Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Honor ❯ Prelude ( Prologue )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Note: This is an alternate universe fic, blending
together the threads of the romances of King Arthur's
legendary Britian and the various versions of Revolutionary
Girl Utena. The characters are an amalgamation of their
anime, manga, movie and movie manga selves, and the setting
is in a medieval Britian full of magic and wonder.
Hopefully you'll find this exercise in synthesis an
enjoyable read.


Love's Honor

Prelude


The clouds hung darkly over the landscape, their looming
black-gray forms threatening rain. Two pairs of eyes looked
up -- one brilliant blue, one deepest violet -- and matching
expressions of dismay crossed their young faces. It was
springtime in the highlands, and that meant swiftly
gathering and sometimes violent storms. That it had been
partly sunny and warmer when they had left the clanhold
didn't mean anything. They should have kept a better watch
on the weather.

"We really should head home," the violet-eyed youth said,
turning his gaze to his taller, scarlet-haired companion.
"Father will-"

"I'm well aware what Father will do, Saionji," the redheaded
boy responded. A stiff gust of wind swirled through the
clearing, making the silken strands of both shoulder-length
manes -- one wavy, forest green hair, the other straight and
scarlet-red-dance in the wake of the whistling breeze. The
chief of the Kiryuu Clan would be less than pleased to have
his sons -- one a fosterling, the other his only begotten
male child -- caught out away from the clanhold during what
promised to be one hell of a storm. "Come on. The horses
should be nearby."

Saionji glanced around. Though the surrounding light was
dimming fast, the storm cutting off what sun there was in
this hour just before twilight, he could tell that their
weapons practice hadn't taken them too far from the
well-worn dirt path that lead first up the ridge and then
down into the glen of Clan Kiryuu. Thunder and Lightning,
the two rouncies they had ridden, were tethered to trees
just to the side of that earthen path. Pointing in the
general direction from which he thought they had entered the
clearing, the shorter of the boys asked, "That way, right,
Touga?"

"I believe so," the redheaded youth agreed. Hefting up his
blunted practice sword, the long-legged boy started walking
off in the indicated direction at a swift pace.

"Hey, wait up!" Saionji called out, dashing after his foster
brother. Overhead, a bright flash of blue-white light
illuminated the forested hillside, a loud rolling peal of
thunder echoing over the glens almost right afterwards.

If Touga heard the other boy's shout, he gave no indication
as he half-strode, half-trotted into the thick underbrush
that separated clearing from trail. Emerging out of the
lush greenery, he scanned over the area with his brilliant
azure gaze, his eyes still adjusting to the sudden change in
illumination. Though he was looking for the two rouncies,
he thought he saw the flash of something down the trail a
ways, at a place where he knew it curved alongside a short
dropoff to a lake below. If the horses had pulled their
reins loose somehow and were dashing down toward the lake,
he and his foster brother would be in even more trouble.
Muttering something under his breath, the tall boy erupted
into a sprint, his mane of thick red hair rippling in the
wake of his passage.

"Touga! What are you doing?" Saionji shouted as he ran after
his foster brother.
________________

Another branch scratched her face, but she didn't care. How
long she'd run into the forest didn't matter either. All
that mattered was somehow getting away from the horrible,
aching hollowness she felt inside. Stumbling forward, her
little body continuing to be wracked by her sobs and gasps
for breath, she barely felt the twinge as a number of
strands of her fine, rose-colored hair were pulled from her
head by the cruel grasp of a bush.

They were gone. Never again would she see either one of
them. The finality of that had at last dawned on her,
shaking her entire world. Mother and father both were no
more, leaving her essentially alone in the world. How could
they have left her like this, all alone in a strange land?
They had said that they had loved her, that they would
always be there to take care of her. And now they were
gone.

Lightning flashed; thunder rumbled loud and long. Startled,
the little girl looked up, noticing the lowering storm for
the first time. Not that it mattered. Nothing really
mattered anymore. Pushing on ahead, she did her best to not
think about the gathering storm or the swiftly approaching
night. The forest was a dangerous place, true enough, but
she missed them so much, she didn't mind the thought of
dying. A moment of fear and pain, and then she'd never be
alone again. New tears making her large blue eyes shimmer,
she sobbed again and broke into a shambling run.

The ground suddenly gave out from under her; with a sudden
thrill of pure terror, she felt the dirt crumbling under the
soles of her leather shoes. A shrill little scream sounded
from her as she abruptly felt herself falling. Then that
was cut short as her young body hit the surface of the cold
water, the splash tossing silvery drops onto the wind-tossed
lake.
________________

"Did you hear that?" Touga shouted as he ran toward the
place where the dirt trail skirted along the steep hillside
to the lake below. Another brilliant flash of lightning
momentarily blinded him, causing him to come to a sudden
stop. He was too near the edge to safely continue without
being able to see.

"Hear what?" Saionji yelled back, violet eyes blinking with
the afterimage of the lightning. Managing to notice that
his foster brother had come to a halt, he dug his feet into
the ground to brake his own forward momentum just as another
loud peal of thunder rattled their location. And with that
came the promised rain, the heavens opening up with a sudden
deluge.

The redheaded boy frowned, certain he had heard someone cry
out in fear. His eyes adjusted again to the rapidly
darkening light, he scanned along the edge of the road as
best he could through the driving rain. Something caught
his eye and he moved forward, gasping softly as he realized
what it was he was seeing. The ground had given way here at
the edge, the weight of something causing it to crumble.
Even as he watched, the pounding rain was making more of the
dirt disappear, washing it away to the lake waiting down
below.

"What did you hear?" the green-haired youth asked again,
loping up toward the other boy.

Turning swiftly, Touga hissed at his foster brother,
"Careful! The edge is washing out! Don't get too close!"

"Sorry..." Saionji muttered, scowling a bit. One glance
over at the area indicated by the other boy and he was
instantly contrite. Touga was right; the ground there was
obviously dangerous.

Azure eyes focused on the treacherous earth, Touga inched
his way closer to the edge. He couldn't get rid of the
feeling that he had heard someone scream. The rain
plastered his hair to his head, and ran in thin rivulets
down his neck and under his tunic.

"Touga! Don't!" the other boy called out, realizing the
redhead's intent. If anything should happen to the heir to
the clan, Saionji was sure that he'd be throttled by the
Kiryuu for not discouraging his foster brother from doing
something stupid.

"I have to see, Saionji," Touga responded, making his way
forward another step. Another look to the place where the
ground was washing out reassured him that he wasn't in any
immediate danger. Inwardly nodding in satisfaction, the boy
turned his gaze to the churning surface of the water below.
Hissing softly, the youth turned and braced himself. He
didn't care if it was rash or foolish. In fact, he gave his
choice little thought at all.

Violet eyes widening in horror, Saionji watched as the other
boy deliberately dived off the thirty-foot high elevation.
"Touga!" he shouted, all to no avail. The tall, redheaded
form disappeared from sight; only the sound of the pounding
rain and another roll of thunder answered the green-haired
youth's shout.
________________

Arms flailing, legs kicking, the little girl fought against
the chilly embrace of the wind-swept liquid. Even so, she
could feel it making her clothes heavier, weighing her down.
Each movement of her limbs became progressively weaker as
fatigue set in. She could feel the rain beating down on her
head along with the frantic splashing her own efforts to
keep herself above the surface, the hissing sound
punctuating the noise her flailing was producing.

(Why am I fighting this so?) she suddenly thought. (If I
give up, I can be with Mommy and Daddy again. Going on
living without them makes me sick... So tired now anyway...)
Closing her eyes, she stopped her struggling. An unnatural
calmness filled her as she felt herself slip under the
surface into the icy embrace of the lake.
________________

(Oh god, Father's going to kill me!) Saionji frantically
thought, violet eyes huge in fear. Standing as near to the
edge as he dared, the heavens continuing to deluge him, his
green hair dripping wet and plastered to his head, the youth
stared down the steep embankment and searched for any sign
of the other boy. Ever since he had become aware of the
fact that he was not a Kiryuu, he had had the dubious
knowledge that his life would be forfeit if ever a member of
his blood clan broke the truce imposed upon them by their
loss to Clan Kiryuu of the blood feud between them.
Originally brought to the Kuryuu clanhold as a hostage --
the fact that he was called by his clan name and not by his
given name was a taunt, at least in the beginning, of the
fact that he would one day be the Saionji and leader of a
conquered clan -- it had been Touga's idea to claim him as a
foster brother instead. So true had their friendship been
that the Kiryuu, Touga's father, had reluctantly made
Saionji's de facto foster status legitimate, but never once
did the verdant-maned boy forget that his blood would spill
should anyone from Clan Saionji cross the will of the
Kiryuu.

No doubt that the Kiryuu would probably lop off his head in
a fit of rage should he come home with Touga either missing
or drowned. There was still no sign in the rain-spattered
lake of the scarlet-haired heir to the most powerful clan in
the immediate area.

Groaning, Saionji tore his violet gaze from the wind-tossed
surface of the water below and scanned down the rain-slicked
dirt trail. From what he recalled, the road continued down
the ridge to the valley in which the lake resided. Breaking
out into a sprint, the boy headed down the road, careful to
stay away from the edge overlooking the lake. Maybe Touga
had already made it to shore and was even now waiting for
his foster brother at the foot of the cliff-like embankment?
Clinging to that ray of hope, the youth ran onward.
________________

(Where am I? Am I in heaven?)

Huge blue eyes looked around, an expression that was as much
bewilderment as fright on the little girl's cherubic face.
Stray wisps of her rose-colored hair floated around her as
she turned a slow circle, not recognizing anything at all.
There was no impression of surroundings of any sort, just a
mysterious grayness that loomed around her. "Mommy? Daddy?
Are you here?"

Nothing answered her; a profound silence was all of which
she was aware. Being as brave as possible and holding back
a whimper of terror, the little girl started walking forward
in that featureless place, bright blue gaze darting around
for any sign of where she could be. "Mommy! Daddy!"

Up ahead, she suddenly thought she could see something, a
brilliant whiteness in that unrelenting gray. Tiny feet
picking up their pace, the girl ran forward, wanting to see
what that brilliance could be. It wasn't until she was
almost next to it that she realized what it was she was
staring at, and she came to a halt with a gasp.

The whiteness was a bier, a three-foot high rectangle of
silvery-gray veined white marble, the corners and edges of
each side decorated with a carving in high relief of
intricately entwined rose canes, the sculpted stone roses
looking to have delicate, almost translucent, petals. On
top of the stand lay the unmoving form of a man, his tall,
lean, perfectly proportioned body clad in princely clothes
of gold- and ruby-adorned white. Though his hands were
arranged resting one upon another atop his still chest, the
corner of his scarlet-lined white half-cape hung down over
the side of the bier, a splash of brilliant red against the
snowy whiteness of his clothing and the stone upon which he
rested.

Her breath catching in her throat, the rose-haired girl made
her way carefully up to stand next to where the man's head
rested against the cold stone. He was absolutely beautiful,
much as angels were wont to be, his face -- so still and
peaceful in death -- as perfect as the rest of him. Silvery
hair the palest shade of lavender framed that gorgeous
visage, the strands cut short and feathered along the sides
of his head, the whole only descending as far as the nape of
his neck. On his right shoulder, an ornate brooch of gold
and rubies fastened his white half-cape to his equally snowy
tunic. Though he looked like he was sleeping, the little
girl somehow knew he was actually dead; her own existence
touched so recently by that specter made her somewhat
familiar with the manifestations of the absence of life.

(Who is he?) she wondered, part of her drawn toward such a
beautiful sight and another part of her repelled by the
presence of death. Sadness and pity both filled her little
heart as she became aware of death's universal claim; even
the angels were susceptible to being cut down by that
eternal blade.

A sound caught her attention, something that seemed to be a
faint moan of pain. Her melancholy visage turning to one of
puzzlement, the girl looked about herself for the source of
the noise. Further on, another spot of illumination caught
her eye, one that she was sure wasn't there a moment ago.
Again determined to be brave, the child walked past the
fallen angel, toward the light.

The light was ruddy, the color of blood and danger. Blue
eyes huge, the girl made her way toward the red radiance.
Within the pool of color she could see steps leading up to a
silhouetted form that twitched and writhed in agony.
Peering into the light at the figure, it took her long
moments before she realized what it was she was seeing. All
she could do was stand and stare in horrified dread.

Roses. Glimmering petals of what looked to be silver and
gold adorned what appeared to be sinister, vine-like canes,
their thorns as large and sharp as small daggers. The
formidable plants were entwined around the writhing, softly
moaning form, every tiny movement embedding the points of
those canes deeper into flayed and bleeding flesh. Blood,
sweat and tears mixed together into a pitiful liquid that
shimmered like dew on the deceptively beautiful blooms. The
girl being so horribly tortured was every bit as beautiful
as the dead man behind on the white marble bier, her long
deep violet hair curling around her otherwise nude form and
entwined within the cruel vines, her large emerald eyes
glazed over in agony.

The rose-haired child gasped, small hands coming up to cover
her mouth. (Who is she?) the girl wondered, unable to
comprehend why anyone would deserve such terrible treatment.

"She is Love," answered a soft voice.

Jumping in startlement, her voice giving off a faint squeak
of surprise, the blue- and white-dressed little girl whirled
around, searching for the source of the words. "Love?" she
repeated, her own voice sounding tiny and quavering.

"Yes, the spirit of Love," responded the disembodied voice.
It sounded melodious, like that of a youthful man. "The
hatred of the world binds her, the poison of the thorns make
her agony that much more."

"What-what happened to her?" the girl asked, still looking
around.

"Her champion is no more, and without his protection, the
hatred of the world caught her in its grasp."

"Her... champion?"

"The one who lies in eternal sleep was the one sworn to
protect her, to keep her light of hope from fading in the
world," the bodiless voice replied, seemingly coming from
everywhere at once. "But he grew ill with the effort. She
so loved him that she sacrificed herself to save him, but
she lost him anyway as hatred destroyed him. All she has
left is her suffering."

Turning to stare up at the writhing girl in the middle of
her deceptively beautiful prison, the little girl's lower
lip quivered as tears puddled up in her large azure eyes.
"Too cruel," she sobbed, seeing an aching and a suffering
far worse than her own. "Why should she be hurt when she
tried to save her champion?"

"It wasn't her place. In trying to take up his burden, she
neglected her own, little one," came the answer from the
gentle voice. "She no longer trusted him, which made him
vulnerable to the wiles of hatred. He was destroyed, and
that left her defenseless. Hatred has her in its grasp,
trying now to extinguish the light of Love from the world."

"Too cruel!" the child insisted, suddenly running toward the
four-stepped dais over which the dreadful vision of the
rose-entwined girl hovered. Tears streaming down her
cherubic face, she dashed up the stairs -- only to find
herself suddenly flying backwards as her little body was
stopped by an invisible but immovable force. Stunned, she
laid there a moment, her only thought focused on finding
*some* way of rescuing Love from her horrid imprisonment.

"Only Love's Honor can free her."

Sniffling, the little girl lifted up her rose-colored head.
(Love's Honor?) she wondered, looking around.

The sudden flash of a ruby glimmer caught her attention and
held it. Hastily wiping her eyes, the child slowly got to
her leather-shoed feet, the red glitter beckoning her
onward. Retracing her steps, her reddened eyes widened as
she saw what was making the shimmering dance of scarlet
light.

She stood now on the other side of the bier, once again
looking upon the dead form of the angelic man who had once
been Love's champion. Lying alongside his white-clad body
was the most gorgeous sword she had ever seen. The long
blade gleamed like the brightest of silver, the dual edges
appearing razor sharp and deadly. The ornate golden hilt
was decorated with numerous tiny rubies that glittered with
a brilliant fire, the pommelstone being a large ruby cut
into a perfectly smooth sphere and trapped within a golden
cage at the apex of the hilt. The crosspieces were carved
on either side with the image of two rings linked into the
symbol for eternity, while on each end of the quillions was
embedded into the gold an impressive ruby formed into the
shape of a heart. The sword as a whole faintly glimmered
with a quiescent power that the little girl could almost see
and feel. Without the voice replying, she somehow knew that
the sword was called Love's Honor, and that that blade was
what the voice meant when it said that Love's Honor could
free the suffering spirit.

An abrupt flare of hope filled her. Maybe that's why she
was here, to take up the sword and save the agonized girl.
Her expression suddenly determined, the rose-haired child
grabbed at the hilt of the glimmering weapon. Once again
she met with an unseen and unforgiving force, the resulting
shock flinging her little body to the ground and making her
hand sting. (No! It wasn't fair!)

"Little one, so noble of heart, the sword was not meant for
you," the disembodied voice gravely stated.

"Then who gets it? Who can help her?" the girl sobbed, once
again dissolving into tears at the cruelty of it all.

"A new champion must be found, a man worthy to wield the
blade. Only then can Love be saved."

"I'll become worthy and save her myself!"

"Even if you keep that noble heart, you will one day soon
become a lady. The sword was not meant for girl nor woman,
and to try to wield it would only compound Love's original
mistake."

The child quieted her crying into soft sniffles, almost
instantly contrite. She wanted to save the other girl, not
make things worse. "Then I'll find someone worthy of the
sword. I'll see to it that Love is saved."

"Such a gentle and caring child," murmured the soft voice.
"Should you retain your kind and noble heart, you may indeed
find the one worthy to be the new champion, though I fear
you will forget all about this place."

"I *won't* forget! I'll find the one to save her!" the
little girl insisted.

There was a long pause, the very atmosphere in that gray and
featureless twilight giving her the impression that
something was being thought over and decided. Then the
quiet voice from seemingly everywhere at once spoke again.
"Look to the fallen champion. Do you see the brooch he
wears?"

Big blue eyes looked over the still form of the angelic man,
focusing on the gold and ruby-adorned piece of jewelry that
fastened the half-cape together. "Yes," she replied, her
gaze lingering over the intricate knotwork around the four
heart shaped rubies set into the golden surface in a cross,
their pointed bases all touching in the center of the
design.

"Take the brooch as a memento of this time and place.
Should you remain as noble and kind a lady as you are now as
a girl, then it will surely lead you back to this place. If
you can return here, then by letting your heart be your
guide, you shall find the one that can free Love from her
unending torment."

Swallowing hard in nervousness, tiny fingers reached up and
carefully worked the brooch's fastening loose from the dead
man's clothing. Tugging it from the snowy-white cloth, the
rose-haired girl gently cradled the beautiful piece of
jewelry in her hands.

Now she had something for which to live, a reason to
continue her existence.

No longer would she meekly surrender to death.

Her hands tightening around the golden brooch, she turned
and looked back at the weakly struggling form bound tightly
by the horrid roses. Pain-filled and clouded eyes of purest
emerald gazed back at her, and in that brief moment, the
little girl understood what true, never-ending suffering
could actually be.
________________

"Touga!" the verdant-haired youth called out yet again, the
sound of the pouring rain hissing through the lush forest
foliage and dimpling the surface of the wind-rippled lake.
His clothes soaking wet, a side of his trousers smeared with
mud from a slip and fall while he had been making his way
back to the bottom of the cliff from where his foster
brother had dived, Saionji made for a rather pitiful sight
as he fervently searched for any sign of the other boy.
Thunder, distant now, rumbled across the valley, and he was
finding that the rapidly approaching night was making it
hard to make out what was what in the deepening gloom of the
downpour. (Oh god, what if I can't find him? What if he's
dead?)

A sound caught his attention, one that was out of place from
the music of the surrounding storm. Breaking out into
another sprint, occasionally slipping on the treacherously
thin sliver of ground between the base of the cliffside and
the edge of the large body of water, Saionji scrambled as
swiftly as he dared toward the place where he was sure that
sound had come.

Splashing, more coughing, sounds of what could only be
retching and desperate gasps for air. Heartened by the
noise, the green-haired youth redoubled his efforts, only to
damned near trip over the bodies when he did finally
discover them. Hidden partially by a thick bush that filled
up the space between cliff and shore, only a faint flash of
deepest scarlet in the dim light and the continued noise
alerted Saionji to his foster brother's presence there.
Coming to an abrupt halt, the shorter boy cried out, "Are
you okay?"

Only more coughing, followed by violent retching, answered
the youth's question. Peering into the rain-soaked dim
light, Saionji could see that Touga was lying on his side,
body gasping for breath. The sounds were coming from a
huddled little form lying just in front of the Kiryuu heir.
Violet eyes wide, Saionji just stood there, trying to make
sense of the scene.

"Is... she okay?" the scarlet-haired youth finally managed
to say when he had caught his breath. Considering that the
little form was continuing to violently expel water from her
lungs, he thought that was a good sign for her eventual
recovery.

"I'm not sure," Saionji helplessly replied.

Groaning, Touga pulled himself up into a sitting position,
opening his eyes and leaning forward to take a look at the
child he had dragged from the water. She was a little
thing, clad in plain brown leather shoes, a blue overtunic
showing glimpses of a white chemise underneath. Though the
clothing was waterlogged and more than likely utterly
ruined, he got the sense that they had once been an outfit
of a modest value. Hearing her breathing beginning to
stabilize, he reached forward and carefully rolled the child
onto her back.

From what he could see in the growing twilight, the girl was
a pretty one; her fine mane of hair lay water-slicked
against a charming and noble face.

"Who is she?" Saionji asked, a worried frown settling on his
handsome visage. He was sure he'd never seen this little
girl before in his life.

"I have no idea," Touga finally responded, the fingers of a
hand brushing a few wet strands from her face. Shifting
himself into a kneeling position there in the mud, he
carefully slid his arms under the child's body and pulled
her into a cradling embrace against his chest. "But we
can't just leave her out here in this storm." Hauling
himself up into a wide-braced stance, the scarlet-haired boy
looked over at his foster brother. "Lead the way back to
the trail, Saionji. We really need to get home before the
clan comes looking for us."

Stiffly nodding, the shorter youth turned and began to
carefully pick his way back along the slippery ground, the
deepening darkness making it hard to see. Since they hadn't
expected to be out past dark, neither one of them had
brought with them anything with which to light a torch;
besides, the storm had swiftly soaked everything, so had
they had firemaking tools, there was nothing available with
which to make a torch of any sort.

"Slowly, Saionji," Touga reminded the other. "It's getting
very hard to see."

The sensation of strong arms holding her and of being lifted
up in the air roused the little girl. Opening large azure
eyes, it took her a moment to realize that she could hear
and see. The soft hiss of rain, the low voices of what
sounded like two boys, an angel-like face framed by soaking
wet dark hair… Without knowing why, she felt safe in those
arms. Relaxing slightly, she became aware of an ache in her
right hand; she knew she held something important, something
she should never lose. Closing her eyes again in utter
exhaustion, the little girl snuggled against the warmth of
the one carrying her as best she could.

Into the darkness the little progression continued, Saionji
slipping and sliding his way forward, muttering a curse here
and there as he stumbled along back the way he thought he'd
come and Touga striding along behind, carefully testing each
step before pulling his weight on it, his arms full of tired
little girl. When the cliffside began to change into a
steep hill, the green-haired youth actually smiled. They
were almost back to the now-muddy trail that led up and over
the ridge that encircled the glen of Clan Kiryuu.

Voices shouting their names and torchlight in the distance
greeted the two boys as they staggered up along the road.
Once voice in particular thundered out, making the two groan
softly in apprehension. Steeling his nerves, Touga called
out in reply, "Down here!"

The sound of hooves came closer; torchlight and the relieved
men of Clan Kiryuu swiftly surrounded them. Any
tongue-lashing the Kiryuu may have had for his sons died
unspoken as his violet-blue eyes looked down on the sorry
sight of the water-soaked boys, the small form of a much
younger child in his redheaded son's arms.

"She fell into the lake, Father," Touga softly explained.
"I couldn't just let her drown..."

A stern frown on his handsome face, the imposing redheaded
man merely nodded at his son's words. "Mount up and let's
go home," the Kiryuu ordered. A gesture to the surrounding
men, and a young warrior with dark brown hair and eyes
equally dark brown came forward, Thunder and Lightning
trailing after him by their bridles.

With a cursory nod, Saionji swiftly made his way over to the
all-black Highland pony that was his rouncy. Putting a foot
in the stirrup, the green-haired youth lifted himself up
into the saddle atop Thunder and then took the reins from
the Kiryuu warrior.

Touga walked up to where his father sat astride his
impressive chestnut-colored stallion, not meeting the
other's disapproving stare. "Could you please hold her?" he
softly asked. "I'd like to carry her home," he added, once
more looking down at the apparently dozing child. Something
about her, some indefinable quality, made him want to keep
her close and forever protect her from the dangers of the
world.

The only answer he got was feeling his waterlogged burden be
taken from him. Stepping back from his father, the
scarlet-haired boy strode over to where the Kiryuu warrior
continued to hold the snow-white Highland pony by the reins.
Gracefully mounting the rouncy, Touga took control of the
reins and urged Lightning into a walk, only stopping when he
was once more next to the leader of Clan Kiryuu. For a long
moment, he wondered if his father wouldn't honor his
request; violet-blue eyes stared down at him with a mixture
of emotions Touga couldn't read. At last, however, the tall
redheaded man lifted up the little form of the girl toward
his son.

Lashing the reins around the horn of the leather saddle,
Touga carefully balanced himself and once more pulled the
girl into his arms. Getting her settled comfortably across
his thighs and in his embrace, Touga looked down at her
again. In the torchlight, he could see that her cherubic
visage held the hint of a promise of future beauty and that
her fine mane of hair was rose pink in color, judging by the
few wisps that had dried and were floating about her face.

The jostling around disturbed the child's uneasy slumber.
Opening her eyes again, she caught a glimpse again of that
handsome face surrounded by dark red hair, this time clearer
now in the dancing orange-tinged illumination of firelight.
Seeing that she was being held by the same youth as before,
the girl faintly smiled and let herself drift off to sleep
again. There was something about him that let her know
beyond all doubts that he would keep her safe.

Around him, the Kiryuu and his men turned their horses
around and began riding back up along the rain-washed trail.
Knowing that Lightning would follow their lead, Touga kept
his arms around the girl and his eyes on her. He'd noticed
her eyes the moment she opened them, their brilliant blue
color truly startling; he let out the breath he didn't
realize he was holding once she snuggled closer to his
warmth and closed those azure orbs once again. Overcome by
curiosity -- her hair looked amazingly fine and soft to the
touch -- he shifted his hold on her and gently ran a hand
through her still-wet hair. Despite it being soaked, it
still felt like the finest of silks as it slipped between
his fingers; the tactile sensation only added to the child's
appeal. All of his protective instincts aroused at the
sight of her -- so pretty and trusting, sleeping peacefully
in his arms -- Touga silently swore that he would be her
protector for as long as she stayed among Clan Kiryuu.