Chapter 4

Looking back on it, No supposed that it had begun, as such life-altering experiences often do, on a seemingly insignificant night. It had been two years earlier, at the peak of June, and the midsummer festival had arrived in Spectra in accordance. For a week, the city seemed to take on an entirely new life each night as its streets were filled with performers and all manner of traveling merchants. By the fourth night, its siren call had become too strong for No and her fellow handmaidens to resist any longer.

"So, did your readings go as well as mine?" Tsubaki giggled as they walked away from a fortune teller's tent. "At first I wasn't buying into it, but once she started going on about how I was going to live a life of adventure and notoriety, I figured who was I to question the fates?"

"Really?" Miyuri frowned. "I just felt like I was getting lectured. As soon as she read my palm, she wouldn't stop warning me about 'making sure my desires didn't lead me to doom'. It wasn't exactly the most cheerful atmosphere."

"Well, that's probably a sign that she's legitimate," Tsubaki offered. "If she were a fake, she would just be telling people what she knew they wanted to hear."

Miyuri still looked skeptical. "You're only saying that because you liked what you heard."

Tsubaki shrugged. "Is that a crime?" Turning to Chigusa, she grinned. "What about you? Are you among the ranks of unbelievers?"

Chigusa stiffened as Tsubaki addressed her. "I would rather not talk about my reading," she said quickly.

"I'll take it that means the nail got hit right on the head for you," Tsubaki responded. "That only leaves you, Kicho." By the look on her face, the pink-haired girl was clearly expecting No to take her side.

Tossing her head, No scoffed at the memory. "She told me I was going to be happily married with four daughters and a passion for ice skating. I'm sure you can imagine my response to that."

Regarding No with a sparkle in her green eyes, Miyuri snickered, "I don't know, Kicho. I can almost imagine you ice skating."

The laughs of the four girls at that rang down the street as they continued further into the city. None of them saw the two men watching them with interest through the crowd, and the nods they exchanged upon pointing to one of the handmaidens.

As No went about her duties throughout the following several days, her thoughts couldn't help but keep straying back to Nobunaga. She didn't admit it out loud, if only because her fellow handmaidens would have never let her hear the end of it, but the desire she felt to see him again was quickly becoming an overpowering force. She wanted to be scorched by that fire in his gaze again.

Only when she was with Misdreavus did No completely give her mind over to her wavelength with her partner. Over the next week, No was able to visit the shrine thrice more, she and Misdreavus always able to pick up immediately from wherever they had left off. No now felt confident enough in the strength of their link to experiment with Misdreavus' stronger attacks, and within the next several nights planned to begin summoning other Ghost Pokemon to the shrine that she and Misdreavus could test their skill in actual battles with.

As always, sunrise crept into the shrine without warning. It leeched the shrine of the power that No felt within it in the light of the moon, revealing the cracks in the stone walls and silencing the whispers of the spirits in No's ears. Even the full extent of No's powers were weaker during the day, and a small part of No did fear that they would somehow not fully return with each subsequent nightfall. The thought that she could somehow lose her connection with the spirit world, no matter how irrational, now chilled No more than even that of her true identity being discovered.

"Well done, Misdreavus," No sent down their link as she prepared to leave. It was later than she normally stayed in the shrine, but she and Misdreavus had gotten caught up in that night's training, and the dawn had caught them both by surprise. No would have to be more careful than usual sneaking back into the castle if she wanted to avoid any prying guard's questions.

So wrapped up was she in her own thoughts that No almost missed the rustle of footsteps heading towards her as she walked back to the castle - almost. Narrowing her eyes, No ducked behind a nearby tree as she heard the other person drawing closer. The castle guards didn't patrol the forest. So who else could possibly be out here at this hour, and for what purpose?

No remained pressed against the trunk of the pine tree, barely even breathing, until she heard the other person walk past. She knew that it would perhaps be wiser to leave it be and make her way back to the handmaidens' quarters before her absence could be noted. But she couldn't risk this other person stumbling onto the shrine. Giving them a few seconds' head start to be safe, No re-emerged onto the forest path and began to follow the footsteps, testing the reach of her wavelength with Misdreavus just in case the worst was about to occur.

Thankfully, the stranger bypassed the path to the shrine, although they clearly seemed to know the location of whatever their own destination within the forest was. No was close enough to see the back of their form, but they were wearing a hooded cloak that made it impossible for No to discern any details of their appearance. But unless No's eyes were deceiving her, she could have sworn there was something familiar about the way that the stranger walked...

The pine trees up ahead thinned into a small clearing, and the stranger's pace quickened. No was willing to guess that whatever they sought in the forest, it was here. Making sure to stay out of the stranger's sight, No leaned in from her hiding place among the trees as the stranger lowered the hood of their cloak. The sight of the familiar face that was illuminated by the dawn was enough to make even No do a double take.

Chigusa warily glanced over her shoulder once, but seemed to come to the conclusion that she was alone. Was this where Chigusa vanished off to every morning? If so, she had been managing to successfully fool even No for months. Perhaps No had read her fellow handmaiden too quickly.

As Chigusa knelt down and held out her hand to something, No couldn't help herself from breathing in a small gasp as a Petilil emerged in the clearing and walked right up to Chigusa, nuzzling against the russet-haired girl in a manner that clearly suggested familiarity. Oh, No had most definitely underestimated Chigusa. "It seems Tsubaki and I aren't the only ones with secrets." And this couldn't have placed Chigusa in a more ideal position for No.

Stepping out from the trees, No called out, "Chigusa?" Her fellow handmaiden froze at the sound of No's voice, Petilil giving a squeak of fright and ducking behind Chigusa.

"K-Kicho?" Chigusa stammered as she turned around. "I-I swear, it's not what it looks like!" Her eyes nervously darted between No and the Petilil behind her shoulder. For all her covering of her tracks, Chigusa hadn't seemed to have given much thought to what she would do in the event of actually being found out. A fatal error, one that No would normally not hold any sympathy for. But right now, she wanted Chigusa under her thumb, not sacked from the castle.

"Relax," No began. "I don't intend to sell you out." At that, Chigusa's frame visibly slumped, but she maintained a hint of skepticism in her expression.

"Why should I trust you?" she asked No. "Why were you even following me in the first place?"

No wasn't about to reveal Misdreavus' presence to Chigusa. The two of them were hardly friends, and No wouldn't have put it past the other girl to ensure her own safety by running to Fuyuka and reporting No for having a Pokemon. "I was out for an early morning walk when I saw you leave the castle and make for the forest. My curiosity got the better of me."

Pausing, No admitted to herself that she did want to know for how long Chigusa had been keeping up this lie. "When did you first realize?" she inquired. "That you had the warrior gift?"

Chigusa still looked somewhat apprehensive, but she hesitantly began, "I think... perhaps a year after we entered Lady Fuyuka's service?" Reflecting on it for a moment, she murmured more to herself, "Yes, in hindsight." Chigusa bent down to pick up Petilil as she continued.

"I know my mother didn't have it. The, eh, the gift." Chigusa stumbled over the last two words, as though today was the first time she had dared to speak them out loud. "Maybe my father did, but my mother never knew who he was. Either way, I had little cause to suspect until I came to the castle."

That would make sense. If Chigusa's affinity was for Grass-types, there was hardly an abundance of those in Spectra's city. No doubted that many residents of the quarter she knew Chigusa hailed from would have possessed Pokemon of their own, either.

"Of course, I was familiar with the stories about what it's like. How a person knows," Chigusa continued. "I was so terrified when I began feeling the pull to the forest. I suspected right away, but after all that Lady Fuyuka had done for me - it felt like betraying her." Looking down at Petilil once more, she sighed. "You must think me such a hypocrite. I know I did - do."

Her eyes took on the slight fog of being lost in memories. "But within the last few months... it just became too strong. I know I have enough of a reputation in the castle that none of the guards think it odd for me to be up so early in the morning. There are dozens of duties I can say that I'm performing. I usually do anyways. It helps me feel as though I'm balancing it all out." Blinking, Chigusa fiercely whispered, "I'm loyal," once again seeming to momentarily forget that No was present.

So the fidelity to Fuyuka wasn't part of Chigusa's act, it just wasn't as mindless as No had believed. While that would still require some working around, No was already beginning to formulate how she might be able to break it. She didn't need Chigusa's love, after all, only for her to realize that No would give her more of a life than Fuyuka ever intended to.

Chigusa was still nervously looking away as No settled on what she would do for now. Out of her fellow three handmaidens, Chigusa certainly wasn't the first who needed to know who No truly was. But Kicho could provide her with an ally.

Reaching out, No lightly raised Chigusa's face with her hand, meeting the other girl's wavering hazel eyes. "Your secret is safe with me," No vowed. "Let me know if anyone else grows suspicious of you. I'll be your alibi."

Allowing the words that had first been spoken to her to flow off her tongue in that same reassuring tone was so easy. In this case, No was offering them under quite different circumstances, but Chigusa wasn't aware of that fact. And for the first time since they had met, No saw a true shift in Chigusa's eyes of the way she seemed to view No.

It would have been a lie for No to say that she had never found that tempting - to let herself believe that she was kind, selfless, a savior. The way the seamstress and all the rest who knew the truth thought of her. But whatever chance that No might have once held to exist, it had died on a snow-covered road in Nixtorm ten years earlier. And truth be told, No had never been tempted enough to grieve it.

No ensured to stay close to Chigusa for the rest of the day, until she was certain Chigusa wasn't going to do anything irrational that would jeopardize them both. But once she felt comfortable enough to make that confirmation, her thoughts began to roam elsewhere. By the time the sun began to set, No knew that it was a collision she could delay no longer.

It was time to cross her path with Nobunaga's once more.

Dinner marked the end of the day for the majority of the castle servants, Fuyuka's handmaidens included barring extremely specific occasions. As tonight was not one of those nights, No wasted little time donning a cloak and trading the gold sash of her uniform for a plainer, dark purple one. When she was off-duty, No preferred to go about the city without anything on her person that immediately betrayed her line of work. Not that it normally did her much good, but it was the closest she could come to escaping Kicho for small amounts of time.

As she left the castle, No began to notice something in her surroundings that had begun to occur more and more since that first night in the shrine: it would start as little more than flickers at the edge of No's vision, but if she allowed herself to reach out, a slow blending of the worlds would begin to take form around her. Like fresh ink bleeding onto paper, the spirits that Spectra was so well-known for would seemingly appear from thin air - although No guessed it was likely just her strengthened powers granting her the ability to see past supernatural glamours.

As far as No knew, she was the only one who could. One spirit floated right through another servant, and the woman didn't even blink, continuing her conversation with her friend as though she hadn't felt a thing. No enjoyed watching the spirits, though. Only one or two had paid her mind so far, despite the fact that No was technically the one barging into their world. The spirits who dwelled within the city were almost all peaceful, simply going about in death the same routines they had in life. They were No's companions as night began to fall, and No had quickly come to take pleasure in their company.

The city square hosted the majority of inns that catered to warriors, and as it was the direction Nobunaga had been walking in after the fights, No figured it was as good a place to start as any. She had no luck at the first or second establishments she visited, but upon peering into the third, it was difficult to not notice that Zweilous. And sure enough, there was unmistakably Nobunaga sitting close to the back of the room.

Lowering the hood of her cloak as she entered the inn, No searched for an ideal position before settling on a seat at the bar. Spectra was a small enough city that most of its inns doubled as taverns, but all No ordered when a server approached her was tea. As she did so, two male warriors sitting near her began to whisper to each other, making a poor show of trying not to point at No.

Glancing over at them, No offered them a cold smile, and their eyes widened in alarm. So the rumors about her role in the events of two years earlier clearly still persisted. After all, she doubted the city had seen such a large stir as that day's since Fuyuka's coup.

The server brought out No's tea, and No's eyes refocused on Nobunaga through the steam that rose from her cup. Almost immediately, it was as though he sensed No's gaze upon him. Nobunaga looked up towards the bar, and for a brief moment, No's breath caught as the world between them froze. What passions could possibly burn that bright behind those black eyes? How was No the only one who was able to see them?

Neither of them moved, staring each other down with equal challenges. But then No began to hear more whispering coming from the same men as before, and she was not in the mood tonight to be gawked at like some criminal on trial. She allowed their hushed voices to be drowned out by the clamor of the inn as she stood and made for Nobunaga's table.

"Fancy coming across you here," she remarked as she sat down.

A look of amusement crossed Nobunaga's face as he responded, "I don't place much stock in coincidences." Looking past No at the two warriors who had recognized her, he inquired, "Are they acquaintances of yours?"

"Not as much as I'm certain they would like to be," No said. "Luckily for them, it's a sentiment I have no intention of returning."

"Luckily?" Nobunaga echoed. "What about you could be so horrid?"

No gave a soft chuckle at that. "Nothing about me. But I wonder if the role I would have them play is the one they imagine."

Leaning in closer to No from across the table, Nobunaga's voice lowered as he continued, "And what would that role be?"

Taking a sip of her tea before she responded, No remarked, "You've been in Spectra for long enough now. I'm sure you've heard at least part of the story. Especially seeing as you've spent your fair share of time on the site where it occurred."

"I've heard plenty of ghost stories since I came to this kingdom," Nobunaga responded, his eyes still trained on No. "Perhaps there was one that caught my interest."

"And I'm still interested in hearing yours," No said. "I wasn't aware that Dragnor allowed its warriors such extended leaves. And I certainly wouldn't think that one would want to spend theirs doing the exact same thing they would do in an army, even if the pay is somewhat higher."

The change in Nobunaga's demeanor at that did catch No by surprise. "I am no longer part of Dragnor's army," he responded in a lower voice, clenching his fist as a flicker of that same darkness No had seen when he had been fighting sparked in his eyes. "Nor would I wish to be restored to my former place in it."

Very interesting. "If that's the case, why continue to give off the impression that you are a soldier?" No asked. "What was so terrible about Dragnor that could drive a warrior such as yourself to leave?"

"I had no choice," Nobunaga responded as Zweilous wandered back to the table, clearly sensing the shift in its partner's wavelength. "I uncovered a discovery that was supposed to remain hidden. Something that has the potential to change the course of the war."

The implication behind those words struck a chord in No. If she hasn't been intrigued before, her attention had certainly been captured now. "I was under the impression that Dragnor's oligarchy was of the same pacifist mindset as Nixtorm in regards to the war."

Nobunaga scoffed, glancing around at the surrounding people in the inn. "As was I. But I would rather not discuss the matter at length in such a... public setting."

"Understandable," No acknowledged. "Perhaps the privacy of wherever it is you're staying within this establishment would be better for this sort of topic."

If the forwardness of the proposal managed to throw Nobunaga at all, he hid it well. A slight raise of his eyebrows as the half-smile No had maintained throughout the discussion morphed into a smirk, but all he gave was a single laugh. "If you're really so intrigued, I suppose someone else ought to know."

"More than you could imagine," No insisted. "Lead the way."

Leaving a coin for the tea on the bar as they passed, No followed Nobunaga up the flight of stairs to the inn's upper levels. The fact that this particular building was designed more as a boarding house did not escape No's notice. Clearly Nobunaga intended to be in Spectra for a length of time.

They climbed to the top floor and reached the end of the hallway before entering a small, comfortable-enough room with base furnishings - a bed, a small table, and a window overlooking the alleyway below. Perhaps not a fantastic view, but it was large enough to allow whatever night breezes decided to blow to circulate through the room.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," No resumed upon closing the door behind them. The increased intimacy of the situation didn't seem to be lost on either of them, especially with Zweilous remaining outside the room as per the requirements of most inns. No chose to seat herself on the bed, while Nobunaga remained standing.

"I traveled to Spectra with the intention of delivering this information to your warlord," he said. "I thought that I had finally gained an audience with her this morning, only to be informed by another handmaiden that she entertains very few, and hardly strange warriors from other kingdoms at that."

No didn't doubt that was a direct quote from Chigusa. Strange, Chigusa hadn't given any indication of recognizing Nobunaga at the fights. No filed that bit of information away as Nobunaga continued.

"The thought that I might be able to at least warn the commanders of this kingdom's army was what drove me to the barracks. But in all the commotion following my victory, that opportunity passed me by. All my attempts since then to contact anyone of high enough status have either been ignored or deflected." Nobunaga was choosing his words carefully, and No realized he was gauging whether No was insulted by his insinuations of incompetence.

"By all means, be blunt," she reassured him. "If we're going to be honest with each other, working for Fuyuka is enough to make one contemplate murder. She's made sure that anyone with power in the army is loyal to her, one way or another. Unfortunately, most of them know how to run an efficient military about as much as I do how to pilot a blimp." A sentiment Eika had not been shy about expressing when she had been training No.

"Very well, then," Nobunaga nodded. "It has been discouraging, to say the least. But perhaps you are someone who can understand the gravity of the situation."

"Which is?" No prompted.

Nobunaga's expression darkened once more as he recalled his story. "It is true that the warlords of Dragnor have been putting on a show of non-aggression. But it's all a front, a disguise to buy them time until their true goal is achieved - unlocking a way to drive all of Ransei to its knees, something that will make the bloodshed of the past years seem like child's play."

Given all the frantic whisperings of news from outside kingdoms that No had overheard being delivered to Mitsuhide and his father during her time in Nixtorm, she was well aware of how much destruction had already been wrought upon Ransei by the steadily heightening violence of the war. "Worse even than the atrocities that Yaksha has committed upon Viperia, or the assassination of Lord Uesugi?"

"Far more so," Nobunaga asserted. "Right now, under construction within the Infinite Tower upon the grounds of Dragnor's castle, there is a machine unlike anything else manufactured - even in Valora. A machine that, once completed, will be able to create artificial wavelengths."

"As in, warrior wavelengths?" No breathed. "But on a massive scale?"

"That would be the simplest explanation. It has the potential to bring dozens of normal Pokemon under its control with only one usage. But the oligarchy wouldn't divine such a device to be used on just any Pokémon. It is their ultimate goal to bring the Pokemon of legend under their control, suppressing any wills of their own with only the desire to create whatever destruction the oligarchy would have them wreak. And once they have Ransei at their mercy-"

"The legends," No gasped. "The Legendary Pokémon itself would appear. And they would then use this machine to-"

Nobunaga nodded. "Their ultimate goal is the power of a god at their command. Like so many other warlords, they care not what their legacy upon Ransei will be, so long as they leave one. The greed that the legend fuels has consumed them all."

"And you found out more than you were supposed to," No confirmed.

"I admit to being in disbelief at first. That they managed to keep all of this a secret from the rest of Ransei for so long seemed inconceivable. But my attempts to warn my fellow soldiers reached the wrong set of ears. I had to flee Dragnor, or face capture as well. And likely execution." No didn't blame Nobunaga for being furious over that. But the way he had emphasized 'as well'... there was something more he had not yet told her.

"Who did they take?" No asked. "In order to hold against you?"

Nobunaga let out a furious exhalation. "My sister. Under the guise that she was being adopted as a ward of the castle, no less. She's young, barely even thirteen. I was all that she had. And now, it's only a matter of time before she begins to grow up. All it will take is one of those warlords looking at her for a moment too long one day, and then..." He shook his head scornfully. "I will not see them crush her like a flower under their heels."

"So what is it that you intend to do?" No queried. Although if Nobunaga had arrived in Spectra with the intention of seeking Fuyuka's army, No already had her suspicions.

"It won't matter if one of them is killed, the others will still move forward with the machine," Nobunaga observed. "The only way to stop them is to bring all five of them down at once. And at the rate the machine is progressing, there isn't much time. When I fled Dragnor, the estimate was less than two years to it being fully operational, at most. And Nixtorm and Spectra would undoubtedly be the first targets of whatever they could call forth."

This, of course, was unwelcome news to No, although not for the reason she supposed Nobunaga would have guessed. Reclaiming her title as warlord would mean nothing if Spectra had been razed to the ground by an army of mind-controlled demi-god Pokémon.

"But if I could offer Spectra's army to the cause of stopping such a thing from occurring..." No was getting ahead of herself, though. As utterly fascinated as she was by Nobunaga, he was still too much of a stranger. No had to be careful about who she revealed the truth to, even if those people had shared their own secrets with her. But this was something that would affect her own future if she did nothing.

"Well, we handmaidens do hold some sway in the castle," No proposed as she stood from the bed, although she didn't immediately turn for the door. "I might not be able to directly address Fuyuka about it, but I have connections throughout the city. You may have a believing audience in places you hadn't thought to look. Spectra is their home as well; if they're convinced that it's threatened, they will fight to defend it."

"You don't believe me a fool?" Nobunaga inquired with a hint of amusement. "It is an awfully grandiose plan."

No stopped before him, far closer than necessary. With a sly grin, she met Nobunaga's eyes as she disclosed softly enough to be a whisper, "I've always found myself attracted to ambition. The more grandiose, all the more satisfying."

She had to bite back a sigh at the shudder that ran through her body as a noticeably more... passionate change overtook Nobunaga's expression. Somehow, No felt as though the understanding they had reached of each other was already deeper than anything she had felt before. What would the sensation of those black flames feel like against her skin, scorching her soul? Strong enough, perhaps, to even give No another glimpse of that beautiful hell she had first experienced two years earlier?

More than a small part of her wanted that in this instant, all thought of anything else be damned. Nobunaga didn't have to speak for No to tell it was a shared sentiment. But to give in to that desire would change the game that they had been playing until now entirely. No needed him wanting her for just a touch longer. But certain things, there was no harm in.

Closing what little gap remained between them, No brushed her lips against Nobunaga's, meeting no resistance. She maintained the kiss for several moments, long enough for Nobunaga to attempt wrapping an arm around her waist. No pulled free before she could succumb to that trap, laughing softly as she crossed to the door. "Until whatever our next meeting brings," she called over her shoulder as she brushed past Zweilous.

No left the inn without looking back, her mind racing with a new plan taking root as she walked the familiar path to the castle. She had never had cause to consider making room for a partner before. But Nobunaga was different, that much she could sense. If any living soul in Ransei could appreciate her own ambitions, it would be him.

And as for the souls that accompanied her in peaceful silence all the way back to the castle, well, No was only just getting started with them.