Lost in the Dark

By Meganes Ultimate Fangirl

Chapter 2 – Battlefield

"Privates Namahi Marioka, Hikaru Hitachiin, and Kaoru Hitachiin!" Roll call was proceeding. Soon, everyone would have their missions. The twins and Namahi all strode forward with ease, ducking into their commanding officer's tent.

"Sir!" they said strongly in unison, saluting and standing at attention.

"At ease," General Fusawa muttered, "You three are familiar with Sergeant Wari I presume?"

The three nodded, Namahi suppressing a groan of irritation. Sergeant Wari was known among all the soldiers as, frankly put, a pain in the ass son of a bitch. He was a stubborn mule among rigid obedient officers. He was one of the only ones that would dare to oppose the general. He was one of the only superior officers that she absolutely couldn't stand.

"For this mission, he's your commanding officer." She glanced to her right at the twins. Both of them featured looks of utter distaste on their faces that mirrored the one that she was holding back.

"And the mission is?" she asked hesitantly. General Fusawa smiled, a sight that was almost scary due to the scar that obstructed his mouth, making it look more like a sneer.

"You're to sneak behind the enemy and infiltrate the town of Ronera, which is close to the castle. From there, Hikaru, you and Private Mitsukuni Hanizuka will be putting up a wall of magical energy, the main wizards back at camp will be able to access it and transport part of the army to that exact spot."

Hikaru nodded in acknowledgment, quite glad that he was to work with Mitsukuni and not a magician that he wasn't familiar with.

"Namahi and Kaoru will sneak into the outer walls of the castle and try to draw a map for us of the inner workings so we may use it later. Kaoru, you will bring this information back to camp while Namahi remains behind to act as a spy."

Namahi's eyes widened. What?! Spy?! Had the General gone mad?! She coughed loudly. "Why, exactly, was I chosen for this particular mission?" she asked, slightly apprehensive about the answer. She was pretty sure she remembered something about The Witch having contacts inside the castle walls, not to mention the fact that certain Narians might see straight through the ploy she was to present. Her secret would be utterly screwed if she was discovered to be the lost Moradian Princess.

"You think on your feet, Marioka. Quit wits are the good makings of a spy, not to mention an uncanny ability to blend into your surroundings. I saw you during that co-op training mission 4 months ago. Frankly, I'm impressed. You could easily make your way up to Corporal or Sergeant that way."

Though the flattery from her superior should have made her feel incredibly privileged, it did nothing but make her stomach churn painfully with anxiety. Spying was not what she had signed up for.

"Any questions?" he asked the three privates standing in front of him. "No? Good. You'll be wearing your uniforms up until the point that Kaoru is sent back. Then I request that Namahi change into a suitable outfit to act as a Narian aristocrat. You'll all be given fake names, particularly Marioka. They will be your Narian names, should you be caught give them that name and not your rank or your real name. Understood?"

"Yessir!"

"Great. Hikaru, you're to be Hideki Karo. Kaoru, Kane Karo. Namahi, Hanaru Fujinara. Don't forget it. You'll be leaving at dawn. Dismissed!"

Hikaru, Kaoru, and Namahi all saluted the General and turned to retreat out of the tent. Namahi found it rather amusing that her fake Narian name was incredibly close to the name she had as the Moradian Princess.

–

"Is the General crazy?!" she ranted in hers and the twins' tent later that night. "I mean, shit, I'm not that made for spying."

Hikaru and Kaoru shifted uncomfortably a bit. "You could have turned him down," Hikaru muttered, brows furrowing in a frown. "Namahi, this could be bad. I doubt any Narians will recognize you as the little baby girl they were supposed to kill 20 years ago..." he trailed off, letting his twin picked up like they had so often done in the past.

"But... Well, The Witch would notice right off the bat. What if you run into her? And what about the King? If you're captured... Namahi, there's no way that they'll let you go," Kaoru murmured, staring her in the eye.

"Go back to the General and turn down the mission," they stated together. She snorted loudly.

"And what do you think he would do then? What use would I be?" She paused, contemplating her other possibilities. "You know my archery skills are absolute crap. If I show my witch side, that'll just be a dead giveaway. Spying is the only thing that I'm good for besides hand-on-hand combat and I doubt he'll send me to the front lines to battle the Narian army head on when my spy skills are much more useful to us."

Now, she realized, she wanted this mission. It was an adventure. Something she craved. The little 'adventures' she'd had in the palace with the twins and Tamaki when she was a kid were nothing compared to fully-planned-anything-could-go-wrong army ones. And her spy abilities were top notch as the General had said, after all, her ability to blend in had kept her alive and her secret safe all these years.

The twins, were strangely silent, thinking themselves. Finally, Hikaru huffed. "Fine. If you get yourself caught, the Prince and your father will be downright pissed with us though."

"I won't get caught," she grumbled, "Lords, how do you think that I kept my secret safe so long?"

–

At dawn, Namahi was woken by a sharp jab in her back. She groaned and rolled over. "Princess!" Hikaru hissed in a low voice. He only ever used that nickname when he was sure they were alone. When he was sure that no one could be listening. "Get up! You need to get ready!"

She turned her head to glare at his grinning face. His twin's identical one appeared a moment later through the flap in the tent. "Alright," she moaned, "Get out." Hikaru ducked out of the tent, shoving his brother. They took up positions outside, guarding it. All she could see was their shadows through the thin fabric. She moved quickly, knowing they wouldn't stay there for more than a minute or two as to not look too suspicious.

She pulled off her night-shirt, taking the cloth length in her hands and wrapping it around her, yanking it tightly, almost painfully, around her chest and tying it off in a knot. She grabbed a nearby spoon and used it as a mirror, checking to make sure she had flattened herself down enough. Once she was satisfied she pulled her uniform shirt on, buttoning it up quickly.

The tight breeches were pulled on after her pajama pants were yanked off. She buttoned them and pulled on her socks and boots. Her chest ached slightly, she ignored it, snatching up her coat and the bag she had packed the night before and heading out of the tent where the twins were waiting for her in the sun that was barely breaking over the mountains in the distance.

Dawn. Just as they had been instructed.

They stopped by the infirmary on the way for a final check-up and to receive their bit of battlefield medicine. Then, the kitchen to grab some bread to add to their packs for the road as well as a light breakfast.

They met up with Takashi, Mitsukuni, and Sergeant Wari just outside the camp. "Ready to get this show on the road?" Hikaru asked with a huge grin. Wari remained emotionless, causing Namahi to roll her eyes inwardly.

Mitsukuni matched his smile as did Kaoru.

Time to trick some Narians.

–

It took a good two hours of walking before they could hear the sounds of the front lines faintly in the distance. Namahi's stomach twisted uncomfortably in her stomach. The sounds of war weren't pleasant. Even with the armor they were given, swords and arrows still pierced through people, creating harsh screams of agony. The cries of Narian and Kiran soldiers all blended together into one bloodstained shriek on the battlefield.

But that was in the distance. And thankfully, they wouldn't have to get as close as to see the bloodshed that was going on down there. In her mind, she imagined what the battlefield currently looked like. Fallen bodies on the ground, blood staining the grass. Fierce, violent expressions from Kirans and Narians alike.

Although it was probably an exaggeration, the image still made her shudder. Why couldn't there just be peace? Even a tense peace with no guarantee that it would last very long would be better than the current mindless bloodshed.

The small troop of soldiers turned north, planning to sneak through the Wajima forest that wasn't heavily guarded by border patrols due to the wild beasts that tended to be active during the night. To avoid the beasts and the troops they'd have to be quick but careful when going through the forest. They didn't want to get caught in there at night.

Namahi was in a sour mood. The last time she had been anywhere near this forest had been 3 years ago when she was traveling with her father to a small village nearby.

Wari stopped his little party. "Alright you five. It'll take roughly 6 hours to get through the forest, but we'll have to keep walking. We don't want to be caught in when night falls. After that, it's basically a straight walk to southeast to Ronera. Keep on your toes and if you see any enemy soldiers, whistle twice and duck behind the nearest tree. If someone gets caught, make a break for it. Got it?"

"Yessir!" the five subordinates saluted. Wari nodded and turned on his heel, motioning them forward. They all squatted slightly and scurried, keeping low to the underbrush. They saw no soldiers and within moments they were under the cover of the trees.

–

When the edge of the forest was in sight, they stopped for lunch under a large tree. The small troop was completely quiet, not wanting to attract attention to themselves.

As such, Mitsukuni and Takashi, who had insisted that they be called Hunny and Mori, were keeping watch just in case. After they were done eating, Hikaru and Kaoru would be taking over so the two cousins could eat something.

The twins seemed to have a hard time keeping quiet, thus they kept sending silent, meaningless signals to Namahi. She glared at them after about the 5th one, noticing Sergeant Wari narrow his eyes at them suspiciously. Like he thought they weren't worthy of being on this mission. He was so damn full of himself.

"Oi, Namahi," Hikaru whispered, tossing her another bit of bread. "Take that. You look like you need it." He winked. She rolled her eyes and took it, choosing to store it with the rest of her food in her bag.

He and his twin both stood and clapped Mori and Hunny on the back, signaling that they could sit down to eat. After Namahi finished off the block of cheese she was holding she stood too. No sooner had she than something made a whizzing sound.

Said whizzing sound was followed by a sharp pain in her side. She gasped, reaching down reflexively. Sticking out of her was the end of an arrow. "Dammit," she hissed while Hikaru and Kaoru stared at her. "Move it! Run!"

She collapsed back against the tree she'd been sitting against moments ago. Hikaru placed a hand on her forehead and whispered a few inaudible words before drawing his sword like the others had. "I'm sorry, Princess," he breathed, "Be safe. That charm should protect you."

She nodded and gasped again as a sharp pain spasmed through her wounded side. "Go!" she growled. He nodded and ran after the rest of his team. She'd be damned if her entire team was brought down because she was injured. Should she be captured and killed, that was sad. Her father and Tamaki would be distressed. But if it meant that her colleagues would escape, she'd gladly do it.

She heard shouts moments later. Shouts in the Narian dialect. "Fraft femth! Malwe fitg iet odedwou tonerpri!" She wanted to kick herself for not being able to move. She vaguely understood Narian. All she could do was hope that they wouldn't catch the others like the officer commanding his subordinates was telling them to do.

As promised by the shouts, three Narian soldiers appeared in front of her after a few minutes. Her thoughts were becoming disoriented quickly. The pain was becoming almost unbearable now that the initial shock was wearing off.

She stared up at them blearily, gripping the arrow the had pierced through her armor straight into her flesh. Two swords and a bow and arrow were now trained on her but she ignored this fact.

She had to get that blasted arrow out. If she didn't, her witch healing wouldn't be able to close up the injury. If that couldn't happen, then she'd most likely end up dying. "Don't move," one of the three hissed.

Namahi, again, ignored them, and pushed herself up. Bracing herself, she yanked as hard as she could outward with the hand that was holding onto the end of the arrow. Her teeth clenched. "I said, don't move!"

She stopped pulling for a moment, glaring up at the bloody Narians standing over her. "If you think I'm a threat, shoot me," she growled crossly. "I'm merely trying to get the bloody arrow out of my side."

Whichever one it was fell silent. She went back to work. 'This would be so much easier if the stupid thing had gone straight through,' she thought, letting out a hiss of pain as she pulled. She could feel it sliding. It was slow, but it was progress.

"Dammit," she muttered, feeling incredibly lightheaded. Obviously, Namahi Marioka couldn't get the arrow out by herself. Her arm slackened. She was going to die. She was going to die because these Narian bastards weren't going to bother helping her. She brought her head back against the tree trunk in defeat.

And here she'd had such confidence in completing this mission successfully.

"Stupid... Narian... Bastards," she gasped as something came down sharply on her head, knocking her out instantly.

–

The Third Narian Prince scoffed lightly. It was his duty as Prince to interrogate and keep track of prisoners of war. It was a gruesome job, which was probably why he had been set as the one to do it. Now, as he walked toward the dungeon that would carry him to the place where a prisoner with an arrow in his side was residing, probably dying, he couldn't help thinking how bittersweet his position was.

Sure, he got whatever the hell it was that he desired. But he had to deal with snooty Kiran prisoners, too. And he wouldn't have the opportunity to take over the throne from his father. Unlike the blasted Kiran Prince, he had two brothers that would have to die before he'd ever gain control of the throne that he wanted so desperately.

He kicked a loose pebble down the stone floor of the hall, listening as it made unpleasant, echoing cracks all the way down until it's momentum slowed enough to make it come to a rolling stop. Finally, he was presented with the cell that was holding his victim.

He hated using methods of torture, but more often then not the damn stubborn mules that were Kiran soldiers forced him to use them. Hell, he hated the war itself even though it was his country that kept on dragging it on. He hoped that today would be a good, torture-free day.

The cell door opened and he strode in, looking down at the unconscious soldier in Kiran uniform. He just stared at him for the longest time, dumbstruck by what he was seeing.

Had the Kiran army finally lost it? Were they that desperate that they'd start recruiting women as soldiers? Spies even? He mentally shook himself at the absurdity of it all. Sitting in front of him, slumped against the wall, was a woman in the Kiran's tan overcoat and black pants. A bloodstain was visible on her side, the arrow having been removed when she had first been brought here.

She was breathing raggedly. She'd live, but only after some immense pain and a bit more blood-loss.

But, honestly. Kira must be at their wits end if they were recruiting women.

Unless... Perhaps she had pretended to be a man so she could join the bloodbath that was the battlefields on her own free will?

He could already tell, this was going to be the most fun he'd had with an interrogation in a while.

–

'How the hell did I get wrapped up in this?' she thought, angry with herself as she blinked up at the man standing above her. He squatted down so that he was peering into her face. What the hell was she doing here? What had happened? Her head hurt, her side burned. Just about every part of her was screaming in pain.

"Now then, what's your name?" he asked in a rough, hard voice. She stared at him. What was her name?

'Haruhi Fujioka,' her mind supplied. No, that was her real, real name. Her female name. Her princess name. That wasn't the name he was expecting. That wasn't a name that she should use anywhere.

'Namahi Marioka?' No, that was her Kiran name. This man was definitely Narian. He was the enemy. He would recognize her Kiran name immediately. But wait, this meant she was a prisoner of war. He already knew she was Kiran. If she wanted to live, she'd have to tell him something other than that.

What had been her codename if she were caught? What had the General said? She blinked wearily, focusing on remembering. Oh, that's right. "Hanaru Fujinara," she mumbled. Her voice was scratchy like her throat. She felt like she'd been bludgeoned half to death. Then again, she was part witch. Half of the pain was probably from the automatic healing process her body was going through.

"Is that so?" the guy murmured, "And what, may I ask, are you doing here? Are you a Kiran spy?"

She groaned slightly. He was really making her think hard to remember. "No... I'm not a spy. I'm merely a soldier. I don't even remember what happened to me," 'Hanaru' muttered, bringing a hand to her head. She rubbed her temples. She was just telling lies now. Making it up as she went.

"What were you doing sneaking past enemy lines if it wasn't for a spy mission?"

She glared at him. "How am I supposed to know? I told you, I don't remember anything. For all I know I'm not even a soldier. All I know, is that, the last thing I remember is getting shot by one of those bloody arrows and getting conked over the head. I don't know where I was, or what I was doing."

He rolled his eyes. "You Kirans are such bad liars," he spat, "Tell me the truth, dammit. I'd hate to bloody my hands today." As if to make a point he pulled out a knife. "I could easily used this to peel the skin off your body," he hinted vaguely.

She glanced at the knife apprehensively. Her mind quickly came up with a story though it made her head ache to do so. She doubted it would be believable but she was desperate to live. "Fine," she muttered, "I'm a Kiran. I'm a soldier of the army and I was originally assigned as a spy. Happy?"

A smirk lit up his face. This was going to be easier than he thought. "Getting there," he murmured, "What were you sent for?"

"Just... general spying. Not on anything in particular." He stayed silent, contemplating her with an odd expression on his face that made her feel uncomfortable. "I... I had other motives for coming on this mission." She was about to lie through her teeth.

"And those motives would be?" he asked, skeptical.

"It's true that I was originally a Kiran spy. But, Kiran officials killed my sister and my mother several years ago. I don't feel I can trust them. I'd like to offer my support to the Narian army as a spy to the empire." These words would make her a traitor if he accepted them as the truth. The first thing drilled into soldiers during boot camp was never to betray your country. You'd die before doing anything of the sort. As if to support this point, her side started throbbing with almost unbearable pain. She shifted, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment and grunting.

He stared at her. That was unexpected, yet interesting. She probably was lying to save her own skin. It was a believable story, but it didn't explain why she had been captured while sneaking through the Wajima forest with a small troop of soldiers.

"Do you have any clue who I am?" he asked suddenly, that contemplative look still on his face. If she knew who she was lying it would probably sober her up quite a bit.

"No. Should I?" she replied, voice filled with strained politeness.

He snorted. "I'm the Third Prince of the Narian Empire," he stated, "Now tell me the truth or I'll have to kill you, regardless of the desire to join our army that you claim to harbor." He purposely made his voice cold.

Tamaki had been right. The Prince was cold. A cold-hearted bastard. She banished all her guilt of lying and stared into his eyes with as much focus as she could manage. "I'm telling the truth, Your Highness," she said softly, wincing and clutching her wound, "Kill me if you must but the blood will be on your hands."

"If you're telling the truth then why were you with five other Kiran soldiers?"

"For Pete's sake!" she exclaimed, "I was sent on a mission! Being a Kiran soldier is a cover so I won't be suspected back home! Of course I'd be accompanied!"

"Spies," he retorted coolly, "don't need escorts. They get themselves in, spy, and get themselves out. If the others were with you then they must have been on a mission too."

She pursed her lips. Her dislike for this person was growing more with every word that he spoke.

"What was their mission?"

"Since you seem to know everything, ask them yourself," she grumbled, glaring at him. She was being arrogant. But this might just be a chance for her to find out if they had escaped.

His jaw tightened. "They escaped," he growled under his breath. Inwardly, she was relieved. Outwardly she kept her face level, if not a bit pained. "Friends of yours?"

"Just the team assigned to me," she replied. "Outside of that, they have no connection to me at all."

"What was their mission?"

"I wasn't informed. They were merely traveling with me," she lied. He noticed. The knife he had threatened her with earlier flickered back into view and the glasses on his face flashed dangerously. She closed her eyes and swallowed, feigning thought. She was in for it if she got her colleagues killed by speaking. "I think, I heard something about a magical barrier to transport troops." She opened her eyes.

His eyes widened slightly. That was not good. Not good at all. "Where?" he demanded.

"I... I don't know. I honestly don't." She forced everything out of her voice that might give away the fact that she was lying. "Somewhere near the palace I think."

He stood abruptly and turned to a guard. "Odse au putsc ot mla bgesvill oda jescit brne iet bicepal. Purtrep jioussupic jocalmag jevityact dikba ot tem ro rym ierfat."

Shit, she may as well just have killed her friends. All villages near the palace? Ronera definitely fell in that category. The burning in her side increased, most likely from her witch half healing it up.

"Desy Vryo Inesshig!" the guard saluted.

The Prince turned back to her. "You may have just prove useful as a spy if you're right," he murmured with a wild smirk.

"I am," she replied softly, "Trust me."

He let out a short bark of laughter. This was the closest they'd gotten to any of the enemy plans in the last four years. Slowly, he reached down and grasped her hand, pulling her to her feet. He steadied her and shook her hand. "Narian Prince Kyoya Ohtori," he introduced himself, "Nice to meet you Hanaru Fujinara."

She nodded, her head spinning momentarily as she focused on where it hurt. Slight burning reached those areas before the pain disappeared completely. "Same to you, Your Highness."

–

A/N: And Kyoya has makes his grand entrance.

Narian dialect's completely made up. As the Moradian one will be. The regular stuff that they speak to each other is a common language between all three nations. The dialects are the only thing that're unique. Kira's dialect is the common one. I think you can easily guess what is said by the Narians by Haruhi's thoughts on it. Tell me if it's confusing. I may just cut it out.

I tried to get this finished in time to post it for my birthday which was on Thursday. Obviously, I failed. But better late than never right? And now I bring this to you when I'm shivering with a fever and spinning with a headache. My dad gave me bronchitis for my birthday isn't it great?

Kudos to SisterFriend, derderxp, NightShroud, Kiriyu-chan, and Koharu Veddette!