To put it simply, that night was an accident. In her defense, no one could have prevented it. It wasn't caused by just her actions alone, but by two other who were involved. No, make that three. If Ryū had known, it might have turned out differently, but she didn't know if that was the case or not. But it was true, in a way, that his absence had made a difference. It wasn't like she could pass on the blame –if there was any to even pass on. Everything that happened was purely coincidental. How it began and the outcome –it would impact those that lived differently. For her, it would open her eyes about her mission, and the man she was guarding. Shock and confliction were the most prominent, but whether this event impacted her positively or negatively was hard to say.

It would be best to start from the beginning, wouldn't it?

It started with a feeling; a feeling she was unfamiliar with. It wasn't the consuming urge to solidify her resolve by seeing him, nor was it a sixth sense or nagging suspicion. The easiest way to describe it would be like walking through a door and remembering you had forgotten something. However in her case, she didn't know what it was. Was it a task or an object? She couldn't remember and was certain she hadn't forgotten anything. It didn't seem that serious anyway, so she had simply dismissed it. Well, that's what she had thought at the time. Her body on the other hand –it had different ideas.

That night sleep eluded her. Her body wouldn't relax, even when she used some peony massage oil. Even when she did manage to doze off, trying to fool her mind into believing it was tired, her arm or leg would suddenly spasm and wake her instantly.

You have got to be kidding me, she groaned to herself, finally giving up on sleep and sat up, brushing the hair out of her face. A soft giggle came from Rose as she slept, burrowing her face deeper into the pillow with a goofy smile on her face. Hina envied her for that.

Deciding she might as well be productive, she quickly changed into her black clothes. Inwardly Hina cringed at having to tuck her hair into her hood and tie a cloth over her face. It was too hot for it, but she'd rather be sweaty than risk being recognized.

With only her eyes showing, Hina once again headed down the familiar path to the castle. The sky was clear and the forest was active, even at night. She could hear the crickets noisily chirping in the bushes and a squirrel leap from one tree to the next. Kuro seemed to be in a good mood as well, until he suddenly stopped with his nostrils flared.

"What's wrong?" she whispered into his ear, stroking his neck. He gazed to their right with his ears twitching. Hina told him to stay and dismounted, stealthily creeping towards whatever Kuro had heard. Keeping low and flattening herself against a tree, she glanced around the tree and nearly sighed out loud. Rai sat at the edge of a pond, clearly illuminated by the reflection of the moon in the water's surface. He had plucked one of the cattails at the water's edge and absently turned it in his hand. Hina could see his mount tied to a nearby tree, but she was focused on his face. He seemed to be in deep thought.

Suppressing a sigh was almost impossible, but she did it. Hina couldn't see a single guard with him, and couldn't even sense Ryū nearby. Her best guess was that he had slipped out during the night on his own, but to be on his own was just reckless. Even if he had his sword with him and was laid beside him, it was still reckless. She didn't know what Ryū was doing or if he had known, most likely he did, but she really had to give him a piece of her mind later. If she could do the same to Rai she would, but Hina had to settle with watching him from afar –silently.

To get herself comfortable –she had a feeling he wasn't leaving any time soon –she quietly climbed the tree and sat on the branch, only making the slightest of rustling. Rai didn't even glance in her direction, and she had to wonder if he even realized how much danger he was in right now. Considering his expression, he was probably too busy thinking to pay attention. About what she probably wouldn't understand, even if he explained it to her.

So with one eye open to danger and the other on Rai, she quietly waited for him to sort out his problems and return to the safety of the castle.

Rai was depressed and tired. Well, he actually had a lot more emotions coursing through him, but those two seemed to dominate. It wasn't like he was mentally or physically tired. He was just… tired.

I'm not even making sense to myself anymore, he thought sadly, sighing out loud and placed the cattail beside him. He wasn't even sure why they were called cattails. They looked more like the toys cats play with than their tails. Maybe that's how they got their name.

Maybe my mind is tired, Rai groaned. He had more pressing issues to think about than the names of flowers. First there was Seraphina's constant whining, his father wasn't eating properly, he had a pile of paper work to do, and then there was the issue of the contest. Suisen wanted him to choose 3 candidates as soon as possible. Actually, he couldn't really pin the blame on him. Rai had to admit he had been putting it off and Suisen had reminded him that if he couldn't make a choice now, his options would be limited in the future. And he might not like them.

But what got to him the most was that the anniversary of his mother's death was approaching.

Rai heaved a long, deep sigh and picked up a nearby pebble. He tossed it in the air a couple of times before throwing it into the pond. The water rippled, disturbing the water's surface and his reflection in it. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed once again. He knew he couldn't sit here forever and mope, but he couldn't work up the energy or the motivation. Instead, he placed his hands slightly behind him on the ground and leaned back, tilting his head to the sky and gazed at the moon.

Just a few more minute should be okay.

Hina felt a bit of pity for the sad prince before her. It looked like he had the world on his shoulders, and in a way he did. For a split second she thought he painted a nice picture, basking in the moonlight, and that he would look better smiling than looking so sad. She immediately banished all thought, alarmed at her own thoughts.

It was then that she felt a murderous presence enter. Any embarrassment she had felt before immediately vanished as she tried pinpointing the enemy's location. Rai's stallion didn't seem alarmed at all and Rai himself remained oblivious.

Unable to find the assailant by sight, she reached out with her senses, concentrating. About 30 metres from her current location the enemy was heading their way. It seemed there was only one, but Hina didn't let her guard down.

Quietly, she sat up and unsheathed a katana the length of her forearm from her where it hung behind her back, getting into a crouch.

There was no way to avoid a confrontation.

The assailant must have spotted Rai and tried to suffocate him by stealing the air from his surroundings. Hina quickly countered it before it could reach the prince, knowing neither of them had the element of surprise anymore. The enemy immediately reacted and sent a blade of wind that sliced the trees cleanly in half. It was so fast and clean, it took the trees a moment before they started to fall. With no other option, Hina leapt from her post as Rai spun around in alarm. She sliced the air in front of her, sending her own blade of wind towards the enemies. They collided together, releasing a shockwave that blew a strong gust of wind that blinded everyone. Rai's horse whinnied and fought to get free.

As Hina charged forward, she knew things had gone south quickly.

Rai squinted against the sudden blast of wind, shielding his face from the dirt and pebbles that pelted him with his arms. One moment he had been looking at the sky, and then he heard the sound of leaves rustling and something landing behind him. When he turned around, someone stood between him and what looked to be a blade made of wind. Their attacks clashed, creating a huge gust of wind and a shockwave that nearly sent him flying into the pond. The sound of trees crashing to the ground as they were hurtled by the wind echoed loudly, accompanied by its own dust cloud.

The wind had died down slightly and was immediately followed by the sound of metal clashing. He quickly grabbed his sword and unsheathed it, surveying the scene in front of him as he fell into a defensive stance.

Visibility was limited with the darkness and the dust clouds that had been created, but Rai could make out two figures. One looked to be a large man and the other a dainty female figure. It was hard for Rai to make out anything besides that as they kept trading blows and disappearing from his sight. One thing was clear though.

Both were assassins.

Why they were fighting he didn't know, just as he didn't know if any were friend or both were foe. It was clear they weren't allies as they attacked each other without hesitation or mercy, but Rai couldn't step in blindly. Both might be after his life, and the dust their magic kicked up made using his Light magic almost impossible. He couldn't use his Dark magic for the same reason, since he couldn't see his targets to use it. Not only that, but they were moving at an impossibly fast speed. Rai guessed they had used Wind magic to do that, but knowing didn't do him much good. All he could do was wait for his chance to escape, or strike them both down at the same time.

Hina could feel each strike in her arms and tried to deflect the attacks than block them head on. However, her attacker wouldn't allow her and forced her to take them on. The assassin was a man almost twice her height and almost double in weight. His weapon was a common short sword that most knights used.

However, unlike the would-be assassin, this man was a Wind mage. There were no options. It was either kill or be killed. Keeping this man alive would have been ideal, but with Rai here it was out of the question.

The man gave a savage battle cry and aimed his blade at her head. Hina ducked beneath it and tried hitting his hand with the hilt of her sword, but he suddenly snapped his leg out and caught her in a kick. Hina was flown aside, but twisted in the air so she would land in a crouching position. The man leapt in the air and aimed a downward strike at her head. Hina quickly jumped out of the way and slashed at the air in front of her, sending a blade of wind at him. The man tried countering with his own, but Hina's was stronger.

It sliced through her attackers and he barely managed to escape. It nicked his arm but other than that he was fine. Hina's attack connected with the trees, creating an explosion of splinters and leaves, felling the trees. Rai leapt as they had somehow came closer to him.

Hina had to be careful he wasn't caught in the crossfire.

She went on the offensive, giving the man no chance to counter as she aimed blow after blow at his head, neck, and torso. The man dodged the kick she aimed at his torso, but she had coated her leg in a layer of wind. He was sent flying as the wind hit him, where her kick should have landed, and was thrown across the ground. Hina immediately ran after him and aimed for his head. He raised his weapon in time to block it and Hina leapt back.

Suspended in the air, she raised a fist and made a motion to pound the man below. The man was hit by a blast of air and pressed deeper into the ground. Just when Hina was prepared to land the finishing blow, a black tendril shot at the ground and reached for her leg. She flew out of its reach and saw the assassin was pinned to the ground by them.

Rai stood with his arm outstretched, the shadows coming from him. Hina felt the air stir and immediately looked at the assassin. His hand was outstretched towards Rai as magic gathered in his hand. Hina reached into the air as it swirled in her hand. She grasped what looked like a spear made of wind in her hand and threw it towards the assassin.

It speared him through the head, immediately terminating his attack as he went limp. Hina glanced at Rai to see if he was unhurt when she saw the shock on his face. She landed on her feet and quickly sheathed her sword.

She ran away into the forest, wanting to get away from the man she had killed, and the man who was now disgusted in her.

It took Rai a moment to get over the shock, but once he did he gave chase. Whoever she was, she had most likely saved his life. Even Rai, who had never seen Wind magic until now, could tell that the man had tried to attack him. The girl had been faster and killed him. Maybe she had intended to kill that man from the start. Either way, she was the only one left and he needed answers.

She was pretty fast. Even with Rai using his Darkness magic to glide through the shadows, in a way teleporting him from shadow to shadow, he could barely keep up with her. When she glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still following, Rai saw his chance.

In that moment he created a barrier of light in front of her that was too close to dodge. The girl immediately realized this and graced for impact. The barriers effectiveness was greatly decreased since it was night, so she easily crashed through it in an explosion of shining shards like glass. However, it did slow her down and that's what Rai was aiming for.

Acting on instinct than anything else, Rai tackled the girl to the ground and pinned her hands to each side of her head. He couldn't help notice how beautiful her eyes were. A deep blue sapphire blue like the depths of the ocean. They were clearly alarmed once they met his.

"Who are you?" he questioned, slightly out of breath from the chase. Her chest heaved as she struggled to break free, but Rai's grip was stronger.

"Who do you work for?" he asked, a bit more forcefully this time. The girl gave a violent tug that almost threw Rai off her and finally stilled, closing her eyes. Rai wondered if she'd finally talk when she suddenly kneed him in the stomach. It wasn't a kick that had sent the assassin flying, but Rai still doubled over from the force of it.

The girl leapt away from him and pulled out something from behind her back. It was a round, woven ball the size of an orange and she threw it towards the ground. Thick smoke appeared from it, obscuring his view and he coughed. When it cleared the girl was gone.

Rai got unsteadily to his feet and leaned against a tree. He doubted he could catch up and made his way back. Luckily his horse was still there, but it looked absolutely petrified. It took him a long time to calm it down, but he wasn't really paying attention to that.

When he tackled the girl, he was sure he smelled the scent of peonies.

Hina leaned heavily against the tree, only a few feet away from Rai, and placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was still beating like crazy, she was still breathing heavily, and he face was slightly flushed. When she recalled when he tackled her –a move that was incredibly foolish, she remembered how close their faces were and how intently he was staring at her.

Oh no, she groaned, realizing that her symptoms weren't from exertion, but from embarrassment. Every time she thought about it and remembered how his grip was strong, but didn't hurt, her heart would beat faster and her cheeks redder.

There was no way she could say it was just the heat.

I'm just a regular girl, I guess, she thought to herself and realized how ridiculous she sounded. All she was doing was making excuses when it was pretty obvious. She was attracted to Rai –someone she shouldn't even be developing feelings for! Hina was distressed. She'd never had this type of reaction or these types of conflicting feelings before.

She didn't like this foreign territory. She really, really didn't like it.

And she almost hated him for it.