〄Hᴀʟғ-Bʟᴏᴏᴅs' Lᴇɢᴀᴄʏ〄 [Ch. 4 Up!]

[scmarshtacky]

Thank you! I wish you luck in catching up, you've got a long way to go.
I'm up to 9 voters now. ^^ I really am starting to wonder where everyone's coming from.

[...Ever After]

This story is better than some published books that I've read!! I read a lot, reading takes up most of my time. I LOVE this sooo much!! <3

[scmarshtacky]

Yay! I'm so glad you think so.

[scmarshtacky]

Chapter 70 – Ai no Tameni

Kaito stood on a flat open field. A battle raged around him, but it was as though he were watching a film. He could hear the sounds of the battle, but he couldn’t take part in it. The demons rushed around fighting, dying, and staining the grass red. Even the sky was blood-red as if time had stopped in the middle of a sunset.

Suddenly the sounds quieted, and the fighters parted, revealing the forms of Ayako, Kana, and Mika. Their arms were bound, and all three of them had a Fire Clan warrior standing behind them with a dagger. Slowly, the blade met the necks of Ayako and Kana, and they collapsed into the grass.

Kaito yelled at them as the thick scent of their blood hit his nose. ‘What can you do?’ the demons laughed at him. ‘You’re only a Taboo Child. You have no real power!’

The blade then moved to Mika’s throat, and she met his gaze. ‘You betrayed me,’ she said. ‘You promised to protect me! Why couldn’t you have just been a normal human?!’

The blade met her neck, and the scene shifted. Instead, Kaito was standing in his apartment. He had his sword in his hand, and before him lay the still body of Mika. Shocked, he knelt beside her, and reached for her face. That was when he noticed his hands were covered in blood, her blood.

She opened her eyes slowly, and held his gaze. Her mouth moved to form words, but Kaito couldn’t hear them. Then, she gave a small smile, and like the demons he had killed, she began to turn to dust.

Kaito shouted in anguish, and the shadows of the room seemed to come to life, crackling with a harsh laughter. They shifted, growing in size, and rushing at Kaito until he was bound by the invisible force. The scene turned black, and he felt the pain of a blade at his chest...

Kaito sat up abruptly, wincing as pain shot across his body. As his vision cleared, he realized that he was in his bedroom in the castle. For a moment, the vividness of his dream washed over his mind, and Kaito had to catch his breath.

The girls, were they alright? The last thing he could remember was taking out Cadius in the stone room. What had happened after that?

“Kai...to?”

He turned at the sudden voice, and his eyes met Mika’s. She was sitting in a chair to his right, and had her hands crossed on the bed as if she had been sleeping. Her eyes were bleary-looking at first, but they immediately widened as she met his.

“Kaito!” she threw herself at him, wrapping him in a hug. She felt him flinch in pain, but didn’t pull back. “I thought... I thought you...” her voice cracked and her body shook in a silent sob. “You’re heart stopped... you didn’t move at all. I thought -”

“It’s okay,” he cooed, stroking her hair. “I’m okay.” He wrapped his arm around her frail body, and allowed himself the moment to relish in the fact that she was alive. His wounds ached as Mika pressed herself against him, but he didn’t care. She was alive.

Mika finally pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Kaito nodded with a soft smile highlighting his face. “The other two?”

“They’re fine. Kana’s probably in the library. Ayako’s somewhere around the area.”

Again Kaito nodded. “What happened?” he questioned after a moment of silence.

Mika swallowed, and she had to take a moment to collect herself before she could speak in a steady voice. “You collapsed. By the time I reached you, you weren’t breathing. Kana began CPR, and your heart did start back after a few compressions, but it wasn’t very steady...”

Mika broke off and took a few deep breaths before continuing. “Ayako managed to get us out of those shackles, so we were able to haul you out of the castle. Were it not for Okita though, we never would’ve made it back here.”

“Okita? When did he show up?”

“He said that as soon as he felt your power, he charged off in our general direction. He met us at the edge of the castle and we got you back here pretty quickly.”

The scene started playing out in Mika’s mind once more.

“Here, give him to me,” Okita had said. “I’ll get him back.”

“How are you gonna do that?” Ayako had challenged. “We’re miles away and even if you carried him, you wouldn’t be able to make it back soon enough.” A pool of blood had already formed on the ground under Kaito’s limp body, and all three of the girls were sure that he would disappear any minute.

Okita pulled out the ring with the black jewel. “This,” he said, slipping it on and holding his hand out in front of him. Just like in the apartment, the air shimmered in front of them. “Go,” he encouraged, gesturing toward the rift.

The girls went through first, and Okita, supporting Kaito, moved after them. They came out in the garden, and with Okita’s help, had gotten Kaito to the castle within half an hour.

Mika gave Kaito an abbreviated version of the story and then continued. “Agatha was in an uproar over your condition, but she didn’t ask any questions. I think she also sent word to the others who were still lingering near the battlefield. A day later, we got word that the Fire Clan had officially surrendered.”

“And? What’s the story on that?” Kaito prompted. “Does anyone know about what really happened?”

Mika shook her head. “The rumors began with the idea that you defeated a powerful Wind Clan warrior and the Fire Clan’s prince. We decided that was as good as anything we could come up with, so we confirmed it.”

“I see...” Kaito said slowly. “The last of those guards that Cadius had?”

“Ayako took him down.”

“What about Alistir? He was the one leaking information to those accursed foxes.” He whispered the last sentence to himself still unable to believe that one of his own would stoop so low, but the brat’s temperament had always been bad, so it wasn’t incredibly surprising that he was the one.

“Last I heard, he was locked up somewhere in the castle being interrogated.”

Kaito leaned back against the head rest of his bed, and let out a sigh. Somehow it seemed that most everything had worked out. The door opened, and Kaito glanced up to see Ayako and Kana enter the room.

“Well, look who decided to finally wake up,” Ayako said as soon as her eyes met Kaito’s. “You were out for two weeks you know.”

Kaito’s eyes widened. “T-two weeks?!” he sputtered.

“Ayako that’s mean,” Kana spoke up as she put her books down on her makeshift bed. “It’s only been one week.”

Kaito sucked in his breath. One week wasn’t entirely unbelievable, but he was still in a wretched condition considering that long had passed.

“Guys!” Mika complained. “Kaito, it’s really only been three days.”

He released the breath he’d been holding, and slumped back against the bed. “I'd expect as much from Ayako, but you Kana? Please, remind me why I saved your lives again?”

“Because your life would be so boring without us!” Ayako chimed. “Of course, I was sure I’d find a lump of dust in the bed where you used to be every time I entered the room.”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Kaito muttered to himself.

The door opened again, and this time Agatha came in with a bucket of water and a few rags. “Lord Kaito!” she exclaimed as soon as she saw him sitting up. “You’ve come to.”

“Yeah,” he said softly, adverting his gaze. He really shouldn’t have felt as awkward as he did around Agatha. She’d seen him in rough shape more times than he cared to count. Still, he couldn’t shake the awkwardness from her seeing him incapacitated.

Agatha went to work on him immediately, unwrapping the soiled bandages and cleaning out his wounds. It was a process Kaito was now accustomed to the girls doing, and it seemed odd to have the old woman in front of him again. Though Agatha knew he wasn’t invincible, being her leader, he tried to appear in that way.

Kaito took the moment to assess the damage done to his body. The worst wound stretched from his left hipbone to his right shoulder, and was rather deep. Undoubtedly, that was caused by his usage of the wind. The second point of concern was his left shoulder were Cadius had stabbed him. The other wounds that were carved across his torso were painful, but not much of a concern.

“The master wanted to see you when you awoke,” Agatha said as she worked.

Kaito sucked in a breath. “Yeah, I’ll bet he does.”

Agatha looked up, searching his gaze, but Kaito remained carefully emotionless. “My lord, what happened?”

“I was just a battle Agatha,” Kaito said stiffly. “That’s all.”

“My lord doesn’t get such wounds in ‘just a battle’,” she repeated, now glaring at him with a hard, motherly-like gaze.

“Sorry,” Kaito said dropping his gaze and softening his voice. “I can’t tell you the specifics.”

“You never change,” Agatha said with a soft sigh of her own. She tied the last knot on his fresh bandages and stood back to admire her work. “I’ll get a few herbs up here shortly.”

“Great,” Kaito groaned as he stood up. “My absolute favorite thing.”

“Now don’t you take that tone with me,” Agatha said shaking the now bloodied rag at him. “You got yourself all beat up, so now you have to pay for that.”

“Yes, yes,” Kaito agreed, quirking his mouth in a smile that Agatha returned.

“I’ll be back,” she promised before exiting the door.

Kaito took a few steps across the room, wincing as each movement jarred some part of his body. He’d done an excellent job tearing himself up, and though he hoped it would heal quickly, he had his doubts considering all the power he’d used in the fight.

“Kaito, don’t you think you should rest some more?” Mika asked softly.

“I would, but unfortunately, my father has summoned me,” he replied in a bitter tone. He could guess what his old man wanted to talk about, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Is that bad?” Mika asked, her head cocked questioningly.

“Potentially.” Kaito grabbed a set of formal clothes, and changed as quickly as he could in the bathroom. He fixed his hair quickly, and shoved a ring on his finger for appearances.

“I’ll be back,” he promised after fastening the sword to his belt. Kaito made the long walk as quickly as he could and was soon announcing himself in front of the giant wooden doors. For a split second, there was silence before a voice ordered ‘enter’ from the other end. Kaito did so, and knelt down before his father in the middle of the floor.

The King had ordered everyone else from the room, which only confirmed Kaito’s suspicions about the topic of conversation.

“What exactly did you think you would accomplish pulling such a foolish stunt?” he asked coldly when Kaito had situated himself.

Right to the point, huh? Kaito thought darkly. “I apologize,” he said bowing his head. “I was not thinking properly.” He could’ve defended his action, but he’d learned over the years that it made little difference what excuses he gave. His father always seemed to know when he pulled on the power of the wind.

“So you betray myself, betray your kingdom, for this moment of glory?” He snarled. “What a willful brat you’ve become.”

Kaito nearly flinched at the harsh words, but held himself in place. “I did not seek glory from the encounter,” he stated bluntly. “I wanted only to protect what was important to me.”

“The humans? Are they more important than your own future?”

“I...” he hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts before answering. “Is there such a thing as a life more valuable than another?”

His father went silent. Not a good sign. Kaito stole a glance upward, to find his father’s eyes blazing with cold fury. “You disgust me,” he said at last, turning his head as if it were making him sick to even look at his own child.

At this point, Kaito felt his own anger boil over the surface. “I disgust you? And whose fault do you think that is?” His formalities crumbled away as he faced the man directly. “You act as though I am completely to blame for the incident at the run-down castle, but who do you think made me what I am? I am taboo because of your willfulness, not mine.” Kaito spoke the last sentence softly, but he knew this father had no trouble hearing him. Unfortunately, it was the wrong thing to say.

Kaito’s eyes registered his father shifting, he heard the draw of a sword, and felt a blast of energy strike his chest. Without much resistance, he crashed into the back wall. His father appeared in front of him, with his own sword blade grazing Kaito’s left cheek.

In the heat of the moment, Kaito had drawn his own katana as well, and even had it poised a few centimeters from his father’s throat. Any stranger looking on might thing the battle was an even draw, but Kaito knew better. His father’s strength was enormous, but his physical power was not his strongest asset. It was his agility and speed.

“Get out,” his father said slowly, enunciating every syllable. “I no longer wish to see your face.”

Kaito’s eyes widened. “Are you... exiling me?”

“Not yet.” With that, his father drew back, sheathed his sword, and walked away.

Kaito had no choice but to turn the other direction and exit the room. His previous anger was replaced only by a void. The type of feeling he only ever got after talking to his father.

“Oh, Kaito, welcome back,” Mika greeted, looking up from the card game she was playing with the other two. Kaito managed a smile in the girl’s direction, but Mika could tell it was forced. His face showed a type of pain, but it didn’t seem physical. “What –”

“It’s nothing,” Kaito cut her off as he headed back into the bathroom to change. He’d felt his wounds opening up when he’d hit the wall earlier and hoped that it hadn’t bled enough to ruin his formal clothing. Luckily, it hadn’t.

Kaito threw on a soft, disposable shirt, and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible as he laid on the bed. He dozed off with the sound of shuffling cards and quiet whispers.

“Kaito?”

He awoke abruptly to the sound of Mika’s voice, and with a light groan, sat up. “What is it?” he asked, blinking the weariness from his eyes.

“Sorry...” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I just –” She broke off and shook her head.

Kaito’s eyes softened on the girl standing near the foot of his bed. Of them all, she probably had suffered the most. She really was sure that I’d die any second. Kaito searched her face for a moment, realizing then that she was pale and fidgety. Three days of expecting someone to die really could wear on a person, especially a human.

“Come here Mika.” Kaito patted the bed beside him, and shifted backward to rest his upper body against the headrest.

Mika couldn’t help glancing around the room. Ayako and Kana had left to take a walk, so there was no one else, but she couldn’t help checking. Slowly she moved over to him and climbed onto the bed. Kaito wrapped his arm around her, moving his shoulder as little as possible, and her body automatically curled into his side. He was so warm...

“I won’t die,” he whispered at last. “No matter what happens, I won’t die and leave you here.”

Mika swallowed hard, and shifted her gaze to meet his eyes. “You promise?”

“Yakusokusuru(I promise),” he replied softly.

“Your shoulder...” she muttered as she saw a few spots of blood appear on his white clothes. She shifted forward trying to get a better look, but Kaito’s arm restrained her.

“It’s fine,” he assured her. At least, it didn’t hurt more than anywhere else.

“Walking around the castle shouldn’t have opened it that much,” Mika frowned. “The only place you went was to see your father right?”

Kaito nodded, but his expression was unreadable. After a second, he seemed to realize it, and plastered the small smile back onto his face. “I guess I just walked a little too quickly,” he said with a small laugh.

Mika let the matter drop and slowly relaxed, letting his warmth warm her own body. His skin was hot. Too hot... Mika jerked upward once more, and turned to face a somewhat startled Kaito. She rested the back of her hand on his forehead and then her own.

“I think you have a fever,” she muttered to herself, moving her hand back to his head to compare the warmth.

“I’m fine,” he said yet again. “My body temperature is naturally hotter than a human’s anyway.”

“But not usually this hot.” She’d been around him before. She’d sat against him before, and though he was always warm, he never felt hot. “I’ll go get a rag.” Mika moved to get off the bed, but Kaito grabbed her wrist.

“Would you just sit and stay for a moment without worrying about my well-being?” His eyes burned against hers as they met. Mika may have thought he would die, but for a second, in that bare room, Kaito was sure that Mika had been a goner. The instant he thought she was in danger, was the moment he’d lost control.

Kaito couldn’t suppress the need to confirm her existence. How many times had she died in his dreams? He also needed to know that she wasn’t going anywhere.

‘What a willful brat you’ve become...’ The phrase rang in his ears unexpectedly, and Kaito released Mika. Like father like son, huh? The mere thought of it disgusted him.

“Go,” he said with a slight wave of his hand. “Do what you need to do.”

“Kaito...” Mika studied his face, but he’d hardened his features. Slowly, and a bit unwillingly, she ran to get a damp cloth.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time another couple of days had passed, Kaito was done being still. He’d been order to stay in the room by both Agatha and Kana, and someone was always in the room with him, making sure he didn’t run off.

His wounds were still far from healing completely, courtesy of him using too much of his demonic energy, but he was much better off than he was. However, he was still forbidden by to leave. Thus, Kaito had taken to pacing along the back wall.

“Would you please just sit down?” Ayako groaned, looking up from her game of solitaire. “I’m trying to concentrate.”

“Says the one who can never sit still,” Kaito replied.

“Are you trying to irk me?!”

“Yes.”

Ayako ground her teeth at that straightforward answer, and stood up to face him. Before her brain had fully registered her actions, she was leaping at Kaito, left fist raised. Her own right shoulder was healing nicely, but was still painfully sore when she tried to move it around excessively.

Kaito caught the punch easily, and twisted her arm while sweeping her legs out from under her. Ayako fell onto the unforgiving floor in a heap where she was held down by Kaito.

“Wow, two weeks worth of fighting, and this is still all you can manage?” He questioned, letting a slight teasing smile spread across his face.

“Get off of me you accursed demon!” Ayako yelled as she thrashed about. “Ahouji!” she spat out the word as if it were a curse, but Kaito only laughed, which only made Ayako all the more frustrated.

The door opened then, and Mika and Kana stepped through.

“Um... is everything okay?” Mika questioned glancing from Kaito to Ayako.

It was Kana that answered the question. “We left the two of them in a room alone. I doubt anything is okay.”

Kaito released Ayako, and she stood. It would’ve been in her best interest to walk away, but Ayako’s pride wouldn’t let her do such a thing. She spun around the moment she was up, and aimed another punch at Kaito’s stomach. This time she connected.

Kaito groaned as Ayako hit a particularly tender spot, but he responded quickly, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around until she hit the wall behind him. They both seemed to growl at each other as they engaged in a stare-down.

“Ayako!” “Kaito!” Kana and Mika shouted simultaneously.

They both pulled back, though a bit grudgingly.

“Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to take a walk or something,” Kana said slowly glancing over Kaito. Clearly staying in the room was only making matters worse.

“I appreciate your permission,” his tone was sarcastic, though he didn’t particularly mean to be harsh. Too much time in one spot made him a bit sour.

Kaito changed quickly into something decent, though not formal, and grabbed a couple of trinkets that he’d saved from the war. One was a ring that he’d picked up in the first village they’d visited. The second was the coat of arms that was sown onto the uniforms of every warrior. When Grinwald had fallen, Kaito had cut the seal out. It wasn’t much, but it was the only thing that he could present to his family. After he promised the old man he’d keep an eye on his son, he felt this was the least he could do.

“Do you want me to come?” Mika asked as Kaito neared the door.

He gave her a soft smile, but replied, “No, I think I can handle taking a walk on my own. I’ll be back later.” With a final backward wave, Kaito headed from the room.

The first house he visited was that of the owner of the ring, or at least who he hoped owned the ring. Kaito approached the cloth door, and flicked his finger against the fabric. It wasn’t much of a knock, but without shouting, it was the only thing he could do to announce his presence.

A young woman poked her head out of the doorway. Kaito recognized her as the individual he’d healed before he’d left to fight in the war. She looked so different. If Kaito didn’t have a memory of her scent, he probably wouldn’t have recognized her.

She studied him for a moment, and then her eyes slowly widened in recognition. “My-my Lord!” She almost threw herself down at his feet, but Kaito caught her upper arm.

“Hold on. I only wanted to give you something.”

The girl’s surprise was enough to keep her on her feet. “Give me something? But –” she sputtered.

Kaito presented the ring. “This is yours, is it not?”

“My wedding ring! But where – how did you know?”

“Intuition,” Kaito said with a soft smile. It was really more of a deduction he'd hoped was right. The village he'd found it in had clearly been the girl’s home. The amount of burning and marks of massacre indicated as much. The ring was new, and the girl wasn’t old enough to have been married for long. He couldn’t think of another reason for her to move to a small countryside village unless she married.

The girl went silent for a moment, fingering the ring. “My mother told me what you did for me,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure I could ever repay such a debt...”

“You don’t have to repay it. Just stand strong and do what you can. You've been through a lot I'm sure. Just remember that strength doesn’t come from fighting, but from the courage to move on.”

She nodded slowly, taking in his words, and when Kaito was sure she understood. He dipped his head, and left the house.

Luckily, his next destination was not far. When he announced himself at the home of Grinwald – he had found the address by searching a few records in the library – he was surprised when a little boy pushed aside the cloth. He had seen the child before, but it took him a moment to remember it was the boy with the ball he’d met a while back when he first returned to the town.

The child stared up at Kaito curiously, and then his face broke into a smile. “It’s the Lord!” he said happily dancing around when he stood.

Kaito knelt down so that he was on eye-level with the boy. “Is you’re mother around?”

The child nodded vigorously, and turned from the doorway to run into the small house screaming. “Mama! Mama! The Lord Prince Kaito wants to see you!”

Kaito couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He wished the rest of the town could care as little about titles as this boy. He heard the mother scold the child mildly before appearing at the door herself.

“My deepest apologies my Lord,” she said as she sank into a bow. “He’s still very young and doesn’t understand –”

"I don’t mind,” Kaito cut her off quickly. “I do have something to discuss with you though, if you don’t mind.”

The woman frowned, but invited him in nonetheless. He sat at the small, low table in the far corner of the room, not unlike the one in his apartment. The woman sat down opposite of him, and when she had settled herself, Kaito took out the small coat of arms.

The woman’s hand immediately went to cover her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m sorry,” Kaito said softly. “It was the only thing I had time to recover, but perhaps this is better than nothing.”

Slowly she nodded. “My husband... he died honorably?”

“Indeed. There was not a braver man in the whole legion. His last request was for me to keep an eye on the two of you, and I will follow his wishes. From this moment on, you are under my protection. Should the need arise, you can request my presence at any time.”

The woman opened her mouth, but seemed unable to continue speaking.

“Hey, mama,” the child tugged urgently on her sleeve. “What’s the matter mama? Did the Lord Prince Kaito make you cry?”

“No Kento,” she replied with a smile, though her voice was broken. “It’s just, your papa won’t be coming home for a while...”

“Eh, but why not? Why isn’t papa gonna come home?” When his mother didn’t answer, Kento became more insistent. “Mama, why isn’t papa coming home?” Even if he didn’t understand the reason, the boy was already starting to cry.

His mother circled her arms around Kento, and let herself sob against his small shoulder. Kaito, not wanting to impose on their sadness, gave a brief nod and excused himself from the house. That was harder than he’d thought it would be.

By the time he had circled around the village, and paid Baldwin a brief visit, the sun was already beginning to lower in the afternoon sky.

“There you are lord Kaito!” Agatha exclaimed when he entered his bedroom once more.

“Why are you here?” he asked as he plopped down on the bed. The question was a bit redundant, he could smell the herbs as soon as he’d entered the room, but he asked anyway.

In response, Agatha held up the wooden bowl. “Now don’t make that face,” she ordered as Kaito turned away. “Come on, handle your responsibilities without complaint.” She shoved the bowl into his hands, and towered over him, waiting to make sure he finished it off.

Kaito did grumble softly to himself, but took the bowl and downed the thick green liquid in one gulp. He swore that one day the acidic herbs would burn a hole right through his throat. “Is that all you needed?” he questioned between the urges to gag.

The elder woman nodded. “I think that’s it. I left Kana with a fresh set of bandages. She said she’d fix you up later.”

Kaito flashed a brief, grateful look in the girl’s direction. “Very well then. Get that wretched bowl out of my sight,” he teased, waving his hand to dismiss the maid.

“Oh, I’ll take it for now, but undoubtedly I’ll be back with more at a later time.” She left the room with Kaito still groaning on the bed behind her.

“You’re wounds are still quite severe,” Kana mumbled as she unwrapped the bandages later that night. “Have you been reopening them often?”

“No, not particularly,” Kaito said with a small shrug. “It’s just that I don’t have a lot of spare power to heal with at the moment.”

At the girls’ questioning glances Kaito continued rather reluctantly. “That stunt I pulled took a pretty major toll on my body,” he sighed, “and because of that, I really don’t have the power to do much right now, that includes healing.”

Kaito glanced down at his hand and flexed his fingers. For a moment his palm sparkled with electricity, but it died down after a moment. That was about the most he could manage, a couple of small sparks.

The room went quiet until Mika broke the silence with a question that was on everyone’s mind. “Is it... permanent?”

Kaito rested his chin in his palm and stared absentmindedly at the wall. “I certainly hope not, but who knows. I’ve never gone on such a rampage before, so even I can’t give a good answer. However, my assumption is that within a few months, I should be back to normal.”

“That’s a long time...” Mika said softly.

“Yeah, well, once one wears down their demonic energy so much, it takes a while for it to come back completely. That much I do know.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next couple of days were busy around the castle. Maids were constantly rushing about cleaning and decorating from before dawn until well after dusk. The reason was the end-of-war ceremony. Everyone in the region was invited to the castle grounds regardless of status, and because of that, it seemed that everyone was indeed coming.

The ceremony was set for today at noon, and Agatha had not left Kaito or the girls alone. The sky was just now beginning to lighten with the coming dawn, but she’d been at the four for two hours at least.

They’d had baths, they’d been drenched in incense, and their hair was finally completed. Now the girls were picking out the most appropriate dress while Agatha fussed over a small wrinkle in Kaito’s shirt.

“You have to look professional, Lord Kaito, this is a big moment for you,” she murmured as she pulled down the fringes of his sleeve until they looked perfect by her standards.

“Agatha, I’m just standing there,” Kaito sighed. It was his father that would do the talking. He was just there as a figurehead. “No one’s going to be close to me.”

“You never know that dear.” She’d now moved on to the silver threads that lined the fringes of his black clothes, and was cutting away every dangling thread.

Kaito rolled his eyes and suppressed another sigh. A few minutes later, the old woman finally moved to helping the girls change into their appropriate attire. Kaito was thankful that at least he didn’t have to worry about what he would wear.

He laid back on his bed and crossed his arms behind his head, careful not to disturb the work that Agatha had done. This would be the first time in a few days that he would be in his father’s presence. After their last conversation, Kaito was dreading the encounter even if he didn’t even have to look at the man. His cold presence was enough to put Kaito on edge.

Some part of Kaito wished his father was the type to just scream in his face, and then let the matter go. Instead, his father turned quiet when angered, and Kaito was never sure how long it took for him to get over it.

So what’s better then, he mused, being screamed at, or being ignored? Kaito closed his eyes, contemplating the question, but never came up with a sufficient answer because after a few minutes he found himself dozing off.

“Lord Kaito! Wake up!”

Kaito jerked upward, and met the angry gray eyes of his maid.

“All that work on you, and you’ve wrinkled the thing,” she scolded him, shaking an accusatory finger.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, though his tone wasn’t very apologetic. Agatha was too wired over the whole event, and Kaito knew that no matter how much he tried to talk to her, she wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t really blame the old woman, but he did wish that she’d learn to relax a bit.

A couple minutes later, the three girls exited from the bathroom.

“I don’t think it’s possible to walk in this,” Ayako complained as she took in her appearance. “This is precisely why I don’t like dresses and stuff. I just don’t look good in them.”

“Nonsense dear, you look wonderful!” Agatha said clasping her hands together.

Kaito couldn’t help but silently agree. The dress that Ayako had been forced into, was a darker red that seemed to match perfectly with her fiery personality. The style was almost modern, clinging to her figure until it widened slightly at her waist. Her hair was in a ponytail, but the ends had been curled quite nicely. It almost makes her look feminine, he thought wryly.

Kana sported a loose, dark purple dress that highlighted the gray in her eyes. Her shorter hair was left in its usual fashion, down and straight. Though the color combination looked very nice, Kaito noted that she didn’t stand out in the way that Ayako did. For her, he figured something like this was probably best.

Kaito’s eyes glided over Mika last. Her dress was styled more like a standard, white ball gown. The shoulder straps were frilled as well as the base of the dress. Part of her hair was branded into two strands, one on each side of her head, which joined together at the back. The rest of her hair was curled and left down.

“Oi, Ahouji, you’re staring!” Ayako accused him.

“Well, what do you expect? I am a guy you know.” Kaito let the corner of his mouth lift in a smirk. He could see Ayako gathering her thoughts for a smart remark, but Agatha cut her off.

“It’s nearly mid-morning now. We should get you all into your proper positions.”

“Where’s that?” Ayako questioned.

“Down in the large courtyard,” she explained briefly as she ushered them from the room. “It’s where everyone else will be gathering for the event. And my lord, do try to keep everything wrinkle free in the time between now and then.”

“Yes, yes,” he agreed obediently. However, once the old maid had left, he laid back down on his bed. It was only after the sun had risen a bit more that he got the motivation to head in the general direction of the balcony.

The highest balcony was on the fourth floor of the castle, and towered above the largest courtyard. A few thousand people could pack themselves into the space which made it the perfect place to hold such a large celebration.

The spiral steps ended on the fourth level. It may have been the highest point, but this was also the smallest floor. It was no bigger than Kaito’s own apartment, and was one of the more ornate rooms in the castle. Tapestries hung down from the all the walls, and paintings filled the spaces between them. A couple of statues stood in the corners, and a smaller stained glass window was embedded on the back wall. The front of the room had only two glass doors that opened up to a balcony overlooking the courtyard.

Kaito moved off slowly to the far corner to await the beginning of the speech. When that time finally came, he moved to his position on his father’s right side, but stood back a few steps. The military commander was on the left, in line with Kaito. Staying back was proper, but the balcony was also not big enough to hold the three of them.

He was more than happy to fade into the background as he stepped forward and caught a glimpse of the massive amount of people. It was impossible to distinguish their faces from this distance, but there must’ve been a few thousand people below them.

“Welcome, members of the Clan of Lightning,” his father began. The crowd quieted immediately, allowing his voice to carry across the area without difficulty. “We have had troubling times in the past month, but due to your courage and determination, we have claimed victory once more.”

Kaito briefly wondered how many of them could actually understand the Japanese that his father was speaking. Though it was considered ‘formal’ those from the rural villages probably wouldn’t be familiar with it because they spent time on the farms rather than pursuing an education.

“Many fought, and many died, but it is because of their bravery that you now stand where you are today. We honor our fallen comrades and wish them well in the next world.”

Kaito clenched his jaw, certain that his father would never understand how much the warriors sacrificed while on the field. It may have been the shortest war in history, but the death toll was as high as any other war.

“Today, let us celebrate our victories, and rejoice in our freedom. As long as you stand strong, this kingdom will never fall!”

A chorus of howling erupted from the audience below. Then everyone began to break apart, and Kaito stepped back. After giving a brief word of farewell, he descended the stairs quickly, ready to be away from his father. He should have gone straight to the party to meet and greet everyone, but Kaito couldn’t quite rally himself for it yet.

Instead, he decided to stop by the room. At the very least, he could take the shawl off of his head. He could already feel it already bruising the top of his skull.

Kaito entered the room, and was two steps in when he realized he wasn’t the only one there. His eyes widened as they fell onto Mika's back. She was halfway through slipping into another dress. Mika yelped in surprise, and Kaito spun around to face the door again.
“I didn’t realize that you’d be here,” he said a bit awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay..." Mika replied worming her way into the different dress. “I fell over the hem of the other and got kind of dirty, so as soon as the speech was over, Agatha sent me back up here to change.”

“I see.” Kaito cocked his head around just enough to see that she was decent before turning around. The new dress she’d found was sky blue and clung to her frame more so than the previous.

When Kaito turned, he found her twirling in a circle trying to wrench her arm around enough to grab the ribbons on the back that would tighten the dress and hold it in place.

“Hold still,” Kaito said, his voice colored with amusement. “I’ll do it.”

Mika froze on the spot, and before she could find the words to say that she was capable of doing it herself, he was already at her back. She tried furiously not to blush as she felt his fingers brush across her back, but it was impossible. The blood went to her face immediately and remained there long after he was done.

“W-What did you come back for?” she asked, trying to regain a bit of her composure.

“No particular reason. I did want to get this thing off my head though,” he replied as he pulled the pin from the shawl, releasing the hair it had held. “But mostly I was delaying the inevitability that I have to go down and socialize.”

Mika couldn’t help but laugh at his blunt tone. “You socialize all the time,” she pointed out. “Whether it’s school or here, you’re always talking to someone.”

“I know,” he sighed as he walked over to his balcony, opened the doors and stepped out. “I guess it’s not the socializing part that bothers me, but the fact no one can talk to me without bowing their head or apologizing over something I don’t even understand.”

Mika followed him outside. A soft, warm breeze blew through her hair, and she couldn't help but smile. It felt like a perfect late spring day. She had to constantly remind herself that Japan was in the middle of the winter.

This side of the castle was still and quiet except for the occasional singing of the birds. With the weather, the castle, the prince in front of her, she found herself thinking that this was what a perfect story would be like. A happy ending to the troubling times.

However, as the collar of Kaito’s shirt blew in the breeze, she caught sight of the bandages on his shoulder and was roughly pulled back to reality. Was it really a happy ending, after everything that had happened?

“What’s the matter?” Kaito asked, noticing Mika’s immediate drop in mood.

She hesitated for a moment before saying. “For a moment, I was imagining that I was in a fariy tale, but I suddenly felt foolish thinking such a thing. After watching all the others suffer, after you hurt yourself to protect me, I'm not sure I have a right to a happy ending?”

“Sure you have the right, but you have to make it make it happy for yourself,” he said softly. “Pain and suffering exist everywhere, but you can’t deny yourself pleasure because of it. Nothing is your fault, and sometimes there are things you simply can’t change.”

“But I hurt you!” Mika exclaimed. “You told me repeatedly to stay here, and even warned me that something like this could happen, but I wanted to go anyway. This was all my fault because I was selfish and weak...” her voice broke, and she trailed off.

“You didn’t hurt me,” Kaito said sternly. “I hurt myself, and that’s all there is to it.”

“But –”

Kaito cut her off as he turned and wrapped his arms around her. “You have to stop beating yourself up over this Mika,” he said. “I came out of it fine, so just let it go.”

“Is this really fine?” Mika asked, raising her hand to gently touch his bad shoulder. This didn’t seem fine to her at all. Not when she’d caused the problem.

“It is. Haven’t you heard? Scars are a warrior’s badge of honor,” he said lightly. “I can brag over the fact that I killed both the Fire Clan prince, and a Wind Clan warrior together in one fell swoop.”

“You might not want to brag too much, or the other clans might decide to come after you,” Mika laughed, and then rested her head against Kaito. She probably should have pulled out of his arms, but it was relaxing, and it made the shadows in her heart fade away.

I love you Kaito, she thought to herself. She felt Kaito tense under her, and looked up to find him staring down at her with a strange expression on his face. Her own face reddened. “I-I didn’t say that out loud did I?” she stuttered. However, his expression clearly said that she had.

Kaito tightened his arms around her as she went to pull away, forcing her to remain still. Mika dropped her head to hide her red face, and Kaito chuckled in amusement. “Mika.” He said her name softly, and when she looked up at him, he bent his head to meet her lips with his own.

The moment lasted an eternity in Mika’s mind. Her face was hot, her muscles were tense, and her lips were on fire. However, a second later, she found herself relaxing, and let some of her weight fall back against him as she returned the kiss.

When they finally broke away, she found that Kaito was giving her a true and genuine smile. Not the the soft smile that he plastered on his face to hide his own thoughts, but one of genuine happiness.

“Aishiteru, Mika*.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

By noon the next day, the girls and Kaito were packed up, ready to go back to Tokyo Japan. The barrier between the worlds had been down since the war had officially ended, but because Kaito had attend the speech and take care of a few other issues, they had remained in Akukai until today.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Ayako said as she turned toward the old maid standing in front of them. They were in the middle of Kaito’s bedroom, which seemed to her like an odd spot to call up an inter-dimensional portal, but she was thankful they wouldn’t have to trek through the woods again.

“Thank you for taking care of us,” Kana said as she gave a respectful bow.

“Yes, thank you so much for everything,” Mika said copying the bow.

“There’s no need for thanks,” Agatha said. She strode forward a few steps, opened her arms, and all three of the girls rushed to give the old woman one last hug. “Now you keep an eye on the young lord in the Human World,” she said, glancing at each one of them in turn. “There’s no telling what that boy will do to get himself in trouble.”

“Not to worry,” Ayako said proudly, pulling away from the woman. “I’ll keep him in line.”

“And who’s going to keep you in line?” Kaito countered softly.

“We’ll be fine as long as the two of them don’t kill each other before we arrive back in Tokyo,” Kana murmured so that only Mika and Agatha could hear her.

“I trust you’ll keep them in one piece,” Agatha replied, glancing at the two who were already in an argument. “Mika.”

The girl glanced up at the maid who’d become like a mother to her. Mika didn’t realize that such a huge void existed in her heart after her grandmother had passed away, but when she looked at the woman, she was painfully reminded that her grandmother was no longer there to comfort her. It was all she could do to meet the woman’s face without crying.

“Take care dear,” Agatha said softly. “I know the young lord can be hard to manage at times. He tries to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, but remind him on occasion that even he isn’t invincible. He cares deeply for you, so I think he’ll listen to what you say.”

Mika felt her cheeks redden as she recalled the events of the previous day. “I’ll stay by his side for as long as I can,” Mika promised, thankful that her voice was strong, “and even though I’m just a human, I’ll help him however I can.”

Agatha nodded, and gave Mika one finally squeeze with her arms before she released the girl. “Take care, Lord Kaito,” she said turning to him.

“I’ll see you in a couple of years Agatha,” he replied with a short nod. Then he turned to the empty space in front of him, and drew a line through the air with two fingers. Immediately, the air rippled, exposing the rift in the barrier.

Ayako was the first through followed by Kana. Mika hesitated, looking around the room once more to burn it into her memory.

Kaito, seeing her reluctance, took her hand in his own. “Come on,” he said gently as his eyes softened on her.

Mika nodded, and together, they stepped into the void.

~The End~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*"I love you, Mika." I didn't really want to ruin the moment with parenthesis in the phrase, so the translation is here.

A/N~ You have now completed All Because of You, read 613 pages, about 259,842 words, and four years worth of work. XD This chapter is massive, 18 pages, but I didn't want to break it up. Sorry if some of the parts seem a little rushed. I just didn't want to dwell on them for too long. This is my best attempt at romance. I hope in some way it's satisfying. I know it's what a lot of people wanted. Lots of emotions in the chapter, and emotion isn't my strong point, but I think that maybe I pulled it off decently at least. This chapter probably still needs a bit of editing, but I wanted to give it to you all before I get too bogged down in school work. As usual, enjoy~

Now that this is complete, let me know what you were satisfied with and what you weren't. What you liked and what you didn't, and what you think could be improved on. Favorite chapter/least favorite chapter, favorite characters, whatever. I had a set way I wanted this story to go, so some things, like more romance, I didn't really focus on. If you have requests for me going forward, now is the time to tell me.

I will be writing a sequel called Half-Bloods' Legacy. For convenience, it will be posted on this thread, just so I can keep everything together. I can't say when I'll release the first chapter. I want to have at least five or so before I start posting, and I've only just started on Ch. 1. So keep an eye out. Thank you all for supporting me up until now. ^^

<==Chapter 69

HBL Chapter 1 ==>

[Muse.]

-takes a minute to collect her thoughts-

asdfghjkl

-squeals like a kid- Okay! Last chapter down. *-* Could not have come at a better time, as I am preparing for my finals next week. Really helped lift my spirits and my mood today, so I must thank you for that first. Also, I want to thank you for giving me something to look forward to on Fridays/near the end when you had time to post it up. It was such a pick-me-up since it has improve so much over these past...7 months? Could be more.
I was super excited as soon as I saw a new post on it. xD
I'd like to give you praise for sticking with it the whole time as I find myself forgetting, getting bored of or just never finding the time to finish anything that I ever sit down to write. Kinda makes me want to work on that. ^^" Aside from that, you really deserve the praise you have received. I have seen how your writing has grown in this little bit of time and it really is awesome. I sincerely can't wait for the sequel, as I know it will just continue to brighten my day when it gets posted and give me something super awesome to read.
Don't worry about the romance! even though I may be a sucker for it, I still love the way it's so rare/uncommon all of the time. It's not over the top which is awesome. Being the way it is, it makes much more of an impact when it gets written so you're fine! no worries! Keep doing what you're doing. I understand not being able to write it. I feel like if I tried I would suck royally. (Forever alone club member. u.u)
-still giddy-
Weeeee. It's finally done. I'm just so glad that you stuck with it. Many people don't, and it has definitely been something I consider to be on my list of favorite books, whether or not it's a real book or a story on CS.
Favorite chapter? Man, probably the one before this one. I love the way that you depict and write fight scenes. I suck at them. ( u.u) I just love the way you did that chapter. I dunno. xD
Least favorite? I'd have to reread everything to even begin to think about that question.
Favorite part...the parts when Okita first shows up? They were funny and cute. ^^
What could be improved on? Scmarsh, you're always improving! There is no right or wrong answer to that. I can't point out a single thing if I had to really think about it though. n.n"
Now onto requests...can I just request that you do your best and do whatever you want because whatever you seem to throw out turns out to be good? No? Then nothing~ xD

I'M SORRY. I WROTE FOREVER.

Super looking forward to Half-Bloods' Legacy. -salute-
Gambatte, ne?

[scmarshtacky]

Wow, thanks for that awesome comment. It's a wonderful thing to wake up to. Alright, I'll just keep doing my best with it then. ^^ There will probably be more Okita moments in the sequel as well, just because I really love Okita and Kaito interaction. And somehow or another, I did manage to get this thing done. It still amazes me too. XD

Arigatou gozaimasu.

[Muse.]

Yay! Okita! xD Every story needs some kind of comic relief, of course. (Although Ayako fits into that role pretty well, too.)

The only thing you can do, when you have no idea, is to do your best, after all. ^^

It really is amazing, trust me. "You have now completed All Because of You, read 613 pages, about 259,842 words, and four years worth of work." I mean wow. I could never write so much, let alone my original story. I just don't have the motivation to be honest. I mean unless I found something so interesting I couldn't pass it up..? Writing 613 pages sounds like some kind of crazy dream/goal, but you actually made it there! And don't knock the "4 years worth of work" either, because you are still in school. You're not a full time author or anything so finding the time to write that much in 4 years is also super duper amazing. \(=~=)/

Okay enough with the praises. (xD)

I wish you luck writing the sequel in between your busy schedule. I'll be checking every once in a while in anticipation. ^^~

Weeeeeee <3

(I've tried writing my own things, trust me. I get about 2 pages in and either get distracted, forget about it, don't feel like writing, have too much homework or any other excuse under the sun. u.u;)

[Asherwy]

Since Muse already went all out, I have nothing to say except 私はそれを愛する
thank you so much for writing this, I'm starting a book based on anime like this one except different plot. I'd be so honoured if you read it(you too muse ;v;)

I haven't posted it yet but let me know if you want to be notified when I do.
but seriously i lovedthissomuchicanteven

[scmarshtacky]

Thank you so much for reading it! ^^ And I would love to read your story as well.

[Muse.]

Asherwy, if you posted it, please do notify me. I would absolutely read it. ^^
I wish you luck on getting it posted up!