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(( For clarification... italics is eastern tongue, regular is western. Or at least as a westerner would hear it. xd ))



(( *Hopes he gets any attempts at this right. xp * ))

"Isshou ni ikimashou," Hikaru said to her when she pointed out the shop, looking far and above the best in the area... a quick glance was cast aside to the four guardians that seemed all rather antisocial in their own ways before he added to the girl, "I'll catch up in a minute..."

Dusting his hands onto the sides of his deep blue hakama, the Kaikou boy turned about to face the group behind them and swept his fingers across the side of his brow to toss a few strands of fine hair to the side.

"If you feel it is necessary to check out the site beforehand, then do, by all means... it IS your duty to ensure that there is no real danger." he said in a low voice, looking towards Lady Alcyone specifically. "HOWEVER, remember that we're here for peace, so don't start a war. If something concerns you, bring it to me, don't let them mistake you for a spy."

That bit said, he turned as well and started off after the diminutive girl, leaving the majestic mount standing patiently in the center of the market road beside the group.


"Sou, ka?" Kenji muttered without thinking to be polite about it. Their jobs were the same, their methods, however, were far different, and it showed not only in their actions and their speech, but in ever aspect of them, down to their dress itself.

She might have had the duty to skulk about in the shadows and strike at any threat that presented itself while remaining unseen and not alerting any potential assailants to her own presence... his was much the opposite. In place of the Kunoichi's dark garb his own formal attire was bright red with black kanji embroidered into the fabric that labeled him and the swords at his side as protectors of the royal family. Even the blades themselves were tied off at the ends with bright red and blue silken wraps that seemed to draw the eye. He was not meant to hide in the shadows, he was meant to be a spectacle. The people of the city would see the gaudy dress of the Kaikous, and then they would see him beside them.

The ninja's job was to stop a threat when it presented itself... the samurai's job was to stop threats from presenting themselves. Only a fool would attack a man when a youjinbou was clearly beside him.

"Arigato, Teshigahara-sama," the young samurai added to the elder woman as he stepped forwards and led his own mount up beside Hikaru's, then lead them to the side to clear the street.

Icarus, growing impatient and anxious, darted into the thickenin crowd. After the first few people he weaved past, he was out of site and well on his way.

It was hard for him to see through the ocean of people, so heavily congested in the marketplace. He was so small. But he was able to navigate by sticking close to the center of the streets, where he could avoid the shoppers.

He could see smoke rising from a building, not too far away. Must be a forge. He scanned towards it and found that the amount of people thinned in front of this building, meaning it wasn't as busy. The number of people needing steel was not as great as the number of people needing food or cloth.

Lao casually walked the streets towards the meeting place, which was not too far away from the stables- twenty minutes time, and they would be there. And all the while, Kouji made attempts to talk his ears off, as usual. He enjoyed the company, and allowed him to talk as much as he wanted, awnsering any questions and laughing when something seemed amusing.

His mind was somewhere else, however. The cold gaze of the kunoichi stayed with him, accusing him of endangering Seyumi. The thing was, this was his first offense- the rest of the time, he had done well. But all the while, she still retained the same manner around him, and seemed to jump at this opportunity when he messed up. Of course, he knew perfectly well that she guarded Sey closely, and would definitely have reservations toward any who slacked off when it came to her. He also knew that this kind of behavior, in both speech and manner, would not be acceptable. Next time, he would be a little more wary when it came to guarding and speaking to the Kaikou, at least around her.

Perhaps there would be a next time for him, when it came to her. Perhaps not. In any case, he would try to make up for it by serving as a part of the security detail. He didn't mind- any part was important, when it came to matters of diplomacy. He shook it off and listened a little more earnestly to Kouji.

But try as he may, it still remained- the steely gaze, laced with a distaste for his wanderings. He had the feeling that she just plain old disliked him overall, even when he was on top of things before. She acted that way to almost everyone, but doubly so for him, it seemed. He couldn't help wondering why, and it nagged him to no end. He finally asked, after it had bugged him enough-

"Ne, Kouji-san... does Teshigahara-sama dislike me any? It seems that she and I are never at good terms, though I try my best to get along with her. And now this- it's just making it worse. I mean, I know I messed up, but her eyes just cut through me, you know? As if she were expecting it all along..."

The apparent bustle of the city died down a bit as Hikaru stepped into the semi-closed off area of the shop, following in the small footsteps of his beloved little sister, though keeping his distance a little ways back from her as he peeked around racks and displays to watch her dart back and forth through the store. Every time she turned her head, he followed her gaze to see which one she was glancing at, and every time she stopped to stare he smiled a bit, thinking that it might just be the one that they would leave with.

It was, however, entirely up to her... She was an adorable child, and children are meant to savor the time that they have and to indulge themselves. Whichever she picked, he would buy for her, and to hell with whether or not it would fit in at the dinner engagement.

He couldn't help, however, seeing his own gaze stray to the sides of the shop, looking at the western-style gowns and dresses rather than the eastern ones that made up the center area of the market. It was a weakness of his, over the past few years... he simply held a silent adoration for western design, as shown by his own wardrobe back at the Koukiyo.

He gazed in the direction of a fancy clothing store, through the clear windows. Only the fancy stores had windows in them, and if you could see windows on a store, there were probably western items in there. He walked and stared at the store, the people inside, and everything he found interesting (many things) all at the same time.

Bad idea when you're walking in the middle of a street.

The man ahead of him, piloting a large cart carrying many barels, happened not to be looking at the road ahead as well. He'd heard the grind of a rope coming undone, and sliding against the edge of the large cart. His neck was craned back to check on the problem, his face that of a very worried businessman. His cargo was precious. When he looked ahead of him again, there was a boy in the road. Right in front of the horses drawing the cart. It was Icarus.

"Outta the WAY, BOY!" The man cried desperately and jerked the reigns back. But it was too late. As the left horse took it's last step, and Icarus realized what was happening and tried to move, it's leg crashed into Icarus' left shoulder and sent him spinning to safer ground. "Kid, you should watch where you're going!" The man bellowed, trying to hide the fact he'd been the one at fault. His concern was shown when he waited for a response from Icarus, who was curled up weak a little ball (one arm hanging limp, for it hurt to even attempt to move it), his stick dropped.

Icarus' wincing face was hidden. He quivered in pain. The strength of the horse and the frailty of the boy had caused his shoulder to dislocate, and cause him great pain. In an instant, memories rushed back into his mind, fueled his adrenaline. He called out to the spirits for help. He called out to them in a rage.

"Boy?" The man said carefully. And he got an answer.

Icarus jerked his head in the direction of the horse, a feral growl on his lips. His good arm wheeled around and made as if it grab the leg and choke it to death. But he wasn't close enough to actually touch it.

The man piloting the cart stared in dismay.

Icarus bore holes into his straining hand... and then into the horses leg. As he did this, the hair on the horses leg smoked. The burning hair spread along the length of it's entire leg, then across it's side.

"What in hell!?" The man said, uneasily "A magician child!"

The horse was in worse shape than the man. It stepped away from Icarus, fear coming off it's animal aura like waves from an ocean. Even the other horse was beggining to be frightened. And that's when the the horses side and leg burst into flames. Icarus inched quickly backwards, knowing it would start being dangerous. The horse, that is. The man was yelling curses and jerking the reigns this way and that, but the horse was out of control. It reared back on it's hind legs and screamed. Then, instinctively, it fell on it's burning side in an attempt to smother the pain, as Icarus crept just out of range. He hadn't need of any fear of the crowd, who were all at bay at the sides of the street, gaping.

"Arigatou gozaimashita!" Sey said brightly, bowing politely and gently taking her wrapped kimono and scampering to the door, looking around for her brother.

"Oni-sa-" Frightened gasps and a scream caught her attention and Sey gasped as she saw a horse rear into the air, whinnying in fear. It's rider was franticly trying to control his mount, but it wasn't working. Then the horse fell - and Sey dropped her package.

"Oh no..." Biting her lip and running through the crowd of frantic shoppers that shoved up against the sides of the street like a wall, Sey droped to her knees and crawled between someone's legs to get to the man. She saw something like this happen at the stables before - the man's leg was broken and the horse's struggling made the fracture even worse.

"Are you alright?!" Sey yelled in Eastern, scrambing to her feet in the center of the street.

"Stop it!" Sey yelled, wincing as she saw the boy squirm away from the man. She grabbed the merchant's arm and tugged as hard as she could, taking several steps backward and putting her weight into the tug.