Equilibrium

Chapter 1

Her face contorts in pain as she pulls back wet strands of her apple red hair from her eyes. A wave of pain comes again and she tries to hide her face, noticing the person looming above her was watching quite intently. She adjusts her black choker which stood out and was starting to rub against her delicate, creamy skin.

Finally she looks up, horrified at what this person had done to her.

"Why are you doing this?" she finally gasps, looking at her attacker.

Droplets of water run from her long red hair and fall to the ground as she unceremoniously pushes up from the ground so that she is kneeling.

She begins to then get herself onto her feet when he lunges over and grabs a bunch of her night gown material in his hand. He pauses for a moment, admiring her choker with a diamond on the front. The glint in his eye made her feel wary when suddenly he brings up his toned arm, hovers it above the other side of her face and back hands her across the cheek, hard.

She falls to the ground with a scream of pain, squirming and shaking. She lifts her head up, barely and through the gaps between her wet, matted fringe, can see her attacker.

For the first time in her life, she is starting to dislike a person enough to become violent - but only to get away and in self defense.

The man in front of her laughs callously at how weak she was.

"I'll tell you why. Let me tell you a story of a boy..."

After the story was told, she could tell it was about him. It all was.

"But don't worry, there's more. He stopped for too long in a place he thought was untouchable. It was against everything he knew and was taught but he did it because...he fell in love with a woman he couldn't have."

Shirayuki looked up at the man with terror on her face. How did he know?

"That's why you're here, Yuki. You have the face and the body of a beautiful red haired angel but you creep into men's hearts and bring them nothing but pain. When he gets here - if he comes - you will cause him pain because you'll be dead, do you understand now what you've stumbled into?"

"No," she breathed, her eyes lidded, looking up at him angrily and was now recoiling from the pain that was now in her cheek. "It's you who have misunderstood. If he comes, you will be the one that will die. You of all people should know; he doesn't like it when people take his things."

Obi yawned.

"Am I keeping you awake, sir?" said Shirayuki jokingly as she picked one of the last herbs for the day.

Obi laughed. "You are, but only you could be the one to keep me awake, Miss," he said with a smile.

And there it was, that smile. It was odd that she never saw him give that genuine smile to anyone else and for some reason it bothered her and she didn't know why.

Six months ago, she was told by Zen that because his brother was now the King, Zen would have a lot more responsibility. As well as finding a suitable bride. He had tried to convince Izana to allow Shirayuki to be his bride (he had tried for years) but he could never convince him, despite the fact that Izana had previously hinted he would try to accept her.

Finally, Izana got his wish because one day, Zen realised just how far apart they were and how foolish and selfish it would be to thrust Shirayuki into his world.

She always told him that she would work hard to be by his side, but at what cost? And she wasn't wrong, she did work to be more than a commoner but in the end, he finally saw the gap between them and what the people really needed. Feelings be damned. He wasn't a teen anymore and he could see the harsh reality.

It was a fairy tale to believe in love in the Royal Family because it was rarely possible.

The day Zen told her, she was an absolute wreck. It took Obi hours of holding her, caressing her hair and finally allowing her to cry herself to sleep for her to finally be at peace for the night.

And that same night, he had come to see Zen.

He looked at Obi and the guilt inside him began to flourish. Obi looked at him so menacingly but he held himself respectfully, well, until he opened his mouth.

"Master," Obi drawled from the windowsill where he was sitting. His knees were bent with his arm resting over one of them.

Zen looked up to see Obi get up from his position and walk toward him until they were but a meter apart.

"I'm guessing you know-"

"Damn right I do, Master. Why-how could you do that to Mistress?!" Obi exclaimed incredulously. "She was devoted to you, loved you and did what you asked of her. She doesn't deserve this."

"Don't you think I know that?! I still love her but I have to do this for the Kingdom. There are too many things going on between my brother being King to my duties and also some powerful criminal group is spreading throughout the Kingdom."

Obi clenched his jaw. "So Shirayuki doesn't matter?"

Zen's eyes widened slightly. It was rare for Obi to speak her name, in fact, he didn't think he'd ever heard Obi say it before. Even when Obi confessed his love for her, he still called her "mistress".

Zen smiled but there was no humor behind it. "You know, I wasn't blind."

Obi opened his mouth and was about to berate Zen again but stopped at his words. He knew what they meant.

"You two are so close and you can't tell me its platonic, after all, you did confess that you love her, do you remember?" said Zen quietly, jealousy caked his voice thickly.

Obi's expression turned undecipherable. "Didn't you trust her?"

The prince scoffed. "I trusted both of you but the feeling was always there. You know, back in Tanbarun, Raj's sister asked if you two felt anything for each other and you didn't make a comment. Makes me really wonder what really went on there."

Zen clenched his fists for a second before releasing them calmly. He lifted his head to the ceiling, let out a long breath and then turned to look at Obi who quietly assessed Zen. He figured he was trying to work out what Zen was getting at.

"Don't worry, only my incompetence happened during that trip Master, nothing more," said Obi darkly, hating his actions back then so much.

He often thought of how he could have done things better but every time his thoughts went to that trip years ago, he remembered why it was worth it.

Images of red hair swaying in the wind flashed through his mind, her delicate slender arms grabbing his own as she was about to fall. The way she would walk through the gardens and her green orbs would look over to him and smile...the beautiful dresses she wore which fit her perfect, slender body...

And then his mind was going elsewhere.

"Well now you have your chance Obi. I can't be with Shirayuki anymore, I hate to say this because I should have always been the one to comfort her, but you need to be there for her like you've always been. I know that you always notice her and watch her every move. I'm ordering you to continue to do that."

Obi shook his head as he began to walk toward the doors, leading out of his office. "Tch. I don't need to be ordered," he said quietly as he ran out.

"I'm done, lets go home," she smiled up at him, clutching her satchel to her chest.

Obi nodded, jumping down from the nearby tree, landing right next to Shirayuki. The truth was, even though it looked like his eyes were closed, he was just watching her. He'd watched her the whole day, which by the way, was his favourite pass time.

He pulled her slender body up onto the horse and as she got comfy against him at the front, he couldn't help his treacherous feelings come into play. The way her body felt against his, like she fit like a glove.

Who was he kidding?

When they got back to the palace the guards were in a frenzy.

"...the Order again," he heard one of the guards say ahead.

Obi brought the horse to a trot as his keen senses picked up more bits of information. Apparently there had been more disappearances reported today. Something bothered him about this criminal group that was spreading like wildfire. It felt all too...familiar.

He looked down at the red haired sleeping beauty who rested her head back against his chest and the only reason she hadn't fallen off the horse was because he had wrapped an arm around her stomach during the ride.

She was so trusting and he swore it would be her downfall if he weren't there to protect her.

As soon as he carried Shirayuki to the sleeping room near her work station, as well as the supplies she had gathered (trust me it was a skill - he should have been an acrobat or something) he was summoned to see Zen and was also ordered to bring Shirayuki.

She awoke in his arms but she knew it was Obi carrying her, she could smell him and it made her feel safe. Shirayuki snaked her arm around the back of his neck and brought her other arm up to sit on his shoulder and immediately, amber eyes were upon her sleepy form.

"Miss, we've been summoned," he said quietly, almost guiltily as he continued to carry her through the castle entrance. He nodded to the guards as they allowed them to proceed.

It was then that she began to fully awaken and quite suddenly. "B-By who?"

"By Master."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This was not the evening she had planned. She had planned to have a nice quiet dinner with Obi and then they would talk about stupid things and he would make her laugh and she would say something silly and he would just smile at her and make her feel giddy...no...that's not the right word, is it?

No...it was the right word, she thought guiltily. Things were starting to happen in her heart of late which were not caused by Zen but she hadn't really had a chance to think properly about it yet.

She was a little sad at seeing Zen after so long but that pain had ended a while ago. He had given her time away from him and she appreciated that.

But what he was asking...she had an obligation to volunteer, why couldn't Obi understand?

They had been arguing back and forth. Obi was starting to raise his voice now. Mitsuhide was trying to calm Zen and Kiki was trying to keep Obi from breaking the Prince's nose because she could see that's where this 'conversation' was heading.

"I'll do it," she said serenely.

Obi snapped his head toward her with his eyes widened. He walks over to her quickly, angrily if she had to pick an emotion, and grabs her shoulders. He looks down into her eyes, incredulous.

"I-I have to do this Obi, if not me, then Ryu? He doesn't deserve that and plus it has to be a woman and Garrick is away at the moment," she tried to explain but Obi had that dark look again.

He had exerted so much energy into his arguments and so swiftly left without another word before he did something he regretted.

"Obi!" she exclaimed, but he was already gone.

Zen looked at Shirayuki as well, thinking about whether he was making the right decision.

"You will have to leave in two days," he said softly, watching her from the side but her eyes hadn't left the door where Obi had left from.

"Obi," she said as she walked into his room.

The room was silent, but he was lying on his bed, awake. For a moment before she spoke again she took in his form.

He was quite tall, if she thought about it. Lean, nimble and deadly to be precise and often wondered if his height hindered his abilities, but seeing him in action, she knew the answer was 'no'.

But as he lay there, staring at the ceiling of his bed with his eyes open she could see the real side of him.

The side he rarely showed others. It was always jokes and snide remarks to get the pot stirring going but when he was with her, it just seemed like they shared just about everything and right now, he was dejected, almost hurt - she could see it in his eyes.

She walked slowly over to the bed, slipped her shoes off and swung her legs up onto the bed. She rolled over and laid her head in the crook of his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest.

They weren't always touching like this but when it called for it, she would initiate a hug or touch here and there to reassure him, depending on the situation.

Obi automatically lifted his arm up to rest on her upper waist from behind her back, pulling her slightly closer to him. She didn't know how they got to this point, if she thought about it, they probably looked intimate and in actual fact, people had commented to her in Lyrias about it.

It was always Obi who said straight away with his hands in the air as if surrendering "Oh no, Master would kill me."

But when they asked her she would say "Oh, well, we're just like that."

She didn't actually know why she said that because it didn't accept or deny any allegations at all. In fact, it probably made them wonder even more.

"Obi, don't be mad," she whispered, against his chest, causing his body to stiffen slightly. "Zen said it will probably only be a week and-"

Obi scoffed loudly and pulled away from her, now sitting at the edge with his legs on the ground. He looked at the window.

"Miss, you don't understand what this criminal group does and you've never done something like this," he says, his eyebrows knitted angrily. "Its usually me."

He wanted to also say "I won't let you" but how could he? Shirayuki was his Mistress and he was but a humble servant, really. Zen's servant.

"Tell me Obi, why do you care so much?" she asked suddenly, wondering why all of a sudden he was so mad.

She knew he was her friend and that he cared from that respect, but to the point of almost throttling the Prince?

Obi remained silent.

"I'm just going to be doing herbalist work-"

"You don't know that. You don't know what people are capable of; I do," he said stiffly.

Deep down he knew that no amount of words would deter Shirayuki from doing this because she wanted to keep Ryu safe. But what about her?

And Zen had purposely gone out of his way to say that he wasn't allowed to come. Of course he knew why.

How would she go undercover with her bodyguard with her all the time?

The thing was, he loved her too much. So, so much. It hurt.

It had all started out as simple admiration, or so he thought, but as he thought back to the beginning, it was probably something more akin to love at first sight. Maybe not the very first sight but just after he shot the arrow. She had him intrigued at that point.

But when she had collapsed at Fort Laxdo and he asked why she was thanking him, she had told him that he had saved her from falling and that there was no way she wouldn't be thankful for that.

She had smiled at him like he mattered, like he was useful and wanted. Her smile is what made him fall for her. Not her beauty or her beautiful red apple hair, no, that was the obvious physical attraction. It was her kindness and the ability see the good in everyone that really drew him to her in the first place.

And then everything else he learned about her made him fall harder and harder as time went on. It was really tragic...and weak, he knew that but he couldn't stop.

Shirayuki climbed over the bed and sat next to him. She leaned her arm against his and looked out the window she leaned the side of her head against him.

"Obi, I bet you'll be glad for the peace anyway. You always say its annoying what with the carrying of bags and various herbs and the trips to get them all the time," she laughed, trying to get him back in a more playful mood.

He wasn't having a bar of it tonight.

"I jokingly complain, I don't actually dislike it."

Shirayuki sighed. "I go in two days, can you just...can you please just pretend that you aren't angry for the next two days?"

Obi took his usual hat off that he had turned up with back when they had first met and laid them both back into the mattress. They laid there, their heads touching as they both looked up at the ceiling.

Shirayuki wrapped her hand into his and he didn't recoil from it like he sometimes did.

"My job is to protect you, Miss. How can I protect you when you're...there," he said quietly.

He sighed as their hands locked with one another; their fingers intertwined now.

"Well, I guess you can't, but Obi...I'm not with Zen anymore, I haven't been for half a year. I'm not that girl anymore I'm just-just a commoner like anyone else. You don't have to be by my side and protect me anymore, if you don't-"

"But I do want to, Miss. I do," he whispered the last part softly.

Shirayuki's eyes widened and she turned her head to face him but as usual, his face was unreadable. If she was true to herself, she knew that when he said things like that, it made her stomach get butterflies. She put it down to a selfish desire to be protected but she was starting to feel like it was more than that.

After all, she spent so much time with him now and she couldn't help but feel attached to Obi in more than a platonic way. She knew this feeling...she knew it all too well.

Oh god.

"Obi, I-"

"One condition," he said with a huff as he turned to face her with amber eyes full of determination.

Shirayuki's thoughts were put on hold as she now wondered what that condition was.

"You learn some basic self defense."

"Miss," she heard a voice.

"Miss, you stayed over," said his voice with a sigh.

Shirayuki smiled, however, she thought he was standing behind her but he was actually in front of her. His eyes watched as her lips had twitched upward in almost a loving smile.

For him? No, she was probably thinking of someone else.

"But your bed is much more comfortable, Obi," she said, her smile not leaving her face.

Obi bent down and placed his palm on her head, causing her green eyes to look up into his amber ones. She found his eyes to be so intense sometimes when she woke up next to him (the rare times she had, that is) but this morning, he was looking at her as if he was trying to work something out.

"You promised me something, Miss, last night...do you remember?" he said softly. "So you should go and get changed appropriately."

Shirayuki groaned and turned over. "Sleep...sleep."

His lips turned upward into a half grin and he slid the sheets off her, like he did most mornings to wake her up but his eyes widened and his cheeks began to redden very quickly.

Her night dress had slid up above her belly, it seemed, and he could see everything from her creamy, slender legs to her underwear (which seemed more adult like than he imagined since they had lace on them). They cupped her bottom tightly so he could see all the curvature and left nothing to the imagination.

Despite how gentlemanly he usually was, this was pushing his limit.

"You-you have to get up Miss," he said finally, turning away with a red tint to his cheeks.

He walked over to the window, placed his palms on the window sill and leaned over, clenching his eyes closed. Slowly his thoughts became 'righted' and found that she had gotten up.

"I'll just need to go home first," Shirayuki smiled and stretched her arms above her as she walked out the door.

Obi got up from his position at the window and watched her silhouette move out of his eye sight.

"Tch. What a woman."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Miss, can you focus please?" whined Obi.

They were outside in the forest near the palace where the soldiers practice drills and train and Shirayuki preferred it here anyway so people couldn't see her look like an utter fool.

Obi's eyes told her he wasn't pleased at her smile. He looked at her up and down while she adjusted her stance, so she wasn't looking at his face. She had gotten changed into an outfit Kiki had let her borrow and they must be the same size because it fits her perfectly, if not slightly tighter in the chest (not that he was looking).

"Come on Obi, I won't get to see you for a while, can't we at least have some fun?" she said with a pout.

He shook his head. "If you don't learn this, you're not going-ah I mean, Miss, it was one of the conditions, remember?"

Shirayuki pursed her lips and then finally sighed and nodded.

"I want you to try and hit me," he said, deadpanned and serious now, as if she were an opponent. "Come on, I've shown you the basics on how to punch."

She was timid though and didn't have a violent nature so how was she supposed to do this?

Shirayuki hesitantly ran forward and instead of punching, went to slap him, which he blocked easily.

"Really, Miss? A slap ain't gonna do nothing," he said as he released her hand softly.

The red head sheepishly smiled up at him.

The day was near its end with the sun beginning to fall.

"Alright, you're getting better Miss. So how about we pretend I'm your attacker," he pronounced as he walked over to her, wrapping his arm from behind her and around her upper chest, above her breasts.

Shirayuki's eyes widened at the sudden grasp around her body and her cheeks became flushed. But, he was right, she should at least learn some basic moves.

So she did as he taught her. She slammed her foot down, hard, onto his shoe which caused him to grunt then thrusted her elbow backwards, hitting his jaw square on. This caused Obi to release his hold somewhat and so she used this opportunity to push the arm that was around her body up and twisted underneath it and pushed it up behind his back and successfully into the hold he had demonstrated earlier.

She began to release the hold when he suddenly turned and grabbed her from the front.

"Don't let your guard down, Miss. What are you gonna do now?" he said, a playful glint in his eye now.

Obi grabbed her wrists and was about to pull her in further but she remembered something.

If you think you can't successfully get away clean, you have to use any means necessary. Use you weight, even though you're light, the sudden weight on someone's body all of a sudden will catch them off guard.

Shirayuki looked up at him determined before she yanked slightly back, but his hold remained strong and then used her body weight to jump up on top of him. Her hands gripped his shoulders hard, causing him to fall backwards to the ground.

She was on top of him now, her legs either side his body, straddling him and somehow had managed to swipe one of his knives from his pocket and held it to his chest. Although the way she held it with both hands clearly showed her lack of knowledge on how to actually slice or stab someone.

Shirayuki smiled. "This has earned us a day of fun tomorrow, right?"

Obi couldn't breath and not because she was heavy. Was she really straddling him right now? He wasn't even threatened by the knife to his chest, although, he couldn't believe she had managed to swipe it from his side pouch before he could grab it back.

He could feel the blood rush down to his groin but before she could feel it, he lifted her to the side and they sat up, both sitting on the ground facing each other.

"Maybe, Miss. But we should really practice-" when suddenly she was on top of him again, straddling him as she had before.

Their faces were so close now as he was leaning backwards, his arms holding him up from behind on the grass, and she brought her hands up to cup his cheeks.

"No, Obi please, lets just have fun. I'll ask Ryu and some of the others to come too, if they can," she smiled but as she realised her position, her eyes widened and her cheeks became almost as red as her hair.

She was off him in seconds as she sat cross legged beside him and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, looking up at the sky which was quickly losing light.

"S-sorry Obi, I d-didn't realise what I was d-doing," she said, laughing awkward. "We, um, we should get back anyway."

Obi began to get up and watched as she walked toward the path back to the palace. He noticed just how long her hair was now as she undid her ribbon from it, allowing it all to cascade down beautifully. It reached her lower back now. Just how was she supposed to protect herself?

Every man would want to touch her hair, if not just because of her apple red hair, but also her beauty which she obviously wasn't aware of.

He came out of his reverie as he heard her voice call for him. He jogged to catch up.

They walked in silence for a while.

Thoughts of earlier and her feelings lately kept popping into her head. Should she tell him? Should she wait till she got back?

Shirayuki was so nervous and her face was hot again with embarrassment, she didn't know what to do. The fact was, he probably didn't feel that way and she would end up embarrassing herself. Heck, she didn't know if it was just because he was familiar or whether she was starting to fall for him.

No. It can wait.

She waved as she rode the horse - a skill Obi had also taught her - toward her destination. She thought back to how much fun they had yesterday and how lucky she was to have friends that she cherished.

Shirayuki looked back but he was no longer there. She had to focus now, her herb satchel was fastened to her horse but she wondered what was in store for her. Zen had given her a map and explained that he had Mitsuhide send an anonymous message on her behalf of her taking the herbalist job with The Order.

So they knew she was coming. She was to undertake the duties of a herbalist at this place but at the same time, try to uncover why they needed herbalists and also, who the leaders were, how many people were under their command and how they recruited their men.

And also, what the women were for that were being taken.

"I know its a lot to work out but if you're undercover, you'll discover a lot in this time. If its dangerous or you are fearful, send word with your bell. They won't know what its for, you can just say its a necklace you bought somewhere and we'll get you out," explained Zen. "The truth is, we haven't been able to so much as find out one name of that organisation. They all use pseudonyms. So its up to you, this is the best plan we've had."

Shirayuki nodded. She looked over at Obi who didn't voice any input, in fact, usually he would be mucking around or talking animatedly with Mitsuhide or flirting with Kiki to try and get a rise out of Mitsuhide.

But today, the day of her departure, she was anything but joyful. He hadn't said one word yet and wouldn't look in her eye, either.

As she got the horse from the stable, she heard his voice.

"Miss," he said quietly.

She turned and smiled. "Oh, you are going to talk to me then," she laughed but he didn't laugh back.

His eyes looked forlorn but as usual she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"You have to be more aware of your surroundings, Miss. I won't be there, don't forget. Think of me Miss, please, because if you die I'm out of a job," he said, ending with a joke and a half smile.

Shirayuki's eyes lit up and she laughed along with him. "I won't forget, I could never forget you, Obi," she beamed up at him as she began to lead the horse out of the stable now, Obi was right next to her.

"What Master doesn't realise is anything could happen when you're there. I would have been more suited to go since I'm combat trained, Miss. I just-Miss, you're just too kind and gentle, you're not meant for this," he said, coming out as a whine but she knew it was just because he was concerned for her.

"You're kind too, Obi. Why should you have this burden all the time? And you know, every time you leave for some task to complete, I often wonder if you'll return and it hurts, too, you know? I am under the employ of the Crown too, I'm a Court Herbalist and so it falls to me to do this task because if I didn't, I wouldn't be fit to be a Court Herbalist," she explained softly, trying to get Obi to understand.

He didn't voice his true concerns because it would only scare Shirayuki. She gave him a tight hug before he helped her onto her horse and she rode off.

Zen, Mitsuhide, Kiki and Ryu stood beside him - all of them worried as well, it would seem.

"You said you had spies in Lyrias and Wilant, Master, when will they send word?" asked Obi, not taking his eyes of Shirayuki who was still waving.

The frost haired young man nodded. "In three days."

She dismounted her horse. She was now in Lyrias.

It was strange being back here after so long, but she had always made sure to keep in touch with Yuzuru and the others.

But now was not the time, she had to find the person who would be able to take her to her new 'job'.

Shirayuki pulled her hood off and walked over to the tavern nearby but before she could open the door and sack was pulled over her head and the last thing she remembered was the strong smell of chloroform.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The light sounds of people talking was the first thing she heard. Then silence and the slam of a door.

Shirayuki's eyes flittered open. She blinked a few times, trying to register where she was. It was not her bed nor Obi's.

Oh, that's right. I have a job to do.

"You're awake then, Red," said a feminine voice from beside her.

Shirayuki frowned. "I-where am I?"

"You're here for the job aren't ya?" the girl said.

She finally sat up and groaned, a headache looming cloudily through her head as she remembered being knocked out by the chloroform.

Shirayuki's forest green eyes focused on the girl now. She looked to be her age, short black hair, purple orbs and a thin face. She was petite and wore a nightgown. The girl seemed to look kind though, well, kind enough.

"Yes. I'm a Herbalist," said Shirayuki with a small smile. "May I ask your name?"

The girl seemed taken aback and nodded in return. "My name is Riza. Reno wants to see you."

Again Shirayuki's brow knitted together, clearly not recognising the name.

"Is he...is he the boss?" she stammered, all of a sudden nervous. Could this be the leader of this group?

"He is for now but he wants to see you, so if you're able, lets go so you can meet him," she said with a small smile as she reached her hand to grab Shirayuki's arm.

The red head nodded and swung her legs over the side of the cot she was lying in and found that her boots were gone. She was barefoot and also.

"Did-did you change me into this, Riza?" asked Shirayuki, a little embarrassed and also irritated. Where were her things? And what was with her silky nightgown? It was a bit revealing with the cleavage lower than she liked and it only reached the middle of her thighs at the bottom!

She nodded but kept dragging her to the door. Riza opened the door quickly and turned left, Shirayuki in tow. Shirayuki tried to memorize where they were going as she was being lead left, right, right again and then through a large hall which was now empty. There were enough chairs in this space for at least two hundred people. The area was clearly the hall where they ate with large tables everywhere and one large table with around eight or so chairs that faced toward the rest.

Shirayuki guessed that the leaders sat there for their meals.

Suddenly she was dragged out of the hall and left again and now, Riza stopped outside a door with two tall, lean men guarding it with swords. One was older, probably mid thirties or middle aged and the other seemed around her age, early twenties. He looked her up and down appreciatively with a half smirk before opening the door. It was made of oak or something similar, in fact the whole decor in this place was all wood, like it was all home made and carved by hand.

The door in front of her had the skull of some animal with horns, adorned at the top middle of it. So this was the leader, perhaps?

"Bring her in," said a solemn voice from within the room.

Riza walked in and stood next to her. Shirayuki looked around at the room. It was huge with a red fluffy couch in the middle of the room with a wooden coffee table in front. There was a bar to her right in the corner of the room with lots of alcohol sitting on the bench, she noticed. On the walls were hanging swords, axes, knives and various other weapons she hadn't seen before. It was as if this man was ready for battle at a moments notice.

But at the back of the room was a very large oak desk and a man was sitting on the edge of it, eying her unabashed. He was tall, lean but not too muscly - sort of Obi's build. He had dark brown, short hair, a vest, black long sleeved shirt, black pants and boots on. His demeanor was very commanding and she didn't like the look he had in his eye.

Yes, he definitely looked like he was ready for battle at anytime.

"That will be all Riza," he said, without even looking at her, his grey orbs fixated on Shirayuki

Riza hesitated, looking from Shirayuki to the man several times but then she bowed her head.

The way she addressed him, startled Shirayuki as her forest green eyes darted to Riza, slightly wider than before.

"Yes Master."

And suddenly her mind filled with images of Obi.

"So. My name is Reno, welcome to The Order," he said with a charming smile as he pushed off from the desk and walked over to her.

His eyes never leaving hers and it was becoming very disconcerting.

Shirayuki placed a hand on her arm, nervously, and smiled as genuinely as she could.

"But I haven't had an interview-

"Oh dear, Red, there won't be a need for that," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "You're perfect."

The guard knocked on Zen's door with more urgency than a usual report which caused Zen to immediately tell him to enter. Obi was already on the window sill and jumped inside.

Zen noticed but was used to his actions because the last three days had been nothing but Obi intruding in his office in case of news about The Order. He didn't say anything and allowed him to hear what the guard was going to say.

"Both messengers sent these via bird," said the guard quickly, handing two pieces of parchment to Zen.

The prince quickly grabbed them and when he opened the letter from Lyrias, something fell out. It was a photo.

"We managed to find out one person's name and took a photo of her (name written on the back of the photo). She was with one of the missing women," literated Zen from the letter.

"Here Obi, do you recognise her?" asked Zen as he handed him the photo.

Suddenly the colour began to drain slowly from Obi's face and his eyes widened.

"I've got to go," was all he said before running toward the window and jumping out.

That was the last time Zen saw Obi for a long, long time.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"I'm a herbalist," said Shirayuki, trying to ascertain as to why they needed one.

It seems Reno was as good at revealing information as Obi.

"Yes, well, lets put it to the test, shall we?"

Suddenly running footsteps were heard and a knock at the door.

"Sorry Reno, she's refusing again," said the man.

Reno's fist clenched and Shirayuki noticed a vein on his forehead pop out slightly.

"Fine. Make sure she finds out what happens when she refuses," he said quietly but the menacing tone in his voice was all too obvious.

Shirayuki knew from that moment on that this man was extremely dangerous.

Reno took Shirayuki's arm in his and dragged her with him.

They walked out of his room and straight down the hall. She had no choice but to come but she wanted to anyway to find out exactly what was going on.

His footsteps were light, despite wearing those boots of his and she could feel his muscles through his shirt, now that he forcefully had his arm wrapped around hers as if they were taking a stroll through the garden.

Finally they reached some stairs and he let go of her.

"Ladies first," he said, showing a fake courteous expression as he motioned with his hand downward.

The stairs went down a fair way but she could see an archway at the bottom. The stairs were lit up with candles on the walls. She did as he asked and walked down them carefully.

Once they both reached the bottom, he opened the door and her eyes widened. There were many herbalists, it seemed, working with various plants.

They all had masks on. Just what was going on here?

"W-why do you need me with all these herbalists here?" she stammered, unable to fathom what Reno's intent was.

He ignored her question and instead, brought her to a vacant table with a single potted plant. "Unpot this and retrieve the leaves."

She looked at it first and realised it was a Grecian Foxglove. Toxic, if handled incorrectly but she wouldn't die.

"Do you have gloves?" she asked, turning to look up at Reno who had his lips pursed, observing her quietly.

"No. Why would you need them?"

Shirayuki sighed. "Its a Grecian Foxglove, its highly toxic. I can do it with my bare hands but I will probably get symptoms, that's all," she explained but realised he was just testing her.

His eyes lit up in excitement.

"There you go, hot and a proficient herbalist," he smiled but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I would test you more, as I have with the others but I think you are skilled enough."

Shirayuki sighed and nodded.

Reno dragged her out of the room, shut the door and dragged her upstairs. Suddenly they were all the way back to where his office was.

"Riza!" he yelled across the hall.

All of a sudden, she could hear pattered footsteps and a few moments later, Riza was there beside her. "Yes Master."

"The summit is starting tomorrow and those of interest will be arriving at noon. Make sure Red, here, is ready," smiled Reno, his eyes lighting up as he scanned her body one more time.

She didn't like it one bit.

"You're a beautiful woman, Red. Tell me, what's your name?"

She had rehearsed this. She could do this, just think of what Obi would do. He wouldn't hesitate to say his name Nanaki and he would act as though none of this fazed him.

"Y-yuki," she stuttered. She was so nervous and now, she was scared.

Just what was her other job?

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Riza walked her back to the room they were in early when she had awoken.

"Riza, what is my other job?"

The girl across the room looked over at Shirayuki, her eyes reflecting in the moonlight that shone through the small window, very close to the ceiling. And in the reflection she saw envy.

"Don't you know, Yuki? You'll be serving them. They are your Masters now."

A/N: Thank you for reading, apologies for the very long chapter. More to come.

Bullet2tm