Rei decided that in order to continue her journey she needed a destination, or at least a basic idea of which way to walk. She opened the scroll that Kenji gave her and found the map. It was not incredibly detailed, but it would serve her just fine. It showed several villages and towns as well as the castles that were scattered around the country. The closest thing to her was a castle to the north. There was no information about the castle just a family name. Fuyutsuki. This would be her next stop.

"Alright. It looks like it will take me two more days to get there. I'll be out of food by then. Hope they have some." Rei stood up and walked out of the cave and it the general direction of the castle.

Rei walked for the rest of the day pausing only for a short while to eat a noon meal and drink water from a stream. When night fell Rei could find no shelter. She went and sat under a tree and ate a little more food.

"Well I sure am out of luck. I should keep ready just incase more demons show up." Rei held her sword by her side for that reason.

Just as she was about to fall asleep she noticed movement around her. After focusing on the noise she could tell that it was not human. Demons were attacking her. She stood up and readied herself for the attack. From behind her and to the left something jumped at her.

"Crap." she said and put up her sword, still in sheath, to block.

This demon was very similar to a wolf except it was stronger and had bigger fangs. Rei pulled her sword out from it sheath and stabbed the wolf demon while holding it back. The demon cried in pain as it fell to the ground.

"Kenji was right, that idea would work on others." Rei said happily and then looked around. She realized that even though they were demons wolves normally moved in packs. There should be more coming.

"Where are you." Rei said looking around. "I know your out there so come out."

A few moments after a large group of wolf demons came out of the shadows. There were at least a dozen of them and they attacked Rei all at once. Rei began to fight back, but the wolves attacks were well coordinated. It was difficult to fend them off.

"Fine then. You want me, come get me." Rei said and turned and started running.

When she ran the wolves chased her. She continued to run and they continued to chase until one wolf had pulled away from the group and was getting closer to Rei. She turned around and quickly killed that wolf. After the killing stroke she turned back around and continued to run. Rei continued this tactic until most of the wolves were dead.

When there were only two wolves left Rei stopped to take them both on at once. She parried an attack from one only to have the other attack from directly behind it. Rei avoided the attack, but the wolf hit her pack and shredded it.

"Shit. That was all I had."

Rei's blanket and food lay stroon across the ground in various pieces. She leaped in and cut the wolf down the back and landed to face the last. It crouched and growled. Rei took her stance and held her sword level with the ground. The wolf leaped at Rei and she moved in and preformed a thrust. The thrust cut through the wolfs neck and the blood sprayed everywhere. Rei turned to look at her supplies that had been attacked.

"Come on. They are completely ruined." She said as they were torn and some of the demons blood had gotten on them. "I'm glad I decided to wear my mothers' necklace. It's still ok." Rei walked away from the bloody scene. She could sleep now, she would have to find another spot, or go without that night.

Rei walked the rest of the night and well into the morning. Despite not having any food or any rest she kept heading toward the castle using the skills her father taught her to find and keep direction.

"I'd really like some food." she said to herself out loud. "Good thing Kenji taught me how to go without for a few days. As long as I reach the castle tomorrow I should be fine."

Late in the afternoon Rei was still walking. She had yet to take a break an was becoming slightly weary. Pausing for a moment she noticed a small part in the tall grass.

"Animal tracks, cool. Maybe something I can eat."

Rei followed the tracks carefully and quietly observing every change trying to discover what kind of animal she was tracking.

"I always wondered when I would use this. I just thought my father taught me this because he could or he wanted a son." she said jokingly.

Rei came across the animal as it approached dusk. She could tell it was laying down to sleep when she approached. From a distance, perfectly hidden she looked and saw the prey she had been tracking.

"That works I can eat that."

It was a deer. Not a particularly large one, but a deer none the less. Rei looked at the deer deciding how best to kill it and take its meat. It would have been easier if she had a bow or knife then she could shoot it and skin it. With only a sword it would be more challenging. Soon after Rei started to move she paused, her sword half drawn.

"I can't kill it." she said. "There's too much. I'd have no way to store or transport it. Most of him would go to waist. I'll just go without." Rei then stood up and walked away. While she retreated the deer noticed her and sprang off to safety.

Night came and Rei sat by a large rock in a field. She leaned back against it for something to sleep against and rested her sword across her lap. She was exhausted and hungry. The almost capture of food had made her body crave it and now that she had none it was quite upset.

"I know I know." she said as her stomach growled loudly. "There's nothing I can do. That damn demon destroyed all my food."

With her body wanting to rest and her eyes closing on their own Rei summoned the fire demon from her village. It appeared in front of her and stood ready.

"You'll be there if I'm asleep right? Stand watch for me."

The demon made a strange sound as if saying ok and Rei went to sleep. Rei's only dream that night was about having a bed to sleep in when she arrived at the castle. Surly they would take in their first visitor in ages and give them some food and lodge. She would make it a point to free the castle from the mist in exchange for their hospitality.

The next morning the demon was still standing in front of her. Apparently it had done its watch well and she was not attacked.

"Good job." she said and let the demon rest. "I don't know if you get tired, but there's no sense in keeping you out her."

Shortly before midday Rei arrived at the castle. As she came to the gate she was puzzled to find that there were no guards around the wall.

"Hello!" she called loudly at the gate. "Hello! Anyone there?"

No answer.

"Well I still need to get in." She said and took a few steps back from the gate.

Rei ran at the wall and placed her foot on it. She ran half way up the wall, which was about fifteen feet, and jumper to grab and archer hole another ten above that. As quickly as she ran up, she swung herself through the hole and onto the plank behind it. There she saw that there were two levels for archers, the one she was on and one above it to shoot over the top of the wall.

"Wow, they are really prepared for battles here."

She looked out and saw a large open field between her and the castle that was clearly used as training grounds for soldiers.

"Is that all this castle is, a military stronghold?"

She jumped down from the ledge and walked toward the castle. Fuyutsuki castle was much less majestic than she had imagined. Only three stories high with no decoration, it was only a castle for war. She walked up to the front door and knocked.

"Excuse me, is anyone there? I'm a traveler from the south and I need food and shelter. Please open the door!"

After a few minutes of waiting no one answered and Rei was getting annoyed.

"Why wont the open. It's not as if I'm a demon trying to trick them, they can't speak! Forget it."

Rei jumped into the air and spun around performing a back kick to the door. The door shook but stayed shut.

"Damn, a metal bar is bracing the door huh? They really don't want anyone in here."

Rei drew her sword and placed it in the gap between the two door with the blade up. Holding the handle with her left hand and placing her right on the back of the blade she readied her swing. Rei focused her strength and with a yell swung the sword up and jumped at the same time. She cut right through the steel on the other side. Putting her sword back she hit the door and it opened. Inside she saw something horrible. Demons.

"Shit! The castle is full of them."

The demons attacked Rei as she spoke. She evaded the first attack and countered with a spinning kick. The kick cracked the skull of the demon which looked like a troll. The next attacked with its hand straight in and Rei block it with an open hand and followed by a few quick palms to its body. Several bones broke and it fell down dead. She moved in and struck the next first to the neck stopping its breathing. The last demon was a little harder. Rei had to block two strikes before she could attack. She hit the demon on the leg and then jumped into the bringing her elbow to the crown of its head as she came down. The demons were all dead at the entrance.

"Man what a pain. At least thee aren't anymore right here."

Rei looked around the main hall of the castle and saw a large painting on the wall. It must have been of the castle head, Fuyutsuki. He was an older man with grey hair. He wore armor of great quality with a crest of two crossed swords on it.

"Yeah, he really likes combat." she said.

Below there was another smaller painting. This one was of a woman with yellow hair. She had a small mole below her left eye and a large white haori jacket.

"Is this his wife? It sure isn't his daughter, there is no family similarity."

Rei left the picture and walked around the castle. She had two missions; find the residence of this castle and find any food they had. She found the kitchen and store room first. She looked around the rooms and found nothing at first. The pans, bowls and all other utensils were coated in dust as if they hadn't been used in years.

"This is no good."

Rei walked into the store room and saw a equally bad sight. There was no food. It had all decayed or had been eaten by various beasts and demons.

"Damn. How long have things been like this?"

Rei left the kitchen and was faced with more demons. These were larger and had crystal like bodies like the one she had absorbed in her village. It stood on four legs almost as tall as her. It had a large head with a shield like structure coming off of it. From the forehead came two protrusions each with two triangular blades on the like on the bottom of the first one.

"This doesn't look good." Rei said calmly.

The demon charged her and she ran at it. Rei jumped at the demon and placed her foot on its head. She then jumped over the demon and the force from her jump pushed its head to the ground. She kept on running away after that.

"Wow that actually worked. Cool."

She ran and eventually found a very sturdy looking door on the second floor. When she opened it Rei realized that it was a barracks for soldiers. She closed the door and stayed inside.

"Alright I can rest here." she said.

She looked around and found a small box. The box contained folded clothes. They must have been put there for a soldier and never taken. Taking the clothes out of the box she found that there was a blue kimono and black hakama. There were also shin and forearm guards made of leather.

"Good. These old training clothes wont do me much good. Plus they're all torn up."

Rei stood up and removed her outer clothes. She left only her under garments. Her slender body stood cold as she placed her old clothes on the floor. She had long and thin arms and legs that were well toned with muscle from her years of training. Her stomach was flat and taught and her butt was small and shapely. Her breasts, though wrapped in a cloth, were perfectly shaped and soft yet firm. She put on the kimono and then the hakama. She secured the clothes and place her sword in her belt. She put on the forearm protectors and the shin guards over the hakama to limit the amount of cloth that would get in the way.

Rei looked at herself as best she could. "Nice. I like these. I'd still rather have a beautiful kimono, but you can't fight in that. Hopefully I wont be mistaken as a man." She said and chuckled.

She took her sword out of her belt and rested on one of the beds.

"I'll sleep for a few hours and then keep moving." she said. "I have to find out what happened to the people here."

Rei awoke several hours later and was well rested. She got out of bed and belted her sword. On the other side of the room she noticed a haori jacket hanging on the wall. It was the same blue as her kimono so she took it off its hanger and put it on.

"It has been getting colder. I guess I'll take this out of necessity." she reasoned.

Leaving the room Rei decided to climb to the third level. There, there were only two room; an empty bedroom and a side room. She went into the side room only to find that it was another bedroom.

"This must belong to the king and an attendant or something."

Rei stopped and looked at the far wall of the room.

"This castle looked a lot bigger from the outside." she said. "There should be at least another ten feet of space here."

Rei walked to the other side of the room and started to knock on the wall. The sound told her it was hollow. She hit the wall and knocked down part of it reveling a hidden room.

"I was right." she said triumphantly.

Walking in Rei saw several book shelves full of books, a table with a few bottles on the and a lone book next to them. She wet over and looked at the book on the table. It was journal of someone named Akagi. She opened it to read.

ENTRY 1: As the main doctor of this castle I have been charged by king Fuyutsuki to investigate the mist and its effect on the demons. He wishes for me to understand how it effects them and how it can be reversed. It is a positive endeavor. Maybe we can free the demons from its control and take back the world.

ENTRY 2: So far the work has yielded nothing. I have informed the king that, without an infected demon as a sample, there is almost no way I can study this properly. What frightened me was the speed the he acquired one for me. It only took a few hours. He said that the men spotted one while training and captured it, but it seems to convenient. I'm not sure what to think.

ENTRY 3: The king continues to supply me with demons at surprising rates. It seems the instant I cannot use one another is delivered. He brings in as many demons as he can a day and stored them somewhere. His actions worry me. I have warned him of the danger, but he replied that it was not my concern and that I should stick to my research. I will continue, but reluctantly.

ENTRY 4: I continue to find nothing of value in these studies. I have only found something that appears to be how the demons take control of humans. It appears that, in addition to their magic, they release a chemical into the body of humans that aides in their control. I have isolated this compound and extracted it. The king wishes for me to find a way to reverse it and use it to take control of demons with it. This is an absurd idea. Even if that were to work the mists' power is too strong, no human could resist it while in the mist. He insists that I follow through on his command.

ENTRY 5:Yesterday a visitor came to the castle. Her wore a black hood and cloak and did not give his name. he spoke of ways to overpower the demons and still have controls of them despite the mists' power. The king was glad to hear such news. When I tried to speak I was silenced. The king talked with this man and was told that he would give us the secret to this control in three days. We only had to follow his instruction and bring enough demons for each person in the castle in that time. The king has stopped my research, he no longer demes it necessary.

ENTRY 6: Three days have passed and the man returned. The king brought everyone in to the main hall as per instruction. Since the demons were kept in the dungeon he brought everyone down there. As if by command the stranger brought mist into the castle and it flowed into the dungeon. As the mist took over the demons attached to everyone. The man laughed and spoke of the idiocy of the king. To think that the demons could be used in the mist was absurd. I ran to escape the demons and made it here to my study. Hopefully they will not find me. The kings wish to use these creatures as weapons drove us to are demise. If I am not discovered here I will die. If anyone finds this journal and this castle is still infected, please kill king Fuyutsuki. He deserves nothing less for bring all these people into hell.

Rei looked around the room and saw a skeleton in the corner. It had the white haori jacket like the painting in the hall.

"That was the doctor." she said. "I should go to the dungeon and check on these people. If the king still wishes this evil I will fulfill your dieing wish and end his life."

Rei stood up and exited the room.

As Rei walked out of the room and down the stairs she was attacked by the large, crystalline demons that she had avoided earlier. As one charged at her she evaded by jumping over it and landing easily behind it. The next demon swung the blades of its head at Rei and she blocked them by pulling out her sword just enough , but not all the way. The last ones blades glowed blue and shot a beam at Rei. She dodged and the area behind her was frozen.

"Ice magic. Interesting."

After the dodge Rei finished drawing her sword and cut the demon that she had blocked on the side. It cried out in pain and fell to the ground. The initial one that attacked her charged again this time jumping into the air and coming down at her. Rei ran underneath it cutting its belly as she went . The demon landed on the ground in a heap and died. The last continued to attack Rei with its ice magic which she had a difficult time avoiding. After several dodges much of the ground was frozen which made it hard to get footing. After one ice attack Rei jumped and flipped half way over so her feet hit the ceiling. Quickly she summoned her fire demon and it attacked with its fire magic. While the demons fought Rei came back down from the ceiling and thrust her sword into the back of the ice demon killing it. It died and her demon disappeared.

"Damn that was hard. And all this stupid ice." She looked at the demons who lay dead on the floor. "Is there a trick to this? Couldn't one offer its self to me or do I have to do that? This power is too confusing."

Rei left the battle scene and walked down toward the dungeon of the castle.

Rei eventually arrived at the dungeon . It was slightly difficult to find with several doors and false passageways to it. Apparently they were very serious about keeping prisoners down there. When she finally arrived she saw that everyone was controlled by a demon. The crystal structures wrapped around them and their eyes blank as if their minds were lost. She looked at them in horror at what the mist could do. Then she noticed one of the people had large silver armor with the crest of two swords.

"That's Fuyutsuki." She said. She jumped over several of the controlled people and pulled out her sword. She stuck it into the wall and used it to suspended herself there. She jumped from her spot on the wall and landed by the controlled Fuyutsuki. As he turned around as if to attack her she placed her hand on is head and was in the black void that she spoke with the first demon in.

"King Fuyutsuki, are you there?"

"Kill. Kill. Kill"

"That's the demon. Is the human Fuyutsuki still in there?"

Rei sorted through the thoughts of the demon and found a small bit of human consciousness.

"What the hell is this?" the voice said.

"I am speaking to you through the demon." replied Rei. "I think this is only possible because you are being controlled by a demon."

"I am not being controlled this demon is under my power."

"Why would you send your people into a hell like this? You have no control. You have been mindless creatures for years. The demons have you, your castle is engulfed in the mist."

"No matter. I will learn to control this demon and use it for my purposes."

"And what would those be?"

"Why war of course. The people of this world are vulnerable now. They can easily be taken over, but we have to travel through the mist. If we could use these demons for that purpose than the world would fall to me easily."

"Than your only desire is war? You care not for your people who have been suffering you years?"

"As long as they serve me in battle."

"Then you are hopeless."

Rei broke the trance and looked at Fuyutsuki. She drew her sword and brought it down on his head splitting it open. His blood sprayed and he, and his demon, fell dead.

"I have fulfilled you dieing wish Akagi. Now when I free this place the people will not be brought into war."

As Rei spoke the other people had turned and started to attack her. She dodged them not attacking anyone and escaped the mob. She walked out of the dungeon and headed up to the first level.

"I have to use those ice demons from earlier to free this place." She said as she walked up the stairs. "If only I could absorb one and then purify with the rest."

Rei walked into the main hall of the castle and as she walked she noticed something behind her. She turned around and brought up she sword and sheath from her belt to block an attack. Standing in front of her was a man only slightly taller than her, but her was completely covered by crystal structure.

"What are you?" she asked.

"Me?" he replied. "I'm just someone who has control of demons."

Rei looked at him again and he was, from head to toe, covered in demon, but it did not seem to control him. Also this man was using his hand as a weapon.

"Then who are you?" she asked.

"Who am I? Hmm, I'm not sure how to answer. My name was lost long ago. Usually they just call me Hachi."

"Hachi?"

The man brought his hand off of Reis' sword and attacked again. He was very fast just like Kenji. This time Rei dodged and drew her sword. She held it up and took a stance. Than as if by magic many images of Rei appeared and surrounded Hachi.

"Oh this is interesting. You made copies, or these are just illusions from speed. No matter I'll kill you anyway."

Hachi attacked one of the images and his attack went right threw it. He attacked another and the same thing happened.

"You can't touch me." Rei replied. "This is an ultimate defense, there is no way to hit me while I'm in this stance. Similarly you can't escape me either."

"Oh really." said Hachi and jumped up into the air away from the circle of Reis. While in the air he was attacked by Rei.

"Really." she said her attacked barley blocked by Hachi. "You think I am so slow I couldn't stop you? I'll ask again who are you?"

They both landed on the ground and Hachi jumped back relaxing his body.

"Fine, you want an answer, I'll give you one. I'm a man who surrendered himself to demons, but kept control. I have all there power and can act freely of its will."

"What? Are there others like you?"

"You expect me to spill all my secrets? Yes There are several. We serve the Shinigami."

"Bastard." Rei charged at Hachi and swung at his throat. He stepped back and disappeared.

"You can't win against us Shinpishugisha. There are eight of us and I'm the weakest. You can't even stop me. You'll die soon." His voice came from nowhere and then faded.

Just then another one of the ice demons came into the room. As it walked toward Rei she exhaled and closed her eyes. As the demon attacked she turned and palmed it in the forehead. The demons body disintegrated and its spirit stayed. It continued to walk forward and merge with Reis' body. She opened her eyes after it finished.

"Apparently I figured out the trick to it." she said with a laugh. "Now I just have to free this castle of the mist."

Rei stood in the middle of the room and closed her eyes and started to empty her thoughts. "Use my spirit and commune with the earth and demons." she said as she relaxed. Eventually her mind was blank and energy surged through her. As if calling the demons many came to the room around her. She turned and attacked one demon and in an instant, like before, spoke with it and calmed it so it would help her. The demons sacrificed themselves and the mist was pushed out of the castle. The castle grounds and the surrounding area were also cleared.

"Alright!" Rei said happily. "I've got this Shinpishugisha stuff down pat. I should go check on the people in the dungeon and she if they're ok."

Rei ran down to the dungeon and found everyone still there looking very confused.

"Hello everyone." Rei called. "I know your all probably a little disoriented, but I need to ask you what happened and who's in charge."

"Our king Fuyutsuki is in charge." someone called.

"Yeah well, if you look behind you you'll see that he's dead."

Everyone looked behind and gasped in horror.

"Please follow me up to the main floor so we can all get away from the blood and then we'll talk." Rei walked up to the main hall and everyone followed.

Once there Rei turned to the large group of people and asked again who was in charge. This time a soldier stepped forward and introduced himself.

"I am Honzaimon, one of Fuyutsuki's generals. It appears that I am in charge now."

"Ok well can you tell me what happened?"

"Yes. Recently King Fuyutsuki had made a deal with a man in a black cloak to be able to control demons and use them for war. He brought us down to the dungeon as per instruction and the mist was brought in and we were all taken over instead of being able to use the demons for are will."

"I see. That matches with Akagi's story perfectly."

"You have meet Doctor Akagi? Where is she? Is she well?"

"She dead." Rei said calmly. "She ran to her study after you were taken over and died there."

"How can this be? Was she attacked by demons."

"How long do you think you were down there?"

"It can't have been long, a few days maybe."

"Akagi showed no signs of being attacked she apparently died on her own. There was only a skeleton left. You apparently have been under the control of the demons for many years."

"How can this be? It does not feel as though…"

"Look at everyone, do they look the same as they did or do you all seem older?"

Honzaimon looked at everyone and did notice that they had aged. "My god . Those demons stole years from us. This is all the fault of that hooded man and Fuyutsuki."

"Hence Fuyutsuki dead in the dungeon. It was Akagi's dieing wish to have him killed for his sins. I did just that."

"So I take it you are the one who freed us?"

"Yes. I am Shinpishugisha and I have the power to purify the demons of the mist's poison and can use them to purify the mist from a small area. Your castle and its ground will no longer have the mist, but you can't venture very far outside the walls. The mist is still there."

"I see at least the grounds can still be used. We should be able to support ourselves here."

"I am very happy that I was able to help you all, but I must be going so I can help other people now."

"No you mustn't leave. We have to properly thank you for your deeds. Men!"

"Yes sir!" several men said in unison.

"Go and obtain whatever food you can for our savior and have the women prepare a bath and bed."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you Honzaimon." Rei said with a bow.

Several hours later Rei sat at a table with a few dishes in front of her. Each had a very small amount of food on it. She was apologized to several times for the meager meal, but there was very little food to be found around the castle. After her meal she took a bath that was prepared for her. The attending maids were surprised to find that Rei was actually a woman. They did not expect one to be so strong and be able to same a whole castle. The soldier uniform also added to the confusion. If it were not for her voice she could pass easily as a man.

After the bath and meal Rei went to the bed they had prepared for her and lay down to sleep. There she stayed awake for a while thinking.

"How could they not know I was a girl at all? I don't look like a man. My clothes do, but not my face and my voice is not masculine at all. This castle is full of morons." Rei held her hand up into the air and looked at it and sighed. "That was the first time I killed a human and I was thanked for it. I never expected that to be the reaction I got. I feels strange to kill a human, especially since I'm not one." Rei put her thoughts away and went to sleep.

Rei awoke the next morning feeling greatly refreshed and slightly hungry. She left her room and walked around the castle in an attempt to find Honzaimon. When she did she was greeted as if she were a king, everyone in the room bowed and said, "Good morning Rei-sama," in unison.

"Good morning." Rei replied slightly confused by the greeting.

"What can we do for you this morning Rei-sama?" asked Honzaimon.

"Well I just wanted your opinion on where I should go next."

"Excellent. What are your ideas?"

"I don't actually have any I just have a map."

"Let's take a look at it shall we."

Rei took her map and unrolled it on a table in the room.

"I'm from this village here and this castle was the closest so I came here. Do you have any educated idea on where I should go?"

"Hmm, let me see. Where did you get this map, It's very good?"

"From my master. He came from a temple in the east, I was thinking about heading there soon."

"The last place you want to go is east, not this time of year."

"Huh, why?"

"This time of year terrible storms rage from the sea in the east. The temple is here yes?" he pointed at a building on the map.

"That's probably it yes."

"I see. It's far to close to the eastern shore, you won't survive the storms being outside. The north or south are you best bets."

"Ok so I can't go to the temple until when?"

"It would probably be best to wait until after the winter to go there."

"Damn that's a long wait. Ok I think I'll head north."

"But Rei-sama the weather is getting colder. If you go North there is a great chance you'll be trapped by the snow."

"I've heard the north has snow most of the year, so it would be a problem whenever I went. Also its closer to us than the south., and I'd rather not go island hopping down there. Besides if I can make it to a town in time I can weather the winter there and then head to the temple in the spring."

"As you wish Rei-sama. I'll get some men together to go with you. I shall also find provisions and horses and…"

"No thank you." Rei interjected. "You need all the men and resources you can get here. This castle has been neglected for years, you should worry about it before me."

"But Rei-sama there must be something we can do for you? WE must show are gratitude for saving us."

"Just point me in a good direction and I'll be happy. Do you know any of the towns or villages to the north or anything about which route I should take?"

"I know very little, we were never able to communicate with the outside very much. I can tell you that you should take this road here. It goes over a mountain yes, but it is much safer than any other of the mountain passes."

"So I hike this mountain because it's the safest? That makes sense."

"I know you said that was enough, but there must be something else we can do for you."

"Actually there is now that I think of it. This is a military fortress, would you by any chance have knives or daggers I took take with me?"

"Of course. It's as you say this is a military stronghold. Follow me."

Honzaimon took Rei outside and to a building out the back of the castle. When Honzaimon opened the door it was impossible to see because there was no light. When a lamp was obtained and lit he brought her into the building.

"This is our storeroom of spare weapons. Every type of blade contrived by man is represented here, take your pick."

"I'm not looking for much, I just need smaller knives and daggers so I can catch food and skin it."

"Weapons such as that would be kept over here." he motioned to the left side of the building.

Rei walked to that area and inspected several of the blades. They were finely crafted and would serve her purpose well. After taking a few small knives and some throwing daggers she wrapped them up in a cloth and walked out with them.

"You wouldn't happen to have any rope would you?" she asked.

"We may still have some. As you as it has been a long time I hope it has not been eaten away at by beasts."

"I don't need much, just enough to make a trap out of."

Honzaimon searched and eventually found rope that would serve Reis' purpose. Rei packed the knives and rope into a bag that was given to her and she started to leave that castle.

"Thank you for the supplies." she said humbly.

"No need to thank us it is less than the least we could do for you after saving us. I feel as though we have not done enough."

"This is plenty. Like I said you should focus on getting yourselves back on your feet. I also suggest focusing less on war and more on other things."

"Your advice shall be kept in mind Rei-sama." he said and bowed.

Rei left Fuyutsuki castle and headed north toward the mountains. She had no real destination she would just go to which ever town she could find and do what she could there.

"That castle will not stray away from war." she said after she had left the outer wall. "That general is not much different from Fuyutsuki. I hope he doesn't decide to attack any small villages when there is no more mist. If he does I will stop him myself."

Later that day Rei stopped and picked a place to set up camp for the night. She cut some fire wood from a dead tree and started a fire. She sat near it to rest and take another look at here map. Upon this second look she noticed that there was a small village that Kenji did not name directly after the mountain pass.

"After I get off the mountain it is just a small trip west to this village. I wonder why it isn't named though? Anyway it looks it will take me a while before I get to this mountain. At least a week. I could get to a village much faster if I went east, but Honzaimon said I shouldn't. Should I trust him? I guess I'd have to go north eventually so I might as well go now."

Rei lay down on the grass and looked up at the sky as it darkened. She always liked the look of the sky as night came, it was very peaceful and the sometimes very pretty is the setting sun gave of vibrant color. The stars were nice, but there was something about the transition from day to night that she could not explain.

"A week before I get to the mountain and then I'll be in the north. I wonder what it looks like. I've never been to a mountain or seen as much snow as Honzaimon talked about. I bet its beautiful."

The thought of snow sent Rei off to sleep without thinking of protection from demon attacks.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Alright the first two chapters of my first fantasy fic. I know it's a little strange, but strange is usually good. I got rid of Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko fast because I don't like them and didn't want to include them in anything important. An for anyone thinking it the black hooded guy is not Gendo or a SELEE guy. SELEE probably wont be here and there is no way I'm making Gendo the important evil bastard he always is. He'll be in here just not as the ass behind everything. Can you tell my opinion of this guy. I hope you like this story so far, I chose to make Rei the main character because she is my favorite and I haven't read anything where she was more important than Shinji. Other characters will be introduced soon I'm just not sure when.