Ashes: Chpt 9

“Your sister is Haruka?”

“Yes? You know her?”

His look was expectant. And Satoshi read suspicion into it where there wasn’t any. Heart pounding hard in his throat, he fumbled through a weak reply. “Oh… yeah. I’ve uh… seen her… around… here and there.”

“She’s got a thing for the prince, hasn’t she? That’s what ma said, anyhow.”

“Er… I uh… never noticed.”

“Are you sure you know Haruka then?” Despite his words, Satoshi could see that Masato had asked the question only half-heartedly. He really must have been Haruka’s brother then. From what Satoshi had experienced of Haruka’s crush for him, it wasn’t really that surprising to find out that she heralded praise for him even outside the castle walls.

His last moments with the young girl brought a furious blush to his cheeks. When she confessed her feelings and tried fruitlessly to steal a single kiss… Thank whatever gods were watching above that Kikuko’s memory wipe had seemed to steal that embarrassing memory from her. Of course, Kikuko hadn’t been kind enough to do the same for him. Though, to be honest, there hadn’t been anything kind about Kikuko or what she gave him.

Masato might have started in on another round of questions if a sudden muffled scream from the other room hadn’t interrupted. Startled, it was all the crown prince could do to keep from stumbling into the hearth fire. Masato only sent a glare in the direction of the offending noise, completely unfazed.

“What a hero. It aint even deep. Crying out like that...”

Satoshi must have looked particularly pale, because when he looked back, Masato quickly tried to reassure him. “Me ma aint hurting him. He’s just a bit of a whiner. Don’t worry.” Masato’s words only comforted Satoshi enough to slightly loosen the tension in his overstressed shoulders.

“What happened to him?”

“Knife wound.”

Satoshi couldn’t help the wide-eyed look he gave Masato. The boy just shrugged. “Comes with the profession. He’ll make it. Ma don’t even need to amputate nothin’. Got it right in the gut, he did.” Masato cruelly imitated the wound, stabbing himself with an imaginary dagger and pretending to spray the horrified Crown Prince with imaginary blood. After giving the appropriate level of whispered shrieks of pain, Masato straightened and beamed at Satoshi. “Pretty exciting, right? Wish I could have seen it happen.”

“W-Why on earth would you wish that?”

Masato shrugged, suddenly interested in rubbing his shoe in a bit of dirt on the floor. “Iunno. I thought it’d look cool.”

The commotion behind the door continued. An unfamiliar voice called out for wet cloths. Masato sighed disapprovingly, scooping up a wooden bucket by the door. “I should go fetch some water then. They’ll need fresh soon.”

Masato had just stepped out the door when the interior door opened. And instead of Masato’s mother, the last person on earth Satoshi wanted to meet stepped out. 

“I’ll tell him to-” He was in mid-sentence when his eyes fell on Satoshi.; captured in the same frozen shock that had ensnared the crown prince. His hair was disheveled, eyes heavily shadowed and loose fitting tunic stained with blood; but there was no mistaking one of the King’s advisors and Satoshi’s main instructor.

Kyo, Satoshi breathed.  

But in Kyo’s shock, the man had left the door ajar. And Satoshi wasn’t rendered so senseless that he couldn’t see the man laid prostrate on the table behind him. Though his tunic was in strips, he was clearly one of Kyo’s underlings. And the dagger that had been pried from his gut had ahilt of unmistakable Hanada craftsmanship. The curled gold in the shape of aquatic monsters, their trademark style. But… that was impossible. Why would Kyo’s men be infiltrating Hanada’s territory? Peace with their neighbors had always been a tentative and treaty laden thing, but it was still a peace… Kyo’s men shouldn’t have been anywhere near a place where a Hanada knife should have struck them. And no Hanada agent should have been somewhere to find Kyo’s men. Just what on earth…?

“What… What is that- Hanada?”

Before Satoshi could really get an eyeful of the dangerous secret laid exposed before him, Kyo had swept him aside. He swiftly kicked the door shut; the sharp slam causing the Crown Prince to flinch. Kyo backed Satoshi hard against the wall, headlessly grabbing the boy’s injured shoulder.

 “What the fuck are you doing here?” 

There was anger in his voice, sure. But the hysterical pitch and volumewas something else. Satoshi recognized it as the same intense panic that had seized himself when he saw Kyo in the door frame. Kyo was clearly just as terrified to see Satoshi as Satoshi was to see him. And that somehow made Satoshi feel uncharacteristically brave.

 “That was a Hanada dagger.”

 “Shut- No questions. Just- no…” Kyo took a moment to compose himself; exhaling a single shuddering breath before renewing his grip on the prince’s shoulders. “What are you doing here? How did you get out of the castle?”

 “Is everything alright, Lord Kyo?”

 Kyo’s angry grip immediately loosened, leaving Satoshi slumped against the wall in relief. Kyo turned to face the woman who had entered, careful to shield Satoshi behind himself. The woman had a gentle face framed by soft curls of auburn hair; her smile reminded Satoshi a little too much of his own mother. But her features were dappled by the sun whereas the Queen lived her life in a sunless dungeon.

 “Everything is fine, Mitsuko. I was simply surprised to see the... boy here is all.”

 Mitsuko leaned around Kyo to eye the crumbled prince. Satoshi knew he probably looked wholly unimpressive, in his dirty clothes with a woman’s cape tossed over one shoulder and face streaked with dirt. Her eyes were surely keen as a healer, but not keen enough to spot a prince under all the muck. 

“You were the boy Mist brought to me, yes?”

 Satoshi nodded quickly before Kyo could interrupt on his behalf. “I got hurt on my walk around the grounds. The…” Satoshi glanced in Kyo’s direction. “Mist… found me. I don’t think I would have gotten out of that… that... hole without his help.”

 He wasn’t exactly an experienced liar himself. Losing your memories tended to turn you into a honest person, even if everyone around you wasn’t one. Satoshi was thankful this woman didn’t know him very well. Nor would she had any reason to suspect he was lying.

 Kyo, however, was giving him quite the nasty glare. Satoshi chose to ignore it.

 “You certainly are the fortunate one,” Mitsuko’s smile was as warm as the sun. “Though most wouldn’t find meeting with Mist good fortune, even Mystics can have their charms.”

 If learning that the Crown Prince was running about outside the castle with a mystic interested Kyo in the least, the man didn’t let on. He had one of his many masks in place now. He was hiding behind one of impassive pleasantness; the forced smile looking more natural that even Satoshi’s real ones.

 “If you could give us a minute, Mitsuko? I need to inform Lord…”

 “Sato,” Satoshi provided helpfully.

 Kyo cringed but repeated the boy obediently. He’d play along, for now. “Lord Sato, about a few things. It’s dealing with the Crown. I’m sure you understand why we must…”  He gestured with a shake of his head. Mitsuko seemed to understand well enough.

“That’s fine. I need to finish seeing to my patient. I’ll be back to look you over, Lord Sato. Your shoulder, isn’t it?” Satoshi nodded, marveling at woman’s careful observation. Her calculated gaze rivaled even Mist’s. Mitsuko bowed to both men in turn, “Lord Kyo. Lord Sato.” and then returned to the sick room, carefully closing the door tight behind her.

Satoshi braced himself for Kyo’s angry assault that was sure to come now that the only witness had left. But Satoshi had overestimated Kyo’s fury and underestimated the fear yet again. Instead, Kyo only slumped against the wall, cradling his head in frustration.

 “Why? Why?” He whispered furiously to himself. His sharp eyes snapped in Satoshi’s directions, quick as a nocked arrow. “How did you get out of the castle?”

 “I fell,” Satoshi offered unhelpfully.

 Kyo narrowed his eyes but Satoshi was riding on the high of courage that he normally would have thought impossible for himself. Where Kyo was concerned, Satoshi was belligerent, sure. It was the natural reaction to a tutor who loves to overuse the rod. But never did he test the man quite so boldly. And certainly not when left alone in a room with him.

But Satoshi knew what he had just seen, the Hanada dagger, would keep him safe from the man’s wrath for now. It had granted him immunity, if only for the moment. And Satoshi was determined to utilize the unexpected boon as completely as possible, even if the implications twisted his stomach into knots. That dagger hinted at dark and dangerous things. Things that turned even a seasoned spy like Kyo white.

 “You did not fall.”

 “Why were you in Hanada territory?”

 Kyo clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white. He looked as if he wanted to twist those hands about the prince’s throat, but somehow- he refrained.

 “We were not in their territory.”

 “Then what are you trying to hide? Why is one of their daggers here?”

 “Do not speak of what you do not understand, boy.”

 “Then what am I supposed to speak of?” Satoshi found his voice rising unintentionally, but the indignity, the absolute unfairness of his life as the sickly crown prince spurred him on. “I don’t understand anything! I don’t remember anything! But I do remember that we are not at war with the water kingdom of the north, so why is one of their daggers stuck in the gut of one of your men?”

Kyo’s face had gone purple. But somehow, he kept from striking the prince. Instead, he clawed at his own tunic- as if desperate for something to throttle.

“Forget the dagger.”

 “I can’t just-”

 “Forget the dagger. I will forget that I found you running about the woods with a monster sorcerer.”

 Technically, he found Satoshi in the healer’s hut and had to be told about the mystic after the fact, but Satoshi didn’t dare correct him. He felt that he had already pushed his luck as far as he could. If Kyo knew the whole story, it was unlikely that even a wayward dagger could shield the prince.

“Fine,” Satoshi mumbled, not meeting the man’s eyes.

“Say it,” Kyo spat. Satoshi slumped, feeling he was yet again back in the sweltering library under threat of a swift slap of a cane should he not answer the question in complete sentences. Even with the dagger and all its dangerous implications pressing ominously in his mind, Satoshi played the obedient student.

“I won’t ask about it again,” Satoshi dutifully replied.

It wasn’t quite enough. Kyo had Satoshi by the injured shoulder again, pushing him forcefully against the wall. “You won’t ask. You won’t talk about it. You forget you ever saw it. Because you never did.” Kyo pressed him harder and Satoshi hissed against the pain. Whether he was aware of Satoshi’s pain or not, he continued heedless of it. His unpleasant breath was hot on Satoshi’s turned cheek. “You fell off the curtain wall and hit your head. You never even came across this room or my men. Isn’t that right, Sato?”

Satoshi started at the nickname. It made his skin crawl to hear that name slipping so venomously from this odious man’s lips. It wasn’t for him to use. That was the name whispered softly from his memories, whispered from his phantom friend. It was vulgar, forced to face the name like it was a joke.

The prince was careful to keep his gaze to the ground. If he had met Kyo’s sharp stare, Kyo would have seen the hate boiling under the surface. The anger stung his eyes even now as Satoshi stared at dirty boots.

He blinked back the sting. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

Satoshi braced himself. “I fell off the curtain wall and hit my head. I don’t remember anything else.”

“Good, boy,” Kyo playfully slapped Satoshi’s cheek. Or as playful as it was possible for Kyo. “Neither do I.”

It was good fortune that Masato chose that moment to return from fetching water. Good fortune for Kyo who was dangerously close from getting sucker punched from a prince whose buttons had all already been pressed. And good fortune for Satoshi, who would have paid dearly for lashing out. When the door swung open and the boy stumbled in, both stepped mercifully apart. Buckling under the weight of the pail he had cradled in his arms, Masato didn’t notice. He fumbled past without nary a nod, pushing in the door of the room with the injured man and leaving just as quickly as he had come.

In less than three heartbeats, Masato had poked his head back around the door.

“Lord Sato? Ma says she can help yah now, if you’re ready.”

When Satoshi moved to leave, Kyo discreetly grabbed his arm. The action may have seemed casual, but his grip was painfully tight.

“I’ll be waiting here for you,” Kyo said. Don’t run, his painful grip added. When he finally let go, Satoshi could feel the fingers wrapped in their phantom grip about his upper arm. Satoshi tried to ignore the heartbeat in his ears that was starting to fall in line with a certain prophecy again. There would be no getting away from Kyo. No getting away from the castle. And more than likely, no way to avoid dying.

And oddly, the realization of this, settled over Satoshi like a calm blanket. If there really was no way to avoid it, what did he have left to fear? The prophecy fell from his ears and settled back somewhere deep; not gone, but quelled for the moment.

Satoshi was led through the room of the injured man, who was now sitting up and drinking greedily from an offered ladle. Satoshi couldn’t help but notice the ugly threaded stitches standing out vividly on the man’s naked torso. The man glared at Satoshi as he passed, as only one of Kyo’s men could. The man was either trying to figure out who Satoshi was, or he already knew and shared Kyo’s apprehension about the matter. The crown prince had no time to find out which one it was. He was brought into a different smaller room, only slightly larger than a closet. It was clearly dedicated to the process of drying herbs. The bundles brushed his head as he walked in- every available bit of ceiling space devoted to assorted foliage.

“Sorry about having to look you over in here, milord,” said Mitsuko, looking far from apologetic as she strung up a few new batches of leafy greens by the open window. “My other patient still needs some time to recover.”

Masato hadn’t joined them inside, but stood hesitantly outside the door frame. His mother noticed him there and said, “Keep with him, Masato. See if keeps those elixirs down.”

The boy nodded and rushed back to the injured man sitting on the table. Satoshi could just see Masato fetching another bucket from under the window before Mitsuko closed the door.

“Mist must have taken a shine to you to bring you to me,” Mitsuko said, as if continuing a conversation they had been having. “He don’t usually take kindly to strangers.”

“Well… he can be… kind of strange,” said Satoshi at length.

“Frightening, you mean?”

Again, Satoshi was reminded of how the mystic had caught the lightning so casually in one hand. He nodded and Mitsuko nodded to his nod.

“People in the south don’t take very kindly to magicks. We are a very no-nonsense sort of folk.” Mitsuko took up Satoshi’s injured arm. The prince braced himself for the familiar wash of pain, but her touch was gentle. With an expertise the mystic had lacked, she kneaded and probed his sore shoulder that only bordered the edge of painful. And as she worked, she kept talking. Her words successfully distracting Satoshi from what she was doing to his arm. “When Mist first rolled into town, two years ago, I can’t say I was too fond of him either. But he helped my boy out when he got on the wrong side of a flock of spearow. Stepped in with that tough little turtle of his and shot the birds right out of the air. The way my boy told it, Mist and the monster both used water to wash the spearow from the sky.”

Satoshi could almost see it. Just the way Mist had wielded the elements so far, it wasn’t too hard to believe that he could use magic just like the monsters do. No wonder Masato had been so fearful of Mist. It wasn’t just a fear of a frightening mask. Masato had seen what Satoshi himself had. Mist’s true power. The power that Satoshi wanted for himself.

“I don’t rightly care how he did it. That he saved my boy was enough to win me over. I patched him up and been helping him out ever since. He’s a good man. That I’m sure of. Magick or not.”

Satoshi had intended to respond to that. However, he immediately forgot as it was at that moment that Mitsuko fixed his shoulder. With a sudden violence she hadn’t used against him so far, Mitsuko wrenched his arm in one swift tug back into place.

The pain was intense and stole the breath straight from his lungs. Satoshi cried out airlessly and practically collapsed into the stool he had been leaning against. But as swift as the pain came, it left just as quickly. Satoshi flexed his arm in surprise, wondering at the range of pain-free movement he had just earned back.

“Hm,” Mitsuko smiled wryly over at him. “Sorry, milord. I should have had you sit down first.”  She clapped her hands of any remaining dirt, looking pretty pleased with herself. Satoshi suddenly understood why Masato had said his mother felt her profession was better than that of one serving royalty. Everyone would need a healer at some time or another. It was a power she could hold over that of her station in life. Beggars, diplomats and Kings alike all had to bow to her when she was needed. And she would always be needed.

No King would be helpless without a servant. There was always another body to take its place.

Mitsuko made Satoshi flex and twist his arm and fingers in various ways. Once he had shown he could reach over his head and touch the back of his neck, Mitsuko finally seemed satisfied. Though he would have enjoyed learning more about the strange companionship they shared with Mist, once Mitsuko had finished treating him she was also finished gossiping.

Mitsuko led him back to the main room, past where the injured man was now leaning over a bucket Masato begrudgingly held for him. And with a simple nod, Mitsuko surrendered the prince back into Kyo’s care.

Kyo had Satoshi by the elbow almost as soon as he stepped into the room. As if there was really that much of a danger of him escaping at this point. Kyo shared a few parting words with Mitsuko, reassuring her he’d be back for the injured man before the evening. And with that, he moved both Satoshi and himself towards the door. Satoshi resigned himself to Kyo’s forceful guidance; only sparing one last look back at the healer’s inviting house before being pushed through the doorway.

 Masato had no idea how much richer he was than the dark prince.

Kyo had nothing to say to Satoshi. And Satoshi had nothing to say to him. They kept in step with each other, Satoshi dancing about the pools and puddles littering the pitted dirt road and Kyo marching heedlessly through them. Kyo’s thick animal skin boots were far more suited for weathering the elements. Where Satoshi’s were better suited for weathering a ball room.

Even all the time in front of the hearth fire wasn’t enough once Satoshi was outside in the early morning air again. The damp air was still layered with the chill of the evening, the sun not yet high enough over the trees to chase it away. Satoshi walked, hugging himself for warmth. He actually found himself looking forward to returning to the castle; if only to rip off his sodden clothes and crawl into a warm bed.

Once they had reached the paved streets of the village proper, Kyo picked up the pace. Though the sun hadn’t quite crested the hill and very few villagers would be stirring, he ordered Satoshi to wrap Mist’s cape about himself and pull the hood down low. And as Satoshi did so, Kyo himself carefully folded his arms over the conspicuous blood stain. They practically sprinted through the main square, Satoshi having to jog to even keep up with Kyo’s quick gait.

They reached the portcullis gate just as the sun’s rays spilled over them. The main guard on duty squinted at their approach, coming to immediate attention when he recognized the master of spies.

“Lord Kyo,” the guard announced stiffly and loudly, warning the other three guards in attendance who also snapped to attention. “We didn’t expect you till the morrow.”

“Certain circumstances brought me home early,” He nodded to Satoshi on his other side. Reluctantly, Satoshi pulled off the hood, revealing his dirt smudged face and unkempt hair. Such a disheveled appearance may have fooled the healer, but the guards, to their credit, recognized their crown prince immediately.

“Crown Prince Satoshi!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Good lord, what happened to you? How did you get outside the castle gates?”

“I fell.”

Kyo scoffed, sending Satoshi a clear “shut up, idiot” look. “He was… sleepwalking. From what I understand. It is quite remarkable but he somehow found himself on one of the battlements and fell off. He’s quite lucky he didn’t break his neck.”

“None of the guards reported anything unusual on the walls.” At Kyo’s sharp look, the guard quickly fumbled into abject apologies. “They must have been negligent, sir. We will look into it immediately.”

 “Don’t bother.”

 “Sir?”

Kyo braced his head and sighed with a frustration that Satoshi wasn’t entirely sure was rehearsed. “This whole thing is incredibly embarrassing. The crown prince’s safety should be paramount, even more so being as he is the sole heir. I’d rather not alarm His Highness unnecessarily over a close call. Just increase the guard outside his room at night so it can’t happen again. And we can put this whole ridiculous affair behind us.”

 “As you say, sir.”

Satoshi couldn't help looking alarmed at Kyo’s words. By the simpering smile on the man’s face, Satoshi was sure Kyo had planned it this way. Kyo had no intention of letting Satoshi continue doing as he wished, dagger or not.

Now it really would take the power of a mystic to free him from the castle walls.

Feeling heavier than he had upon reaching the castle gates, Satoshi let himself be gently led under the first portcullis. The dagger sharp ends hung threatening overhead and Satoshi had to resist the urge, as he always did, to watch them apprehensively as he walked underneath. They had only just made it to the second gate when a cry went out amongst the guards.

The pair of portcullis which had been only cranked halfway, were suddenly swung all the way up and open. Satoshi lurched back in alarm, having not ever been witness to this sort of activity at the gate before. Kyo had him by the elbow before he could skitter off like a startled skitty.

The guards had all stepped back to make way for whatever they felt the need to let in. Kyo realized what it had all meant long before Satoshi did. He pulled Satoshi’s hood back over the boy’s eyes and urgently whispered, “Stand behind me. Whatever you do, don’t let them see you.”

“What? What is it?” Satoshi sputtered, carefully holding his hood down low. “What’s going on?”

Kyo looked straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact with Satoshi. He had jumped to attention just as swiftly as the guards had, positioning himself comfortably in view of the gates. He did offer an answer though, through a strange almost pitying smile.

“Your bride,” He said.

His words sent a shard of ice straight up Satoshi’s spine. The prince didn’t need any further reminders to hide himself. Even if he looked his princely best, Satoshi would have been trying to hide. He turned away from the carriage as it and its dashing Rapidash leads clopped through the main gate.

It was a gilded and ornately painted carriage, because of course ,it was. The Quena kingdom was small and poor but what little it could afford it spent lavishly on its noble class. They were the exact opposite of Tokiwa, which admired its King as a military leader. King Sakaki may have lived better than peasants himself, but he didn’t waste gold on dainty carriages where study wagons would suffice. Still, King Sakaki arranged the marriage anyway. Perhaps in some way, his father really did admire that sort of fragile expensive beauty.

And, though Satoshi didn’t want to admit it, he did too.

The carriage slowed in front of the second portcullis and a beautiful white hand with painted nails extended itself from the window to rest in Kyo’s waiting one. He delicately kissed the hand but kept his eyes lowered from the golden haired princess staring back at him.

“Your majesty,” said Kyo, in a voice far softer than he ever had addressing his own crown prince.

Though Satoshi was supposed to be hiding, he couldn’t help staring at Domino. Her beauty was mesmerizing, as carefully painted as porcelain and with locks of spun gold curled and framing pink cheeks and vividly purple eyes. With one look, she made his heart race and cheeks burn. But he knew how she really was. That heart breaking beauty was only skin deep.

He forced himself to look away but not quickly enough. Domino noticed the movement behind Kyo and how someone was daring to show their back to her.

“Lord Kyo,” said Domino, her bell-like voice taking on a layer of ice. “And who is that behind you?”

“Uh, No- no one of consequence, milady,” said Kyo, stumbling over his words uncharacteristically. He didn’t dare cast his eyes back to Satoshi, resorting to only furtive gestures with his lower hand for Satoshi to get away. Satoshi saw the gestures but really saw no point. He had already been spotted. Where would he go?

“I’ll be the judge of that,” said the princess haughtily. She leaned out the carriage, the crinoline of her gown crinkling as she wagged her black tulip scepter his way. “You there. Turn about. You are in the presence of royalty. Have you no decorum?”

Though Satoshi couldn’t see the princess stupidly wagging a flower stick at him, he could see the guards by the gate. Their faces as white as sheets, looking wide-eyed from him and the princess, wondering how long this weird game would continue and whose head would fall the blame. It was not their place to out their Crown Prince to a foreign dignitary. But neither would they be blameless for staying silent when their prince was being treated as a peasant. Satoshi was actually grateful they were thinking of keeping their own heads and not speaking up. But he couldn’t expect them to stay silent forever. Duty would loosen their tongues.

Satoshi took a deep breath and mustered himself for a pretty good bad idea. Keeping a hand over his hood, lest a stray breeze blow his cover, Satoshi pushed his voice to an octave he hadn’t touched since childhood.

“Begging your pardon, your majesty,” Satoshi squeaked. “I was just overwhelmed by your beauty.”

The guards’ faces went from white to pink as they all simultaneously forced themselves to hold their breath. They had terrible poker faces for guards. Satoshi just had to hope that Domino’s focus would be on himself and not on the guards choking up with laughter.

It seemed that was the case as Domino didn’t react. Kyo too, managed to keep his expression smooth, adding credibility to the squeaky imitation of feminine candace coming from the prince. She sank back into the cushions of her carriage, seemingly placated by Satoshi’s hasty reply.

“In my country, it is highly rude to show your back to royalty.”

“A thousand pardons, Milady!” Satoshi glared at the guards who were now barely containing themselves. Thankfully Domino was more concerned with the state of her nails than what guards were doing.

“Who are you?” Domino said with an air of not really caring one way or another.

It was at this that Kyo felt the need to intercede. “Lady Gertrude,” he said at the same time that Satoshi squeaked out “Eleanor.”

“Lady Eleanor Gertrude,” Kyo recovered unable to keep himself from glaring back at the cloaked prince.

“Well, Lady Eleanor… Gertrude. I know I am terribly beautiful,” said Domino as Satoshi rolled his eyes. “But surely you must have recovered by now. Turn around.”

To Be Continued…
Please Read and Review!

Made it just in time before the June deadline, guys! Just as I promised I would!

So IRL news, I’ll be traveling the United States this summer working at different camps. It shouldn’t affect my update schedule too poorly. You can check the update schedule up on my profile page. If all goes according to plan, (which it should) the next update for this story will be in the July/August timeframe. So stay tuned until then!

GLOSSARY:

Satoshi- Ash
Hanako- May
Masato- Max
Mitsuko- Max and May’s Mother, Caroline
Kikuko- Agatha
Sakaki- Giovanni
Kyo- Koga
Domino- Agent Domino
Hanada- Cerulean
Tokiwa- Virdian
Quena- Mt. Quena

Thanks to all who reviewed so far! I hope you will be pleased with the shorter time between the last chapter and this one. And those who don’t review, please don’t be afraid to share your thoughts with me. I’d love to hear what you think.

Next time, preparations begin for Satoshi’s birthday party and the crown prince couldn’t be less excited about it.