Me: Hiya!

Naru: Seriously, another chapter?

Me: I told ya I needed a distraction.

Naru: Don't you have something called school?

Me: Yeah, but I have more to life then just books.

Mai: Silver doesn't own Ghost Hunt. Please Review!

Gene's POV:

"Thank you." a soft voice said, bringing me back from the sea of red that I was swimming in moments before. Looking behind me I saw the current princess of Sakura looking down at the ground in shame with her head hung low. The sight of her made my heart throb at the injustice done to the poor girl. It was not her fault for what her father had done, so there was no need to take things out on her the way they were. Sighing, I stopped and smiled at her in reassurance.

"It's no problem. I apologize for what Lady Hara said. She had no right."

"No, she is right. I have a monster's blood running through my veins. It's only sensible that she think that I am one as well." she sighed, looking up at the moon that was only starting to rise in the sky.

"It's still not right." I said, hating the way that she must be feeling. This only rewarded me with getting a storage look from her as she sized me up in her mind.

"You are a strange one my prince."

"And how is that princess?"

"I'm the enemy's daughter and yet you are so kind to me. Why is that?" she asked, looking genuinely confused, almost as confused as I felt in that exact moment. Taking a moment, I looked out to the moon myself and pondered this.

She was indeed the enemy's daughter, but for some reason I couldn't help but see her as any other royal woman in the court. No, not even like that. i couldn't help but see her as a damsel in distress. Like the ones that were in all those stories that I read when I was a child. A small smile came to my face at those memories and how much this seemed to be like a fairytale with a mythical princess begin for help and a daring adventure waiting to unfold. It was childish, but the truth.

"You're not our enemy. You're our ally." I finally said, looking at her happily. She looked stunned by my words and I saw a tear escape her eye. Panic struck me that I had upset her, but the smile she wore contradicted that.

"Not everyone sees me that way." she mumbled, looking away as she struggled to dry her eyes.

"I'm not everyone."

"And that is what makes you strange." she said, giggling. I felt a wave of happiness sweep me away as I relaxed in the lighter air that surrounded us.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"In some cases yes." she stated, once again going back into her guarded expression. I wasn't sure what to say or do, all I could do was stare, but after about a minute of silence she smiled again and laughed at what I was guessing to be my expression. "But incase you haven't noticed, I'm a little strange myself." she confessed, making me happy that she was as accepting of me as I was of her. Looking at her still bound hands I felt anger at those who demanded it to be done to her. Taking my knife off of my belt, I saw her flinch at the sight of the small danger.

"Let's get these off shall we?"

"Won't you get in trouble?" she asked, giving me a worried look.

"I'm freeing a comrade. An honorable act if I do say so myself." I said, taking and cutting the blasted ropes that had once bound her. She looked down at the rope that fell from her wrists and bowed down to mien thanks.

"Thank you Eugene-sama."

"Gene." I corrected, making her look up in question to which I responded with a smile. She smiled back and nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Gene."

"Anytime Bara."

"So what now?" she asked, completely relaxed in the new surroundings that she found herself in. I sighed and shrugged not quite sure what there was that we really could do.

"We will just have to wait until the spy acts."

"I suppose your right. I just wish-" she began, only to get cut off by the sound of squeaking wheels from around the corner.

"Hold that thought princess." I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind one of the drapes. I held her close and peaked out a bit to see who it was that was coming. much to my relief it was only Emily. Still, I didn't come out just incase she decided to tell my parents about this. Not that I was ashamed of who I was with or what I was doing, but knowing them they would misunderstand. "That was close. Even though it was just Emily, it would have been bad if she had told Father and the others." I said, sighing once the sound of the cart's wheels disappeared from the air. Looking down I saw Bara's eyes wide with shock and I couldn't help but pray that it wasn't because of my random act of pulling her here with me. "What's wrong."

"That's her. That's Merida." she muttered, Pushing away from me and heading after Emily. Not understanding what she was saying, I grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Slow down, what are you talking about?"

"Merida is one of my father's favorite pawns. He told her that he would make her his mistress if she found out anything about one of the kingdoms that would help in taking them down from power, and his Queen if she found out anything on the princess of Sakura." she explained, panic lacing her words.

"What, but everyone thinks that she's dead." I said, not understanding why her father made Emily, er Merida, such an agreement.

"Father always suspected her to be alive. Just like I did. For me she is hope, for him she is distraction."

"Then we need to get to her." I said, taking her hand and pulling her down the hallway. She lagged a bit at first, but quickly went in step with me as we chased down the backstabbing maid. Suddenly, Bara paused and pulled back, jerking me back and onto my behind. Looking up at her to ask why i say her have her head in the air and eyes closed. Before I could even guess what she was doing she gasped, making me raise my brow in question.

"It's bitter almonds, those are poisons!" She said, referring to the strange smell that was wafting through the halls.

"She must be trying to kill Mai." I said, cursing myself for not seeing something like this happening.

"Hurry, we have to save the princess!" she cried, leaping forward and leaving me in the dust as she rushed off to, hopefully, save our lone surviver of Sakura.

Naru's POV:

"Is it really okay to leave them be?" Lady Hara asked, glaring at the door as if it was the cause for my twin to disappear with a woman that she clearly didn't like in the slightest.

"She won't do anything. She genuinely wants to help us." Mai said, settling back into her seat like mother use to do whenever she finished with a meeting about an important event.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. I just feel that it's alright." she said, sighing and letting the silence take over the room. A silence that was welcomed, but disturbed once a knock from the other side echoed through the room.

"Yes?" The guard asked, getting up to get the door. He opened it to reveal Emily with a tray of goods.

"I have brought refreshments your highness." she said, bowing her head at us.

"Thank you." I said, gesturing for her to come in to which she did in an instant.

"So she gets a thank you but I don't?" Mai mumbled, pouting over the little gesture I did. It took almost all I had not to laugh at that girl's mindset, but I did let a smirk through as new ideas of how to get her riled up came to mind.

"It's because she has served my family for so long. Also, she does things without being told."

"Whatever."

"Where has the strange woman gone?" Emily asked, wheeling in the cart to the small table in the middle of the room.

"Gene went to talk to her personally." Lady Hara said, scoffing yet again about the strange princess getting special treatment that she herself has never been blessed with getting.

"I see." she said, pouring the tea into cups and setting them down in front of us. From the aroma alone I could tell it was Earl Grey and after nodding to her in thanks I took a sip and enjoyed the refined taste. "Mai, here's a special blend I made for you." Emily said, holding out a cup for Mai to drink. Mai smiled in thanks and took the cup from her, but just as she was about to drink the door swung open revealing Bara.

"Mi Lady, no!" she cried, knocking the cup from Mai's hands and throwing it to the ground. Before anyone could say or do anything Emily bolted from the room with Bara about to go after her except for the guards to grab her. "Let go, you're letting the spy go! If she's not caught she'll report to my father again!" she cried, fighting against the guards with everything that she had.

"That won't be necessary." A voice said, drawing our attention to the door. Bara sighed in relief at what she saw and her legs gave way due to the stress that was taken off her shoulders, for there Was Gene with an unconscious Emily slung over his shoulders and his serious expression painted over his features.

"Would someone mind explaining what's just happened?" Yasu asked, breaking the silence that had formed around us. Gene nodded and looked towards Bara.

"Bara." She nodded in understanding and then went to the teapot and opened it up. Pouring a cup she brought it over to him and turned it towards him.

"See, here is the bitter almonds I told you about."

"Bitter almonds?" Mai asked, looking at the strange girl in wonder.

"They are poisons if taken in high concentration. That tea for example was filled with it." Bara explained, making me widen my eyes at how she knew about such a thing.

"And how do we know that that's true?" Duchess Hara asked, surprising everyone as she and the rest of the royals came back into the room. "We don't know if what you said is true. For all we know you could be blaming a poor maid to trick us into turning on ourselves."

"I would never!" Bara defended, horrified that someone would even think of such a thing.

"But where's your proof?" Lady Hara asked, joining in on her mother's plan on getting yet another princess out of the running for our betrothal.

Though she truly did have a valid point if I thought about it. What proof did we have to assume that Emily, who had served my family for as long as she has, to be the traitor that had let Bara know about Mai being alive and well. A swell of determination surrounded the accused woman. And everyone knew that she wouldn't go down without a fight. The guards readied themselves for a fight, but surprisingly that wasn't what happened. Before anyone could guess what she'd do, she took the teacup that had poured of Mai's special blend and drank the entire thing in one go.

"Bara what are you doing!" Mai asked, looking at the girl as if she had just lost what little sense she had.

"Proving that I am innocent, that I am right, that I-ugh." she said, grasping at her chest as she began to sway.

"Bara!" Gene cried, passing the unconscious Emily to a solider before running over and catching the Bara as she collapsed to the ground. "Her breathing is shallow and her heart beat is getting weaker." he announced, hand on her pulse as he watched her intently. Almost as if trying to will her to get better.

"Gene take her to the healer." Father said, trying to bring back order in the chaos that had now filled the room.

"She's not going to make it." he whispered, looking down at her with panic in his eyes. I had never seen my brother like this before and it befuddled me on why he was acting like this with a woman he had only just met and wasn't even kin. Whatever it was though it would have to wait until this situation was settled one way or another.

"Yes she will. She was strong enough to take the tea and know that we would save her. She had faith in us so lets have faith in her." Mai said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He took what she said and mulled it over before nodding and picking up the slowly dying girl.

She looked like a lifeless fragile doll in his arms and swiftly he left the room and ran down the hall to the healer as if she weighed no more then a pillow on his bed. Silence again filled the void where the two had been as we all stopped and thought about what we would do from this point on. With no clear path to see, it made moving forward difficult, but then again war always was.

"I believe that Bara has proved herself more then enough." Mai said, breaking the silence and sending a pointed glare to the Haras.

"I do believe you're right." Father agreed, nodding towards the almost assassinated woman.

"What do you plan to do now?" Mother asked, looking at her in question. Wondering if she would return home and escape from the chaos about to unfold or take it by the reigns and turn the war in a completely new direction. I already guessed that she was going to go home, especially after what had just transpired, however, I was taken by surprise as a smirk came to her lips.

"Isn't it obvious, I'm preparing for war."

Me: So what do you think? Has Bara proved herself yet?

Mai: I hope she'll be okay.

Naru: I hope that you don't get yourself killed with how much of an idiot you are.

Mai: Hey!

Me: Please Review!