obvious and it pained her heart that she'd caused that in them.

A warm touch to her hand got her attention and made her turn back to Sousei as he let his sword down while easily taking her hands off of the blade. She turned not wanting to see the expression on his face—fear too? Disappointment? —but her breath hitched at seeing nothing but warmth in his cobalt eyes and a tender smile on his lips. "We're safe, Hakuchi. There's no danger anymore." Sheathing his sword, he spread out his arms to her. "Nothing's going to happen to us now."

Those words made her sob and without thinking Kohaku threw herself at Sousei's open arms as a gold light enveloped her. It wasn't bright and it only encompassed her as she morphed back into her child form before even reaching his embrace. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and held onto him with every fiber of strength she had, her tail unconsciously following behind as it wrapped protectively around his waist.

"That's better," he whispered as he patted her head, holding her close as she buried her face against his shoulder, her ears bending back against her head. Lifting his head, he turned to Hakuei before nodding to let her know that it was okay to continue. Hakuei took his word and asked Koumei for help as to what to do with the mercenaries.

Most of the ones present remained quiet as the rest took care of the issue and the gruesome aftermath. Kouha and Kougyoku stuck together mostly because he didn't want to leave her alone after what happened. Suisei stayed close to Kougyoku wanting someone to hold on to seeing as Sousei was dealing with Kohaku. Masami went with Hakuei and Koumei to help with the remaining culprits since she didn't want to be involved with cleaning what her sister had done. Kouen dispersed the crowd of maids and soldiers ordering them to help out with the city's state with what they could contribute. This disbanded a lot of the noise quickly.

Suisei, seeing that it was much calmer now, decided to approach Sousei with the prince and princess following behind. She grabbed at Sousei's back making him turn sideways with the little beast in his arms. "Is she going to be okay?"

He averted his gaze and stopped patting her before calling her attention. As Kohaku raised her head, the three were surprised to see huge tears forming in her eyes. Bringing her to face him, he smiled as he wiped them away. "Are you ready to turn back now?"

She gazed up and sniffed before nodding. He muttered 'good' before leaving some space for her. The light enveloped her again as she undid her djinn equip and burst out in tiny specks of gold as she returned to normal. As she leaned her weight on her feet while still holding onto his shoulders, she winced and stepped back to put her weight on her right leg.

As they all looked down, the two girls cried out in worry at seeing the small blade with its hilt broken sticking out from her left thigh.

"A-Are you okay?" Kouha asked seeing as the wound was still bleeding a bit.

"I'll go get Ka Koubon," Kougyoku added unable to think of anything else.

But before any of them could do or say anything more, Kohaku reached down, grabbed the blade in her hand, and yanked it out in one pull without flinching. The moment she did she undid one of the ribbons from around her waist and quickly went to tie it around the wound that began to bleed more while the others scrammed about like headless chickens.

Being a little calmer, Kohaku chuckled at their concern. It wasn't too deep of an injury. Besides, she'd grown quite a pain tolerance over the years; so although she felt it, the injury wasn't as bad as it looked for her. Her small reprieve didn't last, though. Seeing the shadow that towered over them all, she lifted her gaze to find Kouen. The other three took a step back the moment he drew out his sword, brandishing it down at her.

"What're you doing?" Suisei shrieked coming to Kohaku's side like a stricken cat.

"Wait, please," Sousei called, placing an arm protectively over her. "She's done nothing wrong."

"Wrong." That answer, more than the blatant weapon pointed her way, baffled her. Before she could ask, though, she saw the coral wings of Phenex's healing magic sprout from the metal ornament as it shone. The wings enveloped the three of them as it healed every wound, little or big. Feeling her leg better, she tested it and gently put weight on it to find it like new. She was about to thank him when he saw a small tinge of something else in his stoic expression—something reminiscent of exasperation. "You still haven't learned anything."

Baffled by his statement, she doesn't have time to ask the meaning of his words. The twins begin to thank him for helping them but he doesn't acknowledge them. Instead he leaves, telling Kouha that his vanguard still has a job to do with repairing the damages done to the city.

He doesn't hesitate to agree but looks back at Kohaku. Lips pursed, he dawdles around for a few seconds before turning to Kougyoku. "Stay with her, yeah?" Kougyoku sheepishly complies and Kouha isn't slow to then face Kohaku who's surprise to see his frown. "Go and rest, you got that?"

Confused—somewhat—about his sudden shifting emotions, she can't help but nod. "Thank you for your concern, Kouha. I'll be all right now."

"You better," he mumbles, almost like a slight threat, before running off to his three magician attendants that quickly update him what's happening.

"What about the Southern army?" Suisei asked, remembering that Masami had only given them orders and let them go.

"I'll go—"

Sousei stopped her signing with his hand. "Nowhere. You, Suisei, and Kougyoku will go rest." She frowned at that but he simply shook his head. "You've been up to too much today. Give yourself some time to recover."

"He's right, anegimi." Beside her, Kougyoku reached out to touch her arm but stopped herself short and instead gave her a smile. She was being careful around her now and it turned Kohaku's stomach to have caused the sudden distance. "You should rest."

Not having enough strength at the moment to fight them about it, she nodded and let Suisei and Kougyoku lead her away to her room. Sousei, now alone, headed out back towards the city where he knew the rest of their battalion was dealing with the repercussions of what had happened. The more he thought about it, the more it never ceased to amaze him how many burdens their last mission had laid upon them.

The worst was that it seemed to be a gift that kept on giving. His eyes wondered over to where Hakuei, Koumei, and his sister had taken the mercenaries that remained. Certainly the rest had been disposed of by Kohaku as well seeing as she didn't bring those around. He sighed at the idea that even those pieces of scum survived but didn't bother thinking more about it, at least for now he wouldn't. After all, he'd be sure that this 'gift' wouldn't give anything more to them.

---

It's impossible.

Kohaku sighed for what felt like the twentieth time. The late evening had come faster than she thought. Sick to her stomach, she'd skipped the dinner that Suisei and Kougyoku offered. And although the she appreciated the small slumber party they were having—the two girls and Kouha who arrived much later—she just couldn't conceive any sleep. Even after Kouha had informed them that all the damages had been assessed and most compensated from what had happened, things still gnawed at her mind.

The things she did that afternoon didn't let her sleep that soundly. Killing during war or battles wasn't a foreign subject to her; she'd done it plenty of times, unwilling or not, but that didn't mean that such actions didn't bother her still. Not only that but Kouen's words troubled her as well. What the hell had he meant by saying she hadn't learned anything?

She hadn't spent the last month burning the midnight oil every day from dawn until dusk to not have come even a little bit farther from where she started. And that doubt and annoyance just didn't let her be. Before she could let it gnaw at her any more, she got up and left the room as quietly as she could and headed to the study.

It was well past midnight but she was sure that he would be there. He'd always been there the few times she needed to go into that specific study and she doubted that tonight would be any different. Not caring that she was in her night clothes, she strode through the dark hallways quickly reaching the study. Knowing if he wasn't there then there wouldn't be a need to be quiet, she opened the door without a care and went it. Unsurprisingly, there he sat reading through scrolls, a few already done by the looks of the small stack he'd set aside. Not caring for courtesy as things stood, she walked right to stand beside his chair behind the desk.

He took a few seconds before he languidly strayed his eyes from the scroll he was reading to face her. "I thought you would have postponed your studies for the night."

There it was again. That tone and look of exasperation. The mere reminder of that annoyed her even further and set her free of having common sense when she simply asked him straight forward. "What did you mean that I haven't learned anything?"

"I meant what I said," was all he granted but that wasn't enough for her.

That he'd gone straight back to his reading extremely peeved her. Clapping her hands to get his attention back, not caring about courtesy, she continued her one-sided conversation. "Tell me why."

His eyes slowly came up to hers and he sighed resentful but found it in him to answer her. "I know of that fervor of yours now after having seen it that made it easy for you to be followed even without having the proper training to hold your father's position. But you still haven't learned anything of what I asked the day you arrived. What you did today—in front of all of us, nonetheless—showed just how little control you got over your own mind. You still have not learned the kind of patience that war requires or the mental strength to reign in your emotions."

Kohaku drew back a bit at that clean hit to her most blatant weakness. That didn't deter her will to get a real answer. "Marbas is an untamed djinn. I lose some of my self-consciousness in that equip."

"That only goes to show that you are mentally weak. A strong mind wouldn't lose control when equipped, even with a feral djinn." Fed up with his indifferent attitude, she slammed her palm down against the desk making a resounding smack. His eyes wondered to her hand on his desk before lifting his gaze to her. "That there is your inability to control yourself. You let your emotions take over without thinking the situation over."

I don't need to fucking think.

But all gall quickly left her though when he raised from his sit. Because they were mere inches from one another now, she had to look up from how he towered over her. His presence and bearing, even in such causal instance, sent clear signs of dominance and power, of authority and poise. And a small part of her feared the man in this state; it feared the person he became when, as he said, he detached himself from his emotions. But all the same there was another part, a much larger one, that didn't want to be intimidated by him.

Kouen didn't stray his eyes from her own and saw the conviction she held as they shown brightly as she kept her brow furrowed in defiance.

"You have potential; multiple djinn wouldn't have chosen you otherwise." At this he frowned a bit in distaste and she didn't fail to see it. "But you're wasting what could be great potential by not thinking things through.

"It's worked."

"Clearly," he replied, sarcastically. It confused her though because it sounded exactly the same as anything else he said. "Had I been as irritated as you were, I would have waited until the interrogations were being done. There is no restriction to what can be done to extract information there, away from prying eyes and ears. Never in front of others."

Now that she actually thought about it, he made sense. Her pride wanted for her to deny that he was right but she knew better. Feeling defeated, she lowered her gaze deep in thought. She didn't want to be stuck in the same place. She didn't want to forever be liable for such tragedies again.

"How…do I fix this—myself?"

The question made Kouen sigh as he touched his temple, feeling a slight headache beginning to come to him. "You have to invest yourself into it."

"I have already." What did he think she'd been doing the past month? Having fun and lurking around for gossip? Thinking the exasperation contagious, she pursed her lips. "Can't someone teach me?"

"Not properly." He stayed silent as he thought for a second before lowly groaning in his throat. "I suppose I could teach you."

"You?"

He lowered himself back into his chair before nodding. "As you said, I have plenty of experience dealing with happenings out in the battlefield. Teaching you how I've grappled with such situations would be much easier and effective." Before he even left room for her to agree or not, he spoke up again. "But I won't be doing this freely. If I consider you a lost cause, I won't waste my time in teaching you something you can't possibly learn."

She wanted to back talk for the skepticism he had of her but she swallowed that back and instead nodded. "You won't. I want to learn to control this and myself and not let it take over again."

"It won't be simple but it is doable." Kouen sighed but seemed a bit more relaxed this time as he picked up his scroll adamant to continue his studies. "Meet me tomorrow at the same training grounds. We start at dawn."

Kohaku nodded enthusiastically. Finally, some direction. Perhaps he was right and she'd approached her learning the wrong way. Reading and studying had done some good to her but it hadn't been the right way to deal with what she lacked. Maybe having actual training to better herself and her emotional state would be the best way to better herself out in the actual battlefield.

If so—if this would help her keep those she cared about safe—then she'd take it.

---

How dank.

Masami treaded carefully so as to not dirty herself through the dungeons. Being good with stealth and seeing how late it was, she gambled there wouldn't be as many guards as there should be. Then again with only three prisoners to guard, she doubted much manpower was needed.

"How distasteful…" she mumbled as she walked through the cobblestoned underground cells.

And yet here she was sneaking in. It was for a good reason, though. Ever since she found out the mercenaries that had stormed the city had been residents of Hakucho and that they had purposefully targeted Kohaku, she'd wanted to have a word with them. Thankfully because of their condition, she knew that they had only been interrogate for a few hours before being left to rest which meant that she still had time to ask some of her own without interruptions.

But her questions were only a few and depending on their answers it would be the last they answered. Finding their holding cell, she was about to turn into the grand cell but stopped short when she heard noises coming from somewhere else. At first she thought it had been them shuffling around but as she peaked over the corner she saw a familiar silhouette that climbed down before the disheveled prisoners.

Well, well, well. Seems my cute little brother got ahead of me.

Sousei walked into the cell unnoticed, the sword in his hands with a blade lined in a silver glow. He must've used Sakhiba Shafarat to infiltrate in without being detected. Smart boy. The men at seeing him, stumbled back but their restraints, being bolted to the floor, allowed them little distance from him.

Cold and distant himself, Sousei eyed each and every one of them before exhaling. "All right. Let's start easy. You understand me, correct?" The men didn't dare answer him and that only serve to anger him. Stabbing the ground and letting the noise at the tip of his sword pierce through the hard stone made them all cower in place. "I said, do you understand me?"

The men nodded.

"Good." Taking his sword back, he held it by his side before kneeling before them. "Now, you did a deal of damage to our capital today. And the punishment you'll receive— because, believe me, you'll be punished—will be nothing short of brutal. But it won't be as harsh as what I'll do to you if you don't answer my questions with the truth. Are we clear?" They nodded again. "Excellent. Now that we're on the same page, let's clear the air, shall we? Your lot of mercenaries fought at Hakucho and it was you who fought against Reizei Kohaku. Firstly, what I want to know is where you obtained your weapons?"

"M-Magnoshtadt. They're giving them out like nothing close to the borders."

Magnoshtadt, huh.

It didn't surprise Masami, really. That city of magicians, albeit small, had in their disposition great tools but were rather secluded to any outsiders except other magicians. And if they weren't willing to sacrifice some of their own, those tools they made had to be tested somehow.

"What about the black weapons?" Sousei asked.

"Those were given to us by a man. A magician, I think. B-But not from Magnoshtadt." The one mercenary turned to the other beside him for more details.

"We haven't seen him since a year or two ago. He provided Hakucho with the black weapons saying they were a gift to defend ourselves against invaders."

"Did he help get so many people together to fight? Or was it someone else's idea?"

"His. He helped gather the mercenaries and people and armed them."

Now that there was interesting.

"Did he have a name?"

"N-None that he told us."

Dead ends weren't something he particularly liked but if coerced confessions didn't give results, nothing else would. Those were the few pertinent questions he had. If they knew, they had only bits of valuable information. Most of this, Hakuei had gotten out of them with the few hours he got with them. The mention of the man was exempted though or they didn't reveal that detail. But having those questions, the most important ones, answered was what he'd wanted. All that was left was one last question.

"Now, whether I let you gentlemen rest for the night will depend on the answer you give me next." The men shuffled from side to side in fear. Sousei squatted to be with them at eye level. "Now, your lot fought against my sister, General Reizei, when the battle came to an end. She equipped and killed most yet you survived. What I want to know is what you witnessed when fighting her?"

"She was feral!"

Understandable, Masami thought.

"She ravaged through the soldiers like a storm. There were few who could oppose her or protect themselves from her attacks."

Masami started to dislike having come to hear praises on the girl. Despite that she continued listening wanting to make sure that that had been all they've seen.

"S-She went mad—shouted that she would destroy us all for what we had done!"

Uh oh.

Sousei stayed still and quiet before he stood up from his place. He brought his blade up to rest over his shoulder; he tapped it a few times against it, mulling over what they'd said. In the end he sighed and glanced down at them with pity. "I hoped it wouldn't come down to this. Forgive me."

Before any of the men could ask or fear the meaning behind his words, he swept Sakhiba Shafarat across creating a sharp blade of sound that cleanly cut through all their necks, decapitating them. The bodies fell back with a hard thud but Sousei softened their fall with a sheet of sound before letting them fall against the stone floor.

He took a deep breath before walking away into the shadows. Masami heard him then running off and out of the prison. She tapped her finger against her lips as she thought over what she'd just witnessed. The answers Hakuei had gotten had been pretty much the same from what Sousei had gotten from them. From the looks of it, they had been nothing but pawns on someone else's game. And she highly doubted they would have known who their puppeteer was.

Regardless of who pulled their strings, Sousei had saved her a lot of work. She hid the small vial with dark plum-colored liquid she'd brought along back inside the folds of her clothes. Deprived from the opportunity of trying her new concoction, she pouted but had to thank Sousei.

With this, at least she'd get to keep her own puppet a while longer.

---

A/N:

I'm exhausted. I literally start school tomorrow and I'm up at almost one proofreading this chapter for you guys. This beat my longest chapter by a longshot at 29 pages and 18K words. So I hope you guys like it c:

New year sometimes means new people to meet. And I've got some people who Followed and Favorited this story that I've got to thank:
- Handara
- Kaschey
- mun3litKnight
- krt2614
- Shade Sparda
- brokenwings1995
- shipudden-piece
- YukimuraShion

And don't think I'm forgetting you, Reviewers. Because I couldn't get online to answer you all through PMs this time around, I'll be answering all here.
- grimxchixshiroxmomoxorixx: Glad you liked their moments. It's gonna be hard to write them together but I hope the chemistry works itself out. And yeah, he saw cx
- Miqila: If I'm making you hate a character, I hope it's because I'm doing a good job at writing her and the story as a whole. And Kohaku, well, we'll see what you think as time goes on. I like your thought process by the way. Aside from being a story, this is a puzzle. One that I intend to drop hints: big or small. Some may be in flashbacks like in last chapter and this one, others in subtler ways or places. I won't deny or admit to any of your questions simply to keep you thinking c:
- Guest: Thank you!
- Handara: Thanks so much! And yes, there are many questions. Like I said, this is a puzzle and finding answers is what you've got to do ;3 As for Kouen and his inner thoughts on Kohaku, well, they'll be sprinkled here and there.
- mun3litKnight: Curiosity is a good friend to have. Sorry I take so long to update. Upside is that they tend to be long for some goddamn reason -w- And don't wish ill on those you don't know about :) This is something that I wanted all to see, if you get to this part of the chapter where I just ramble on, but this story has but one truth that you should all keep while: unreliable narrators. Like that meme: trust no one, even yourself.

And that's all for now folks. Thanks for being so patient with me. I'll be a bit slower than usual now that school's back up but I'll try my best to write a little every day. A little goes a long way, after all. So for now I hope you enjoyed this long chapter—the first one of 2017!—and stay tuned for the next chapter.