A/N: In case anyone was wondering, this AU is set in a sort of medievil place, but with some modern technology.

Deserted of Memories

Chapter Three

The sun was setting.

Deep saffron tinged with cream and lavender filled the heavens, soft wisps of clouds visible in the dimming light. A golden glow illuminated the land, and the silvery outline of the moon hung just above the horizon. The faint shimmer of stars could be seen in the darker sections of the sky, promising a clear, sparkling night. Bustling noises during the daytime had long ceased as the evening drew near, leaving only the soothing sounds of nature to fill the atmosphere.

Sunsets were truly beautiful.

"Sunsets are repetitive."

Eiji immediately bolted up and spun around, only to find that it was Fuji who caused the interruption.

"Sunsets are a unique feature of nature. However, they become predictable, as each sunset is no different from the rest. Soon enough, every sunset you watch blends in with the others in your memory and what was once a spectacle becomes unsurprising."

Eiji blinked at the unexpected explanation. "So you hate sunsets?"

"No," Fuji replied. "They may be lacking change, but they are still very beautiful."

Several moments passed in peaceful admiration of the colours that blended in the sky, simply relaxing at the at the edge of the village, gazing out to the horizon. The spreading dunes of the dessert seemed deceivingly gentle as the land faded out in a mixture of yellow. The day was growing cooler, but the gentle breeze that swept across the land felt refreshing. Tranquillity could not get better.

It had been several weeks since Eiji and Fuji had opened the bakery. After many days of planning and organisation, they were finally able to start their new project. And Eiji would be the first to agree that the first couple of days were chaotic and rather unsuccessful. However, as experience grew, so did their baking skills, and well as the knowledge needed to run a store. It wasn't long before the only bakery in the village attracted a lot of customers, leading both boys to feel a great sense of pride and satisfaction. Ever since Fuji, and all his ideas, made themselves present in Eiji world, his everyday activities had been transformed into a mix of something hectic, but truly fun and interesting.

Life was good. Normal.

And that's what Eiji thought.

Therefore he blamed the faint humming noise on his imagination.

The quick shuffling of footsteps was due to the wind.

So he was completely taken by surprise when someone knocked him over with a shout of "Look out!" and the life he had previously known completely exploded.

Fuji felt like a boulder had rolled over him. His whole body ached and all he could do was stare up into the darkening sky as tendrils of pale crimson intertwined with the amber, along with a strangle bird that was quickly flying away. In fact, he was once again becoming entranced by that predictable yet truly fascinating sunset. Fuji would not have been surprised if he spent the whole night staring as the colours of the heavens faded into an indigo. Yet his thoughts immediately turned to the still figure he could see in his peripheral vision.

Immediately, Fuji sat up and instantly regretted it as a jolt of pain shot up through his body. However, his mind was focused on the strange girl that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She seemed no older than 10, with long, dark hair styled in twin braids. A dark, blue cloak was wrapped around her and she was wearing some sort of white, fluffy slippers.

Suddenly, a groan came from his right. With a stab of guilt, Fuji realised he had forgotten all about Eiji. He quickly rushed over and was alarmed to see that the redhead was sporting a large gash on his forehead, mostly likely caused by the bits of debris that were lying around.

Bit of debris?

At last, Fuji took a good look at his surroundings. The desert was still on one side, yes, very normal. However, the only thing that remained of the village was a wreckage of splintered wood and a dead, still silence.

"Eiji, wake up."

Fuji nudged the other boy, until Eiji finally opened his eyes with a groan.

"Fujiko? What happened?"

Fuji avoided the eyes that stared inquiringly at him. How was he supposed to tell Eiji that the village he had been living in for all of his life had just been trashed? However, it seemed as if he didn't need to as Eiji made a strangled gasp and struggled up, gaping at what was left of his home, the sparks of horror and panic lighting his expression.

"Fujiko, tell me, what happened? Is anyone alive? What about Oishi? Who did this?"

"I - I don't know, Eiji."

"I do."

Fuji tensed and twisted around to see the small girl from before staring defiantly back at him. It was Eiji that spoke first.

"Who - who are you? How do you know what happened?"

Eiji's wary tone made the girl wince, but she continued nevertheless. "You can call me Sa – Tomoka."

Instantly, Fuji knew that the girl had given an alias, but it was unsurprising to be wary of strangers, especially after the confusing things that had already happened.

"I'm from the castle."

This new piece of information caused Fuji to stifle a gasp of surprise. The castle could only mean the residence of the royal family of Sei, situated only a hundred or so kilometres away from Eiji village - or what remained of it. What business did someone connected to the rulers of a kingdom, a little girl no less, have by being here? Especially as the timing suspiciously coincided with the village's destruction.

As soon as Fuji thought that, the emotions he had tried to suppress overtook him. The misery, the anger, the despair. The villagers were the last people that deserved to die. Even though Fuji had only known them for several weeks, he had felt, been a part of, the cheerful happy atmosphere of the village. He had met all sorts of people, those that had encouraged, supported him at the bakery, those that had been so crucial in creating a part of his life, and allowing him to become a piece of everyday life.

And now they, and the new life he was just starting to experience, were all gone.

"If you're from the castle, then why are you here?" Fuji asked.

The girl - Tomoka - took a deep breath before replying. "The castle was taken over by another kingdom's soldiers last night. Many villages are being threatened and some have already been bombed. It's not just the Kingdom of Sei either. All of the surrounding lands are now officially in war."

(Sakuno's POV)

The last time a war had occurred was several hundred years ago. At least, that was what the history books said and I had no reason to believe they were lying. Either way, Sei was unprepared when one of its neighbouring kingdom and its allying forces decided to start a war, with Sei and its rich and fertile lands as the prize. However, most of the other kingdoms had decided to take this chance for their own benefits, battling other kingdoms for wealth and land, with complicated, rushed alliances forming and breaking every day.

Both of the two boys seemed genuinely shocked that anything resembling a war could ever happen. Like most people, they thought that the kingdom would forever remain in peace and harmony. In fact, that would have been my exact thoughts a week ago. It also seemed as if their village had not received news of the war that had begun. It wasn't surprising, as Sei's communication was rather lacking.

The brunet - Fujiko was it? - was the first to process the news.

"So, uh Tomoka, if the castle was taken by the enemy, how did you escape? And why would they destroy a village?"

"Fear. They want to send a message that they can obliterate a village whenever they want to and prevent people from creating a rebellion that could overthrow their forces. After all, the lives of the people of another kingdom has no value to them, they obviously just want our land."

Another obvious fact was that Fujiko had seen through my fake name.

Tomoka. It was the name of my best friend, who was brutally and fatally stabbed on the night the enemy soldiers had invaded. Not only her, but my family and the hundreds of nobles, servants and other people that resided in the castle were massacred. It was only by chance that I was out riding when the soldiers appeared. With Tomoka. Who sacrificed her life for me to escape. Some friend I am.

Yet another fact remained that there was still something important that remained in the castle, documents containing the secrets and weaknesses of our allied kingdoms that would be devastating in the hands of an enemy. Without the help of our allies, Sei could never hope to defeat its intruders and win back its land and its freedom, and ultimately the war. My grandmother would always repeat to me that in times of an emergency, I had to retrieve those documents and hand them over to the royal family of Shun.

However, I knew I couldn't manage to sneak into a heavily protected castle by myself, but everyone I previously knew was dead.

The only people in the surrounding area that were on my side were the two boys.

I would have to ask for their help.

Eiji was in a state of shock and denial. His friends, acquaintances, the villagers, were not dead. They weren't. But sooner or later, subconsciously, Eiji knew that he would have to accept the fact that they were gone. However, right now, the girl called Tomoka was a good distraction.

Eiji had understood by now that some sort of plane must have flown by and dropped explosives on the village. That was the humming noise he heard. He wanted to scream at himself for not realising sooner and warning the rest of the village, yet deep down, he knew that he would have been powerless to prevent the tragedy.

Instead, he wanted vengeance.

So when Tomoka hesitantly asked for assistance to retrieve some sort of documents, Eiji immediately agreed. Anything to make those bastards suffer for killing off his entire village, just to make a statement. He despised those that toyed with lives, and even though Eiji recognised that his bubbly self was slowly slipping away, a part of him was already dead, buried deep in the wreckage of his village. He had to let go of his naivety, his childishness and change.

This was war.