Mitsui’s house was just outside the border of the city. It meant that it was easy to conceal and convenient for Mitsui to carry out his missions. However, it also meant that his house was just next to the wealth of forest and undergrowth that made up the back of the borders. In fact, he lived just at the doorstep of the forest Kiel.

They trudged through the thick forest in the dark of the night. The moon had abandoned them. The clouds above moved restlessly as if they too, were running away from something.

It was not easy to walk about in the forest even in the day, for the ground was uneven and wild animals roamed about. Grandparents used to frighten small kids into obedience by threatening to leave them in Kiel at night.

Mitsui knew that they only had a slim chance of survival. The Brothers were trained since day 1 to be efficient trackers and the forest Kiel would act both as a protector as well as a barrier. They could easily get lost in this green maze. He glanced worriedly to check on Kogure.

The other youth was already panting at the effort of trekking through the treacherous undergrowth. Kogure was first and foremost, a scholar and Mitsui felt pangs of pain that he had to go through this. At first he offered to carry Kogure’s luggage for him but Kogure had adamantly refused.

Stubborn fellow .. how long can he last like that? Mitsui groaned. Even he was getting short of breath at the physical effort.

And then without a sign of warning, Kogure tripped on a fallen rotting log. Before he could even shout in surprise, Mitsui was already turning towards him and attempting to catch him.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. But Mitsui did manage to break Kogure’s fall. The two fell together in a hopelessly tangled heap with Kogure falling on Mitsui instead.

"Are you all right?!" Horrified, Kogure tried to get up.

Mitsui just nodded his head and tried to clear his head. He should have seen that rotting log. It didn’t occur to him that they were already having a lot of difficulty even seeing the back of their raised hands.

"Mitsui..!" Kogure fingered Mitsui’s right hand. They bled from the assault of sharp stones and broken branches spread out around the rotten log. Anxious to stop the bleeding, Kogure applied pressure to Mitsui’s palm and was about to tear out his sleeve with the intention of bandaging his hand.

"No need for that." Mitsui’s voice sounded strangely husky. They were still lying on the bare earth with Mitsui lying down and Kogure attempting to sit up. Kogure looked up into Mitsui’s direct gaze and then fearing another uncontrollable flush, he looked down.

How would he be able to survive the rest of the journey without Mitsui by his side? Kogure didn’t know. Right now, all he has left is this scarred mercenary who has only agreed to take him till the break of dawn.

He has to come. A small voice in his mind stated this fact over and over again.

Was it more than that? Another mocking voice. You mean you want him to come or was it the prophecy who wanted him to come?

Hell, I can’t even differentiate between Kiminobu Kogure and the damned prophet anymore... Kogure’s thoughts turned bitter.

But as Kogure was lost in his thoughts, he was still holding Mitsui’s hands protectively. Mitsui smiled wryly and sat up.

He couldn’t help it. Kogure’s touch had allowed him to do the same. His left hand smoothed away Kogure’s hair and had travelled lightly down his cheek.

The feather light touch felt like an electric shock to Kogure. His eyes widened, alarm written all over his face as he stared at the mercenary. Mitsui’s right hand had turned on him and caught his hands captive.

This time, Kogure found he could no longer look away as he used to do. Mitsui drew nearer, and it seemed the sound of his own beating heart was too loud to bear.

Would he reject me? Mitsui was so near that his lips barely touched Kogure’s. Kogure’s eyes were filled with alarm but strangely he didn’t back away. There wasn’t space to back up next to the rotten log anyway.

Fear, alarm, desperation and longing crowded into his head until Kogure could only stay mute and unmoving.

Please... Mitsui lightly moistened Kogure’s lips with his own.

Please... Kogure begged silently.

A shadow fell over them.

"By the order of the Guildmaster of the Daggers, I command you to hand over Kiminobu Kogure right now." A harsh voice broke in and Mitsui and Kogure crashed back into reality.

Mitsui jumped up. Kogure wasn’t so fast. Even as he struggled to get up, Mitsui had already pushed him to the back.

"Master, I ..." Mitsui saw the familiar figure and his heart sank. This was a trusted friend. He was a rather tall man and he was very obviously leading the group of around 20 men behind him.

"You just shut up." The same voice interrupted him. It belonged to another man who stood to the right of the Master. Fukuda. A Brother known to have only treachery and self-interest in his heart ,if he even had one.

"But the deadline is not up yet!" Mitsui protested. He knew that this was futile but he had to try. The Brothers of the Dagger would show no mercy. They all looked at the sky. Dawn was only about 2 hours away.

"So where are you taking our little pet? For a walk?" Fukuda’s high pitched voice laughed sarcastically. "Return him to us, for you are obviously unfit to be one of the Brothers."

Pausing for dramatic effect, Fukuda continued." You have failed your mission, and for this, you will pay." The men behind him just stared silently at Mitsui.

In his days as a Brother, Mitsui had made many enemies and it seems that most of them were here. It was two against 20 odd highly trained killer machines. Desperate for a chance, Mitsui appealed to the lone figure standing in the middle of the half-circle of the intruders.

"Give me some more time, Master .."

"You are not fit to even call him , mercenary." A reply that sounded even colder than the night Mitsui just experienced.

"..what?" Mitsui didn’t understand what that short sentence meant.

"You have the temerity to ask for time?! When you are obviously leading the scholar to freedom --- I now have evidence to show that you have broken all the rules of the Brotherhood, Hisashi Mitsui." Fukuda stepped forward and sneered. With a flick of his hand, 5 men walked forward and prepared to take both Mitsui and Kogure away by force.

"No..!" In a flash, Mitsui had swiped his daggers and threw 2 of them at the advancing mercenaries. It was an instinct. He would fight till he die.

My own brothers ... They were his unspoken enemies but they still shared the same bond.

"You would kill your own brothers for this worthless scholar?" A voice that sounded as if it carried all the pain of the whole world. The Master looked directly at Mitsui and then in an action that was at once fluid and almost beautiful, he threw one dagger and it flicked Mitsui’s arm lightly.

It was just a light nick, but Mitsui recognised it for what it was. The Guildmaster’s daggers were rarely so simple. They were dipped into a poison that caused men to turn weak and fall into a deep sleep, and even this poison varied. Sometimes they kill immediately. It was however the significance of that act that tore at Mitsui’s heart.

Once the Guildmaster chose to inflict his own daggers on a Brother, it meant severance of all ties.

As he dropped helplessly to the ground, Mitsui’s last thought was a silent prayer for Kogure.