Kyou Kara Maou Fan Fiction ❯ Between Two Worlds ❯ Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Kyou Kara Maou. Tomo Takabayashi does.

 

 

Summary: Young Wolfram's world is thrown into chaos when his uncle Waltorana attempts to gain his custody from Celi.

 

 

Title: Between Two Worlds

 

 

A/N 1: Dart, Brackus, Jass, Valmira, Falconer, and Hughes are my OCs and are not in the KKM-canon verse. (even though Valmira, Falconer and Hughes are supposed to be the ancestors of the dragon poachers-they look and act just like them by the way).

 

 

Ch.6 Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

 

 

Yozak had a very good inkling on what this mysterious Lord Jass's profitable business was the moment he laid eyes on the fortress settled snugly between two hills just as the man Brackus had said. Secure behind tall wooden stakes with one main gate as the entrance, it had the appearance of a trading facility at first glance; however, Yozak would bet that was its outward masquerade -that really, it was nothing more than a bandit outpost.

 

 

They must be very good at hiding their true colors to survive within the Great Demon Kingdom and at such close proximity to Covenant Castle, Yozak assessed shrewdly as the gate was swung open to receive its arrivals.

 

 

“Hey, Brackus, you old dog!” yelled a passerby in greeting, carrying firewood and a crossbow across his back. “You survived another raid? Me and Lonz had a bet you were going stay dead this time!”

 

 

“Sorry to lose you money,” Brackus stated humorlessly in reply, never slowly his gait towards the main building ahead.

 

 

“Dart, when you going to stop hanging around this loser?” called another jokingly to the group's left where he was sharpening his knives.

 

 

Dart only nodded in recognition and followed Brackus.

 

 

Definitely a bandit outpost, Yozak affirmed.

 

 

If it had been a trading outpost, the men would have used “shipment” not “raid”, also, he doubted traders would require so many weapons which were scattered about the inside of the fortress, even if the cargo itself was weapons; real traders did not carry their weapons so openly.

 

 

Still, if they must have been clever enough to have concealed their identity and continued their façade as a trading outpost for so long. Yozak reverently hoped the mazoku wouldn't be played as fools anymore. His life depended on it, and now that he thought about it, so did Little Lord Brat's. If worst came to worst, the prince's abductors might just decide to ditch the weight around their necks to save their own hides.

 

 

Yozak lifted his head and turned it as far as his position over Dart's shoulder allowed to try and quickly assess his surroundings before one of his captors took notice. It was imperative he to know where what was if he happened to find a way to escape. The group seemed to be headed towards a building in the center of the fort with what looked like only one entrance in or out. As they stepped over the threshold and into the dimly-lit structure, Yozak only had time for one quick glimpse of the interior contained: boxes stacked high to the ceiling, bags piled in every corner and small clusters of men all about surveying several objects which were strewn in assorted heaps.

 

 

Then Yozak found himself tossed to the hard wood floor without warning alongside a still unconscious Wolfram.

 

 

One of the men looked up from doing inventory of the stolen goods and scowled at the newcomers.

 

 

“What is that? You call that a haul, Brackus? Two fledging sparrows and their nannies? And you're Lord Jass's right hand man?! Tch!”

 

 

“Now, now, Canulf, I'm sure since it was Brackus who brought them in, he must have an excellent angle behind this surprise catch,” said a voice from the shadows as a man emerged from within them and walked in a leisurely manner to where Brackus and everyone stood.

 

 

Yozak watched him approach: a man with purple locks down to his shoulders, wearing brown breeches, boots and a long-sleeved white shirt with the front unbuttoned, exposing his chest. A man in his late twenties-mid thirties perhaps: he held himself with an air of superiority and arrogance and his gait sung strong of confidence. There was no doubt in Yozak's mind this person could only be Jass.

 

 

The man stopped directly in front of where the two boys lay and smiled down at them charmingly while he assessed them like a cat eyeing a bird freshly caught between its paws, before turning his gaze onto their captors with obvious recognition.

 

 

“Ah, Valmira,” Jass stated pleasantly, “now I see why I have half the Great Demon Kingdom almost upon my front gate. I should have guessed earlier!”

 

 

Jass's men laughed uproariously as their duty and Yozak rolled his eyes up as far as he could to see Valmira's pinched angry expression.

 

 

“What have you done this time, Valmira?” Jass breathed gustily, shaking his head at her. “I expect you're in a spot of trouble-as usual. Come to plead for protection-again?”

 

 

“Nice to see you again too, Jass,” Valmira bit out, curling her lip, “I liked my life better when I thought you were dead.”

 

 

“Life's not fair, is it? Care to explain your situation? It might persuade me to not simply throw you all out into those mazoku's eagerly waiting hands,” Jass said.

 

 

“You wouldn't. I'd let the cat out of the bag of your cozy little robber's getaway here,” Valmira stated, lifting her chin up confidentlyxx.

 

 

“Robber's getaway?” Jass echoed, blinking and sounding totally bewildered. “We were but humble traders doing inventory when we were violently belayed upon by a devious houseki wielder and her posse. We barely managed to overcome her with our lives intact!”

 

 

“You always were such an overdramatic actor,” Valmira scoffed in distaste.

 

 

“Do try and lighten up Valmira or you'll become an old prune. I'm sorry, let me rephrase that: you'll become an old prune if I allow you to remain within the safety of this fortification. Hope that your tale doesn't bore me,” Jass cautioned in the utmost seriousness, although his smile never left his face.

 

 

Realizing that Jass finally meant business, Valmira began to speak.

 

 

“We seek shelter here long enough to elude the Demon Tribe. We'll be out of your way as soon as possible. In return, I'll offer my services as a houseki wielder to aid you against the mazoku in their frontal attack, however, I'm afraid we can't stick around for the whole show.”

 

 

“That's a rather vague explanation and a poor offer,” Jass said, letting his disapproval ring through his voice even as he kept the folds of his mouth stretched wide in an ever-bearing grin. “I suggest you clarify your facts more, such as why you think the mazoku would attack our `trader's guild'.”

 

 

“I heard you were planning to do a little `sparring with the mazoku' anyway,” Valmira said, shooting Brackus a dirty look. “I take it that was another one of your cover ups like the false rumor of you being killed.”

 

 

“Did you now?” Jass replied curiously, glancing fleetingly at Brackus also, before he and Valmira hosted a staring match, sizing the other up.

 

 

“Well, men, why don't you all go outside for a bit, eh?” Jass suggested suddenly, turning to his men who trying their best not to appear interested in their boss's conversation. “Take a break and go see if our mazoku friends are planning to assault innocent working civilians.”

 

The filed out of the building respectively, laughing at the joke.

 

 

“Brackus, since when has it been your nature to tell the first person who comes along our plans?” Jass inquired, raising his eyebrows at the man. “Trying to impress Valmira with your knowledge? It won't work; she thinks she is the master of the universe.”

 

 

“No, that would be you, O Mighty One,” Valmira cut in sarcastically. “I'd like an answer now, before the mazoku draw any closer. I don't see how throwing us out will benefit you any. If you really are going to engage them in battle, you'd need some houseki-weilders unless you have a death wish.”

 

 

Yozak watched as Jass smirked, walked over to the nearest sealed crate and beckoned Valmira over with his finger. Warily, the woman did so, her expression transforming into shock as the bandit-leader yanked open the top so she could view the contents within. Even from his distance away on the floor-level, Yozak could still identify the soft glow of houseki crystals emitting from it.

 

 

“What makes you think you're the only houseki-weilder here?” Jass asked, putting the lid of the crate back on top.

 

 

“You mean all these boxes—” Vamlira started issuing around to the packed room.

 

 

“Yes. As you can see we're quite prepared, although it took us some time to amount to this quantity. You can only bring the stones into the country in very small measures, otherwise the sensitive mazoku would notice,” Jass explained, jumping nimbly to seat himself on top of the box.

 

 

“Now,” he said, sitting cross-legged and leaning back slightly, “Perhaps if you tell us the real reason why you're here in the Demon Kingdom and have its army mercilessly trailing you, I might consider lending you protection behind these walls, although you're going to have to earn your keep. I don't host beggars you know.”

 

 

“Very well,” Valmira agreed, opting for a half-truth. “We three were hired in the services of Big Cimaron's king to try and start a war between the countries. Our objective was to strike off the head of the Ten Aristocrats to spur them into action. That goal has been fulfilled and we were returning for our due reward, however, it seems we picked up an unwelcome party member along the way.”

 

 

Valmira sent a blasting glare directed to Yozak and Jass hopped off the box and walked over to stand above where he lay bound.

 

 

“Ara, what's this?” Jass inquired, staring down curiously at him. “Are you saying a mere mazoku whelp spoiled your carefully-laid plans? Valmira, you must be losing your touch to not realize someone was tracking you until too late.”

 

 

“Shut up,” Valmira ground out irritated. “If you're not going to assist us, then at least give me the pleasure of ending his wretched existence!”

 

 

“No,” Jass chirped, looking positively merry at the woman's outrage. “Anyone who gets the better of you has an immediate place on my good side. I'll let him live. We'll find some use for him, I'm sure.”

 

 

Yozak was caught between relief that he wasn't going to be executed any time soon and dread at what might lie ahead if the Demon Army didn't arrive shortly. What was taking them so long anyway?

 

 

“Now who might this other whelp be, eh?”

 

 

Yozak snapped his attention back to Jass who was now inspecting Wolfram closely, taking in his pale complexion, fair features and clothing, although now slightly bedraggled, was undoubtedly rich and extravagant-a far cry from his own traveler's rags. Yozak watched Jass's eyes flicker between the two of them and knew the man noticed this as well.

 

 

“Just some brat that had the misfortune to get in our way,” Valmira said aloof, “We were going to take him back to Big Cimaron and sell him as a slave there. We should get a good price I imagine.”

 

 

“Really? Odd that you would hang onto such baggage when you're running for your lives,” Jass said turning a skeptical eye on the woman. “Why don't you tell me the real story now, Valmira? The whole story.”

 

 

“Would it help to know that she addressed the blond whelp as `His Royal Bratness' when me and Dart came upon her, and that the leader of the Ten Aristocrats she was sent to kill goes-or shall I say, went-by the name of Waltorana vonBielefeld?” Brackus spoke up for the first time since entering the building.

 

 

Valmira whirled on the man, simmering in anger, but Jass pulled her back by the arm laughing.

 

 

“Haha! Of course, of course, it all makes sense now! You were greedy, weren't you, Valmira,” Jass stated, putting the missing pieces of her tale together with a fiendish glee. “You completed your mission, but you weren't satisfied with the slice of payment-you wanted the whole cake, and now, look what happens when you try and steal the icing.”

 

 

“Spare me the stupid metaphors, you sadistic bastard!” Valmira shouted, wrenching her arm free. “You would've done the same thing in my place!”

 

 

“Oh, but I have,” Jass said, smiling at Valmira's confused expression. “You think you and your two henchmen were the only people Big Cimaron's king sent to stir up the Demon Tribe to war? You think I aim to attack the mazoku for no profit at all, when I already have assembled a peaceful and successful visage here?”

 

 

“You-you…you're working for Cimaron's king as well?” Valmira asked, startled.

 

 

“My job was to raze villages and cause chaos all over the country-side with lightning attacks. No kingdom likes the other invading without warning. Why do you think I went through all the trouble of amassing the houseki stones here? But now I'll have no chance of carrying out the king's orders, will I?” Jass inquired in a grim tone, his cheery façade dropping at last to show a dangerously serious countenance. “Not with this outpost being slowly surrounded upon by offended mazoku who are concerned about the safety of their little prince. So tell me Valmira, why should I offer you protection when you have ruined my element of surprise; ruined Big Cimaron's king's plans?”

 

 

“Why shouldn't I just kill all three of you right here and give their little prince back to them, claiming I unhanded his abductors and keep this masquerade as a trader's guild until I'm ready to attack?” Jass whispered, stepping forward closely into the woman's personal space, his eyes two dark pools of void.

 

 

Valmira was silent, her throat too constricted in shock and fear to speak or even defend herself. Falconer and Hughes stood stiffly where they were, all too aware of Dart keeping guard ominously by the entry-way. The air was so thick tension, Yozak could practically feel it crackle off his skin.

 

 

Brackus made a slight movement forward, breaking the spell.

 

 

“Luckily for you, Valmira, I'm feeling benevolent today,” Jass declared gaily, slipping back into false persona once more, giving Brackus a warning stare before continuing. “Besides, who would I torment that gives half as much fun reactions as you do? In any event, you present me with a significant opportunity to turn my misfortune into wondrous success. So he's what we'll do: you'll stay here and help my houseki-weilders set up in an entrapment around the outpost. We'll go about our usual business here as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. We'll let the Demon Army come close until they're within the boundaries, then you tap into the crystals' energy and effectively close them off from any possible attack or escape route. My men will finish the rest of the dirty job. The mazoku will be sitting ducks and we'll be safe behind these walls.”

 

 

“You—” Valmira started.

 

 

“Are a genius, yes I know,” Jass declared condescendingly, leveling his gaze to her, “And don't think about giving us the slip in the midst of the squirmish and high-tailing it off out the back way. I've got your precious trump card, after all.”

 

 

Jass nudged Wolfram lightly with the toe of his boot and smiled at the woman in a challenging manner, daring her to protest.

 

 

“How do I know you don't have any plans of your own about deserting and running off with the brat to collect my reward money?” Valmira inquired, furrowing her eyebrows.

 

 

“Don't judge people based on your own character, Valmira. You'll just have to trust me, I suppose.”

 

 

Valmira let out an incredulous scoff and pursed her lips, knowing the situation had fallen out of her control. She gave a brief nod of her head in agreement.

 

 

“Good girl. Brackus,” Jass addressed with a snap of his fingers, “take our little demon friends to one of our guestrooms and make sure it's securely warded. We can't have them running underfoot and escaping while we're setting up the stage here, can we?”

 

 

This recent development wasn't making Yozak's hopes of the Demon Army successfully rescuing them any brighter. It actually sounded as if the mazoku might lose…unless someone found a way to warn them about the houseki entrapment.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

Waltorana gripped the reins of his horse tightly and tried to calm the fast paced beating of his heart. It would be no use getting excited-this very well might be a false trail. After all, it was glaringly too obvious, as if someone had wanted them to follow it. His nephew's abductors may have created it and back-tracked the opposite direction. But then again, they may have been in too much of a hurry to get as far away as possible from their ambush site to bother covering up their path. The forefront expert trackers of the kingdom were arguing amongst themselves over this very same issue. So the Demon Army had to endure waiting for them to reach a unanimous conclusion before they set out in pursuit again, and Waltorana was not pleased with this delay.

 

 

He had set out from Covent Castle with the search party, which happened to be half the Demon Army's forces. Celi had wanted to use every spare regiment and soldier available, but her eldest son had convinced her they at least needed to keep half the troops to keep defending the kingdom while the royal family left for a short time.

 

 

That's right, they were all there with him: the woman he had the misfortune to be brother-in-law to and her two sons, one of which he kept one eye locked on just in case the half-human whelp took in his mind to attempt on his life again. As they all were deep in secluded woods, it would be a very convenient place for him to have a “tragic accident” and hence, put an end to their problem of him trying to tear their family apart. He was certain the Demon Army would back their Maou up on the matter even if they saw her do the deed herself. It was quite a relief when his own guards came with reinforcements from Bielefeld and joined the party.

 

 

They had started the search from where the humans had attacked the carriage and spread out in groups over various points in the surrounding forest. They had sometime later stumbled across a trail which had been stated before, was much too evident. The groups had conveyed and now it was all a matter of biding one's time until the expert trackers could determine if the trail had been fabricated or not, and considering how long they had been debating, it didn't appear as if they had come any closer to a decision than when the trail had first been found.

 

 

Perhaps this had been the humans' plan all along: leave a trail so apparent that it would cause their pursuers to stop dead in their tracks in confusion to ponder if this had been deliberate and therefore give the abductors ample time to get further away. It certainly was working.

 

 

Waltorana dismounted from his horse and strode over to where the trackers were huddled in a group vehemently trying to dispute each other's opinion.

 

 

“Is there a problem on why this is taking so long?” the aristocrat asked shooting them with a most fierce-some scowl that rivaled even Gwendal's.

 

 

“Ah, Lord Bielefeld, sir!” said one of the trackers, albeit apologetically, “There's a slight oddity that has unsure—”

 

 

“It's a red herring, I tell you! This trail leads nowhere!” cut in another, “No person would leave a path so obvious unless they wanted us to waste our time following a dead end!”

 

 

“Or unless they're incredibly stupid.”

 

 

“Well, these are humans, after all.”

 

 

“Yeah, however, these humans overwhelmed even Lord Bielefeld! Ah, no disrespect meant to you, sir!”

 

 

“What's going on?” came a new voice suddenly into the flow of conversation and Waltorana stiffened in surprise as the Weller spawn appeared suddenly right by his side.

 

 

The aristocrat moved several steps over, putting a fair distance between them. Not only did he not want any close contact with half-breeds, but for all he knew, the boy wanted another chance to stab him.

 

 

“Go away, boy,” Waltorana ordered, narrowing his eyes in annoyance, “Don't bother the trackers while they're studying the vestiges.”

 

 

But Conrart's eyes had grown wide as he stared at the trail which had been distinctly clear-cut and a small pile of twigs on the ground centered around a small pale rock…

 

 

“Ah, that's Yozak's-” Conrart exclaimed excitedly, turning and calling, “Mother! Gwendal! Come see! Yozak left us a trail to follow!”

 

 

In the space of the next several minutes, Waltorana learned that Yozak was 1) the Weller spawn's friend, 2) another half-breed (joy), and 3) apparently, he had somehow come across the humans and was marking a path to lead others to them.

 

 

“It is Yozak's sign!” Conrart declared firmly when Waltorana had voiced his doubts, “He always leaves Boneys to show that he's been there!”

 

 

Well, now that Waltorana thought about it, the small pale rock could possibly be a Boney's head and the twigs could be the wings…

 

 

Conrart smiled at the marker, remembering when he and his father had first brought Yozak to the Great Demon Kingdom from Big Cimaron. Yozak had never seen a Boney before and probably never even imagined anything like them in all his craziest daydreams. He had been very apprehensive in the beginning, but soon after, he had taken to them with sort of an amused fascination.

 

 

“Look! I made a Boney!” Yozak stated proudly, pointing to his sprawling messy handiwork on the ground.

 

 

Conrart laughed, “It looks more like a giant upturned spider with legs!”

 

 

“It's a Boney!” Yozak repeated stubbornly, clenching his hands into fists as he glared at his friend. “See? The rock is its head and the twigs are its wings! From now on, this will be our sign. If either of us ever gets lost, we'll find each other by following these signs!”

 

 

“Mother, we have to follow these! Wherever Yozak is, Wolfram is too!” Conrart implored to Celi urgently.

 

 

Celi nodded curtly and issued commands for the mazoku to proceed forward and be on the lookout for any more Boney markers.

 

 

“Does your friend have red hair, by any chance?” Waltorana asked on an inkling.

 

 

“Yes,” Conrart said, confused, “How did you know?”

 

 

“Lucky guess,” Waltorana replied dryly, walking back to his horse.

 

 

When this whole affair was over, he would be sure to compensate his rescuer, who it seemed had some sort of fetish for saving mazoku.

 

 

That and he really didn't want to be indebted to a half-breed for very long.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

Yozak cast a scrutinizing eye about the surroundings he and Wolfram had been holed up in. Guest room indeed. It was nothing more than a closet-space empty storage room. Well, nothing to it, he had to find someway out it and the outpost. He had to tell the mazoku about what lay in store for them. Taking his shoe off, he pulled out a piece of wire, and smirked triumphantly.

 

 

“That guy thinks he so smart. Stupid man didn't even check me for weapons. Well, that's one benefit of being a kid: grown-ups always under-estimate you,” Yozak told himself as he hurried over to the door and tested it with a push.

 

 

It was locked. Of course, they may be stupid, but they weren't that stupid.

 

 

“Ah, time to get a work,” Yozak said, whistling a merry tune as he fiddled the wire around in keyhole.

 

 

“A-a-aah,” came a muffled moan behind him and Yozak turned to see Wolfram stirring for the first time since the forest.

 

 

“Hey, chibi, you finally get enough beauty sleep?” he called over his shoulder as continued jiggling the lock.

 

 

Wolfram blinked several times and slowly sat up, shaking his head as if clear it from a daze. Finally getting the room into focus, he took one look around…and burst into tears.

 

 

“Hey, don't do that! They'll hear you and come see what the ruckus is all about!” Yozak cried panicked, dropping his lock-pick and rushing over to the boy.

 

 

“Come on, cut it out!” he said, squatting down near him and eyeing the door in trepidation.

 

 

What the heck were you supposed to do when a kid started crying uncontrollably anyway?

 

 

“Um, there, there?” Yozak tried his best at comforting, patting the small boy on the back.

 

 

But Wolfram could not be consoled. The small blond sat there on the floor and wailed louder than anything Yozak had ever heard in his entire life, bawling his eyes out, his face a puffy cherry red with leakage dribbling from his nose.

 

 

“Look, don't worry. I'm gonna get us out, okay?” Yozak said, guessing perhaps the kid was only frightened. “But you have to stop crying. It'll only work if we keep quiet.”

 

 

“I…WANT…MY…OJ-J-J-JIIUE!!!” Wolfram screamed, managing to get the sentence out between shaky deep gulps of air.

 

 

“You'll get to see him again, I promise! Just calm down and be quiet!” Yozak yelled, vaguely realizing that he wasn't helping things by having a shouting match.

 

 

“NO, I WONT! I WONT! HE'S DEAD! THEY K-K-KILLED HIM!” Wolfram squalled, rubbing his eyes hard with small fists.

 

 

Ah, so that's what it was.

 

 

“No they didn't. I saved him. Your uncle's alive, kid, so don't be messing up your cute face anymore,” Yozak explained.

 

 

Thankfully, Wolfram stopped crying and gazed at him with watery red-rimmed eyes.

 

 

“Oj-jiiue's al-alright?” Wolfram sniffled, unsure of the truth.

 

 

“Completely. Just a little worn out, that's all. He's resting back at some inn,” Yozak said relieved that the kid had quieted down, and then tensed as the boy's mouth turned downward into a pout.

 

 

“Who are you?” Wolfram demanded, glaring suspiciously at him.

 

 

“Yozak Gurrier, Conrart's friend,” Yozak answered, hoping that would show the kid he was on his side. “Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of here before we're shipped off to Big Cimaron.”

 

 

Yozak returned to the storage room's door and proceeded to fiddle with the lock once again, aware of the younger boy eyeing him warily.

 

 

“You know Little Big Brother?” came a small voice finally.

 

 

“Yup. We're the best of buds. What, he yabbers my ear off about his adorable baby brother, but he's never told you about me? I'm hurt, really hurt,” Yozak stated mockingly.

 

 

There was a tiny click as the wire turned the mechanism inside the lock and the door swung a crack open.

 

 

“Aha!” Yozak cried softly in success, pushing it open a bit further to take a peak outside.

 

 

The storage room appeared to be in the interior of a deserted part of another building. There were no guards to be seen. Apparently, the bandits hadn't thought they would actually escape.

 

 

“Right, come on, kid,” Yozak whispered, beckoning for Wolfram to follow, “We're busting out.”

 

 

There was no noise of any movement behind him and Yozak turned to see Wolfram huddled in the farthest corner of the storage room, arms wrapped tightly around his knees which he had pulled to his chest, and shivering slightly.

 

 

“Hey, what's wrong? There's no need to be scared. I'll protect you,” Yozak said, hurrying over to shake the boy into action.

 

 

When he touched Wolfram's arm, he was disturbed at how cold it felt and noticed how the boy's skin had turned a several shades paler, and how he was breathing as if he had run a ten mile lap.

 

 

“Hey, you're not sick, are you?” Yozak asked worriedly.

 

 

“It-It hurts,” Wolfram whimpered, scrunching up his eyes as if in pain.

 

 

Yozak couldn't see anything that was physically hurting the boy, unless…

 

 

He strode back over to door and stepped outside to look at from the front. Oh, well, that explained it then.

 

 

The door was strung up from head to foot with dozens of glowing houseki crystals; they even extended to the doorway's archway.

 

 

That's right; the bandits had thought they had caught two full-blood mazoku. No wonder they hadn't posted any guards. In the past two days he could have sworn he had seen more esoteric rocks than he ever had back in Big Cimaron. Well, he could always cut them down, but that would take up more time than they had available. He glanced over to Wolfram who hadn't budged an inch and sighed. The kid really wasn't going to like this.

 

 

Wolfram howled angrily when Yozak grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him to his feet. Apparently if you moved, the crystals affected you worse.

 

 

“Close your mouth, chibi and hop on,” Yozak ordered, turning around and pulling the younger boy onto his back. “Sorry, but you're gonna have to bear through the worst for little while.”

 

 

When Wolfram realized Yozak was headed for the door and that every step forward to it caused the pain to increase, the boy shrieked shrilly and yanked harshly on Yozak's hair.

 

 

“YEEEOOW!” Yozak yelped, staggering sideways a little. “Be a little more grateful, kid! I'm the one getting us out, you know!”

 

 

Passing the threshold of the door was the worst. Wolfram screamed and convulsed violently, finally slumping over Yozak's back still as a dead weight, as if he had been through the wringer.

 

 

“Hey, you still alive back there, chibi?” Yozak asked, hurrying away from the houseki-riddled door as fast a possible.

 

 

“I'm…gonna tell…my bro-ther…on you,” Wolfram threatened through sluggish lips as he feebly punched the back of Yozak's head.

 

 

Yozak laughed, adrenalin rushing through him as he sped towards the exit of the building. This was it! They were escaping! Jass had made reference to a “back way” out. They could slip out that way, circle around the outpost and meet the Demon Army before they stepped into the boundaries of the houseki entrapment. And he could tell them about Bid Cimaron's king's plans for inciting war, and he'd be a hero, and they'd give his village special status and a stable income!

 

 

Bright sunlight splashed upon his face as he raced out of the building into the open, his heart beating excitedly…

 

 

“Ah, I thought so,” came voice which sent chills down his spine with its icy coolness.

 

 

Yozak halted in his tracks and turned his head slowly to his left, his chest heaving wildly.

 

 

Jass stood leaning against the building, arms crossed and smiling superciliously at him, as if he had just won a victory.

 

 

“I was beginning to wonder if my previous assumption had been mistaken and you really were a full mazoku after all. Did the little one give you trouble? You took longer than I expected to break out.”

 

 

It had been planned out. Everything. He hadn't been checked for weapons because Jass had suspected he did possess them. The houseki crystals warding the storage room hadn't been set up there to keep them in but as a test to determine if they or at least he was a full blood. The “back way” had been mentioned in front of him because that's where Jass had wanted him to head when he had broken out. Was the whole houseki entrapment ploy merely a fabrication too?

 

 

Jass was more cunning than he had given him credit for.

 

 

Yozak opened his mouth but no sound came out. He could only gape soundlessly at the man at a loss of what to do.

 

 

“Speechless, are we? I do have that affect on people,” Jass laughed, “Now, why don't you come with me somewhere less conspicuous until the mazoku make their grand entrance.”

 

 

Yozak took a step backwards, intending to run, just where he didn't know-but collided into someone else instead.

 

 

Dart made no movement to grab him, only gazed down with a countenance that was frightening with its blank expression.

 

 

“Come, don't make this more difficult than this is. I'll be nice: you can come on your own and I'll let you keep an eye on the little one, otherwise you two will be separated. I'll even explain everything to you. How can you resist that offer?” Jass waved at him in an amused manner.

 

 

He couldn't. Besides, there was no other option at the moment.

 

 

Yozak trudged after the bandit leader with Wolfram awake but silent riding on his back, feeling as if his feet were full of lead, aware of Dart following closely behind him.

 

 

Escaping had just gotten a lot more complicated than before.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

“The markers end here,” one of the trackers explained to the royal family the reason why the procession had stopped.

 

 

“It appears there was some sort of scuffle,” another said, pointing to an area in the grass

that was more disturbed than the area around it.

 

 

“And it looks as if they were joined by two more people,” said a third tracker as he indicated to a faintly visible trail coming out from between two trees into the small clearing.

 

 

“They took off in a northern direction with all haste. I assume they caught the person tagging them and were notified about our position behind them,” voiced the fouth tracker.

 

 

Conrart bit his lower lip as he scrunched his eyebrows in worry about the well-being of his friend.

 

 

“We estimate they're only about half a day's distance in front of us. Don't worry, they're on foot. We'll catch up to them in a matter of hours,” put in the fifth tracker.

 

 

Waltorana's face twisted into an irritated grimace at the news. A matter of hours was not good enough. Who knew what the humans were capable of doing in desperation.

 

 

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” called a soldier exiting from the trees and returning to the main body of mazoku.

 

 

The soldier rushed over to Celi where Waltorana could see upon closer inspection it was one of the scouts sent ahead of the procession.

 

 

“What is it? Have you found something?” Celi asked sharply.

 

 

“Your Majesty, we didn't catch sight of the humans, however, they appear to be headed in the direction of a trading outpost not far from here,” the scout said, giving his report.

 

 

“Trading outpost?” Celi repeated surprised, “Did you see it?”

 

 

“No, Your Majesty, it's still a couple of leagues from here but we came across the road that leads to it and it's a well-known facility for travelers in this region. It is likely that the humans will try and gain shelter and protection there.”

 

 

Waltorana felt as swell of elation at those words. At last, a pin-pointed destination. Just a little bit more and then the arrogant humans who had dared steal from him would be dealt a swift and painful retribution.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

“Sit,” Jass proffered to a chair inside the guardhouse where he had led them, taking his own seat at a table.

 

 

There was only one chair left unoccupied. Yozak lowered Wolfram off his back into it and remained standing. Glancing sideways out of his eye, he noted that Dart had taken up position at the door.

 

 

“I expect you're wondering just what angle I'm playing at, yes?” Jass mused, resting his chin in one hand.

 

 

Yozak nodded warily.

 

 

“Its a little game I like to call `double-crossing',” Jass explained, the corners of his mouth lifting up into that familiar, annoying smile again. “It's quite fun. What you do is you play either side against each other while making everyone believe you are on their team. Then you banter back forth to the highest bidder until the tide turns and to win, I'm afraid cheating's involved. That's when you create a distraction and slip out of the fray before both sides realize they've been betrayed. In the end, if you aren't weighed down by a superfluous conscious of guilt, the profits you take away are most worth it.”

 

 

“So…you're not working for Big Cimaron's king?” Yozak asked, trying to understand the flow of Jass's logic.

 

 

“Tsk, didn't you hear a word of what I said?” Jass reproached. “Of course, I'm working for Big Cimaron: I'm getting paid a hefty sum to entangle with these mazoku. Most dishonest men would find that substantial enough for them, but I like to go one step further. I like to see just how far I can push my luck.”

 

 

Yozak waited, still not seeing where Jass was headed with the conversation.

 

 

“There's going to be a skirmish here in a little bit. As you know, I think the odds are in our favor as your mazoku allies tend to be not at their best when confronted with houseki crystals. My priority right now is to ensure our side is victorious. Of course after that, we won't be able to stay in the country for very long. Mazoku will want vengeance of course. But we will have obtained our main objective: rouse and incite the Great Demon Kingdom to war. And with half their forces depleted, I think Big Cimaron's king will agree I did my end of the bargain more than adequately. So you see, Valmira's little mishap worked out splendidly for me in the long run. I must thank you for your presence, Little Prince,” Jass said, mock-bowing to Wolfram. “I couldn't have done in without you.”

 

 

Yozak saw the younger boy's lip tremble dangerously and his eyes water suspiciously, however Wolfram did not cry or throw a tantrum, only gripped his fists tightly together and refused to give any further reaction.

 

 

“Alright, I get the message you think you're a brilliant strategist,” Yozak said, trying to sway Jass's attention away from Wolfram. “But I didn't hear anything about double-crossing in that boast of yours.”

 

 

Jass leaned back in his chair…and smiled. Yozak was really getting sick of seeing that man smile.

 

 

“That just proves my point. People think too small. They can't see the larger picture. Oh, we'll win and I'll take the little prince over to Big Cimaron in the aftermath and receive a double reward. The double-crossing comes next. Unfortunately, some mazoku will have slipped within the borders and snatched their little prince back and have snuck him out of the kingdom. Naturally, the king will have lost his chess piece for war. I offer myself to the king to regain the prince before the rogue mazoku reach the Demon Kingdom. Of course, I'll need down payment for my services. What the king won't know is I planned the whole set up and filled my pockets fuller than the bounty foretold. I will be found out, naturally, but I'll have slipped away beforehand. Maybe I'll take my earnings and go somewhere else to start the game anew. Then again, maybe I'll gamble further and return here to tell the mazoku Cimaron's `new plans of invasion', for a heft sum of course.”

 

 

Yozak stared at the man in a sort of morbid fascination. Just reflecting on what had been revealed to him was making his head whirl. This guy was so, so twisted! How do people go about imagining a plan that warped anyway? Did he spend every night scheming up ways to add yet another ploy onto his list of mad gambles?

 

 

But more importantly…

 

 

“Why are you telling me all of this? Why are you even taking the time to explain this top-secret plan of yours to your prisoners?” Yozak inquired frowning. “I thought captors were supposed to keep their victims in the dark.”

 

 

“I thought it would be amiable to share my confessions to another of my kind. I don't get to see them very often, not as young as you,” Jass stated watching Yozak closely waiting for the message to sink in.

 

 

“You're, you're…you're half-mazoku too?” Yozak asked in disbelief, his eyes widening in shock.

 

 

“Yes and so is Dart over there,” Jass said, indicating to the man standing guard by the door, “That's why I haven't sent him away while I spilled my story. Of course, the rest of the men here are normal humans. Normally, they would get in my way, but they're quite useful when it comes to handling the houseki crystals, so I have to put up with them for awhile.”

 

 

“But if you're half-mazoku why are you working for Big Cimaron? They enslave half-mazoku over there! How can you be in service for someone who allows that?!” Yozak yelled angrily, memories of his life back in the esoteric mines surfacing.

 

 

“Only if they know you're half-mazoku,” Jass said, holding up a finger to emphasize the point. “You stay in one place long enough and people will notice you're not aging properly along with the rest of them. As a bandit, I tend to move around a lot, and keep my face and identity hidden. As far as the king knows, I'm just an ordinary human engaged with the task of rousing up the `evil demons' into war to receive my paycheck.”

 

 

“How, how can you fight against your own kind though? You're part mazoku too! You should feel more loyalty towards them than for humans!” Yozak accused, a hot rage welling in his chest.

 

 

“Loyalty? Ha!” Jass scoffed, throwing back his head and laughing. “What makes you think I'm loyal to either side? Me, myself, comes first. Whoever dishes out the money, that's who I temporarily form a truce with.”

 

 

“Besides…” Jass said, his voice shifting gravely as he stared piercingly into Yozak's eyes. “The mazoku aren't all too fond of their half-breed brethren either, are they?”

 

 

Yozak adverted his gaze, his cheeks flushing in shame as Jass presented him with the truth of the matter.

 

 

“Yes, that's reality for you,” the man said, his face devoid of all emotion. “You come over here looking for a better life than the one you left behind only to discover things aren't much different. What's worst? Being enslaved or having your dream shattered into pieces?”

 

 

Yozak stared back, the fire in his chest dimming down and replaced with an empty numbness.

 

 

“I was rather hoping you would want to join me and Dart. That's the main reason I told you all this. What do you say? Shake off the dust of this country, their high and mighty full-blooded patronizing, biased prejudices and you can be free,” Jass offered, his eyes taking on a wild gleam. “No kingdom to tie you down, just you, yourself doing whatever you desire, going wherever you please.”

 

 

Yozak's mind reeled in confusion. He could be free? He thought he was free. He was no longer enslaved in Big Cimaron. The Great Demon Kingdom was not what he had imagined it to be. The land had certainly not welcomed the half-mazoku with open arms, but it hadn't drive them away either. And yet…he had always felt as if he never quite belonged. He had wanted his circumstances to change, he just hadn't known how. Was it as simple as Jass proclaimed it to be?

 

No…

 

 

“You're right in a way,” Yozak said. “Things won't ever change unless you decide to do from within.”

 

 

“What?” Jass said, startled at the reply. It wasn't the one he had been expecting.

 

 

“If you always avoid the problem, how will it ever get resolved? You can claim you're free by wandering about and doing whatever you want, but isn't that just saying you have no purpose in life?” Yozak inquired, boldly voicing his opinion. “Don't you want to try and change our status and how we are looked down upon by demonstrating that half-mazoku can create a stable working environment and coexist peacefully with the rest of civilization? If we all had the same mindset as you, we'd only be proving everyone right that half-breeds were a bunch of shiftless idle wastrels. You're setting a very bad example!”

 

 

“Bad example? Bad example?!” Jass exclaimed hotly, leaping up from his seat, slamming a fist on the table, and Yozak realized he had touched a nerve with the man.

 

 

“Do you actually think the mazoku are watching and waiting for some sort of sign that the half-breeds have advanced to give them the go-ahead to join their society?” Jass raged. “The only reason they allow our kind in the country is to recruit us for war when the time comes! We're their safe-guard. Their shield. The ones they'll put on the front lines against the majutsu users because we won't be affected. The ones who will die first to prove their loyalty!”

 

 

Jass's chest was rising and falling rapidly after he had finished his rant and the man glared at the boy with a crazed look in his eyes that made Yozak truly fearful for the first time in the man's presence. Jass looked…unhinged.

 

 

A sharp knock came at the door.

 

 

Dart looked at Jass for confirmation and Jass nodded curtly.

 

 

The door was opened to reveal Brackus who spoke only two words: “They're here.”

 

 

Yozak's heart was pounding wildly in his chest as he heard those words. They're here. No, no, no, the mazoku couldn't be here yet. He hadn't escaped yet to warn them about the trap, about how deranged and capable of vengeance Jass was. What should he do? What could he do?

 

 

Jass stood up, his cool temperament seeming to have returned, but by the way the man strode towards the door with a stiff and tense manner proved he was still inflamed over the past recent conversation.

 

 

“Now you'll soon see how easily your precious mazoku fall prey to something as small and simple as a stone,” Jass declared, halting by the doorway. “In the meantime, stop deluding yourself. You'll never fit in with them. One day the mazoku are going to put you in a position you can't say no to. One day they'll betray your trust, simply because of what you are.”

 

 

The sound of the door closing was as if someone had shut the lid to his own coffin, sealing his doomed fate.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

Jass watched behind the fortress's walls as the Great Demon Army slowly made their way into view.

 

 

“Are the houseki stones in place?” he asked loftily, arms crossed as he surveyed the scene.

 

 

“We've placed them in about a one mile radius around the outpost,” Valmira replied, eyes narrowed. “I do hope you realize that it won't contain all their number. The mazoku are not going to send all their forces in without asserting the situation. At best, it probably won't even entrap half. Maybe one-third if we're lucky.”

 

 

“One-third of them wiped out will be more than sufficient enough,” Jass stated. “And I hope for your sake that you were not brainless enough to forget to set up the crystals around this fort's foundations also. We wouldn't want anymore unwelcome visitors.”

 

 

“I'm not as incompetent as some of your half-wit lugs,” the woman spat irritated, desperately wishing she could physically retaliate.

 

 

“Ah, mazoku,” Jass breathed, shading his eyes with his hands to view their oncoming procession. “How the proud and mighty shall fall…caught between a rock and a hard place.”

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

“So what do you think, Gwendal?” Celi asked her eldest son as she shrewdly assessed the trading outpost which lay before her set securely between two hills. “Are they innocent and merely took in a group of travelers not knowing their true identities or…”

 

 

“Is it a trap?” Gwendal finished, frowning deeply in indecision.

 

 

“Even if it was a trap, what chance has a trader's guild stand against our numbers?” Waltorana declared, his hazel Bielefeld eyes shining in an icy cold furor. “They'll render Wolfram and those filthy humans over to us or they'll be proclaimed traitors to the Great Demon Kingdom! Mazoku aiding humans—it's deplorable!”

 

 

Conrad took the barb against humans without flinching, and although he had a different opinion about humans, when situations like this arouse, he could understand why such hatred was justified. It almost made him ashamed to part of the human race.

 

 

A hand fell on his shoulder and Conrad looked up to see Gwendal beside him.

 

 

“Humans aren't the only ones that do bad things,” his brother said quietly. “Remember that.”

 

 

“Mother, look!” he cried, pointing, as two figures came out and stood in the entrance waiting expectedly.

 

 

“What are they—?” Celi inquired.

 

 

“It looks like they want to talk,” Gwendal stated grimly.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

“Do you think this is wise to open the gates like this?” Brackus asked, voicing his concern as he took his place next to the bandit leader in the entrance.

 

 

“Call it deception, Brackus,” Jass said. “They were loitering about and not coming any closer. Obviously they were unsure where we stood in our loyalties. Now we put on our innocent façade and draw them near. They won't be able to resist an opportunity like this.”

 

 

“We still won't be able to entrap all their number. When they realize the situation—”

 

 

“They will be unable to do anything to aid their ensnared comrades and will either standby helplessly or rush off to warn the kingdom and try to find assistance. Ironic, isn't it?” Jass said, giving a twisted maniacal laugh. “The only ones who will be able to help them are those half-breeds they so love to shun! Hahaha!”

 

 

“The plan is still in motion then?” Brackus inquired. “Will it still function? Trying to slip out the back way during the skirmish and avoid detection will prove more difficult now with Valmira and—”

 

 

“Don't be ridiculous, Brackus,” Jass scoffed, cutting him off effectively. “Valmira is going to have quite the unfortunate accident before the day is out.”

 

 

“Accident?” Brackus echoed.

 

 

“Such a pity,” Jass said, turning to look his right-hand man directly in the face. “A promising houseki wielder taken down before she reached her full potential. Well, Big Cimaron's king shouldn't be all that sad. One less cut to pay off, eh?”

 

 

Brackus was silent.

 

 

“And now, the game commences,” Jass breathed softly watching as a handful of mazoku began approaching the open gateway. “Brackus, go and tell Canulf to be ready to charge up the crystals on my signal.”

 

 

Brackus nodded once and was gone, departing silently, nothing more than a grim shadow hugging the walls of the fort.

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

 

Yozak stood inside the guardhouse, his entire body seized up with fear and indecision as his mind raced wildly flinging options, any option as a means to get away and warn the mazoku before it was too late.

 

 

There were no windows—he couldn't break through something that didn't exist. The only way out was the door. He was sure he could pick the mechanism and unlock it like he had back in the storehouse, but Dart, the tall, silent knife-thrower was guarding it from the outside. He had heard Jass order the man to do so. He could still take his chances though and try to run…but Dart was quick, cold and calculating. He had proved that by sneaking up on him in the trees and catching him off-guard. Yozak hadn't even heard him coming. He had all but alienated any good graces he had had before in Jass's eyes by siding with the mazoku. Even if he did manage to get past Dart, he wouldn't get far, and he suspected he would end up face first on the ground with a dagger sticking out of his back. And who, who then would look after Wolfram?

 

 

He could practically feel Conrart's disapproving narrowed gaze upon him.

 

 

Yozak ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he licked his dry lips nervously. At every angle he looked at it, this situation seemed hopeless.

 

 

Behind him, Wolfram let out a small strangled whimper. The poor kid was probably worried about his family out there no doubt, since he had appeared not to be as overly concerned about his current predicament as a hostage before.

 

 

“It'll be alright, you'll see,” Yozak said, trying to comfort the kid as much as himself with his words. “I'll get us out of this mess somehow and by this time tomorrow we'll be at the castle feasting at a huge banquet for your safe return!”

 

 

But Wolfram only stared at him wide-eyed with an expression akin to horror as if truly seeing him for the first time in a new light, his face a nasty pasty white and spoke one single word in a choked whisper:

 

 

“Half-breed.”

 

 

Yozak blinked. Had the kid not noticed he had to have been one to get them out of that houseki-infested cell before? Why was he staring at him with such fear-filled and disgusted eyes?

 

 

“You're…you're…you're half-human!” Wolfram cried his voice high-pitched and shrill, laced thickly with contempt.

 

 

“Nice of you to notice, chibi,” Yozak said wryly, a mask of cool indifference dropping over his face; a force of habit any time he was subjected to unfair prejudice of his race.

 

 

It appeared Little Lord Brat had been taught in the usual manner and mindset concerning half-mazkoku. He had thought with Conrart being his brother, the kid would be different. Wait…did this mean the kid had no idea about Conrart's origins then?

 

 

There was a loud scuffle outside at the door suddenly and then a hollow-sounding thud, like that of a body hitting the floor outside, and then the door swung open on its hinges.

 

 

For one wonderful, glorious moment, Yozak thought that something had befallen Jass's plans terribly wrong and the mazoku had overtaken them and had come to their rescue…then his sight was filled with image of Brackus peering in and motioning for them to come out.

 

 

“Hurry,” the man said, glancing over his shoulder fleetingly.

 

 

Yozak wondered what Jass wanted with them now. Was he going to hold Wolfram at sword-point until the mazoku surrendered their weapons? That was a grim thought but he wouldn't put the idea past the man. He was ruthless after all. But why had Brackus needed to knock Dart unconscious then if he was following his leader's orders?

 

 

“Quickly, come out and follow me,” Brackus repeated in a dangerous tone that boded ill for them if they did not do as he said.

 

 

Yozak decided not to question him. Besides, he had been seeking a way out and now it was present before him. And if needs be, he had a better chance of getting away from Brackus than he did with Dart. He nodded and approached Wolfram, who promptly leaped off the chair he was sitting in and started hurling objects nearest to him at his head.

 

 

“Stay away from me, half-breed!”

 

 

Yozak growled low in his throat, dodged the projectile missiles and tackled the kid around his waist, driving them both onto the floor.

 

 

“Let go! Let go of me, half-breed! Don't touch me with your filthy human hands!” Wolfram howled, as he flailed his fists down in a rain of blows upon any unprotected part of his body.

 

 

“Shut up, you ungrateful little guttersnipe!” Yozak swore, catching the kid's hands and pinning his arms up above his head. It looked as if he might have to bind and gag him if he was going to ruin their unexpected escapade by screaming bloody murder.

 

 

However, his actions had only made things worse, for then Wolfram caught him in the gut with a wicked kick and Yozak's grip on him was shaken off as he doubled over wheezing.

 

 

Brackus's patience had run paper-thin it seemed, as the man strode forward, grabbed Wolfram by the scruff of his collar and hauled him bodily up kicking and shrieking then did the same to Yozak and shook them both roughly until they dangled limp and silent from the man's hold like two chickens with their necks caught tight.

 

 

“Now we are going to leave swiftly and silently without any more theatrics, do you understand?” Brackus hissed in a voice that gave no leeway for argument and Yozak and Wolfram's heads bobbed up and down in mutual agreement.

 

 

Brackus dropped them heavily on their feet and motioned them to go through the door first.

 

 

“Move out in front now, where I can see you,” he said, watching them carefully.

 

 

Stepping gingerly over Dart's body, the two did as they were told without a fuss, and rubbing his bruised collarbone, Yozak couldn't help but wonder if they had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire.

 

 

To Be Continued…

 

 

A/N 2: Alright, Author's Apology here: I know I left everyone hanging for more than a year now. I am most profoundly sorry. For what it's worth, I didactually have 18 pages finished last November, but I'm sort of in confusion of what happened. I don't know if I would call it Writer's Block so much as I knew what to write but just couldn't, plus the fact that I ended up somehow taking a year hiatus from KKM. (I blame Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts…and Eyeshield 21…and my friend and beta for getting sucked into the angst-filled universe that is CLAMP, dragging me along for the ride and getting me hyped up back on my old X/1999 and Tsubasa crush, and real life, I blame that too). But mostly, I blame myself for not updating this story sooner even when I received several PMs wondering about it. It was laziness on my part mostly, the honest truth. Nevertheless, I hope this chapter was worth the long unexpected wait and you review anyway. I will try and answer all your questions that you may have and reply to each review. I know I have a bad habit of keeping silent, but my beta has taught me that if you reply to people, they tend to stick around and review again, haha. Now on the event of this chapter:

 

 

Jass and Yozak ended up hogging the spotlight, yeesh! Jass kept evolving from some random bandit into some warped vengeance-filled half-mazoku and to quote Yozak, “How twisted is this guy?!” Even I don't know. I hadn't meant for the whole racist half-mazoku plotline to enter the story but it did. My muse got away from me and changed details in the storyline yet again. Poor Wolfram was woefully pushed into the background as were Waltorana and the rest. But hey, Yozak got his chance to shine, yay! But why is Brackus, Jass's right-hand man, helping Yozak and Wolfram, you wonder? Is he really helping them, that is the question. Do feel free to speculate and post your opinion on the matter in your review.

 

 

If you must know, once again, this chapter was supposed to be longer and I wanted to finish off the whole kidnapping deal here, but I really need (well want is a better term) some feedback from you guys. I've known who Jass is and his agenda for a whole year and everyone else has been in the dark. I'd like to hear your response to him before I start the final chapter. (I say final but who knows, it may be two more chapters before the end, gah). So please, share with me your thoughts on the character interaction, their personalities, the scenes you enjoyed, and what you expect to happen next. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading so far!