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Chapter 1; Eyes Open

“Long, long ago, before any Kings took power over the Lands, war and chaos ran rampant across the world, and thieves and murderers would trouble the hardworking common folk constantly, with no one to stop them from doing as they please. Anyone who tried to fight back was killed, so the people lived their lives every day in fear that it would be their last.

“The situation was so terrible, that even the immortal Spirits wept for the pain those corrupt humans caused for the land and it’s people, the honest men and women and their children trapped by pain and fear. But one Spirit did not weep, for she knew tears would not solve the problem. She knew that they had the strength to save the human race, and begged the Father Spirit for permission to go to earth and give the mortals the power to change their world, but he refused her request. ‘Let man handle man’s problems.’ He told his daughter firmly. ‘There’s no need for us to involve ourselves with such a fickle race of beings.’ But the Spirit did not heed her father’s words. Coming down to earth, the Spirit found the most righteous human souls she could in the twin sons of a simple farmer, and approached him with a noble endowment.

“‘Sweet Children’ the Spirit said kindly. ‘I’ve come to grant you the power to save this land, and stop the flow of blood. It is a great and glorious power, and the secret strength of the Spirits. Gather ten companions you can trust to lead into the revolution to come, and swear a solemn oath that the secret of the powers I shall bestow upon you will never pass your lips to anyone who you have not chosen as your brother in arms. For be warned, mortal men must never discover the secrets of this strength. Those who break oath shall lose their right to wield the power I grant, and both they and those they’ve spoken to will forget the truth behind the mystery.’

“Eager to save their world, the Brothers agreed, and did as the Spirit instructed. After gathering their companions, all twelve heroes swore an oath of secrecy, and were granted powers mortal men could only dreamed of possessing before. Taking things even further, the Spirit entrusted the twin brothers with the possession of a powerful energy source that increased their abilities by tenfold, a magickal artifact known as the Embryo. Invigorated by their newfound strength, the heroes marched off to hunt down the murderous men who’d controlled the world for so long, bringing them to justice with the power the Spirit had given them, a power the twelve heroes called Summoning. The mysterious magick, combined with the legendary Embryo, quickly ended the strife throughout the land, and made the twin brothers heroes beyond compare.

“Unfortunately, the Father Spirit quickly noticed when humans began using powers once reserved only for their kind, and grew angry when he realized what his daughter had done. He berated her harshly for her rash actions in defending the human race, and banished her from the Spirit Realm for all eternity, forcing her to dwell among the humans she’d chosen to defy him to save. ‘Those beings are your responsibility now.’ The Father Spirit warned his daughter bitterly, ‘For you have empowered them, now you must see that they do not abuse your gift.’

“As this was going on, the humans had a new problem to contend with. For with peace now restored to the lands, the twins became determined to keep dark times from ever falling upon the people ever again and, with the support of their fellow Summoning Mages and the people they had saved, set out to create a great Kingdom, building a mighty palace to sit in the center of it. But upon the castle’s completion, troubles arose. For both twins felt that they were better suited to be King then their brother, leading to a furious struggle for the throne as well as for the ownership of the Embryo. The Summoning Mages were split on their choice for King, five for the elder twin and five for the younger. Thus, the very heroes who fought together to free the land were now at each other’s throats over who should rule it.

“The fighting grew so intense, that it drew the attention of the Spirit who’d bestowed the twelve with their abilities, who was horrified to see her champions using the powers she had given them against one another, as her father predicted they would. Shamed that her noble heroes had fallen so far, the Spirit came forth to plead with both sides to stop, but neither brothers nor their supporters would listen to her, which enraged the Spirit who had fallen so far in defending them.

“‘If this is the way it shall be, then so be it!’ The spirit said irately. ‘Though I cannot reclaim the gift I have bestowed upon you and your brood so long as your oath remains true, I can take the throne which you so selfishly fight over, as well as the Embryo which you now so callously abuse.’ And, true to her words, the Spirit did take the great castle and the Embryo, which disappeared along with her in an angry whirl of winds.

“Bitter over the heavy blow of the loss of the Embryo, both brothers blamed each other, and refused to forgive the other. With their supporters, both brothers took to opposite sides of the land, the elder brother going East and the younger one West, and splitting it down the middle to create two kingdoms. Using their magick, they both built new palaces, neither of which as incredible as the first, with the loss of the Embryo which strengthened their powers. With their lands settled, both brothers began to search for the Embryo to use for the betterment of their own Kingdoms. It was an unspoken agreement between the two that whoever found it would be the True King, and the Savior of Mankind. When the twins died, their search was continued by their sons, and then their sons’ sons, for six centuries that passed to this day, and despite the search the location of the Embryo still remains a mystery…

“Until now.”

---

“Look, look! Over there, it’s her!”

“Uwaa! Hinamori Amu-sama! I hear she’s descended from the First Mages on both sides of her family!”

“Really? Amazing! I bet she has powers too! You can really feel an air of authority around her, can’t you?

“Yeah, yeah! I bet she becomes one of the King’s Guardians!”

“Yeah! I hear she’s already good friends with Prince Tadase!”

“Eeh, really? How lucky! I’d love to talk to the Prince, even just once!”

“Yeah! He’s so handsome and noble, and so charming too… a true royal!”

Sighing, the pink haired girl who’d been the main topic of the conversation up to that point tried vainly to ignore the village girls as they giggled and gossiped about the heir to the throne. Walking by with her head high and her eyes glaring at a random point off in the distance, Hinamori Amu gave off every air of being a proper young lady. Like a part of the girl really didn’t want desperately to turn back and tell those girls that she wasn’t as great as they thought she was.

That her connection the First Mages was so meager it was almost laughable (Her grandmother’s father’s sister’s brother-in-law was married to someone descended from the First Mages, and that was about it.) That she’d never, in a million years become a Guardian (the uniforms they wore always made her cringe when she saw them.) And her so-called friendship with the Prince? She’d been in the same room as him for a grand total of two parties, and hadn’t spoken to him on either occasion. (He was so handsome that the girl just froze up both times, and pretty much spent the entire night diving to hide behind potted plants and curtains and under tables whenever she thought the Prince was looking in her direction.)

Instead of telling the village girls all of this though, Amu gracefully continued towards her destination, pretending not to see the looks of admiration being thrown her way. Because this was who they wanted her to be; independent, mature and sophisticated Hinamori Amu of Seiyo, the girl who never lost her cool and never backed down.

…And who secretly lived a total lie every waking moment and hated every second of it.

Slowing to a stop, Amu sat gracefully on the bench overlooking the beautiful pond where village children came to play, running and laughing as their nannies tried frantically to reign them in and keep them from harassing the family of swans that swam primly on the pond’s surface. The pond sat beside the village’s little schoolhouse, where young noble children were educated in the mornings, meaning most of the maids were probably waiting to retrieve their older wards as the younger ones played. The pink haired girl watched with a sad smile as the young ones shrieked in glee as they evaded their caretakers.

I wish I could be like that. Amu thought enviously to herself. Was there ever a time when she didn’t have to conform herself to the expectations of others? As a child, her tutors had always taught her to behave properly, to be a good girl and a respectable noble and make her parents proud. And after her sister was born even more pressure was put on her to set a good example for young Ami, to be an upstanding young woman everyone could admire. Amu couldn’t remember ever getting the chance to play with friends, or doing something just because it was fun. Sometimes Amu felt more like a puppet or a doll then a human being, always obediently doing as she was told and going through all the motions that proper young ladies go through without ever really feeling anything. Sometimes I wonder if I even know who I am anymore… the girl thought sadly, her grip on her parasol tightening as that thought stung at her chest.

Would she ever get the chance to find herself? Probably not. She already knew how the rest of her life was going to play out; At sixteen she would be presented to society, and begin looking for a husband. After finding someone of suitable stature, She would be married and have children, who would be raised mostly by nannies and nursemaids as she preformed the duties expected of her as a wife until her dying day.

The thought alone nearly made Amu cry out in frustration.

“Nee-san! Nee-san!” jolted out of her thoughts by the familiar voice, Amu looked up just in time to see a blur of pink frills and laces collide with her knees. Banishing any more thoughts of the future, Amu smiled back softly as her little sister grinned toothily at her. “Yay! Yay! Nee-san came to pick Ami up today! Ami is so happy! Ami likes it better when Nee-san picks Ami up and not Nanny! Nanny is always so mean and stiff all the time!” Fighting back another smile at the rather accurate description of the proper woman charged with their upbringing, Amu stood up gracefully and offered her younger sister her hand, which Ami took eagerly.

“How were your lessons today, Ami?” the pink haired girl asked as she began to lead her sister back to their home. She ignored the wide eyed looks of awe her sister’s classmates gave her, since she didn’t want to think about the reasons behind them. She’d done enough thinking of that sort today, right now she had to play the role of ‘Big Sister.’

“Alright.” Ami said vaguely, making a face. “But I didn’t like etiquette classes. Music lessons were fun, though! Wanna hear the new song we learned today? It’s all the way from the East Kingdom, Nee-san!”

“Really?” Amu asked in feigned awe, watching in amusement as her sister’s face practically glowed as she loudly sang out the words of the song. Amu winced internally when she saw how much attention her sister’s singing was gartering from the others on the road. Being the center of attention always made her panic, since it put that much more pressure on her to behave in the way that was expected of her. Knowing this, Amu decided it was time for a little intervention. “Would you like to stop by the Candy Shop for some sweets before we head home, Ami?”

“Really?!” Ami asked excitedly, the singing stopping at once. “Yes, please!” Letting go of her sister’s hand, Ami raced ahead eagerly, cheering happily about candies as she dashed around the flow of foot traffic.

“Ami, not so fast!” Amu scolded, before sighing softly when she realized her sister couldn’t hear her. Amu began to follow the young girl when a chill of apprehension stopped her dead in her tracks.

Tensing, Amu looked around herself cautiously, examining all the faces that passed for any signs of malice, anything that could’ve triggered the strange, sudden sensation of being watched by a predator. For a moment, her eyes landed on a figure across the street at a small bistro, features masked by the hood of the dark cloak that cast shadows on the stranger’s face. Before Amu could think to get a closer look, though, the figure was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. Surprised, Amu searched the crowd for any signs of the person, finding nothing. After hesitating a moment long, Amu shook her head in dismissal and walked away in the direction her sister had gone in.

She never noticed the dark figure in the shadows of a nearby alley, watching silently as she disappeared in the crowd. The stranger seemed to consider something for a moment before turning away and heading deeper into the darkness, his cloak trailing behind him as he faded into the shadows around him, with only a stray black alley cat to bear witness to his departure.

---

“Slow down, Ami, or you’ll stain your dress.” Ami paused at her sister’s warning, making a face for a moment before falling obediently to Amu’s side.

“Yes, Nee-san.” Ami said dutifully, giving the bag of sweets Amu was holding a longing glance. Though she had bought the candies for her sister, Amu truthfully wanted some of the treats for herself, since it was so rare that she got the chance to eat candy any more. Amu knew that her tutors would have a fit if they found out she’d snuck some, but it didn’t stop her from considering slipping some of the candies into her pockets for later…

Dismissing that thought, Amu berated herself harshly for her weakness for sweets. After all, candy was for children, not a young lady who was just four years from being presented to society. Her image would be completely ruined if anyone found out that she still liked sweets at twelve! Not to mention the fact that too many sweets would make a girl fat… Mentally sighing, Amu cast the bag in her hand one last glance even as she tried desperately to stop the yearning to sneak some.

Maybe just one wouldn’t hurt… she thought wistfully, glancing cautiously at Ami to see if she would notice. Luckily, Ami was too thoroughly distracted with the lollipop Amu had bought her to notice her sister at all. Amu didn’t see any one else on the street either, so it should be safe. Keeping a wary eye on her sister (Who was now humming the song she’d been singing earlier) Amu quickly retrieved a treat from the bag, a rather yummy looking chocolate. Hiding it from her sister’s line of sight, Amu brought the candy to her mouth. It had just barely touched her lips when a shrill noise broke the stillness around the sisters, making both girls start before Amu quickly hid the candy in the pockets of her dress.

Fweeeeeeeeee! Fweeeeeeeeee!

“Is that the police whistle…?” Amu murmured to herself in a puzzled tone. “What on earth…?” Amu’s question ended with a sharp gasp when a cloaked figure suddenly appeared on the path in front of them, racing away from the whistles at a speed Amu could barely believe was human.

That’s the man who was watching me earlier, in the bistro! Amu realized suddenly, her eyes widening in alarm as the stranger approached. She didn’t realize that the cloaked person hadn’t noticed her yet, since he were too busy looking back to see how far back the policemen were, and was too surprised to move to the side of the road, out of harm’s way. It wasn’t until a spit second before the collision that Amu realized what was going to happen, and by then it was too late to stop it.

BAM!

Amu yelped in pain as the stranger’s larger body impacted with hers at the same time the cloaked stranger let out a pained grunt of his own. Buckling under the man’s weight, Amu fell to the ground with the cloaked man half collapsing on top of her, knocking the wind out of the girl. Groaning, the man slowly pulled himself off of Amu, cursing softly under his breath when he saw the now rapidly approaching policemen.

“Stop right there, you dirty thief!” one of the officer yelled out, earning an annoyed sigh from the cloaked man.

“Why do they always say that when they know it doesn’t work?” He murmured to himself as he got back to his feet, turning to look back at the policemen again as Amu gave him a baffled look.

A thief? She thought to herself, glancing from the man who’d fallen on top of her to the police. This man was a thief? No wonder she got such a creepy feeling from him watching her earlier… Turning her attention back to the police, Amu was relieved to see that they had nearly caught up to the man, and were drawing their weapons. Amu knew there was no way the thief would be able to get away now. From the dark curses the cloaked man was now muttering, he must have realized that too.

Which was why Amu really shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was when the strange thief suddenly pulled her to her feet, his left arm holding her firmly in place as a strange phantom claw extended from his right hand, striking at the ground in front of the police and making them cry out in surprise as they fell back to avoid the attack.

He’s a Summoning Mage… Amu realized numbly, glancing over her shoulder at the thief. What on earth was a Summoning Mage doing stealing from people? With their powers, it was a breeze to make an honest living…

“Stay where you are.” The thief said loudly to the men chasing him, his claw still floating dangerously in the air between the officers and himself. “You don’t want to endanger this little princess now, do you?” Amu froze as she (belatedly) realized that she was being held hostage before she struggled vainly against the arm holding her. The thief seemed to have anticipated this though, since his grip automatically tightened. “Don’t move.” He ordered quietly in her ear, his tone serious enough to give her pause. “I won’t hurt you unless I have to, understand?” A chill went down Amu’s spine as her imagination provided the girl with a million and one ways the Mage holding her could hurt her if he wanted to. Not trusting her voice, Amu nodded furiously to show that she understood, and the thief’s grip relaxed a bit. “Good girl.”

Glancing over at the police, Amu’s heart sank when she saw the looks of uncertainty on all of their faces. Obviously, none of them wanted to act when the daughter of one of the village’s most prominent families was being held hostage. Seeing that no one was going to pursue him any further, the thief began backing away to distance himself from the law, forcibly dragging Amu back with him.

“Nee-chan!” Ami cried out in fear when she saw her sister was being taken away. The little girl started to rush forward, but was quickly stopped by one of the policemen, who held her back even as she struggled to get free, clearly not wanting the child to make the situation even worse. “Let my sister go, you big meanie!” Amu felt a gust of air against her neck as the thief sighed at Ami’s name calling.

“This is why I hate getting kids involved…” He muttered dryly under his breath before tensing when one of the policemen stepped forward.

“Let the girl go.” The officer said severely, glaring at the thief “We won’t pursue you any further if you release Hinamori-sama and go on your way.” Behind her, Amu could hear the thief scoff in disbelief at the policeman’s words.

“As much as I’d like to believe that, someone in my position can’t afford to be so foolish.” He said mockingly. “Thanks for the game of tag, boys, but right now I have better things to do.” And, without waiting for a response, the criminal conjured up his magick again, this time using it to surround himself and Amu in darkness. The pink haired girl started to shriek in surprise at the shadows swirling around her, but the noise was quickly muffled when the thief clamped his now claw-less right hand against her mouth, making it difficult for Amu to breathe.

“Mmmm-mmmph!” Amu protested against the thief’s hand, struggling to free herself and beating at the man with her fists as she desperately tried to keep herself from panicking.

“That doesn’t hurt nearly as much as you think, you know.” The stranger said in wry amusement, adjusting his grip on the struggling girl he was now dragging along with him as he walked ahead. Irritated at his nonchalant attitude, Amu responded by biting the man’s hand as hard as she could, and was almost instantly rewarded with a yelp of pain and, oddly enough, a howl of laugher. Amu had just glanced up to find out who was laughing when the thief dropped her like a sack of potatoes, surprising the girl into releasing her hold on his hand. Before Amu could recover though, the man grabbed her up again by the forearms, gripping her hard enough that Amu was sure that it was going to bruise later. Gritting her teeth, Amu immediately began kicking at the thief with her feet.

“Let- Me- GO!” She said, as she struggled, ignoring the muttered curses spilling from the thief (Most of which were directed at her).

“Nothing would make me happier, kid.” He said bitterly, tightening his grip even more and making Amu cry out in pain. “Stop that. You’re being annoying.”

“Annoying?!” Amu repeated incredulously, craning her neck to scowl at the man over her shoulder. “Annoying?!! You’re kidnapping me, and then complain about me being annoying?! Annoying is trying to wear those stupid little shoes that don’t fit for some stupid stuck up party that you don’t want to go to in the first place. Annoying is putting on a dress that you can’t even breathe in just because that’s the style now. If you think I’m being annoying right now, then you have no idea what annoying really is you… you… you perverted thief!” panting wildly to try and catch her breath again after her angry rant, Amu waited for the man to respond. After a moment of stunned silence, she could almost hear the man raise an eyebrow at her behavior.

“…Are you always this strange?” He said in dry amusement, before he started walking again, pushing the girl forward as he moved. Amu narrowed her eyes, wondering bitterly why none of her lessons had ever taught her anything about the best way to hurt a man who was trying to kidnap you.

“Man, I had no idea nobility in the West was so crazy, nyah!”

“I am not crazy, I’m angry!” Amu snapped without thinking. “Excuse me for not being thrilled that some weirdo Summoning Mage thief kidnapped me in front of my little sister!”

“Look kid, I’m not- Wait, what did you say?” Amu blinked in surprise when the thief’s bored tone suddenly became alert at the same time he stopped walking, his grip on her forearms tightening once again.

“My sister, the little girl back there with the police!” Amu explained crossly. “She’s got to be-!”

“Not that!” the man said in exasperation. “When you said you weren’t crazy.”

“Eh?” Amu said, baffled. “What are you talking about? You said something about nobility in the West being crazy, didn’t you?” Though come to think of it, the voice didn’t sound right for the thief she was conversing with… was someone else there, maybe? She couldn’t see anyone…

“You mean to tell me you can hear-?!” Whatever the thief was going to say was just off when a bright white wave of magick surrounded Amu, making her shriek in panic as she was ripped away from the man holding her.

Amu’s eyes went wide when she realized that for some reason, she was floating a good eight feet above the ground, before she squeezed them shut tight as she felt herself plummeting back down to the earth. Instead of a painful meeting with the ground though, the girl felt arms catch her, handling her with much more care then the thief had shown her. Surprised, Amu opened her eyes again and gasped loudly when she saw the profile of the blonde boy who’d caught her, a face that was only too familiar to the girl even if she’d never spoken to him before.

“Prince Tadase?” Amu said numbly, going slack-jawed at the sight of the young royal. What on earth was the Prince doing in her village, let alone saving her from a weird perverted kidnapper?

“I would have liked to think that even you were above kidnapping a lady, Tsukiyomi Ikuto.” The Prince said darkly to the cloaked thief, who scoffed indifferently at the accusation in the Prince’s tone. Reaching up, the thief pulled down his hood, and Amu went still in the Prince’s arms as she got her first clear sight of her kidnapper.

Though she had already realized he was taller then her, the stranger (didn’t the Prince call him Ikuto…?) was much more handsome then Amu was expecting, with layered dark blue hair that fell around his face and long bangs that fell into deep, indigo eyes that were framed by long lashes. A cocky smirk played at his lips as he studied the Prince, showing none of the respect that Prince Tadase’s station was owed. Numbly, Amu realized that he was much younger then she thought he’d be. Maybe sixteen, seventeen tops, only about four or five years older then her.

“Caught up to me already did you, Little Prince?” Ikuto mocked the royal smugly, showing no sign of being worried, or even surprised, about the Prince’s sudden appearance. Amu felt Prince Tadase’s grip tighten slightly as he glared at the teen.

“Of course, you dirty thief.” The Prince snapped back in response. “Did you really think I’d let you get away with stealing one of my family’s most precious treasures?” Amu felt her jaw drop at that. This guy had STOLEN from the KING?! Didn’t he realize that that was an act of treason worthy of a life sentence in prison, if not death?

“Ah.” The thief sighed in mock regret. “And here I thought you just wanted the pleasure of my company…”

“Don’t toy with me, Tsukiyomi Ikuto.” The prince said dangerously.

“Why not?” The thief grinned. “Toying with you is fun, Little Prince.” Amu froze when Ikuto’s gaze flickered away from the prince and met her own eyes. “Though I suppose it won’t be quite as fun when you’ve got that little treasure to protect now, would it?” Humming thoughtfully, the thief took a few steps back. “Well then I suppose that it’s time for me to take my leave now, isn’t it?”

“Stop!” Prince Tadase ordered, scowling as he moved to follow the thief. Amu’s eyes went wide when a pair of cat ears suddenly appeared on Ikuto’s head, right before the phantom claw that he attacked the police with took a swipe at the young blonde trying to catch him.

“Don’t worry.” Ikuto said mockingly as he walked backwards away from the Prince and began to fade into the shadows. “You’ll be seeing me again very soon…” And with those words ringing ominously behind him, the thief disappeared into the darkness, leaving the young royal glowering in his wake as the girl in his arms stared on with wide eyes, a chill running down her spine yet again.

For some reason, she didn’t think that last part was directed at Prince Tadase…

Description
Chapter 1; Eyes Open

“Long, long ago, before any Kings took power over the Lands, war and chaos ran rampant across the world, and thieves and murderers would trouble the hardworking common folk constantly, with no one to stop them from doing as they please. Anyone who tried to fight back was killed, so the people lived their lives every day in fear that it would be their last.

“The situation was so terrible, that even the immortal Spirits wept for the pain those corrupt humans caused for the land and it’s people, the honest men and women and their children trapped by pain and fear. But one Spirit did not weep, for she knew tears would not solve the problem. She knew that they had the strength to save the human race, and begged the Father Spirit for permission to go to earth and give the mortals the power to change their world, but he refused her request. ‘Let man handle man’s problems.’ He told his daughter firmly. ‘There’s no need for us to involve ourselves with such a fickle race of beings.’ But the Spirit did not heed her father’s words. Coming down to earth, the Spirit found the most righteous human souls she could in the twin sons of a simple farmer, and approached him with a noble endowment.

“‘Sweet Children’ the Spirit said kindly. ‘I’ve come to grant you the power to save this land, and stop the flow of blood. It is a great and glorious power, and the secret strength of the Spirits. Gather ten companions you can trust to lead into the revolution to come, and swear a solemn oath that the secret of the powers I shall bestow upon you will never pass your lips to anyone who you have not chosen as your brother in arms. For be warned, mortal men must never discover the secrets of this strength. Those who break oath shall lose their right to wield the power I grant, and both they and those they’ve spoken to will forget the truth behind the mystery.’

“Eager to save their world, the Brothers agreed, and did as the Spirit instructed. After gathering their companions, all twelve heroes swore an oath of secrecy, and were granted powers mortal men could only dreamed of possessing before. Taking things even further, the Spirit entrusted the twin brothers with the possession of a powerful energy source that increased their abilities by tenfold, a magickal artifact known as the Embryo. Invigorated by their newfound strength, the heroes marched off to hunt down the murderous men who’d controlled the world for so long, bringing them to justice with the power the Spirit had given them, a power the twelve heroes called Summoning. The mysterious magick, combined with the legendary Embryo, quickly ended the strife throughout the land, and made the twin brothers heroes beyond compare.

“Unfortunately, the Father Spirit quickly noticed when humans began using powers once reserved only for their kind, and grew angry when he realized what his daughter had done. He berated her harshly for her rash actions in defending the human race, and banished her from the Spirit Realm for all eternity, forcing her to dwell among the humans she’d chosen to defy him to save. ‘Those beings are your responsibility now.’ The Father Spirit warned his daughter bitterly, ‘For you have empowered them, now you must see that they do not abuse your gift.’

“As this was going on, the humans had a new problem to contend with. For with peace now restored to the lands, the twins became determined to keep dark times from ever falling upon the people ever again and, with the support of their fellow Summoning Mages and the people they had saved, set out to create a great Kingdom, building a mighty palace to sit in the center of it. But upon the castle’s completion, troubles arose. For both twins felt that they were better suited to be King then their brother, leading to a furious struggle for the throne as well as for the ownership of the Embryo. The Summoning Mages were split on their choice for King, five for the elder twin and five for the younger. Thus, the very heroes who fought together to free the land were now at each other’s throats over who should rule it.

“The fighting grew so intense, that it drew the attention of the Spirit who’d bestowed the twelve with their abilities, who was horrified to see her champions using the powers she had given them against one another, as her father predicted they would. Shamed that her noble heroes had fallen so far, the Spirit came forth to plead with both sides to stop, but neither brothers nor their supporters would listen to her, which enraged the Spirit who had fallen so far in defending them.

“‘If this is the way it shall be, then so be it!’ The spirit said irately. ‘Though I cannot reclaim the gift I have bestowed upon you and your brood so long as your oath remains true, I can take the throne which you so selfishly fight over, as well as the Embryo which you now so callously abuse.’ And, true to her words, the Spirit did take the great castle and the Embryo, which disappeared along with her in an angry whirl of winds.

“Bitter over the heavy blow of the loss of the Embryo, both brothers blamed each other, and refused to forgive the other. With their supporters, both brothers took to opposite sides of the land, the elder brother going East and the younger one West, and splitting it down the middle to create two kingdoms. Using their magick, they both built new palaces, neither of which as incredible as the first, with the loss of the Embryo which strengthened their powers. With their lands settled, both brothers began to search for the Embryo to use for the betterment of their own Kingdoms. It was an unspoken agreement between the two that whoever found it would be the True King, and the Savior of Mankind. When the twins died, their search was continued by their sons, and then their sons’ sons, for six centuries that passed to this day, and despite the search the location of the Embryo still remains a mystery…

“Until now.”

---

“Look, look! Over there, it’s her!”

“Uwaa! Hinamori Amu-sama! I hear she’s descended from the First Mages on both sides of her family!”

“Really? Amazing! I bet she has powers too! You can really feel an air of authority around her, can’t you?

“Yeah, yeah! I bet she becomes one of the King’s Guardians!”

“Yeah! I hear she’s already good friends with Prince Tadase!”

“Eeh, really? How lucky! I’d love to talk to the Prince, even just once!”

“Yeah! He’s so handsome and noble, and so charming too… a true royal!”

Sighing, the pink haired girl who’d been the main topic of the conversation up to that point tried vainly to ignore the village girls as they giggled and gossiped about the heir to the throne. Walking by with her head high and her eyes glaring at a random point off in the distance, Hinamori Amu gave off every air of being a proper young lady. Like a part of the girl really didn’t want desperately to turn back and tell those girls that she wasn’t as great as they thought she was.

That her connection the First Mages was so meager it was almost laughable (Her grandmother’s father’s sister’s brother-in-law was married to someone descended from the First Mages, and that was about it.) That she’d never, in a million years become a Guardian (the uniforms they wore always made her cringe when she saw them.) And her so-called friendship with the Prince? She’d been in the same room as him for a grand total of two parties, and hadn’t spoken to him on either occasion. (He was so handsome that the girl just froze up both times, and pretty much spent the entire night diving to hide behind potted plants and curtains and under tables whenever she thought the Prince was looking in her direction.)

Instead of telling the village girls all of this though, Amu gracefully continued towards her destination, pretending not to see the looks of admiration being thrown her way. Because this was who they wanted her to be; independent, mature and sophisticated Hinamori Amu of Seiyo, the girl who never lost her cool and never backed down.

…And who secretly lived a total lie every waking moment and hated every second of it.

Slowing to a stop, Amu sat gracefully on the bench overlooking the beautiful pond where village children came to play, running and laughing as their nannies tried frantically to reign them in and keep them from harassing the family of swans that swam primly on the pond’s surface. The pond sat beside the village’s little schoolhouse, where young noble children were educated in the mornings, meaning most of the maids were probably waiting to retrieve their older wards as the younger ones played. The pink haired girl watched with a sad smile as the young ones shrieked in glee as they evaded their caretakers.

I wish I could be like that. Amu thought enviously to herself. Was there ever a time when she didn’t have to conform herself to the expectations of others? As a child, her tutors had always taught her to behave properly, to be a good girl and a respectable noble and make her parents proud. And after her sister was born even more pressure was put on her to set a good example for young Ami, to be an upstanding young woman everyone could admire. Amu couldn’t remember ever getting the chance to play with friends, or doing something just because it was fun. Sometimes Amu felt more like a puppet or a doll then a human being, always obediently doing as she was told and going through all the motions that proper young ladies go through without ever really feeling anything. Sometimes I wonder if I even know who I am anymore… the girl thought sadly, her grip on her parasol tightening as that thought stung at her chest.

Would she ever get the chance to find herself? Probably not. She already knew how the rest of her life was going to play out; At sixteen she would be presented to society, and begin looking for a husband. After finding someone of suitable stature, She would be married and have children, who would be raised mostly by nannies and nursemaids as she preformed the duties expected of her as a wife until her dying day.

The thought alone nearly made Amu cry out in frustration.

“Nee-san! Nee-san!” jolted out of her thoughts by the familiar voice, Amu looked up just in time to see a blur of pink frills and laces collide with her knees. Banishing any more thoughts of the future, Amu smiled back softly as her little sister grinned toothily at her. “Yay! Yay! Nee-san came to pick Ami up today! Ami is so happy! Ami likes it better when Nee-san picks Ami up and not Nanny! Nanny is always so mean and stiff all the time!” Fighting back another smile at the rather accurate description of the proper woman charged with their upbringing, Amu stood up gracefully and offered her younger sister her hand, which Ami took eagerly.

“How were your lessons today, Ami?” the pink haired girl asked as she began to lead her sister back to their home. She ignored the wide eyed looks of awe her sister’s classmates gave her, since she didn’t want to think about the reasons behind them. She’d done enough thinking of that sort today, right now she had to play the role of ‘Big Sister.’

“Alright.” Ami said vaguely, making a face. “But I didn’t like etiquette classes. Music lessons were fun, though! Wanna hear the new song we learned today? It’s all the way from the East Kingdom, Nee-san!”

“Really?” Amu asked in feigned awe, watching in amusement as her sister’s face practically glowed as she loudly sang out the words of the song. Amu winced internally when she saw how much attention her sister’s singing was gartering from the others on the road. Being the center of attention always made her panic, since it put that much more pressure on her to behave in the way that was expected of her. Knowing this, Amu decided it was time for a little intervention. “Would you like to stop by the Candy Shop for some sweets before we head home, Ami?”

“Really?!” Ami asked excitedly, the singing stopping at once. “Yes, please!” Letting go of her sister’s hand, Ami raced ahead eagerly, cheering happily about candies as she dashed around the flow of foot traffic.

“Ami, not so fast!” Amu scolded, before sighing softly when she realized her sister couldn’t hear her. Amu began to follow the young girl when a chill of apprehension stopped her dead in her tracks.

Tensing, Amu looked around herself cautiously, examining all the faces that passed for any signs of malice, anything that could’ve triggered the strange, sudden sensation of being watched by a predator. For a moment, her eyes landed on a figure across the street at a small bistro, features masked by the hood of the dark cloak that cast shadows on the stranger’s face. Before Amu could think to get a closer look, though, the figure was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. Surprised, Amu searched the crowd for any signs of the person, finding nothing. After hesitating a moment long, Amu shook her head in dismissal and walked away in the direction her sister had gone in.

She never noticed the dark figure in the shadows of a nearby alley, watching silently as she disappeared in the crowd. The stranger seemed to consider something for a moment before turning away and heading deeper into the darkness, his cloak trailing behind him as he faded into the shadows around him, with only a stray black alley cat to bear witness to his departure.

---

“Slow down, Ami, or you’ll stain your dress.” Ami paused at her sister’s warning, making a face for a moment before falling obediently to Amu’s side.

“Yes, Nee-san.” Ami said dutifully, giving the bag of sweets Amu was holding a longing glance. Though she had bought the candies for her sister, Amu truthfully wanted some of the treats for herself, since it was so rare that she got the chance to eat candy any more. Amu knew that her tutors would have a fit if they found out she’d snuck some, but it didn’t stop her from considering slipping some of the candies into her pockets for later…

Dismissing that thought, Amu berated herself harshly for her weakness for sweets. After all, candy was for children, not a young lady who was just four years from being presented to society. Her image would be completely ruined if anyone found out that she still liked sweets at twelve! Not to mention the fact that too many sweets would make a girl fat… Mentally sighing, Amu cast the bag in her hand one last glance even as she tried desperately to stop the yearning to sneak some.

Maybe just one wouldn’t hurt… she thought wistfully, glancing cautiously at Ami to see if she would notice. Luckily, Ami was too thoroughly distracted with the lollipop Amu had bought her to notice her sister at all. Amu didn’t see any one else on the street either, so it should be safe. Keeping a wary eye on her sister (Who was now humming the song she’d been singing earlier) Amu quickly retrieved a treat from the bag, a rather yummy looking chocolate. Hiding it from her sister’s line of sight, Amu brought the candy to her mouth. It had just barely touched her lips when a shrill noise broke the stillness around the sisters, making both girls start before Amu quickly hid the candy in the pockets of her dress.

Fweeeeeeeeee! Fweeeeeeeeee!

“Is that the police whistle…?” Amu murmured to herself in a puzzled tone. “What on earth…?” Amu’s question ended with a sharp gasp when a cloaked figure suddenly appeared on the path in front of them, racing away from the whistles at a speed Amu could barely believe was human.

That’s the man who was watching me earlier, in the bistro! Amu realized suddenly, her eyes widening in alarm as the stranger approached. She didn’t realize that the cloaked person hadn’t noticed her yet, since he were too busy looking back to see how far back the policemen were, and was too surprised to move to the side of the road, out of harm’s way. It wasn’t until a spit second before the collision that Amu realized what was going to happen, and by then it was too late to stop it.

BAM!

Amu yelped in pain as the stranger’s larger body impacted with hers at the same time the cloaked stranger let out a pained grunt of his own. Buckling under the man’s weight, Amu fell to the ground with the cloaked man half collapsing on top of her, knocking the wind out of the girl. Groaning, the man slowly pulled himself off of Amu, cursing softly under his breath when he saw the now rapidly approaching policemen.

“Stop right there, you dirty thief!” one of the officer yelled out, earning an annoyed sigh from the cloaked man.

“Why do they always say that when they know it doesn’t work?” He murmured to himself as he got back to his feet, turning to look back at the policemen again as Amu gave him a baffled look.

A thief? She thought to herself, glancing from the man who’d fallen on top of her to the police. This man was a thief? No wonder she got such a creepy feeling from him watching her earlier… Turning her attention back to the police, Amu was relieved to see that they had nearly caught up to the man, and were drawing their weapons. Amu knew there was no way the thief would be able to get away now. From the dark curses the cloaked man was now muttering, he must have realized that too.

Which was why Amu really shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was when the strange thief suddenly pulled her to her feet, his left arm holding her firmly in place as a strange phantom claw extended from his right hand, striking at the ground in front of the police and making them cry out in surprise as they fell back to avoid the attack.

He’s a Summoning Mage… Amu realized numbly, glancing over her shoulder at the thief. What on earth was a Summoning Mage doing stealing from people? With their powers, it was a breeze to make an honest living…

“Stay where you are.” The thief said loudly to the men chasing him, his claw still floating dangerously in the air between the officers and himself. “You don’t want to endanger this little princess now, do you?” Amu froze as she (belatedly) realized that she was being held hostage before she struggled vainly against the arm holding her. The thief seemed to have anticipated this though, since his grip automatically tightened. “Don’t move.” He ordered quietly in her ear, his tone serious enough to give her pause. “I won’t hurt you unless I have to, understand?” A chill went down Amu’s spine as her imagination provided the girl with a million and one ways the Mage holding her could hurt her if he wanted to. Not trusting her voice, Amu nodded furiously to show that she understood, and the thief’s grip relaxed a bit. “Good girl.”

Glancing over at the police, Amu’s heart sank when she saw the looks of uncertainty on all of their faces. Obviously, none of them wanted to act when the daughter of one of the village’s most prominent families was being held hostage. Seeing that no one was going to pursue him any further, the thief began backing away to distance himself from the law, forcibly dragging Amu back with him.

“Nee-chan!” Ami cried out in fear when she saw her sister was being taken away. The little girl started to rush forward, but was quickly stopped by one of the policemen, who held her back even as she struggled to get free, clearly not wanting the child to make the situation even worse. “Let my sister go, you big meanie!” Amu felt a gust of air against her neck as the thief sighed at Ami’s name calling.

“This is why I hate getting kids involved…” He muttered dryly under his breath before tensing when one of the policemen stepped forward.

“Let the girl go.” The officer said severely, glaring at the thief “We won’t pursue you any further if you release Hinamori-sama and go on your way.” Behind her, Amu could hear the thief scoff in disbelief at the policeman’s words.

“As much as I’d like to believe that, someone in my position can’t afford to be so foolish.” He said mockingly. “Thanks for the game of tag, boys, but right now I have better things to do.” And, without waiting for a response, the criminal conjured up his magick again, this time using it to surround himself and Amu in darkness. The pink haired girl started to shriek in surprise at the shadows swirling around her, but the noise was quickly muffled when the thief clamped his now claw-less right hand against her mouth, making it difficult for Amu to breathe.

“Mmmm-mmmph!” Amu protested against the thief’s hand, struggling to free herself and beating at the man with her fists as she desperately tried to keep herself from panicking.

“That doesn’t hurt nearly as much as you think, you know.” The stranger said in wry amusement, adjusting his grip on the struggling girl he was now dragging along with him as he walked ahead. Irritated at his nonchalant attitude, Amu responded by biting the man’s hand as hard as she could, and was almost instantly rewarded with a yelp of pain and, oddly enough, a howl of laugher. Amu had just glanced up to find out who was laughing when the thief dropped her like a sack of potatoes, surprising the girl into releasing her hold on his hand. Before Amu could recover though, the man grabbed her up again by the forearms, gripping her hard enough that Amu was sure that it was going to bruise later. Gritting her teeth, Amu immediately began kicking at the thief with her feet.

“Let- Me- GO!” She said, as she struggled, ignoring the muttered curses spilling from the thief (Most of which were directed at her).

“Nothing would make me happier, kid.” He said bitterly, tightening his grip even more and making Amu cry out in pain. “Stop that. You’re being annoying.”

“Annoying?!” Amu repeated incredulously, craning her neck to scowl at the man over her shoulder. “Annoying?!! You’re kidnapping me, and then complain about me being annoying?! Annoying is trying to wear those stupid little shoes that don’t fit for some stupid stuck up party that you don’t want to go to in the first place. Annoying is putting on a dress that you can’t even breathe in just because that’s the style now. If you think I’m being annoying right now, then you have no idea what annoying really is you… you… you perverted thief!” panting wildly to try and catch her breath again after her angry rant, Amu waited for the man to respond. After a moment of stunned silence, she could almost hear the man raise an eyebrow at her behavior.

“…Are you always this strange?” He said in dry amusement, before he started walking again, pushing the girl forward as he moved. Amu narrowed her eyes, wondering bitterly why none of her lessons had ever taught her anything about the best way to hurt a man who was trying to kidnap you.

“Man, I had no idea nobility in the West was so crazy, nyah!”

“I am not crazy, I’m angry!” Amu snapped without thinking. “Excuse me for not being thrilled that some weirdo Summoning Mage thief kidnapped me in front of my little sister!”

“Look kid, I’m not- Wait, what did you say?” Amu blinked in surprise when the thief’s bored tone suddenly became alert at the same time he stopped walking, his grip on her forearms tightening once again.

“My sister, the little girl back there with the police!” Amu explained crossly. “She’s got to be-!”

“Not that!” the man said in exasperation. “When you said you weren’t crazy.”

“Eh?” Amu said, baffled. “What are you talking about? You said something about nobility in the West being crazy, didn’t you?” Though come to think of it, the voice didn’t sound right for the thief she was conversing with… was someone else there, maybe? She couldn’t see anyone…

“You mean to tell me you can hear-?!” Whatever the thief was going to say was just off when a bright white wave of magick surrounded Amu, making her shriek in panic as she was ripped away from the man holding her.

Amu’s eyes went wide when she realized that for some reason, she was floating a good eight feet above the ground, before she squeezed them shut tight as she felt herself plummeting back down to the earth. Instead of a painful meeting with the ground though, the girl felt arms catch her, handling her with much more care then the thief had shown her. Surprised, Amu opened her eyes again and gasped loudly when she saw the profile of the blonde boy who’d caught her, a face that was only too familiar to the girl even if she’d never spoken to him before.

“Prince Tadase?” Amu said numbly, going slack-jawed at the sight of the young royal. What on earth was the Prince doing in her village, let alone saving her from a weird perverted kidnapper?

“I would have liked to think that even you were above kidnapping a lady, Tsukiyomi Ikuto.” The Prince said darkly to the cloaked thief, who scoffed indifferently at the accusation in the Prince’s tone. Reaching up, the thief pulled down his hood, and Amu went still in the Prince’s arms as she got her first clear sight of her kidnapper.

Though she had already realized he was taller then her, the stranger (didn’t the Prince call him Ikuto…?) was much more handsome then Amu was expecting, with layered dark blue hair that fell around his face and long bangs that fell into deep, indigo eyes that were framed by long lashes. A cocky smirk played at his lips as he studied the Prince, showing none of the respect that Prince Tadase’s station was owed. Numbly, Amu realized that he was much younger then she thought he’d be. Maybe sixteen, seventeen tops, only about four or five years older then her.

“Caught up to me already did you, Little Prince?” Ikuto mocked the royal smugly, showing no sign of being worried, or even surprised, about the Prince’s sudden appearance. Amu felt Prince Tadase’s grip tighten slightly as he glared at the teen.

“Of course, you dirty thief.” The Prince snapped back in response. “Did you really think I’d let you get away with stealing one of my family’s most precious treasures?” Amu felt her jaw drop at that. This guy had STOLEN from the KING?! Didn’t he realize that that was an act of treason worthy of a life sentence in prison, if not death?

“Ah.” The thief sighed in mock regret. “And here I thought you just wanted the pleasure of my company…”

“Don’t toy with me, Tsukiyomi Ikuto.” The prince said dangerously.

“Why not?” The thief grinned. “Toying with you is fun, Little Prince.” Amu froze when Ikuto’s gaze flickered away from the prince and met her own eyes. “Though I suppose it won’t be quite as fun when you’ve got that little treasure to protect now, would it?” Humming thoughtfully, the thief took a few steps back. “Well then I suppose that it’s time for me to take my leave now, isn’t it?”

“Stop!” Prince Tadase ordered, scowling as he moved to follow the thief. Amu’s eyes went wide when a pair of cat ears suddenly appeared on Ikuto’s head, right before the phantom claw that he attacked the police with took a swipe at the young blonde trying to catch him.

“Don’t worry.” Ikuto said mockingly as he walked backwards away from the Prince and began to fade into the shadows. “You’ll be seeing me again very soon…” And with those words ringing ominously behind him, the thief disappeared into the darkness, leaving the young royal glowering in his wake as the girl in his arms stared on with wide eyes, a chill running down her spine yet again.

For some reason, she didn’t think that last part was directed at Prince Tadase…