The sunrise smiled down at Mitsui. It was morning.

Yawning loudly, Mitsui stretched and groggily got up. I must have fallen asleep on the chair.

A blanket fell onto the floor. A surprised though sleepy Mitsui picked up the soft quilt and fingered it.

A hazy memory of his mother putting him to sleep as a child, and covering him with a quilt to keep him warm floated in his mind.

It can’t be my mother, Mitsui thought wryly. That leaves only one person...

"Kogure - "

Mitsui stood up in a flash. The room was empty.

Preparing to go into full battle mode, Mitsui dashed to the door. Opening it in a loud bang, he shouted in full volume.

"KOGURE!"

I hope he is all right. He’d better be all right. He IS going to be all right...

Mitsui was greeted by a smell of freshly fried eggs, baked ham and sausages. The warm smell wafted through his whole house and it drifted right into his growling stomach.

"You are awake!" A smiling Kogure said. He was balancing a plate of eggs and ham, and his other hand was carrying a cup of hot coffee. The table had already been prepared for breakfast. It was a feast, at least it was, to Mitsui. Simple brown bread was sitting just beside a plate of steaming hot sausages. The pot of coffee was placed exactly in the middle and Kogure placed his plate of eggs and ham on the table.

He, he.. is smiling... A bemused Mitsui stood dazedly at the table. How different he looks when he smiles!

"Well, you didn’t have a lot of food so I just took all this and made coffee as well. Come eat breakfast." Kogure turned and made towards the kitchen. "You sit down first, I will go take the cutlery okay?"

"You know, you really should get a new frying pan..." Kogure said absent-mindedly.

What the hell was that wild relief running through his mind? Mitsui just stood there, speechless. That is, until he took a look at Kogure’s feet. With the speed of lightning, he cornered Kogure into a corner of the kitchen with a dagger in his right hand.

"What happened to your rope? Who took them out?" Mitsui was trying hard to control himself, but alas ...

"Why are you always so violent?" Kogure gave a shrug. "You were sleeping. You had I-don’t-know-how-many-daggers on you so I just took one and cut off the rope. "

"Why didn’t you ...?" Mitsui left it hanging. Strange, I normally don’t trust strangers so much that I sleep in the same room as them...

You mean; why didn’t I leave? Kogure thought, frowning up at Mitsui.

"Stop threatening me with that dagger. I wanted to make breakfast, and I needed my legs so I just used the dagger." Kogure looked past Mitsui.

"Well you could have been dangerous to me, you know." A tinge of anger now.

"Oh Lord, if I wanted to harm you, would you still be here?!" Kogure shook his head. He pushed Mitsui away and walked off.

Mitsui stood staring at Kogure’s back, a thousand questions running around in his head.

"I think it’s time you answered some questions." Mitsui followed Kogure. "Like the prophecy...?"

Giving a sudden grin, Kogure asked innocently: "Aren’t you hungry?" He sat down on the small table and handed Mitsui some bread.

That was MY line, Mitsui thought irritably.

But it was simply irresistible. Mitsui had to obey his stomach’s call and sat down obediently at the table. The two of them then proceeded to wolf down the wholesome breakfast in record time. It had been a long time since they had ate properly after all. The meal passed in comfortable companionship.

After finishing breakfast, Kogure cleared away the empty plates. Mitsui poured two cups of coffee, then waited for Kogure to come back to the table.

"What happened to your prophecy?" Mitsui inhaled the scent of coffee and then took a sip. The meal had calmed the two of them down and in a way, Mitsui was grateful for it. It meant that at least they could have a decent conversation.

"I burnt it." Came the cheerful reply.

"WHAT?!" Mitsui choked and sputtered. It seems like breakfast might not have helped at all.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR???" This time, Mitsui really wanted to bash in that cheerfully smiling face in front of him. Banging the cup of coffee onto the table, he dragged Kogure up by his collar and glared down furiously at Kogure.

"I have other plans for it." The reply was clear, and strangely confident.

What is it? He has changed somehow. Mitsui didn’t know how he knew this, but he just knew. Gone was the meek and pathetic scholar that he had picked up on the streets.

"My client requires the prophecy from you in about a few days time." Mitsui said in a cold, flat voice.

Just as the mercenary in Mitsui took over, so did the prophet arise in Kogure and like before, a strange light emanated from him. This time, it shone forth in full force from Kogure.

"HEAR ME, OH BROTHER OF THE DAGGER. IT IS THINE DESTINY TO SEEK THE PRINCE OF LIGHT AND OFFER THYSELF TO THE CHILD OF THE SUN. THE NAME OF THE FLAG BEARER SHALT BE SUNG AND PRAISED TIL THE END OF TIME. THIS I PROMISE."

It was Kogure’s voice but it wasn’t him. It was a voice that thundered and rang gloriously.

Mitsui could feel the strength drain from his whole body. The hunter has become the hunted. Rooted to the ground, he could not move. Some strange force was preventing him from reaching his other daggers to protect himself.

Mitsui let go of Kogure. The prophet’s eyes had blazed with a sudden fire, and even as Mitsui stepped back, the prophet reached for Mitsui and uttered: "Thou wouldst NOT disobey mine orders."

Mitsui could only mutter a weak protest : "The prophecy is wrong..."

The prophet drew up to his full height and that thundering voice hammered down at Mitsui. "I AM the prophecy!"

Mitsui tried not to cower but it was difficult. He just stood his ground, trying his best to remain calm.

"Heed mine words, Flag-bearer." A last warning.

The light disappeared, like the morning mist. Mitsui blinked. Kogure rubbed his eyes.

Is it Kogure again?

"It.. it was here again, right?" Kogure asked softly, staring down at the floor.

Mitsui just stood there staring at Kogure. He seemed to have developed a habit of doing that these few days.

"You know already?" Kogure looked hesitatingly at Mitsui. Mitsui just stared back at him , refusing to speak.

Oh good, now he thinks I am some kind of freak too. Kogure thought bitterly. Turning away, he took a deep breath and said; "You have to come with me. There is no choice."

"It - the prophecy- can’t do anything to me." Mitsui said in a flat, cold voice.

"Trust me, you wouldn’t want to know." Kogure gave a haunted look.

What is he supposed to say to that? Mitsui gripped his dagger until even his knuckles went white.

"I am sorry." And then, Kogure left the table without another word. Mitsui was left standing there, his fists tightly clenched.

Note: my sister told me that this part reminded her of the movie "The Prince of Egypt", where Moses encounters the burning bush. so what do you think? well Mitsui is not entirely so holy... heheheh :P