A/N: Who said this was dead? Regardless of how late this update is, this story is still definitely alive and kicking. As long as it's still posted here, it still is! ;D

Now I'm on this major "update spree" and this is my last multi-chapter update for the first batch. Depending on the feedback I will receive for all my updates, I'd be more than glad to post the next batch as soon as possible (and while I still have enough time). So read on and don't forget to review! :)

CHAPTER THREE

For centuries, the kingdom of Hakugei thrived on the abundance of their natural resources. The small island was well known for its well-balanced prosperity and peacefulness. Despite its diminutive size, the island's location also proved to be an advantage against enemy advances. Located high above sea level and sheltered within its own mass of trees, the island only had a single entry and exit point to and from it in the form of an ancient, concrete bridge. Other than that, trespassers would have to swim against fierce—often times, lethal—billows then tediously climb the steep cliff to enter the island. This was Hakugei's initial form of defense.

Despite its defenses though, the kingdom was still defenseless against the destructions caused by natural calamities. During the first few years of King Fuji's reign, drought had befallen the island. Scarcity of its resources became the result of this calamity. The forest began to wither and die; at least three forest fires were accounted each day. Even the deep wells and the sea began to dry up as well. It was the gravest calamity that the island ever experienced.

Fortunately, a fellow kingdom decided to help. This was the kingdom of Hyotei, what was then ruled by Don Atobe, Sr.

This act of assistance then became Hakugei's debt of gratitude to the kingdom of Hyotei, one that required even a lifetime to pay. Therefore, as a token of gratitude, King Fuji had offered a proposal to Don Atobe Sr., stating that by the time either of their respective heirs will have succeeded over their thrones, the kingdom of Hakugei would immediately be under the authority of the kingdom of Hyotei. To which, the king of Hyotei readily agreed.

In his own opinion, however, such an agreement was not at most terms beneficial to his fellow men. This, and the fact that he was greatly involved, left Fuji wondering exactly what its purpose was.

"Hold still, Syuusuke."

Yuuta blinked twice before he knocked on Fuji's door. That was Yumiko's voice, Yuuta mused, and she was probably helping Fuji with something. But she sounded annoyed, which was unusual because Yumiko was exceptionally calm. Next to Fuji, that is.

His knocks on the door eventually went unheard.

"Syuusuke, you're moving too much. Stay still."

"Hai, hai, onee-sama."

"You keep answering 'yes' but you still do the opposite. Ah… Yuuta!" Both Yumiko and Fuji turned as the door opened and Yuuta walked in. He was clearly annoyed—he had knocked for the tenth time already but was still ignored. "What are you two doing? Mother and Father are already waiting for us."

"We know, Yuuta-kun. But before that, what do you think of Syuusuke?" Yumiko turned Fuji around for Yuuta to see.

His aniki was wearing a light blue tuxedo that dramatically brought out the color of his eyes. The outfit was generally simple, but as always, Yumiko managed to adorn it sufficiently. The result was a very princely outfit that complimented Fuji remarkably. It would not surprise Yuuta if Fuji would captivate everyone with his current appearance as he always did. He even knew of a certain someone who had a very deep interest in his brother…

"Aniki will always look like Aniki." This was Yuuta's reply before he left the room.

Fuji chuckled. "I told you Yuuta will not like it."

"Nonsense, Syuusuke. Even if he doesn't like it, you still do, don't you?" She nudged Fuji towards a mirror and both of them looked at his reflection.

He looked stunning.

"Of course, onee-sama, your fashion sense is remarkably unique." Fuji smiled alongside his sister. "But I still have to admit that I am very uncomfortable with this whole ordeal," groaned Fuji as he loosened his collar slightly. Yumiko adjusted his clothes for more comfort, and then held his shoulders.

"I'm very sorry about all of this, Syuusuke," she touched Fuji's cheeks lovingly. "I know it's hard for you but just remember this—you are doing this for Mother and Father." She gazed deep into Fuji's eyes and felt pained at the sadness that filled those bright blue orbs. Pure sadness; there was neither hatred nor regret, just pure sadness.

"Of course, onee-sama, I am more than willing to do anything for Mother and Father's happiness." Fuji smiled, that perfect mask concealing his pain.

Yumiko gave him a very tight yet comforting hug. "Oh, you are such a nice boy, Syuusuke." She whispered in his hair.

Yeah…I just hope I can say the same to myself. Fuji thought bitterly.

"Besides," Yumiko added teasingly. "It's not my fault he liked you better." She held Fuji's arm and led him to the door. "Saa… let's go. It has already been rude of us for making Mother and Father wait," she said as they exited the room, "but it would be utterly irresponsible of us to not be present during the arrival of our guest."

As they descended to the dining hall, Fuji's mind wandered back to its recent pondering. First, the one that would truly benefit from mentioned agreement would unlikely be their kingdom but the others'. Hyotei was widely known as an industrially productive kingdom, to which status their abundance in gold greatly contributed. Hakugei, on the other hand, was abundant in raw materials which were sparse in Hyotei. Therefore, economically speaking, Hyotei would have a greater advantage in mentioned agreement. Then second was the fact that the kingdom of Hyotei would gain complete authority over their land, despite the part that his family would still govern over Hakugei. Fuji knew such authority would more likely diminish in time in, might he add, a rather "hour glass" kind of manner.

The third disadvantage of the unwritten contract was actually centered on him. As the eldest son of the royal couple, he was naturally the heir of and next successor to the throne. But Fuji never had any objections to the obligations he was to handle and in fact, the idea of having control over the kingdom actually thrilled him. For that reason, Fuji compromised with the agreement, and would have agreed completely, if only the heir of Hyotei did not perceive the agreement in a more intimate kind of manner.

"Syuusuke? Is there something wrong? You're trembling…" Fuji was so immersed in his own thoughts that even Yumiko's voice seemed so distant. And it was not until she spoke that he realized that he truly was trembling. His hands quivered involuntarily and he felt that his heart was beating faster than usual inside his chest.

"Ah…this—this is nothing, onee-sama. There's nothing wrong at all." He said as he held his own hands still, hiding them behind his back. "Let's go."

This time, Fuji led the way to the dining hall in a seemingly steady pace as he tried to put his breathing and mind at ease. Stay calm, Syuusuke. To be afraid is to be weak. You're not weak. He told himself.

But you're scared. Admit it.

Fuji bit his bottom lip and clenched his fists tightly. Indeed, he was. And to his alarm, the object of his trepidations was now but mere feet away from him, seated across the dining table from their father.

"Here they are," King Fuji gushed as the two of them entered the hall. "Make haste, my children. The Don had been kind enough to wait for you already. Come now," he said, waving for Yumiko and Fuji to come to the table.

But Fuji had fell abruptly still at the sight of the young man in front him. It was all he could do not to turn around and escape from the room. He gave a slight jerk when Yumiko held his hand, the other smiling sweetly as she led him towards the table. They took their respective seats and Fuji willed himself to calm down.

Yuuta was already seated beside their mother with that scowl of his. Apparently, he had been very reluctant to attend, but had no choice but to. Their father and mother were already engaged in a conversation with their privileged guest, and it was with a smile that Fuji thanked his mother's compliment of his attire. He was seated to the immediate right of Yumiko, and not far from their guest.

"Quite splendid, indeed," said their guest, his voice low and suave. "You look very charming, Fuji-kun, if I say so myself."

Hesitantly, Fuji turned to their guest to find the young man giving him a smile that was meant to be intimidating. He was Don Atobe Keigo, Jr., the sole heir to the throne of Hyotei. He was an astute young man who had authority over their kingdom as much as his father did; regardless that he was still a prince. He had the power to gain anything of his desire, and it was not a hidden fact that he wanted Fuji. And as uncommon as it was for Fuji Syuusuke to be afraid, he feared Atobe. For an unknown reason, he had feared the young man, and it did not help that the other desired him of all people.

As to why Atobe had taken such a liking to him, Fuji had also no idea. It was as if Atobe had known him before they even met, and that was certainly disturbing. For Fuji was not your typical prince; his life was an assemblage of mysteries only known to those close to him, especially his childhood. For an individual outside his family to know of his past—it was simply disturbing.

"I appreciate the compliment, Atobe-sama," Fuji replied nonetheless, despite how he wanted to avoid any communication with the young man. "You look splendid yourself."

"That is but typical. Though I do feel delighted that you are pleased, Fuji-kun." Atobe said, his purple orbs flashing mischievously at Fuji. It was with effort that Fuji repressed a shudder.

"Of course, of course," the king said, oblivious of Fuji's predicament, "Shall we have our meal, then? The cook has prepared the best of Hakugei's delicacies for you, Don Atobe. Please, help yourself." He gestured for the servants to attend to their guest, and before long there was the rhythmic clinking of silverware as lunch proceeded quite uneventfully.

As dessert was being served, Atobe said, "Have you discussed with them the main purpose of my visit, Your Majesty?"

"Why yes, of course. Isn't that right, Syuusuke?" The king said as he smiled kindly at his son, who had kept silent through the most part of the meal.

Fuji glanced up from his plate to look at his father. "Of course, Father. And I'm very grateful to such an opportunity." He lied smoothly with a false smile, for he assumed no one would have realized. Or so he thought. To his left, Yumiko sent him a furtively worried glance, and Yuuta's scowl had curved deeper than it usually was. Fortunately, his parents seemed to not have noticed anything, and that was enough.

He was to go on an official visit to the kingdom of Hyotei, to appear as a representative of their kingdom for an important negotiation amongst the alliance, and simply to pay respect to the king who saved their kingdom. It was a meager task, one that he would not have been deeply concerned of; if only the heir of Hyotei did not offer to accompany him during his stay. Said heir had even gone out of his way to escort Fuji back to their kingdom; thus, his presence now explained.

"And I'm more delighted to have you for company, Fuji-kun." Fuji's eyes evidently widened when he realized that Atobe was already behind him, placing a slender hand on his shoulder. He felt his throat go dry as Atobe whispered darkly in his ear, "It would be a visit you can't even begin to imagine."

"Very well, then." His father's voice brought Fuji out of his bewilderment. "There is still time before your departure. Syuusuke, why don't you take the Don for a walk in the garden while you wait?"

"That would be splendid, Your Majesty. If Fuji-kun would not mind, that is." Atobe gave a light squeeze on Fuji's shoulder, and the lad simply nodded.

"It would be an honor." Said the prince, as he stood from his chair and gave a small bow to his parents. "Kindly send a servant to find us when the preparations are finished," Fuji suggested. "Now, if you'll excuse us," he said before heading towards the door.

"Thank you for the magnificent meal, Your Majesty, my Lady," Atobe muttered before following after Fuji, his personal guards in tow.

The king simply smiled at their retreating figures and remarked about how it was an honor to have Hyotei's heir take such a liking to his son. The queen voiced out her agreement, but Yumiko could not help but feel sad at their parents' understanding of the situation. Not that they blamed them; Fuji was never one to concern others about his problems, no matter how much they pained him.

With a determined look, Yumiko stood and excused herself from the room. Even if Fuji never said anything, as his sister, Yumiko could feel how troubled he was. And it hurt her. Fuji had had enough torments already, and he deserved no more.

A few minutes later, Yuuta had also excused himself, the look on his face more stern than usual.

It had been three days since the incident with the necklace, and since then Ryoma had advertently ignored anyone else – even Momoshiro. The boy had taken to spending his time alone on the roof of his room, either sleeping or just staring at the sky with an impassive look in his face and Karupin curled on his stomach. He would only appear amongst the crowd during meals, as that of today's lunch, and it was then that Momoshiro was able to corner him.

"What?" The boy muttered; his face as blank as that of a paper.

"What do you mean 'what'? You've been avoiding everyone for three days already and now that's all you can say to me?" Momoshiro snapped at him. Ryoma's actions had apparently troubled him. It seemed as if the boy had defaulted to his past personality after the incident, the one he had that time Momoshiro first met him. And the older boy could not let that.

When Ryoma remained unresponsive, Momoshiro grabbed him by the collar and dragged him harshly out of the refectory, to the surprise of everyone else in the area and even to Ryoma himself. "Senpai, what are you–"

"Oi, Momo!" Oishi suddenly appeared in front of him. "What are you doing to Echizen?"

"I'm going to knock some sense into him, senpai," Momoshiro said quietly, his amethyst eyes flashing distinctly at Oishi. He continued his pace while he dragged Ryoma on, the boy trying to pry himself from his grip but to no avail. Even if he was Ryoma, Momoshiro still had an advantage when it came to force.

"But, Momo—"

"I don't need your permission, senpai," was Momoshiro's retort as he and Ryoma disappeared into one of the training halls.

Throwing Ryoma to the floor, he closed the wooden doors and sealed them shut with a pole. The boy was still grasping at his neck gingerly when Momoshiro grabbed hold of him again, shouting at his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Ryoma still did not answer him, his golden eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his bangs. This infuriated Momoshiro; Ryoma was habitually stoical, but not to the extent that he was idiotically unsympathetic. Before he could stop himself, he had punched the boy and sent him flying across the room, Ryoma's small body dropping to the floor with a loud thump. To his further frustration, he realized that Ryoma had expected such action, but did not even defend himself. He remained completely motionless on the floor, seemingly waiting for the older boy to just beat him up.

Momoshiro glared down at him in disgust. He had wanted to pound some sense into him, but from how foolish Ryoma was acting, he decided it was not even worth it. This was not the boy he had come to know.

"Pathetic," he spat. He turned his back to Ryoma and clenched his fists in anger. "To think that you're actually the person that Buchou wanted to entrust Seigaku to," he muttered quietly, but loud enough for the boy to hear. To his surprise, Ryoma spoke.

"Then apparently he got the wrong person."

"And you're proving that now!" Momoshiro snapped, turning to face Ryoma again. "The Echizen I knew never appeared weak in front of anyone. Now you're not only weak, you're also acting like I senseless coward."

"You don't know much about me then, do you, senpai?" And the kid still had the gall to be sarcastic with him. If there was one trait that Ryoma could never lose, it was his arrogance.

"That's probably true," Momoshiro replied. He watched as Ryoma pushed himself up from the floor slowly before adding, "I never knew you'd kill someone selfishly just because of a stupid necklace."

At the mention of the necklace, Ryoma snapped his head towards him so fast that Momoshiro thought it would break. "How do you know about that?" The boy barely whispered; his shock evident in his wide golden eyes.

Momoshiro almost smirked. "I'm not exactly one who'd just follow every instruction given to me." When he was dismissed from the leader's office after he had finished the report on their last mission, he had stayed on the corridor and listened to Ryoma and Tezuka's conversation. He had not understood everything, but he was certain that it concerned Ryoma's past which he was not entirely aware of. He had even taken the risk of a small peek, and that was when he saw the bloody necklace as Ryoma was handing it to Tezuka.

Actually, he truly did not know of the significance of the necklace and he was practically bluffing. But from how Ryoma had reacted, he figured that the accessory must have been the very reason why Ryoma ruthlessly killed the aristocrat, and why the boy had been acting so peculiarly.

As he was pondering, Momoshiro failed to notice that Ryoma had already launched himself at him and pain shot up from his abdomen when the boy forcefully hit him. As the older boy clutched his abdomen, Ryoma brought his arm down vehemently on the other's nape and Momoshiro almost fell unconscious. It was with effort that he evaded Ryoma's next move. He blocked the boy's knee before it crashed into his face and leapt away from Ryoma, barely managing to stay awake. It was certainly not a lie that Ryoma was one of the best among them shinobis, despite how small he was.

Before he knew it, he was fending off Ryoma's attacks again. He was surprised about how the unresponsive boy earlier was now going at him with such vehemence. Ryoma's eyes bore silent rage and the boy was… trembling?

Momoshiro grabbed tight hold of Ryoma's fist as the boy swung at him, then twisted the other's arm behind his back and literally slammed the boy face first to the floor. He straddled the boy's hips from behind and that was when he realized that Ryoma really was trembling. It was odd; for you to attack your opponent your body must be in a calm state to avoid unnecessary movements. And Ryoma was not calm at all; the boy was now visibly shaking under him.

"Echi—"

"You don't know anything about me, Momo-senpai." Ryoma said. His voice was low and breaking at the middle. Momoshiro stared dumbfounded at the back of his head. Was the boy actually crying?

When he deemed it safe to release his hold on the boy, he let go of Ryoma's arm and got off of the other's back. His own body ached, that was certain, and he gingerly leaned on the dojo's wall as he watched Ryoma's trembling form. After a moment, the boy had gone still. Slowly, he sat up on the floor, his face hidden from the older boy's view. When he spoke again, his voice was already steady and placid.

"You don't know what I went through because of that necklace."

"Of course, I don't," Momoshiro snapped sarcastically. "You've never really told me about it – of anything, for that matter. And I'm pretty sure that Buchou won't."

Ryoma snorted. "Why'd you even bother anyway?"

Momoshiro looked as if he wanted to strangle the boy, and he really did. Ruffling the boy's hair, he said, "Of course, I do, you shrimp! I didn't put up with you this long just so you can go back to being that kid you were when you first got here."

"I'm not a kid!" was Ryoma's retort as he tried to push the older boy away, which he was unsuccessful in doing.

"On the contrary, you still are," Momoshiro smiled as he released the boy, giving him a light smack on the head. Ryoma just glared back at him, a visible pout on his lips. Then the pout turned into a smirk, and it was with pure arrogance that he said, "You've got much more to learn, Momo-senpai."

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?" A muscle on Momoshiro's cheek twitched as he grinned forcibly at the boy. But then he smiled truthfully to himself when Ryoma just rolled his eyes and stalked towards the doors, the boy finally acting like himself even at the least.

Ryoma was actually smiling himself. He realized that he actually needed the pat on the back, despite how harsh Momoshiro had been. During those three days that he had kept to himself, he came to believe that coming here was a huge mistake on his part. Tezuka had meant for him to change his ways; to change from the young boy who was nothing but a ruthless murderer, to someone who can control himself and use his skills for better. But as their stoic leader had said, he had not changed at all. How he killed the aristocrat was proof of that.

Still, that was not all true. If he seemed to have regressed to the person he used to be as Momoshiro had said, then that meant that somehow, even at the least, Ryoma had managed to change. And he could keep on trying to. A single mistake was enough.

He removed the pole that served as the doors' lock and shoved them open, only to be greeted by a scowling Kaidoh Kaoru.

"Mamushi?" Momoshiro gasped in surprise. He almost had an attack at Kaidoh's sudden appearance. Apparently, Ryoma did too.

"What's with your reactions?" Kaidoh snapped at them, obviously infuriated.

"I thought I saw a ghost. Then I guess, that's quite close to the truth."

There was threatening silence for a moment before Kaidoh grabbed the front of Momoshiro's shirt ruthlessly, seemingly deranged. "What did you say, punk?

"Oh, are you stupid now, too? Why the hell are you here anyway?"

Ryoma only sighed as the other two began their petty squabble. Regardless of time and place, the two of them would always quarrel; it was now but a common sight for Ryoma.

"Stop it, you two!"

Ryoma turned around to see their vice leader coming towards them. The boy blinked as he finally understood why Kaidoh was there: Oishi must have asked the viper to search for him and Momoshiro. Despite Kaidoh's perpetually irate nature, he still followed his seniors; which then leads to why Kaidoh had appeared there so suddenly.

"Echizen, are you all right?"

Ryoma sometimes wondered whether Oishi truly was a shinobi; he was more like a mother than he was a ninja. Nevertheless, the boy gave a simple nod out of respect for his senior, regardless of the bruise on his face.

Oishi visibly sighed in relief. "That's good. You have been acting quite odd these past few days, but it seems that you're back to normal now." Ryoma blinked at Oishi's smiling face; he did not expect his actions to receive such responses. He was not able to give a reply though, when a fellow shinobi came running to them at that moment.

"Senpai!" The young man said, pertaining to Oishi. "Tezuka-buchou needs you in his office now, senpai. He said it was very important. Also," he sent a glance to the other three present, "he said to gather the regulars, senpai."

Momoshiro and Kaidoh immediately stopped quarreling and frowned; even Ryoma was eyeing Oishi seriously. Gathering the regulars solely meant that there was a matter of grave importance; it was not every day that Tezuka held such meetings.

"All right," Oishi said to the rookie, before he dismissed the young man politely. He then turned to face the other three. "You three proceed to Tezuka's office. If I'm not wrong, Kawamura was sent on an errand outside the village. And Kirihara… he must be lurking around the village somewhere. I'll go and search for them; you tell that to Tezuka." The other three nodded and they all proceeded to their respective destinations.

Upon arriving at Tezuka's office, they found their leader holding a piece of paper and what looked like a purple rose. Inui was already there, a stern look on his face.

"What's with the summons, Buchou?" Momoshiro said nonchalantly, his arms behind his head. But Tezuka merely glanced at him and remained silent.

Ryoma frowned at this. There was something wrong at Tezuka's reaction, more so at the rose that he was holding. Why would their leader be holding a rose? And as far as Ryoma knew, purple roses were very rare at this part of the land.

"Where's Oishi?" Inui asked.

"He went looking for Kirihara and Kawamura-senpai." Kaidoh replied in his low voice. They all turned abruptly to Tezuka when their leader stood from his chair and spoke.

"That will be fine." Tezuka said, more sternly than what his subordinates had expected. "I'll be sending the three of you ahead of them."

"Sending us where, Buchou?"

He sent a glance to the purple rose now lying innocently on his desk. "We have received information of an assassination against a kingdom's heir. We are currently determining which kingdom, but as such it is our priority to prevent the assassination set to occur this midnight."

"Assassination?" Momoshiro blurted in surprise. "Then we have to mov—"

"How did you find out, Buchou?" Momoshiro blinked at the direction of the boy. Ryoma's face was still impassive, but his eyes bore the curiosity that he felt at present.

Apparently, Tezuka had expected such a question from the boy, and he held out the piece of paper to him. As soon as Ryoma saw the contents of the paper, his grip on it visibly tightened and his eyes widened noticeably. At that, Momoshiro snatched the note from the boy's trembling hands and read it himself. He soon found the reason for Ryoma's sudden agitation.

There were only four words on the piece of paper: prince, kill, midnight and forest. But there was also a mark on the note that Momoshiro assumed to be an emblem: it was a hasty sketch of a snake-covered cross.

... To be continued...

A/N: I did it! Yeah! XD

Oh my gosh, I actually finished four updates in just one week! XD Haha. I do hope I haven't strayed away from Fuji's character too much (also with the other characters). There's a definite reason for his anxieties, and that'll eventually be revealed in the ensuing chapters. Hope you will keep on reading! And yes: Kirihara is part of Seigaku here – although that is not quite true as well. ;D

Now as I've said this is the last for the first batch. I'm starting on the second batch right after this. So please review! :) Matta ne! And thanks for those who reviewed last! Really appreciate them. ;D