“When the fate of the world lies in evil hands,
Only with divine powers will it stand a chance,
From all around the world will gather,
Eight warriors whose pure hearts shall not waver.”

    “I’ve heard of this garbage for ages. Who started this anyway?”

    “We have done our best to investigate, Your Majesty, but unfortunately these words have been going around from mouth to mouth since forever, so it is impossible to trace anymore,” answered a soldier with his head facing down and his hands clasped in a respectful manner.

    “And to whom is this ‘evil’ referring to?”

    “Err… that is…”

    “Speak up!”

    “Pardon me, Your Majesty, but people have somehow gotten the idea that this supposed prophecy is referring to eight people that are destined to overthrow Your Majesty.”

    At once, complete silence filled the entire palace hall. It was as if the temperature had dropped several degrees as every eye in the room turned to look at the king, waiting for his response. But the king was left speechless at what he had just heard. His face slowly turned scarlet while his mouth gaped soundlessly, as he tried to find words abominable enough to express his fury. To think that there were people who dared to defy him, the almighty king of the grand Daikoku kingdom. His throne had been secure for over twenty-five years, for he had suppressed all possible threats from both inside and outside of the kingdom, well, all except the damn Night Hunters. Still, he had made sure that all his opponents with their armies of rebels were crushed not only in the most humiliating ways, but also in ways that struck intense fear in the hearts of everyone who had seen or heard of the events. He had crushed hundreds, no, thousands! And yet, despite all this, this mere soldier had the nerve to even suggest that his reign would end in the hands of a mere group of eight!?

    With these thoughts swimming in his mind, the king glowered at the soldier kneeling in front of him, without realizing that the palace hall was slowly buzzing louder and louder, as the royal court, ministers, soldiers, maids, servants, and even concubines were all chattering with low voices. Amidst all those buzzing, the poor soldier grew more and more anxious as he heard phrases such as: “Night Hunters,” “Black Panther,” “magic powers,” and “punishment.” He stared at the palace floor, not daring to raise his head even an inch. Had he considered that his honesty would lead to the whole palace court whispering under the king’s very nose, he would’ve feigned ignorance.

    “HOW DARE YOU!!” the king finally roared. 

    The whole palace hall turned silent abruptly once again as the king’s face turned such a dangerous shade of crimson that it almost looked like it was emitting smoke.

    “Guards! Take him away and have him beheaded this instant!!!”

    “Forgive me, Your Majesty! Please spare my life! I have a family!”

    “I see… Why didn’t you say so?” said the king, grinning maliciously at the prospect of having another chance to demonstrate his supremacy, “General Kurogane! Find his family and execute them right away!”

    When his name was mentioned, a dark-skinned army general with short jet-black hair looked up and started to walk forward from where he stood, ten feet to the left of the throne. But before he even took a step, a low rank soldier ran forward and quickly went down on his knees.

    “Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty. This man has dedicated his life to the Imperial Army of Daikoku Kingdom. What he just said now was only repeating what he had heard from other people. I was there with him. I can assure you what he had said had nothing to do with his own opinion. Please be generous and spare his life!” he pleaded with his head down.

    The sentenced soldier looked gratefully at the pleading figure next to him, while the king glowered furiously at the both of them.

    “Do you not know your place!? What is he to you that you would beg for his life? Do you want to die with him!?” shouted the king.

    “Please, Your Majesty. I am nothing but this man’s humble subordinate, and a fellow servant to the kingdom. I truly respect him for his dedication to the kingdom, and of course, his dedication to Your Majesty. I believe that such dedication should not go unrewarded.”

    Everyone in the palace started murmuring to each other; even the king himself became unsure of his decision. He cast a doubtful look at the prime minister, who stood next to him, calmly stroking his beard.

    “If I may speak, Your Majesty,” the prime minister said with a slight bow.

    “Go on,” replied the king quickly, looking extremely relieved.

    “Thank you, Your Majesty. Now,” the prime minister turned to the two soldiers with a cold smile and stepped forward, “Let me get this straight. You two, amongst others, investigated this so called prophecy, did you not?”

    Both soldiers nodded quietly, “Yes, sir.”

    “And you both heard people speaking about their assumption that this prophecy is about the end of our king’s mighty rule?”

    The two soldiers cast a frightened look at each other before answering, “Y-yes, sir.”

    “Did you punish them in any way?” the prime minister inquired coldly.

    Cold sweat started trickling down the soldiers’ neck as they replied, “N-no, sir.”

    “So,” the prime minister said with a finalized tone, “Despite all your assertions about dedications to the kingdom and His Majesty, you let such remarks slide unpunished?”

    The murmurs grew louder, and some people nodded in agreement. The prime minister nodded to king and stepped back. Looking extremely pleased, the king ordered everyone to be silent.

    “General Kurogane, proceed with the execution. Take this man too, and his family!” he proclaimed.

    The two soldiers screamed in protest, but this time, no one dared to defend them.

    “Oh, and make sure you do it where everyone in town can see it. Everyone will see what happens to any family that dares to proclaim such treason to the king,” the king added malevolently.

    General Kurogane walked forward and bowed. 

    “As you wish, Your Majesty,” he said flatly. Then, with a wave from one hand, he had his subordinates drag the two soldiers out. 

    General Kurogane didn’t try to defend the poor soldiers at all, neither did he respond to the their desperate imploring. In fact, General Kurogane’s face was almost emotionless; he only had a stern look on his face that showed neither excitement nor concern that he had to take the lives of these innocent people.

    “No! Your Majesty, please! My family is innocent!!!” screamed the first soldier as a few soldiers started dragging him out.

    “Silence! Be glad I didn’t sentence them to a more torturous death. General! Make sure they are beheaded before sundown tomorrow!” the king roared, his cold gray eyes squinting threateningly.

    One of General Kurogane’s subordinates clasped his hand over the first soldier’s mouth to shut him up. The second soldier, on the other hand, had sworn himself hoarse and resolved to spit in the king’s direction instead, earning himself some hearty punches in the gut.

    After much struggles, the first soldier managed to bite the hand that was clasped over his mouth and bellowed, “You fiend! You monster!! All you do with your power is sacrifice people for your own gain! Mark my words! Heaven will make you pay! Even as ghosts, me, my family, and everyone else who died in your filthy hands will definitely help those eight people in any way to defeat you!!!”

    Shouting and cursing at the top of their lungs, the soldiers were dragged out of the room. No kicks or punches could shut their mouths, but even their harsh words couldn’t compare to their utter bewilderment and hatred towards the despicable king and sly prime minister. The faces of the two most powerful figures in the kingdom were full of arrogant satisfaction, and in the king’s case, a hint of worry and a pinch of fear were visible. Still sitting comfortably on his throne, the king didn’t budge as the soldiers’ shouts echoed in the throne room, and even though the echoes in the palace eventually died down, they wouldn’t die down in the king’s head for long after. He had gotten his hands full trying to deal with the Night Hunters, and now this!? But it doesn’t matter, the king told himself. No matter what, he would not let go of what’s his, and that included the whole Daikoku Kingdom and all the treasures within it. Anyone who dared to defy him would suffer such torture that they would beg for death!

    Dark clouds loomed over Daikoku Kingdom that day, and no matter how hard the sunrays tried to penetrate them, their efforts were in vain. The golden rays of light had no choice but to swallow their disappointment, stay back quietly, and wait patiently for the dark clouds to be swept away. But alas, the dark clouds were so persistent in staying, as if insisting that the future of this kingdom would never be bright again.

2: Following the Wind

    One morning in Sakura Island, the breeze blew a bit stronger than it usually did, as if signaling a change in its usually stagnant atmosphere. Sakura Island is a peaceful island at the edge of Daikoku Kingdom where cherry trees are everywhere. Cherry blossoms are called sakura in the local language, hence the name of the island. In spring times like this, when cherry blossoms bloom abundantly, the island probably looks pink from a distance. Even though the world was at war, the chaos didn’t seem to affect the peaceful atmosphere of this small island.

    In the barely-inhabited eastern part of the island, a small temple seemed to be the only building within miles. The temple looked really old, but strangely well kept. To the right side of the temple was a small vegetable garden, where carrots, potatoes, corns, green beans, and other vegetables were just being planted. The little buds were welcoming the sunlight that was coming from the east. They were just being watered with fresh cold water from the well behind the temple. On the left side of the temple, was an enormous sakura tree. The tree looked twice as big and almost three times as old as the other trees on the island. Under that tree was a small grave that looked oddly clean compared to the petal-strewn grounds around it.

    Both the temple and the gravestone were facing a beach not far from the temple. The beach itself was really bare, adorned with nothing other than a small single-sailed boat with fishnets hanging on the side. The fishnets were still dripping, for someone was just using it a while ago, that someone being a tanned and scarred well-built man who was walking away from the boat towards the temple. With one hand he was pulling a small wagon loaded with fish of all kinds. His dripping wet clothes were rather shabby, with patches showing here and there, and his face was concealed by the shadow of his wide straw hat.

    As the temple came closer to view, the man saw his beautiful, slender, middle-aged wife with curly, long brown hair tied in a side low ponytail waving at him.

    “Leon, breakfast is ready!” she said with a warm smile.

    Leon smiled back as he left the wagon by the vegetable garden and walked up the front steps into the temple. Kimiko, his wife, was busy taking food out from the kitchen, while their daughter, Kyouko, whose face was a spitting image of her mother, was busy setting the table.

    “Good morning, daddy,” said Kyouko brightly.

    “Morning, Kyon-chan,” replied Leon as he took off his hat. His bright orange hair was exactly the same as Kyouko’s, except that Kyouko’s was cut to slightly below her chin in a bob style. But Kyouko’s hair was not the only thing she inherited from Leon; both of them also had the exact same ears, which were like cat ears covered in orange fur. Leon stared hard at the physical traits his daughter inherited from him and his eyes turned really sad. He wanted to look at her more, hug her more, kiss her more, spend more quality time with her, and love her more, but soon he wouldn’t be able to. He couldn’t believe that sixteen years had passed by so fast.

    Kyouko, who had finished setting the table, finally noticed that her dad had been staring at her. She somehow understood what he was thinking, so she showed him the most cheerful smile she could muster.

    “Dad, you’re still dripping all over the floor,” she reminded him.

    “Huh? Oh, right,” Leon turned clumsily on the spot, looking unsurely at the puddle around his feet.

    “It’s alright, I’ll clean it up. You’d better change your clothes now. Mom’s about finished with breakfast.”

    Leon nodded and walked into his room while Kyouko ran to get a cloth to wipe off the puddle.

    In a few minutes the three finally gathered at the dining table and had a merry breakfast as usual, but after breakfast, the whole family seemed to turn gloomy. Kyouko, in particular, felt awkward as they all walked out of the temple. This was, she knew, possibly the last breakfast they were having together. Today she was going to embark on a journey, and neither of them knew when or if she was coming back. Kyouko knew that her parents must be feeling very sad and anxious right now, so she resolved to act normal, or at least, as normal as possible.

    As they walked together to the front of the temple, Kyouko looked down on her new outfit: a white kimono with sakura patterns on the sleeves and a purplish pink hakama skirt. She smiled in awe at the beautiful outfit her mother had made, and her hand flew up to a matching hairpin pinned in front of her left ear. The hairpin was in the shape of two sakura flowers in full bloom, made from pink cloth with pink pearls in the middle.

    “You look pretty, Kyon-chan,” Kimiko said as she handed a bundle of clothing and a pair of fans to her daughter. “Take care of yourself. Don’t engage in unnecessary fighting,” she continued worriedly.

    “Yes, mom,” Kyouko answered quietly.

    “If you find any of the other seven, send us a letter…” Leon said with a serious tone.

    “Yes, daddy,” Kyouko replied, even more quietly. She was afraid it would be a very long time before she could send her first letter. After all, she had no clue whatsoever to find whom she was looking for.

    “Even if you don’t find any, just send us a letter about anything,” Kimiko said, apparently reading her daughter’s thoughts. “We’ll miss you, Kyon-chan,” she added tearfully.

    “I’ll miss you guys, too. Don’t cry mom, I’ll make sure to find them, and help people along the way,” said Kyouko while giving her mother a hug.

    “Listen, Kyon-chan, your martial arts skill has improved a lot, but it’s not to be used to show off,” Leon started, “Remember, a strong man-“

    “-only uses his strength to forgive, forget, protect, and admit his own mistakes. I know, I know,” Kyouko interrupted in a bored tone. How many times she had heard her dad say this, she had lost count ages ago. “I’ll never forget that. I promise,” she assured them.

    Leon smiled sadly and brandished an old white lily hairpin. Surprised, Kyouko turned to her mother. Only then she noticed that her mother wasn’t wearing this hairpin at the spot where her hair was tied as usual. With the base made of gold and the lilies made of glazed white marble and pearls, the hairpin looked like an old heirloom of a royal family.

    “Bring this along with you. If you show this to the members of the Night Hunters, they will definitely lend you their help,” Leon explained.

    “Thank you daddy,” Kyouko hugged her father and accepted the hairpin gratefully, although she didn’t fully understand his explanation.

    “You guys take care of yourself, too. Thank you for everything. See you later,” Kyouko said while hugging both her parents. After the tearful procession, she turned and walked away, one hand still waving.

    “Will she be ok, Leon?” Kimiko whispered while still waving.

    “Don’t you worry, Kimiko. She’s our daughter after all, and the wind will also protect her. It’s her destiny. You know that,” Leon replied with a reassuring hug.

 *  *  *

    This was the start of the journey of a sixteen-year-old cat-eared girl named Sawakaze Kyouko, nicknamed Kyon-chan by her parents. Her hobbies include sleeping, eating (especially fish), and dancing. Traveling was definitely not in her list of favorite activities; in fact, she had never traveled anywhere before, except if you count the rare times her parents took her to the nearby town to buy their daily needs. Kids normally enjoyed family outings like this, but Kyouko hated people staring at her ears and making fun of them. Because of this, she hardly ever went out, and for sure she had no friends. Sure, she had playmates, but that was different from friends you could share anything with; in fact, they liked to make fun of Kyouko, especially because of her ears and her shyness.

    Regardless of how she felt about traveling, Kyouko always felt like she needed to go somewhere, but she had no idea where. On this trip, she brought nothing with her except some money, change of clothing, the lily hairpin her father gave her, and the pair of fans her mom gave her. These fans were beautiful, polished dark wood, sturdy pink and white paper, all embroidered with sakura ornaments But what was most special about those fans, were the enchantments imbued into them decades ago. Kyouko waved the fan, and a strong breeze blew at the same direction. People may think that the fan was what caused it, but the truth was that Kyouko was born loved by the wind. The wind would always blow wherever she wanted, but she couldn’t control the wind’s power. It was the enchantments on the fan that helped her control it.

    As Kyouko walked farther and farther from the temple, she turned one of the fans around on her hand and eyed it carefully. She remembered her mother once said that when she was just one year old, she had the wind carry her up inside the temple so she can reach her favorite toy on the top shelf. There were also times when she threw tantrums for not getting what she wanted and ended up causing small tornadoes. But despite all that, her parents still loved her.

    To help control her power, her dad taught her martial arts since she was five so that she could defend herself and others without being overly dependent on that power, and her mother gave her the Wind-Slicer Fans on her eighth birthday. She once asked her parents if it was weird that she was born with such powers. Her mother smiled and said that she was very lucky to be blessed with that power, but with great powers come great responsibilities. Kyouko didn’t really understand what her mother meant, but her mother hugged her and said that she’d understand someday. She had understood that now, and that was why she went on this journey.

    “There are others who share the same destiny with you, Kyon-chan,” her mother had said, “Fate will definitely let you meet them. Just follow the wind.”

    Kyouko didn’t know what she’d be facing nor whom she’d meet, she didn’t know whom she was looking for nor what they looked like, but she believed the wind would guide her. Holding on to that thought, she continued her journey, shy and afraid, but excited nonetheless.

3: The First Encounter

    Kyouko walked towards the port. Even though people normally go to towns to search for information, Kyouko doubted that the kind of information she was looking for was available in this provincial area, so her best bet would be to go to a more populated island, or better, the Central Continent. Kyouko sighed. She knew that she was just making excuses. The truth is, she just didn’t want to see the people in the nearby towns, the people who recognized her and loved making fun of her. “If I walk faster and take it easy on the food, I should be able to survive till the next town,” she thought to herself.

    Kyouko continued walking westward. The temple she lived in with her parents was on the eastern side of the island, and the port where the boats take passengers to leave the island was at the western shore, so it would take a while to go on foot. Kyouko considered using the wind to fly, but controlling the wind too much would exhaust her.

    As she was walking past blooming sakura trees, she heard a pitiful mewing. She looked around and saw an orange cat shivering nervously on a high branch. Swiftly she waved her fan and directed the wind to gently bring the cat down. She tried to touch it, but the moment its paws touched the ground, the cat ran towards the trees and disappeared.

    “Not a word of thanks? How rude,” Kyouko grumbled.

    Kyouko continued walking, and at noon, she stopped and sat under a tree, eating a rice ball and sakura mochi cakes her mother made.

    “I won’t be able to eat this again for who knows how long,” she thought sadly while munching on her food.

    “I wonder how long will it be till I reach the port? Where should I go first? Central Continent? Aragane Island? Kayanuhima Island? Or should I just push my luck and go out of the country? Aargh! Who am I kidding? I know nothing outside of this island, and if my money runs out before I meet any of those seven people I’m doomed… … …I’ll just nap for now…”

    Seeing Kyouko lying down and closing her eyes, the orange cat came out of its hiding. Slowly it approached Kyouko and stared at her ears. When it came closer and sniffed Kyouko’s ears, right away the tickled feeling aroused her. The cat was frightened and tried to run away, but Kyouko used the wind to push it back.

    “It’s ok, I won’t hurt you. Look, we have the same ears,” Kyouko grinned at the cat. She then took the lid of her bento box, and poured some milk into it, which the cat licked delightedly. “Cats are simple. Give it some milk and she’ll like me. If I give some more, she’ll begin to trust me,” Kyouko thought to herself, “I wish dealing with humans were this simple.”

    Kyouko watched it finish the milk in a flash and poured some more, “You should come with me, Toru-chan.” The cat looked up at Kyouko and mewed as if asking, “Is that my name?” Kyouko laughed and patted it gently, “Yes, that’s your name. Nice to meet you, Toru-chan…”

    “You actually understand cat language?”

    Kyouko looked up in surprise, “Who’s there!?”

    She heard the sound of a person jumping through the wind, but didn’t turn around fast enough to see anyone.

    Suddenly, a dark blue haired guy jumped down from the trees behind her. Kyouko pulled out both her fans and stood in a defensive stance while Toru ran and hid behind a tree, peeking nervously.

    Kyouko stared hard at this guy. He seemed to be in his late teens or early twenties. In his hand he had a lance with a complicated-looking blade at its end, and two golden piercings adorned his left ear. With deep enchanting blue eyes, holding this very unique lance, and sakura petals raining around him, he did look like a prince that had jumped out of fairy tales Kyouko read when she was a kid. Kyouko was mesmerized for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it. A prince charming is supposed to be polite and courteous, whereas this guy’s smirking face was full of arrogance and mischief.

    “Who are you? You don’t look like you’re from around here,” Kyouko asked suspiciously.

    “Same goes to you. I didn’t know girls have cat ears on Sakura Island, or anywhere else really,” he said coolly.

    Kyouko glared angrily at him, but that guy didn’t seem bothered by it. A split second later, that guy dashed to Kyouko’s side and whispered as he passed, “Anger will ruin your cute face.” Kyouko jumped away from him and moved one fan in a horizontal line instinctively.

    “Wind Slicer!” she yelled before she knew it.

    At once, a thin, blade like shockwave appeared from the line Kyouko drew and dashed towards the guy, who dodged right away. The Wind Slicer hit the tree behind him and left a pretty deep scar.

    For the briefest moment, Kyouko saw the guy’s eyes widened as he looked at the scar on the tree trunk. His dodging from her attack was clearly a proof of his well-trained reflex. Kyouko should’ve known. Someone who carried around such a heavy-looking weapon so casually and effortlessly must’ve known a thing or two about the martial arts. Well, judging from his movements, he knew more than a thing or two.

    All these thoughts went through Kyouko’s mind during a pause that might’ve been long or short. The next thing she knew, the suspicious guy composed his face quickly before turning his gaze to his attacker. She couldn’t believe it. Instead of staring at her with shock, disbelief, or horror like she expected, this guy was grinning at her with interest, and… excitement? He must’ve noticed that she held her defensive stance, but for some reason he seemed to be amused by it.

    “Whoa, interesting weapons you got there,” he said after a whistle, “I’ve never seen someone use fans in combat. You’re pretty rude, attacking an innocent stranger.”

    This last remark made Kyouko feel slightly ashamed of her perhaps too many suspicions against someone she had just met.

    “S-sorry! Are you ok?” she said quickly.

    At once that guy put his hand on his shoulder and scrunched his face.

    “I think I’m seriously hurt. Kiss me and my wounds will heal,” he moaned and then smiled teasingly.

    Kyouko’s cheeks were red with anger and embarrassment. “Very funny! A person that can wave a heavy lance and move so fast should be able to dodge that little attack effortlessly. It’s your fault for sneaking up on me like that! Thank goodness I used only ten percent of my power for that strike. If I used any more both you and that tree would’ve been cut in half.”

    “Whew… Pretty confident, aren’t you? Tsk, girls should be dainty, polite, and elegant.”

    “Well sorry for not being dainty, polite, nor elegant. I’d rather not be anything like that if it means I can’t kick the butts of jerks like you,” Kyouko retorted hotly.

    “Ok, ok, I’m sorry. Will you relax already? You don’t have to keep that combat stance, I don’t fight girls.”

    “I’ll relax if you leave.”

    “Alright, I’ll leave if you tell me your name.”

    “I don’t give my name to strangers.”

    “My name is Naomizu Harufumi; people usually call me Haru. I’m just a plain old wanderer. There, now we’re not strangers,” Haru said with a smile, not a taunting one this time.

    Kyouko hesitated for a moment, and then she replied slowly, “Sawakaze… Kyouko…”

    “Sawakaze… Your name means refreshing breeze, but you’re more like a destroying tornado…”

    “I told you my name, now leave!”

    “Fine, fine… See you around,” Haru said coolly while turning around and lightly waving his hand.

    “I’d rather not!” Kyouko yelled after him, then she picked up her things and looked around, “Honestly! What’s with him? Toru-chan, come out and let’s go. The bad guy’s gone now!”

    Toru came out of its hiding cautiously, then ran towards Kyouko and looked up fondly at her, as if to say, “I’ll be happy to come with you!”

4: Wind, Earth, and Water

    A few days later, Kyouko arrived at a gentle river, and she stopped to drink. On the other side of the river, a violet haired girl was filling her bottle with water; when she saw Kyouko, she smiled. Kyouko smiled back as she observed the girl. She was lovely, with long, beautiful violet hair tied with a wide piece of ribbon at the end, and bangs that rest gently above her soft violet eyes. Furthermore, she had a gentle, calming aura about her, much like Kyouko’s mother, Kimiko. Kyouko noticed that the girl had some paint stains on her clothes and bits of clay in her hair. Her outfits were beautiful, but also quite unusual; something like a brown muffler with fringes was covering her left shoulder and right arm, leaving her right shoulder exposed. Kyouko had never seen such attire in Sakura Island. “She must be an artist from somewhere, but with those looks she can be a model too,” Kyouko thought as she watched her packing her bottle and walking away.

    “Come on, Toru-chan, we have to cross this river,” said Kyouko as she took Toru and put the cat on her shoulder. She then waved her fans and flew to the woods across the river.

    “Ouch! Toru-chan! You don’t have to grab onto me so hard with your claws, I won’t let you fall.”

    As they were landing on the edge of the woods, they heard steel clanging against each other. Kyouko ran quickly towards the racket and a guy flew past her, groaning in pain. Kyouko quickly approached him, but he roughly pushed Kyouko aside.

    “Out of my way! I’m gonna teach that girl a lesson!”

    Kyouko stood back up angrily. She moved her fans in a small, circular motion, as if forming a ball of wind between them, then used one fan to quickly throw it towards that thug.

    “Wind Cannon!”

    That man howled in pain as Kyouko’s Wind Cannon hit him square in the back, possibly rupturing his backbone. Kyouko watched without the slightest sympathy as he flew towards the still ensuing battle. From the sound of it, he knocked down someone else before he hit a tree.

    “Hmph! Serves him right! Come on Toru-chan!”

    Kyouko continued running till she arrived at a clearing in the woods where the fight was ensuing. She caught sight of the violet haired girl held down by one thug and a squat middle-aged man fighting two others. Near them were two similarly dressed thugs out cold, one on top of the other. The one on top was obviously the thug that got hit with Kyouko’s Wind Cannon. Kyouko stood at a distance and prepared to attack, but they kept moving around that she could hit the girl and the man by mistake, so she closed her fans and ran towards them instead. As she was running, the violet haired girl broke free and put her hands on the ground. At once the ground rose and struck that man hard in the stomach. Kyouko was surprised, but she continued running till she got between the man and the two thugs, then she opened her fans, crossed her arms, and waved her fans outwards, “Aerial Wave!” At once both thugs got blown away, literally, and flew to the trees. Looking at the two girls with terrified eyes, they hurriedly took the others and ran further into the woods.

    Kyouko and the violet haired girl helped the man up. He really was short, even shorter than Kyouko, who was only about five feet one inch tall. If this was the violet haired girl’s father, then she must’ve inherited her height, as well as most of her physical features from her mother.

    “Thank you for saving us,” he said gratefully, one dirty nailed hand stroking his balding head, “My name is Hijizawa Kano, and this is my daughter, Fuyuno. We are artists from Aragane Island. We have no idea why those thugs attacked us. We offered our money and they still tried to capture us.”

    “Oh well, there’s nothing we can do now. At least you’re both alright. My name is Sawakaze Kyouko, and this is Toru-chan. Nice to meet you both. Fuyuno-san, I saw what you did with the ground. You were amazing! How did you do that??”

    “Um… I’m not sure myself…”

    “I thought so… You must be the destined warrior of the earth! I’ve been looking for you!” said Kyouko excitedly.

    “Huh?” Fuyuno and her dad looked at each other in confusion, “I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

    “Well, to put it bluntly, I’m on a journey to look for the destined eight warriors that will save the world. I know this sounds ridiculous, but please trust me. I am one, too, I’m the warrior of the wind.”

    “Okay, that explains why those thugs got blown away. But Sawakaze-san, I’m afraid you made a mistake…”

    “Just call me Kyon-chan. And no, I’m definitely not making a mistake. Have you ever heard of the prophecy: When the fate of the world lies in evil hands, only with divine powers will it stand a chance. From all around the world will gather, eight warriors whose pure hearts shall not waver.”

    “Yes of course we have, but isn’t that just a myth?” Fuyuno asked doubtfully.

    “No, it’s true. In fact, there’s a second part to that prophecy, but only few people know about it. The second part explains the powers of these eight destined warriors…”

 “Divine metal pierces hearts of evil,
Divine lightning strikes the lurking devil,
Divine flora forever grows what's good,
Divine music brings back brotherhood,
Divine fire burns away impurity,
Divine earth builds foundation for humanity,
Divine water washes away evil that hides,
Divine wind binds and forever unites.”

    “My mother was told about this by a priest years ago. The reason they hid the second part from public is for the warriors’ own safety. If the king heard about this, he would surely hunt down anyone showing any signs of these powers, like you and I. You must come with me Fuyuno-san, and we’ll find the other six warriors too,” Kyouko explained.

    Fuyuno looked at her father uncertainly.

    “Please, sir? This is her destiny. I hate to separate you two, but for the sake of this kingdom, and even the world, the eight warriors must gather!” Kyouko pleaded.

    “In that case, shouldn’t you invite me too?” said a familiar voice behind her.

    Kyouko looked back in surprise, as the handsome dark blue haired owner of the voice came out from behind a tree.

    “What are you doing here? Were you following me??”

    “Whoa, touchy. Nice to meet you, Hijizawa-san, Fuyuno-san. I’m Naomizu Harufumi, Kyouko’s friend,” Haru said with a smile.

    “No, you’re not!”

    “Ouch, that hurts, Kyon-chan.”

    “Who gave you permission to call me that!? What are you doing here anyway??”

    “Chill, I just heard a racket and I saw you guys attacked by thugs. I was going to help, but looks like you took care of them easily.”

    “You should’ve come faster,” Kyouko grumbled.

    “Oh, so now you want me around?” Haru asked teasingly.

    “You-!” Kyouko lifted her fan, but Haru caught her arm. Fuyuno giggled watching all of these, but stopped immediately by Kyouko’s glare, so she covered her mouth with her hand right away. Unfortunately, her eyes failed to hide her amusement.

    “A~nyway,” Haru let go of Kyouko’s hand and continued, “I heard what you said about the eight warriors, so I decided to come out and show you something interesting,” Haru said as he moved his lance. Suddenly, water came out of nowhere and spiraled around his lance, as if flowing through an invisible hose. Fuyuno and Mr. Hijizawa looked in amazement, but Kyouko turned sour. To think that this guy is one of the destined eight.

    “Soo… Do you want me to come with you? This offer is for a limited time only.”

    Kyouko hesitated for a while, and then slowly and reluctantly, she nodded. Haru looked totally amused, then he turned to Fuyuno, “You have to come with us, Fuyuno-chan.”

    Fuyuno blushed and smiled, but then she hesitated and shook her head. “I can’t leave my father alone,” she said worriedly.

    Kyouko turned to Mr. Hijizawa, feeling guilty about forcing his beloved daughter to go with her, and almost at once, she felt a rush of nostalgic feeling. The look on Mr. Hijizawa’s face reminded her of her own dad’s face on the morning that she left: a face that showed he understood what was best for his daughter, and yet was worried of her wellbeing, instead of his own.

    It was obvious that Mr. Hijizawa looked touched at her daughter’s innocent and sincere reply, but he, like Kyouko, had not failed to see the smile and excited twinkle in Fuyuno’s eyes at the idea of going with Kyouko on this quest. She sighed in relief when Mr. Hijizawa smiled and patted Fuyuno’s shoulder, “You should go with them, Fuyuno. I’ve always known that my daughter is special. The earth seems to love you. You can’t run from your destiny. And I’m not an helpless old man. I can take care of myself. You are needed to stop that stupid king from mistreating his people and waging pointless wars all around. Besides, how many parents get to proudly say, ‘My daughter saved the world’? If you really loved staying at Ishitani valley, I would have nothing to say. But since you used me as an excuse-”

    “I wasn’t-”

    “I know you want to go.”

    “But-”

    “No buts! I’ll continue my journey, and you continue yours. When the world is finally peaceful again, I’ll be waiting for you at Ishitani valley,” Mr. Hijizawa said with a reassuring smile.

    Fuyuno smiled back and hugged her father gratefully, “Thank you father. I promise I’ll come home soon. I’m going to miss you so much.”

    “Me too. Don’t cry now, and don’t be a drag to your friends. Come home a proud, triumphant warrior,” her father replied tearfully.

    Fuyuno wiped her tears and smiled at her father, “Goodbye father.” She then turned to Haru and Kyouko with a big smile, “Please take care of me from now on!”    

    Kyouko hugged her happily, and then turned to Mr. Hijizawa, “We’ll take our leave now, Hijizawa-san. Thank you so much for giving Fuyuno permission.”

    Kyouko then took Fuyuno’s hand and walked away. Fuyuno looked back and waved at her father, who waved back and smiled, looking sad but proud.    

    “Hey, wait for me!” Haru yelled as he ran after them.

    Kyouko ignored him, and happily said to Fuyuno, “I can’t believe I actually found some of the warriors on Sakura Island! Fate is doing its job right! I’ll be counting on you from now on, Fuyuno-san.”

    Fuyuno grinned, “Just call me Fuyuno, Kyon-chan.”

5: True Friends

    Kyouko was so happy that she had found two elemental warriors a lot sooner than she had thought. However, she still felt awkward that she had to suddenly travel with two strangers. She wasn’t sure when or if she’d ever feel truly comfortable with them. Of course she’d love to be friends with the kind and lovely Fuyuno, but she was afraid that her whole feelings were one-sided. Kyouko, introverted as she was, didn’t know how to start or join conversations like any normal teenagers, so she didn’t say much while Haru and Fuyuno were talking. Thankfully, Fuyuno and Haru were really cheerful and they treated Kyouko as if they were childhood friends.

    Later that day, Kyouko explained to them once again about the prophecy, and told them of her original plan to go to Central Continent. But since there were unexpectedly already three warriors on the island, they couldn’t cross the possibility of there being more. She then asked them if they’ve heard of rumors about the other five warriors, but Haru and Fuyuno shook their heads. Fuyuno then suggested that they go to the nearest town first to spend the night and find some info. Haru and Kyouko agreed, and so they walked towards the nearest town.

    The group arrived at Hayaji Town two days later, and they unanimously agreed that the first thing they should find was food, so they got directions to an inn with a huge restaurant next to it.

    “The best place to hear about rumors are in big restaurants during lunch and dinner hours,” Fuyuno said cheerfully.

    “We should keep our ears open for any rumors, or better, I’ll go ask some ladies…” Haru said gleefully.

    Kyouko rolled her eyes; no matter how annoyed she was at Haru’s carefree and slightly perverted attitude, or how much she wished she could transfer Haru’s power to someone more decent, she just had to deal with it. So, ignoring him, she turned to Fuyuno, “I’m going to the post office to send my letter to mother. I promised to let her know when I’ve found any of the warriors. Wanna come with? It’s a bit dangerous to stay alone with this pervert.”

    “Don’t call me a pervert just because I’m a ladies’ man, Kyon-chan,” Haru said airily.

    “Only a pervert boasts like that. Let’s go, Fuyu!”

    Fuyuno laughed and turned to Haru, “We’ll meet at this restaurant at dinner time, try not to cause any trouble, Haru.”

    “What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not like I’m going to randomly beat up someone.”

    “What she means is don’t do stupid things like seducing someone’s wife, or flirting with the mayor’s daughter and getting us locked up or kicked out of here before we get anything useful,” Kyouko retorted flatly.

    Haru was dumbfounded and Fuyuno laughed her head off. Kyouko was surprised herself for what she just said and wondered if she said too much, but she was somewhat satisfied at Haru’s speechlessness. In the end, she felt really tickled by Fuyuno’s laughter, so she started laughing too.

    “I’m sorry Haru,” Kyouko said while holding her stomach, “Your expression is just priceless, and Fuyu’s laughter tickled me!!”

    Still laughing, the two girls and Toru walked away, asking for directions to the post office. Haru simply stood there watching them go, and then he turned and mumbled to himself, “So she can laugh.” Kyouko turned back in surprise, having just realized that she had never truly laughed in Haru’s presence before, due to her annoyance at him, but Haru had walked away.

    Haru walked a bit further till Kyouko and Fuyuno were out of hearing range before he finally laughed, too.

    “Really! That cheeky girl is probably the first to beat me at words. Her angry face is amusing, but this side of her is surprisingly cute, too,” he said as he leaned on a wall and started toying around with his lance, unconsciously drawing the attention of several children and girls. When he felt their stares, he deliberately showed off some moves and bowed proudly to the crowd’s applause. And after sending his most charming and mischievous wink at the ladies crowd’s direction, he walked away with his usual smirk, leaving a lot of squeals and blushes.

    “Kyouko and Fuyuno are prettier than anyone in that crowd. Still, be it those two or any other girls, they’ve got nothing on the princess. I wonder if she still remembers me,” he said with a nostalgic smile.

    That evening, the three elemental warriors met at the restaurant and had dinner together. While eating, they listened to the conversations around them. However, all they heard were irrelevant topics, such as local family affairs, flourishing or failing business, the war between Daikoku Kingdom and Montgomery Kingdom, and a group of girls discussing about “the cute boy with the lance at that table,” to which Haru smirked proudly and Kyouko rolled her eyes disgustedly. They could hear the girls wondering if Fuyuno was Haru’s girlfriend, and if the cat-eared girl was their pet or servant. Fuyuno noticed Kyouko’s ears twitching at those words, and glanced worriedly at her, but Kyouko just ate more vigorously and pretended that she didn’t hear a thing. The girls kept gossiping as Kyouko, who had her back to those girls, avoided Fuyuno’s eyes and gulped down a whole cup of tea, choking in the process. At once the girls snickered at her and chatted more animatedly.

    “Does she think putting on fake kitty ears like that will help her grab guys’ attention?”

    “Why does she bother grabbing their attention? She’ll lost them in three seconds with that shapeless figure anyway?”

    The other girls squealed with sickeningly-too-girlish laughter.

    “Maybe she lost a game and got dared to do that. Why else would she wear something that hideous?”

    “Ooh, she must’ve lived in the jungle somewhere all these times. I mean, look at her outfit! Who wears those nowadays besides old people? And she must’ve not realized that fake animal ears are not in trend since… forever!”

    “Oh my gosh, I just saw when she flipped her hair; she has no human ears!”

    “No way, so those things are real??”

    “Oh, did you see? They twitched just now! They actually twitched!!”

    “Pipe it down, she’ll hear you! Cat’s hearings are real good, you know?”

    “So? What’s she going to do? Meow at us?”

    Not only the other girls giggled, but some people around them who had heard their conversation also sniggered. Kyouko’s face turned scarlet as a mixture of anger, sadness, and embarrassment boiled inside her. She grabbed her hakama and squeezed hard, all the while silently telling herself not to cry nor retaliate. She had to distract herself before a typhoon “accidentally” strikes the restaurant. She closed her eyes and tried to think of happy things: dancing around the sakura tree near the temple, practicing magic with her mother, martial arts training with her father…

    Fuyuno squeezed Kyouko’s hand and smiled kindly at her, then she looked at Haru, signaling that they should leave. But Haru didn’t notice her, he was busy glaring at the girls, who were still whispering and giggling among themselves. If glares could burn, those girls would probably be ash by now.

    “Haru!” called Fuyuno nervously.

    Haru turned to her and was just about to respond to Fuyuno’s signal to leave when a sarcastic meowing came from the table of gossiping girls. Haru immediately snapped and stomped his lance hard onto the floor as he stood up. Everybody in the restaurant jumped in his or her seat and looked at him in surprise.

    “What are you doing?” Kyouko whispered in panic while tugging his sleeve.

    Haru threw a sharp fierce glare at the table of gossiping girls, and the tea in their cups suddenly splashed onto their faces. While the girls were screaming and wiping their ruined make ups, Haru looked down on Kyouko and Fuyuno, “You girls have finished dinner, right? Let’s check into the inn. Perhaps there we’ll find decent ladies, unlike the rude, superficial, and judgmental ones we find here.” He then left some money on the table, took Kyouko’s hand and dragged her out, followed by Fuyuno. Halfway to the door, Fuyuno took Kyouko’s other hand, and Haru put his arm around Kyouko’s shoulder. At once, Kyouko’s cheeks turned a fresh shade of pink that had nothing to do with her previous emotional turmoil. She struggled to break free from Haru’s arm, but Haru wouldn’t let go till they were out of the restaurant.

    “Haru, let go!” Kyouko said in panic.

    “Last time we eat at that restaurant…” Haru sneered as he let go of Kyouko’s shoulder.

    Kyouko didn’t know what to say after all that fiasco. She wanted to thank them, but she felt awkward and embarrassed for letting what the petty girls said get to her in the first place. She also felt a bit guilty that her presence had probably ruined their dinner.

    Fuyuno, however, simply said cheerfully, “Well, we didn’t get any good info, but at least we’re full now. Let’s get some rooms and rest for the night!”

    Kyouko didn’t say a word as they proceeded to check in at the inn next door. It was a nice and cozy little place. After they paid the fee for the night, a friendly host led them upstairs and showed them to two rooms that stood side by side. Haru walked to the second room while Kyouko, Fuyuno, and Toru entered the first room and looked around. It was a small square room with one window in the middle of the wall straight ahead from the door. The door itself stood at the front left corner of the room. The window was framed nicely with light brown drapes. A light brown wooden table and a matching chair stood under the window, and on the table were a small vase filled with a fresh sakura tree branch, a bright oil lamp, some papers, and a pen. Kyouko turned her eyes to the right; there was the wall that stood between the girls’ room and Haru’s. In front of that wall stood a twin bed with fresh white sheets and blankets. Clearly this room was just cleaned earlier.

    Kyouko quietly walked towards a tall brown wardrobe standing at the far left corner of the room. When she opened it to put in her stuffs, she immediately saw herself reflected on the mirror hanging at the back of the wardrobe door. Her face looked stony and her eyes almost lifeless, but she didn’t bother to do anything about them. As she closed the wardrobe, she caught the reflection of Fuyuno’s concerned eyes. She wanted to tell her not to worry and that she was fine, but she knew that she probably wouldn’t sound very convincing, so she said nothing as she sat down on the bed and stared randomly out of the window. The sky was dark outside, but the moon was shining brightly. The town itself was quite bright, so Kyouko couldn’t see the stars like back in the temple. For a moment, there was no sound other than Toru purring at Kyouko’s feet.

    A moment later, someone knocked at the door.

    “It’s me, can I come in?” Haru’s voice came from behind the door. Kyouko stayed where she was, but she could hear the sound of Fuyuno opening the door, continued by both their footsteps nearing the bed. She could feel Haru sitting on the other side of the bed and Fuyuno sitting next to her, but still she said nothing.

    “… You ok?” Haru said softly.

    “Of course I’m ok. Why wouldn’t I be?” Kyouko replied, more loudly than she intended to.

    “You don’t have to hide it Kyon-chan,” Fuyuno said while scooting closer to Kyouko’s side. Kyouko looked down and fiddled with her fans. Seeing that she purposefully avoided her gaze, Fuyuno hugged Kyouko and gently told her, “It’s ok to be mad, it’s ok if you want to cry. You have friends that are here for you, so just let it all out, so when you’re done, we can laugh together again.”

    Kyouko didn’t realize since when her tears were welling up in her eyes, but Fuyuno’s words seemed to break the invisible dam in her eyes. The next thing she knew, she was crying in Fuyuno’s embrace, partly due to her frustration on what she heard at the restaurant, partly because she was touched by Fuyuno’s words, but mostly due to her joy for having true friends that are there for her, something she had longed for all along. Haru didn’t say anything; he just gently patted her head. Kyouko couldn’t express how grateful she was that they were there with her, that they were there for her, and she sobbed so hard that she couldn’t even mouth the word “Thanks.” So instead, she squeezed Haru’s hand with one hand squeezed Fuyuno’s shoulder with the other. Haru and Fuyuno didn’t say anything. They didn’t have to. Kyouko knew that they understood.

*  *  *

    After Kyouko finished crying, they discussed all that they had heard that day, and concluded that there was no useful information in that town, so they should just leave tomorrow for the port. Kyouko then pointed out that they should get a weapon for Fuyuno.

    “But why? I don’t know how to fight,” Fuyuno said nervously.

    “That’s not it, Fuyuno-chan. What Kyon-chan meant was an enchanted object that you use to control your power, just like her fans and my lance,”

    “He’s right. My Wind-Slicer Fans here are imbued with enchantments. They help me control my powers, so I can utilize it more precisely. If I don’t use it, I can create a tornado when all I want is a medium-sized wind blade.”

    “But where can I get it? If what you said is true, then we need to find not just any weapon, but an enchanted weapon. Before I met you guys, I didn’t even know if magic exists. And one more thing, do I really need to fight with my powers? I thought we would be helping people and trying to get the king to stop his evil ways. It’s not like the king has magic powers too, right? I thought any form of magic related activities are banned in Daikoku Kingdom.”

    They were all silent for a while, and then Kyouko finally said, “My mother told me that in every human, there lies dormant magical power, which is a combination of different elements. Most of the times, it will remain dormant, but in some people, like my mother, it awakens; that’s why she’s capable of strengthening the enchantments on my Wind-Slicer Fans. Magical power can be awakened from the ‘inside’ by very strong emotions, or from the ‘outside’ by long, constant meditations to slowly calm our spirit and ‘break’ the barrier blocking the magical energy. Either way, the crack in the barrier will only let the user draw little power. In very rare cases, like us, the magical power consists of only one pure element, which is so strong that at some point, it will break its own barrier, so we can use it freely.”

    Haru looked really confused, but Fuyuno looked thoughtful.

    “I get it so far, but what does this have to do with the king?” Fuyuno said uncertainly.

    “The king is a very ambitious person, and he wants to conquer the world just to satisfy his own greed, that’s why he’s been waging war all over the world. But even if he wages wars, it doesn’t mean he’ll always win, so he has the army do research on powerful weapons, even human weapons. The main goal of the research is to create an object or a method that allows the army to break the magic barrier within them. With an army of magic users, surely he can conquer the world easily. However, there is a reason why people are born with their magic power sealed. It’s because the human body is generally not strong enough to handle it, so the army also wants to find a way to make it possible at all costs,” Kyouko finished with a bitter tone.

    “Kyon-chan, how did you know all this?” Haru asked in amazement.

    “That… Now that we’re all friends, I guess I can tell you. My dad was one of the guinea pigs for those immoral researches, which include infusing animal genes into humans to make the body strong enough to handle magic. My dad was part of this. The army forcefully infused cat genes into him. The army wouldn’t spend too much money on proper anesthetics, so through the whole process, every victim is conscious. Many died from the torturous pain. My dad was one of the very few successful outcomes, but they didn’t manage to break his barrier. Still, he became really nimble, and he grew cat ears and tails. Somehow he managed to run away from the laboratory and got washed ashore on Sakura Island. My mother found him, and well, you can guess the rest,” Kyouko said solemnly.

    “That king is despicable! He charges unreasonable taxes from his people for his own wealth and funding immoral researches like that??” Fuyuno screamed in disgust.

    “Well, those are not the only ones, there are researches that involve absorbing someone’s magic power and modifying it into something more destructive to be used as weapons. Or it could be put into another person’s body to be used by that person. But my dad hasn’t heard of any success in any of these fields. Anyway, aside from war, the king is also afraid of the prophecy, so he wants to be prepared for people trying to take him down with magical powers. He might have his guards use magical powers from the researches, or he might even use it himself, for all we know.”

    Everybody was silent after Kyouko said this. Fuyuno was trying to absorb the huge amount of information she just heard when suddenly, Haru broke the silence, “Kyon-chan, was there a research involving condensing corrosive magic into stones?”

    Kyouko was surprised at this question.

    “I think so, but how did you know?”

    “Never mind…” Haru said quietly, squeezing his collar as what seemed like silent fury and determination flickered in his eyes.

    Kyouko didn’t have the time to ask before Haru continued, “Anyway, back to our original topic, we need to get Fuyuno-chan a weapon, which means, we need to find someone that has awakened his magical powers and is knowledgeable about enchantments. Kyon-chan, how about your mother?”

    “No, she can strengthen enchantments, but she can’t create one. These fans have been in the temple forever, and the priest there entrusted them to my mom before he died, because he was aware that my mom had awakened her magical power. He told her to keep strengthening the enchantment until she can pass them to the warrior of the wind.”

    “So what you’re saying is, there must be a weapon somewhere that has been around for ages and has already got enchantments imbued into it a long time ago, specifically made for the warrior of the earth,” Fuyuno concluded.

    “Yeah, that’s how it is. It’ll be hard to find it, since we don’t even know what it looks like. Either that or we get you a new weapon, and find someone that is actually capable of creating enchantments, which is no easier to find,” Kyouko said regretfully.

    “That’s ok, Fuyuno-chan. For now we just have to concentrate on finding the other five warriors. On our journey, we might hear rumors about ancient artifacts. For now, if you have to fight, you can use just a little bit of your power, which shouldn’t be too hard to control. Kyon-chan and I will cover for you. Then when we find the weapon, you can unleash your full power,” Haru said cheerfully, “I’ll go to bed now. You girls better sleep now too. Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast and go to the port. Night, girls.”

    “Night, Haru,” both girls said in chorus.

    As Kyouko watched Haru leave the room, it suddenly dawned on her that she knew absolutely nothing about him. Who was he really? Where was he from? What was he doing on Sakura Island? How come he possessed an enchanted item? Why did he simply go with them willingly? Why did he ask about magic experiments? Is he looking for the magic stone he was asking about earlier? Why did he suddenly change the topic when Kyouko asked about his interest in it? And the most important thing, could they trust him? What if he was just some imposter that got his water elemental power by means of those experiments? All these questions were jumbled in Kyouko’s mind, but somehow she had the feeling that she shouldn’t ask.