The scent in the air was a mixture of metallic blood and potions hanging heavy. Blood trails followed their sources being dragged away from the Annual Globe ground. Carriers paraded the ground with weapons picked up to be refined in the armory. “What happened?” Kokohashi rushed in. “Where have you been?” The emperor asked with a stern face matching the tone of his voice. “I… I was…”“He was with me. We had a few things to do.” Oz strolled in. “We may be victorious but much more work must be done. We have to follow the prophecy.”Master Yonda’s fist banged the table. Every eye turned in his direction. Silence reigned. His fist loosened. “They were never going to let us go scot-free. You were there.” Master Yonda shot at Oz. “You know them better than anyone. They were always going to come after us. Why did they choose now?” He peered at space, surveying the darkness that lurked in a corner for answers. “This is not about what just happened, master. This is about what is to happen.
“Yeah, Zoa has been asking me to confess. Tanya… Tanya, I do not know where she stands. She apologized about something but…”“But what, Kakashi? What did she apologize for?” “I don’t know what it is.”“What? She apologized and you have no idea what her apology was about?” “I don’t know.”“You have to be careful Kakashi. Where do you think you can run to? He is inside you.”“What if… what if I kill myself?” Kakashi raised his gaze. His eyes lit up.Jiro shot a glare at Kakashi. “Don’t be foolish Kakashi. Killing yourself is not going to change anything. Have you not learned anything? The trapped ashes of Zodiac entered you. No one ever survived it till now. Do you think he dies with you even if you kill yourself?”“At least it will take another one thousand years before it gets to survive in another host.” Kakashi’s head dropped with a heavy sigh. “That is not how it works. It could be less than a decade from now, but why would you even think of such? Why would you think of killing
“He is the one, Yonda. He is the one.” The Emperor’s footsteps pounced on the carpet of the master with gusto and urgency. His countenance carried with it a blend of happiness and refueled animosity. “The governor, he is the one.”Master Yonda nodded his head once to the soldier behind him. “Why are you so… energetic?” Master Yonda voiced. The emperor dragged out a chair to allow himself a seat. The doors closed, leaving The Emperor and Master Yonda alone in the chamber. The emperor took his eyes from the door and back to the master. “The governor, he is the one. He was my prime minister.” The words of the emperor raised Master Yonda’s brows. His eyes widened and a minute of lasting silence clouded them. “Are you sure?” The master covered his mouth to cage the thoughts he had but the words had slipped out from him. The Emperor twitched a side of his face, a visible disgust flashing his face. “What do you mean by if I am sure? Are you asking if I know the man that stayed in my king
Kakashi snapped his fingers as his eyes lit up. “What?” Jiro tilted his head, his face crossed with serious doubt about whatever Kakashi was about to say. “Maybe that is not a bad idea.” Kakashi crossed over the books in his way. “You said this half is in your hometown, right?”“Mm-hm,” Jiro agreed, his breath steadied. “Have you seen it?” Kakashi’s footsteps floated in excitement towards Jiro. Jiro shook his head. “Okay. But they must have. You were told about it, yes?” “Where are you going with this?” Jiro stared blankly at Kakashi.“They told you about something they have. This means they must have seen it. If they have seen it, which means…”“They know it.” Jiro completed Kakashi’s words half-heartedly. A grin touched each end of Kakashi’s jaws. Jiro turned his face to Kakashi. “When do we begin?” “We have to find a way to leave here first. That is going to take a lot of effort.” Jiro’s optimism resigned. He took a seat on the edge of his bed. “The gate is wide open.” Kakas
“We need to continue…” Master Yonda paused, loosening his tongue tied by his forgotten words. “What are you doing here? Both of you.” He switched his gaze from Kakashi to Jiro. “How did you even get in?”“The doors were open.” Master Yonda extended his neck to peep behind them, confirming Jiro’s words. “So, why are you here?” Master Yonda raised his brow. “Uh…” Jiro hesitated, looking behind Master Yonda. “We want to seek your permission for something.” Kakashi nodded, securing his position as Jiro’s sidekick. “Speak. Or would you prefer the commander to leave the room?” Jiro looked at Kakashi. Kakashi shook his head. “No. It is fine, he can stay.” “Okay… Go on.”“We, Kakashi and I, would like to… go outside for a while.” Jiro passed his glance from the master to Kokohashi whose pupils dilated, a strange request surely at this time. “By outside, what exactly do you mean?” Master Yonda leaned forward, his ears itched to their reply. “Outside the gate.” Kakashi jumped in. Master
Kokohashi glances over his shoulders, his neck extended to scan for any spies coming after him. He strode ahead, beating the followers after him - in his head – for pace. He broke into a half run just before he got to the canteen door. He barged in and slammed the door close behind him. His eyes darted around the hall for a few seconds. His search paused as his eyes locked with the girl all by herself. A few pairs of eyes followed his urgent footsteps in the direction of the lonely girl at the corner.The chair scraped the floor as he dragged it out noisily, sinking into the vacant seat before Tanya. “Why are you all by yourself? Where are your friends?” “I was enjoying my own company,” she said to the commander, her head facing down.“That may be true, but I have seen Zoa today. And if I didn’t know better, I would say she is...angry at someone or some people, for a reason.” His keen gaze scrutinized her face as she raised it slowly, a flicker of secret flashing through her eyes. “
Kakashi tilted his head. His eyes rolled in search of understanding in his head. What should I do? “There is not much time. If you want us to get back as soon as you say you do, we have to be on our way, early.” Jiro said to Kakashi, forcing him to make a decision early.Kakashi sighed, a decision heavy had to be made. I hope this all goes right. He scratched his head. “Fine, let us go.” He advanced past Jiro.Jiro held his jacket, pulling him back. “What do you think you are doing? Where are you going?” Jiro peered at Kakashi. “You have no idea where you are going and you just want to take off?”“Okay… just tell me then. You don’t have to wait here, you told me that. We have to hurry out of here to make it back within a day, yes?” “Or two,” Jiro’s voice whispered underneath. “Two? Wow,” Kakashi shook his head. A hint of disappointment etched on his face. “We still have to leave early. Let us go.” “We haven’t been to the gate. I am sure it is going to be an army out there. They wo
“There is a lot we can do to stop this. You know how I get with family. I could have taken a step, made a decision, and taken him out. This is not my kingdom. This is not my place. I cannot make these decisions without you. I need you to understand what is happening. He took my wife with him. He ran away with her after leaving me to die on the battlefield by myself. He took her and caged her. He dragged her around like a… like a slave.” The emperor’s face scrunched up, waves of disgust crossing his face. “I cannot let that go unpunished. He has to pay the price, he has to,” The emperor closed in on Master Yonda. “This is a battle against us. We are a family, we are together. It doesn’t matter what happens, we have to fight this together.” “I understand how you feel, dear friend. I do. But this is not a raider or any man. He is the governor of Shibuya. The ruler of this province! There is no way we are taking him out like it is nothing. There is too much at stake. Please, understand m