Moving Out

"He knows?" Yukimura asked upon hearing it from Akihiro.

"Indeed. He was understanding though. It all depends on Haruka's decision," Akihiro replied shrugging, he didn't expect this outcome.

He thought that because of what had happened Shigure would be mad at him.

"I see, then we can only wish for Haruka to come with us," Yukimura sighed in relief that's one hurdle less.

"Hmmm."

"Will you forgive her?" this time Yukimura is referring to Eureka.

"I can, but her punishment is final."

"Do you think that if we experience what she had, we'd choose to lose our emotions as well?"

"Who knows, I no longer understands her. I can't understand her back then but I don't understand her even more now," he smiled bitterly.

"She had too many secrets that she is still hiding," Yukimura added.

"And her greatest secret is her identity. Who would she be?" Akihiro continued their wonder.

"That is where she's coming from," another voice joined their conversation.

"Raven, why do you love butting in on other people's conversations?" Yukimura asked his son.

"I heard what you were talking about and just wanted to explain her side a little bit. This knight greets his majesty," he replied.

"What do you mean by her side?" Akihiro asked in confusion.

"She was forcefully taken to a place she never should have been in," he started.

"How certain are you?" Yukimura asked this time.

"It came from her, she was born here, but she never said she grew up in here. It only means one thing, just as she was born she was taken. The place she grew up in must have been chaotic. For someone whose constant companion is death, even I wouldn't want to be in that kind of situation. I am even impressed that she hadn't lost her mind and stayed level headed all this time," he explained.

Akihiro and Yukimura silently listened.

"I have been thinking about it since I talked to her awhile ago. And realized how difficult it must have been for her, the first time she cried, hearing her silent sobs and seeing her shaking body, it is clear just how much she had been suppressing everything that could cause her to lose control of her emotions," he said in a somber tone.

"It was actually painful being that close to her and seeing everything clearly. She never tried to cry, she never showed she was weak but is she really not? Is she really not hurt? Is she really a doll? Does she really not want to be with her family? Does she really not want to have friends that could support her? Does she really want to seal her emotions?"

Seeing as the other two kept listening he continued.

"What do you think did she feel when she had Kaoru seal her emotions? What did she really mean when she said that she is someone that should never have been born? Why does she treat her self in such a way? How did she live all this time? How did she get by?" the questions kept pouring out.

"Whenever we get into deeper conversations her words seemed like it has a different meaning. Why couldn't she just say everything and lessen the burden on her shoulders? What secrets is she still keeping?"

"Raven," Yukimura pulled Raven in a hug.

Without truly realizing it Raven's tears started flowing.

He had been thinking about things in Eureka's point of view, thinking 'If I was the one on her shoe what would I feel in this kind of situation?'

And voicing it out just now caused even his emotions to be swept.

He never really liked to cry, damn in the first place he's a grown up man, he is already old, but just the thought of going through everything and thinking of your own existence as something that never should have happened, even he was in pain.

As this happened, someone stood behind the door.

'Why would you cry in my stead? Why would you feel pain for me? All I did was be distant and cold, I never asked you to think things in my point of view. I never asked you to be in my shoe. Why would tear flow from my eyes?'

Eureka thought as she wipe her tears. And before anyone could notice her, she left.

*****

"What are we doing here?" Raven asked.

He asked Eureka yesterday to train him, and yet today she brought him in a sauna.

"Get in and don't come out until afternoon."

"If you're making me get used to heat, well I already am," Raven then conjured a fire ball and place it near him.

"Your own ability won't cause you any harm, so just get in and don't come out till I tell you so."

Raven could only follow, he asked her so he could only believe her.

The first hours he was still confident but after 5 hours of staying inside he can feel the heat becoming uncomfortable.

'It truly is uncomfortable already, it's too hot,' Raven thought as he try to concentrate more.

Eureka who is watching from the outside left afterwards.

"Come on out now," he heard her say for who knows how long it has been.

"I'm dying," he couldn't help but say after coming out.

"Wear all this," Eureka said and placed bunch of clothes in front of him.

"But I just came from inside," Raven once again said.

"You want to train right? Just do it," she said.

She then placed a bottle in front of him before leaving to let him change.

Looking at the bottle, it was actually water.

'Well, I indeed asked her. But I should have asked Azusa first how terrifying is her training,' he couldn't help but sigh and get changed before drinking the hot water in the bottle.

Upon getting out, he couldn't even feel the coldness of the place.

"I look like a bloated man," he said upon seeing her.

He's just happy he asked for her training while they are away from the other guys.

"That's it for today, wear as much clothes as you can and get used to it. Drink hot beverages and eat hot food. For the next few days at least until we leave for the war keep coming to the sauna and stay for as long as you have stayed today," Eureka said.

'She is strict,' Raven once again sighed.

*****

Their days continued with training, while Eureka just roams around or at times would stay by the wall. Until the day for them to move out came.

"Today is the day were going for a battle. You have trained more than you ever did in the past. You've prepared more than ever. In a span of two weeks we'll arrive, what you will be protecting are your love ones and the people they love. This war shall be won by us!!" Shigure announced causing the whole 200 of knights to shout in unison.

"Let's move out."

The six of them from Aurora kingdom are coming as well, together with Shigure and Theo.

Azusa and Raven are being treated differently compared to when they arrived, the other knights are surrounding them.

But Eureka is being treated the same way, she was outcasted and is currently staying at the back.

"Raven why are you wearing so many clothes, are you cold?" the others teased Raven.

Raven could only sigh, he asked Eureka if he could wear his normal clothes while in this war, and she replied with he could only wear his normal clothes when they start the battle, during the travel he is to still wear all these clothes.

"This is what you call training," he replied.

"Did you really ask her for training? When you are stronger than her?"

"I already told you a lot of times, she is stronger."

But the others still didn't believe him, they never saw her wield her sword all this time so they think of it as her trying to boast that she is using dual swords.

*****

"YOU REALLY ARE CONCEITED AREN'T YOU!!!" this was the beginning of their night.

Akihiro and the other higher ups are on a different campsite to discuss their plan for the upcoming fight. So only those under are with Eureka and the other two.

"I just said no, didn't I," one knight approached Eureka and asked her to sit beside him.

Some of them were drunk since they decided to drink for the night. Eureka just flatly rejected him.

"YOU ARE LUCKY, I AM EVEN INVITING YOU TO SIT BESIDE ME, I AM ONE OF THE CAPTAINS!!" that knight roared whilethe others only watch.

Even Azusa and Raven.

"Are you really not going to help her?" another knight asked Raven and Azusa.

"For the nth time. That girl is far stronger than us," Raven replied.

"YOU BITCH!!!" the knight suddenly roared and attacked Eureka.

*****

"Y-Y-Your majesty," a knight called from the outside.

"What's wrong?" Shigure asked hearing the urgency in the knight's voice.

"That is, a fight started in the camp site."

"A fight? Are we attacked?"

"No sire. It was an internal fight."

"Who's fighting?"

"Miss Eureka and..."

"Eureka and?"

"And all the captains, she is currently fighting two-thirds of our troop."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER!!" Shigure couldn't help but roar.

"I feel bad for your knights. If in this fight they decided not to use their abilities then, they'd surely lose," Akihiro replied before moving out at the same time as Shigure.