Three days had passed. Three painful days of silence and coldness. Mitsui still refused to speak to Kogure, except to demand that he re-write the prophecy. Strangely, he stopped being violent though, it was as if he couldn’t bear the touch of Kogure.

All Kogure did was explain calmly why he thought Mitsui should come along with him and forget about the Brothers of the Dagger. It didn’t work. It was like pushing a stone wall and expecting the stone to yield.

3 long days of unhappiness. Kogure had had enough. It was time to leave. There was no time to waste. This time, he had to pull Mitsui along by whatever means he had.

Alone in his room at night, Kogure had taken out his belongings and started packing them. They all fit into a ridiculously small bag. Within 2 hours, he had finished with this preparations. Sitting down on the bed, Kogure’s thoughts drifted to Mitsui.

I wonder how he got his scar ... Kogure mused. And then more importantly; How am I going to convince him to come along with me?

I didn’t want to force him like that. Kogure thought unhappily. We have to leave. We have to find HIM.

The young man with the fiery hair. The only light in the darkness. The child of the sun. Whatever. Kogure knew that this strange young man was the only hope that he had against whatever evil that the visions were trying to tell him.

And Mitsui is not just anybody --- he is someone important. I can feel it.

The prophecy had called him ‘Flag Bearer". From his studies of history, Kogure had recalled many legends about this particular title.

In ancient times, a king’s trusted warrior would carry his flag in battle. It was a great honour but a heavy responsibility, for that warrior is duty-bound to keep the flag up in the heat of battle. In the old wars, one of the greatest insults you can give to your enemy was to shoot down their flag bearer.

And now we cannot even see our enemy ... Kogure shivered. He laid back on the bed, his hands hugging the bag to his body. Resolve hardened into determination.

No matter what, I will get Mitsui to come with me. If not... A sudden flashback of Mitsui lying on the ground with a pool of blood struck him. Was it his own imagination or was it one of his visions? His blood ran cold in his veins. He would never allow Mitsui to come to that state ..

Confusion ran over his concern. Kogure sighed as the moon outside the window winked at him. He couldn’t even get his thoughts in order, let alone persuade Mitsui to his cause.

The door creaked.

Mitsui stood at the door. His face was expressionless. The scar seemed more prominent in the soft light.

"If you want to go, go tonight." Mitsui said coldly.

"Aren’t you coming with me?" Kogure asked anxiously.

"Tomorrow is the deadline. I have to answer to the Brothers and to my client. You are not involved so you had better go before they get their hands on you." Mitsui stepped in softly.

"I will not ..." Kogure did not even manage to finish his sentence before Mitsui interrupted.

"My brothers are not as lenient as me." Glancing sideways at Kogure, Mitsui walked to the window and rested his elbows on the sill.

"Then why do you not tie me up and give me to them?" Kogure muttered bitterly. "Then you would have done your job." Hell, what was he saying? Didn’t he want his freedom? Didn’t he long to see his Prince of Light?

Kogure looked up. One thing was certain. He will NOT leave Mitsui along to face his guild’s wrath alone. It was a matter of principle, he told himself.

Mitsui was struck at how vulnerable Kogure looked in the moonlight. Gazing at his tousled brown hair, he felt the itch to comb and smooth back in place.

Don’t look at me like that, my prophet ...

Cursing under his breath, Mitsui coldly said: " I do not need to explain myself to you. Just go. They will come for you tomorrow dawn."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Hisashi Mitsui. There is no point trying to run away from destiny. You are meant for greater things than this." Kogure stood up slowly, holding a rein on his temper.

Patience is the key..

"Leave the Brothers. Come with me to find our true Lord." Kogure walked up to Mitsui, his eyes looking steadily at the mercenary.

These eyes can break his soul if the owner so chooses. Mitsui didn’t understand what he was doing. In his career as a full-fledged mercenary, never has he left his mission unfulfilled. In the guild, he was widely regarded as a relentless man who always got his job done. But now, his record was marred by this scholar who carried his emotions on his face.

I don’t even know who you are, where you come from. You burst into my life just like that, demanding that I leave my Brothers for you.. Mitsui shook his head angrily.

"You are not one of us. You will never understand the bonds that tie the Brothers together." Mitsui almost snarled.

You are not one of us.. The words hit him with a pain akin to that of a dagger piercing his heart. Kogure shook his head and retorted. "You heard the prophecy yourself. You know you have to come with me. So why are you avoiding the issue?"

Damn if he showed his pain.

"You should be glad that I am letting you go free. Is that not enough? What else do you want?!" Mitsui stood, his face as hard as a chiselled stone.

I want you. The thought rose unbidden in Kogure. For a split second, his mind reeled in terror at that strange thought.

Mitsui didn’t notice anything other than Kogure’s cheeks which were getting strangely flushed. How can someone be so frustratingly stubborn but yet so endearing?

"When dawn comes, you are on your own. Until then, I will guard your back." Mitsui said softly. He had already made up his mind to take Kogure away to some other safe place by dawn before the Brothers could lay their hands on him. The Lord knows how merciless they were on a runaway victim.

"You HAVE to come with me." Kogure desperately grabbed Mitsui’s shoulders, surprising the taller young man. "Please.." The prophecy has specifically pointed Mitsui out. This means it was imperative that Mitsui join him in his search for the Child of the Sun. Without him, all else would fail.

Mitsui starred down at Kogure. In the soft moonlight, Kogure looked strangely lost but his grip was surprisingly strong. The shorter boy was looking desperately at him, a hold that he couldn’t break.

Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?

"Tell me why exactly do I have to go with you?" Mitsui asked sardonically, staring down at Kogure.

"The prophecy.."

"Just the prophecy alone? Or is there something else..?" Mitsui’s voice was calm again but inwardly, he cursed. This conversation was getting way out of control. The two of them should have been long gone from this cursed place. Time was running out.

But don’t you want to know the answer? Mitsui asked himself.

Kogure blinked and his arms let go of Mitsui. He was about to take a step backward but Mitsui involuntarily grabbed Kogure before he could resist and pulled him close.

Mitsui’s face stopped just inches away from Kogure. Fear, desperation and another strange emotion raced across Kogure’s face.

It was longing.

Mitsui’s breath almost stopped. It seemed as if someone has his fist around his heart and he had to take in ragged breaths. Was it .. longing?

Kogure was too taken aback to struggle. The shock of being so close to Mitsui was at the same time, causing him to lose his tongue. He was in no state to do anything else.

The air was electrifying. The silence was worse. Kogure flushed a deep crimson before finally breaking the eye contact.

"Its late. We should be going." He didn’t even dare to look at Mitsui.

Dammit! Why wouldn’t you answer me? Mitsui thought, frustration screaming through his mind.

"Fine. Let’s go." He was careful not to show his agony of not knowing. He would never beg for the answer. Pride stopped him from it.

"I don’t know where to go yet. All I know is that we have to leave this place." Kogure muttered.

"I don’t have a horse. So we would have to get out of here by foot." A look the cold reality brought the two of them back to their senses. Mitsui’s heart began to race again. This time, due to fear for Kogure. The deadline was just a few hours away.

Mitsui blew out the candle light, and the two slipped out of the house.

Note: there are NO spectacles in either The Mission or The Prophecy. get the point?