~ Chapter 4: Deceivers and Cheaters ~

The light from the single candle set in the middle of the small cubical room between two people flickered against the darkness that threatened to suffocate the light. The soft glow from the candle barely lit up the faces of the pair as one of them explained the current situation. The other one nodded as his companion finished the exposition.

"I see…" the man responded after hearing the story. "That is interesting news. Are you sure that this boy used Psynergy?"

"Quite sure, sir," came the female's answer. "He glowed for a second during the battle and was able to produce shurikens. But the speed and power in which those shurikens were thrown… It was as if he propelled them with Psynergy giving them extra strength than they otherwise would not have had. I think that more damage was done internally from the Psynergy penetrating his body than externally from the shurikens."

"Have you seen him do anything else?" the shadow figure asked now curious about this new development.

"Not in the way of Psynergy but he does seems to have relatively quick reflexes," the girl continued. "He was able to leap over someone he would have otherwise run into. And during his fight in the dojo, he seemed to know every attack his opponent would make before it happened."

"Hmm… That is impressive." The man strummed his fingertips against each other as he contemplated this news. "He seems to have the characteristics of the Jupiter Clan like you and your father before you."

"It… would appear so…" The mention and thought of her father caused her to hesitate. Why does that matter? She thought.

"It's a shame that your father did not embrace his power like you have. He might not have fallen in battle that night…"

"My father was a great ninja!" the girl countered raising her voice. "He was skillful even without the use of the magic of the Jupiter Clan. He obeyed every command without question! He served for many years and proved his loyalty to the leaders of the Ninjas Royale! Yet he was sacrificed in a campaign against some second rate – no, third rate – town by some inexperienced lowlife who killed him! I have vowed to exact revenge upon that person who murdered my father if it's the last and only thing I do!" If there was one thing that she disliked more than anything, it was when someone talked bad about her father and what happened to him.

"Well, I'm sorry. I did not mean to stir up such feelings in you." The man fluidly swept his arms outward trying to calm her fury. He lowered his tone to a little above a whisper and continued. "I merely wished to ask him for his guidance, his advice, and perhaps his help. That's all."

"Oh… yeah, sure…" she replied skeptically. The way you said it doesn't convince me at all.

"But enough of that… About this boy in Xian, tell me more about him. What's he like? What of his physical appearance? Do you find him appealing at all?"

The question caught her off guard and she was suddenly at a loss for words. Did it really matter what he looked like? She squirmed slightly in her sitting position and she could her face flush with color as she stammered for composure.

"No… no disrespect, but why does that matter?"

"I'm just curious, that's all." He smiled at her sudden uneasiness. She never was one much for relationships and finding a mate. It not only made her uncomfortable but also any attachment to another would hinder her mission to avenger her father's death. It is because of her lack of attachment to the opposite gender (or anyone pretty much) that makes her such a deadly weapon. As he thought about the situation further he could not help but smile much more for what he had planned. "Well? Describe him for me."

She swallowed hard trying to suppress any awkward feelings she might have had towards describing him. "Achem. Well, he… he is roughly between 1.7 and 1.9 meters tall and weighs between 64 and 72 kilograms. He has light sandy blond hair with blue eyes. He is of a medium build and seems to be in fit physical condition…"

A gentle chuckle escaped the lips of the man as he listened to her formal profiling of the boy causing her to stop and look at him confused. "I'm sorry…" he said in a tone of voice that sounded anything but sorry. "That's not what I meant. What's he really like? His personality and character, I mean. Do you find that he is handsome in any way?"

"Oh! Well, umm… I still fail to see why…"

"Ah! I guess that it doesn't really matter. You'll find out more soon enough."

She lifted an eyebrow at his statement. "I don't follow."

"I am always looking for new recruits and if he is as strong as you claim then he would make a powerful ally, especially if he can use Psynergy." His voice then lowered to a whisper. "I have a new mission for you. This… boy… I want you to 'get close' to him. Do whatever it takes to turn him to our side, seduce him if necessary. Use your female wiles or whatever."

"Excuse me?" she gasped with her voice raised considerably.

"You, my dear, are going to become his best friend."

"But, sir!" the protested cry shot back.

The man raised his hand silencing her protest. "This is your mission. Get close to him. You'll be his friend, partner, coworker, lover, I don't care how you do it. Just bring him before me however you can," the man smirked evily as he stroked his chin.

"But what about Ichon? You gave me strict orders that I should watch and investigate him!"

"I realize that, and I'll deal with him. But these are your new orders."

"But you know that I hate this sort of thing! I would never…"

"You can and you will! Or have you forgotten what happens to those who refuse my orders? I think that it's in your best interest to do what I say!" he shouted clenching his fists. A faint hue of red outlined his fists. The man was now getting frustrated at her obstinacy to these new commands. He paused for a moment and lowered his voice back down to a whispered tone. "Your job is to befriend him, become his girlfriend or whatever. Then when he trusts you, bring him to me. That shouldn't be hard for a young woman of your beauty, now should it, Wynn?"

"With all due respect, Sir, this goes against my convictions. I don't like the idea of being another man's fantasy object! It would be even more difficult for me to concentrate on my own objective!" Wynn crossed her arms in front of her in great protest to this new assignment. There was no way in Weyard that she would do this!

"Do you still mean to defy my commands?" the man raised his hand up in the air and brought the back of his hand swiftly across the cheek of Wynn. "You do know the penalty for defying my orders, right?"

An inaudible growl made its way into the girl's throat but never out of her mouth. She knew better than to defy the most powerful man in the criminal underworld. The penalty for anyone going against his wishes was death. And she would rather not be executed before she avenged her father's death.

"Yeah, I know…" Wynn gently massaged the spot where she had just been back-handed which still hurt like a hundred bee stings.

"You see, your father was a great ninja, probably one of the best. He died an honorable death in battle. However, if you defy me now then not only will you not be able to avenger your father's death but you will not pass from this world as honorably as he did!"

Wynn gritted her teeth together as she responded in the only way that would allow her to continue to seek her own goal: "I'll do it. But only this one time!"

"That, my dear young lady, will be for me to decide. Now, I must be off to conduct business matters. And so must you," he waved her off as he stood to leave.

Even though the light from the candle was not very bright, Wynn was able to catch a glimpse of his ebony and crimson colored hair as he turned around to leave the small room. She stood up and turned around and started to walk to the opposite exit when she stopped and held her cheek and looked back through the darkness with disgust and indifference to where her master had just been.

Why is he making me do this? He's using my gender for his advantage! Wynn turned to exit and rubbed her reddened cheek. She started to amble through the darkness, not entirely focused on where she was going. I don't like that he is taking advantage of me. I'm beginning to wonder if following him after my father's death was a wise decision. Wynn sighed. Someday, I'll be strong enough to be the one giving orders and not the one following orders. But, for now anyways, I'll just have to obey orders and wait for my chance.

As she thought about her new mission and about all the things it would entail — getting dressed up, making sure she smelled good all the time, fixing her hair to perfection every day, having to prance around this boy for his attention, pretending to be something that she is not, and even possibly going so far as to do some more intimate things if all else failed — Wynn could not help but shudder. Men are such animals. They only want one thing. I am not going to enjoy this mission at all. If he tries anything on me, then I'll kill him!

Knight and Feizhi slowly meandered through the secluded woods and made their way back into town laughing and generally carrying on and having an enjoyable time relishing in the company of the other. The pair had not even noticed how much time had transpired as the position of the sun slowly descended leaving only a quarter of sky left in its daily journey.

The sight of the top of the village gate was certainly a welcomed sight to both from a growling noise that erupted from both of their bellies.

"Oh man. I'm so hungry," Knight whined as he held his growling stomach.

"Tell me about it," agreed Feizhi. "I haven't been this hungry in a long time. I guess that we spent more time out in the woods that either of us realized."

"Well, that's one of the reasons that I like it out there, my retreat, I mean. With all those trees around it's difficult to see the position of the sun and figure out what time of day it is. It's a good place to relax but also a good way to lose track of time, when you want to." Knight closed his eyes and lifted his face up towards the warming glow of the sun. Another thought crossed through his mind about a different reason he loved that retreat. But Knight held it back but he could not suppress the chuckle at the thought.

Feizhi looked at him with her face construed as she lifted an eyebrow wondering, "What is so funny?"

"Oh… Nothing…" Knight replied still chuckling gently.

"Obviously something is funny. What is it? What are you thinking about?" Feizhi questioned a smile forming on her delicate face as she felt the need to suppress her own laughter from the contagious chuckle of her male companion.

"There—There is another reason why I like that spot so much…"

"And that would be…?

The blond shucked his hands behind his head and cocked his head over to meet the green-eyed gaze of Feizhi and answered, "To escape from Jessica, of course!"

"Oh! You!" She gave him a gentle punch to the side and chuckled herself. "I can't believe you!"

"Oww! What? She's a very determined girl to become my wife, you know. Everyday it's almost the same thing over and over again. Shesh! She won't leave me alone…"

"Really? Is the great Knight having girl troubles?" Feizhi said in a tone of both playfulness and mockery.

"Ohhh… Back off already!"

"Did I hit a nerve?"

"I'm not exactly thrilled about always being chased around by Jessica you know! But still…" Knight's words suddenly dropped off as he recalled the words that he had spoken to his young friend earlier in the day. The scene was as clear and vivid as ever in his mind and he looked into her eyes and spoke to her in utmost seriousness. "I want you to know that as long as I'm here that I will protect you with my life. No one is going to hurt my friend. I give you my word. And I never go back on my word." In a way, it was more for him than it was for her. It gave him a purpose in this world, a reason to exist. His original purpose was to return to his own town with the identity of the real villain who had attacked his town. However that purpose died along with the merchant Joliet. In a way, Jessica, with all her young female antics of trying to win him over, was the best thing that had happened to him since the day he'd left Cyril. He once again found a purpose to live: to protect Jessica and all of his friends here in Xian— that was his new purpose.

"Hey! Hello? Weyard to Knight, do you read me?"

The hand waving in front of his eyes as well as the feminine voice of Feizhi brought Knight back into reality. "Oh? Sorry… Did you say something, Feizhi?"

"Well, you stopped right in mid sentence. Was there something more you were going to say?"

"Umm…" he began hesitantly. "Well, Jessica is a special young lady. Not wife material. Well, I mean, not yet, but probably not for me!" Knight stumbled over his words.

"Yeah, I understand," Feizhi agreed.

"Well, earlier I gave her my word that I'd protect her no matter what."

"Ahhh! That's cute! And quite noble!" Feizhi admired in a serious yet playful tone.

"Oh… don't gimme that!"

"No, really! I think that you are doing a great thing! It's a rare quality to find someone who is willing to protect another person no matter what. I admire you for it. And I'm guessing that's why Jessica admires you too!"

"Knight! Knight!"

"Oh, no!" Knight sighed.

"Don't look now but your number one fan is coming this way," Feizhi said elbowing Knight.

Running towards them was indeed the small feminine form of the very girl whom they were just discussing. Her silk purple cape flew out behind her as she sprinted towards them. She wore a big smile as she usually did. A fair distance behind her was another person approaching them who was less excited than Jessica to see him.

It figures that she'd show up just as we're talking about her. And… ohh, no… Knight looked up and recognized instantly the short, heavier-set brunette coming towards him. It's Maranda and she doesn't look happy. Ugh! Looks like she's gonna go off on me. Next thing you know Master Feh is going to drop in with some bad news… Knight narrowed his eyes as his senses suddenly alerted him to another incoming presence. He quickly focused his mind trying to determine the exact location of this other entity. His eyes shifted to the roof of a nearby building and suddenly dropping from the sky off to their side and landing on top of the building Knight was watching was the person whom he thought it would be, Master Feh. Whoa! That was weird! I could sense his approach before he arrived. Feh crossed his arms and looked incriminatingly at him.

"Looks like your 'number one fan' is waiting for you just over there," Knight smirked as he spun Feizhi around so she could see who he was speaking of.

"Huh? What's he doing here?" she questioned. "He looks like something is bothering him."

"Well, I'm not sure but there's only one way to find out. It looks like this is where we go our separate ways. I'll see you around then," Knight said turning away from her and giving her a half-hearted wave with two of his finger outstretched.

"All right! I'll see you tomorrow!" Feizhi replied smiling. She watched him for a moment as he conversed with the excited Jessica about coming over for something or other. As Jessica grabbed his hand, Maranda approached the pair as "happy" as ever. Obviously something was bothering her. Good luck, Knight. She thought with a sigh. You're gonna need it with her. Feizhi turned around to see Feh standing on the ground right in front of her.

"Geez! Master Feh, you, uh… you scared me!" Feizhi placed a hand over her heart to calm her rapidly beating muscle and breathed back in the air that she gasped out in seeing her father close the gap so quickly and silently. As she looked up at him, Feizhi could discern from his lowered eyes, drooped facial features, and unusually slumped body language that something was amiss.

"Feizhi, we need to talk… about him."

The early evening air chilled the lungs of Knight as he rested atop the roof of the blacksmith's house. Shivers ran down his spine as a gentle breeze swept across the roof. He inhaled deeply and gazed up into the heavens admiring the countless sparkles of light. As he leaned back against the roof wall, Knight sighed contentedly. As usual, the meal he had just had with Jessica and her family was delicious. But something was amiss with Maranda. He couldn't quite put his finger on it; but one thing was clear, she definitely didn't talk much during dinner.

"Knight, we need to talk…"

The boy looked down to see Maranda standing a few feet in front of him. "Yeah, sure. What's up?" Knight said with a gentle smile as he patted the spot next to him; but she didn't sit down.

"You have fun today?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"Umm… Yeah… Why?" Knight replied raising an eyebrow. Something's wrong. She seems upset or mad about something. I didn't even do anything! So why does she seem so disturbed?

"Oh… no reason…" Maranda shrugged off as she sat at the adjacent roof wall.

"Okaaayyy…" Knight cocked his head to the side. Right… I bet you asked for no reason. Why is she sitting so far from me anyways? Knight sighed thinking, Women. Made up of two people in one: herself and her emotions. Offend either and your done for. But, whatever. "Anyway, did you hear about what happened at the doj…?"

"Where were you?" she asked abruptly cutting him off.

"Where was I what? What are you talk-"

"Today. Where were you today? I tried to find you but I couldn't. Today we were supposed to go to lunch together."

Oh, yeah! I forgot! Knight's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! I'm so sorry! I totally forgot! I was just so busy training in the woods that I just lost track of time."

"Really?" Maranda said raising her voice up. "So… were you all by yourself training, or what?"

Knight lifted an eyebrow in suspicion. What's with the third degree interrogation here? Why is she so interested in what I was doing today? Wait! Unless it has something to do with… Ugh… Of course. She is a girl after all. But if I tell her the truth then she'll just get mad at me and not talk to me. I hate that cold shoulder treatment! What do I do? Knight sighed. Guess there's only one thing to do… tell her what she wants to hear and hope for the best.

"Oh, yeah… Umm… By myself. I like to be by myself sometimes. I can… uh… concentrate better and stuff," he replied in a shaky tone. Knight felt his pulse start to pump a little faster and sweat form on his forehead. I just hope that she doesn't really know…

"Hmm mmmh. Then how come I saw you come out of the woods with another girl?"

Aw, crap! She knows!

"You just lied to me!"

"No! I…"

"Knight, I saw you with Feizhi. I saw you two coming out of the woods together! What were you guys doing?"

"We weren't doing anything. She was just helping… me… train…" Knight's voice trailed off.

"Mmmmmhmmm! So you lied to me twice! I can't believe you! And now I find out that you are cheating on me with her! With Feizhi!"

"What? No! I wasn't cheating on you! How could you even think that? I would never ever do anything like that! I love you too much to hurt you like that and you know that! And, besides, I have no interest in her at all in tat way! She's just… a friend!"

"But you still lied to me! Twice, in fact! Do you know how much that hurts? Why would you do that to me?"

"Because!" Knight exclaimed. He caught his breath and spoke in a more hushed tone. "Because… I knew that you'd act this way if you found out…"

"Oh! So you decided to lie to me instead! If you are willing to hide something like this from me, then what else are you hiding from me? Hmmm?"

"No! I… I'm not hiding anything else…" Knight said trying to shrivel up against the wall. He felt limp, weak, numb. Her words cut him to the heart. He felt a deep pang in his heart as though a knife was thrust into it and twisted.

"I'm not so sure that I can believe that. You just made things worse for yourself by lying about this whole thing!" Maranda leaned back with her arms crossed satisfied that she had definitely won this argument; although, it wasn't much of an argument. She had dominated him by a landslide catching him in between two lies. There was no escape now.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I really am," Knight whispered feeling his body shake. Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he fought back the urge to cry. After all, real men don't cry, he thought. "I didn't mean to lie and upset you. I'm really, really sorry."

Maranda gazed over at Knight with narrowed eyes. She studied his facial expression, his tone of voice, and even his body movements to determine if he was really being sincere. She hesitated a moment as she suddenly felt bad for her friend, for her boyfriend. Her wrath began to settle just a little.

"It's okay. I forgive you, Knight."

"Listen. I'm really sorry that you thought I was cheating on you. I wouldn't do that," Knight softly reassured. "I'm sorry."

"But, Knight, what does it look like when people see you two coming out from the woods or wherever by yourselves?"

Knight stopped and thought about it for a second. Yeah. I guess that does seem kinda bad. He dropped his head low feeling as though he had let her down somehow.

"Just think about that, will ya? Think about how I feel. Consider my feelings." Maranda stood up and walked over to him. She then crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I love you and I do forgive you." She leaned down an hugged him reassuringly. She then released her hold on him and whispered, "Just don't let it happen again."

"Right. You got it," Knight said with a tiny shred a life. He wiped his eyes clean of the tears and breathed deeply to relax and compose himself.

"All right. Well I'm headed to bed right now. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, right?" Maranda said with wink.

"Yeah," Knight replied with little enthusiasm. "See you then." He watched her disappear down the stairs feeling relief that she was finally gone. He gazed up at the stars and sighed to them.

"Why? Why do I take that all the time?" He huffed. "All because I lied? No. All because you blew this whole thing out of proportion." Knight dropped his head and caught it with his hands as his face streamed with a salty liquid. "So much for getting a good's night's sleep tonight."