THE DOOM: Northward Bound Part 2 for Sagely-Sea!

[sagely_sea]

Title: THE DOOM: Northward Bound Part 2
Author: Mathias
Recipient: sagely_sea
Pairing/Characters: Tezuka, Atobe, Niou, Oshitari … + others
Rating: R
Warnings: … None?
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Summary: Tezuka is trying to go on a quest, but keeps getting delayed by people wanting to get in his pants As Atobe invades Rikkai, General Tezuka from Seigaku offers his aid in defending the country and pushing the Ice King back.



They followed the path of Minstrelsea north, even as Tezuka spoke to Sanada otherwise. He could see the logic of it, as much as he thought about Atobe and Niou's warnings. There had been no men dragged away in the middle of the night and nothing was missing, so Tezuka's argument had little to stand on but dreams.

The start of winter was approaching, even as they only entered into mid-summer, with the nights becoming colder and the trickle of frosts starting so many months early even as they drew nearer to the north. It was a terrifying realisation as the nights dipped into the freezing when normally they would be hot and dry with only a light breeze to keep the men cool.

Atobe's icy fingers were truly extending more and more as the days went on, and Yanagi likened it to the continual weakening of Niou's shields around the country.

The forest provided them with some protection, even camped along its edges, and with a constant source of firewood they could scavenge from every night to remain warm. The ice didn't seem to come near them when they remained close to the trees either and it was even more difficult the more they travelled, to continue his argument with Sanada as to why they should pull away.

Yanagi too seemed displeased, but Sanada simply had to point to the clear separating line of morning frosts to the dry ground they slept on, and Yanagi's words failed him.

He had no dreams either, from Niou or Atobe, to tell him to stay away and it was so easy to pass of the two he had had so many nights ago, as true dreams no matter how they had felt at the time.

There was nothing ever in the forest either, that he could see, whenever he ventured in to collect firewood, or even just sat and stared at its edges. They were nearly there, nearly at the end of the trail of forest that snaked up north through the country, when something finally appeared.

Tezuka sat alone by his fire, the remnants of his night meal on his lap when there was such a light wisp that seemed to glow even as he stared at it, coming together to form what could clearly be seen as a fox. Tezuka stood up and dropped his plate to the ground, moving closer.

No one else seemed to notice the fox, even as it glowed and seemed to wait for him at the tree line.

He waved away the concerned question of where he was going and there were no questions to follow.

“Have you lost your owner?” he asked, somewhat amused as the fox moved around his legs, winding around him and sniffing at him. Looking at it closer, the fox seemed more solidly built than the ones he'd seen earlier, as if this one had been spoiled far too often by its owner.

That didn't surprise him.

It seemed like the right thing to do, to follow behind the fox as it trotted away with its wispy tail floating behind it, almost like a flag signaling him ahead. Tezuka stepped forward, unafraid of the forest floor that he couldn't see in the dark, not caring about any uneven ground that never seemed to come anyway.

It was magic, he thought, the forest was definitely magic as he wound through trees behind the fox that stopped just ahead of him now and again, looking back to make sure he was still following.

And all so suddenly, the trees cleared into a grove and this definitely, was magic, as the light was far too bright to be the nighttime that he knew it was. Magic, for the light to be reflecting off the pool in the middle and to so clearly see Niou sitting by its edge, surrounded by a whole collection of foxes, each of them flickering in and out of existence.

There was a fort on the other side of the pool, small and run down, but somehow he had a feeling of its strange significance here, in the middle of the woods.

The fox ahead of him wound around his legs one more time before it yipped and bounded forward, making Niou turn around to look at him in surprise. The foxes seemed to vanish as one suddenly, leaving just Niou sitting there alone.

“Are you following us, Masaharu?” Tezuka asked finally, breaking the silence.

“No, I'm back where we first met. I haven't moved.”

That made Tezuka frown, his eyebrows drawing together. They had moved very quickly in the past days covering miles upon miles of ground. “That's impossible.”

Niou's smile was a trifle too amused as he turned to properly face Tezuka, still seated on the ground. “I told you when we first met. The forest is magic. Impossibilities don't exist anymore.”

He had nothing to say to that, and Tezuka frowned to himself.

“Atobe's pushing south more, his reach is extending,” Tezuka said, and he was gratified to see Niou look just a trifle guilty as he spoke. “You need to return to your post to fix it. It's not too late.”

The smile he'd become so used to seeing had so quickly vanished as Niou stood up and he was worried for a moment that Niou might disappear as easily as his foxes had. He didn't want him to vanish, he realised, and Tezuka crossed the distance between them so quickly, grabbing onto his arm.

“I know what's happening,” Niou said and there was just a small flash of guilt across his face as he pulled his arm free. But he didn't move to get away, Tezuka realised with some relief. “I'm not going back though.”

Tezuka gritted his teeth in frustration, giving in to emotions he normally didn't let himself feel. “You could push Atobe out of Rikkai if you wanted to. Men are dying because of your selfish whims.”

He expected Niou to cave, for his expression to falter and to ease him back into agreeing to come with him. Sanada could continue north, and maybe Tezuka could escort Niou back alone so he didn't feel pressured. But he didn't expect a hardening of Niou's mouth and the defiance.

“Atobe's not alone in his push, you know,” Niou said and Tezuka gave his surprise away by a slight widening of his eyes that he knew Niou had caught. “He's being aided by someone else. Who isn't hindered at all by any barriers I put up.”

This was news to Tezuka. Even when he'd met Atobe in person the few times, there had been always just Atobe by himself. He wondered where the man had found someone like that to help him for his ridiculous cause.

“I see...”

Niou snorted and pulled away a bit. “No you don't. You're not magical, you don't understand.”

Tezuka reached out to grab onto Niou again, pulling at the fabric of the woven shirt he was wearing. “Then help me to understand.”

He thought for a moment about the cloth he grasped so firmly in his hand suddenly becoming air and Niou fading away, but he stayed there, staring at Tezuka with troubled eyes.

“There's someone else in Hyotei. Someone extremely magical. That's why he's able to extend his reach into Rikkai so far. And he's found me already.”

There was no fear in Niou's voice, just a statement of facts and something that Tezuka could say was perhaps confusion. Tezuka moved his hand to Niou's arm, pushing up the sleeve of his shirt to grasp onto his bare forearm.

“Facing Atobe and whoever else head on isn't going to work. Putting my barriers up around the country isn't going to do anything but delay the inevitable. Even physical walls aren't going to hold him back forever, at least when he finally decides to be serious about it,” Niou said. “So I'm looking at other ways to stop him.”

He paused and grinned at Tezuka. “I heard you talking to Sanada, you know. About why you're here and why Atobe's coming through Rikkai.”

Tezuka fought hard to keep his face neutral, but he was so sure Niou saw the little signs of embarrassment and awkwardness that managed to slip through his composure; at least if the widening grin was anything to go by.

“Aa...”

Niou didn't seem to mind his non-answer, moving to face him properly and lifting his hands up to touch his face. Tezuka felt a tingle against his skin as Niou ran his fingers over his cheekbones, something he liked to believe was a sign Niou was performing some kind of magic as they stood so close to each other.

“Maybe you should stay close to the trees after all,” Niou's face was much too close to his own now and Tezuka stared at the small mole on the other man's chin as he frowned a little and spoke. “Atobe's been watching you.”

“And my men? Won't they be dragged into the forest in their sleep as you warned before?”

Niou shrugged a little. “It's a sacrifice you'll have to risk. The trees will offer you protection otherwise too... from the weather and from Atobe. I suggest you take it. They're pretty generous like that.”

“I'll discuss it with Genichirou. He is as in charge of this venture as I am.”

“Don't tell him it was from me. He doesn't like me.” The idea of it didn't seem to bother Niou overly much though, as he shrugged again.

“I wont.” He didn't mention that Sanada was staying along the edge anyway, regardless of what he had said to him. And Tezuka suspected they would remain following along the edge of Minstrelsea as long as the trees facilitated their path. According to Sanada, they did, with just a hard day's ride away from their northern edge up to the pass.

“Good.” Niou seemed satisfied anyway, and he smiled at Tezuka.

They were still so close to each other but Tezuka wasn't quite ready to step away and put distance between them again. And with Niou's hands still on his face and running over his jawline, he had a feeling Niou wasn't quite ready to step away either.

“Your fox from before needs to exercise more,” he said, somewhat lamely as he hunted around for a new topic.

Niou snorted in laughter. “He's curvy and just... doesn't go on as many trips as the others. He doesn't need more exercise.”

Tezuka wondered what counted as 'trips' for magical foxes that disappeared into thin air so easily. Trips to visit other people, perhaps, as the chubby fox had visited him?

“A diet, at least.”

It was so easy to lose track of time, standing so close to Niou and talking to him about the most mundane of topics; with the dappled light in the clearing even though he knew it was getting darker outside the forest and Sanada was surely wondering where he was as they started the night shifts.

And so he finally, so reluctantly pulled himself away, taking a physical step back away from Niou. It helped a little, getting the distance between them to stop himself from getting caught up in Niou's pace that he seemed to so easily fall into.

“I need to head back,” Tezuka said, disliking the reluctance that managed to creep into his voice against his will anyway. “It's getting late and we have an early start tomorrow.”

Niou shrugged and turned away, the same chubby fox reappearing and bouncing up to him again. “He'll take you back. See you next time you drop in.”

-

They did indeed continue to stick to the tree line as they moved forth and perhaps that protected them from seeing the true extent of the invasion into Rikkai until the very last day as the trees influence spread out into the distance on either side of them as they camped at its edge.

The last day was done in one hard ride. Foolish yes, but Sanada was intent on moving into the fort as quickly as possible with it being so close, to avoid another night out at the mercies of the elements.

Any other time, he would have separated the journey, when there were no frosts on the ground in the mornings as they woke up, and no overwhelming realisation that Atobe was so close.

So they moved, a train of men and horses that made their way north towards the pass. It had been weeks since they had received new from Jackal and perhaps some part of Sanada was worried about what they were going to find there. Tezuka thought Sanada had no doubts about Jackal's ability to hold the wall, and surely they would have heard, seen something if it had been breached.

But he could see the tension in Sanada nonetheless the closer they got.

The divide between Rikkai and Atobe's influence over Hyotei and the weather became clear as they finally approached the pass, the beginning of snow just appearing on their side of the great walls. Sanada's eyebrows were drawn together as they neared the fort that sat atop the pass, its multi-ringed defences holding back the wintery foes.

The southern gates opened as they approached and the men called for it, being greeted with cheering from the men atop the first of the great walls.

Tezuka thought of what Niou had said and at the iced cracks he could see on the walls of the Keep, in the distance as they made their way into the first ring of defence.

The pass wasn't going to last forever, no matter how well Jackal defended it - and by the looks of it, he was defending it indeed. The reason it was holding up thus far, was because Atobe and the man aiding him hadn't gotten serious about their approach yet.

What was he waiting for?

For the beginning of winter?

… For Tezuka himself to finally get there, he thought ominously.

The Keep at least was comfortable, though the room they were taken to told of the cost of keeping the walls in tact. The room was cold, the stone floor feeling frozen beneath his boots and a chill in the air that the heavy shutters over the windows and the woolen tapestries on the walls weren't quite able to hold back.

There was a fireplace, but it was empty and cold, looking like it had been a long time since it had seen warmth. He supposed firewood was kept for more important things than warming the blood of the commanders, such as keeping their enemies back.

“Fire has been very effective,” Jackal said as he marked the map on the table to get Sanada and himself up to date with the situation. “But fuel and wood are precious and saved only for when things get desperate.”

Sanada nodded. “We've brought along extra firewood in our supplies, it should last for a while.”

Jackal shook his head and Tezuka frowned at the expression on his face. It spoke volumes about what was happening on the front lines and how much they had missed while journeying north. Too, they had missed the sight of the great outer wall as it faced the northern end of the pass and what damage had been done to it in the months since the first attack.

Tezuka imagined it to be similar to the Keep, with the cracks in the ice, but who knew what sort of offences Atobe's forces had brought with them to take on the iron defence of Rikkai and how desperately they were trying to get through.

As he thought about it more and how he would approach it, perhaps it was a miracle that it hadn't fallen yet.

“It will depend on the approach Hyotei takes,” Jackal said. “We've had days of quiet patrols, where we sit freezing through the day. And other days when...” his expression became haunted for a moment, looking with great weariness as he probably remembered the toll of the past few attacks.

“Atobe isn't here himself, personally,” Jackal said, “And for that I'm thankful to whatever god is still there. The men who are here in his place however, are troublesome enough.”

Tezuka frowned slightly. Thinking about who he knew directly under Atobe's command, he wondered who it was leading the forces. Shishido, perhaps. Jirou was too foolhardy.

“You've said fire is particularly effective against them?” he asked and Jackal nodded curtly at him.

“It helps break through their ranks and scatter when used at the right time. They're coming to anticipate it now though, so we only use it when we have no other option.”

Tezuka wondered how often they had no other option but to resort to a measure like that. It didn't bode well for the weeks to come. “And with the approaching cold weather? Has their strength increased obviously?”

Jackal was silent for a long moment and he sighed, looking down at the map instead of at either of them. “It's a sight better seen with your own eyes,” he said and Sanada's eyes noticeably narrowed at that, but there was no objection. They both knew, even though Sanada was the highest ranking man in the military and Tezuka was there as his equal, in the northern pass and the Keep, Jackal was very much the commander.

Sanada finally nodded. “We'll see it at first light tomorrow. It's getting dark.”

“Let me get people to show you to your rooms.” His smile was a bit wane as he spoke. “The rooms are a bit icy from the weather, but you get used to it. They can bring up warm water at least.”

--

He should have expected to be visited by Atobe in his first night in the fort, the closest he'd been in a long time to Atobe and to Hyotei. And also the first in many times that he'd been away from what he had realised was some meagre protection the trees... and perhaps Niou, offered him from Atobe's magic.

The dreams claimed him almost as soon as he was asleep, icy tendrils that wrapped around him and transported him to the northern stretches of Hyotei that he had visited once before. He found himself in a room that he recognised immediately as belonging inside the castle of ice that Atobe called his own and Tezuka knew from his own visitation there. The castle that gleamed in the sunlight, cold and beautiful much like its owner, spirals of crystalline ice reaching into the sky.

He sat in the room, opposite Atobe who cradled a fine crystal glass in one hand, his fingers loosely around the stem, watching him with an intensity that he hated to admit was becoming all too familiar.

“You're looking well dressed tonight. The colour's good for your eyes,” Atobe said, raising his glass slightly at him and smiling as he took a sip.

Tezuka took the opportunity to look down, seeing the fine green velvet tunic, with a cut far more fashionable than he'd ever cared to wear before. Well fitted leather boots were on his feet that he took a moment to reach down and feel, noting the absence of the usual sheaths for his daggers that he no doubt suspected Atobe was responsible for. Even in dreams, the man seemed to be paranoid of being stabbed by him.

“Thank you,” he said eventually, sitting back. He suspected like before, this wasn't a dream he would be able to wake up from of his own will. It would be even harder now, so close to Atobe, where his magic was so much stronger.

The fire before them was warm and Tezuka stretched out his boots towards it to warm his legs. It was strange how the room of ice was warmer than the room he was in at the Keep, and he didn't even consider for a moment it was a consequence of this being a dream.

While he knew Atobe enjoyed the cold and the man's skin to touch was cool as well, Tezuka also knew that his castle was warm in person.

“I wanted to talk to you again after last time, but I couldn't.” Atobe's eyes narrowed at him slightly. “You shouldn't venture too close to those trees out of my sight, Tezuka.”

Tezuka spread his hand slightly in a gesture of vague apology, taking a sip of the glass. It was rich and flavoursome as he swallowed slowly, so aware of Atobe's eyes on his throat. They shifted to watch his face then, as he lowered his glass. “It was just in a venture to get firewood. Unlike you, my men need it to stay warm.”

Atobe looked just a little frustrated at that. “Unnecessary men,” he snapped a little before he visibly pulled himself back in and became the standoffish man that he did so well.

It was nice, sitting in the silence but Tezuka could only think about how this kind of aware dream would affect him in the morning as he woke up. Atobe was watching him, he knew that, he could feel his gaze so closely on him, watching every move. Eventually, he spoke, breaking the silence.

“Why do we continue to do this, Atobe?”

Atobe was suddenly in front of him, faster than he would have done so in real life, and that took Tezuka by surprise, with no time to prepare himself. He became so aware then, of the hands on him, so cold and different to the warmth of Niou even though he could almost believe that he could feel the same tingle of magic as before as Atobe's hands slid over his shoulders.

“I've told you before. I want you. Join me in Hyotei.” There were lips then too, grazing over his cheek, cold and detached but the puff of air that followed behind them was hot. And embarrassingly, Tezuka found himself becoming quite aware and interested in the sensation.

“I've told you before, I'm not interested,” Tezuka said, though he made no move to push Atobe away.

He had to admit, and he had before as well, he had never been opposed to Atobe's strange obsession with him that had been borne from a single encounter and had only grown as Tezuka had visited Hyotei briefly and met him again. It was just the man's constant insistence that he move to Hyotei that had now escalated to invading another country to get to him that had gone too far.

Tezuka didn't know what Atobe had planned to do when he'd broken through Rikkai and made his way south to Seigaku and perhaps part of him was putting off thinking about it as he focused entirely on just pushing him out of the country to begin with.

And he tried not to think then, as Atobe's hands slid up under the tunic to caress his skin, that maybe he'd done exactly what Atobe had planned for him to do, and brought himself north to meet him.

“I have a question for you, Tezuka,” Atobe asked, breaking Tezuka out of his train of thought and he suddenly became aware of how close Atobe's face was to his own, how his lips brushed against his cheek again.

“Yes?”

“Who's 'Masaharu'? You mentioned him last time we met.”

It took a moment for Tezuka to realise what Atobe was talking about. “He's someone I met on the journey. I happened to dream about a conversation with him that night before you arrived.”

Atobe raised an eyebrow. “A journeyman? Who appears in dreams?”

It was at that moment Tezuka had the ludicrous realisation that Atobe was... jealous of all things and he chuckled, which in and of itself was satisfying enough just to see the surprised expression he received in return.

“He's a farmer. It was an innocent dream of my own mind's making.”

It was easy to lie to Atobe, even as he kept his face neutral and stared at him. He didn't linger on why he was trying to protect Niou from him - and really, did Niou even need protection? He just felt the need to and at this moment in time, that was all that mattered.

Atobe looked doubtful and perhaps that was what made Tezuka so impulsively kiss him, to protect Niou's presence from him, he told himself. Atobe tensed up, but soon relaxed as Tezuka's hands stroked down his back.

And indeed, there were no more questions about Niou asked, nor were any other questions really asked in general, as Tezuka pulled Atobe down towards him. Perhaps it started as a way to protect Niou from him, but he didn't think too much about the reason again. And really, it didn't matter overly much as his mouth slid over Atobe's skin, leaving a trail of heat behind it, or as he watched Atobe flush and pant beneath him.

What was his body doing in real life, he wondered, as he stretched out alongside Atobe, watching him and the way the light from the dying fire played upon his skin.

“I still want you, Tezuka,” Atobe said, as Tezuka ran a hand through his hair and down his side to his hip. His skin was chilled now, and he pressed his warm palm against Atobe's hip, watching him shiver a bit at the sensation. “Meet me in the north and I'll pull back from Rikkai immediately.”

“You're not even here,” Tezuka replied and he was gratified to see Atobe's eyes widen slightly.

“And if I was?” Atobe's voice dipped in volume and his face was so close. “If this wasn't in the dream plane?”

Tezuka pulled away and frowned a little. “I will consider it if it happens.”

He'd never done it before, broken away from Atobe's dreams, but he wanted to so badly now, even as Atobe's body pressed against his own and it was so tempting to just bend down and kiss him again.

But he made himself, watching Atobe's face morph into something cold and almost hungry as he pulled away from Atobe's grasp and awoke with a gasp in his bed at the Keep.

-

Atobe felt himself being pushed out of Tezuka's mind and knew that he was waking up. And he raged in his northern palace of ice. He swept a hand and the crystal decanter of fine wine crashed to the ground, the wine spilling to the ground like blood splatters.

Looking at the scene in front of him, he could almost imagine Tezuka having been there for real, his body warm against Atobe's own as they lay together, his hand on the wine glasses that now lay on the floor in pieces.

He hadn't wanted the dream to end and part of him hated himself for thinking that way. It was some kind of horrid compulsion that had been placed upon him after that first encounter and had only grown through the years.

And now, with the memory of Tezuka's mouth upon his skin and his hands following so quickly behind just left him hot and frustrated from lust as he moved around the room that suddenly seemed too small.

“You seem upset, Keigo.”

The voice appeared so suddenly, followed by such light footsteps on the floor. But Atobe knew that voice anywhere and he looked up, still tense with rage as Oshitari appeared.

“Tezuka just unexpectedly gained the upper hand for a moment.” He made an effort to pull himself back, to keep his expression neutral... but somehow he had a feeling Oshitari had been watching since the start of his shameful behaviour.

It was so difficult to calm down and he was restless, but Atobe made himself stop moving, sitting down stiffly in his chair, crossing his legs and looking at Oshitari.

“How was it, Keigo?” Oshitari asked with a lilting curiousity in his voice that was otherwise hidden by an all too practiced expression.

“He's close by, it made it much clearer than it has been before.” Tezuka had been so close, Atobe felt like he could reach out a hand and snatch him if he tried hard enough. It had made the dream sharper, more real, for both of them, he hoped and left him aching for more.

“So it was enjoyable?”

Atobe didn't think of Oshitari's prying curiousity, it being something so natural to the man that Atobe had long accepted it. Instead he just nodded and focused his attentions entirely on Oshitari, who always seemed to know everything, no matter what it was.

Surely he would know this.

“Tezuka mentioned a 'Masaharu' appearing in his dreams before. He said he was just a fox farmer, but I don't believe him.”

Atobe didn't miss the way Oshitari's eyes widened slightly as he mentioned the name and immediately he wondered - what exactly had both Tezuka and Oshitari been trying to hide from him?

“Who is he, Yuushi?” He cut off Oshitari as he saw the other man's mouth open to reply, no doubt to deny any knowledge of the man. “I know that you know who he is. Tell me.”

Oshitari nodded his head his acquiescence, though he was silent for a long time as though reluctant to answer.

When had he grown to be so suspicious of his oldest friend, Atobe had to wonder to himself. There had never been any of it when he'd first made the push into Rikkai, or even well before that. But something about him lately had been enough to spark Atobe's suspicions.

“He's Masaharu Niou, the sorcerer from Rikkai.”

Atobe's eyes widened slightly. “The one that disappeared?”

Oshitari just nodded and Atobe stared at him in surprise for a long while. He knew of the man, by reputation only though and somehow his name had seemed unimportant when he so easily crumbled.

It had seemed ludicrous, when he'd first learned that the primary magical defence Rikkai employed, was centered around a single person. But as the defences had failed and Atobe had pushed past them, he'd had to admit that they were true, and something had happened to this single person; such a flaw in their otherwise impenetrable and powerful shields.

He'd come up with theories of his own, of course, about what had happened, but they had all centered around death or illness. The thought that the man had simply been hiding somewhere was... ludicrous, really.

It made him a bit disdainful towards him, just that single fact.

He suddenly stopped his train of thought as something new occurred to him. “Is this why Tezuka disappeared whenever he entered the forest? Is that man protecting him?”

It would explain so much, why even in dreams, Tezuka had been so hard to reach. And why, it had been so easy, now that he was away from the man and those cursed trees.

“No, that's the magic of the trees themselves. He has nothing to do with that.”

But Atobe didn't believe him. He'd seen for himself, Tezuka vanish from his far reaching insight as he went into the forest and while he'd believed at the time that the forest had done its own with protecting Tezuka from his sight - and surely, it did to some extent - the knowledge that there was a powerful sorcerer in there led him to believe the trees had had help. After all, he hadn't been able to see Niou for himself either, even though he'd swept over what he could see of the forest.

But why was Oshitari trying to hide it from him?

“He's interfering, Yuushi. Somehow, even if it's not from some kind of protection over Tezuka, he's interfering.”

“He's been taken care of. He's not of any concern to us anymore.”

Atobe kept the smile on his face as he looked at his friend, hiding the suspicion that snuck through his heart.

To continue complaining about Niou hiding Tezuka would undoubtedly raise suspicions and if Oshitari was indeed doing something about this matter, it would only worry him and make unnecessary things happen.

“How should we proceed with Rikkai?” Atobe asked, settling into his seat again and he noticed out of the corner of his eye, Oshitari relax slightly in his dark corner. “They're getting ready for us. They're getting over confident since they've been able to hold us off so far and they've only gained reinforcements since.”

Oshitari's answer was simple, combined as it was with a smile that seemed to gleam out of the dark.

“Teach them a lesson.”

And so Atobe moved, on the swift night wind towards the fort in which everyone still slept. Save for Tezuka, whom he passed over quickly, feeling the man awake and still mulling over his dream. A good thing too, or he might be tempted to draw him into a dream again, to see how different the second time was.

The men he chose were random, as he smothered them with his magic and pulled out their life force from them, leaving them empty bodies behind as he withdrew and exited. No walls, no tightly shuttered windows, no great locks or might Keeps could keep him out.

-

Tezuka should have been surprised as he woke up to a bed covered in ice even with the shutters closed tightly over the windows, but he wasn't. He shifted and the ice over his bed covers cracked, spilling to the floor as he pushed them away.

Proof of Atobe's visitation into the Keep. No matter how tightly they kept the windows barricaded and how well the walls held up against physical attack, there was always the nighttime and Tezuka knew better than others about Atobe's particular skills with dreams. It was still early, nighttime still outside as he peered through the cracks in the windows and the flame of his candle still burned, showing how much time had passed since he had gone to sleep.

But it was late enough, and Tezuka splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up properly before dressing for the day, pulling on his boots even as he thought about the finely made ones that he had been wearing in his dreams.

He wasn't the only one visited by Atobe last night, Tezuka found out as he broke his fast with Sanada and Jackal. Yanagi had sent his excuses, and for some reason Tezuka found himself not really missing the odd man and how closely he seemed to watch him.

“Three men, last night were taken by the cold,” Jackal said grimly. “It hasn't happened before at the Keep, but it was a regular occurrence during Hyotei's first push down into our territory in the northern villages.”

Sanada looked just as grim. “Is there any way of stopping it? Was there any clear targeting method?”

Jackal shook his head. “It was random, it always has been.”

Tezuka didn't speak, but felt foolish for a moment for forgetting the tales of how fingers of ice crept into houses to steal the sleeping breaths from people inside. Perhaps some selfish part of him realised as well, that the only reason Atobe's magic had been reaching so far into the fort was because of his own presence there.

Had the lives been taken as some kind of retaliation against him forcing his way out of the dream? Should he have perhaps kept Atobe occupied throughout the night in order to spare the rest of their men from a chilling end?

It was an interesting thought, however much the idea made him frown deeply over his plate.

Their conversation eventually turned to less serious topics as Sanada started to bring Jackal up to date with what news he had missed from the court and of Niou's discovered whereabouts. The mention of the sorcerer was enough to make Jackal look slightly strained - no doubt thinking about what consequences his disappearance had had on Jackal's own defence of the border.

He did however notice how Jackal perked up a little at the mention of Marui, and how Sanada purposely dwelled on the doings of the other man as well. Some kind of close friend, then, Tezuka gathered, who seemed to have moved into to priesthood that was stationed at the court.

The lighter topics could only last so long, however, lasting until they moved to their other room, still cold, perhaps moreso than before this time, even though Tezuka was well aware that the sun had to be shining at this hour, however weakly and providing some kind of warmth.

“It's a sign of Atobe moving down himself,” Jackal said as they spoke of the nighttime visit, though his expression was grave and he looked almost as though sheer strength of will was holding him together at this point. “It won't be long until he's upon us.”

Sanada looked angry and on some level, Tezuka could understand the frustrations. They should be able to make some difference, coming up here. How long they managed to hold the fort shouldn't depend on whether or not Atobe himself was there, and how long it took him to arrive. They had come north to push Atobe out of the country, not sit there and wait for him.

“Then we'll prepare for his arrival,” Sanada said grimly. “And give him a welcoming he's never experienced before.”

The tactic was one that Sanada, who usually moved in so aggressively and was the reason Rikkai had been so successful in the past, disliked, Tezuka knew that. But with their own magical sources at a minimum and Atobe having something extra behind him, pushing him forward... it was hard to think of an alternative.

“We have one chance. Let's make it count. We'll wipe him out here.”

-

“Why are all of you interrupting my dreams?” Tezuka found himself asking, speaking to the forest scenery that he found so familiar now, looking at the same trees as before and the familiar form in front of him, sitting surrounded by foxes.

“Interrupting your dreams?” Niou asked, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “You're the one traveling here, not me.” He smiled though. “If anything, you're interrupting mine.”

He thought Niou was just lying, trying to hide the fact that he was indeed following Tezuka into the north, instead moving to sit next to Niou, watching the gamboling foxes around them.

“Are you still in the forest masquerading as a fox farmer?” he asked Niou and was gratified to get a bit of a laugh out of him.

“It's not a masquerade. But yes, I'm still in the forest.”

“How have you been?” he asked, reaching out to scratch one of the foxes behind the ear. It was the chubby one again, that seemed more fond of him than the others, that still watched him from a distance even as they played.

It was a strange sensation, an animal that felt so real beneath his fingers, but with a level of insubstantiality that felt as though it could vanish at any second.

“This fox still needs a diet.”

Niou laughed and he shrugged, seeming to ignore his words. Tezuka reached out instead to impulsively run his fingers through Niou's hair, feeling the difference in how it felt to the insubstantiality of the fox fur. Different too, was the reaction from Niou at the touch, leaning a bit into Tezuka's touch and looking like he was enjoying it.

“What do magical foxes eat?”

“Magical birds and wisps of wild magic. What else?”

Of course.

“And the one that needs to exercise more? What does he eat?”

Niou looked entertained at that question. “Magical birds and wisps of wild magic.” His mouth curled into a secretive smile that Tezuka decided he quite liked. “Sometimes a bit more than he should.”

It was mindless, still petting at Niou's hair and watching him relax into it. And being here with him, Tezuka almost felt so detached from his troubles up in the north. Niou said nothing and they enjoyed the silence together. At least until he heard a yip next to him and Niou laughed.

“Throw a stick to him, Kunimitsu,” Niou said, pointing at a particularly hefty stick nearby. At the questioning glance Tezuka gave him, Niou laughed again. “He likes it. And it'll be good exercise for him.”

Somehow Tezuka doubted it, but he went to get it anyway. It was easier to just do, instead of questioning Niou's strange logic and his equally as strange pets. He tossed it into the trees and watched as the fox ran after it. And it didn't come back, disappearing into the forest, much like his owner had previously.

“Have you considered going back?” he asked suddenly, still looking after the fox. “It could be helpful.” He didn't know why he had broken their companionable silence with such a question - perhaps the unnaturalness of sitting there so peacefully made him uncomfortable.

Niou's smile that he'd gotten so used to seeing before he'd even realised it, vanished so quickly at his words. And Tezuka almost wished that it would come back and they could go back to talking about foxes.

But that was just the whimsy of Niou-led dreams, he told himself, he needed to focus on what he was actually doing. It was dangerous to fall into the temptation to just relax and stay here.

“I am doing helpful things here. It's just a different nature to what you normally do.” Niou snorted a bit in amusement, and Tezuka was pleased to see his mouth quirk into a small smile again. “I can't exactly stab the great libraries with swords to make them give me answers.”

“Have you tried?”

The words fell from his lips before he could stop them, though it was worth it for how Niou stared at him in shock. At least for the first few moments until it started to become uncomfortable. It was more comfortable when Niou started laughing though.

“Atobe himself is coming down from the north,” Tezuka said, more to cover up his onsetting embarrassment and to distract Niou.

“Really? So he's finally gotten sick of Jackal holding everything up?”

For some reason it pleased him that Niou wasn't aware of everything going on and he found himself wondering if Niou visited other people's dreams to get news from the outside world as well. Or was he maybe like Atobe, whom he knew watched from a distance, everything that happened like some faux omnipresent deity?

“Jackal has done a commendable job at guarding the pass.” Tezuka trailed off and Niou watched him, tilting his head to the side slightly. Jackal really had done a commendable job. Tezuka was hard pressed to think of a man within his own country who would hold up a situation like that as well, or for as long.

Oishi, perhaps, but against Atobe, he didn't know if his old friend had quite the fortitude.

“But it's going to crumble soon.”

Even if Atobe didn't take down the walls himself when he came south, they were all aware now of how Atobe could snatch men from their sleep, slowly wear down their numbers in that regard. Was it happening again tonight, he wondered?

Was use was a wall, if there were no men to defend it?

Niou was silent for a while, avoiding his gaze. “Are you scared?” he asked, his voice light as he looked at him finally.

“Not at all.”

His voice was steady, as was his gaze as they stared wordlessly at each other for a long while. There was no lie to his words, he realised with some surprise to himself as he twisted Niou's hair around his finger. And then Niou turned away with a laugh, hiding his own amusement.

“You probably should be.”

--

They took it in turns to patrol and it was on the first round of his, looking back at the fort that Tezuka got a true glimpse at what the waves of attacks had done. There were no forces from Hyotei around that they could see, but Tezuka had instructed all of his men to keep a close eye.

They carried unlit torches with them, ready to be lit at a moment's notice, and even though Tezuka knew that if they were attacked in large numbers as a small patrol group, having them there and knowing the flame worked somewhat, it was a small comfort.

For some reason, after the first nighttime attacks that had taken men from their beds, the forces had physically withdrawn. The weather had even pulled back with Hyotei's numbers, and as Tezuka's horse stepped over the ground, he could see the green of grass appearing underneath the quickly melting snow that gave way to the summer it was meant to be.

It anything, the sudden unexplained change had caused all three of them to be more wary and on guard than before. He was so aware of what Niou had said, of his thoughts during that dream talk with Niou. Atobe was coming south, they knew that.

Atobe himself, reminded them of that, with nighttime visits into their fort that still snatched away lives, even though staring out from the wall, there was nothing of Hyotei in sight.

All three of them knew it was just the calm before the storm. With them so close and Yanagi reporting that there was next to no defences left except what they had at the fort now, they were just biding their time before what had to be their final push into Rikkai.

But Jackal wasn't sitting idle, taking advantage of their respite to start repairs on his walls, and to fortify his weakened defences. Tezuka could see, watching the efficiency in which he targeted key areas and ordered his men around, why Jackal was indeed known as the Iron Defence of Rikkai and how he had held the pass for so long.

Under other circumstances, he might dislike the man, as someone who favoured sitting and wearing their enemies down as Jackal did, but in this current situation, Tezuka only felt fond camaraderie towards him.

Perhaps even more encouraging was the belief Jackal seemed to have that they were actually able to push Atobe back, even if the man himself came down to face them. While Tezuka himself continued to have growing doubts, Jackal seemed to strongly believe that with Tezuka and Sanada there now, they had a chance to do more than just stall his forces.

Occasionally he found himself talking to Niou, but more and more regularly, he found his dreams with him interrupted by iced rooms and crackling fires and Atobe's silken voice in his ear. Niou didn't seem to mind too much, enjoying every moment of their time together of sneaky touches and talking about foxes.

Tezuka held up his hand as they patrolled, as he spotted someone in the distance, immediately on guard. There was no yellow flag from Rikkai amongst them, identifying as some of their own. Instead it was just a growing group of people that seemed to appear from the snow itself and approach.

Hyotei forces, then.

But before he could even draw his sword and faster than his eyes could follow, the person he could only assume was their leader leaped forward, his fingers closing around his throat and Tezuka could feel the cold press of sharp talons into the skin of his neck. They had grown from the man's fingers, he realised and Tezuka straightened a little, swallowing and feeling the claws press in just a little more.

“This is the man Atobe has us all down here for? How pathetic. You disappoint me, Tezuka.”

He knew that voice as they spoke and Tezuka tensed up. Ryou Shishido. It had been a long time since he'd laid eyes on the other man, though the long hair and attitude remained.

Shishido leaned in closer to Tezuka and he realised the man shared Atobe's perpetual coldness. Was it the same of all their men? “Maybe if I get rid of him now, we can finish up this charade.”

Tezuka gestured with his hand for his men to lower their weapons that he knew were going to be pointed at them immediately. He saw the ones he could still see, very reluctantly lower their arms, as if it was the most difficult thing they had ever done. He had to commend them for that, particularly as Shishido's smirk appeared, so similar to Atobe's the more Tezuka looked at it.

“Smart move,” Shishido said and his fingers loosened slightly, allowed Tezuka to take in a grateful deep breath of air. “I would have torn out your throat before they got to me.”

“What do you want, Shishido?” Tezuka asked. “Attack us if that's what you're here for.” He was baiting him, he knew, foolishly with the fingers still around his neck.

Shishido clicked his tongue and stepped back, distance appearing between them as the man seemed to melt back steps at a single time.

“I have a gift to deliver for you, from our esteemed leader,” Shishido said with an eyeroll as he pulled a small bag from his belt and tossed it at Tezuka. “He thought you'd like it.”

He stared at Shishido for a long while before he moved to pick it up - the man made no attempt to his hide obvious contempt for his purpose of visiting. Tezuka was cautious as he picked it up as it landed in the snow, carefully feeling the soft leather exterior before reaching in.

And he nearly dropped it again as he pulled out a very familiar tail of white hair that he could so easily remember running his fingers through as it hung down Niou's back, and being tied back so carefully after.

He almost expected for it to disappear into thin air as he held it, much like he'd come to think of Niou doing so, even though he knew that it was only the magical foxes that did that, while Niou very much remained himself and whole.

What was the purpose of it, he wondered? To show that Atobe was aware of what had happened between him and Niou? As some kind of proof that the man had gone south into the forests and found him and possibly dealt with him?

The idea made Tezuka's stomach churn as he stared down at the hair and imagined.

He found himself speechless and his fingers tightened around the bundle of hair and he felt the hair cut into his skin. What sort of reaction had Atobe wanted from him?

“Thank you for delivering the gift,” Tezuka said stiffly and he saw the twist of amusement on Shishido's mouth.

Perhaps it was that, which drove him to such impulsivity. It was foolish, he knew it, with his men surrounded on all sides by snow and the press of Hyotei forces and no doubt, Atobe was watching on as he always did. But Tezuka's hand found the hilt of his sword and he swung it out of the scabbard in a motion honed by years of practice, sweeping it across and cutting through Shishido's neck with a disturbing ease.

He saw the look of surprise on Shishido's face, forever frozen on his face as his head fell to the ground, landing in the snow. Time seemed to stretch as the shock of what had happened settled in and realisation grew from the Hyotei forces.

It had been the height of stupidity and rashness, Tezuka knew that, but he gripped his sword tighter in his hand and there was almost a perceptible breath before the Hyotei forces moved forward towards him. There was no care for the men around him, their focus was aimed entirely on him.

Was it Atobe's doing, he wondered? Or were they really that singularly minded?

It was magic, surely, that caused the flaming torch to be thrown towards him, the oil soaked cloth suddenly on fire, far brighter than it should be, the flame burning an orange that was unnatural as he swept it with his right hand towards the closest men, seeing them catch on fire with skin that surely shouldn't burn like it was, his left sword hand parrying a blow that came from the side.

His men, he could hear, were fighting, though it was surely easy pickings with enemies that weren't focused on them at all. Tezuka spun the torch and stabbed it into a body and watched it catch alight again.

Their armour was some kind of ice and metal, but they were still mortal men, despite coming from Hyotei - Tezuka knew this. And still they burned as he touched the torch to them, and he didn't stop to think why.

Throw it into the air, a voice said and Tezuka nearly didn't block a blow that came, jarring his left arm and he thrust the flaming torch in retaliation.

“What?” he shouted, not sure where the voice was coming from or if anyone else had heard it.

It was a ridiculous idea, as he had to pivot on his foot to block an attack to his back. Where were his men, he wondered and even as he did, he heard their voices to his left. They were close enough.

Throw it into the air. Now.

The voice and the tingle in his mind as he heard it a second time were familiar enough for Tezuka to follow blindly, irrationally, tossing the flaming torch upwards. He saw the fire streak through the air before he had to focus on holding the forces off with just his sword, shifting to hold it with two hands and laying about him with long, heavy strokes.

And then there was fire everywhere, arcing down from above him and it happened all too fast, the smell of burning flesh and unworldly shrieks as they fled, leaving Tezuka's small company standing alone as they vanished into a wave of what he could only describe as frozen mist that appeared to envelop them and spirit them away.

And then they were gone and Tezuka stared after them, seeing the torch that he'd thrown so boldly into the air, on the ground now, its end blackened. He reached to pick it up, pulling away as the red hot heat from the rest of the wood seared through his gloves.

He looked up, just in time it seemed, to see the wispy outline of a chubby fox prancing through the stirred up snow, almost smugly before it vanished.

Tezuka glanced around at his men, but they didn't seem to have noticed anything, for which he was grateful. The hair Shishido had given him was gone, he realised belatedly, dropped when he had grasped the torch so tightly in his hand. And even as he looked around the ground around him, there was none to be seen.

“They won't be coming back,” Tezuka said, “At least not today.” Somehow he knew this, even though he surely couldn't know what it was Atobe was thinking in response to that.

He reached to touch the wood again, to take back as proof to Sanada of what had happened. He had to wrap his hand in cloth before he could pick it up, but he managed. “We will return and make our report.”

-

Atobe screamed, the sound reverberating off the crystal walls of his room and he crushed the remains of the decanter beneath his feet as he paced, his fingers becoming talons as he tore apart a hanging woolen tapestry, tossing its shreds to the floor.

“What was that?!” he demanded, into the darkness in the corners of the room where he knew Oshitari had to be hiding. For wasn't he always there?

It was impossible that it had happened, that Tezuka had managed to hurt and drive off his forces that he'd sent so easily. He had felt the physical pain when Shishido had been killed, when he'd felt that blade pierce the man's throat, but the feelings from that were nothing when his body had burned from the flames.

It was impossible.

He'd felt the magic, had tasted it, had been made to bleed because of it; droplets of his blood scattered across the floor where Tezuka's blade had sliced through the flesh of his forces after they'd been touched by the flame. It was different to Tezuka's innate magic, he knew that intimately enough, had felt it enough and been pushed to arousal enough by it.

This was different and he hated it.

“Answer me, Yuushi, I know you're there.” Atobe said again, and into the silence that followed, he worried for a moment that Oshitari had abandoned him now.

But there was no need to worry, as the silken voice appeared again and Oshitari followed soon after. He stepped out of an impossibly small shadow and moved to touch Atobe, his fingers seeming to not care about the hot drops of blood against his frozen skin, leaving hot trails behind him.

“It was Masaharu Niou, interfering.”

Just the name filled him with rage, knowing how Tezuka spent far too long in dreams that he couldn't touch, that he knew were from that man. And now this.

Atobe tore away from Oshitari's grasp and the ground around him froze. “I thought you took care of him. You said he wasn't going to do anything.” His voice dropped, shaking in anger and disbelief, that this... this meddling sorcerer could have such an effect on him both magically and to get him into such a state as this.

And he hated it.

“He's harder to keep in line than I thought,” Oshitari said, his voice hatefully pacifying, though he made no move to touch Atobe again. “Perhaps he needs a reminder of his position.”

Atobe paused and looked at Oshitari sharply, drawing himself up a little. “From you?” There was just a raise of Oshitari's eyebrows at the question and Atobe had to stop himself from narrowing his eyes.

Again, the suspicion about Oshitari grew. That the man knew where Niou was all along, and he hadn't done anything about it. Except deal with him, supposedly, which had been ineffective, as far as Atobe had seen and felt from the burning still upon his skin.

“No. I'll do it myself.”

That was enough to make Oshitari's eyes widen, in something Atobe detachedly recognised as panic, but he was already heading for the door himself, pushing past Oshitari. He didn't stop to think about why Oshitari was panicking, nor why he was so determined to deal with this himself, why he wanted to get rid of this scum who was taking Tezuka's attentions from him, just walked out the door and left his crystal palace behind.

-

Tezuka made his way through the gates into the fort, the trail of men following behind him. Sanada came to meet him, as they always did for one another and he could see the man's eyebrows drawing together at the sight of what had to be battle wounds and, as he turned to glance at his men, the spatter of blood upon their clothes and the used swords.

“What happened, brother?” Sanada asked, stopping beside Tezuka on the horse.

“We were attacked,” Tezuka said grimly and he could see Sanada glance over to his men, as though counting them, nothing but confusion showing through his taciturn expression, as he saw none were missing.

“Masaharu came to our rescue.”

If there had been surprise before, it was nothing compared to the obvious widening of Sanada's eyes and the absolute confusion shown as he tried to process it. A rare sight and under other circumstances, Tezuka might enjoy it.

Tezuka dismounted from his horse and clapped the other man on the shoulder, handing off the reins to another man. “Let's go somewhere private and I can warm my blood and report properly.”

It took longer than he would have wanted to get into a room, a glass of whiskey in his hand. While a fire was out of the question although a liberal part of Tezuka wanted to argue that it was a cause of celebration at least and they should have a fire, the whiskey was doing just as good a job at getting his blood circulating again and burning a path of fire down his throat into his stomach.

There was no Jackal in the room with them, the man remaining on watch on the wall, keeping an eye on any possible retaliation for the attack during the patrol.

“One of Atobe's commanders was there?” Sanada asked, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at Tezuka intently.

Perhaps he should care more, but Tezuka was enjoying resting back in the chair, the aches of the day suddenly coming to him as he sighed.

“Yes, Shishido. He was... more formidable than before.” Tezuka looked solemn for a moment. “I acted rashly and killed him. And put all our lives at danger.”

And had it not been for the unexpected rescue, Tezuka had no doubt that it would have been his head that was delivered to the fort in the morn, perhaps deposited there by one of Atobe's minions, maybe even deposited macabrely upon Sanada's bedcovers overnight.

“What was the provocation?” came Yanagi's quiet question and Tezuka looked at him in surprise - he'd almost forgotten the other man had been there. He remembered the man following them into the room, but it was always so hard to focus his attention on him, almost as though he was just always forgotten and seemed rather happy with that position in people's views of the room.

“Atobe sent me an unappreciated gift,” Tezuka said, though he refused to elaborate even as Sanada stared at him in question.

Finally Sanada sighed. “What else did he say?”

“I don't remember. I removed his head from his shoulders before he could speak anything of interest.”

Sanada seemed almost amused by that, despite what should have been disapproval at Tezuka's rashness. It was concerning, with them facing potentially a large scale attack on the fort, to know that he was so easily provoked. It wouldn't happen again, he told himself.

Sanada sighed again and looked grim, his mouth pulling into a tight line. “It is inevitable, then. Atobe will be closing in upon this pass as soon as he can. We have to be prepared.”

Tezuka paused before he shook his head. “I don't believe Atobe will.”

And even as he said that, his crazy idea seemed to make so much sense. He didn't know where it came from, the idea, but as he spoke it out loud it was so obvious. “I believe he'll go south, go after Masaharu first, and then circle back around to face us.” To face him, he thought to himself quietly.

“What makes you think that?”

Tezuka was a little pleased that Sanada at least seemed to be taking his words seriously and considering them as he looked at the maps.

“Masaharu provoked Atobe this time and was responsible for his forces having to retreat. He won't take that lightly.” Atobe was too proud to accept that, especially from someone he seemed to want to stay in line so dearly.

“How can you be sure this isn't a situation of your own creation? We can't move from here and leave the pass open, if it's just a bluff or you've misinterpreted.”

A fair enough comment, and under other circumstances, he might think the same thing. But at the moment, he was so convinced that this idea could be nothing but correct.

“There was fire, Genichirou,” Tezuka said, holding out the wooden brand that he had been holding so close to him this entire time. It was still warm, perhaps overly hot with the remnants of magic as Sanada's hand closed around it and he could see the surprise upon his face. “That's the reason we came back alive. Atobe now knows the damage Masaharu's capable of doing, even moreso than just maintaining barriers over the country.”

“If he wants to take Rikkai, he should know he needs to take out such a large threat to his armies. Especially knowing he can appear where he wants.”

Yanagi drew himself up a little and there was a little cough from his corner before he spoke again. “Niou hasn't left his fort in a long time. He need more than just long distance magic like that to be truly effective against Atobe.”

Tezuka looked sharply at him. “How do you know Niou is in a fort? I never relayed that information to you.” And he was fairly sure he had been the only one of their number to have seen the reticent sorcerer.

Yanagi's expression shuttered, even moreso than it normally was and Tezuka narrowed his eyes at him, silently demanding an answer from him. “I received intelligence from my own sources of his whereabouts. They are currently working to move him from the fort back to the court.”

“Masaharu hasn't said anything about that...” Tezuka said carefully, watching the slight changes in Yanagi's expression, so difficult to detect.

“You talk regularly to Niou?” Yanagi asked him, looking at him with great interest suddenly.

Tezuka just stared at Yanagi evenly. “We talk enough. There's been no comment from him about other intruders in his forest.” And given how much Niou complained and commented every time about him being there... somehow Tezuka doubted that the presence of other people would go without being mentioned.

He wondered then, how Yanagi was getting those messages from the people who were there. There had been no messengers, and surely any information via that route would be weeks old and worthless now in such a time. By dream, then? What sort of people did Yanagi have at his disposal, if that was the case?

“They've been unsuccessful at reaching him thus far,” Yanagi said smoothly, but something about his voice, or the unchanging facial expression made Tezuka instinctively not trust his words to be entirely truthful. He would have to ask Niou as soon as possible. “The forest is difficult to traverse.”

“I've never had any particular difficulty with it.” Even the times that he'd gone there without Niou's knowledge, it had never been... oppressive.

He did make a note to ask Niou about it though, as he watched Yanagi closely still, seeing the strange shifting in his expression, almost as if he was struggling to keep his face at its usual impassivity.

Yanagi didn't speak again though and eventually Tezuka turned his attention back to Sanada who looked troubled by their talk before.

“I still believe Atobe will target Masaharu. We need to warn him and shift our defences.”

“No.”

Sanada's refusal now surprised him and Tezuka frowned slightly.

“I'm not leaving the country's entrance undefended like that.” Sanada held up his hand to stop Tezuka from interrupting him and Tezuka reluctantly closed his mouth agin. “I believe your suspicions,” and for that Tezuka found himself very grateful. “But Atobe still needs to pass us to get to Niou, if that's what his focus has shifted to now.”

They both remembered their conversation on the way north, then, of Atobe's original target being him.

“We'll hold our defence line here. If it's breached, we'll make the call on what to do. But for now, we stay here. Agreed?”

There was no room for argument with Sanada's expression and Tezuka reluctantly nodded.

“Very well.”

There was some restless shifting from Yanagi's corner of the room but Tezuka refused to look at him to see his sly expression and to feel troubled over it. He had more important things to focus on.

Go to Part 3