Chapter Two

After a long day of traveling, Mako and Kiyoko resolve to hire an additional guard. In an ordinary place, they find an extraordinary man, leaving the Princess wondering about her true potential.

Chapter Two

Kiyoko watched Mako through her veil silently as they traveled, knowing that she could see him better than he could see her. Just from looking at him, she could tell that he was unhappy and clearly tired. It seemed that once again she had become a source of stress and sacrifice for someone, requiring them to work endlessly to protect her. But for what? She knew that once she had her training at the Temple, she would be able to protect herself and others in the future, but at the current moment, she felt completely useless. Her hired guard wasn’t helping her self-esteem in this matter much either; in fact, it seemed he was finally dozing off after ignoring her for long enough.
Excitedly, Kiyoko removed her veil and pressed her face back against the window. They had long left the outer villages and the sun was now beginning to set, but she knew there would be a town they could stop at before night fell completely. Kiyoko knew she should probably wake up her guard since she was technically always being targeted, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the moment of peace. Without anyone staring at her or trying very hard not to, it suddenly seemed like such a foreign feeling, being alone. She had spent her entire life being watched closely, for more than one reason, so, all in all, it was a nice change of pace to be able to breathe and relax, with nobody having to worry about her.
She had never managed to form any lasting relationships with her guards before, as her father was consistently changing them out and moving schedules around. His paranoia seemed to stretch to every inch of the palace grounds, with needless rules placed that simply restricted a person completely. There was no relaxing in the palace. Kiyoko supposed she should be used to the coldness of the hired hands towards her, but part of her expected different since her father hired outside of the Aomori Patrol Forces. Mako didn’t seem like a bad person, perhaps he just didn’t know how to approach her in a conversation. She imagined that the Emperor’s rules would seem quite daunting if they hadn’t known anything about her prior.
Kiyoko saw a cow approaching in the distance and smiled as the carriage passed it, “Hello, Mr. Cow,” She said, waving goodbye, “I won’t ever see you again...” The words didn’t feel right. It hadn’t really occurred to her all that much that she was leaving everything behind permanently, but after all, she didn’t have room to complain about such things. Being initiated into the Temple of Ashmora was supposedly a very high honor, as the only requirement is that you must be Blessed. It was the reason for her strange appearance and the reason for why she was hunted by greedy power-seekers. Yet all she truly knew about being Blessed was that the Temple is where she would learn how to control herself and communicate with the Goddess. The Temple is all that should matter to her. Petty hopes and dreams had to be discarded.
“Ah,” Mako groaned a little, opening his eyes sleepily, “You should have woke me up.”
“Sorry,” Kiyoko answered, preparing to replace her veil.
Mako stared for a moment before waving at her, “Don’t worry about that thing, it’s only going to get in the way. Besides, if you make a face at me, I wouldn’t be able to see it.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Kiyoko replied, shocked.
“Right,” Mako sat up straight and looked at her for a long moment, startling her even more. She had never seen anyone stare at her so intently before.
“What?”
“Have to get used to your face if you’re not wearing it,” He said plainly, as if it were obvious, “You’re strange to look at, so…” Mako scratched his chin, looking awkward, “It’s a change of priorities. If someone were to impersonate you, how would I know if you’re always wearing that thing? I think your father would understand.”
Kiyoko smiled and began folding the veil into a small square, “I’m not used to people seeing me,” She said shyly, “When I was born--”
“Ah, ah, ah,” Mako held up his hand, “The veil goes, but I’m still following the other rules.”
She looked away, trying not to look too disappointed, “Of course.” Mako couldn’t help but feel a little guilty once more, but instead, he went back to staring out the window. Kiyoko, however, after thinking it over once more was determined to not give up, “If we must speak only of business, then I would like to make a request.”
“Okay, then,” Mako nodded, “That’s fair.”
“We should hire an additional guard,” She said firmly, “There’s nobody to watch me when you’re sleeping, and I think we could find somebody in the town we stop at next.”
Mako, slightly taken aback, answered, “Yes, that’s probably true…”
“Garda is the closest,” Kiyoko continued, “I sat in most of my father’s meetings, so I have a pretty comprehensive knowledge of the Southern Region. I just memorized the route that we would be taking, there were a few of them, but the one we are taking passes through Garda and a few others.”
“I’ve been to Garda briefly,” Mako said back, mildly impressed, “I don’t remember anything special about it.”
“That should be good, then?” Kiyoko asked, “It’s not a very large place, just a port and lots of fishermen. The people there won’t care about what happens with the royal family or the palace.”
“A fisherman isn’t going to be any help in this situation.”
“No,” She frowned, “But it’s a port city, so there will be lots of travelers. People come and go all the time, and it’s not like we’re looking for someone especially powerful, just someone who can stay guard while you rest.”
Mako stared at her for a moment, not sure if he could argue. She did make a good point, but there was still an issue with just hiring anybody off the street, “What exactly would we tell them about the situation?”
Swaying a bit, she eventually shrugged, “I’m just traveling to be a priestess at some temple. Some noble paid you a lot to protect me but you’re feeling lazy and want some help. Not many people even know I exist and like my father said, he would take care of any additional fees anyway.”
He was stunned once more. She certainly could think quick on her feet, but he tried not find it too admirable and instead simply nodded to her and turned back to the window.
“We should be there soon if you want to start looking tonight,” Kiyoko persisted.
“No,” Mako yawned, “It can wait until tomorrow. We’ll stay at an inn tonight.”

When the duo arrived in Garda, they were exceptionally tired and ready to go straight to sleep. Without bothering to take in their surroundings, the carriage drivers led them both to one of the nicer Inn’s, where they approached the front desk and paid for two rooms: one for the drivers, and one for Kiyoko and Mako.
“There are two beds,” The room manager said, upon seeing Kiyoko’s face. The carriage drivers waved goodbye and hurried off, perhaps to avoid any backlash from the Princess’s modesty. She watched them leave desperately and tried not to look too red. Mako took the key to the room, feeling too exhausted to argue with her or explain to her why her privacy had to be imposed upon. Eventually, they trudged down the hall and found their room, but when they opened the door they say there was in fact only one bed. Kiyoko turned red all over again.
“Well,” Mako said slowly, not sure what to say, “It should be fine…”
“I guess so,” She whispered, “I’ve always been watched, but I  never… shared a bed.”
Without much else spoken between them, Mako resolved with himself that this was okay since it was business and nothing else. Clearly. After locking the door and barring it with a chair, he looked to the bed ominously. Kiyoko was already under the sheets and staring at him apprehensively. It was no big deal… Trying not to show too much discomfort, but with exhaustion weighing him down, he made his way around the bed and proceeded to climb in. The bed seemed a lot less spacious now that he was in it, and the distance between him and Kiyoko felt even smaller than before. After a moment, Kiyoko turned over and looked at him again.
“Is it okay for us to both sleep right now?” She asked.
“We’re okay here,” Mako reassured her, “Nothing can happen if we are this close.”
“Okay,” Kiyoko said, her cheeks turning pink.
Mako could definitely feel his blood racing, but he was determined to keep a straight head. This was the Emperor’s daughter! And he had been right all along about men being sinful. He definitely felt sinful right now. Who could honestly resist a girl like her? But he knew he had to. It wasn’t worth getting involved like that with her, since she would, after all, spend her life in the Temple, and he wasn’t the type of guy to go against the Gods over a pretty face.
Suddenly, Kiyoko reached out and put her hand on his chest, “Your heart is racing.”
This was going too far, he decided, “Go to sleep,” He said harshly, turning over. He didn’t have to see her to know what kind of face he must have been making, but he didn’t care. Kiyoko instead stared at his back, feeling unsure of herself and of Mako. She thought there was something there, between them, but maybe she had been wrong. It’s not like she knew what was normal and what wasn’t. It took her a long time to finally fall asleep.

In the early morning, Mako opened his eyes to see he was facing Kiyoko once more, and she was still sound asleep. It seemed to him that she was glowing, but maybe his eyes were just blurry. It appeared nobody had attempted to enter the room through the night, though he hadn’t expected that and knew he would have awoken at any sound. When he eventually pulled himself out of bed and began composing their belongings, Kiyoko began to stir at the sound of his movement. She looked sleepily up at him, in a daze and unsure of her surroundings, and then all at once felt embarrassed again. She didn’t feel rested at all, and she knew it was because of him. All her life she had been watched by as many people as she could imagine, but this time she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something different with Mako. It was almost like she could physically feel it, but that had to just be her overactive imagination. Her mother had always warned her that she needed to focus on what was real, not just what she imagined.
After a few moments of the two stepping around each other, retrieving their shoes and their bags, Kiyoko couldn’t help but ask, “So, you still want to find an extra hand today? Even though things went well last night, I would like you to be able to reliably rest so that you can protect me at your best.”
Mako watched her for a moment as they left their room, trying to gather in what her intentions were, and replied, “Yes, we’re still doing so.” Kiyoko smiled at this, feeling accomplished and he couldn’t help but think that she was a little naive but easy to please.
When the two entered the streets, it was clearly a very bustling day for the market and for trade. Many ships had come into port, and men were everywhere loading and unloading the goods and shipping containers. Merchants ran down the streets with their carts and baskets, offering refreshments to exhausted workers and everything else under the sun to the travelers that came here from the other provinces. Nearly every other road was bordered with a canal that diverted water from the rivers in the Water Province down into the large lake that Garda sat on, and then from there, it would spill out into the Southern Seas. From what Kiyoko could see, there was only water for as far as the horizon went, and when she thought about the Great Lake in the center of the continent, she was baffled, as it was nearly ten times as large as this one.
“It’s amazing!” Kiyoko gasped, having to grab hold of Mako’s sleeve as they swept through the crowds of people. She was trying to look at everything, but it was ending up very hopeless. It was an impossible task to see everything in a place like this, but to someone like Mako, he thought her astonishment was very suiting for a girl who had never left the grounds of her palace. Garda did not seem at all special to him, it was hardly even interesting at all. Kiyoko, however, continued with glee, “You can see the fish in the water,” she pointed to the canal they were walking along to show him. He nodded and then went back to scouting through the crowds. Nobody was standing out to him here. There were still only in a more residential area, so if they wanted to have better luck, they needed to check out the docks.
“We need to walk a small distance,” Mako told her, “Stay close to me.”
“Oh,” Kiyoko nodded, “Right, I forgot. I can’t just wander around or I might get hurt.” Mako, for some reason he didn’t quite understand, felt annoyed by her saying that. Or maybe it was her tone. It sounded like she was mocking the situation, which meant that she was mocking him and his job. He knew she probably didn’t mean it personally, but it meant she was unhappy. He didn’t know where to begin with understanding a girl like her, or what the outcome of this assignment would mean for her, but she was beginning to peak his curiosity.  
“So, tell me,” Mako said, lowering his voice, “What exactly can you do with this power of yours?” He knew there could be any number of answers to this question, but it was what she was capable of that he was most interested in.
“Uh,” Kiyoko paused, looking unsure, “I don’t really know... When I was born…” She trailed off, looking at Mako hesitantly.
“Go on,” he said firmly, “This is related to business.”
“Well, when I was born, the doctors knew immediately that I was Blessed, and that there was no need for me to show any specific powers until I received the appropriate training,” She shrugged, “Supposedly I am like a magnet or a healing magnet. My mother didn’t know how to approach any of it so she had nurses take care of me for most of my life. It made sense when I was younger, but eventually, it just felt like I was waiting to leave for the Temple, and nobody ever bothered to teach me further. I did get some good out of it, and I had a lot of time to myself to study the things I cared about…” Though Kiyoko spoke vibrantly of these things, it didn’t sound at all pleasant to Mako, even if she was brief.
Watching her skeptically, Mako warned, “Magic is dangerous, perhaps it’s best to not learn these powers.”
“Hmm,” Kiyoko pondered, looking down at the fish beside them as they walked, “But even when I do learn how to use it, I probably won’t ever actually have to.”
“And if you do?” Mako pressed.
Kiyoko looked bothered, “Well, I will if I have to but… once I’m there it’s not like I will be able to leave as I please. The chances that I would ever encounter a situation…” She trailed off once more, looking more upset than before. Mako couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic towards her. Unlike her, he had spent most of his life moving back and forth around the country, unable to truly settle down anywhere, and while he was envious of the stability she had experienced in her life, he did not envy her confinement. Such a thing was cruel to humans.
Mako did not ask any more questions as they walked, and when they arrived at the docks, they were as he expected: Busy, crowded, and full of eccentric people. There was a good chance they would be able to find the help that they needed here. Kiyoko seemed intimidated by their appearances, and still had not let go of Mako’s sleeve, staying close behind him as they eyed the people who passed them. Her appearance alone was beginning to draw an abnormal amount of attention to them, but Mako knew the veil would be just as distracting in a place like this. He wanted to go off and start questioning people, but it seemed it would be tough in a place like this with only him being able to watch Kiyoko. She didn’t seem too keen to leave his side either.
“Hello, Miss,” A man grinned and bowed to Kiyoko, tipping his hat before continuing on his way. A few others stopped to watch the interaction before also hurrying on with their business. Mako and Kiyoko watched them all disappear into the sea of people and began to feel uneasy. Her appearance was a hindrance here, and he was now beginning to doubt that he would be able to find anybody reliable with her standing next to him. How would he know they were sincere about helping if they simply just wanted to be around Kiyoko?

“I could go back to the Inn,” Kiyoko said, sounding small, “I’m distracting people.”
“No,” he said back, “I told you to stay close.” Kiyoko gripped his sleeve a little harder and kept her head down as they walked, trying her best to not make eye contact with anyone. She could feel the veil sitting in one of the pockets of her dress, but Mako had told her not to wear that either. If it would help him, wasn’t she obligated to wear it? Lost in worry, Kiyoko collided into the back of Mako and nearly fell over. He simply rolled his eyes and said, “There seems to be a crowd of people over there,” he pointed discreetly ahead of them, along the docks where a large group of people had indeed gathered. They appeared to be asking for jobs and just, in general, being loud and noisy. Were they angry?
“Are they dangerous?”
Mako didn’t answer at first, continuing to walk towards them, “They might be, but I need to see if any of them would join this cause.”
“I could ask them,” Kiyoko suggested, “They wouldn’t say no to me.”
“Idiot,” He scoffed, “Those men would immediately try and run off with you. And even if they did immediately agree, it’s not like that very good judgment on their part. They shouldn’t just accept a job because a pretty, young girl is asking them.” Kiyoko stared at mako and turned as red as a tomato. He said she was pretty. Mako could see she had taken his words too far and quickly shuffled her alongside him towards the group of men.

As the two got closer, Mako could see these were not regular men just begging for available jobs. Their clothes, while ragged, were trimmed with gold and jewels. They were all heavily scarred and heavily drunk. When the hoard of pirates saw the pair approach, none of them knew what to expect. They whispered to each other suspiciously, the girl no doubt drawing their attention. Mako wanted to see if anyone of them would step out on their own to speak for the group, as it would give him a better sense of who the leader was, but they all just stared back at him.
“So,” Mako said loudly, wanting to get right to the point, “Who’s the strongest of you?”
The pirates looked like they couldn’t believe their ears, some even burst out laughing, but the rest had their eyes trained on Kiyoko. Something was definitely unusual about them, and they were rightfully hesitant about the situation, refusing to say anything.
“Please,” Kiyoko blurted out, “We need---”
Mako covered her mouth with his hand, “I have a job, and it pays well. I only need one person.”
“Who are you?” One of the pirates finally asked, swaying dangerously and belching loudly.
“Your opponent,” Mako said darkly, “If you want a year of leisure, you’ll fight me and prove yourself worthy of protecting this lady.”
“And who is she?” The pirate asked again, not looking persuaded.
“A lady in training to be a priestess,” Mako answered calmly, “She needs protection for a journey. I’m only asking for help from one.”
The pirates all looked at each other, with onlookers watching ominously. Mako was calling for a fight in the middle of the docks, and Kiyoko was terrified. What if the pirates were way stronger than him or attacked him all at once?
“All of you, then,” Mako barked out, “Fight me at once! Whoever is left standing shall get the job.” The pirates were beginning to look annoyed.
“Mako!” Kiyoko gasped, “What are you doing?”
He ignored her, “Prove to me you’re a fighter worth a s**t, cowards!”
In an instant, Kiyoko was flung backward and the sounds of steel on steel reverberated through her ears. She pulled herself off the ground and watched in amazement as Mako moved through the pirate like lightning, and one by one, knocking them all unconscious. Nobody was even close to being on his level. Kiyoko couldn’t believe her eyes as the minutes passed and Mako remained unscathed. None of the defeated pirates even had any grave injuries, they were simply incapacitated. The few pirates that were left looked wary, but after momentary taunting from Mako, they began their assault once more before winding up beaten on the ground. Kiyoko was prepared to cheer for Mako’s win, but she knew that this didn’t bode well for their hiring process.
“What’s going on here?” A voice said, from the direction of the nearest ship. Kiyoko and Mako both looked to see a man walking towards the scene. In her mind, he looked quite handsome, even though he looked like he needed a week to sober up and a tranquilizing bath. He had a few scars, giving him a more severe appearance, but he wasn’t intimidating. At least, not to her. While Kiyoko couldn’t help but ogle at him, Mako was, on the other hand, measuring him up as a competitor.
“I’m looking for somebody capable of better than this,” Mako breathed, still holding out his sword.
“You disarmed them all?” The mysterious pirate smirked at the sight of his comrades lying around him, “Not even a broken bone. That’s impressive restraint.”
Mako ignored him, and said sharply, “I need a person who can hold their own in a tough fight,” he turned to the ones he had defeated, “None of them even came close. Can you claim a different outcome?”
The man looked up at Mako, and then past him at Kiyoko who was watching them anxiously. His eyes widened, “Who is this beautiful lady?” Kiyoko turned red in an instant, the veil in her pocket feeling more and more welcoming to her. Mako also looked a little taken aback by this, but he stayed focused on the pirate. “Well,” The man continued, turning back to his opponent, “It seems I’ll have to defend my men here. I can’t just let anybody come around and beat them up.”
The fight was on again. Kiyoko could tell that this one was more evenly matched than the previous ones. On more than one occasion Mako was thrown backward, though he seemed to be enjoying himself. The pirate fighting him didn’t seem particularly angry, but he did glance towards Kiyoko multiple times. After a moment, the two backed away from each other and observed. What happened next they couldn’t have expected: the pirate held out his hand, where a strange field of blue pushed both Mako and Kiyoko away from the scene. Mako had tried holding his footing, but the strange magic was powerful, and once they had been pushed far enough away, the pirate began dragging the semi-conscious bodies of his crew back onto the ship. Mako sat panting, watching the man impatiently.
“The reward is large,” Mako bargained.
The pirate looked back at him and raised an eyebrow, “So, there’s a reward for this?”
“No

,” Mako said, standing back up, “But you have skills we need. With an extra hand, the journey will go easier, and with the money you make from this, you could leave easy for months, possibly a year.”
“Sounds tempting,” The pirate shrugged, “So, what’s the catch?”
“Protect her with your life,” He pointed to Kiyoko, who could only stare in amazement at the two men. She had never seen such advanced fighting before, and the pirate had magical capabilities! Was there a chance he was like her? Did she have untapped powers like his?
The pirate, lugging the last of his men over the side of his shep, stepped back off and approached Kiyoko. Mako stepped in front of him before he could get too close, and the pirate rolled his eyes, “I have to see my client, don’t I?” Mako, frowning, stepped away. The pirate leaned in close to Kiyoko, “Pretty,” he said, looking her up and down, “And where are we taking you?” Kiyoko didn’t say anything, too struck by how close he was to her.
“There’s a temple to the North,” Mako interrupted, watching the pirate closely, “Should only take a little over a week to get there.”
“And who exactly do I go to for the payment?” The pirate seemed to be losing interest, but he didn’t take his eyes off Kiyoko.
“Uh,” Kiyoko stammered, “My father?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Mako hurried, “So, are you joining us?”
“We can talk details,” The pirate replied, “Follow me, I’ll make sure my men aren’t too angry with you.”

Author's Note

Just for fun, please enjoy!