The little boy weaved through the crowd of people with ease as Kazune was left to push and shove his way through. Being little and having grown up in this kind of city was really a great asset to have. Every so often Kazune would lose him but he seemed to know when Kazune had fallen behind and would wait for him just a bit ahead. The number of people was really irritating Kazune. He hated people, they had never been kind to him so he wanted to avoid them.

Glancing up at the road ahead, the Governor's house still looked so far away. How could Karin have been taken their so quickly? Kazune stirred his thoughts as he tried to think of what he would do when he met the Governor. Sure he had convinced the boy to take him to the manor, but he really had no plan set up, just his drive to get back what is his. Furthermore, he had no idea what kind of person the Governor was. From what Suzune said, he sounded pretty terrible. Kazune had no time for more terrible people. He would torch the Governor to a crisp and make off with his riches and Karin. He might even be able to take over the whole kingdom, which would please him just to have.

Kazune bumped into the back of Suzune and had to grab him by the arm to keep the little boy from falling forward.

"Sorry." Kazune said.

"No, no Mister, it is alright. I should have warned you that I was going to stop."

Kazune liked this boy.

"You see, Mister, over there is the gates that lead to the Governor's manor, but it is not easy to pass through without an expressed reason for visitation. Once we are though that, we still have quite a hike. What would you like to do?"

Pondering over the excuses he could make, Kazune began to realize he was running out of ideas. There was a good chance the guards knew what he looked like and that if they had Karin that the Governor would have told them to not let him through no matter what story he thought up. He could always use his magic but he would rather not, since it would give him away to the common folk as well as the Governor himself.

Kazune made up his mind and took a deep breath. Pushing Suzune behind him, he walked in large strides towards the gate and stood with as much confidence as he could well up. The guards, alerted by his presence, held their weapons up to ward Kazune off.

"Stand down you dogs!." Kazune hollered at them.

"I am here for what is mine and neither you or your bitchy governor can tell me otherwise!" His voice was laced with poison as he spoke the words that would either be his demise or key to victory. Suzune ran up behind him with panic in his eyes.

"What are you doing, Mister?! You'll be beheaded for that!"

"I have something that might be of interest for you baboons. You like shiny things, right?" Kazune said as he reached into his empty pocket. Now that he had the guard's attention, he pulled out his fist.

" Go ahead, ask what is inside and I will give it to you as a bribe."

"Boy, there's nothing that could fit in that little fist that could bribe us to let you through." One of the guards snickered.

"Oh really? And what if there is? Aren't you a bit curious to know what could be so valuable?"

Kazune walked closer and held his clenched hand up to the guard's face. Fixing his eyes on the guard's. His eyes lit with blue flame and the guard was hypnotized by the dancing of the flames in Kazune's eyes.

"Won't you fall for the treasure in my hand?" Kazune's sweet song voice rand into the guard's ears. The lips parted and pressed together again as Kazune spoke and every word laced around the guard's senses till they constricted his thoughts to nothing but the warlock in front of him.

Kazune slowly opened his hand to reveal a very small flame licking at his palm. It only seemed to draw the guard in further as Kazune moved his face closer and his hand away.

"I have powers that you might find very seductive. If your Governor wishes I will give them to him in exchange for that girl." he said as he caressed the guard's neck. snaking his finders under the helmet the guard wore. The other guards were starting to take notice of the strange actions and started to advance towards the three of them. Suzune whined a warning to Kazune but he was still too busy charming the guard that held the gate shut.

"Those...powers..." the guard muttered, staring into Kazune's all engulfing eyes.

"That's right, now... open the door so I can give myself to your Governor."

At that command, the guard opened the gates, Suzune cried out that the others were coming and Kazune fried the gate keeper guard's brain. He broke the trance, grabbed Suzune and ran up the hill. Close on their tail were the other guards. Kazune ran as fast as he could and wanted to use his wind to carry them further but knew that it would be too much of a problem if they knew he had that power too, especially if the Governor had weather power.

Kazune turned at the sound of Suzune's cry to face a guard swinging a sword down on them. Tossing Suzune to the side of the path, Kazune dove out of the guard's reach and pulled his knife. It wasn't much but it would have to do.

Running at him again, the guard prepared to pierce Kazune's stomach to which, he managed to avoid again. Kazune was not good at fighting. He had never studied it and if he landed even one blow he would be lucky. He was good at dodging however. Other guards were closing in on them and if they reached the spot where Kazune and the guard were fighting, Kazune would be out of luck. He jabbed left, then right and from bellow, trying to hit the guard and get further up the hill but to no avail. He kept trying to dodge the attacks as well. The guard was fast and witty. Their blades came together and created the most terrible screeching noise Kazune had ever heard. He managed to push the guard's blade off and slice part of the flesh off the guard's right arm but he was soon greeted with a blow to the back of the head by another guard's sword hilt.

Now there were two and he could hardly handle one. Kazune stumbled to the side a bit, dizzied from the knock on the head. Realizing he was being attacked from both sides he dropped to the ground and narrowly avoided being skewered. A bit of his hair fell down near his face and made his eyes fill with fear for his own life. In that moment, all other thoughts disappeared. He saw his chance being low to the ground and stabbed his knife into the first guard's Achilles. Time slowed down to what felt like forever. Bright blood spurted from the heel of the guard in slow motion. and the yell of pain came flooding into his ears in waves. Watching as the first guard fell, Kazune spun around and nailed the other in the shoulder, gaining a stab to the thigh as well. The pain for him was numbed as the pleasure from watching the other guards writhe in pain grew in his abdomen. He almost laughed in enjoyment but was stabbed through the side by the last guard. All happiness drained from his face as he felt the blade slicing through to the other side of him.

snarling, his face went stony. pulling himself off the blade he dove forward and lit the last guard's lungs on fire from the inside. The guard spewed smoke and embers from his mouth and his eyes went yellow. He fell to ground as a little more than ashes.

The other two guards watched in horror as their comrade died in such a horrendous way. They stared at Kazune and met his beastly eyes. He stumbled away clutching his side but his eyes still screamed murder. His smoky black hair was tattered and a mess and his sweating, sooty skin made him look like a shadow.

Suzune ran over to help Kazune get further away from the guards and he did his best so support Kazune as they walked up the hill.

"Mister! You were amazing! But you are in no shape to face off with the Governor now."

Kazune collapsed next to Suzune gritting his teeth. The pain was setting in and he was losing blood fast. The side wound had gone right through him and the forcing himself off the blade made it worse.

"Su-zune.. backup..." he breathed out in raspy breaths.

"I-I have to deal- with this..."

Suzune looked at him confused but did as he was told. He watched as Kazune put his hand to his side wound, holding it down with his other hand. He grabbed the hilt of his knife and put it between his teeth, returning his hand to his other.

Before Suzune could question Kazune's strange actions, Kazune lit his hand and wound on fire and let out the worst, most painful muffled scream Suzune had heard from him yet. Kazune screamed loudly and squinted his eyes shut, but he never moved his hand. He let the light burn out and he fell onto his back breathing heavily and letting out moans of pain with every other breath.

"Mister! What did you do that for?! Are you okay?" Suzune scrambled to Kazune's side and clutched his hand.

In a quiet voice, Kazune answered, "I seared the wound shut... hurts worst than the injury..." he laughed a bit.

" I just... have to rest a bit... I lost... too much blood..."

Kazune laid there not moving for a few moments. Suzune let him rest but knew they would have to move to another location if he wanted to rest longer. Other guards would be coming for them soon. But there was really nowhere else to rest except on the path. After a few more moments, Suzune tried to wake Kazune up but he had fallen asleep. Shaking him violently, Suzune tried harder.

He could hear the boy calling to him and he could feel the vibrations of running feet coming down the hill but he was just so tired. Kazune tried to wake up be he just couldn't. For once in his life, he hoped, even prayed that he would have pity on his side and that he would not have to fight anymore today. A new sensation filled his very distant senses. He could hear Suzune shouting with a far away voice, he could feel himself being lifted up off the ground and the pain of his wounds twanging in his mind, but he couldn't care less. The last thing Kazune could remember was being on an angle, moving up the hill somehow. He felt upside down, but knew he wasn't. He let his mind drift to sleep, thinking that he would become a ghost and haunt the governor if he was killed and unable to save Karin. Kazune was defeated.