Yargh. This chapter ended up... somewhere other than where I had originally drafted it to. So, sorry! I wonder if you will be disappointed... I lead you guys to believe there would be a "Yumi escapes out of the window" scene, but I felt I would have concentrated too much on her climb down than anything. It would have been boring. It would have been like "And then she saw a rock. And then another one. And then she realized the entire castle wall was rock." Really. But I apologize if you feel let down :(
Anyhow, again, my apologies for making you guys wait even longer than before - a new low. But, as you may notice, this chapter is about three times as long as the others. I hope you enjoy it!
Yumi, had done everything she could think of to prepare for her escape that evening. She had packed her only two belongings – or three, if you counted the fact that her titanium band had broken into two- into a small pouch which she looped onto her belt; She had found Biscuit at the stables and had given him a good long talk, warning him not to get too cozy to one particular show horse he'd been eyeballing; She had even removed the linen from her bed, folding them into neat piles so that the knights, or the maids or whoever, would not need to deal with it in the morning... That's it. Yumi thought. That's everything that I own...
Yumi flopped down on her bed. She still had another few hours before the sun would set, and even then she would have to wait until the knights were asleep. Yumi sighed. Another few hours of self imposed isolation seemed impossible. Yumi wondered at what point she had decided she could only leave under the cover of darkness. It seemed that the knights all trusted her and nobody, with the possible exception of Sei, suspected anything. Why, she could walk to the stable right now, leave on her horse and nobody would notice until she was at least half way to the border, if not further. It all began to seem ridiculous to Yumi. Perhaps she was being too careful? But... if it meant that she would be able to see Naomi again, and arrive in one piece... she could do it. She just needed to keep focused on being reunited with Naomi.
Yumi's stomach gave a loud grumble.
Shhhhh!! She scolded. She was alone in her room, but even that had seemed too loud.
In an attempt to avoid Sei, Yumi had pretended to be sleeping when Sachiko came to retrieve her for lunch. It had taken a lot of effort to keep still when Sachiko had approached her, or when Sachiko at first gently, and then not so gently, tried to shake her awake. It had taken the most effort however, to keep completely motionless when a shiver ran down her spine at Sachiko's touch. She had felt soft fingers brush her bangs aside and then linger on her cheek...
"...Sachiko.."
Yumi's eyes grew wide. She quickly covered her mouth. Why had she just said her name out loud?
Gomen, Naomi. Gomen. Yumi automatically apologized, though she did not know for what. It was not as if she had been thinking of Sachiko in that way... but feeling that her heart was beating slightly faster made Yumi feel guilty.
She had not realized it while Sachiko was in her presence, but alone, now... and especially after Sachiko had come into her room.... Yumi could not deny that Sachiko had been on her mind quite a bit since then. But why is that? Yumi wondered.
Yumi could not deny that Sachiko was very beautiful... and she was very particular with this word because if she had said attractive, it would have meant that she was attract...ed. Which she was not. Naomi was the only one attractive to her. End of Story.
... But even then, Sachiko was beautiful in a way that Naomi was not, and while she could not quite put her finger on it, she knew that whatever it was, it made her heart flutter in a way that Naomi did not.
"Stop it." Yumi said in a warning tone. This will not lead to anything good.
Yumi's eyes widened again at the admission. Did that mean that she was actually afraid of what she would find? As if to prove to herself that she would not, Yumi forced herself to compare the two.
Physically, Naomi and Sachiko were quite different, even though they both shared similar features. Both were tall and had long hair. They both had fair skin and blue eyes... and Yumi knew that if Naomi saw Sachiko, she would get that hungry look she often did around beautiful people. I wonder if Sachiko would find Naomi beautiful too? Yumi wondered. But for some reason the thought of the two meeting made Yumi want to protect Sachiko from Naomi.....
Er, no. Wait. To protect Naomi from Sachiko. Yes, that sounded more correct. Yumi amended.
It would not have mattered though, if Sachiko and Naomi would have grown up together in Lilian. As both were obviously from noble bloodlines, they would have eventually met at training, or perhaps at a ball... The thought filled her with jealousy, which she convinced herself was because of the prospect of sharing Naomi.
Yumi tried not to worry too much about these things though. They were all superficial qualities anyway. What really mattered to her was the way they treated people. Naomi could be quite kind, at times. A-and, it's for the best that she isn't always nice to everyone. Otherwise, how will I know when she is being genuine? As for Sachiko... who knows. Perhaps she saves everyone who had fallen off their horses, or perhaps tries to feed everyone grapefruit.
Yumi tried, and failed, to believe this. In truth, it was most likely the opposite. Observing Naomi, Yumi knew the difference between an experienced playgirl, and one who was not. Whenever Naomi tried to charm someone, her actions would be bold and showy; Sachiko's, on the other hand, were discreet, well thought out, and almost always followed with a slight blush.
It was cute, really- For someone else, she meant. Someone who would catch her attention. Yumi knew it would never be her; she was far too plain, she knew. Not that she even wanted Sachiko, or even cared... She had Naomi. And Naomi is stuck with me even though she would prefer to have someone who probably looks like Sachiko...
Yumi slammed her fist into the soft bed. This is not happening! She was furious at herself. Why did I let myself do this? Baka!
"Gomenasai!"Yumi apologized once again.
Sachiko found Youko and Sei taking tea in the drawing room. Sei, in regular fashion, was perched by the windowsill looking thoughtful, while Youko was laughing at something the blond had said. Sachiko was glad, if not a little jealous, that Sei was able to put her Master at ease. Lately Youko had been under high stress, putting every spare moment she had into preparing a proposal for a project she had been researching. Her presentation to the kingdom would be in less than month, at the Annual Tournament. It seemed that her efforts were finally paying off as the King now seemed particularly interested in the possibility of starting a diplomatic relations function in Lilian. Sachiko felt a swell of pride for her Master, but at the same time felt helpless to aid her. Sachiko was smart, so it was not like she was incapable of assisting... but every time she offered she was declined. It seemed that Youko wanted Sachiko to work on other areas.
"No thank you." Youko had always replied. "If you do this you will spend even less time with your peers. Go out. Meet some people."
"But WHY?" Sachiko was puzzled. Why should she go have fun when Youko was slaving away?
"Sachiko, you will never find a Keeper holed up in the library with me. Now, out!"
Sachiko would have much preferred the intensive work of researching policies and other political matters than trying to research.... people. And anyway, she had, discreetly, already taken a look, and to say that nobody interested her was a bit of an understatement.
Sachiko took another moment to appreciate the sight of a relaxed Youko before interrupting. She had only recently found out that Sei and Youko were together, a fact which had surprisingly stirred as much amusement as sadness within her. Sachiko realized now that she had been clinging onto Youko as proof that not everybody needed to be with someone, but now with this development, she supposed she would be receiving pressure to get cracking too.
As Sachiko drew nearer, she heard Yumi's name escape from Sei's lips. Instinctively, her ears perked up to tune into the conversation. Anything to do with Yumi, she wanted to know. If Yumi is to be a pledge at the Chinesis Castle, I, as her senior, would naturally look out for her.
After some reflection, Sachiko had explained away her interest in Yumi as simply being the same type of concern she would feel for any junior in her castle. At her level of responsibility, she had an obligation to look out for the pledges... That these protective instincts had finally kicked in only proved to Sachiko that she was now maturing into her role. That is all this feeling is. She thought. That, and I was just taken by surprise yesterday when she touched my lips... Hm. Sachiko thwarted that thought from developing further.
"Yumi..." She heard the name again.
What about Yumi? Sachiko wondered. She tried to listen harder without making it obvious.
"....Sachiko...." She heard her name too, and then much to her embarrassment, both started chuckling.
That was enough. Sachiko cleared her throat loudly.
Youko turned towards her charge and greeted her with a warm smile, not seeming to care whether Sachiko had heard that last comment. "Oh good, you're here. I have a request."
Sachiko snapped to attention. Did Youko finally want her help?
"Madame is arriving this evening. She is en route to the Imperial Castle, but she will be here for a few evenings. I would like you to escort her from the Hanadera border to here."
"Yes, absolutely." Sachiko immediately accepted. She always looked forward to the woman's visits. She knew that she was a powerful healer, but Sachiko saw her as more of a grandmother than anything. Growing up she had seen the woman a countless number of times and always enjoyed hearing about her travels around Lilian. It turned out that Madame served another function to fixing broken bones and other maladies, she also sealed the bonds between Keepers. These were the stories Sachiko enjoyed hearing about the most, though she never told anyone about this.
"Unfortunately you will have to leave immediately after dinner. I know you must have wanted to spend your evening with Yumi."
Sachiko blushed. It was true, but she had not mentioned this to anyone.
"It's fine." Sachiko answered in a clipped tone. "I should still have enough time..." If I race back.
Sachiko had thoughts of convincing Yumi to go on a Castle tour with her as the sun was setting, but she supposed even a late night stroll would do.
"It is not time that is your enemy..." Youko muttered, interrupting her thoughts.
Sachiko looked at Youko confused. What is that supposed to mean? It seemed that Youko was just as disappointed as her in the level of progress she had made. But it was hardly her fault. After all, the girl had only been awake for a few hours. And besides, all things taken into consideration – the bump on the head, being in a new place- she thought she was doing just fine.
"Am I doing something incorrectly? I think Yumi is integrating as well as could be expected..."
Now it was Youko's turn to look at Sachiko confused. "Integrate? Is that all you are trying to do? I had wondered why your attempts were seemed so.... strange."
"She just means that your methodology seems a little old-fashioned.... and ineffective" Sei quickly interjected, offering her interpretation of Youko's comment.
Sachiko glared at Sei, but gave Youko a look of uncertainty. Old..Fashioned? Do they think I am trying to woo Yumi? A thought entered Sachiko's mind. Aren't you, though? Isn't that the direction your feelings were pointed towards? Certainly you did not think your interest was just...Oh, you idiot. Sachiko turned a bright shade of red at the realization. She was aghast that Youko and Sei had figured it out before she herself had. How many more people know?
"Hey, Sachiko!" Sei's voice interrupted Sachiko's thoughts. "You should ask Yumi to be your prize at the tournament!"
Sachiko wondered if this was Sei's attempt at being helpful, or if she was merely making fun.
Youko smiled sweetly at her. "Don't listen to her. I think your efforts are endearing. A little misguided, maybe, but-"
Sachiko stormed out.
"-Oh, Sachiko, come back...." The two older knights tried, and failed to suppress their laughter.
Yumi was still in her room berating herself, when an elegant voice interrupted her.
"Baka! Baka! Baka! Gomen-"
"Yumi?"
She snapped to attention, immediately sitting up straight. Her heart sank when she saw who it was. She did not need this right now.
Sachiko made her way over to Yumi. "I'm sorry... I heard voices in your room and just wondered if you had woken from your... nap." It seemed Sachiko had not quite bought Yumi's sleeping act.
"Oh, I..er... Please don't mind me! I was just talking to..... myself." She finished with an embarrassed laugh. Yumi had grown into the habit of talking to herself in Miyahara, because nobody else would, but it sounded so ridiculous when she said it out loud like this.
An amused smile played on Sachiko's lips. "You can talk to me too, if you want."
Yumi's cheeks turned crimson. Was she teasing or was that an actual offer?
"Say, Yumi. Are you hungry? I know you did not have lunch."
Yumi's stomach rumbled quietly at the mention of food.
"N-no..." She lied. Her stomach growled louder, as if to reprimand her.
Sachiko gave a slight chuckle. "I saved some of my lunch for you. Come on." She grabbed Yumi's hand and began dragging her out, much to her dismay.
Her hands are so soft. Like a handful of petals, she noted. Not at all what she would have thought a Knight's hands would be like. Baka! Yumi! Resist! You're not even trying!
Yumi tried to wiggle her hand out of Sachiko's grasp, but the older knight had a firm hold on her. Sachiko looked at Yumi and smiled.
"I hope you don't mind eating at the Stables. I need to saddle my horse." Sachiko sighed.
"Oh... no." Yumi needed to saddle Biscuit as well.
Yumi was surprised to see Sachiko's horse was a magnificent black mare. She took a closer look at her as she wolfed down what Sachiko saved for her. The horse was more slender than a war horse should be, and she was quite impressive... in an aesthetic way.
"She's a show horse." She noted, slightly amused.
"Mm. Yes. Aeris. My parents originally wanted me to have another, but I like this one. I know she was groomed more for competitions and such, but..."
"She looks strong." Yumi finished. There was something about the mare that emanated a quiet strength. Yumi could not imagine having a choice of horses. She herself had rescued Biscuit from a farmer who thought him too small for ploughing the fields. Looking at Sachiko's horse, Yumi became aware of how shabby Biscuit must have look comparatively.
Yumi walked over to Biscuit and began to groom him lovingly. When Sachiko saw her horse, she began to chuckle. Yumi's face turned pink. She knew that he was not a very grandiose stallion, but she loved him all the same.
"Is this..."
"Biscuit." Yumi mumbled.
Sachiko's chuckle turned into a laugh, causing Yumi's embarrassed blush to turn red with anger. Perhaps Sachiko was exactly like other noble born girls.
"Oh my..."
Yumi's eyes narrowed. Sure he wasn't a show horse like hers was, or even a proper battle horse, but he worked hard and always got the job done.
"H-he may not be as young as yours, b-but just because he doesn't look as nice, doesn't mean he isn't-"
Sachiko's laughter died down. "I'm sorry, Yumi. That was not what I was laughing at..." She noticed the level of hurt in Yumi's eyes.
Yumi knew it must have looked like she was overreacting, but something about having Biscuit laughed at really stung her. Was this what people thought when they saw her with Naomi? Sure she wasn't on the same level as the Princess, but she had good qualities too, she thought.
Yumi's eyes narrowed. You're all the same. She thought, angrily. Everyone always looks at my old clothes or my plain hair, as if that's all I am.
She did not want to be around Sachiko anymore.
"Gomenasai." Yumi deadpanned. She had long ago learned that the best way to appease these types was just to apologize for whatever she had said. She stood to leave.
"Yumi, wait-"
Yumi was not listening, she hurried away.
Sachiko made a grab for her hand, stopping her.
"I... I've upset you. I'm sorry. Please tell me what I have done wrong."
Yumi gave her a blank look, she did not understand. "I...." have already apologized. "I'm sorry for my rudeness. Please excuse me." She clarified.
Sachiko gave her a look of confusion.
"I heard you." She said quietly. "But I wanted to know what it is I had done to upset you. Why did you apologize?"
Yumi did not know what to say. Usually Naomi dismissed her right after; she never wanted to talk about it.
"...I'm sorry." Yumi mumbled.
"Stop apologizing!" Sachiko snapped in frustration, causing Yumi to flinch. She immediately regretted the tone of her voice.
"I-I only meant that... that... I know I'm not... I mean," Yumi took a deep breath. Her voice came out even quieter. "Biscuit isn't very showy... but he's a good horse. If you would just give him a chance, you would see. He's not bad at all. You might even like him."
Sachiko froze. She took in the sight of Yumi's averted eyes. Did she say 'I'? While Sachiko was not the most sensitive person, even she would be a fool to think Yumi was only talking about a horse. Sachiko felt awful that she had squeezed this out of the small girl. She felt as if she had forced her way into a room using a key that did not fit the lock.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to....." Sachiko had initially laughed because she just realized that the horse Aeris had taken a liking to, belonged to Yumi; and what was more was that he was named Biscuit. Sachiko had noticed Yumi had a bit of a sweet tooth, seeing the way she had devoured that slice of cake she had saved, but she did not know her preoccupation with food ran so deep that it would influenced her choice of names for her horse.
Sachiko made her way over to Yumi, who seemed lost in her thoughts. She wanted to do something to comfort the girl, but she felt she had already crossed too many lines today.
"I.. I think I will take Biscuit out for a ride." Yumi's voice interrupted Sachiko's thoughts suddenly. "Excuse me."
Sachiko was too shocked to stop Yumi. Awkwardly, she nodded in acknowledgement.
Yumi rushed out. She wanted to get away right now.
Yumi sped away. She made her choice. She could not wait until night fall. Sachiko's reaction had taken her by surprise. When Sachiko had laughed, something had snapped. She had already been angry at herself that day for slowly letting Sachiko and the knights worm their way into her carefully built fortress, but then.. then Sachiko had made that comment and she realized that Sachiko was no different than the people in Miyahara, like she had wanted to believe. Yumi felt sick. In her mind, she had even defended her enemy, this stranger, to Naomi, her own fiancée.
But then, to her even greater dismay, Sachiko had dislodged her incorrect assumption. She had wanted to know what was wrong, as if she had actually cared and wanted to correct it. This was actually worse. If Sachiko was truly a terrible person, than Yumi could have resumed with Naomi, but now.... she truly felt she was betraying Naomi.
Yumi wondered if she would ever be able to forget the Knight now. I wish I never met you, Sachiko! Yumi screamed in her mind. It felt only slightly better to replace the hurt with anger. I hate you! I hate you! I hate...
Baka. I've never really been a good liar.
Yumi had only managed to ride for a short while before everything began to fall apart. Perhaps if she had been looking ahead and concentrating on the path, she would have seen the danger ahead. But as it was, Yumi's mind was a haze and she still could not stop thinking about Sachiko. She wanted to... to what? Go back? She couldn't. Everything she thought of lead back to the same place. She was betrothed. She was from Miyahara. There was no way around it. But still, as Yumi got further and further away, she found that she had unwittingly slowed her horse down.
She had just stopped Biscuit when it finally happened.
Ffffftt!
Something struck the ground by Biscuit's foot. Her horse jerked to the side.
Fffftt! Another one, this time to her left.
Fffftt! Fffftt! Fffftt! Another and another. All around them, arrows dropped from the sky and dotted the ground.
Biscuit was in a full panic now, and so was Yumi. What was happening? Who was attacking them?
Ffffffff---- One more. Yumi had looked up in time to see a lone arrow cutting through the air. If she did not move, it would strike her dead.
Quickly, she threw herself off her horse, but one foot lay caught in the stirrup. She fell and heard an awful snapping sound. She must have broken her ankle.
"Ohhh..owowow..." Yumi buried her mouth in her sleeve to muffle the sound of her cries. Someone was after her, clearly, so she could not afford to be too loud now.
Fffffft! The ground by her leg exploded.
Yumi desperately wiggled her foot trying to free it. Her ankle burned and she began to see stars. Yumi gave one more jerk, hard, and her foot fell loose. She gasped, wiping the sweat from her brow. She needed to hide. Yumi scrabbled against the ground, using her hands to help propel her where her foot could not. She rolled towards the high grass, laying herself flat against the ground.
"Biscuit! Go!" Yumi was frightened to be alone, but Biscuit was too large to hide in this field. His best chance was to run for it, even if it meant leaving her. "Go!" she whispered urgently.
Biscuit did not listen. Instead, he began to move towards his fallen master.
"No! No! Biscuit! Please! Go... Leave!" Yumi sobbed desperately.
In the distance she could hear the sound of men stomping towards her. It was still daylight so she did not even have the cover of darkness to hide her. Not that that would have done any good, especially since just then Biscuit gave a loud whiny in warning.
Yumi's heart sank. There was no way that went unheard. As if to confirm her belief, she heard a voice.
"Over here!" Someone called out. A rush of footsteps that sounded like a stampede of horses rather than a group of men came rushing towards her.
Yumi closed her eyes, waiting for the worst. Why did this have to happen? Why did I choose to escape? I could still be safe with Sachiko right now...
"HIYASHI!"
Yumi nearly jumped out of her skin. She knew that voice.
"Hiyashi, is that you?" The booming voice demanded.
Never in a million years had she thought she would be glad to hear his voice again.
"General!" Yumi sighed in relief. They were here to rescue her! "General Yamada! I-"
Before Yumi could blink, the General had drawn his sword and pressed it against her throat. It's rusty edge dug into her skin.
"Traitor!" He hissed.
A blunt force struck the back of her head.
Sachiko was still standing in the stables, shell shocked, when Youko and Sei found her. Both looked grim.
"When you pick up Madame tonight," Youko started. "Go with Rei."
Sachiko felt herself slowly being pulled from her daze.
"Oh?" Escort services generally did not require two soldiers. Often even one was a little frivolous – especially for Madame, who was by no stretch, a weak person.
"There has been a report of an unusually large amount of activity near the border."
Sachiko clicked into battle mode. She tucked her thoughts of Yumi away; she would revisit them later that evening when she would see the girl next. She would have to apologize, let her know that...
"Sachiko, are you listening to me?" She had not been, and now she had missed some important instruction from Youko.
"Um.."
"I said that when you retrieve Madame from Kashiwagi tonight, you, him and Rei are going to go directly to the Imperial Palace. You will not be stopping here first, as originally planned."
Now there would be three knights with Madame? And Kashiwagi was the head of Hanadera too... Sachiko grew concerned hearing this. Apparently a "large amount of activity" was a euphemism for something much more major.
"What is going on?" Sachiko wanted to know. "If there is going to be a battle then I think I should be there fighting." It made sense too. Why would Lilian remove three of their strongest warriors from battle to ride with a Healer?
Both Sei and Youko looked uneasy.
"We know you are strong. But... Madame has in her possession something of great value." Sei began slowly. "There will be as much danger riding with her as there will be at the front lines, with us."
Sachiko looked even more surprised. "You will both be riding in?"
"Yes, of course. I lead the army..." Sei replied.
"Sachiko, you know full well that as the head of the Castle one must ride in with their army..."
A million thoughts whirred through Sachiko's mind. The Gigantea army was not her responsibility, for one, and also that the notion of having two Castle heads in battle together was rather risky... and of course... What if something happened to Youko? She did not have a Keeper... Or had Sei become her Keeper already? No, that is preposterous.
Youko seemed to see right through Sachiko's thoughts and addressed her concerns in turn.
"If Rei was heading into battle, would you leave her to fight alone?"
"Of course not, but-"
"And don't you think the Gigantea army would also benefit from having two experienced knights fighting with them?"
"Y-yes, but it is still-"
"Sachiko, I am glad that you care so much for Youko," Sei this time. "But, she will be safe. She has a Keeper."
Sachiko's eyes widened in surprise. "Who-? You never mentioned..."
Youko shook her head. "If I had told everyone there would be no point in having a Keeper at all."
Sachiko looked slightly hurt, though what showed on her face was only a fragment of the amount of hurt she actually felt.
"But Sachiko. I will tell you. Soon."
When Yumi regained consciousness, she found herself blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a tree. She had a splitting headache, not surprisingly, so at the moment she was slightly glad for her predicament. Yumi tried to wiggle her feet, but found that they too, were tied up. Yumi did not fail to notice the absence of pain from her broken ankle though. Did they fix it? Or.. did they cut off my foot?! She wiggled her feet again just to make sure they were both still there.
Having accounted for both limbs, Yumi tried to sit up, though the bindings made it difficult. She could not help but think that it was all a little excessive, considering how these men had never thought her to be anything more than a joke back at the army base.
Yumi heard footsteps approach her.
Big sausage-like fingers pulled the gag from her mouth and untied the blindfold.
Yumi blinked rapidly trying to adjust to the change in lighting. Her line of sight was filled with the face of the General.
"So. You're alive."
Yumi just blinked. Was he surprised that she was alive in general, or that she had survived the blow to the head?
"You're lucky, you know. The Princess. She's the only reason why you're alive. If you were anyone else, you'd have been killed on the spot."
A bit of the fog surrounding Yumi's brain cleared. "Naomi...? Is she... here?" She asked groggily.
The General shook his head annoyed.
"Don't play stupid. Nobody wants to be the one that killed the Princess's fiancée. Your sentence will have to wait until we get back."
"Kill...? Why would you..."
"Think about it Hiyashi. You deserted your post. You ran away from the army and you've been fraternizing with the enemy. How do you think that will look at your trial?"
Yumi snapped to attention. "I didn't – I got lost. I am not a deserter. I was just trying to find my way back..."
Yumi could see the General was not listening to her. She tried something else.
"General, why are you here, if not to rescue me?"
"To retrieve something." He replied simply. "There is something here that the Queen wants."
Yumi looked the General over. He looked a little uneasy. Yumi wondered if the Queen had actually sent him here. In all of her years with the Queen, not once had she ever ordered an operation so... so rash. The Queen was always covert in her operations. She rarely relied on her army for stealth.
Yumi decided this was not the time to question him. She was in enough trouble as it was.
The General began to leave to rejoin the others, but not before asking one last thing.
"Why did you do it, Hiyashi? Why did you leave?"
"I told you... I didn't. Miyahara is my home.."
"Hmph. Well, we'll see about that."
Sachiko and Rei waited patiently by the border that divided Gigantea from Hanadera. Sachiko kept stealing glances at the fast setting sun. She wondered if Youko and Sei would be alright. She wondered what Yumi was doing right now, and she wondered if she would be safe with only a few other soldiers in the Castle. She had waited for as long as she could in the stables to warn Yumi not to leave the grounds that night, but Yumi had still not returned by the time she had to leave. Sachiko knew that while the Gigantea land was extensive, and one could very well get lost in it for hours, she did not think Yumi would do so... unless she was simply avoiding her.
Sachiko let out a sigh.
"You've been doing that a lot this evening. Something on your mind?" Rei asked casually, though her features showed concern.
Sachiko looked at her in surprise. Had she been doing that a lot? She certainly had been thinking of Yumi a lot...
"No..." She began quietly. But then quickly changed her mind. "Do you and Yoshino ever argue?" She asked abruptly.
Sachiko blushed. It was not like her to seek advice for such matters... but she was slightly glad that she now had a reason to do so.
"Yoshino? Oh... Well. You know Yoshino." Rei said with a laugh.
Sachiko chuckled.
"Did something happen with Yumi-chan?"
Sachiko wondered at what point Rei had become so familiar with Yum. She herself did not dare address her with such an honorific... though she hoped to soon.
"I might have insulted her horse." Sachiko muttered.
Rei began laughing. "You're not sure?"
"...No."
Sachiko quickly changed the subject again.
"Will you be competing at the tournament this year?" She asked.
"Ah, yes." Rei replied happily.
Sachiko was glad too. Sei usually took the prize for the swording event, with either her or Rei placing second and third. The two usually made it a game to try and dethrone Sei, though surprisingly Sachiko had won the last year... She suspected that Sei threw the match though because for her prize she had requested the kiss of a particular maiden, which in and of itself was not an unusual request, but.... that was about the time her and Youko had started their relationship. So Sachiko felt that Sei had lost the final match against her so that she did not have to collect.
"So this year, at the swording event-"
Rei looked surprised. "Oh, no. I entered the baking contest."
Sachiko looked at her dumbfounded. "I see... Um. You can join more than one event you know." As she recalled, you could join up to three.
"...I didn't want to put thoughts in Yoshino's head. I want her to settle down a bit... you know, maybe do some knitting or maybe baking..."
"Are you more concerned for her safety, or for her opponent's?"
"It's not just that... " Rei sighed. "She's only just recently gotten better."
Sachiko looked surprised. That Yoshino even had a health issue was news to her. Especially when you considered the inordinate amount of energy the girl had. Honestly, Rei looked more tired than Yoshino after an outing, and Rei was fit as a fiddle.
"Well, you know. With her heart and all. I had to keep ferrying her back to Miyahara all the time..."
Sachiko looked even more bewildered now. Rei had never mentioned anything about crossing the border before, and not just once either it seemed. Sachiko was not sure she should be hearing this.
Rei took in Sachiko's look. "When she was younger, I mean. There is a particularly strong Healer there, who specializes in that type of thing. You know that necklace Yoshino always wears? It's titanium... apparently it has some property that is the most effective for binding magic..."
Sachiko zoned out as Rei explained the mechanics of it. Why hadn't she ever heard of this before?
"So Yoshino has been going to Miyahara for.... treatments? All of this time? And this healer knows she is from Lilian – or?"
"It's complicated. We couldn't keep it from him... but Madame pays him a high fee to keep quiet."
Great. Now Madame was tangled into this mess.
"It was risky, but it was Yoshino's life we were talking about. There wasn't much that we could do... Oh, is that Kashiwagi-san?"
Sachiko looked straight ahead, and sure enough there was a dot in the distance running straight towards them. Sachiko was not completely paying attention. That had been a lot of information to process at once. She was beginning to feel hurt that everyone had been keeping secrets from her – first Youko, now Rei... Sachiko wondered what other nasty surprises the day had in store for her.
The head of Hanadera rushed up to meet them, but surprisingly, he was alone.
"Where is Madame?" Rei asked slowly, though she had already begun to suspect something had gone awry.
"The border!" He ordered sternly, a little out of breath. "The book is gone! She's safe! Go! Hurry! I need to call for reinforcements!"
He sped off.
From what little, disjointed detail that Suguru did give, Sachiko deduced that Madame had been ambushed at some point, the important package – a book, it seemed – was stolen, and a battle had broken out at the border.
Youko and Sei.
Sachiko kicked into high gear, flying towards the border, Rei close behind her.
They had taken a short cut through the woods. When they knew they were getting close.
"Do you hear that?" Rei asked.
In the distance, the clanging of swords and the explosions of who knows what rang through the air. Something caught Sachiko's eye.
"Does it matter? Do you see that?"
There by the lining of the trees, a small battle had erupted. Flashes of metal were and jets of magic could be seen against the night sky. Soldiers from both Gigantea and Hanadera were united, battling soldiers from Miyahara. Lilian was badly outnumbered, with every Lilian Knight fighting off at least two, and sometimes three soldiers from Miyahara.
Sei was currently engaged in combat with an enormous opponent, her sword ablaze with some sort of magic, magnifying the effect of each blow she made. She was fighting valiantly, but her comrades were falling fast around her.
"What on Earth.."
Sachiko did not wait for an explanation. She brought her horse to a full gallop towards the battle.
Yumi felt the ropes that held her begin to loosen. Someone breathing heavily was cutting her free.
"Hiyashi!"
Yumi's heart rate doubled at the sound of the General's voice.
"Hiyashi." He grunted as he pulled her to her feet. "You said you are not a traitor. Well now you can prove it."
He thrust a bloodied sword at her. Yumi blinked uncomprehendingly. It felt wrong in her hands.
"Bring me the head of one of the knights. If you do, I will show clemency at your hearing."
Yumi looked up at him in fear. She knew the day where she would have to fight and kill would come, but she had not actually prepared for it. She had not wanted to prepare for it. But now... she had no choice. Yumi felt sick.
The General noticed her reluctance as she stared at the blade in her hand.
"You have no choice, Hiyashi. Bring me back a head or I will have you killed on sight when, and if, you return to Miyahara."
He slammed a helmet onto her head and left her.
Yumi stumbled around the edge of the battlefield. She had been observing the fight that raged on for what felt like an eternity, but had only been a few seconds. She had not managed to thrust herself into the throes of battle. From her tree, she saw everything. She saw her fellow soldiers mercilessly attack an already beaten knight; She saw two or three of her countrymen gang up on a single knight... She had to turn away.
To her horror, she had spotted both Rei and Sei from the throngs of soldiers locked in battle. They fought bravely. But she knew it would not be long until they too fell. Yumi was growing sicker by the moment, just watching. It brought her very little comfort that she had not yet seen Sachiko.
A bright wave of light hit someone straight in the chest with such force that Yumi felt the blow from where she stood. Youko, it seemed, housed a fierce warrior within her cool exterior. But Lilian was badly outnumbered, and while the dark haired knight could easily handle two assailants, how would she fare against four or five?
Yumi had tried to think of a way out of her task. She had tried to spot someone close by who had already fallen... perhaps she could just claim the body and pretend she had killed them... this repulsed her. She could not, it seemed, even do that. But if she waited any longer she would soon have no choice but to face one of the knights that had been so hospitable to her just hours before. Yumi felt her stomach churn.
There was no time left to waste. Yumi tried to round up her scattered nerves as she ran out from behind her tree. She uttered no battle cry, no nothing, lest she caught someone's attention.
Clumsily, she tripped over a branch. Yumi picked herself up off the dirt and looked down. It was not a branch at all. It was the body of a fallen soldier. She promptly dropped her sword on the ground. Covering her mouth, she ran back to her tree and began heaving. She threw off her helmet. She couldn't breathe.
I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. It seemed even her tears were too frightened to gather, never mind her nerves. Yumi looked straight ahead of her, deeper into the forest.
Run. Up until now she would have given anything to return to Miyahara. But it seemed that she had promised too much because the price was murder, and that, she could not do... But... Naomi.
Yumi made her choice. She ran back out and found the dead knight. She picked up her sword. T-the head.. I just need the head. She looked at his face. He seemed to be no older than her, and with brown hair and brown eyes that stared blankly up, she thought she could see herself in him While she could not see any obvious wound, she knew that he was certainly dead. His lips had already begun to turn blue.
Yumi placed two hands against his cheek to straighten his head. His skin was cool to the touch. She ignored this. Keeping her hands there she contemplated the best position for her to .... make the cut. If it was too straight it would look fake, if it were too crooked she might have to try more than once. Yumi felt his cheeks begin to warm under her palms, obviously she was taking too long to think about this. She tried to steel herself. This is the only way.
Yumi's hands lightly brushed his eyelids to close them. Was it just her or did his lips look less blue? It was probably just the darkness playing tricks with her.
Yumi shook her head hard. This was no time to be thinking such things. She drew her sword. Slowly she began to raise it.
The boy opened his eyes.
"AAAAGH!!!" Yumi screamed, backpedalling as fast as she could.
Oh my God! Oh my God! He was alive! I almost killed him! I CAN'T DO THIS!!
Leaving the boy, Yumi pushed herself off the ground and spun herself towards the forest.
She slammed into someone.
"Yumi??"
Yumi was dazed.
"Yumi! What are you doing here!"
The knight hesitated for a moment too long.
"Sach-"
Three soldiers pounced on Sachiko at once. In her distraction, she had left herself unguarded.
"Sachiko!" Yumi ran towards the pile of bodies. The Miyahara soldiers righted themselves, in their hands was a captive Sachiko.
Blue eyes widened in fear.
"Yumi! RUN! GET AWAY-"
Yumi ran towards Sachiko. A beefy hand landed heavily on her shoulder, restraining her.
"Put her with the others." The General boomed behind her. "Good work, Hiyashi."
Yumi looked around confused as Sachiko was taken away, her eyes trained on Yumi. Others-? Wha-? Then she saw.
A band of knight stood kneeling in a row. Among the captives were Sei, Youko and Rei. Their hands were bound behind their backs and they were surrounded by a ring of pointed swords. The General pushed Yumi along from behind. Her legs were not working.
"Victory!" He shouted.
A cry of agreement filled the air. Yumi was pushed to the front of the ring where she stood frozen. Sachiko's eyes locked on her.
"..Yumi...?"
Yumi was keenly aware that everyone's eyes bored into hers, but she only felt Sachiko's stare as realization dawned on her. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest. She knew now. They all knew.
"Do we have the book?" The General called out to his men.
Another cry of agreement, as an incredibly old, battered book was passed along. Sei and Youko's eyes darted to the book; worry crossed for the book rather than themselves, it seemed, crossed their faces.
"Good. Then we have no need for them." The General pointed towards the prisoners. "An execution!" He boomed.
The bloodthirsty soldiers began beating their shields and stamping their feet, but Yumi heard nothing because she was still fixated on Sachiko. The knight stared hard at her, expressionlessly. Yumi was only snapped out of her reverie when Sachiko was suddenly yanked to her feet.
".....Or should we.. enjoy the spoils first? Here's a pretty piece of..."
Hooting and cat calls filled the air as Yumi looked in alarm. Sachiko's face hardened, she made a strong jab with her elbow, sending the soldier who was holding her flying. Someone yanked Sachiko's hair hard, causing her to cry out, though she quickly stifled it as if she did not want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she was in any pain. Youko looked devastated for Sachiko and furious that she was powerless to help. Rei began to resist, but was quickly silenced with a blow to the head.
Someone began to move towards Sachiko.
"NO!" Yumi finally found her voice, and was surprised at the force at which it left her. She dodged in front of the tied knight.
"You want her for yourself?" They jeered.
"Go away, Yumi." Sachiko's voice was cold as ice. If she did not seem angry before at her disposition, she did now, at Yumi.
Laughter erupted from the men. "You heard her. Move aside, Yumi. What would Naomi say?"
Yumi could hear the men joking about Yumi having a crush and other such obscenities, causing her to grow furious. She moved closer to Sachiko until her back was almost pressed against her.
"No." She repeated. Deadly quiet. "This.. This is not how....."
"Baka, Yumi! This is a war. And these are the spoils of war. We are the victors, now we shall claim our... booty." He wiggled his eyebrows lewdly.
"No!" Yumi had seen. This was a surprise attack. The ratio of soldiers to knights was at least five to one. This very attack reeked of unfairness. "There was no honour in this victory.. W-we have the stupid book. That should be enough. Let's just go."
The General raised his hand to silence his men. A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he contemplated what he had just seen.
"Alright." He began. "We will leave."
Booing erupted and Yumi sighed in relief, but she could not bring herself to look at the Knights. She was not expecting gratitude. Yumi began to walk away, but the General stopped her.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" He said quietly so that only she could hear.
Yumi was silent. What was he talking about? He had the book. He won the battle. What else did he want?
"You promised me the head of a knight." He said loudly. The men straightened to attention at this news. "Have you delivered?"
Yumi's eyes widened in fear. She felt the flat side of a sword slam against her chest. The General pointed towards the row of knights.
"I thought so. Take your pick."
Yumi shook on the spot. Her palms began to sweat and she nearly dropped the sword. She could not bring herself to look at the row of prisoners, let alone pick who should die. Someone pushed her roughly from behind and this time, she did drop the sword.
Yumi fumbled to retrieve it.
"I-I-I..." Tears began to cloud her vision. She knew she was about to start bawling.
"Yumi-chan..." Someone called softly.
The voice was not loud, but somehow Yumi could not miss it amidst the ruckus from the others. Yumi looked up shocked. Sei was looking straight at her in a way that made her feel completely exposed.
"If you want to do it right, you'll have to swing like you mean it." The older knight whispered.
Sei stuck out her neck a little, as if to offer herself.
Every knight now had their eyes trained on Yumi.
Yumi trembled. She dropped the blade to the ground. "I can't. I-I.. don't want to."
"You know the law, Hiyashi." The General hissed into her ear. "Traitors to the crown die."
Yumi gulped, looking helplessly at the fallen sword. She clenched her small fists in resolve. So. This is how it is. A pathetic end to a pathetic life.
A moment passed before the General spoke. He began to pace.
"Fine, Hiyashi. I am not completely unreasonable. I understand how.. how weak you are."
Yumi did not know where this was going, but she did not like the sounds of it.
"I am your General, and as your General, I could bear the punishment for you. But it will come at a price."
He drew his sword.
"Because you are a coward and will not kill one knight, I will kill them all..."
Swiftly he raised his sword. He turned on the spot to face Sachiko.
"Starting with her."
He raised his blade.
For Yumi, time stopped and everything seemed to fade into the background except for just her and Sachiko, whose face, even at this moment, was defiant.
Yumi dove. She felt her body smash into the Knight. Yumi could distinctly identify the elegant smell of roses as she wrapped her arms around Sachiko, bringing her down. They hit the dirt, hard. Her face was only inches from Sachiko's when she saw blue eyes widen in fear.
"Yumi, NO-"
Everything came back to life.
-The sword came down and -
-An energy exploded from Yumi, and for a moment, everything was swallowed by a bright light. The wind was knocked from Yumi and she felt as if she were being turned inside out through her belly button and-
-She was on the ground, on top of Sachiko, gasping for air. The light was gone, the grey was back, and everywhere it was deadly quiet except for the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.
Yumi looked around her. Bodies lay broken, everywhere. She was the only person who had survived.. whatever that was, it seemed. Yumi noticed the lump beneath her.
Sachiko.
The crumpled knight lay completely motionless. The only thing that was not frozen was the stain of blood that blossomed from her chest.
No! Nononononono...
Yumi clamped down on Sachiko's, where the blood kept flowing. It was no use though. In seconds the sticky red liquid found its way through the cracks of her fingers, covering her hands. She looked around desperately. She needed help. She needed... needed... everyone lay motionless.
Yumi's eyes began to blur in frustration. This was all her fault. She had only meant to deflect the sword, or to protect Sachiko... she didn't know what she was thinking, but this happened instead. She hadn't meant to... The force of energy that burst from her was too strong; she could not control it. Now she was a murderer.
Yumi frantically tried unbutton Sachiko's shirt, ripping it open when her fingers failed. She needed to find the wound. Her fingers ran over the soft skin beneath her in search of the cut. She felt it. There. Above the swell of Sachiko's breast, was a jagged groove in the otherwise smooth flesh. She felt her fingers dip and Yumi immediately withdrew. She did not know how.. or what to do.
More blood gushed out.
Yumi quickly replaced her hands. She squeezed the two folds as tightly together as she could, though it seemed of little use to keep the life of Sachiko from spilling out. Why did this happen? She could not let her go...
SACHIKO! SACHIKO! DON'T GO! DON'T...! She silently screamed.
Yumi felt a warmth flow around her fingers. She wondered if Sachiko was intent on bleeding until every drop was gone.
Yumi began to cry for her as she realized there was nothing that could be done, but she found she could not make herself let go.
Yumi shakily lowered head to rest on top of her hands. The smell of blood filled her nostrils. She ignored it. She was so, so tired and she was beginning to grow cold. Yumi shuddered as she curled up closer to Sachiko.
Yumi closed her eyes and began to sleep.
At some point, the cold began to ebb away from Yumi. She felt the warmth return to her body. I must be dying. She resigned herself to the thought. She had made a mess of everything in life, so it would be best if she just left it...
Soft hands weaved through her hair.
Yumi.
Yumi hazily opened an eye. She thought she heard someone call her. When she saw that nothing had changed, she closed her eyes again. Everyone was still dead, and now, Sachiko was too. She buried her face deeper into the warm flesh beneath her.
"Unngh.. Yumi." The voice was a little hoarse, but she definitely heard it.
Yumi's eyes snapped open. She sat up quickly and looked down to see Sachiko, on the brink of consciousness.
"Sachiko?" Yumi said, a little too loudly she felt. She could not believe this was actually happening.
"Sachiko?! Sach-" A soft finger dragged across her lips, silencing her.
Sachiko struggled to say something.
"Shhh, no. It's okay Sachiko... I- I'm sorry. For everything.. I didn't mean..." Yumi's eyes began to well with tears. She could hardly finish her sentence. She didn't have to. Sachiko found her voice.
"Biscuit....." she murmured.
Yumi's eyes widened. "You're hungry??"
Sachiko slowly shook her head.
"Your horse....... Yumi. I know he's.... he's a good horse."
She fell back into unconsciousness.
Yumi clasped Sachiko's hand, holding it to her cheek. Still warm. Still soft.
Yumi's heart warmed.
A voice suddenly broke through the night.
"You there!"
Yumi froze. She saw a man approach her from the distance. He was far ahead of the other soldiers behind him. He wore a Lilian uniform, slightly more decorated than the standard issue dress.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
His eyes fell, first to the knight beneath her, and then all of the bodies that surrounded. His eyes widened.
"Halt! Stop! You're under arrest!"
He began to run towards her, sword in hand.
Yumi pushed herself away from Sachiko. She bolted towards the forest.