Notes: Gomen nasai, minna-san! The delay in this fic was long, I know, and I'm sorry. ^^ But this part is really long (I swear it...), and I hope that you enjoy it! Ja!

Couples: Medieval Taira, Yami, Takari, and Kenyako. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Anou... ne, minna-san, if I owned Digimon, would I be sitting on my silly little iMac typing up this silly little story? What with the fact that I have the Tamers season to work on? Well? *smiles* Che', I didn't think so...

Destiny's Path

Kari jerked up in her bed, breathing hard. A cold layer of sweat lay on her skin, and she was sitting in her bed, which was also a bit damp from the sweat. But Kari didn't care, because it only took a few moments for her to start crying mercilessly.

The dream – was it a dream? – came back in a flash. A little boy was walking in a hall... and then some figure, some unknown figure, had come out and slammed something into the boy's head. The little child had fallen wordlessly, and that's when Kari woke up, her mind askew.

Kari looked around, wiping the tears from her eyes. It was dark out – extremely dark – and the only light was the little bit that came through the window, from the moon. Shivering from the feeling of cold sweat on her arms, Kari buried herself into the thick covers on her bedspread. As she did so, though, Kari suddenly became sick to her stomach, as if staying in the bed was going to force her to reveal her dinner. Instantly, Kari jumped out of her bed, and simply kneeled down on the ground, hugging herself and sobbing.

What was happening to her?! What were these visions about? And who was that little boy?

Thinking about the small child from her dream, Kari suddenly remembered that the child had been saying something before he had been assaulted. Still kneeling on the ground, Kari racked her brain to try and remember what the child had been asking... and then, it came to her, in a flash of inspiration, and Kari's brown eyes widened in cold fear...

That's what the child had been saying, ever so quietly. Who are you? Izzy?

As Kari remembered the red-haired messenger – the boy that she had grown up with, and almost saw him as a brother – Kari couldn't help but feel sickened. In her vision – dream? – had it been... had it been Izzy who had... Kari shuddered in both fear and disgust as she recalled what the unknown figure – not Izzy, no, it couldn't be Izzy – had done to the little boy.

Tears began to come to her eyes again, and Kari instantly stood up. Running to the door of her room and grabbing a robe, Kari pulled the soft pink robe on and opened the door. Running down the darkened hall, Kari came to a familiar door, one that was a few doors down from her own. Pulling the door open abruptly, Kari instantly said, Tai? Oh, Tai, wake up, please! Tai!

Her voice was loud enough for Tai to hear, but not loud enough to wake up anyone else. When Tai didn't wake, though, Kari ran to his bedside and shook her older brother on the shoulder roughly, too upset to care about being polite. Tai, wake up! Please, Tai, I need to talk to you!

Tai murmured, half asleep. Looking up at his younger sister (and wondering why in the heck she was there), Tai rubbed his eyes and asked, Kari? What are you doing here?

As she said this, Kari began to break down, kneeling on the floor of her brother's room, shivering uncontrollably and trying hard not to burst right out bawling.

Tai's voice said, fearful. Instantly, the older boy was kneeling on the floor beside her, looking at her in fear. Kari, are you okay? Kari?

I'm f-fine... Kari managed to sputter out.

Tai's dark brown eyes widened in understanding, and he asked, Did you... did you have another one of those dreams, Kari? Unable to speak, Kari could only nod as she heard the question, and she shuddered again. That poor little boy...

Instantly, Kari felt herself being wrapped up in a hug as her older brother tried to make her feel safer than she was feeling. Kari, don't worry. Whatever it was, it was simply a dream, and you're safe, right here. You're the Princess of Tykan, remember? You'll be perfectly fine. You're safe here in Tykan, Kari.

Not Tykan... Kari murmured sleepily, feeling the aftereffects of her vision. After every dream or vision that she had, Kari would always wake up and be terrified, but would then fall into a deep sleep.

Tai asked. But it was too late, because Kari was already asleep. Seeing his younger sister – obviously feeling bit better – sleeping, Tai sighed slightly, but proceeded to lift the young girl up, and carry her back to her own quarters, where (hopefully) she would get some needed rest...




A lot of people have different ways of being woken up. Perhaps there was a maid who would wake you up, or for some people, it was a rooster crowing. Perhaps even a family member would wake you up. Either way, being woken up was usually suppose to be pleasant.

But no one, repeat, no one liked being woken up with swords pointed straight at their throat.

Unfortunately, that was how Izzy woke up that morning. To his amazement and horror, of course.

What on Earth are you–? Izzy started to yell, but his shout was cut short as two guards yanked him out of his bed and force him to stand up. Hey! What's going on?!

One of the guards – the one that Izzy had pushed down when he had broken in to see the Queen – glared down at him. You have no right to speak, murderer.

Izzy asked, outraged. What do you mean,

That was when Hiro Yagasuki stepped into Izzy's view. Izzy nearly recoiled at the sight of the blond-haired man, who was glaring at Izzy with a disgusted – and obviously fake – look of destain on his face. Scowling, Hiro said hatefully, I cannot believe that you would assume to get away with this, messenger.

Izzy narrowed his eyes. What are you talking about?!

The murder of our Prince–

Izzy gasped, a sudden cold chill sinking deep into his stomach. The mention of the little boy being murdered... when...? Instantly, Izzy growled and tried to get out of the guard's grip, without much success. What did you do to Iori?!

Hiro asked, astonished. Izzy was convinced that it was fake, though. I cannot believe that you would assume that I, a trusted servant of the Ærotallian Kingdom, would kill our beloved Prince! Throwing a – obviously fake – sickened look in the guards direction, Hiro proclaimed, Throw him in the dungeon at once! I cannot stand the sight of him!

Hiro instantly turned away, a long, luxurious robe flying around behind him. Izzy found himself being lifted up and dragged out of the room, but he wasn't paying much attention to the actions of the guards. The only thing on his mind at that moment was Iori. How anyone could even accuse him of murdering the green-eyed child was completely preposterous. But, quite frankly, Izzy was more worried about the young Prince than his own accusation at that moment.

Was Hiro telling the truth? Was Iori... was Iori dead?

Izzy had no doubt that Hiro would be responsible for the Queen's poisoning, but murder? Izzy could barely stomach the idea of Iori being killed, even though he could see Hiro being ruthless enough to do something so cruel-hearted and morally wrong.

Izzy felt himself being jerked to the ground as he was pulled to the ground of the dungeon floor. Izzy sat there limply as he silently watched the guards attach shackles to his wrists. After all, Izzy may have been overactive, but he was logical. The red-haired boy knew when to be quiet; after all, it was obvious that Hiro had lied to the guards about Iori's... murder? Disappearance? Izzy didn't know...

You disgusting hooligan. the first guard said, disgusted. The tall man spat in the direction of Izzy, just barely missing him. How could you think that killing our Prince would make us speed up the alliance? How could you imagine getting away with something as horrible and disgusting as murdering a nine year old little boy!

Izzy stayed silent. He couldn't rash out, because that would make him seem even more guilty. So he just watched the burly man with a tired expression on his face.

All three guards that had brought Izzy into the dungeon gave him looks of equal destain, and they then turned and left the cold room without a second glance back. The door to the underground room slammed shut with a horrible bang, and Izzy couldn't help but wince. It was only then that it sunk into Izzy's usually quick-working mind as to what was happening.

The Prince had been murdered, and Izzy was the one wrongly blamed for it... and that usually meant execution...




It was early in the morning, early enough for the sun to have risen, but not late enough for most people to be up. The sun was streaming gently through the breaks in the forest trees, but the forest was mainly dark.

And for what Mamoru was about to do, that was probably a good thing.

Mamoru shook slightly as he felt another pang of fear, and he glanced down at the limp form in front of him. The small boy, Prince Iori, was laying there limply, as if he had never had life to begin with, and that made Mamoru tremble in fear. He had never wanted to hurt the small boy in the first place, but Mamoru was nothing if not loyal to his family – even before the royal family, which was a risk in itself. If only Hiro wasn't a – to be kind – power-hungry maniac...

At every step of the horse, Mamoru could feel himself wanting to stop this. Something in his brain kept screaming at him, telling him, Stop this! You don't want to do this!, and Mamoru knew that eventually, he would find himself listening to the little voice. Because, truthfully, he didn't want to do it. To kill a little boy, not to mention the fact that this child was his Prince... Morally, he knew he shouldn't, but Mamoru was still was torn by the fact that Hiro was his cousin! His family... and ever since Mamoru's sister had died, Hiro was his only family...

But... Mamoru glanced down again at the brown-haired child. To kill a child... Mamoru looked away, and instead, looked up to the sky. It was no big deal, anyway, because no one would know he did it. No one would know that he, Mamoru, had killed the innocent little boy, because Hiro was going to blame the crime on the red-haired messenger from Tykan. So no one would know.

At that point in time, Mamoru couldn't go any further. He knew for a fact that he was suppose to ride along in the forest until he cleared both Tykan and Zunitïve, but he couldn't keep going. Any further, and Mamoru knew that he would turn around and go back to the palace, betraying his cousin. So, upon seeing a river, Mamoru decided that here was a good of a place as any.

Dismounting his steed, Mamoru gently took the limp form of Iori down in his arms, and then laid the boy near the mouth of the river. Turning for the rope that he had brought, Mamoru quickly and carefully tied the rope around the boy's small wrists, making sure to have them tied tightly. Mamoru felt another pang of fear and pain erupt in his heart, and he turned away for a moment. He was doing this... he was killing a child... No, you can't! the voice in his mind screamed, but Mamoru kept thinking about what Hiro would do... Mamoru couldn't betray his family... he just couldn't...

...hn... M-mamoru? a quiet voice asked, and Mamoru jerked around to see the small form of Prince Iori struggling to sit up. Sir Mamoru... what are you–?

In an instant, Mamoru grabbed the small Prince and pulled him to the the bank of the river. Ignoring the voice that was screaming for him to stop, Mamoru instantly began to push the small Prince towards the rushing water. Feeling the small boy starting to struggle fiercely, Mamoru could tell that his Prince somehow knew what was going on, and that in itself nearly stopped him. But no...

As the two reached the edge of the river, Iori did something that Mamoru didn't even know the soft-spoken child was even capable of.

Iori screamed.




A scream cut through the silence of the forest, and Yolei stood stock still. The scream had been cut off nearly as soon as it began, but Yolei could tell that this wasn't just a scream like one you'd do when you were playing a war game or something.

Frowning and snapping out of her trance, Yolei began to dash to where she had heard the scream, which was towards the river that cut Zunitïve and Tykan's boarder. It wasn't that far away, but Yolei was getting very nervous, as if something inside her kept saying, Keep going, keep going, you have to help! It was almost as if Yolei knew who had emitted the scream, but it couldn't be...

As soon as Yolei saw the bridge of the river, she could see what was happening. A man was holding a bound little boy over the river, and it was quite obvious by the way that the man was holding a hand over the child's mouth that the boy had been the one who had screamed. Yolei froze, but she realized that the man had no clue that she was there (he was looking down at the child), and she instantly ducked behind the bridge, where she could see what was happening, but the man couldn't see her unless he really looked – Yolei knew that this was true, because she had used this hiding spot tons of times when playing games of hiding and discovering with her siblings and friends.

Yolei looked up at the man and child, and bit her lip as she saw the little boy struggling mercilessly to get away. Yolei just then noticed the small bag that the boy was clutching, almost as if the sack was some kind of lifeline. The poor child... As the man began to let go of the child, Yolei bit back a scream, and heard as the man said, I'm sorry, my Prince... Instantly, the child plummeted into the river below.

Yolei jerked out of her trance again as she realized that the man had turned away once the child had fallen, and she knew that it would be her only chance to help this unknown boy. Glancing at the river, Yolei could see the form of the little boy struggling with the ropes around his wrists as the rapids pulled him along, and Yolei instantly darted her arm into the water, and she reached down desperately. Almost... she could almost reach him...

As Yolei felt soft fabric on her hands, she smiled quickly and yanked on the soft material, hopefully pulling the small boy to the shore. In fact, as she did, she felt the boy cease in his struggling, and Yolei realized that the child had run out of air. Hurrying the procedure up, Yolei quickly pulled the boy onto the side of the shore and – she was still under the bridge – winced as the child began to cough madly, trying to clear his lungs of the river water. Yolei stole a glance to where the man had been before, but she could see nothing. Was she safe?

Yolei felt her heartbeat begin to calm down, and she shivered. The water in the river was nearly freezing, and Yolei suddenly realized that if she was cold from her slight contact with the water, then the small boy must be freezing. Yolei sighed slightly, but she took off her cloak and began to cover the boy with it.

It was then that she really got a good look at the unconscious child, and truly, she wondered why anyone would want to kill him. The boy was small and thin, with soft brown hair. The boy, at the moment, was unconscious, so Yolei couldn't see his eyes, but she couldn't tell why he was almost murdered. Who would do that to a little kid anyway?

Then again... just who was this child?





Yolei sighed as she picked up a basket full of laundry. Remembering the small boy that was now lying in her bed, under the warm quilt, Yolei was filled with depression upon the fact that her mother, brother, and sister had chosen this day to go to town, leaving her alone with the brown-haired child. Not that the boy worried her, no, but moreso it was the fact that she really didn't know how to care for a child. What if he was to fall sick? What would she do? Yolei was nearly petrified at the idea of cooking as well – needless to say, her skills needed work. What was she suppose to do when the child woke up? He would most likely be hungry, and Yolei was only planning on making a small salad for herself... After all, it was nearly lunchtime... the child had obviously missed breakfast, and should be starving when he woke up.

It was then that she heard a small moan emerge from the direction of her bed, and Yolei dropped the basket of dirty clothing on the ground in surprise. Quickly walking over, Yolei looked down at the pale-faced form in the bed, and wasn't too surprised to see the child's eyes flutter open softly, revealing forest green eyes. Yolei smiled at this, because she had been wondering what his eyes looked like, and was satisfied in finding that they were a deep green. In fact, looking into them made it almost seem like she was getting lost... Strange.

the boy murmured, closing his eyes and opening them again. As he saw the purple-haired girl in front of him, the boy's eyes widened, and he sat up – or, moreso, tried to. Once he had reached a nearly upright position, the small boy's energy gave out, and he fell back to the bed.

Yolei said softly, seeing that the boy was frowning at her, most likely in confusion. My name is Miyako, but you can call me Yolei if you want. I found you unconscious– Yolei figured that mentioning the fact that the boy had been nearly murdered wouldn't be a nice thing to mention. –and I brought you back here. What's your name anyway?

The boy blinked at her, and Yolei found herself feeling a bit embarrassed under the intense stare. After a few moments, the brown-haired boy softly said, My name is Iori.

Iori? That's a cute name. Yolei said brightly, taking in the sound of the young boy's voice. It was so soft... extremely unlike many of the young boys that lived around her home. Yolei figured that it wouldn't hurt to ask another question, and she asked, Where are you from, Iori?

Again, the small child was struggling to sit up, and Yolei helped support him as he did so, and Iori was able to sit up and lean against the headboard. After doing so, Iori looked extremely tired (Yolei had figured that he was fatigued from what had happened to him), but the green-eyed child looked up at her and murmured, I'm from Ærotalla. Where am I now?

Yolei found herself unable to speak as she heard Iori's answer. Ærotalla? That kingdom was so far away from where she lived... why would someone come all the way to Zunitïve just to kill a child, if they were from Ærotalla? Remembering the boy's question, Yolei was able to stammer out, Well, you sure aren't in Ærotalla, Iori. You're in Zunitïve now.

Now it was Iori's turn to look surprised, and to her surprise, the young boy merely frowned, instead of bursting in tears or something, like she thought a child would. I need to get back to Ærotalla before it's too late...

Huh? Yolei raised an eyebrow at this, and she questioned, Why do you need to get back so quickly? And for that matter, why did that man try to kill you? Yolei was tired of pretending not to know this, and she figured that it wouldn't hurt to have Iori know that she knew.

Iori glanced over at her, his face worried. If he had been surprised about her knowing, he didn't show it, and in contrast, Iori merely answered her question.

The reason is because I'm the Prince of Ærotalla. Iori answered. Prince Iori.




Tai walked swiftly to his father's chambers, unsure of why the King was calling him. After all, what had been so urgent that his father would call him there, yet so secretive that his father wouldn't even make a big deal of it? Tai didn't know, but he did know that there was one sure way of getting the answers to that question: Talk to his father. And thus, Tai found himself standing outside the doors of his father's chambers, preparing to knock. Unfortunately, the door opened before he could even touch the door, and a servant bowed at him and gestured for Tai to go in. The brown-haired prince blinked in confusion a few times, but complied with the gesture.

Inside the chambers, his father sat on his throne, a worried expression on his face. The moment Tai entered the room, the King stood up and ushered the young Prince to stand before him. When Tai did so, his father said, Taichi, I have need to speak to you.

Yeah, I kind of figured. Tai murmured, rolling his eyes. Would the man just get to the point already?

his father said, a nervous tint in his voice. I didn't wish to make a big deal out of this, but... well, Sir Yamato never arrived at the Zunitïve palace. I received the report last night, thanks to an urgent message from the head of Zunitïve's Royal Guard.

Tai smirked. So, Matt decided to back out, did he? Boy, was the blond-haired boy going to be in trouble when the King found him... Shrugging his shoulders, Tai simply uttered, So? I'm sure that he was just detoured or something.

The Queen herself wishes for me to find him as soon as possible, Taichi. King Osuro said sharply. His eyes downcast, the King admitted, The Princess of Zunitïve has gone missing. There is a possible chance that Sir Yamato had something to do with it.

Matt? Kidnap Princess Sora? Okay, sure, it could happen... but most likely not, considering that Matt had only seen the Princess of Zunitïve once, and that was during a time that she was on a visit to Tykan. Shaking his head, Tai replied, Nah, Matt wouldn't do that. Then, Wait a minute! Sora's missing?

Tai's father nodded. She's been missing for two days, counting today, and she apparently disappeared the very night that Sir Yamato was supposed to arrive at the palace. Now, you and I both know that Yamato wouldn't do something so rash, but Queen Arianna of Zunitïve wants her daughter back, and she is willing to anything and blame anyone to get the dear Princess back.

Tai fell silent, a mixture of emotions spiraling inside him. For one, there was the fact that Matt was missing. It didn't worry him all that much about Matt's survival (well, it wouldn't usually), but Matt would never betray the King's orders, no matter how much he didn't want to go to Zunitïve. Tai knew that for a fact. And then there was the matter with Sora... Tai frowned as he remembered the red-haired Princess, who was kind and polite (as a Princess was supposed to be) but Tai knew for a fact that she was also extremely stubborn. As he thought of Sora, Tai felt a pang of worry erupt in his stomach. Sora wouldn't have run away with Matt, even if Matt had tried to get her to (and Tai knew that Matt wouldn't). Sora had so much pride in her country that the very idea of running away was almost preposterous. Now, Tai had no doubt that the red-haired Princess would run away if the situation was serious enough, but Tai was leaning more towards the idea that she had been kidnapped.

And that worried him.

Scrambling to become free of his thoughts, Tai looked up and his father and asked, Well, how am I involved in this?

King Osuro jumped, shaken from his own deep thoughts as well. After regaining his posture, the King was able to murmured, Well, Taichi, I want you to find Sir Yamato. The longer he stays missing, the more suspicious the Queen will become. You know how Queen Arianna is. Always jumping from one conclusion to the next, and if she believes that Sora ran off with Yamato, I'm sure that the alliance will be terminated.

At this proposal, Tai had to stop himself from jumping up and cheering for joy. He would be able to get out of the castle? For real? Luckily, though, Tai was able to contain his enthusiasm inside, and he simply said, I will go prepare at once, Father.

No complaining. Why should he complain? This was perfect

Absolutely perfect.




I have to get back to Ærotalla as soon as possible, Miss Yolei! Iori said, his eyes pleading. The girl that he was speaking to was seated in front of him, her brown eyes giving him a look that seemed to be a mixture of disbelief and astonishment. Calming himself down (had he been speaking too loudly?), Iori simply said, You don't understand, Miss Yolei. I need to get back to Ærotalla before something bad happens. Izzy told me that Hiro was going to sign the alliance with Amoritia if I didn't stop it, and now I can't.

Yolei gave him a blank look. Okay, I lost you after you don't understand', Iori. Could you slow down or something?

Iori sighed. You don't have to understand. You just have to tell me how to get to Ærotalla as quickly as I can.

Wait a moment, will ya? the purple-haired girl murmured, and she stood up. The two children were seated in the kitchen (Iori had quickly recovered from his earlier fatigue, but was still wary about standing), and a few hours had past since Iori had first woken up. Yolei had insisted on getting him something to eat first (a task not easily conquered, as Iori found out). After the two of them had cleaned up the kitchen from the mess that had resulted, both agreed that a simple glass of milk and some meat and cheese would suffice for lunch. That was how they got started in this conversation...

Iori, I know that you want to get back to Ærotalla. Yolei said simply, picking up her plate and reaching for his. But there is no way on Earth that I'd let a little kid like you run off on a week-long journey by yourself.

Iori frowned. What are you talking about? I was kidnapped last night, and it didn't take sir Mamoru a week to get me here... Wait, it is the fourth of November, right?

Yes, it is. Yolei responded, and she sighed. Iori, this Mamoru' guy used the royalty roads. You can get anywhere quickly, because these roads are only meant for the Kings and Queens and Knights and junk. On those roads, you can get from Ærotalla to the outskirts of Zunitïve in half a day. But, on the traveler's roads, it'd take a week.

Iori frowned. So? I'm royalty, aren't I? Shouldn't I be allowed to use those roads?

Yolei sighed again, and began to wipe the used dishes in her hands with a damp cloth. Turning to Iori (while still holding the dish), Yolei said, Iori, that man was trying to kill you, remember? What if he discovers that you're still alive and well? He'll try to kill you again. You need to keep a low cover, and to do that, you need to travel on the traveler's roads.

Iori sighed, but he didn't say anything. Arguing was definitely not one of his strong points, especially when he was tired like this, but he could see that Yolei was missing out on one thing. Miss Yolei–

Just call me Yolei, Iori.

Uh, all right. Iori said, embarrassed about being interrupted. Again, he said, Yolei, you don't understand. Sure, Mamoru might hear that I'm still alive, but if we travel on royalty roads, it won't matter, because by the time he figures it out, I'll already be back at the palace, won't I?

No way. Yolei responded, maintaining her ground. You're a little kid. I am not going to risk you getting killed again, no matter how slim the chance may be.

Iori frowned. You barely know me.

Does that change the fact that you're little?

Yolei, I don't think you get it. Iori murmured, feeling a little pressured. The purple-haired girl before him was obviously much better at negotiating that he was, and there was no way that he was going to get back to Ærotalla anytime this century at this rate. Either way, I have to get back to Ærotalla. I'm going to be traveling alone anyway, and I think that traveling for a week will be more dangerous than traveling for a day.

Yolei simply gave him a hard stare. Then she answered, You are not traveling alone. You're nine. Nine-year-olds don't travel alone.

Will you please stop bringing up my age?

They just don't travel alone! Yolei continued, completely ignoring Iori. Sighing, the young girl simply said, Great. I'll have to go with you.

Now Iori was surprised. Since when was she going to come?

Yolei simply smiled at him, setting down the last dirty plate. Like I said, little Prince, I'm coming with you. You told me earlier that you never really go out into the villages, right? Well, I'm coming along cause of that, too. You can't think to travel a week and not know your way around the towns.

Iori sighed, realizing that he had been defeated, and he muttered, Have you been listening to a word I've just said?

We'd better leave before my parents get home, or they'll stop me from helping you. No, wait... once I tell them the story, they'll help! Grinning brightly and giving Iori a thumbs up sign, Yolei cheerfully said, My parents will get you there! Hurry up and put on those weird looking clothes that were in that bag of yours.

My bag? Iori questioned, not comprehending the girl's sentence. Once he did, Iori's eyes brightened and he asked, Did you see a pendant? Is it still there?

Yolei was pulling Iori's now-dry clothes out of a basket. I washed them, because they were soaking wet, but I think that they're okay.

No, my pendant. Did you see it? Iori asked hopefully, cursing himself for almost losing it. If it had disappeared...

Yolei asked, and she looked up at Iori. Throwing him his clothes, the purple-haired girl said, Oh, you mean that pretty gold necklace? It's still in your bag. Now go into the other room and get dressed. You can't go out in your pajamas, can you?

As Yolei began to ushered him to the other room, clothes in hand, Iori was able to recover enough from the chaos to stammer, Go? Go where?

Yolei giggled. To town, silly! My mother and siblings are there today for the festival, and they might have even met up with my father. Now, hurry up so that we might be able to catch them before they leave!

After being pushed into the room, Iori heard Yolei leave the area so that he could get dressed. Realizing that his head was spinning from all of the movement, Iori resolved that he would sit down to put his clothes on. As he did so, Iori began to think about his new-found friend–who was, surely enough, the strangest person that Iori had ever met.

But somehow, Iori felt that she was a great friend... almost as if he had known her before...




It was a troublesome time for the Zunitïve kingdom, and yet, the festival was still going strong.

Ken sighed. Here he was, one of the members of the Royal army, and yet, he was stuck watching over a silly festival in a common town instead of looking for the missing Princess. And how could everyone be so happy, anyway? Their princess had gone missing overnight! Surely this was cause for concern. But no, most of the people at the festival spared no thought or remorse for the missing Princess, because this was a grand festival that only came about once or twice a year.

Ken hated it. For the past two years, he had been stuck watching over the festivities of the gathering, and for two years had been rewarded an excruciating headache. Why did they have to make so much noise, anyway? Ken didn't really know, but he did know that the smell of frying turkey leg and the stench of horse manure was getting to him. That was it. No way was he going to be caught dead staying in this area of the festival. Ken shrugged to himself. He'd just go and switch places with Herishi, who was foolish enough to agree to it. Herishi was positioned at the clothes-selling area, the lucky stiff, unlike Ken, who had been unfortunately told to stand by the horse-riding and foods area.

That was it. Ken would not stand for any more of this. He was beginning to get sick... to his stomach, that is.

Ken heard the horses' heavy feet clomping around him, and he realized that he couldn't take much more of this. Rolling his eyes ever so slightly at a young girl who had gone dashing by him, Ken walked off, in pursuit of Herishi. As he walked, leaving his post behind, the blue-eyed Knight allowed his thoughts to drift. After all, he didn't have to be aware of every little thing, did he? No, no, of course not.

Surprisingly, though, Ken realized that his thoughts began to drift to a certain young maiden that he had just earlier met. Unaware of it at first, Ken was astonished to feel a light blush spreading across his face as he remembered this fair maiden... Miss Miyako. Ah, yes... Ken knew that he was still blushing, and it embarrassed him, but he couldn't help it. Sure, he had only seen the lovely lady once, but Ken was willing to believe in love at first site. And if such a saying was true, then Ken was sure that it was taking place, because he simply could not get that young girl off of his mind. She was so... so... unique?

Ken didn't know how to describe Miss Miyako, the young lady who had ran into him so suddenly. Unique would definitely work, as well as beautiful... Miss Miyako was definitely beautiful. Ken would know this, too, because he had known his good share of women. And he knew that Miss Miyako was definitely up there with the loveliest of them all. Other words that may describe the young, purple-haired maiden... energetic. Kind. And she had such lovely eyes...

Sheesh, what's up with you, Ken? a voice asked from above him, and Ken snapped out of his trance immediately. Looking up, Ken could see the spikey-haired figure of Davis looking down at him from atop a resting carriage, smirking.

Ken raised an eyebrow. Is that your family's carriage, Davis?

Davis replied, his grin widening.

Ken sighed. Get down, Davis...

Geez, Ken, you and your stupid Knightly-hood duties... I wasn't hurting it. Davis muttered, but he jumped down. Looking at Davis, Ken knew that his friend was only joking around a bit, but Ken still had to sigh. Sometimes, Davis was too rambunctious for his own good.

Still, it wasn't yours. Ken replied simply, and then he decided to change the subject. So, how is the festival going for you? Having fun?

Davis shrugged. I suppose. There really ain't anything for me to do, you know? A bunch of food and clothing sales is all it is. I'm full, and I can't steal clothes without being caught.

Ken sighed but smiled. It was typical for Davis to be rating his day by how much he could steal, and although Ken was a Knight, so he should be angry about that, he wasn't. After all, the only reason Ken had met Davis was because he had stolen something, and Ken had caught him in the act. Instead of turning the spiky-haired boy in, as he should have done, Ken became good friends with Davis, because the two of them were the same age, and, well... Ken really didn't know why he and Davis had become friends, despite the fact that they really should have been enemies. Davis was a thief, and Ken was a Knight, but for some reason, they were friends. Ken was a bit bothered by Davis' thievery, yet he could never bring himself to turn the boy in. After all, what kind of friend did that?

Anyway, I see that you've been having fun. Davis continued, interrupting Ken's thoughts. Man, you stink.

Ken smirked. Try having to sit for two hours outside a horse-riding booth, and you'd stink, too. I'm off to get someone to take my place.

And you know someone who would? Davis asked, skeptical. When Ken nodded, Davis laughed loudly, and he then said, Man, a lot of you Knights are morons, aren't they?

Ken shrugged. Honestly, I'd have to say yes and no. Yes' for a few of us, and no' for the people like me, who realize the importance of personal hygiene.

Davis raised an eyebrow as he comprehended what Ken was saying. After analyzing the text in his head, the spikey-haired boy summarized his opinion in one simple sentence:

Ken replied, nodding. Moving his steed away from where Davis was standing, Ken proceeded to say, Now, if you don't mind, I have to go and find Herishi, who is going to switch places with me.

Davis waved, and as a closing statement, said, Remind him to bathe, will you? I mean, I feel your pain already...

Will do! Ken replied, laughing, and he set off. After his steed had gone no more than three paces, Ken found himself thinking of the very thing that was distracting him so.

That one young lady that he couldn't remove from his thoughts...

Miss Miyako. Would her lovely visage haunt him for the rest of his life?




Mimi was seated on a wooden chair in the spare guest room. At that time, she was staring across the room at a young blond-haired man, who was looking right back at her. Somehow, Mimi knew that their conversation was going to quickly turn into a fight. Or, at least, a debate.

Mimi, I need to go to Zunitïve soon. Yamato was saying, his blue eyes kind but firm. There is no way that I can either stay here, nor can I return to Tykan.

Mimi frowned. But you're hurt!, the pink-haired girl insisted, gesturing towards the bandage that was wrapped around Yamato's shoulder. You can't think to possibly try and train people like that! At most, you should return to Tykan.

Yamato asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he looked at his injured shoulder. This is merely a scratch, Miss Mimi.

A scratch?! Mimi replied, gaping. The wound, which she had seen when she had cared for it, was quite large, and definitely not a scratch. Yamato, I'm sorry, but you are not going to Zunitïve. I insist!

Miss Mimi–

And don't even think of arguing!

The blond boy before her fell silent, and Mimi could almost taste the air of victory that surrounded her. She had always known how to win an argument, and this was definitely one of those times where winning was essential. She was not going to let Sir Yamato go to Zunitïve! He could get hurt even worse, especially considering how cold Zunitïve was this time of year.

Miss Mimi, Yamato said softly, standing up and walking towards her, I know that you believe that I am too injured to travel–

And you are. Mimi interjected.

Yamato sighed. BUT, I have been trained to fight through these kinds of injuries. This shoulder wound will be fine as long as I take it easy on my ride to Zunitïve.

Mimi responded simply, not wishing to admit that – to a certain extent – Yamato was right. Coming upon an inspiration, Mimi said, What if you are attacked by wolves again?

Miss Mimi, what are the chances of my being attacked by wolves twice? Yamato replied, a small smile appearing on his serious face.

Mimi raised an eyebrow. Around here, pretty good. That killed the smile.

Miss Mimi...

Mimi threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. Sir Yamato, just agree with me, all right? You need to let the wound heal, and there is no way in the Kingdom of Meritan that I am going to let you go off to Zunitïve to train! At the very least, as I said before, I will accompany you to Tykan so that you can rest.

Yamato's eyes widened. Huh? Hey, now, wait a minute... you never said anything about you coming with me!

What, you think that I'm going to trust you to keep your word and take it easy? Mimi scoffed.

But... but...

I'm coming. Mimi said firmly, and smirked as she saw Yamato's face fall. Hn... I thought that Knight's were supposed to strong in decision-making.

Yamato glared at her, but his blue eyes held a spark of laughter in them. You win, all right? You don't need to rub it in...

Mimi smiled brightly, saying, Oh, but I do...

Yamato sighed.




It was late. But Yolei was determined to find her family, even through the midst of the festival.

Unfortunately, Iori wasn't so excited about it...

Yolei, I'm tired. May we please sit down? the young prince asked for the seventh time that hour.

Yolei sighed, and shook her head again, causing the brown-haired boy to fall silent. As the day had progressed, Yolei realized that traveling with a prince wasn't all that fun. Especially since the boy obviously had no clue about riding a horse, so they had simply taken one. If that weren't enough, the boy seemed to tire easily, unlike most boys that she knew. Sure, Yolei had grown up around a farming community, and Iori had been brought up in a luxurious castle, but still! She would think that he would be able to walk a bit.

Though, looking down at the small child, Yolei couldn't help but feel some kind of compassion towards him. Considering that he was so far away from his home (and understanding the fact that he had apparently never been away from it), Iori was doing quite well. Although most boys Iori's age would be stronger and more capable, they also would have been complaining horribly. Iori wasn't really complaining, but moreso, making his discomforts known. Somehow, this was different, and though Yolei didn't know how, she didn't really care at that moment.

All that she really cared about now was finding her family so that she could get Iori back to Ærotalla fairly easily. The thing was, though, that if they didn't find her parents, Yolei knew that she and Iori would simply have to travel to Ærotalla by themselves. Yolei knew that once her parents were at home, they wouldn't be badgered into going. They would take Iori to the Zunitïve castle, where – because of the missing Princess – nothing would be accomplished.

So it was extremely important that Yolei found her parents. Because she really did not want to go to Ærotalla alone...

Iori asked.

Yolei sighed. Iori, if you're going to ask to sit down again, I swear that I'll–

No, that's not it. Iori interrupted, and then blushed in embarrassment for doing so. Pointing to the right of him, Iori said, Why don't we ask a guard if he's seen your family? You said that they were somewhat well-known, right?

Yolei looked to the direction that the green-eyed boy was pointing, and her jaw dropped open as she saw what she did. Sure enough, it was a Knight, and he looked like he was quite bored. But Yolei hadn't expected to see him ever again...

Sir Ken Ichijouji...

Iori, obviously surprised at the somewhat leering look on Yolei's face, said, Well, I'm going to go ask if he's seen the Inoue family, all right? When Yolei didn't respond, Iori shrugged and walked towards the Knight.

Reaching the towering figure (the unknown Knight was sitting on a horse) Iori looked up, and he asked, Sir? May I speak with you, sir?

The Knight didn't respond, and Iori raised his normally quiet voice. Sir? May I speak with you?

the Knight jerked, and Iori had the distinct impression that he had been asleep. Seeing Iori, the Knight asked, Oh, hey. What do you need?

Feeling a bit abashed for waking him (if he had), Iori responded, I was wondering if you had seen any members of the Inoue family around here.

The... Inoue family? the Knight responded, and he frowned, as if he was trying to remember something.

Yes, the Inoue family. Iori said, nodding. Knight were people that he knew how to speak to. Looking back at Yolei (who was, at the time, looking nervous for some reason), Iori pointed at the purple-haired girl, and he said, See, that's Yolei Inoue, and she's looking for her family. Iori knew that it was impolite to point, but how else was the Knight going to know who Yolei was?

Miss... Miyako? the Knight stuttered, and to Iori's surprise, he fell off the horse. Eyes widening, Iori moved forward to help him up, but he was suddenly shoved aside as Yolei – showing an amazing burst of courage, considering that she had only seconds ago been frozen to her spot – ran forward, grabbing the Knight by the arm and trying hard to help him up.

Despite Iori's confusion, Yolei knew what she was doing. Although she was blushing brightly (just why had he fallen off his horse when he had seen her?), Yolei was determined to help Ken up, even if he didn't remember her.

Yolei helped Ken to his feet, brown eyes met blue, and Yolei blushed again.

It was as if time had stopped. If Amoritia's troops had come charging into the village and ransacked all of the goods there; if Yolei's family walked up and tried to speak to her; if the entire ground had collapsed beneath them, it wouldn't have mattered. All that mattered was that blue eyes were meeting brown eyes.

It was then that Yolei realized that she had it bad...

a small voice said. Hey, Yolei! Uh...

Yolei snapped out of her trance at around the same time that Ken stood on his own, a small blush across his own cheeks as well. Shooting a glare at Iori for snapping her out of her fantasy, Yolei self-consciously dusted herself off, despite the fact that she hadn't been the one to fall. Stammering a bit, Yolei said, Uh, hello, Sir Ken! I'm sorry if I, ah, startled you...

Ken insisted, his blue eyes growing wide. N-no, no, not at all. I was just, ah, tired. It's, ah, been a long day. Yeah.

Iori looked from Yolei to Ken and back again, confused. Why were they acting so weird?

Well, um, Iori and I were just going to go, so I'll see you, okay? Yolei smiled brightly, and cursed herself for sounding so foolish. Had she sounded this moronic when she had first met him? She doubted that... so why was now any different? Mentally shrugging, Yolei flashed Ken a bright smile and grabbed Iori by the wrist, dragging the green-eyed boy away as fast as she could to avoid further embarrassment.

Uh, goodbye, Miss Miyako! Ken called after her.

Good day, Sir Ken! Yolei replied, turning and giving the Knight a quick wave before dragging Iori to the nearest place that wasn't by any Knights. Knights that could know Ken. Knights that might have seen what had happened and would make fun of her endlessly. Knights that might be Ken's friends and mention seeing her to him, and then Ken would say, Oh, yeah, her. Every time she's seen me she's somehow been able to make me fall over into the mud. She's a jinx, I bet. And then everyone would think that she was a jinx and no one (especially Ken) would like her ever again and she would be a disgrace to her family and she would never, ever get married and have kids and she would wind up being a poor worn out maiden that begged on the streets for money and...




Iori was officially confused. At this point, Yolei was dragging him away at an extremely fast pace, and for the life of him, Iori didn't understand why. Did Yolei and the Knight hold a grudge against each other or something, because Iori couldn't think of any other explanation as to why Yolei would be so eager to get away from him. Although, maybe Yolei just didn't like Knights. That could be it.

Iori called, hoping to get the purple-haired girl to stop. He was getting extremely tired.

No reply.

he tried again. The same thing happened.

Miss YOLEI! Iori tried one last time, his voice raising to almost a yell. Iori hated to scream like such, but his legs were not used to the kind of running around that Yolei's obviously were.

Yolei halted her activity and she pulled Iori into some sort of alleyway so that they could rest. Breathing hard, Iori sat down on a wooden box of some sort and placed his bag down on the ground beside him.

As he rested, Iori found himself recalling what had happened earlier that day. Yolei had found somewhere else to sit, and it looked like she was caught up in her own thoughts, so Iori had no reason to feel as if he was obliged to talk to her. Besides, he needed to get the thought off his own mind.

One thing that he had realized, though, was that the village was big. Iori had seen the villages from his palace, but having never really walked around in one, he had never expected it to be so large. Whenever he and his mother had gone out of the palace grounds to visit with other countries, they had always taken carriages, and Iori did not often see any villages. Now that he had, Iori realized that the villages weren't small and pitiful. Moreso, they were dangerous.

From the time that they had first entered the village, Iori and Yolei had nearly been run over by a carriage that didn't see them. After that, Iori had been pushed aside hard when an older child had run into him. The child hadn't even stopped to say that he was sorry for the action, and that confused Iori. In the palace, running wasn't acceptable at all, except in the Knight's quarters and training halls. Had that boy been a Knight-in-training? Was being impolite acceptable for people of that sort? Maybe Iori wasn't like other children as much as he might have earlier thought.

Hey, Iori? a voice asked, and Iori turned his head sharply to see Yolei. Now that was a surprise... usually it was he who had to talk to her.

Yes, Yolei? Iori asked quietly.

Yolei sat down across from him, on another wooden box. Look, I'm sorry for dragging you around like that.

That's all right, Yolei.

Hey! Be quiet and let me finish, all right? Yolei snapped, and Iori fell silent. Sighing at her earlier emotional break, Yolei said, Sorry. It's just that, well... you wouldn't understand. The reason behind me dragging you around is something you'll learn when you're older. But anyway, I'm sorry for doing that, okay?

All right. Iori responded, satisfied with her answer. The thing was, he had asked himself earlier: Did he really want to know? The answer to that had been and Iori was more that capable of simply ignoring the incident. I don't think that your parents are here in the village, Yolei.

Yeah, I figured. Yolei grumbled, casting her eyes to the ground. I dunno, I just supposed that we might be able to intercept them on their way home or something, but I guess not...

We should go then. Iori said, reaching down and grabbing a strap on his backpack. After a slight pause, Iori said, By the way, it's don't know'.

Yolei responded, pulling her own bag to her. What do you mean?

Feeling a bit abashed, Iori quietly replied, You said dunno'. It's don't know.'

Oh, great, now you're corrected my speech. Yolei muttered, rolling her eyes. Just splendid. That's all I need, another person to yell at me for not saying stuff right. I'm just thrilled...

Iori blushed, embarrassed. I'm sorry.

Nah, that's okay. Yolei said, flashing him a quick smile. I'm just joking. Hey, do you know where we left the horse?

Iori said.

Yolei shrugged. Ah, well, we'll find it.

Iori was about to reply to what the purple-haired girl had said when he felt a sharp yank on his arm. It passed quickly, but Iori realized that he was missing something–his bag! Looking up, Iori saw the culprit, who had spiky brown hair and look as if he was a few years older than Iori was. Despite its rudeness, Iori tugged on Yolei's sleeve, saying, That guy took my bag!

Yolei yelped. Glaring at the escaping person, Yolei dropped her bag to the ground and took of running. THIEF! CROOK! You get back here! Right now! Iori watched as Yolei ran through the crowds of people, chasing after the unknown person who had stolen his bag.

Leaving him standing there, unsure of what to do. Looking down at Yolei's fallen bag, Iori reached down to lift it up–

Hey, kid, ge'outta the way! a deep voice yelled.

Iori looked up and yelped as he saw a carriage heading towards him. Grabbing Yolei's bag, Iori quickly scurried out of the way, just barely avoiding a collision. Unfortunately, when dodging the carriage, Iori had failed to notice the puddle of mud that was alongside the marked road. It was too late for him to stop his fall, and Iori winced as he felt himself being propelled into the cold mud.

As he stood up, Iori looked down and made a face. He was filthy! Iori knew that his mother would become extremely angry at him to wrecking his clothes like he just did. Sighing, Iori knelt down in the mud to pick up Yolei's bag–he assumed that she'd be extremely angry for the mess he had turned her bag into.

Hey, are you okay? a voice asked, and Iori looked up. Standing in front of him was a red-haired girl who was carrying a bag. Straightening and stepping out of the mud, Iori realized that the girl was no taller than Yolei, but she appeared to be older. You look like you're about to cry or something.

I'm fine. Iori said quietly. It's just that I'm not suppose to get dirty, and I accidentally fell in the mud.

Why don't you come over to my family's home? the girl said kindly, kneeling down so that she was his level. You can get cleaned up there.

Iori looked towards the direction that Yolei had run, and he said, My friend ran after the boy that stole my bag. I don't know if I should leave.

Don't worry, it'll just take a moment. Besides, you're filthy! the red-haired girl said, smiling at her comment. By the way, what's your name?

It's Iori. Iori said, feeling as if he could trust this girl, strangely enough. And yours?

I'm Jun Motomiya, pleased to meet you. she said brightly. C'mon, my house isn't far...