The call of various sea birds cut through the thin air. The morning was
crystal clear, the blue of the sky matching the blue of the waves on one side of the sky castle Kazeshiro.

A young girl stood on the roof, breathing deeply, concentrating her energies. Her girls fighting uniform fluttered in the breeze, her long cape billowed behind her. She held in her hands a large, curved sword with a gleaming silver handle. Her hands tightened around the handle as she brought it into the defensive position.

No one knew why it was called the wind  castle. Sitting perfectly on the edge of the deep sea, it was half on land in a forest and half in the water. The stones were all a gleaming white, making it look from a distance like a giant cloud.

Had you been in the distance, you would have been quite surprised to see such a young girl wielding such a  vicious looking weapon on top of a cloud. Stranger, she was fighting the air.

"Sah! Sah! Sah!" She hissed, each time growing louder as she swung the
vicious blade. It cut and sang through the air, knocking away imaginary
intruders. Each move was precise, designed to disarm and hurt. She held it high over her head, screaming victory, and brought the sword down in a gleaming arch a few inches from the ground.

"Whew." She wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead. Applause sounded from behind her. "Princess Sora! That was amazing! If you really need a sparring partner so BADLY..."

"Winguardian Kouji!" Sora cried in glee as her friend hovered over to her, flapping her large purple wings. Kouji was a Winguardian, a part of the peculiar breed of half-human, half bird that would always protect the Kazeshiro. Kouji's job was an important one- commander of the Winguardian forces and protector and trainer of the princess. She lightly landed on the ground feet first, her long brown hair billowing behind her in the wind. She shivered in her light Winguardians fighting uniform, a vaguely Chinese looking tunic. "Why do you always practice up here?!? It’s so COLD! Plus, what if I fell in the water? All my color would run!"

Because Kouji was the protector of a member of the royal family, her wings were dyed every month from a bright white to a deep purple. Most Winguardians had naturally bright white wings, to denote their status as mere warriors. A few, like Kouji, had the bright wings of a commander or higher ranking officer and demanded respect from both human and Winguardian alike. The few who had made the mistake of challenging that respect suffered dearly for it.

Sora smiled, "Ne, I don’t think that would be a pity. You could have pretty silver wings!"

Kouji shook her head. "I already looked into it...the silver dye is too heavy. Definitely ruin my aerodynamics."

"Oh, no one ever attacks the castle anyway!" And who would? Protected by Winguardians, forests, and the deep sea,  Kazeshiro was a formidable
structure.

"Still gotta be ready!" Kouji stood bravely, glaring over the sea. "YOU HEAR THAT?!?" She screamed to the sea, waving a fist. "BRING IT ON! I’M
INDESTRUCTIBLE!!!"

Sora laughed at her overconfident friend. "Yeah, you say that, but if anyone actually replied you’d run."

"Don’t doubt me for a SECOND!" Kouji snorted. "I can’t be killed, dammit!" She unsheathed a thin dagger hanging by her side. "Wanna take me on?"

"I’d slice you in half!"

"I doubt it! A little girl like you doesn't know how to use a big weapon yet."

"Oh, so you wanna try me?" Sora stepped forward, holding the Sorasai out threateningly. She looked mean, but her blue eyes sparkled with laughter.

"Hai!" Kouji jumped into the air, and swooped at Sora, glinting dagger
pointed at her chest. In a single move, Sora disarmed Kouji and sent her
spiraling to the ground.

"Wah, you ARE good!"

"Yeah. Hmm...should I spare you?" Sora grinned.

"No! Princess Sora!" A young Winguardian flew in front of Kouji, arms and red-dyed wings outstretched, defiance in his blue eyes. "I can’t allow you to kill my commander!"

"Kirehashi..." Kouji sighed, getting up on her feet. "I AM capable of
defending myself you know."

"Against the Sorasai?" He shook his head obstinantley. "As your second
officer, I  have to protect you!"

"No, as my second officer you protect the Kumo family. Not ME! I don’t know WHY you protect me," she grumbled, still blushing horribly. Kirehashi, a quiet youth with short blonde hair, had dedicated himself to protecting his senior (by a year) captain. No matter how clear she made it she did not want or need protection, he was still always there, arms outstretched, hurling himself in front of a weapon.

Sora giggled. "Ka-waiiii!"

The two turned red. "URESIII!" Kouji hissed, covering her cheeks with her hands to hide her blush.

"What wrong, captain? Do you feel ill?"

"In a manner of speaking..."

"KAWAII!" A call from the air came, and the final Winguardian of the group hovered into view. Shinja flopped down on the deck, shading her green eyes with her hand and a blue-dyed wing. "So sunny..." She raked her fingers through her red-brown hair, desperately trying to add a bit of order to the mass of curls.

"SHINJA!"

"KOUJI!"

The two friends, no matter how often they saw each other during the day, insisted on jumping up and down arm in arm every time they met. Sora tried desperately to keep her laughter in, Kirehashi didn’t even bother.

The two stopped their mad little dance. "So why are you here, Officer
Shinja?"

Shinja stepped forward and bowed to the princess. "Princess Sora, I have bad news. I was watching post today...and there is a small band, weapons pulled, marching towards Kazeshiro as we speak. The weapons don’t look terribly complicated, but they have a mech...and about 7 Kurohanes."

"Shit!" Sora hissed. Attacks by small bands of robbers, wanting some of the glorious riches of Kazeshiro, weren’t uncommon. However, they rarely brought machinery like mechs...and Kurohanes were defiantly bad news. They were like the Winguardians, but more animal than human with fangs and leathery bat wings. They had no loyalty to any particular family, they rather allied to whoever was the highest bidder.

Sora turned to Kouji, resignation showing on her face. "Kouji...."

"Hai?"

"Someone took you up on your threat."

_

Kaze no Densetsu
Chapter One: Chika (Oni no Mizu)
_


"SOUND THE ALARM! EVERYONE OUTSIDE IMMEDIATELY!" Kouji flew around the
Winguardians quarters, closely followed by Kirehashi and Shinja. "ATTACK! GRAB YOUR SWORDS, MINNA-THEY HAVE 7 KUROHANE MERCENARIES AND A MECH!!"

The soldiers spread their wings and poured out the windows of the castle. Had one not been about to battle, you could have marveled at the site- 20 angels with pure white wings pouring out of the castle, sharply contrasting against the clear blue sky, swords at the ready.

The band arrived, firing arrows in the air.  The first wave of less soldiers flew to the ground and began to fight the men. Sora, Shinja, Kirehashi and Kouji stood atop the castle, watching the battle below.

"I guess we should take on the Kurohanes...yosh! I love a good battle!"
Kouji pumped her fist into her outstretched hand. Shinja looked nervous. "I have a bad feeling about this...why would they bring just one mech? They looked poor...they had to be working for someone else!"

Kirehashi put a hand on Kouji's shoulder. She brushed it off. "No time for that..we should take care of the mercenaries. Three to seven, that’s not bad...Sora, what about the mech?"

"I’ll handle it." Sora unsheathed her Sorasai. Kouji nodded shortly. "All right! Here they come!" She pointed with her sword up into the sky, where the Kurohanes were descending onto the castle roof. The three Winguardians flew up into the air. "Oh no you don’t!" Kouji got out her sword. "Anyone who gets to the princess gets through me!"

"And me!" Kirehashi flew up beside her. She sighed. "Kirehashi, go fight!"

"But you could be-"

"GO! AS YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER, I ORDER IT!" Kouji began to fight the
Kurohane. Kirehashi watched for a second, then went after another Kurohane.

Kouji battled it. It matched her move, sword-slash for slash. It giggled eerily. "You can be beaten....your tower will fall! Then prince Chika-"

"Chika!" Kouji gasped. "What do you know of him?"

The swords whistled and sang, hit for hit. "He will take your tower...it will FALL!"

"IYAH!" With all her strength, Kouji flew high in the air and landed behind the Kurohane. With a single swish, she lopped it’s left wing off. It hover for a second, then screamed as it crashed to the forest below.

"MINNA!" Kouji screamed. "NO MERCY! THESE KUROHANE ARE JUST A DISTRACTION-CHIKA'S IN THE MECH!"

"Chika!" Sora gasped. "...brother ?"

Shinja lopped the wings off of the Kurohane she was battling. It fell,
screeching to the earth. She chose another one to fight, and looked over to make sure that Kirehashi was slowly but surely working his into exhaustion. Suddenly two Kurohane swarmed Kouji. Growling, she grabbed the dagger from the holster around her leg and tried to parry the blade of one of them with it while maneuvering to the back of the other. She battled the best she could but it was useless. They began to slowly over power her, despite her dodging and swooping tactics. She began to get cuts on her arms, her legs. A slash of red appeared just below her left eye.

"KOUJI!" Kirehashi screamed. He abandoned his Kurohane and flew over to help her. He lopped the wings off one of the attackers, and Kouji began to battle off the other. Unfortunately, Kirehashi had to check on her.

"Are you okay?" He turned to her, grabbing her arm and inspecting the cuts. He frowned, and looked up at Kouji. She glared at him, then her eyes widened in terror-

"LOOK OUT!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and quickly pulled him out of the way and to the side of a sword that was two inches away from going through his back. The attacker curved quickly upwards-

*skch*

"KIREHASHI!"

His wings were shorn. They fell, lifeless and shedding feathers, and
thumped lightly on the forest ground below. Kire froze in shock, then arched back in pain. "Aaah." He groaned, slumping into her arms.

Kouji stared down at Kire in shock. Out of the corner of her eyes, she
watched the wings fall to the ground. Then she looked up at the grinning Kurohane.

"IYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

She screamed, driving her sword deep into the arm of the Kurohane who had injured Kirehashi. Holding Kire in one arm, she  lopped off the Kurohane’s arm-and wing-and shuddered as he fell to the forest floor, blood following him in a macabre trail.

She wiped a tear from her eye, now holding Kirehashi in both arms. She felt Sora's eyes on her in wonder. Kouji hollered up at her. "It was unnecessary..."

Sora shook her head. "Just take care of Kirehashi. We can discuss your
punishment later."

Kouji nodded.  She deposited him in a tree branch, where he fell unconscious from pain and shock. Kouji bit her lip. "You idiot..."

"CAPTAIN!" Shinja screamed. "THE MECH!"

The lumbering metal body appeared over the horizon, clasping a huge sword. Kouji flew up next to Shinja. "You think we can take it?"

"Let me." Sora had been battling Kurohanes on the roof, and two lay slain before her. She held the sword, the prize of her family and her birthright, proudly into the air. "Shiza...KAZE!"

Huge amounts of wind, carrying mist from the sea, gathered around the sword. She threw them off at the mech, knocking it on its back. Not a very good diversion, but it would suffice for some time...enough time to call the Keibiin mech.

She thrust her sword into a nearby slot on the roof. "KEIBIIN!"

The sea before the castle began to boil. Foam and water churned and spilled as a glowing white mech rose out of the waters. Kouji and Shinja picked up Sora and carried her to the mech. Kouji gave her a quick hug as they swooped towards it. "Good luck, princess."

Such shows of emotion were odd from Kouji. "It’s okay...I knew I would have to battle Chika."

"Just...be careful." They deposited her in the cockpit of the mech, which quickly formed around her. She slipped her arms, legs, fingers and head into the appropriate spots. The mech would copy her movements exactly. Good thing she was a talented swordswoman, bad thing because Chika, also of the Kumo family, was equally skilled.

"SISTER!" Chika's voice came from a speaker on the outside of his mech. "THE SORASAI IS MINE! I WILL NOT FIGHT YOU IF IT IS GIVEN TO ME!"

"NO!" Sora screamed. "IT IS MINE BY BIRTHRIGHT!"

"THEN PREPARE TO FIGHT!" Her brother’s lumbering black mech raised it’s sword into the air and charged. The Keibiin nimbly ducked it and sent it’s sword sailing into the side of the black mech. It missed by inches. "Dammit." Sora hissed.

"Do you like my new mech?" Chika laughed. "It’s name is Kouros!"

"A mech named death. Creative."

The mech’s turned to face each other again. This time Sora took the first move, charging for the black mech’s "heart" (the glowing energy center on the side of its chest). Chika was too good for that, and easily parried Keibiin's blade away.

Inside the mech, Sora began to panic. Chika was easily as good as her, and now he had a mech...not to mention the fact that Keibiin was quickly running out of energy. It hadn’t been fully recharged since last night’s practice, and was running on a low Energist...

Keibiin took a hit near it’s heart. The compartment that Sora was in began to fill with liquid, a sure sign they had suffered damage. She brought Keibiin’s blade around and tried for Kouros arm.

The mechblade arched through the air and hit the "elbow" of the mech. The lower "arm" clunked to the ground, trailing wiring and crunching a few small trees. Chika growled, still invisible inside his mech. "You’re still good, Sora."

"Wish I could say the same for you, brother." The mechs stood, the pilot’s studying each other. Chika's voice sighed. The compartment where he was hiding hissed open, and he jumped to the ground. His long brown hair was shot through with blonde streaks, and his eyes were hard and cruel. 10 years older than Sora, and it showed. "I do not want to kill my sister."

The compartment on Keibiin hissed open and Sora jumped to the ground. Her brown-blonde hair was cut short, but the eyes were the same. She held the Sorasai at the ready, prepared for any trick. "Nor do I, but you aren’t really giving me much of a choice."

"Still playing the boy I see...Let me offer this." Chika stretched out her hand in a gesture of peace. "Join me. Bring Keibiin and the Sorasai, and even your little winged friends. Come with me to Mizushiro."

"Mizu...shiro? A water castle?"

Chika nodded. "That is where I have taken up residency, with the prize of the Castle at my disposal." He unsheathed his sword, strikingly similar to the Sorasai but with a blue obsidian handle. "Observe. The Yokosai." He held it before him. "Shiza...TSUNAMII!"

Water, flying through the air in long spirals, gathered around the sword. It created a brilliant whirling column emanating from the sword, splashing and foaming high into the air. He brought the sword down with a battle yell, knocking out a path of 7 trees.

"Interesting." Sora kept her eyes noncommittal. "Is your intent still the same?"

"Yes."

Sora's voice was sad. "I’m afraid I can’t. I will not let you control the Sorasai, or anything else."

"Very well." He turned away. "I will return. If you do not agree,
I will have no choice but to kill you, and take the castle by force." He motioned to his band, who were trying to tend to the Kurohane’s to the ground. "Leave them! We return to Mizushiro." He jumped into the mech, and the rest of his crew followed him away.

Kouji fluttered down to Sora. "Are you okay, Princess?"

"A little wet, but none the worse for wear. How’s Kirehashi?"

"That IDIOT!" Kouji hissed. "I’ll go get him, take him to the medical ward. See what they can do..." Kouji turned away, wanting to weep for Kirehashi. She knew if she lost her wings, she would rather kill herself than go on unable to fly.

Sora gave her a hug. "Daijobu, they can help him. And Kouji?"

Kouji turned back to her, tears pricking in her eyes. "Yes?"

"Considering who they hurt...I’m willing to pardon the unnecessary violence."

"Thank you...but I have to accept the damages." Kouji walked over to where Kire’s wings were nested in the grass, the pure red wing of an angel surrounded by a graveyard of leathery black wings wings of demons. She picked them up, and flew up to tend to Kire. Shinja joined her. Sora stared up at her friends, then down at the glimmering Sorasai. She sighed. "Chika...can’t you just accept? I can’t help that they gave me the Sorasai...but honestly..." She surveyed over the crew of Winguardian’s trying to clean up the mess left by the battle. A few of them picked up the leathery wings to keep as trophies, a practice Sora found revolting.

War is nothing to be proud of.

"Chika...my friend’s will lose more than their wings if this keeps up." A red feather caught her attention, caught in the grass. She pocketed it. "I don’t want anyone to be hurt! Just because of something this stupid...can’t you give it a rest, Chika? The Sorasai chose ME!"

_______

"Sha-sha-sha!" The young boy stood in the middle of the practice hall, his shoulder-length hair put in a tiny topknot on top of his head. The
ornamental sword was almost as large as he was. Today was they day he proved himself worthy to use it.

His mother, father, and sister sat on the side. His parents were used to formal occasions but Sora squirmed in her formal wear. "I don’t LIKE dresses! Wanna wear pants." She sniffed.

"Hush, Sora." The mother rapped the child smartly on the head. She turned to her son sweetly. "Go ahead, dear."

This was what it was all leading up to. He would become the chosen one....he raised the sword high in the air. "Shiza...KAZE!"

Nothing.

The child tried again. "Shiza...KAZE!"

Nothing again. The child stared down at the sword in his hands, dumbfounded. Tears welled in his eyes. He let out a cry and ran from the room.

"Chi! Chi!" His young sister, the princess, jumped up after him, tripping over her ornate skirts. She lifted the Sorasai. "You forgot your-"

*WHOOOOSSSSHHHH*

The parents watched in shock. The girl, holding the sword aloft, gazed in open-mouthed shock as winds rushed in from every window and gathered around the sword.

"The chosen one..." The king gasped. "Is Sora."

_______

"Just because I was picked instead of him....I’m sorry, Chika, but I was chosen." She swept around towards the castle to report to her parents about the battle.

"Sora..."

She looked down in mild surprise. The soldier that Kouji had de-armed was at her feet. From the pool of blood around him, Sora guessed he wasn’t going to make it. Regardless, she knelt at his side. "Hang on, I’ll get a medical officer over here-"

"Your tower will fall, Sora..." It cackled eerily, then went unconscious, a stream of blood trickling from between it’s teeth. It was dead.

Sora shook her head. Killing a soldier... Poor Kouji was in for it...

_______

"What is your name?"

"Hana Kouji Darou, Commander of the Winguardians, first rank officer,
protector of the princess."

"And why are you here, Hana Kouji ?"

Kouji bowed her head. It wasn’t the first time she had had to sit before the Defense Counsel, but it was the first time she had to for an action so severe. Any more force than absolutely necessary used by a Winguardian was a high crime, punishable by two weeks suspension. Because of her high ranking and years of loyal service, she doubted the punishment would be that severe, but...she shook her head.

"Defense of a friend."

"Defense of a-" A member of the council sputtered. "You chopped a man’s arm off!"

"Not a man, sir, a Kurohane. A half bat-"

"Your insolence will not be tolerated, Hana!" The leader of the board growled in her direction. They all sat before her behind a long table. Men, ancient warriors with graying wings that had written the charter of the Winguardians and upheld it to the full. The man cleared his throat and continued. "Because of the unusual circumstances of your ascent to power-"

Kouji's voice took an edge. "I wouldn’t say there was anything unusual about it, sir. My father trained me well and honorably. When he died, the position would naturally be mine. And I’m sure Winguardians have died in battle before,
sir."

"Your lack of respect, and disregard of the rules, is astounding." The leader shook his head. "Despite the fact a dear friend of your’s was injured, your lack of adherence to the code leaves me no choice but to ground you for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Tears almost sprang to her eyes, Fourteen days without flying? She hated not being able to fly for more than an hour. She looked down at her feet. These tiny little things were supposed to carry her where she needed to go?

The man nodded, his wizened old frown accented by his beard. "It is a severe punishment. However a man’s life was taken today."

Kouji's hands flew to her mouth. "It...died?"

"Lack of blood. Shinja will handle your drill’s until your sentence is up. Stand up and receive the harness."

Kouji bit her lip and turned, exposing her back to the leaders. She heard the rustling of wings and murmured apologies as the strong arms of two Winguardians strapped her into a harness-two simple bands of leather, fastened around her wings with  a padlock, that would prevent her from flying until her sentence was up. She turned around to face the ones who had bound her, but they had already disappeared.

The councilman put his head down. "Hana Kouji Darou, you are dismissed."

She bowed curtly, then with heavy steps plodded out of the hall. Her wings were already tight and uncomfortable. By that evening they would surely ache. She stomped up to her room, her head down. Later she would complain to Sora. Now she just wanted to hide in her room.

She came to it and slammed it open. She gave a quick look around for Shinja, but she was still off taking care of the aftermath business. She was greatful for the solitude. She flomped down on the bed, sniffling. "Not fair...not fair! Just cause I wanted to defend the little jerk..." That was right. How was Kirehashi? She had carefully carried him to the medical room, averting her eyes from the bleeding stump on his back. She had even brought the wings, with vain hopes they could reattach them. She put her head down in her arms. "He lost his wings for me, and I lost wings-temporarily- for him. For my sake..." She was distracted from her gloom by a metallic "ping"ing noise.
She looked around in confusion. Her eyes strayed to the door that separated her room from Kire's. The pinging was coming from there.

Carefully she stood up, trying not to stretch her wings. With the stealth of a practiced soldier, she creaked open the door a crack.

The trauma of losing a wing was known to lay a Winguardian down for as long as a two weeks of mourning. The wingless could take as long as a year to grow a pair of wings fully back, during which they had full room and board. They were coddled and protected, and carefully guarded from the psychological traumas that would surely follow a wing amputation. At the very least, the bravest of them usually took at least a 2-week vacation.

However, there was Kire, not weeping but instead sitting at his workbench, working on a strange, burnished metal frame. The wing of a Kurohane was stretched out beside him. He would turn to it, hammer at the odd metal frame, and hold it up to the  skeleton.  Made of lightweight aluminum, it appeared to be almost a metal web..the frame of a pair of wings, maybe? He looked up in surprise. "Commander!"

"You know you don't have to bother with formalities outside of the
battlefield." Kouji glared at him. "You should be in bed!"

"Oh, I’m fine. I have to worry about getting my wings back."

"Mou..." Kouji growled. "You’re just trying to be brave. Get in bed!"

Taking no notice of her rough tone, Kire just laughed. "Can you help me with this? Hold that please." He indicated a part of the metal frame. Kouji sighed and flomped down beside him, careful of the wingbindings. Kire picked up his small hammer, and began to bang on a long strip of metal, tying to make it curve. "I’ve been studying some books on anatomy...trying to figure out what makes out wings aerodynamic, and figuring out the structuring process. I kept this wing from an earlier battle-I’ve been working on this for quite some time, but I know you think keeping wings after battle is ghoulish, so I’ve hidden this project for some time-seems my secret is out now." He laughed a
bit. "Anyway, I’ve come to the conclusion that its’ the air pressure...that’s good. Thank you." He held up the metal frame. "By replicating the structure of the Kurohane’s wings, I believe I can make artificial ones..."

"Nanisheteru na..." Kouji sighed. "Get your head out of the clouds, ne?" She sat crosslegged, staring up at him. "Right now you need to worry about getting better!"

Kire shook his head. "I could use this, perfect it until my wings come
back-this could be a breakthrough for those amputated in battle! Just
imagine!....Hand me those copper wires?"

She picked up a mess of them and handed them over. "Baka." They lapsed into silence, Kouji watching Kirehashi work and occasionally handing him tools. Despite herself, she liked the look that drifted across his face when he worked. His normally worried eyes were so serious...he bit his lip. She looked down at her hands, blushing. "Honestly." She murmured.

"What’s that, commander?"

"Nothing." Her voice was soft for a minute, then she recovered her edge. "Just thinking that you should really be resting!"

"Are you that concerned about me?"

"No!" Kouji snapped in annoyance. "I just hate to have a high-ranking officer off the field is all."

"Oh." He sounded a bit put off. "Hand me that canvas."

"Hai."

After a whole hour more of working, the odd contraption was completed. It looked like a pair of large canvas wings...which was precisely what it was. He turned it over, revealing the metal skeleton and levers inside and the shoulderpads and metal arm cast that would mount it safely on his back. "See, with this I can control the wing..." He carefully slipped it on, wincing when the canvas and metal brushed his wing stump. He stood up. "Nifty, huh commander?"

"Its Kouji! Hana Kouji!" She sighed, but was nonetheless impressed. The metal wings were a true triumph, despite the oddness of the concept. Despite his shyness and his clinging, Kire was known as a mechanical genius and never failed to prove reputation right. He grabbed one of the inside levers and flexed it, making the wing shudder and flap. "I’ll bet I could easily fly with this thing!"

"Seeing is believing."

"Well, then, come fly with me!"

"I can’t."

"Why not?"

Wordlessly, Kouji turned a half circle. He gasped. "Bound? Why?"

"I hurt the guy a little more than I should..." Kouji rolled her eyes. "Stuffy old bastards. You call Shinja commander for the next 2 weeks."

"Gomen nasai, Kouji-" He tried to hug her, but she shrugged him off. "Mou..." She turned to him, actually smiling. "I wanna see if your wings work! How can we test it safely?"

"Well..." He stopped, pondering the possibilities. "I could always jump out the window."

"Iyah!" The panic on Kouji's face was unmistakable. "You wanna kill
yourself? We’re a few miles up! You don’t know if that stupid thing even works!"

He shrugged. "One way to find out." He jogged over to the window.

"KIREHASHI! STOP!" She ran after him, but was too clumsy because of her bound wings. She tripped and fell face down on the floor. She rolled over in time to see him hop out the window.

"IDIOT!" She screeched, and crawled over to the window. She didn't see him at all. "Baka..." She bit her lip. "Kirehashi no BAKA!"

"Gomen nasai, commander..."

"Eh?" She leaned out the window. A finger tapped her arm. she looked down to see Kire, clumsily hovering below the window ledge. She took a deep breath, then grinned. "Its Kouji. Hana Kouji."

_______

"Father, I believe this is a matter of grave importance. I request your
permission to taker a wave of Winguardians, lead by commander Kouji,  to Mizushiro."

"No, Sora. You know it’s not safe."

"But...you just want to let Chika WIN?!?" Sora pounded her fist on her
father’s desk. He was in his office, surrounded by the trappings of royalty, listening to his daughter plead her case. He shook his head in a paternal no. "It’s not safe for us to risk the princess-"

"You say it like I’m a REAL princess or something." Sora scowled. "May I remind you that I have trained in a man’s program since I was young? That the Sorasai chose ME, not Chika, to wield it? Doesn't that make me a Warrior of Kazeshiro?"

"Yes but-"

"And don’t you think a warrior can defend him-or HER-self?" She rolled her eyes. "It’s ridiculous. You think I can’t defend myself?"

"Well, of course you can. But if you lost the Sorasai-"

"Oh, so now I can’t defend the Sorasai?" Sora turned away from her father in anger. "I’ve trained WITH the Sorasai since I was five!" She turned and glared at her father. "Isn’t the job of the Sorasai's chosen warrior to protect Kazeshiro and it's people?"

The king nodded. "Yes, but Sora-he is your blood. Don’t you understand that we can never send someone to kill Chika? He is just as much a part of this family as you, despite his leaving."

"But...he is a threat to our castle. Our lives!"

"Then we will have to defend ourselves when the time comes."

"Then...let me go and convince them that we only want peace! Let me try to bring him back!"

"It’s too risky. I’m sorry, my mind is made up." He closed his eyes. "You are dismissed, daughter."

"Fine." Sora stormed out of the room, cape flowing behind her. She was dismissed, but the idea wasn’t..."

_______

"Mou, what a day."

"You can say that again."

"Mou what a-" *whack* "OWW!" Kouji rubbed her head.  Shinja held the still threatening pillow high in the air. "No more puns!"

"Fine, fine..." Shinja nestled down into her bed. It was pretty late, but it had taken a long time to take care of the aftermath of the battle. Sora kept trying to talk to Kouji that evening, but she had been  too busy to worry about it. She had assured the princess they could talk in the morning.

"Tomorrow, you have to train the princess." Kouji shut her eyes in
embarrassment and she wriggled into the bed next to Shinja's, trying not  to move her wings. They were very sore from the bindings, and two weeks seemed like a particular hell. Shinja put a comforting arm on Kouji’s shoulder from the next bed. "Daijobu. It’s only two weeks..."

"Only two weeks!" Kouji burst out. "That like saying only eternity!"

"Commander?" Kirehashi’s voice came muffled from the next room. "You okay?"

"I’M FINE. GO TO SLEEP!" Kouji paused. "AND IT’S HANA KOUJI!!!!"

"You are so MEAN to him...I can’t believe he built a functioning pair of wings!" Shinja whistled. "That's an accomplishment."

"No kidding...ah well. I’m so @&#%ing tired...g’night, Shinja." Kouji blew out her candle.

"G’night, Kouji." She heard Shinja rustle into a sleeping position, then snore lightly. Kouji yawned, then drifted off to an uncomfortable wingbound sleep.

She slept for a few hours, and would have slept for a few more hand it not been for the sharp shove she received.

"Uh?" She sat up. A silver knifes blade flew through the air besdie her. She tried to duck-

*shk!*

The wingbinding snapped. Her wings burst open, shedding feathers all over the room. Kouji sighed in relief. "That’s nice...who are you, kind stranger?"

"Its me! Sora!"

"Sora!" Kouji gasped, turning in the dark. She made a faint outline of her friend in the darkness. "I appreciate the thought, but I’ll be punished really severely if I show up for patrol tomorrow bindingless!"

"You’re not showing up tomorrow."

"I’m not?"

"No, you're coming with me...to Honoshiro!"

(Owari Chapter One!)