"What?!" She grabbed her pocket and her face turned furious, "How dare he!"

She turned, scouring the crowd before beginning to push through hurriedly. I trailed off after her, feeling sorry for the boy wearing red. If he had known who he'd been planning to steal from he would be crying in apology just for thinking of doing anything. I kept my eyes on him the whole time, resolving to let Kadence deal with it rather than taking him back to the Judgment Complex. After all, he looked like he was only a child. Normal people would have a hard time even seeing him in this crowd, but I was the Judgment Knight who had years of experience in spotting criminals. And Kadence was just… scary.

He darted into an alley and she followed, shouting out as she did so. I felt like banging my head against the alley wall. Don't just go announcing your presence, idiot! Still, I followed her in quietly. It was a dead end, and the boy was looking around frantically for an escape. He must be new to thieving… His hair was a mass of brown curls, sticking up here and there messily. He was grubby, covered in dirt; obviously a street urchin. His clothing was a faded red, torn and frayed in places. Looking closer at him I could see cuts and bruises scattered throughout his skin, making me sure he was new to thieving. The injuries could probably be accounted to foolish blunders like he had just made. Entering into a dead alley was a rookie mistake.

When he realized there was no escape he reached into his clothing and produced a small, crude knife. It looked like it was carved out of an empty beer bottle.

"Stay back!" He shouted frantically, eyes full of fear as he adopted a clumsy fighting pose, "I-I-I'm not afraid, so s-stay back!"

She took a step forward and he slashed wildly, missing her by a mile. She grabbed his hand easily, and I was just about to step in to stop her from hurting him when she exclaimed, "What's with all these injuries?!"

He struggled against her grip, letting go of the knife, but she didn't relinquish it. Instead she flicked him between the eyes and said sternly, "Stay still, brat."

He did as she said with tears in his eyes, obviously resolved to his fate. Instead of striking him she began to glow softly with Holy Light, healing his injuries quickly. Afterwards she stood back and grinned widely, "There!"

He looked up at her with big, frightened eyes as he whispered, "Please don't send me to the Judgment Knight, Miss Cleric! I swear I wasn't trying to be bad!"

"Cleric?" She laughed, obviously amused as she tousled his hair playfully, "I won't send you to the big, bad Judgment Knight," She snuck me a sly look before turning to him seriously, "But you shouldn't steal! It's wrong!"

"I-I-I," He began to cry, rubbing his eyes pitifully while wailing, "I'm sorry! I-I-I don't have any money or family!"

She looked down at him uncomfortably before turning to me with a hopeful look, "Can we take him to the Temple? He could start training to be a knight or maybe a cleric…?"

I looked at him thoughtfully, unsure. Generally it wasn't the Temple's way to hire criminals but… He looked so hopeful. I sighed, "Fine."

"Are you sure, Big sister?" He asked Kadence, tugging on her hand and making me laugh under my breath, "Won't they take me to the Judgment Knight for being naughty? I don't want that! He seems scary!"

"Hey!" She reprimanded seriously, "Don't judge a book by its cover. What if he heard you? I'm sure that would hurt his feelings!"

"But I heard he's really mean!" The little boy insisted, looking terrified, "The bigger boys told me to always be careful of him! That he kills anybody who even looks like a criminal!"

"He's not like that at all!" Kadence said, grinning widely and bending down to talk to the boy, "He's actually an alright guy! He can't even cut a tomato right!"

I felt like groaning. Don't go telling strangers that sort of weird stuff… You're going to be sent to a Looney bin…

"Really?" The little boy asked, eyes wide, "I heard he tortures people, though!"

She shook her head gently, smiling sadly as she did so, "Only bad people who hurt others. He's a really good person!"

The boy still looked unsure, but he nodded seriously, "If Big Sis says so, then I'll believe her… But will they really let me join the Temple? I heard it's hard…"

"Don't worry!" She said cheerfully, grabbing his hand and beginning to walk out of the alleyway, "I have some friends in the Temple! I'll definitely make them accept you!"

We entered the bustling crowd, beginning to walk in the direction of the Temple. I stayed quiet the whole way while Kadence and the small boy talked. She eventually found, to her obvious surprise, that he didn't have a name. Her surprise was reasonable, as she had probably lived in that small town her whole life. Here, in the city, there were street urchins who had never been given names. It was commonplace, and often they came to refer to each other by nicknames. Kadence looked horrified at the thought.

"Everybody just calls me 'Kid'," The boy explained nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders, "It's not so bad. There are worse names."

She looked shy, surprising me. In a soft voice she said, "We can give you a name, if you'd like…?"

He looked excited, nodding his head quickly and grinning widely, "Would you?! None of the other street-kids knew enough to be able to give a name!"

"Okay, Okay!" She said, looking energetic, "Just let me think of a good one, okay?"

He let her think as we walked, and eventually we reached the Holy Temple and she turned to him, looking cheeky as she said, "What about Seriph?"

"Kadence!" I said immediately in exasperation, "Not that one."

"Oh but it's such a cute name," She said cheekily, grinning widely, "Fine. You choose one then."

I hesitated before saying in an unsure voice, "Jean?"

She looked pleasantly surprised, nodding to herself and turning to the boy, "That's a good one. What do you think?"

He looked thoughtful, mouthing the name silently to himself before bursting into a large smile, "Jean… I like it! Can I really have it?"

She nodded, turning to me questioningly, "So where do we sign him up?"

"I'll ask my vice-captain to assign him. Is there any platoon in particular you wanted to join…?" I asked, looking at him and trying to discern which he would best suit. Maybe Blaze's platoon; after all, he was brave and brazen. Or Leaf's… He seemed caring enough to suit the role.

"Well," He said, biting his lip and fidgeting slightly, "Maybe… Judgment Knight's?" I froze, stunned until he explained quickly, "Big Sis s-said he was n-nice so I thought maybe…" He trailed off, face red.

Kadence patted his head, laughing loudly to herself, "I think we can do that! Right, Seriph?"

"Are you sure?" I asked seriously, "You'll be in charge of patrolling the streets and capturing criminals. It won't be easy. The citizens won't be as friendly with you…"

"I'm sure," He said, looking determined, "People weren't friendly to me to start with. I want to repay my debt to the city, and so I can let other people know they don't have to be bad, just like you taught me!"

"Is that so, Little Judgment Knight?" Kadence said softly, staring at him with kind eyes, "I think that's perfect."

I was smiling under my hood, just a little. Nodding I turned to walk away, calling out behind me, "I'll go arrange it now, so go to Metal's room and bug him for a bit."

I yawned as I walked in the direction of the Judgment Platoon's quarters. The grass crunched softly under my feet while the stars sparkled brilliantly above me. Everything seemed a bit brighter, despite it being well into the night. I stopped outside of their quarters, wondering whether it would be better to knock, or just enter. In the end I decided on knocking, my fist rapping against the door loudly.

Somebody opened immediately, grinning widely and laughing, "You're back earlier than usual- Captain?!" His grin dropped and he looked at me in surprise, immediately adopting a more formal pose and saluting, "I apologize, Captain! I didn't realize it was you!"

"No problem," I said quietly, shaking my head, "I was just wondering where Ignal was? I have something to discuss with him."

"He's out in the training ground, Sir," He said, looking slightly confused and… rueful? I shook it off, saying a quick word of thanks and leaving. I heard him mumble something to himself as he left, but didn't pause to wonder what it was.

What's he doing at the training grounds so late?

When I arrived he was holding a wooden practice sword, running through drills relentlessly. I could see that he was sweating heavily, but it didn't seem to faze him. Unsure whether or not I was being rude I called out, "Ignal."

He stopped immediately, turning to look at me in surprise. He quickly dropped the sword, saluting and approaching me with a worried look, "Yes, Captain? Has something happened?"

"Nothing serious," I said, wishing I could smile in reassurance but knowing that it would probably make him faint in fear, "In Metal's room there is a boy who will be starting his Knight training. Could you please take him under your wing? He intends to join the Judgment Platoon. However if the stress is too much he can be reassigned."

He looked dazed, but nodded obediently, "Yes, Sir."

"You may take your time," I turned to leave but hesitated before saying cautiously, "Thank you for the hard work. Your drill-form was excellent."

His whole face lit up as I left. Maybe I just need to start complimenting them more? I nodded to myself, deciding to do just that as I made my way to my rooms. When I was in them I threw off the cloak, rubbing my head sorely and changing into my Judgment Knight uniform. After this I still needed to assign Kadence to her rooms and grab some dinner from the kitchens. I hadn't realized it when we were out, but I was starving.

I should probably get some for Kadence, too. I don't think she actually ended up eating anything… She has the endurance of a Knight, though. I should get her to try and teach my Platoon one day… Knock on wood, Knock on wood! If I did that they'd definitely hate me forever.

I entered the kitchen quietly, mindful of startling anybody. Luckily it was deserted, so I moved to the pot and grabbed three bowls of stew, putting it on a tray and carrying it carefully. When I turned the corner and entered the hall in front of the rooms I saw Ignal, Kadence and Jean. Jean was clinging to Kadence's arm, looking slightly afraid. Ignal was dressed in his uniform, talking quietly.

"You'll start your training with the Platoon tomorrow," He explained, "Everybody is fairly friendly, so don't worry."

"Yep!" Kadence said happily, pushing Jean towards Ignal, "They're all big softies!" Ignal's face was caught between exasperation and surprise, "I might even join training tomorrow!"

Ignal finally noticed me approached, turning sharply and saluting with a serious face, "Captain."

I nodded, making sure to wear my Judgment Knight face. I didn't want Jean recognizing me. I began to talk in a deep voice, "As you were."

"Hey, Hey!" Kadence said happily, grabbing one of the bowls and asking in a sweet voice, "Let me join in on training tomorrow."

Jean looked confused, staring between us with big eyes. Argh. At least make an attempt not to seem so friendly! You're going to confuse the kid! I looked at her coldly, not answering. Instead I turned to Ignal, who had already recovered enough to look serious, "You may leave now."

He nodded, guiding a confused-looking Jean away after saluting me. Metal appeared, leaning against his door with an amused look as he said in a sarcastic voice, "Seriph Judgment, the hero. Savior of lost children and misguided criminals."

I raised an eyebrow silently, offering him a bowl. He looked surprised, but accepted it with a quiet word of thanks. I turned to Kadence, "I should probably show you your rooms now…"

She was shaking her head, looking stubborn, "After we eat. Geez. You need to work on your patience," She squeezed past Metal, not asking before setting the bowl down on the table and flopping onto one of the chairs. She began eating, smiling with each bite she took.

"Well, you might as well come in too," Metal said, not looking at me before following Kadence's lead. I hesitated for a moment before closing the door behind me and sitting, feeling awkward. I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't eaten alone. It felt… nice.

"So, Can I join in on training tomorrow?" Kadence asked between bites, looking hopeful.

"I'm not sure I want to expose my Platoon to that sort of danger," I said wryly, amused when her face turned defensive.

"Hey!" She whined, glaring at me, "It'll be fine!"

"Weren't you supposed to go to the Palace tomorrow?" Metal asked curiously, looking at me as he played with his food, "Leaf was complaining about it, so I offered to take his place."

I groaned. I forgot about that… now what am I meant to do? I definitely don't trust her alone, but I can't exactly-

"Take me, Take me!" Kadence said excitedly, dismissing her original plan, "I want to see the Palace!"

"Why not?" Metal said with a shrug, "I can't imagine the kind of damage she would do if she was just left here. Besides, Grisia should be coming back to the Temple tomorrow to visit. They'd probably kill each other."

I felt a chill and immediately accepted, "Okay, we'll take you. But you have to behave, okay?"

She looked suspicious, "Who's Grisia?"

"He's the past Sun Knight," Metal explained, looking amused, "Our Judgment Knight here is terrified of him."

She looked at me incredulously while Metal laughed. In a low voice I murmured, "You never had to go drinking with him. Or practice swordsmanship."

"Is his swordsmanship really that good?" Kadence asked, looking excited.

I shook my head seriously, "No, It's terrible. So terrible it's deadly. Before you even start to spar his sword is already flying…"

I shuddered in remembrance. At that time teacher had asked me to train with the Sun Knight… I thought that the Sun Knight must be an exceptionally good teacher for my teacher to suggest I spar with him. Instead, he wanted me to be the teacher…

"Woah," Kadence said, an admiring look in her eyes, "He sounds interesting."

"No, No," I said quickly, shaking my head, "He's the devil in human form, trust me."

Actually you two might get along…

"So I get to go to the Palace?" She said, grinning widely. I nodded in a tired manner, wondering how much trouble she could get up to. It shouldn't be too bad, right? I'm sure the Royal Knights would be able to stop her before she did too much damage…

"But only if you're mindful of my image," I said quickly, setting up some ground rules hopefully, "And you have to behave. No picking fights with any of the guards. Try and speak respectfully. Okay?"

She looked at me blankly for a few moments before saying, "I'll try. Maybe."

Metal chuckled to himself and I began to wonder what I had done in my past life to deserve this.

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I hope you're enjoying reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it. Who's your favourite character? I can't decide 3